Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Covering a conference like EVS23 can be a bit draining. There is so much to try and capture and post on that by the end of the event, I'm looking forwards to falling asleep in my cramped airplane seat on the way home. The last day of EVS23, though, brought with it a special treat: a chance to test out the Brammo Enertia all-electric motorcycle (see video above). With shadows still long on the parking lot pavement, Brammo's lead engineer, Aaron Bland, guided me through the bike's capabilities and gave me some riding tips. Ever since I crashed a Vespa back in high school, I have trepidations on any two-wheeled device that's not a bicycle, but this thing felt good. Not to spoil the surprise, but I'll admit right at the start that if I were to ever buy a motorcycle, the Enertia would be a serious contender for my wallet's contents.
Anyway, back to the ride. Aaron drove around the parking lot a few times. Of all the people at Brammo (and, indeed, the planet), he said, he's the guy who has put the most miles on the Enertia bikes, which, as you can guess, means he hates his job. Once I filmed a few scenes of the bike in action, it was my own turn at the handlebars.
Aaron warned me that the bike might jump at the start, because its throttle map is one of the key sticking points that needs to be resolved before the production model is unleashed on the world sometime next year. Even with his warning, and me moving my hand ever so slightly, the bike did hop a bit as I started. It wasn't uncomfortable or scary, just a "hup!", and then I was on my way.
Here's an update for all of you who read AutoblogGreen with grease-covered hands: the plans for the XR-3, the hybrid (or PHEV) kit car from Robert Q. Riley, are now available. For just $170, you could receive:
15 or more D-size (24 x 36 inch) drawing sheets and a construction/technical manual of approximately 120-150 pages with approximately 150 photos and illustrations. The XR-3 Deluxe Plans Package is priced at $200. The Deluxe version includes everything from the Standard version plus a CD-ROM and DVD. The CD-ROM will include electronic 2D CAD files (SolidWorks e-Drawing files and dxf files), 3D models in SolidWorks e-Drawing formats, links to free viewers, and a construction manual set up to run in a web browser with click-to-enlarge color photos, video clips, iges files for CNC machining, and more. The DVD will have 1 to 1-1/2 hours of video of the vehicle being built.
Sound like fun? You can get a better idea of what could be in your future by seeing (on Windows only) how the Front Wheel and Knuckle Assembly model comes together. The XR-3, as you can see above and in the gallery below, is a three-wheeled vehicle. Riley's website says the builder has great flexibility in choosing the powertrain, but the prototype's front wheels are powered by an ICE while the one back wheel is electric. According to Riley:
Proper phase-in between the two power systems is handled by a simple throttle mechanism, and a dash-mounted switch to select between ICE power, electric power, and dual power modes. In the dual power mode, the XR-3 will have lots of burst power for outstanding acceleration. If you were to use this acceleration potential to its fullest, fuel economy would be reduced to something on the order of 150 mpg over a 70 mile trip. Fuel economy will vary according the particular components chosen for the power system, and how heavy you are on the throttle pedal.
Think you've got what it takes to build-your-own? There's nothing to stop you now.
Save $3,000 a year using biodiesel? That's attractive, but no the only benefit for a bird sanctuary in Rhode Island. By switching to the biofuel to heat two buildings and to power a tractor, the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown not only saved money last year but also, according to Robert Cardeiro, executive director of the Sanctuary, found a "natural fit."
"It was so easy and such a good thing for us to do that it made perfect sense for us to use biodiesel," Cardeiro told the Newport Daily News. "Why wouldn't we?"
The benefits go beyond the environment. Newport Biodiesel, a local producer that was looking for more space, gets to use some land at the Sanctuary to produce the biofuel (made from "recycled cooking grease collected from Aquidneck Island restaurants") in exchange for giving some of it to the Sanctuary. Talk about a win-win. Or is that a win-win-win?
I vigorously disagree with your rationale for that decision and I strongly support the inquiry into your decision-making process announced by Congressman Henry Waxman, the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In particular, I find implausible your inference that the passage this week of the "Energy Independence and Security Act" eliminated the need for the waiver requested by California. Surely you and others in the Bush Administration were aware that the Congress rejected requests from the Administration to waive the Environmental Protection Agency's longstanding authority to regulate emissions and to grant states waivers under the Clean Air Act. Citing the passage of our new law as a justification for denying California's request defies the legislative history as well as the explicit language of the "Energy Independence and Security Act."
I attended a luncheon where Michael J. Stanton, President and CEO of the Association of American Manufacturers, Inc (AIAM) was the speaker. AIAM represents 14 firms who import and/or build vehicles in the U.S. The biggest, by far, are Toyota, Honda and Nissan, followed by Subaru, Kia, Hyundai and several others, including Ferrari. As Stanton stated, "Our member firms produce 31 percent of the vehicles made in the US and 40 percent of those sold." Stanton acknowledged that the new law will raise fuel economy standards to 35 MPG by 2020 which will decrease CO2 emissions compared to current (that is, 32 year old) legislation. Sadly though, if signing the Energy Bill was a victory and something to celebrate, that celebration is mainly happening in Detroit and Farm Belt corporate offices. It will also resound in the executive suites of OPEC member nations.
