I know my main topic here is politics but sometimes auto-related stuff (my other passion) gets thrown in for good measure, this is one of those instances.
In one of my previous posts, I discussed laws that concerned the Pruis and other electric cars having some kind of alert system for pedestrians because they ran so quietly in comparison to other cars. I brought up the Fisker Karma which has a speaker system outside the car that imitates the sounds of a combustion engine running at the approximate speed and RPMs of the electric engine.
Toyota who make the Prius, my main concern, are doing something about it! Toyota who is under suit because someone in a Pruis hit a kid in the street who claimed he didn't even hear a car coming at all. Obviously there are a lot of facts of this case that aren't available yet because it could have been the kid's fault for being in the street.. but I digress. Now Toyota has announced a joint project with Lotus to put 300 Watt speakers just behind the car's grill that mimic a flat-6 or V8 engine sound to warn those in front of them of the hybrid's impending arrival.
I'm glad that the auto industry is finally updating their ways considering that although Hybrids may help the environment in various ways (although that is questionable.. part 1, part 2, part 3) the creation of hybrids also creates new problems. Although I am not a fan of government regulations because they usually bungle it, the federal gov't should definitely start talking regulation to ensure saftey if the industry is so slow to adopt safety measures.
Autoblog story - here
Showing posts with label Vehicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vehicles. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Green Cars: Part Three
Yikes, last time I did this there were some pretty nasty email and a few unhappy comments but the show must go on. It is my responsibility, I feel, to rip off those rosy lenses off the collective eyes of the world and show what kind of improvement so-called "green" cars are really making.
Hydrogen makes me think of things like.. the number one, the letter "H", wonderful days of High School and College Chemistry, and of course, the Hindenburg. As it turns out Aluminum had more to do with the Hindenburg accident than Hydrogen so we'll leave it off the list. So how exactly is Hydrogen going to be the next magical substance to make rainbows and make Al Gore smile?
The idea behind Hydrogen powered vehicles is that either 1) they use Hydrogen for combustion alongside gasoline (petrol, for those in the UK) or 2) Hydrogen be used in fuel cells, forced to react with Oxygen which would create a water byproduct and generate electricity to run an engine. [Forgive me if I've oversimplified the processes, these are just description for the Average Joe (or Jane)]
The first method, the gasoline/hydrogen combustion engine, is being used in the beautiful, new BMW Hydrogen 7 (pictured above). This seems to be a pretty good idea, creating a true hybrid vehicle however there are some issues in the realities of this method. First, a passable infrastructure for the mass manufacture and distribution of Hydrogen is about 15 to 20 years away. Second, the hydrogen tank is normally under pressure however, if the car is not used for 17 hours the tank begins to lose pressure and leak out the hydrogen - meaning that if you don't use your car for about 4 or 5 days in a row, your tank will be empty. Thirdly, the process to create and distribute Hydrogen to fueling stations is itself very inefficient. In fact, according to experts in the field it is about 1/4th as efficient as using battery technology and a little less efficient than the current hydrogen fuel cell technology. Overall, I like the idea but unless a major breakthrough happens in the storage and infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations.. it will remain an Al Gore fantasy not reality.
The second method is using Hydrogen in a fuel cell, react it with Oxygen and water leaks out the tail pipe as electricity runs your motor. This is the more popular vein of hydrogen technology automakers are trying to adapt (such as the Honda FCX pictured above).
Again, most problems with Hydrogen fuel cells is that the technology just isn't caught up to reality. 1) The fuel cell technology is currently prohibitively expensive (they contain platinum and other rare metals) in exchange for comparative performance to most of today's autos. 2) The hydrogen fuel cells are very brittle and weak and cannot handle even the normal bumps and vibrations of an average road. 3) The fuel cells can't stand up to cold weather especially freezing conditions because that impedes their start-up process and the byproduct of the process is water.. which freezes causing some problems in exhaust. 4) The infrastructure is neither in place nor is there a comprehensive plan to implement to get hydrogen stations allover the country. 5) Other fuel cell technologies are far more efficient in a comparison done by MIT's Technology Review in 2007 of grid-to-motor efficiency electric hybrids were 86% efficient in comparison to 25% for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Ouch... There we go. More than a few reasons why "green" cars are not quite what they are portrayed as, instant band-aids to the world-wide crunch. What is the solution then? Well, until technology and innovation catch up with the dreams of the automobile industry there are a few steps that we can take to curb both pollution and the dependence on oil. You can: ride public transport, drive slower.. you get more MPGs, buy a vehicle that actually fits your lifestyle - no SUVs for Soccer moms and no enormous trucks for guys who will never haul anything, stay smart make less trips with your vehicle by combing them and planning them out. There are plenty more tips I'm sure floating around in the interwebs and if you care to scratch the surface.. you will be flooded.
