cars

There is no question that hybrid electric powertrains are more efficient than traditional internal combustion

This entry was posted in cars electric GPCP Hybrid Uncategorized on by (updated 3390 days ago)

There is no question that hybrid electric powertrains are more efficient than traditional internal combustion

However, if you still end up paying nearly $200,000 more over the life of the vehicle even after factoring in fuel savings, it becomes really hard to make a case for hybrid buses. Ann Arbor has been aggressive about acquiring hybrid buses over the past seven years with 52 of the 80 buses in the current fleet sporting motors and batteries. 

Unfortunately, most transit agencies struggle to cover costs from fares and as the AAATA prepares to expand services next year, it is rethinking whether to go hybrid or conventional diesel due to the expense. ?

Hybrid bus dilemma: AAATA not sure environmental benefits justify extra cost

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is known in part for its large fleet of hybrid buses, which burn through less fuel, generate fewer emissions and make slightly less noise than conventional diesel buses. But despite promises of a cleaner…

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Tesla’s New High-Performance Model S Will Help Achieve Sustainability

This entry was posted in business cars and tagged electric vehicles gigafactory tesla tesla model s p85d on by (updated 3690 days ago)


In an interview on Bloomberg, Matt DeLorenzo is only somewhat right that the new Tesla Model S P85D is counter to the mission of converting the world to battery electric cars.

On the surface, Matt is correct that to really fulfill Elon Musk’s goal of transforming personal transportation, Tesla needs to build huge volumes of cars that people who aren’t living off silicon valley stock options can afford to buy. However, in order to do that, Tesla actually needs a sustainable business model and so far, 11 years after being founded, the company has yet to turn a profit from building and selling cars.

That’s where machines like the P85D come in. Sure, the world doesn’t really need a 691, battery-powered sedan (not that I wouldn’t seriously consider one if I had the cash but that’s another story). But to get to the promised land of building a mainstream car, Tesla (or any other car manufacturer) needs to have sufficient cash flow to pay it’s own bills which means that margins need to go up significantly.

model-s-photo-gallery-01

Developing and building cars is a hugely capital intensive undertaking. In addition, to keeping the current Model S up to date, Tesla is developing the Model X, Model 3 and whatever else it has in the pipeline. The Model X shares a platform and most hardware with the S but the Model 3 will have to be all-new in order to hit its price targets. All of this will require investment in tooling and let’s not forget the billions that will have to be spent on the vaunted Gigafactory.

So lowering cash outflow in the near term is pretty much off the table.

All of which brings us back to the P85D. With a base sticker price of $120,170, the AWD S adds nearly $27,000 to the starting price of the P85. A conservative estimate would put somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 of that incremental cost as pure extra margin after subtracting the added equipment for the P85D.

If Tesla can move 5,000 of these high-end cars a year, it won’t have any notable impact on greenhouse gas emissions but it will add $50-75 million (and maybe a lot more) to the company’s bottom line and that’s what Tesla really needs right now in order to keep its momentum going and help fund the new products that will support Musk’s vision.

2014 Nissan Leaf Review – It’s Remarkably Normal

This entry was posted in cars electric environment Nissan reviews technology and tagged 2014 nissan leaf battery bev car reviews charging electric car electric vehicle EV leaf lithium ion nissan review on by (updated 3143 days ago)
2014 Nissan Leaf SV

2014 Nissan Leaf SV

Somehow in the eight years since I started writing about cars I’ve driven lots of electric vehicles but have never managed to spend an extended period with one until now. Having now spent a week with a 2014 Nissan Leaf SV, I can say that it’s a very good car regardless of how its propelled. That doesn’t mean it’s the best car for everyone in search of a compact hatchback, but for those whose lifestyles overlap with the limitations of today’s battery technology it’s a great choice.

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As the

This entry was posted in cars on by (updated 3692 days ago)

As the +Autoblog podcast hits episode 400, I’ll be making my return this evening at 10pm EDT, joining my buddy +Dan Roth

Tune in live on Ustream http://www.ustream.tv/channel/autoblog-podcast and submit your questions now?

Autoblog Podcasts

Top automotive journalists Chris Shunk, Dan Roth and Zach Bowman talk passionately about cars and answer your questions in this weekly podcast.

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Full-function self-driving cars are probably still at least 15 years away, but along the way we'll have incremental steps in technology

This entry was posted in cars technology the business on by (updated 3692 days ago)

Full-function self-driving cars are probably still at least 15 years away, but along the way we'll have incremental steps in technology?

A Few Steps Closer to Autonomous Vehicles

As engineers, scientists, executives, and government officials involved with transportation systems gather in Detroit this week for the annual ITS World Congress, the auto industry took another inc…

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Honda Goes With Android and Nvidia for Europe

This entry was posted in cars technology and tagged android honda honda connect infotainment nvidia paris motor show on by (updated 3699 days ago)

tegra-honda-connect

At the 2014 Paris Motor Show this week, Honda and Nvidia come together to announce that the automaker’s new industry-first Android-based Honda Connect infotainment system would be powered by the Tegra 3 system-on-a-chip. While Honda is not actually the first automaker to announce an infotainment system that runs on Android, they should be the first company to actually bring such a system to market.

At the Geneva Motor Show back in March 2011, Saab showed off a concept car called the Phoenix with an Android-based system dubbed iQon.Unfortunately for Saab fans that was followed soon after by another period of insolvency and the car and iQon were never seen again.

