Bally's, D.O.E. and GM Collaborate

Breaking news! Exclusive to Autopophet:

Bally's, the U.S. Department of Energy, and GM are announcing today that they are forming a collaborative joint venture called "Sweat-n-Volt(tm)".

Sweat-n-Volt will be installed in several Bally's Fitness locations to show the feasibility of recovering exercise energy as usable transportation fuel. Treadmills, stair-steppers, and stationary bicycles will be modified to generate 12v DC current using left over alternators donated by GM. The 12v feeds will be joined at a 12 to 240v transformer, which will then feed a free plug-in hybrid charging station in the parking lot.

"We're very excited to harness the exercise energy of Americans to provide transportation fuel", said Joe White, the D.O.E. project manager. "We expect California to be especially productive. The mid-west not as much, although we anticipate more miles generated after the 1st of the year."

GM's spokesman, Bob Lawrence, "This is a historic opportunity to combine America's health kick with American's transportation needs. We're also looking at the feasibility of marketing a portable version, so people can pedal their way to a fully charged Volt, and a thinner waistline, in the comfort of their own home"

Bally's Tammy Silverstein said "We were already looking at doing this to help lower our electricity bill. Now, we can help our patrons get home from the gym, too."

(April Fools!)

I4 Is The New V6

I have written it before, and more confirmation today, the V6 is dying out as America's engine of choice.  According to Ward's, GM will be installing only I4 engines it the new 2013 Malibu.  The current Malibu is one of the top selling mid-size sedans in the U.S. market.   

By offering direct injection and possibly turbocharging, the Malibu I4 will no doubt make V6 like power numbers while getting better fuel economy.  This is they way of the future, and is a necessity because of the relentless ramp-up in CAFE standards.  

Malibu follows Hyundai Sonata, another top selling sedan which dropped a V6 option.  I expect that as the other mid-sized cars get refreshed, they also will drop the V6 option, or perhaps reserve it for the most expensive (and lower volume) performance version only.

Americans Don't Want Small Cars!

Today I heard part of an interview with the EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, which made my blood boil. During the interview, she threw out the tired lie that American automakers are building too many "large vehicles which the American public do not want to buy" (approximate quote).

If the American people don't want to buy large vehicles, then why is it that the top selling vehicles in the U.S. are as follows?

Top 20 vehicles, Feb 2011

*Ford F - Series PU 37,549
*Chevrolet Silverado PU 31,728
^Toyota Camry / Solara 27,212
Toyota Corolla / Matrix 25,860
^Ford Fusion  23,111
^Honda Accord  21,206
^Nissan Altima  20,808
Honda Civic  19,121
Honda CR-V  19,096
^Chevrolet Malibu 19,092
*Dodge Ram PU  18,644
Chevrolet Cruze  18,556
Ford Escape  18,005
^Chevrolet Impala 16,290
^Hyundai Sonata  15,723
Chevrolet Equinox 15,434
Toyota Prius  13,539
Nissan Sentra  12,599
Volkswagen Jetta 12,591
Toyota RAV4  12,562

(courtesy WSJ.com)

Notice the * rows, which are large pickups. And notice the ^ rows, which are midsize or full size cars. 11 of the top 20 vehicles are midsized or large, and 8 of the top 10 are midsized or large.

Now explain this to me, if Americans don't really want to buy large cars, why aren't the top selling vehicles all small cars like the VW Jetta? Is someone twisting their arms into buying the F150's and the Impalas?

Obama and the EPA administrator need to drop the talking points. American's don't want tiny cars.

Craigslist Overpayment Scam -- My Fake Check!

To my surprise, today I received a UPS letter envelope containing a check for $2,450. From the ATP Oil & Gas Co. in Texas. Which I have never done business with. The return address on the UPS envelope was from a different location, in Minnesota, also a place I had never done business with.

Then I remembered--some guy had emailed me about a camera lens I was trying to sell on eBay, and offered to send me a check for it if I would ship it to him. I said "ok" in case he was legit, but I suspected he wasn't.

So here it is, my trophy. A ridiculously bad fake check. Note the strange mix of fongs -- Arial, Times, and Comic Sans. The smudge from my wetted finger.

Notice the signature. Look familiar? It's George W. Bush!

Bottom line, don't ever accept overpayment for a Craiglist item from a stranger, who wants you to return the overpayment via Western Union. It is 100% scam.

Bob King's Posturing

The UAW's president, aptly named Bob King, is out in the press landing punches before the first bell.  

