Once a standard internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle gets up to operating speeds, it produces more energy than can go to the wheels thanks to losses from heat and friction. And, since it’s the engine that sends energy to the power outlet in the car (via the battery), does it make sense to charge your gadgets during your commute rather than at home, using energy that would otherwise be wasted? There is no simple answer, but the way that some new vehicle powerplants are changing means it’s going to be more and more likely that you’ll want to charge up on the road, even if you live in a solar-powered house.
One reason it’s hard to answer the question right now is that, while an engine is capable of producing much more energy than it uses to cruise, it doesn’t necessarily produce that energy at all times. Thus, plugging in a gadget adds a bit of load to the engine, but probably a lot less than running the headlights, heater or defogger. So if you drive a normal vehicle powered by an ICE, keep plugging that iPhone into the wall.
The trick comes with newer vehicles that have brake energy regeneration. In these cars, the difference might actually be negligible because they use an intelligently-controlled alternator that only charges the car’s battery when the car is slowing down and it’s the battery that supplies juice for your gadgets. Thus, the engine isn’t taxed with spending fuel to keep the battery charged. Over the next few years as regenerative braking becomes more common, getting some gadget energy from your car will at least help reduce your home energy load. Of course, if you’re driving a plug-inelectric car, fuhgedaboudit. Sam Abuelsamid contributed to this post.
Every year, the Southern Ontario Club organizes two charity drives – one in the Spring and one in the Fall. Over time, the event has grown from a handful of participating cars to over 30, and as such, this year the organizers let local know where the caravan would be and when it would be there as a courtesy. So far, so good, right? Not exactly.
During the first part of the drive, the convoy ran into a few members of the Ontario Provincial without incident. One officer even went so far as to tell the organizers that there was only one other patrol for the rest of the route. Turns out that wasn’t quite true.
Instead of providing an escort for the convoy or thanking the organizers for a heads up, the OPP set up a speed trap along the route where the limit changes from 100 km/h to 90 km/h. When the parade of Minis came past, officers pulled over the whole lot, and cited three cars for going 121-123 kmh in a 90 kmh zone, or about 76 in a 55. One driver was also cited for having a radar detector and had his equipment confiscated.
Yes, setting up a speed trap on a drive is a prick move, but it gets worse. The OPP evidently called the local television station beforehand so they could film the whole sting. Once the station had the film, they broadcast a story claiming that 11 of the Mini drivers had been arrested for doing 50 kmh over the speed limit and that they had their vehicles confiscated as a result. Even worse, the story claimed that some of the Mini drivers had their children with them and that the OPP had called the Canadian equivalent of child services on the parents.
Members of the Mini club complained to the station, and the video was taken down as a result, though no apology or retraction has been issued so far.
Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion – Click above for high-res image gallery
has officially unveiled a new three-cylinder turbodiesel engine at the annual Vienna Motor Symposium. The new 1.2-liter engine features the same common-rail fuel injection systems and basic architecture as VW’s 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter inline fours.
The new 3-cylinder produces 74 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque at just 2,000 rpm. When VW unveiled the new Polo at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show ,a was shown with this engine. The three cylinder Polo is expected to be rated at 71.3 miles per gallon (U.S.) and 87 grams / kilometer of CO2 emissions on the EU combined test cycle. The new 1.2-liter Polo BlueMotion should debut later this year.
It’s an unlikely duel, but EVO’s Chris Harris has pitted the Ferrari 458 Italia against the Porsche 911 GT3 RS in an odd comparison that’s dripping with dichotomy. Why?
The GT3 RS is the ultimate embodiment of arse-engined track machine, while the Ferrari is a high-tech tour de force that handily eclipses our feeble ideas of what a car is capable of. Naturally, this being an EVOreview, it’s all about what’s the better driver’s car. And per usual, it all depends on what you value most.
