tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4697448126898770812024-03-13T06:50:36.532-04:00Auto ManifestoExploring advanced vehicle concepts, innovation, and technology.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-69369203670187395382013-02-14T12:00:00.000-05:002013-02-14T12:00:06.418-05:00Why Google Wants to (and Should) DriveThe big picture issue I see is that so many things in life are becoming secondary activities to our connectivity. This new world consumes an ever growing share of a limited resource – attention; taking people to a state of mind that is distinct from their physical presence. In the early stages this took place in front of a desktop computer.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
With the wide availability of mobile communications, companies whose growth is predicated on consuming more and more of this attention are increasing their ubiquity. The car is a logical extension of that because of how much time people spend in them. It’s not really about driving or cars. It’s about gaining users’ attention as much as possible. The potential attention of 320m people x say 45 minutes/day x 365 days/yr (approximately 87 billion hours per year) has some very large value attached to it.<br />
<br />
It seems the battle isn’t about who is building or selling the vehicles, but who has the customer’s mindshare while they are in transit. Autonomous vehicle technology is a means by which to transform motorists from drivers to connected passengers. It also has the potential to provide huge societal benefits in terms of mobility, safety and the environment.<br />
<br />
I recently saw a survey (don’t remember where) that ~70% of auto industry executives surveyed believe it was in the 5-10 year range before we see significant deployment of autonomous vehicles. So maybe in 15 to 20 years we'll see autonomous vehicles widely deployed in some regions.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-52236337773360544432012-11-26T10:57:00.000-05:002012-11-26T10:57:00.119-05:00Nissan Deltawing The Nissan Deltawing has acquitted itself well this year. Powered by a turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder Nissan engine producing about 300 horsepower, it has comparable straightline speed to other cars with twice the power since its narrow profile has about half the frontal area.
Despite having been crashed out of the 24 Hours of Le Mans by another car and retiring after just 75 laps, the Highcroft Racing team came back strongly in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
Even though it tangled with yet another car in practice, the team was able to rebuild the car and get it into the top ten in qualifying. In the race it had to start from the back of the 42 car field since it was an unclassified experimental vehicle.
Nevertheless, it went the full 1,000 mile race distance and finished 5th overall in only its second race outing. That it has half the weight, half the drag and half the power of the leading cars is quite a testament to the design and the team. I'm impressed, even if the look has yet to grow on me, and even more excited about the innovations this car will inspire.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-78420685943481716232012-03-17T13:15:00.000-04:002012-03-17T13:15:24.757-04:00DeltaWing Race Car Debut<iframe width="480" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3wlQAvEfmeI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
The DeltaWing race car's appearance contradicts a lot of commonly accepted race car design principles. Because it is so extreme, this car is either ahead of its time or a technical dead-end. There's no middle ground. I don't know what to make of it yet but the design certainly brings up a number of interesting points.<br />
<br />
It was originally proposed as a single-seater for IndyCar competition beginning in 2012. However, IndyCar chose to go with a Dallara design instead.<br />
<br />
So the team shifted its focus to racing as an experimental entry in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The video above is footage from its recently completed shakedown test at Buttonwillow Raceway.<br />
<br />
With minimal frontal area and few appendages to disturb airflow, there is no doubt about its ability to reach high straightline speeds with a lot less power than traditional race cars. The principles are sound.<br />
<br />
The area in question is its ability to turn. In order for a car to effectively turn the front wheels must have sufficient traction which is a result of tire contact patch area and downward force.<br />
<br />
In the video it doesn't sound like it is being driven very hard so it's hard to judge. At 0:49 there's just a hint the tires (presumably the fronts) start squealing at what appears to be a pretty moderate pace. That would be a possible indicator of understeer.<br />
<br />
With each front tire a mere 4" wide, spaced very closely together and most of the car's weight on the rear axle (weight distribution has not been revealed) it seems the car needs a tremendous amount of front end aerodynamic downforce to prevent understeer and the risk of "wheelies". Tire wear could also be a concern since a lot is asked of them.<br />
<br />
The car essentially has half the weight and power but almost ¾ of the tire footprint of its competitors. But on thing is for sure. It's not lacking in its backing. <br />