"I like Alan Mulally. But I just think it's morally wrong," said King, who assumed the leadership of the union last year. "It creates problems for Ford in both the salaried work force and the hourly work force. It seems like one individual is getting all of the gain."

This is typical left wing progressive posturing, setting up class envy as a wedge between the UAW's hourly workers and the managers of the auto companies.  

"It seems like one individual is getting all of the gain".  What?!?  What about the shareholders?  From a low of around $1.60, Ford's stock price has recovered to near $15.  That is billions of dollars of value returned to stockholders, many of whom happen to be in the UAW.  Not to mention jobs saved, direct and indirect.  Ford dealer's didn't get crushed the way GM and Chrysler dealers did. 

Alan Mullaly, though not single handedly, was a key player in keeping Ford from going bankrupt along with GM and Chrysler.  As such, he is very valuable--CEOs who can save companies and preserve billions of dollars of shareholder value are not exactly hiding under every rock.  Successful CEOs, like sports stars, have a market value.  If Ford didn't offer Mullaly a generous performance based pay package, maybe he wouldn't have come from Boeing to save Ford.  Maybe he would have been snapped up by some other company in need of a turn-around.   

Maybe Ford would have gone under.

By the way, when was the last time you heard Bob King railing against the excessive pay of his unionized brethren, the professional football players of the NFL?  

The PS Fluid Flush Scam, AGAIN

I got my oil changed the other day.  I do it at my dealership because they give me points I can use to get free service, so it works out to be a reasonable deal.  This time, they did the "we recommend you flush your power steering fluid' pitch on me, going so far as offering to show me that it was "dirty".   Upon inspection my fluid (which is about 50,000mi old) was a medium cherry color, like cherry coke.  Not very dirty.

Here's the truth.  Power steering fluid is good for well over 100,000 miles in normal usage.  It changes color because it leaches carbon black and other chemicals from the rubber power steering hoses and fittings.  Just because it is dark does not mean it is damaged.  

When should you flush your power steering fluid?  If it gets overheated (not sure how, perhaps failing pump?), or contaminated.  And you don't need to power flush it, you can simply suck it out with a turkey baster and refill the reservoir.  According to an expert on this subject, who I happen to know, there has been no proven benefit from power steering pressure flushing.  

When the dealer pushes you to change your power steering fluid, he is really just trying to improve his profit margin on your sale.  

SPD WTF

This morning, I was driving in to work and noticed the local "Irish" bar had people huddled in the doorway, waiting for the place to open for service.  

It was 8:30 am.  

If I was Irish I think I would be annoyed that my cultural heritage was being used an excuse to drink all day.

The Boss is... Boss

Motortend just ran a Ford Mustang Boss 302 on the Laguna Seca track.  Best lap time was 1:40.21... which beat Nissan GT-R, Audi R8 4.2, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, and Ford's own Shelby GT500.  

From www.fastlaps.com:

10.	Ford Mustang Boss 302	1:40.21	129	'12	446 / 1659	Motor Trend
11.	Nissan GT-R	1:40.45	129	'08	479 / 1740	Motor Trend
12.	Mercedes SLS AMG	1:40.74	129	'10	571 / 1620	Bern Schneider
13.	Audi R8 4.2 FSI quattro	1:40.75	129	'06	420 / 1560	Motor Trend
14.	Chevrolet Corvette Z06	1:40.90	129	'05	513 / 1437	Motor Trend
15.	BMW M3 (E92)	1:42.96	126	'07	420 / 1619	Motor Trend
16.	Porsche Cayman S(facelift) PDK	1:43.00	126	'08	320 / 1375	Motor Trend
17.	Porsche Cayman S	1:43.00	126	'05	295 / 1406	Randy Pobst
18.	Aston Martin V12 Vantage	1:43.04	126	'09	517 / 1680	road&track
19.	Cadillac CTS-V	1:43.90	125	'09	564 / 1955	Motortrend
20.	Shelby GT500	1:44.30	124	'10	547 / 1767	Motortrend
21.	Shelby GT500	1:44.72	124	'06	507 / 1807	Motor Trend
22.	Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500KR	1:44.72	124	'08	540 / 1773	Motortrend
23.	Porsche 997 Carrera (2008 facelift)	1:45.00	123	'08	345 / 1415	Car and Driver
24.	Jaguar XFR	1:45.37	123	'09	510 / 1960	Motortrend
25.	Chevrolet Camaro SS 2010	1:45.70	123	'10	432 / 1750	Motor Trend

Neat video here.

PETA: Save Spiders... Donate Your Mazda?