Honda on the other hand doesn’t appear likely to go away anytime soon, so its new Connect system should arrive in early 2015 on updated European versions of the Civic, Civic Tourer and CR-V. There’s no word yet on when or if the new system will come to North American models.

tegra-honda-android“Nvidia has been providing processors for automotive applications for 10 years now and Honda is the 19th automotive brand to adopt our automotive-grade chips,” said Danny Shapiro, senior director, automotive at Nvidia. “The Tegra 3 SoC used by Honda is based on the same architecture previously used on smartphones and tablets but optimized for the automotive environment including temperature and shock resistance.”

Among the first applications for the Tegra 3 were the original 2012 Google Nexus 7 and the Tesla Model S which uses two of Nvidia’s chips, one for the massive 17-inch center console display and a second for the instrument cluster. Other Nvidia automotive customers include Audi and BMW.

Nvidia’s powerful graphics chips have been popular with video gamers for two decades and automakers are increasingly dependent on that kind of power for the complex entertainment interfaces and re-configurable instrument clusters.

Kristian - IsraelDevelopment of Honda Connect began well before the January 2014 announcement of the Open Automotive Alliance and Android Auto. Because of the testing and safety requirements in the auto industry, lead times to validate software for something like an infotainment system are much longer than in the phone business which is why the new Honda system is built on top of Android 4.0.4 which was initially released way back in October 2011 with the dessert code-name Ice Cream Sandwich. Honda added a custom interface to its Android implementation with a grid of six large buttons, similar to numerous other infotainment systems.

Honda Connect uses a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen to show off the navigation, radio, rear camera and other vehicle data. The system will include access to the Honda App Center for access to download compatible apps for use in the vehicle. These will presumably be conventional Android apps that have been vetted by Honda to ensure they are suitable for use on the go without distracting the driver.

The system comes pre-installed with the Aha Radio app for playing a variety of media and also includes support for MirrorLink on compatible phones to push the phone display to the vehicle.

Honda has not yet replied to inquiries for more information about the Connect system. Many of the automaker’s North American vehicles already support Apple’s SIRI eyes-free and Honda has announced plans to support both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s unknown at this time if the Android-powered head unit will include support for the two newer smartphone app conduits or if drivers will be restricted to apps from the App Center. Nvidia spokesman Alan Hall did say that the Android system is only for the European market at this time.

Click here for the Nvidia press release NVIDIA Honda PR 2014_FINAL and here for the Honda Europe release

One of the wildest concept cars of the last half century now belongs to Jim Glickenhaus and he plans to make it roadworthy

This entry was posted in cars on by (updated 3692 days ago)

One of the wildest concept cars of the last half century now belongs to Jim Glickenhaus and he plans to make it roadworthy

I try not to envy people, but if I was crazy rich, I'd want to think I'd be like Mr. Glickenhaus when it comes to my cars. He owns many of rare and one-off cars and unlike so many collectors he doesn't just park them in a secret garage somewhere. He takes them out and drives them on the road just like his Dino Competizione. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/02/meadowbrook-concours-2009-1967-ferrari-dino-206-competizione-by/

Last I checked the he had accumulated more than 20,000 miles on the one-of-a-kind Ferarri P4/5 http://p45c.com/the-garage/ferrari-p45-by-pininfarina/ 

Cars are meant to be driven and that's what Jim Glickenhaus does. ?

Jim Glickenhaus acquires the Ferrari Modulo from Pininfarina

James Glickenhaus doesn’t always add cars to his collection, but when he does, he prefers icons.

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Driver’s with Ford SYNC Can Add SIRI Compatibility for $99

This entry was posted in cars technology and tagged automatic labs ford sync on by

All-New 2015 Ford Edge Showcases Technology, Design and Craftsma

Today, Automatic Labs launched an update to the iOS version of the app that works with the company’s $99 vehicle diagnostics dongle that enables Ford drivers with SYNC to use Siri hands-free. Ford hasn’t issued any release about this and Automatic’s blog post is sparse on technical details so I reached out to Ford technology spokeswoman Emily Olin for some details.

First a bit of background on Automatic Labs. In 2012, they launched an app and accompanying bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD-II diagnostic port that is built into every new vehicle built since 1996. The app is free and an Android version is also now available but, the adapter $99.

When plugged in, the dongle reads data off the vehicle’s internal communications network just like the diagnostic tools used by technicians at every dealership service department or local garage. The app gets the data and can display all kinds of useful information for drivers such as fuel economy, diagnostic faults and tell you how much you are spending on fuel and how efficiently you are driving. If can even call 911 when an airbag deployed message comes across the network.

The latest trick that Automatic has added with some help from Ford is to read voice commands off the network. When the driver presses the voice command on the steering wheel while the automatic adapter is plugged in, the commands are transmitted to a connect iPhone where the Automatic app then passes them along to Siri for recognition and execution.

According to Olin, no upgrades are required on the vehicle, just the addition of the Automatic adapter. Automatic’s website mentions that an Android update is also forthcoming that will presumably pass the messages to Google Now.

At $99 for the Automatic Labs adapter, you’ll have to decide if Siri in the car is that important to you. However, the upside is that you can use it with existing cars with SYNC and you won’t have to spend tens of thousands on a new car with Siri Eyes-free or CarPlay.

2014 Nissan Rogue SV – How Big Can Compact Get?

This entry was posted in cars Nissan reviews and tagged 2014 Nissan rogue car reviews crossover nissan review rogue on by (updated 3143 days ago)
2014 Nissan Rogue 01

2014 Nissan Rogue SV AWD

Back in the mid-1990s when Toyota kicked off the modern compact crossover utility segment with the original two-door Rav4, these machines really were compact. But as with most vehicle segments, every succeeding generation seems to get bigger until a hole is created that enables yet another smaller segment to emerge. At first glance this seems to be the case with the redesigned second-generation Nissan Rogue that debuted last year as a 2014 model.

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