<br />
A number of highly respected names have lent their support to the project including Dan Gurney, Don Panoz, Highcroft Racing, Nissan and Michelin. Whatever the outcome at La Sarthe they should be applauded for pioneering such a radical concept.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-46458970699868992772012-02-21T12:20:00.002-05:002012-02-21T12:21:18.482-05:00Video: Presentation by Richard Parry-Jones<iframe width="460" height="264" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iHew9_KfrAk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
This is a very insightful talk by the famed Ford engineer. He covers a number of topics including chassis tuning, vehicle development, manufacturing, and F1 racing sprinkled with anecdotes and stories throughout.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-40235856577441142242012-02-13T16:03:00.000-05:002012-02-13T16:03:09.975-05:00A Path to Smarter RoadsHow often do you have a day where your routine drive to work is full of red lights? Every last intersection seems to present you with a red light, even at those where there are no waiting cars on the cross street.<br />
<br />
Occasionally there is a distracted driver in front who doesn't go for a while when the light turns green. Which results in the next light turning red on you too. Then it just cascades from there and the trip takes far longer than normal.<br />
<br />
Though far better than having uncontrolled intersections, the road system can be maddeningly inefficient. Traffic lights only seem to get added, never taken away because the vehicle population has steadily risen and such removal could also pose a legal liability for those jurisdictions in which they're located.<br />
<br />
If there were an effective way to know or estimate:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>The number of cars on the road at a given time.</li>
<li>Where they are going</li>
<li>How fast they are traveling</li>
</ul><br />
Intelligent routing could occur. It seems the mobile phone is the way to go to provide that information. They offer much faster adoption rates and shorter technology life cycles than anything built into cars. Should enough motorists use such a technology we could likely make a material dent in congested local roads in a short amount of time.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-3098059703189700322011-06-17T18:49:00.000-04:002011-06-17T18:49:51.122-04:00Sixty To Zero - An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors...I just finished reading "Sixty to Zero", an engaging and insightful read by Alex Taylor III on the collapse of General Motors.<br />
<br />
He succinctly articulates what I've always thought. The reasons why Detroit has produced so many duds is because the companies have mistakenly tried to satisfy right brain desires of the market using left brain answers, filtered through a host of other management issues on top of that.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>...Band-Aid solutions like needs segmentation provided only mechanistic solutions to emotional problems: creating cars that people wanted to buy.</blockquote><br />
They had not figured out how to offer <b>usable fantasy</b> as well as their competition.<br />
<br />
Think for a moment about the world of fashion. Imagine a company that makes pants, and they make them from burlap sacks and use rope for a belt. They do this because it's cheap and the pants work. But would you ever buy them?<br />
<br />
Pretty much the same thing happened with cars in Detroit. The people who ran things didn't "get it". These days they're turning out better cars than ever but it remains to be seen if the Detroit 3 can really turn things around.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-78946586690936965522011-01-16T16:07:00.000-05:002011-01-16T16:07:50.033-05:00F1 Budget Cap: Impossible to EnforceThis exactly why I've always thought that the <a href="http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=42776">budget cap was flawed and unenforceable</a>. Capping budgets is a good intent but there is no way to go about it convincingly with the way F1 is currently structured. The teams that have the money to spend will spend it, and there will never be a realistic and reasonable way of policing that. It's going to take a lot more than a gentleman's agreement and some accountants to ensure that a cap is adhered to.<br />
<br />
And even if (IF) this system worked how can this be explained to the fans succinctly, and why should they care? It has little to do with racing other than holding out the potential to mar the credibility of a championship as we're seeing with the rumors that are going around about the Red Bull team's spending in 2010.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, suppose the team was found to have exceeded the cap. Then what? Strip them and their driver of the titles? That would be a PR disaster. The problem with racing rulemakers is too often they come up with rules that are not practical to enforce. Sure, it would be great if no team spent more than the cap. But proving or disproving that is so far removed from the realm of what the fans care about that it's academic.<br />
<br />