Mr. Stanton's celebratory comments extended to the EPA decision to not grant the California CO2 waiver. The AIAM is apparently satisfied with some CO2 reduction but not too much. He raised the canard that it is not good business to have two U.S. standards for fuel economy. However, he did not mention that AIAM is already busily responding to EU and Asian fuel efficiency standards or that, if there is to be one US standard, why not choose the tighter one - the California standard that 16 other states have already agreed to accept - worth about 43 MPG by 2016? (Actually, the info packets distributed included a comment that 95 percent of the vehicles made by AIAM members already meet current CA standards.) Or, since CO2 is a world-wide problem, why not combine all the various continental standards into one global standard so that no nation's drivers overly burden the world's atmosphere. After all, we all share the same air. Finally, if we cease meeting different national standards, the combined engineering power should be able to reach a very high but reasonable efficiency standard.
I still think that driving is mainly about getting somewhere comfortably using the fewest resources. Improving fuel economy seems to be a wise investment in keeping the US auto industry alive. If we make them for a world market who knows, maybe we could export a few?
While Volkswagen and other carmakers have been complaining bitterly about the new European CO2 emissions limits and the penalties for not meeting them, at least one company is saying "Bring it on!". Peugeot is reminding people that their 308 HDi 90 emits only 120g/km of CO2. The 308 is a C-class hatchback similar in size to a Ford Focus equipped with a 90hp 1.6L turbodiesel. On the EU highway cycle it achieves 61.9mpg (U.S.) which is far better than any similarly-sized car in the US market. Peugeot is well on its way to meeting the new rules and their German competitors better get with the program or it's going to cost them a bundle.
So, Popular Mechanics' senior automotive editor Ben Stewart is a lucky man. He recently drove for 20 miles in the Aptera's teardrop-shaped new electric car. He filmed the drive and got 10 inside-scoop shots. He came back very impressed.
Stewart writes about two Aptera models that are almost production-ready at $30,000 and below: for next year, get ready for the all-electric, 120-mile-range Typ-1 e (this is what Stewart drove); then, by 2009, look for the range-extended gasoline hybrid Typ-1 h, which Aptera says will hit 300 mpg.
The article shows photos from the manufacturing process, analysing construction techniques and design features, such as the 0.11 Cx aerodynamic drag. It also has information on the batteries and capacitors used to boost power. As for the design, Stewart says that the Aptera got more attention than anything he had driven.
"Built Ford Tough is a mantra for truck and owner alike. F-Series leaves no room for compromise. It's reputation for toughness has been earned on the farms, work sites and roads across America. So, if you're going to drive the toughest truck, then you've got a responsibility to man-up and do your part. There's a code of conduct when you're behind the wheel of an F-Series. We're here to enforce it. We're here to protect and serve the brand."
So says Ford with it's "Built Ford Tough Rules" team. Not compromising apparently means no scooters. Rule number 2 excludes transporting scooters from acceptable Ford F-Series truck usage. We imagine that those who ride or rebuild scooters might need a truck to transport them. If that is the case, you'd better look at a brand other than Ford for your needs.
PS - We do realize that this is satire. We're aren't really offended : )
The EPA and Accion (a non-profit organisation in New York and New Jersey) have created a partnership to provide long-haul truckers with microloans with special conditions. The agreement comes under EPA's SmartWay program, which aims to reduce pollution generated by road freight.
With these microloans, truckers will be able to improve long-haul trucks by acquiring the SmartWay Upgrade Kit. What's in the kit? Well, ways to reduce idling, add low rolling resistance tires, move to advanced aerodynamics, and upgrade the truck's exhaust after-treatment devices. This will allow truckers to reduce emissions and spend less money on fuel. The microloans also helps drivers keep credit ratings intact.
Is that an AMC Gremlin that I see in profile above? Nope... it's a sketch from TopSpeed of what the impending new Saab 9-1X could look like. We've seen some other possible drawings of what shape the new Swedish beauty might take, and all of them have a few peculiar design elements. Saab is known as a "quirky" brand due to their unusual tendencies like placing the ignition between the seats and offering a "blackout" option for the instruments. In fact, many Saab loyalists have been upset with the direction the company has taken after being acquired by General Motors, as their vehicles are losing their "edge," so to speak. If drawings like the one above prove at all accurate, though, we'd expect that those same loyalists will be back on the Saab wagon soon enough... but are there enough of them around to make Saab cater to them as opposed to the masses? We could find out as soon as the 2008 London Motor Show, according to TopSpeed. Along with the funky new look, diesel and hybrid powertrains may also be a part of the equation. Don't forget that Saab is big into E85 with their BioPower vehicles too.