I am not sure if this is serious.  If anyone other than PETA had mailed it out, I would think it was a joke, but PETA is not known for a sense of humor.  On PETA's blog, they are suggesting that people donate their Mazda6's to PETA rather than hurt spiders that might be hiding in the vapor emissions system.  Riiiight.

Here's an idea, PETA.   How about you donate some mechanics to de-spider people's cars for free, if you are so concerned about spider lives?

As if the typical Mazda buyer, a middle income person, can afford to donate a relatively new car to PETA to avoid hurting spiders.  

DIY Coffee Roasting 101

I have been wanting to try roasting my own coffee

beans, for the experience, and to see if I could notice much of a difference between fresh roasted beans and store bought beans.

Equipment:

1 $10 popcorn air popper, purchased from CVS on clearance.

1 extension cord, to allow outdoor roasting

1/2 lb green Sumatra coffe beans, from local coffee store.~$5.00

Procedure:

I poured about 5 tbsp of green coffee beans into the popper and ran it while watching the color and listenign for the "crack". The beans started cracking about 4 minutes into the cycle, and had turned a nice medium brown color by about 4 minutes. I dumped them out on a sheet to cool.As the beans roasted, chaff (the skin of the coffee

beans) popped

up out of popcorn machine and floated away.

Results:

The beans are not as uniform as I would like, perhaps because I put a little too many in the popper. As a result, some of them got more cooked, as they rotated in the middle bottom of the pot, while the ones in the top middle of the pot probably cooked less.

After I ground the beans, I got an excellent fresh coffee aroma.

I brewed using my Bodum French press. The

result has a very robust, earth

y flavor. There is a slight "soapy" flavor, which I think may come from some of the under-roasted beans.

The Politics of Gas Prices

Gas (and food) prices are going to be Obama's "Waterloo" in 2012. And Obama won't be playing the part of Duke Wellington.

You can't have high unemployment, high energy prices, and high food prices and expect the party controlling the White House to poll well.

Obama and the Democrats' problem is that they have not had a popular approach to these issues. For example, pursuing ethanol mandates is counterproductive for both gas prices and food prices. Moratoriums on oil drilling restrict supply, while clean energy mandates and permitting slowdowns squeeze utility prices. Each issue is run by a different White House czar, but the sum effect is to push an expensive green agenda.

Perversely, restricting drilling also hurts the federal budget, because oil unpumped is oil untaxed.

Meanwhile, I think the average American voter, unless he is a member of a major labor union, is saying "hold on, let's fix the economy and the budget, and then worry about environmental progress!"

The average American driver also doesn't want to be pushed into a Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta sized car, or to have to pay a $5,000 premium for a hybrid, which is what the aggresive expansion of CAFE standards leads to. The average American wants a comfortable car and cheap gas, and an affordable price for both.

Video: Uphill Skiing

I'd hate to be jet-engine powering up a mountain and hit a tree... you'd need a fire extinguisher and then a stretcher. This is not a toy for the timid!

Testing New Jetpack on Skis - Troy Hartman from Troy Hartman on Vimeo.

Mitsubishi: Dead In The U.S.?

Mitsubishi, which is barely hanging on in the U.S. (When was the last time you saw a Galant?), is rumored to be killing off its Evo line, to focus its efforts on EVs and hybrids.

This is nothing less than market suicide, in the U.S. market, because U.S. consumers have note yet embraced electric motoring.  Anecdotally, the only Mitsubishi owners I knew personally were Evo drivers.  

Mitsubishi, already in big trouble, will probably become a niche player, sold as a boutique brand by multi-brand dealerships.  How can they maintain a dealer network on EVs and hybrids alone?

IIHS: Decapitation Sucks, Fix Trucks

IIHS has released a report on the poor state of under-ride protection on American large truck trailers.  If you watch this video, I promise you you will feel queasy.  In it, a 2010 Malibu is crashed into the rear of a U.S. spec trailer at 35mph.   All of the Malibu's excellent front crash structures slide under the rear of the trailer, as the guard buckles and folds under, and the rear of the trailer hits the dummies in the head.  

Adding beefier rear guards to trailers will cost a little cost, and a little weight, to each trailer.  But seeing as there are hundreds of car-trailer accidents each year, I think it is probably worth it.

Another issue, which IIHS doesn't discuss, is side protection for trailers.  European trailers have side under-ride guards as well as rear.  