I've said it time and again: Racing results should be decided definitively at the moment the checkered flag is waved. There should never be any doubt of the race result right then. And should there be an exception (scrutineering, driver penalties, etc) it should be decided quickly after the event. It should never drag on into another day.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-76474156329672426332010-09-29T18:09:00.001-04:002010-09-29T18:10:07.825-04:00Saab TurnaroundFollowing its acquisition from General Motors by Spyker, Saab has been on the move with a number of notable projects:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Introduction of the new 9-5 for 2011. Much of the development was done by GM prior to the transition. The results look promising.</li>
<li>Saab recently signed Jason Castriota, formerly of Bertone and Pininfarina, as design director. Some of his works include the Ferrari 4/5 one-off and the Maserati GranTurismo.</li>
<li>Beginning in 2012 BMW will be supplying turbocharged 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engines.</li>
<li>The 9-3 will be updated for 2012, presumably with the BMW engine as one of the engine choices.</li>
<li>There is a smaller 9-2 model now under development. </li>
<li>And Saab also began researching a fully electric 9-3 project with a Swedish coalition, with batteries coming from Boston-Power. The EV is expected to reach the market mid-decade (2016).</li>
</ul>With all of these changes, it looks like the venerable brand may have a future yet.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-75069271805387353772010-05-18T18:08:00.000-04:002010-05-18T18:08:58.497-04:00Unintended Acceleration, Unintended ConsequencesAutomotive News reports that in response to the recent issues surrounding unintended acceleration, Federal Regulators are expected to undertake a rulemaking to require brake override and event data recorders (EDR) on passenger vehicles.<br />
<br />
The changes for brake override, where engine power is reduced when the brakes and throttle are pressed simultaneously, have mostly to do with software and should be fairly straightforward to implement. <br />
<br />
However, one unintended consequence could be that it will no longer be possible to heel-and-toe a car equipped with a manual transmission. That's a technique used during performance driving, where the driver "blips" the throttle while shifting and braking to keep the engine at a higher RPM for more and faster power delivery once the next gear is selected.<br />
<br />
Event Data Recorders (EDR), also known as "black boxes" will be a bit more involving. The costs will vary greatly with the rule's requirements. I worked on this issue for 6 years for heavy trucks and there are a lot of things to consider. They've also been required to record data a certain way on passenger cars IF those cars were equipped with such a device. Typically, manufacturers install them to trigger and record data to protect themselves from liability.<br />
<br />
NHTSA's cost estimate for these devices in the 2004 rulemaking was laughable, the low end starting about $0.50 to install them on each new car. Let's hope whatever comes out is reasonable and effective.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-45509513165299178062010-04-13T18:34:00.001-04:002010-04-13T18:34:00.344-04:00A Few Fuel Economy DetailsPicked up some interesting tidbits in an SAE article on fuel economy. Fuel consumption, measured in grams per second, is about 0.2 for your typical idling car. That can jump to 2 or 3 g/s under light acceleration, a factor of 10 to 15 times as much. And the average driver launches at about 0.2 g.<br />
Further, the engineers interviewed said that lowest speed in the tallest gear is the most efficient point for each vehicle's fuel consumption.<br />
<br />
Cold weather also increases engine friction with the article estimating it is twice as much at 0 degrees C than it is in warm conditions. <br />
<br />
Hybrid vehicle fuel economy is more sensitive to driver aggressiveness. For example, during hard braking energy that could be recaptured is wasted if the vehicle's regular friction brakes have to supplement the regenerative brakes.<br />
<br />
A few more pieces of info: The average car loses about 4% fuel economy for basic electronics (engine control, brake lights, etc), while it can lose up to 15% when including the use of heated seats, audio, defrost and so on. Neat stuff.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-26877318976334294372010-03-25T17:53:00.001-04:002010-03-25T17:53:00.250-04:00DOE Calls BS On V-Vehicles?The V-Vehicle Company won't be getting government guarantees for low-interest loans to build cars in Louisiana after all. <br />
<br />
Why is this company so secretive? My guess it's because there is little substance behind the smoke and mirrors. We've all seen this movie over and over (and over) again with all the hype over so-called green cars.<br />
<br />
The idea of building cars that have less of an environmental impact is sound and SHOULD be something the industry focuses on. The problem is that any time you have a paradigm shift that involves large sums of money you get a lot of charlatans, prima donnas and the like.<br />
<br />