Link: The Last Car You Would Ever Buy -- Literally - MIT's Technology Review
Day Three: Hydrogen Vehicles
Hydrogen makes me think of things like.. the number one, the letter "H", wonderful days of High School and College Chemistry, and of course, the Hindenburg. As it turns out Aluminum had more to do with the Hindenburg accident than Hydrogen so we'll leave it off the list. So how exactly is Hydrogen going to be the next magical substance to make rainbows and make Al Gore smile?
The idea behind Hydrogen powered vehicles is that either 1) they use Hydrogen for combustion alongside gasoline (petrol, for those in the UK) or 2) Hydrogen be used in fuel cells, forced to react with Oxygen which would create a water byproduct and generate electricity to run an engine. [Forgive me if I've oversimplified the processes, these are just description for the Average Joe (or Jane)]
The first method, the gasoline/hydrogen combustion engine, is being used in the beautiful, new BMW Hydrogen 7 (pictured above). This seems to be a pretty good idea, creating a true hybrid vehicle however there are some issues in the realities of this method. First, a passable infrastructure for the mass manufacture and distribution of Hydrogen is about 15 to 20 years away. Second, the hydrogen tank is normally under pressure however, if the car is not used for 17 hours the tank begins to lose pressure and leak out the hydrogen - meaning that if you don't use your car for about 4 or 5 days in a row, your tank will be empty. Thirdly, the process to create and distribute Hydrogen to fueling stations is itself very inefficient. In fact, according to experts in the field it is about 1/4th as efficient as using battery technology and a little less efficient than the current hydrogen fuel cell technology. Overall, I like the idea but unless a major breakthrough happens in the storage and infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations.. it will remain an Al Gore fantasy not reality.
The second method is using Hydrogen in a fuel cell, react it with Oxygen and water leaks out the tail pipe as electricity runs your motor. This is the more popular vein of hydrogen technology automakers are trying to adapt (such as the Honda FCX pictured above).
Again, most problems with Hydrogen fuel cells is that the technology just isn't caught up to reality. 1) The fuel cell technology is currently prohibitively expensive (they contain platinum and other rare metals) in exchange for comparative performance to most of today's autos. 2) The hydrogen fuel cells are very brittle and weak and cannot handle even the normal bumps and vibrations of an average road. 3) The fuel cells can't stand up to cold weather especially freezing conditions because that impedes their start-up process and the byproduct of the process is water.. which freezes causing some problems in exhaust. 4) The infrastructure is neither in place nor is there a comprehensive plan to implement to get hydrogen stations allover the country. 5) Other fuel cell technologies are far more efficient in a comparison done by MIT's Technology Review in 2007 of grid-to-motor efficiency electric hybrids were 86% efficient in comparison to 25% for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Ouch... There we go. More than a few reasons why "green" cars are not quite what they are portrayed as, instant band-aids to the world-wide crunch. What is the solution then? Well, until technology and innovation catch up with the dreams of the automobile industry there are a few steps that we can take to curb both pollution and the dependence on oil. You can: ride public transport, drive slower.. you get more MPGs, buy a vehicle that actually fits your lifestyle - no SUVs for Soccer moms and no enormous trucks for guys who will never haul anything, stay smart make less trips with your vehicle by combing them and planning them out. There are plenty more tips I'm sure floating around in the interwebs and if you care to scratch the surface.. you will be flooded.
Link: The Last Car You Would Ever Buy -- Literally - MIT's Technology Review
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Toyota Prius hits 8-yr old boy, Officials worried about Car Noise Levels
[This post is totally unrelated to my previous criticisms of the Toyota Prius as an Hybrid-Electric Vehicle.]
The Story: An 8 year old boy, doesn't look both ways on his bike, rides out into the street and gets hit by a car. The boy isn't seriously injured but does end up on the car's hood with some nasty cuts and bumps. Sounds like an everyday near tragedy...
The Controversy: The car that hit him was a Toyota Prius. The reason he rode into the street is that he claimed he never even heard it coming. This brings up a long brewing controversy about minimum noise levels for vehicles. In the days that cars were first produced it was believed that a vehicle's noise was so loud and harmful to the ears neighborhoods and cities passed laws on when and where a car could be driven. Now, however, vehicles are getting better and better sound damping technologies and can even run silently (on batteries) which is cause the health hazard described above, people not hearing vehicles approaching and putting themselves at risk.