Yale Center: Ethanol Mandate Raising Global Food Prices

From the YaleGlobal Online Magazine: a short piece on global food price factors.  Quote (emphasis mine):

Third, the US ethanol subsidy diverted more than 100 million metric tons of corn into ethanol last year. This did little to reduce global warming, and made basic grains and meat more expensive for most people in the world. Nearly a third of US corn is now used for fuel. If the Senate lowered the US deficit by reducing the tax break on ethanol, corn prices would drop and China's increased consumption would easily be accommodated. Since there was a recent decision to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline, this problem will likely intensify. A move to cellulose-based ethanol would be helpful. Land released from corn could be used for soybeans and reduce prices for several crops.

I did not realize that 1/3 of our corn production is going into ethanol.  And that is at an average mix of only about 10% (since E85 is not widely available and consumed)

Mahindra MPG Fail

If you have been following the sorry saga of Mahindra's attempt to import Indian built compact diesel pickups into the U.S., here's more bad news.  The EPA mileage rating of the crew cab automatic has come in at 19/21 MPG.  Compare this with a Ford Ranger 4x2 with a 4.0L V6, which gets 15/21 MPG, or a Nissan Frontier with a 4.0L v6 at 15/19 MPG.  

So where is the reason to buy?  If people are going to give up refinement, possibly reliability, and comfort to buy a Mahindra truck, the selling point must be the utility of the small diesel engine.  If the diesel isn't clearly superior for fuel economy, then is the trade-off worth it?

From Automotive News.

Nice T-shirt

Nice T-shirt, for a DUI arrest!

http://www.wtsp.com/slideshows/2010/Mug-Shot-Roundup/Amanda-Bailey%20DUI%20DWLS.jpg

NASA on Toyota: Tin Whiskers May Be An Issue

The headline for the NHTSA/NASA report on the Toyota unintended acceleration, as widely reported, was that Toyota's electronics were not at fault, because the overwhelming evidence was that people were either pressing the wrong pedal, or the pedal was entrapped/stuck.

NASA evaluated Toyota's diagnostic strategy, and as I blogged about before, found that the only way to have an undetected failure with a runaway throttle would be a very specific mutli-point failure, virtually impossible in the real world.  This was professor Gilbert's trick, which I covered here. 

However, buried in the NASA report (here) was one interesting find.  One customer returned pedal, while it did not cause unintended acceleration, did result in "jerky" throttle response and sometimes did not set a fault.  It turned out that a "tin whisker" had grown between the pins of the two pedal position sensors.

Vehicle testing using a defective potentiometer accelerator pedal assembly from a VOQ vehicle with a resistive short, within a narrow range of values between the sensors outputs, identified a vulnerability that may compromise nominal limp home mode fail-safe operation on subsequent ignition key cycles and affect the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) display and/or DTC  generation under certain specific conditions. Destructive physical analysis of this pedal assembly found tin whiskers, one of which had formed the resistive partial short circuit between the pedal signal outputs.  A second tin whisker  of similar length was also found in this pedal assembly that had not caused an electrical short.  If a resistive short between the potentiometer accelerator pedal signal outputs exists, the system  may be vulnerable to a specific second fault condition that could theoretically lead to UA.However, if resistive faults were occurring during normal use, DTCs would be expected from at  least the first ignition key cycle and the following cycles that did not meet the specific criteria.  Subsequent review of the warranty data does not support an observable failure signature of  pedal-induced DTCs. Electrical measurements on six VOQ vehicles found no indication of the resistive paths necessary for this failure scenario.

This condition must be very rare, and is not an explanation for the many UA cases that NHTSA investigated.  However, I think a smarter design would not have the two position sensor pins located next to one another.  If a tin whisker had grown between the sensor pin and ground, for example, a fault would have likely been triggered.

Chrysler Superbowl Commercial

Well done. Gritty, in your face, beautiful. I hope the car can live up to the marketing.

Caribou Coffee: Ending My Boycott

In the past, I have been boycotting Caribou Coffee because they were bought out and majority owned by Arcapita (formerly First Islamic Bank of Bahrain). As part of their ownership, Arcapita required Caribou Coffee to have an official policy of adhering to Sharia (Islamic law) with regards to their business, whicn included bans on interest and pork.

Even though Caribou was certified to not be supporting overseas groups involved in terrorism, I did not want to support Arcapita's middle-eastern Muslim investors, so I refused to patronize them.

However, I am changing my position. According to this article, Arcapita has sold a large portion of its shares in Caribou, and now only owns about 25% of the company. Arcapita may be the largest single shareholder, however, the public now owns most of the company.

By the way, you still can't get pork at Caribou, in case you were wondering.