They promise the moon and the stars and deliver nothing of the sort. In fact, they generally poison the well which has a tendency to ruin it for everyone else.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I think the Department of Energy <a href="http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043728_doe-says-no-denies-secretive-startup-v-vehicle-loan-request">made a good call</a> on this one, cutting losses at $6m rather than potentially blowing $320m+.<br />
<br />
The classic list of lines include:<br />
<br />
1. The check is in the mail.<br />
<br />
2. I'll still respect you in the morning.<br />
<br />
3. [Too crude for this blog]<br />
<br />
To which we can add:<br />
<br />
4. I'll build "x" cars per year which get "y" mpg and will create "z" jobs.<br />
<br />
With x, y and z being grossly inflated (and conveniently round) figures of questionable basis.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-40843115885788598722010-03-08T18:18:00.001-05:002010-03-08T18:18:00.163-05:00The Next Big Thing Is About 1.4 LitersFuture engines are getting downsized for cost and environmental reasons. But due to increasing efficiency, there shouldn’t be much if any reduction in performance. Why do with 5 what you can do with 3? Classic engineering progress.<br />
<br />
According to this month’s AEI (Automotive Engineering International), Nissan, Chrysler, VW, GM and a number of other automakers will be releasing engines in the 1.4 liter range. These will supplant current engines in the 2.4 liter range, and will feature a variety of efficiency enhancing features such as Direct Injection and turbocharging. <br />
<br />
Coupled with more efficient CVT or dual clutch transmissions, or with just more speeds these powertrains will find their way into vehicles expected to return over 40 mpg, in an effort to raise each manufacturer’s fleet average fuel economy above the nominal 2016 CAFE target of 35.5 mpg.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-16024938380422238522010-03-07T22:16:00.000-05:002010-03-07T22:16:56.056-05:00Toyota Problems Compounded By PoliticsLet me be perfectly clear. Toyota’s product issues with unintended acceleration are serious safety issues and I’m not downplaying their significance.<br />
<br />
However, it is obvious that there is a political undercurrent to the whole debacle that is being amplified by the media that is clouding the true extent of the problems and resulting in even more irrational behavior than normal (panic).<br />
<br />
People are losing thousands of dollars trading in their Toyotas. It reminds me of the results of the spike in fuels in 2008, which drove prices of fuel efficient small cars up (e.g. $8k for a mid-90’s Geo Metro). <br />
<br />
Here are a few key points to think about.<br />
<ul><li>Toyota overtook GM in 2008 to become the sales leader in the US market.</li>
<li>Toyota does not have a union workforce in its North American plants.</li>
<li>GM is mostly unionized.</li>
<li>The Democratic party has the support of the UAW (United Auto Workers).</li>
<li>The US Federal government is now the largest shareholder of General Motors (the UAW also holds a significant stake).</li>
<li>The US government is controlled by a Democratic administration.</li>
</ul><br />
<div>I’m not going to mince words. Every major automaker has recalls, some more serious than others. But the propaganda machine has blown Toyota’s issues all out of proportion.</div>David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-18378789110060134882010-03-07T22:09:00.001-05:002010-12-18T18:03:20.343-05:00A Pedestrian Is Struck - How Did this Happen?Yesterday morning I had tea with a lady whom I had stopped to help about 6 weeks ago after she was struck by a car while walking across a busy highway. It was remarkable in that she was not seriously injured.<br />
<br />
I had been riding my bike to work one drizzly morning when out of the corner of my eye I saw an umbrella on the ground and heard crying. There was a commotion. I stopped. put my bike down and ran over to the scene. People were standing about, a few on the phone to 9-1-1.<br />
<br />
A lady was laying on her stomach in the crosswalk in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic, sobbing. I did hear her telling someone her neighbor's address, presumably an emergency contact. Others were tending to her so I helped direct traffic before the police arrived. Route 50 is a major artery in Northern Virginia, and traffic backed up instantly. I could see it was easily half a mile.<br />
<br />
Police were very quick, arriving in a matter of about 2-3 minutes after the phone call. Fire and rescue were just another minute or two. Since I did not witness the actual incident, I did not need to stay and give a report.<br />
<br />
About a week later I stopped by the lady's neighbor's house to inquire about her condition. I found she had, almost miraculously, been discharged from the hospital the day of the accident, and did not have any broken bones.<br />
<br />
Thinking back about the incident, what happened was that she was struck by a left-turning car while crossing the street (see diagram). Since the car had been stopped, it was a low speed incident.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TQ09blr7qHI/AAAAAAAAAJU/s2axMXu2k0Q/s1600/2010-03-07-accident.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TQ09blr7qHI/AAAAAAAAAJU/s2axMXu2k0Q/s320/2010-03-07-accident.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I started wondering about pedestrian airbags. Will they work? I don't know. Perhaps not in this instance, where the pedestrian ends up on the ground in front of the vehicle and not on the hood.<br />