To Harris’ mind, if lightening-quick shifts, techowizardry and ease of use are your thing, then the 458 is your bag, baby. But if you’re looking for that visceral, connected, analog experience, then the GT3 RS is packing more thrills-per-ton than anything out of Italy.
The premise might be slightly weak, but it begs the question: Which one would you choose? Check out the video , vote in the poll below and justify your choice in the comments.
Today is last day at General Motors, and as such, the industry’s iconic car guy has written out a long farewell to his readers over at the company’s Fastlane Blog. In his final post, Lutz says he’s confident that the company he helped usher back from life support is on the right path. Why? Because he says that each of the GM brands now has a solid product line up under its belt that’s capable of competing against the best the auto world has to offer.
Lutz says that GM has finally let its designers out from under the corporate thumb, and that move is beginning to pay dividends in the look of vehicles like the , Chevrolet Malibu and . Combine that with ever-improving quality and lower-than ever inventories, and on the whole, Lutz says his company is beginning to get its legs back under it.
Yes, it does appear GM is on the mend, but the company and the industry as a whole is going to be a lot less interesting without Lutz around. You can read the full piece .
1985 Renault R5 Turbo II – Click above for high-res image galler
Given how close everyone is to pulling a Fred Flintstone and yabadabadooing the hell out of the office for the weekend, allow us to provide you with a quick little diversion. Behold what could possibly be the most gorgeous example of a R5 Turbo II we’ve ever set our eyes upon. This sucker wears the same paint it bore from the factory, and with a scant 25,500 miles on the clock, it’s as close to new as anything from France, 1985 can get.
Inside, nearly everything is original save a few choice modifications. The stock steering wheel has been given up in favor of a suede Momo piece, and the factory buckets were swapped for a set of period thrones. They are the perfect shade of late ’70s brown, and we love them. The owner points out that unlike most R5s, both the dash and door panels were never cut for a stereo.
If you’re fretting over the fact that this car has had less than 1,000 miles put on the odometer ever year, don’t. The seller is the second owner, and claims this set of hips-with-wheels has been meticulously maintained by none other than the experts at Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo . You know, the oldest authorized Ferrari dealer in the States? Yeah. Those guys.
If you want it as badly as we do, get ready to fork over a serious chunk of change in a hurry. As we write this, there are less than two days left on the , and the starting bid of $47,500 has yet to be touched.
One Lap of America gets underway today, and we introduce you to the competitors ahead of our coverage.
We take an in-depth look into how General Motors tests the safety of its vehicles, and discover that the all-new Cruze could be the safest vehicle ever to come out of GM.
GM has pulled the plug on plans to offer the Orlando in the U.S. If you’re looking for something bigger than an Equinox and smaller than the Traverse, you’re out of luck.
Also of interest:
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loses $1.8M lawsuit because of seats that recline too far
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS – Click above for high-res image gallery
When the debuted in production form, opinions on the design have been largely split between the interior and exterior. The exterior styling and execution has been almost universally praised while the interior has been deemed barely competitive with the . The last Ford Mustang.
The problem is that while that the Camaro was hitting the streets, Ford rolled out a revised ‘Stang with an all-new and vastly improved interior. Thankfully, Chevrolet wants to rectify things post haste, so the cheap plastic dash is likely to be discarded and hopefully a steering wheel with less canted rim will replace the current unit. Unfortunatel,y changes to the enormous A-pillars are unlikely, meaning that visibility will still suck.
Since we’re talking about changes inspired by competition with the Mustang, it appears that the Z28 will probably be removed from the cold storage shelf and put back on the road. Motivation is rumored to be supplied by a version of the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA used in the with about 550 horsepower, but we’re not going to believe that until one appears on the show stand.
Look what the hath wrought. Even just a few years ago it was a poster child for the overly hip and crazy-eyed eco warriors, now its wake is full of hybrids from the to the… ? Brenda Priddy’s viewfinder settled on an LFA mule with a flap on the hood that, theory holds, could be covering up a plug-in socket.
