There’s been a lot of talk about hybrids lately, but most of the politicians and talking heads throwing the term about really don’t know what it means. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, a hybrid is simply a vehicle with more than one power source. A parallel hybrid can used the gasoline engine and the electric motor at the same time, while a serial hybrid uses battery power and then internal combustion to power a generator and create more electricity for the batteries.
Hyundai CEO Confident They’ll Have A CAFE Of 50 MPG By 2025
November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The 2011 Hyundai Elantra gets 40 MPG highway.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is first and foremost in the minds of automotive engineers these days. From a current CAFE standard of 27.5 MPG for passenger cars, automakers need to reach 39 MPG by 2016. Just in case you’ve forgotten how to do basic arithmetic, that’s an increase of 11.5 MPG fleetwide in just six short years. On a percentage basis, that’s an increase of nearly 42% in fuel efficiency in just six years.
Honda’s Asimo Turns 10, But We’re Still Waiting For It To Do Something Cool
October 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Ten years ago, Honda introduced us to Asimo, a robot that could walk, dance, shake hands and deliver the mail. Our minds reeled, certain that in the next decade robots would be walking our dogs, getting our mail in the rain and driving our cars so we could sip gin and tonics while watching low budget horror flicks on the rear-seat DVD system. Sadly, in the 10 years since, Asimo hasn’t rocked our world. Robot butlers are still the stuff of science fiction, and I’m still walking the dog in the rain.
Learn To Drive A Stick In A Cobra? Sure, What Could Go Wrong?
October 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I learned to drive a stick in a 1967 VW Beetle. The shift pattern was vague, the cable operated clutch had almost no feel to it and the car had no tachometer. On the other hand, the Beetle was light and grossly underpowered, so the worst thing you could possibly do was stall it. It took me a few weeks to get the whole left foot / right foot coordination thing down, especially on steep hills, but I managed to become proficient at driving a stick without frying the clutch or hitting anything.
If This Is Real, Meet The ‘Tool Of The Year’
October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
First, let me just say that I’m not buying into the whole video, which has a “staged” feel about it. I don’t doubt that there are plenty of assholes hiding behind badges and sunglasses, but the vast majority of cops I’ve met have been cool. At the very least, they’ve been professional, something this guy isn’t.
This Is Why Cheap Tires Don’t Belong On Your Car
October 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
If you’re going to enter a burnout contest, chances are good you won’t be putting brand new Michelin or Goodyear tires on your car before the show. This video shows you exactly why you shouldn’t use the cheapest tires you can find, either. When a tire delaminates at speed, bad things happen, and they happen very quickly. First, you have razor sharp steel belts that are still spinning around like Satan’s own weedwhacker. These will cut through just about anything in their path, including vintage Camaro sheet metal and glass. You’ve got chunks of rubber being thrown off in all directions, too, and some of these can be heavy enough to dent fenders or break glass. If you’re riding a motorcycle without a helmet and happen to catch one in the head, chances are good it’ll be “lights out” before you even have a chance to blink.
No Wonder We’re Humped, Part 1: GM, Consultants and You
October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Let me pose the following to you as a multiple choice question: When you’re the one paying the bills, which of the following things is worth $2,975 per hour:
1. Driving a Bugatti Veyron on the autobahn, with full diplomatic immunity.
2. A three way with yourself, Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson.
3. Hiring your previously terminated CEO back as a consultant.
4. None of the above
Sometimes I Think A Giant Comet Strike Is Best For Us All
September 27, 2010 By 4 Comments
I live off of a narrow, winding road that follows the curves of the St. Johns River. Calling it winding is a bit of an overstatement, but it’s as close as you can come to a road with curves in northern Florida. It is narrow, though, with one lane in either direction and no real shoulder to speak of. Since it’s residential, the speed limit is posted at 30 mph, but it’s a heavily traveled road that most residents drive at 40 mph on. There are plenty of side streets, big trees and oncoming cars, so it’s not really a place to go full-hoon. In fact, it’s not even a place to go half-hoon.
Buy A Nissan Leaf, Get Mauled By A Polar Bear
September 10, 2010 By 1 Comment
Sometimes ads speak to me, and other times I want to find the creative genius behind the ad and smother him (or her) with a pillow. Take Nissan’s latest, which highlights global warming and the plight of the cute-as-a-bug-before-they-rip-your-entrails-out polar bear. Apparently, if you buy an all electric Nissan Leaf, not only will you prevent polar bears from going the way of the dodo, but apparently they’ll show you some lovin’ for your efforts as well. Not that a hug from a 1,000 pound bear that smells of wet fur and fish is necessarily a good thing.
VW Nails The Male Psyche
August 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Men, if you watched this commercial and smiled, congratulations: you’re officially a gear head (or petrol head, as they say on the other side of the pond). If you watched this commercial and wept; well, sorry, but I’ll need your man card back. You may also want to check and see if you accidentally left your testicles someplace.