<br />
But the actual cause of the accident itself, I think, is because of a number of factors. First, the intersection is a bit tricky. It's a four way with access roads that run parallel to Route 50. On top of that, there are no turn arrows on the cross street, and it's questionable if the "walk" sign was working correctly.<br />
<br />
Lastly, I have a theory that newer vehicles have poorer turning visibility due to much thicker A-pillars - a necessity for passing today's roof-crush standards, and to store airbags on some vehicles (the one that struck her was a new crossover SUV). Combine that with the possibility of distracted driving and you have all the ingredients for an accident.<br />
<br />
Is it any wonder that we have about 40,000 fatalities and millions of highway injuries each year?David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-41757478679518958122010-01-29T16:48:00.000-05:002010-01-29T16:48:00.167-05:00How Dangerous Is Texting While Driving?Back in October the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released a study in which 200 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, aka truck drivers, covered 3 million miles, and found that drivers are 23.2 times as likely to be involved in a "safety critical" event while texting than if not.<br />
<br />
The report found that texting drivers took their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds before such an event took place, and thus traveled the length of a football field, including the endzones, without looking at the road (at 55 mph that's 371 feet).<br />
<br />
While we all know texting while driving is obviously a hazard, this puts some concrete numbers to just exactly how bad it is.<br />
<br />
Here's the link from <a href="http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/FMCSA-RRR-09-042.pdf">FMCSA (PDF)</a>.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-22880529836084944322009-12-03T17:54:00.001-05:002009-12-03T17:55:55.081-05:00Drivecam SystemHad a meeting yesterday with some folks from Drivecam which was pretty interesting. They provide tools for monitoring and assessing driving risk, primarily for commercial vehicles.<br /><br />These include a data trace (e.g. lateral, longitudinal and vertical acceleration), video of the road as well as of the driver and audio. The system continually records but only retains data for 12 second periods in most cases, when certain thresholds are exceeded (e.g. hard braking event) or the driver initiates recording. These periods include 8 seconds prior to the trigger point and 4 seconds after, similar to the methodology used in SAE J2728 (Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorder recommended practice) currently underdevelopment.<br /><br />It is essentially a closed loop feedback tool to quantify driver behavior and performance, which is then used with coaching to reduce a fleet's overall risk.<br /><br />It's similar in some ways to data acquisition tools originally used in motorsport but on the other end of the spectrum: To minimize risk rather than maximize speed.<br /><br />The future direction is especially interesting as there are opportunities to layer data (see <a href="http://origin-www.fastcompany.com/magazine/140/augmented-reality-swoops-in.html">augmented reality</a>) across multiple sources to further enhance and expand the system's capabilities, which would in turn improve road safety.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-33128839554085806072009-12-03T17:47:00.000-05:002009-12-03T17:48:17.389-05:00Stating the Obvious (Someone Has To Do It)This is sort of funny. The statement is obvious but to their credit they would be remiss if they did not make it. <br /><br />On December 2, 2009 NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) published a notice in the Federal Register (page 63181) about ejection mitigation containing this little gem:<br /><br /><blockquote>According to agency data, occupants have a much better chance of surviving a crash if they are not ejected from their vehicles.</blockquote>David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-26923041036999404812009-11-11T12:16:00.001-05:002009-11-11T12:19:36.753-05:00Higher Fuel TaxesAuto execs pushed for higher fuel taxes (and with good reason) at Reutuers Auto Summit in Detroit. Mike Jackson (AutoNation), Tim Leuliette (Dura Automotive) and Jerry York are on record as suggesting that a steady increase in the fuel taxes would reduce U.S. fuel consumption and provide the stability needed by the industry to plan for the longer term.<br /><br />I totally <a href="http://www.automanifesto.com/2009/07/raise-fuel-tax-already.html">agree</a>.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.autonews.com/">Automotive News</a> - requires subscription]David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-16420366603421308242009-11-11T12:10:00.001-05:002009-11-11T12:12:09.167-05:00Standardizing EV ComponentsDenso is pushing for it. When systems and components are more standardized for EVs the costs associated with developing vehicles will fall, allowing more models from both established manufacturers and new players to enter the market. Consequently, we'll see huge growth in the number and types of vehicles available.