Following the recent departure of co-founder Martin Eberhard from any active role at Tesla Motors there has been plenty of criticism of company Chairman Elon Musk in the comments here and elsewhere. For the two or three of you out not familiar with Elon Musk he made his fortune as one of the founders of PayPal. Subsequently he has invested in numerous ventures including private space programs, and notably to our readers, Tesla Motors.
In all the discussion following Eberhard's departure, the voice of Elon Musk has been conspicuously absent. Following a town hall meeting for customers last week various bits of information came out including purported plans for handling the transmission problems on the Roadster and future vehicles. In a new post on the Tesla blog, Musk speaks for the first time since Eberhard's departure. It should come as no surprise that he doesn't discuss that issue, but he does indicate that Tesla has no intention of selling out to any other company, but instead wants to stay independent and grow, eventually as a public company. Future products include range extended EVs in addition to straight battery EVs. You can also find mp3 files of the town hall meeting on the site in three parts, here, here and here.
California Waivergate is slowly snow balling into a very big story. Various papers, including the New York Times, are reporting that vice President Dick Cheney met with automakers before the EPA denied California's waiver to regulate tailpipe emissions. Most shocking is this quote from the LA Times:
"Clearly the White House said, 'We're going to get EPA out of the way and get California out of the way. If you give us this energy bill, then we're done, the deal is done,'" said one staffer.
The LA Times also give more detail into exactly how Stephen Johnson, the environmental administrator, ignored his entire staff's call to accept the California waiver including how Johnson cut off contact with his technical staff for the last month and they were not involved in the final decision.
Needless to say, Johnson has got some 'splainin' to do.
The South Korean newspaper Yonhap is reporting that Hyundai just might bring out a plug-in hybrid. The public version of Yonhap's article is incredibly short, but does say that "no decision has been made yet, said a company official, asking not to be named."
This is interesting because Hyundai doesn't even have a standard hybrid on the market yet (they should be coming in 2009 or later, with help from LG Chem). Each automaker learns from the models it makes and sells, but there's a tiny little chance for something unique here. Why shouldn't at least one company be able to jump over the unplugged hybrid and get right to work on a car with a cord?
Q Under what authority can the President tell California it can't have tougher global warming levels than the national strategy that he said he wanted?
MR. FRATTO: I mean, the President didn't tell California that, but the EPA Administrator made his independent decision on whether to approve or not approve that waiver. He made a decision not to approve the California waiver, and as he explained, I think, he made that based on what he thought was best for the nation in addressing this issue. And he pointed to the really significant policy changes that are going to come through from the energy bill that we signed last week.
Q -- no longer supports the kind of states' rights that he did when he was governor?
MR. FRATTO: There's always a balance. And he does support -- he does have a healthy respect for states' rights. But these decisions need to be made in terms of what is best for the country. We support EPA Administrator Johnson's decision, but it was his decision to make.
The president didn't tell California that, independent decision, I think he made, Bush supports state rights... ah, the EPA head serves at the pleasure of the president and Bush does not sound too pleased. If I were EPA administrator Stephen Johnson, I would start cleaning out my desk right now. The video above shows Arnold saying he is going to sue as quickly as possible to get his state that waiver.
Not too long ago, we introduced you to an electric motorcycle from a Swiss company knows as Quantya. At that time, we wished that the machine was available here in the States so that we could take a ride on one. Guess what? Our wishes have been granted! Not only is the bike available here, but we got a chance to ride the latest version of the machine in Arizona. Although we didn't have an opportunity to take the bike off-road, we got to terrorize the neighborhood with it... and we sure had fun doing it. Powered by a custom pancake-style motor from Lemco along with a custom LiPo battery pack featuring 48 volts and 40 Ah, the machine has no problem getting out and moving. According to the manufacturer, you'll get about 25 miles at a steady 40 miles per hour with the standard pack. The bike weighs in at 195 pounds and feels very light. The Marzocchi 35 mm Shiver fork works perfect in this application, as does the Sachs single shock.
We'd have loved to have a chance to compare the bike directly with a gas-powered bike, but weren't able to arrange it. We can say for sure that the bike has no problem overpowering the rear tire or lofting the front end over obstacles. Power output felt about equal to a good-running 250 four-stroke bike. Expect the electric off-road bike to be priced under ten grand with on-road versions expected to follow shortly.
The EPA and Accion (a non-profit organisation in New York and New Jersey) have created a partnership to provide long-haul truckers with microloans with special conditions. The agreement comes under EPA's SmartWay program, which aims to reduce pollution generated by road freight.
The South Korean newspaper Yonhap is reporting that Hyundai just might bring out a plug-in hybrid. The public version of Yonhap's 