The context supposes that is , and , with the conventionally-powered LFA already proving itself in customer hands, could jump the lights with a hybrid and get ahead early in the eco supercar stakes. It’s all conjecture for now, but not entirely impossible to believe. However, if Lexus makes U.S. buyers for the standard LFA, who knows what kind of wire-walking act they’ll need to pull off to get an LFA Hybrid.
Nissan BRE 370Z – Click above for high-res image gallery
is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Brock’s famous toppling of the Germans and Brits at the SCCA Championships at Road Atlanta in 1970, and with it comes the BRE , a liveried nod to Nissan’s storied racing heritage.
Coated in Brock’s iconic red, white and blue paint scheme, the BRE 370Z made its debut yesterday at Road Atlanda during the Classic Motorsports Mitty, and comes packing enough kit to make it eligible to run in the SCCA’s T2 championship. Nissan plans to show off the Z across the country this summer, including a stint at ZCon this July in Nashville, but don’t expect the tri-colored coupe to hit dealers anytime soon – it’s strictly a show car for now.
Bone up on your BRE history and get all the details in the press release after the jump.
There’s a list of movies that any die-hard can fan should see, which includes such classics as , , , , and , to name a few. We should add to that list.
Directed by Eric Bana, the film documents this Australian actor’s love affair with his classic Ford GT Falcon Coupe. More than a tale of one man’s relationship with his car, Love the Beast explores the same connection that anyone can have with his her wheels, even if you aren’t a hunky Aussie with a car the rest of us would kill for.
We’ve got one, count ‘em one, copy of Love the Beast: Special Edition on DVD to give away. The two-disc set includes the film, but also piles a bunch of special features, including an interview with Eric Bana, an extended interview with Jeremy Clarkson, 1970s Ford Falcon commercials and a short film on the Targa Tasmania Rally. Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment telling us your favorite car movie
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, not our fault).
Limit 1 entry per person.
This entry period ends at 6:00PM ET on Saturday, May 1.
At that time, we’ll randomly select one winner who will receive one Love the Beast: Special Edition DVD ().
At this point, we know all there is to know about the 2011 . The fact that the all-new delivers a heady 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque is scrawled on our collective consciousness for good. Likewise, it’s old news that the base car has been transmuted from rental fodder into a genuine sports car thanks to its new 305 horsepower . Needless to say, Ford has a bit of a challenge ahead of it when it comes to marketing its reborn pony.
How do you advertise a car that has been so thoroughly dissected by every auto rag and site on the planet? If you’re the Blue Oval, you do it by showing the adoring public exactly what makes the car so special. Ford has rolled out two new promos for the 2011 Mustang, both of which pour over every detail of both the mighty GT and respectable V6. There’s plenty of awesome CG to take you deep into each car’s drivetrain, and a burly voice over to remind everyone just how manly you’ll be when you hop behind the wheel.
Chevrolet Orlando – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumor has it that won’t be selling the new seven-passenger here in the United States come 2011, or ever for that matter. According to Automotive News, GM has said that it will be skipping the people-mover in order to focus its attention on the models currently sells. Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet’s product marketing director for small cars and crossovers, said that the company’s current portfolio easily takes care of any family’s needs.
While buyers in Canada, Europe and Asia will still be able to buy the new Orlando as scheduled, GM has decided to increase production of the , and Malibu here in the U.S. to make up for the missing model. The move is still somewhat of a shock, especially considering how hard GM was pushing the Orlando as part of its new product lineup just one year ago.
The decision to drop the Orlando does make sense, though. Despite the fact that the vehicle was based on the much smaller Cruze platform, it would be elbowing its way into an already packed showroom dominated by the likes of the popular Equinox. Those needing a little more space for their brood or luggage can still easily step up to a Traverse.
Meanwhile, Automotive News reports that the Cruze is still scheduled to begin production later this year.