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/03/denso-wants-to-standardize-hybrid-components-make-batteries/">AutoBlogGreen</a>]David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-58906746844951224752009-11-11T12:03:00.001-05:002009-11-11T12:06:24.943-05:00Road Train ProjectProject Sartre is another step toward driverless cars. This stuff can't come soon enough to help improve road safety and get bad drivers off the road. <br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/10/project-sartre-uses-road-trains-to-save-fuel-on-the-highway/">AutoBlogGreen</a>]David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-87899519248850439632009-11-11T11:58:00.000-05:002009-11-11T12:00:39.468-05:00Stating The ObviousActually, it's important that this angle is examined more carefully. Judging by the number of prototypes unveiled that look like a Pontiac Aztek on a bad day, it's quite obvious that it has never occurred to many startups and EV-wannabes that design is make-or-break.<br /><br />This is true of all cars but especially so with EVs because of the current (no pun intended) sacrifices that buyers have to make compared with gas-powered cars due to technical limitations. Design is critical.<br /><br />The early adopters are going to be people who are passionate about cars and electric power. Tesla nailed the style side of it compared with all other EV entries to-date - and it's still anybody's guess if they'll succeed in the long-term (I hope they do). <br /><br />There's no place in the world for ugly electric cars.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/10/merrill-lynch-goes-out-on-a-limb-says-electric-vehicles-need-to/">AutoBlogGreen</a>]David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-88276521069637793082009-11-04T12:04:00.004-05:002010-12-18T18:05:36.265-05:00No Volt, No Pass?GM needs the Volt for CAFE purposes. Supposedly the Chevy Volt will receive an EPA rating of 230 MPG. This is all based on funny math and creative accounting. But if we take it at face value and apply it toward GM's CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) average something dramatic happens.<br />
<br />
Assuming total GM production of 3 million vehicles and that its existing CAFE average is 27.5 mpg, look at the tables below and see how various Volt production volumes can impact GM's overall average. If GM could produce 100,000 Chevy Volts that are rated at 230 MPG the rest of the 2.9 million vehicles would only need to average 29 MPG to meet CAFE of 35.5 MPG. Between engine downsizing, lighter vehicles, lower drag designs and increasing consumer preference for more efficient vehicles it should be an attainable target.<br />
<br />
Contrast that with the second table and you can see that even if GM starts producing an efficient small car that gets 50 MPG and sells in really large numbers that it still wouldn't take the average anywhere near 35.5 MPG required in 2016. In fact the other 2.5 million vehicles GM would produce would need to average nearly 33 MPG.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.automanifesto.com/uploaded_images/2009-11-04-volt-table-713375.jpg"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TQ0-HlLaPpI/AAAAAAAAAJY/V6E6lkCc0IQ/s1600/2009-11-04-volt-table-713375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TQ0-HlLaPpI/AAAAAAAAAJY/V6E6lkCc0IQ/s320/2009-11-04-volt-table-713375.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Despite the fact that the 230 MPG figure would be a total fabrication, I predict this will become a political exercise that promotes CAFE and perhaps a cap-and-trade program as the keys to solving our transportation greenhouse gas problems, which would be a shame because the technology is absolutely vital to the eventual transition to electric vehicles. It should be appreciated for what it is. Let's hope it doesn't fall victim to a political hijacking.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-66458931501650053202009-10-28T12:44:00.001-04:002009-10-28T12:45:21.826-04:00Redox BatteriesHere's an interesting concept. "Refueling" a battery by circulating the electrolyte out of a depleted battery for off-board recharging, and filling up with a fresh charge. This enables the charging process to take place without the presence of the battery the whole time.<br /><br />More from <a href="http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/10/14/electric-vehicle-batteries-recharge-with-a-fillup/">The Kneeslider</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery">Wikipedia</a>.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-72548794087935483142009-10-28T12:40:00.001-04:002009-10-28T12:42:14.307-04:00Driverless Neighborhood VehiclesNo one has gotten the styling right but, <a href="http://www.automanifesto.com/2008/01/driverless-cars-need-driverless-roads.html">as I've said</a> before, the concept of <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/22/paris-business-district-will-test-self-driving-nevs-in-busy-squa/">driverless cars in certain areas</a> or neighborhoods is bound to happen.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-469744812689877081.post-24096137281328262932009-10-27T12:11:00.023-04:002010-09-15T22:38:30.399-04:00Saturn Door ReplacementLast week I had a mishap involving an electric vehicle and a friend's car, resulting in me punching a hole in the rear door of said car ('93 Saturn sedan). Luckily no one was hurt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCecLXsUI/AAAAAAAAAIM/3Qn7Hyxy8EU/s1600/cimg0390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCecLXsUI/AAAAAAAAAIM/3Qn7Hyxy8EU/s320/cimg0390.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
