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A battle even more hotly contested in the car world than the Muscle Car Wars: the introduction of the Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2010 Prius and Honda Insight gives us the Hybrid Car Wars! Who survives? More »
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The Detroit News has put together a rundown of all the little tweaks automakers are applying, as quickly as possible, to help current models achieve better fuel economy. Since a wholesale re-engineering of every vehicle is impossible, manufacturers are switching to low-rolling-resistance tires, re-gearing transmissions, moving from belt-driven accessories to electric, and so on. Each change accounts for only a tiny improvement on its own, but added up, the results can make a big difference. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5041895&view=rss&microfeed=true • This is going from the world of silly to the world of serious. There are patents now from respectable companies like Pratt & Whitney and Moller to build flying cars. [Sacramento Bee]
• Volkswagen: Arriba! Arriba! Andel ! Andel ! [BrandWeek]
• We used to worry about people driving at the age of 71. Then we realized our mother was approaching said age, and we really don't want to drive her around. [News24]
• The Cars poster is up online. We think we can make out Optimus Prime in the back. [Ain't It Cool News]
• Louisiana is finally going to do something with all of those waterlogged cars. No, they will not be trying to sell them to you. Well, is "Brownie" running this one? [Reuters]
• GM is betting on midsize cars to boost sales in India. They're gonna sell 'em Chevy Tahoes. [Hindustan Times]
• A married couple seeks a world record by circumnavigating the globe using as little gas as possible. Words fail us. Especially because it's sponsored by Shell. [PRNewswire, FuelChallenge.com [
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We're not exactly sure where we stand on the whole ethanol thing. On one hand, we're all for the exploration of alternative energy. At the same time, the expense and complexity of an ethanol infrastructure, combined with its inherent net-loss in production, makes us wonder if other avenues would be better served from the money spent on it. To produce a gallon of gasoline, which contains about 116,000 BTUs, takes 22,000 BTUs. Energy expenditures include digging drilling the well, transit, refining, etc. On the other hand, to produce a gallon of ethanol from corn containing 76,000 BTUs, it takes 98,000 of them li'l thermal unit buggers. Check yesterday's Slate for an interesting and eye-opening take. [Thanks to CTE for the tip.] More »
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