Links:
Left Lane News: News Story Here
Left Lane News: Fisker Karma Uses Speakers to produce engine sound
USA Today: Blind People Complain about threats from Silent "Hybrids"
The Story: An 8 year old boy, doesn't look both ways on his bike, rides out into the street and gets hit by a car. The boy isn't seriously injured but does end up on the car's hood with some nasty cuts and bumps. Sounds like an everyday near tragedy...
The Controversy: The car that hit him was a Toyota Prius. The reason he rode into the street is that he claimed he never even heard it coming. This brings up a long brewing controversy about minimum noise levels for vehicles. In the days that cars were first produced it was believed that a vehicle's noise was so loud and harmful to the ears neighborhoods and cities passed laws on when and where a car could be driven. Now, however, vehicles are getting better and better sound damping technologies and can even run silently (on batteries) which is cause the health hazard described above, people not hearing vehicles approaching and putting themselves at risk.
Links:
Left Lane News: News Story Here
Left Lane News: Fisker Karma Uses Speakers to produce engine sound
USA Today: Blind People Complain about threats from Silent "Hybrids"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Green Cars, Black Earth Part Deux
Part Two of Three, an expose on alternate energy vehicles. Today's topic: Plug-in Electric/Hybrid Vehicles.
Plug-in electric/hybrid cars seem like a pretty good idea, like most alternate energy vehicles, until you start looking at the details and the implications in the long run. Don't get me wrong, I love helping the environment and the look of the new Tesla Roadster (in fact the supposed Future Ferrari Front-Engine V8 looks eerily similar) however again, when something smells too sweet there must be something hiding.
First, the obvious. When you plug in a car into an outlet and then drive it around there is ZERO emissions, which is wonderful! Problem is.. where did all that energy come from? That's right, most likely big ol' power plant. If you are in the US there's a pretty high chance that you will be taking your energy from a coal power plant which is putting a huge hole in the ozone and spewing out harmful things like mercury and sulfur oxides. So, basically when you buy a plug-in hybrid you end up shifting the pollution, and although you feel like you are saving the world all you've most likely done is put the pollution somewhere you can't see it directly. If you happen to live next to a wind-farm, solar array, or nuclear power-plant.. more power to you, buy a plug-in hybrid as soon as they are released in mid to late 2009!
Another issue with these hybrids or fully electric vehicles again is their batteries.. they are heavy. Very, very heavy. With fuel-combustion vehicles, the more gas you burn the less of your cars energy is going towards pushing the weight of the gasoline however in an electric vehicle it must constantly propel all the weight of the battery (minus a few lost electrons). Car companies are promising new, lighter batteries but I'm not holding my breath.
The next installment will be on hydrogen-powered cars.. stay tuned
Day Two: Plug-in Electric/Hybrid Vehicles
Plug-in electric/hybrid cars seem like a pretty good idea, like most alternate energy vehicles, until you start looking at the details and the implications in the long run. Don't get me wrong, I love helping the environment and the look of the new Tesla Roadster (in fact the supposed Future Ferrari Front-Engine V8 looks eerily similar) however again, when something smells too sweet there must be something hiding.
First, the obvious. When you plug in a car into an outlet and then drive it around there is ZERO emissions, which is wonderful! Problem is.. where did all that energy come from? That's right, most likely big ol' power plant. If you are in the US there's a pretty high chance that you will be taking your energy from a coal power plant which is putting a huge hole in the ozone and spewing out harmful things like mercury and sulfur oxides. So, basically when you buy a plug-in hybrid you end up shifting the pollution, and although you feel like you are saving the world all you've most likely done is put the pollution somewhere you can't see it directly. If you happen to live next to a wind-farm, solar array, or nuclear power-plant.. more power to you, buy a plug-in hybrid as soon as they are released in mid to late 2009!
Another issue with these hybrids or fully electric vehicles again is their batteries.. they are heavy. Very, very heavy. With fuel-combustion vehicles, the more gas you burn the less of your cars energy is going towards pushing the weight of the gasoline however in an electric vehicle it must constantly propel all the weight of the battery (minus a few lost electrons). Car companies are promising new, lighter batteries but I'm not holding my breath.
The next installment will be on hydrogen-powered cars.. stay tuned
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