To fix the damage we went to a junkyard and pulled an identical door from a salvage car to replace it. Since early Saturns had mostly plastic body panels (doors, fenders, trunk lid, bumpers etc) bolted to steel frames the whole panel swap should've taken about 20 minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCjaTRDAI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Q396-rDWVIo/s1600/cimg0391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCjaTRDAI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Q396-rDWVIo/s320/cimg0391.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
However, once we removed the panel we found the door beams had been bent, and the window could not retract fully. Since the interior color of the salvage door was different and the wiring harness was cut at the junkyard, we had to change the frame and interior panel, while keeping the original wiring.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCpnKbDLI/AAAAAAAAAIc/b9DtUT4z9hQ/s1600/cimg0392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCpnKbDLI/AAAAAAAAAIc/b9DtUT4z9hQ/s320/cimg0392.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Because of the steeper learning curve it took us a good 4 or 5 hours (and we weren't in any particular hurry). The design of the door was very interesting and quite clever in its simplicity. This was all before side airbags so it was just a matter of removing the exterior panel, then the interior panel to get to the wiring. Once that was removed five bolts was all it took to remove the door. If it didn't have power windows or locks the entire door change would probably take half the time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCv5wCKCI/AAAAAAAAAIk/3QFsHOPT3wQ/s1600/cimg0397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGCv5wCKCI/AAAAAAAAAIk/3QFsHOPT3wQ/s320/cimg0397.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Both the original and replacement doors had no corrosion and all the fasteners worked as expected, even the plastic wiring clips. The door hinges had some play which allowed for adjustment and fitting. We also made two paper shims and bolted them under the bottom hinge to help angle the top edge of the door closer to the car. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC0DP8jSI/AAAAAAAAAIs/RUdcj5_-2Ek/s1600/cimg0398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC0DP8jSI/AAAAAAAAAIs/RUdcj5_-2Ek/s320/cimg0398.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The only surprise was that we found the interior switch assemblies were slightly different (the salvage door was from a '92 model). See picture below. "A" fit both doors while "B" did not due to a difference in tab spacing. That was a head-scratcher.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC49KINSI/AAAAAAAAAI0/FbdOZ7hK8uM/s1600/cimg0400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC49KINSI/AAAAAAAAAI0/FbdOZ7hK8uM/s320/cimg0400.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC-IFX3UI/AAAAAAAAAI8/dp5WKcN2zs4/s1600/cimg0399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGC-IFX3UI/AAAAAAAAAI8/dp5WKcN2zs4/s320/cimg0399.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I've been a firm believer in non-metallic body panels for a long time (fiberglass, carbon fiber, various plastics) and this really confirmed the benefits. Simple to replace, impervious to minor door dings and stone chips, easy to match the paint, and easy repair access. Steel doors can only be accessed from inside, not both sides because they're welded assemblies.<br />
<br />
Of course there could be a number of disadvantages as well such as cost, crashworthiness and weight. While the panel itself didn't seem heavier than steel, it's unclear how the overall weight of the door assembly compares to similar vehicles from that era. Still, composites are definitely worthy of consideration.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGDDPMDHvI/AAAAAAAAAJE/cespsqNiaG0/s1600/cimg0401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGDDPMDHvI/AAAAAAAAAJE/cespsqNiaG0/s320/cimg0401.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Once the new door was installed, everything worked as expected: Power window, power lock and of course opening/closing/latching.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGDG9oaXGI/AAAAAAAAAJM/HIndC6tYN-Q/s1600/cimg0402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DVMy0yPfwbU/TJGDG9oaXGI/AAAAAAAAAJM/HIndC6tYN-Q/s320/cimg0402.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
This repair required nothing more than basic hand tools. If it was just the body panel all that would be needed is a screwdriver with a Torx bit. Total cost was under $140 for the replacement door and the color matched just fine. Youtube was helpful too (see http://www.youtube.com/user/saturncrzy). The last thing is now to do the pinstriping.David Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952216410704572191noreply@blogger.com3