The August-31 deadline for taking diesel autorickshaws off city roads having passed, UT administration is still undecided over launching a drive against such three-wheelers. A final decision regarding that would be taken at a meeting, which home secretary Ram Niwas will conduct on Tuesday evening.
State Transport Authority secretary Vandana Disodia said the drive had been put on hold till various aspects of the issue were examined at the meeting. She said, "There are 500 LPG autorickshaws plying on roads against 745 diesel-powered ones and people can opt for the environment-friendly mode of transport ."
UT home secretary Ram Niwas had hinted on Friday that the drive may be put off as two new LPG filling stations in the city had not become operational. He had stated that doing so would not allow autorickshaw operators to forward arguments for the deadline’s extension.
Disodia said though the matter was subjudice, the administration had not received any directions from court and there was no hurdle to launching a drive against three-wheeler operators, who had still not shifted to the environment-friendly LPG despite the administration giving them more than a year. The STA has also decided not to renew permits of petrol and diesel-run autorickshaws beyond August 2009.
Meanwhile, president of Auto Operators' Association ? Kamal Kant ? alleged that the LPG supply from the existing two filling stations was not adequate. "The administration has not taken any steps to facilitate conversion of existing autos from diesel to LPG and a majority of LPG-run three-wheelers in city are new ones," he added. "If the administration takes any action without fulfilling its promises, auto operators will launch an agitation. The 11-member committee to work out the transition on Delhi pattern has also not taken any decisions and the operators are feeling let down," he said.v
The formula for supercar success is surprisngly simple: mid-engine, rear or all-wheel drive, 500-plus horsepower and any design that rises above the "only a mother could love" category. So Abt's take on the Audi R8 V-10 was almost guaranteed to be a hit from the get-go.
It doesn't hurt, of course, that the German tuning and motorsports company decided to add another 75 horsepower to the already brilliant R8 V-10. It also doesn't hurt to throw in almost as much carbon fiber as you'd find in your average modern-day fighter jet.
Both of which add to the base vehicle's appeal, though the body kit, like most aftermarket treatments, definitely pushes the look of the typically conservative R8 further into the Lamborghini-flash category. The huge alloy wheels also increase the neck-snap factor of the Abt R8 V-10.
So, aside from your own instant entourage, what does a highly-tuned Abt R8 get you? How about acceleration from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, a top speed of 200 mph even and 600 horsepower at the crank? Best of all, the engine's power curve was designed to make that 600 horsepower accessible under normal driving conditions.
“The 600 HP is not just intended to exist on paper, but also be available on the road”, says Christian Abt, race car driver and one of the Abts behind the Abt Sportsline name.
Other additions included in the Abt package are a custom rear wing and a four-pipe exhaust system.
Piggybacking on President Obama's stimulus package, a high-speed rail system, similar to those in Europe and Japan, is being proposed in California to alleviate the load that existing transit lines such as highways and airports are under.
In San Diego County, organizations like the San Diego Association of Governments and California Department of Transportation are working in conjunction with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the agency directly overseeing the project, to get the region ready for construction.
However, the program's first hurdle, financing, is still being settled.
"The California bond is a fortuitous down payment with Obama making it very clear that he wants highspeed rail to be part of his move transportationlegacy," said Lynn Schenk, a former Congresswoman and one of the original proponents of a high-speed rail system. "He's put together $8 billion for the high-speed rail project with yearly increments built into the federal budget for the next five years."
The high-speed rail, or HSR, project's financing is coming from five different sources. About $8 billion in federal funds for transportation projects are coming in from the stimulus package but rail planners won't know until October how much will come to California from the initial cut. Additionally, Obama is earmarking $1 billion a year in the federal budget for HSR projects.
On a state level Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure that voters passed in November 2008, is providing financing for the project. The proposition is putting 90 percent of the funds towards specific projects, with federal and private matching monies required.
"Private sector investments, known as PPPs, or public-private partnerships, have been part of the HSR's financing options," said Schenk. "The request for an expression of interest was sent out last year to a variety of sources and the response has been very positive."
Desire To Expedite Project
Local funding is the project's final financing stream. Organizations and communities have put good-faith money towards the project to expedite progress; however, the HSR's construction in San Diego will be deferred until later in the project timeline.
"The HSR project as it stands right now is a little ways off in San Diego County," says Bill Figge, deputy District 11 director of planning for Caltrans. "The first segment to be constructed is the Bay Area to Central Valley section so the San Diego line will probably be one of the last to be finished."
Despite the lack of immediacy to the region, Caltrans is busy preparing for the HSR project. The proposed area that the HSR rail would take locally is through the Interstate 15 corridor, so Caltrans and Sandag authorities are working with the High-Speed Rail Authority to lay out the line's path through San Diego County.
Once completed, the line will move transport passengers from San Diego to Sacramento in 3 hours and 38 minutes, covering 588 miles for an estimated cost of $68.
The train's efficiency will reduce the number of inter-city automobile passengers on freeways by millions of people, claims the HSR.
The $45 billion project is estimated to cost less than half the expense of expanding freeways and airports to meet future travel demands. It would eliminate the need to construct 3,000 lane miles of highways, 91 airport gates and five additional airport runways by 2030.
"We're always looking for transit options that are cost-effective and environmentally conscious. This project is able to hand us an option that embodies both," said Figge. "So while construction will start up north first, we're just as eager as anyone to get our end started."
Construction Jobs
Nearly 160,000 construction-related jobs are required to plan, design and build the transit system with an additional 450,000 permanent jobs expected to be created by 2035 as a result of the economic growth the train system will bring to the state.
Due to the early stages of the project the HSR project's local impact has yet to be calculated, but according to Caltrans, the general rule of thumb is 18,000 jobs created for each $1 billion of construction work.
"The goal is once it's operational ticket sales, which are hopefully half the cost of what it would be to fly, concessions and what have you will allow for people to travel at an affordable price much faster than they have all while reducing the strain on the environment," .
Without the Corolla, Toyota might not be where it is today - No. 1 worldwide.
Since 1967, more than 1,125,061 Corolla's have been sold in Canada alone.
Now in its 10th generation, the Corolla is built in 16 plants around the world including here in Canada at Cambridge where the 2010 model is rolling off the line. In fact, Cambridge is the second largest Corolla plant on the planet.
And Cambridge had a big part to play in the design of this significant vehicle.
It might not sound like much, but Canadian input included making sure the footwell pedal spacing could accommodate winter boots and the door pockets could hold a variety of sizes of ice scrapers.
This extended to making sure the same pockets could accommodate personal electronics like cellphones and the larger PDAs used in North America.
And, lastly, the door cupholders had to be big enough to hold a Tim's or a slushie.
There are four models starting with the base CE, the mid-trim level S, the near-luxury equipped LE and the sporty XRS. All but the XRS get a 1.8-litre, DOHC inline four-cylinder producing 132 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque with a choice of a standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic on the CE and S with the automatic standard on the LE.
The XRS has a larger 2.4-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque.
While the five-speed manual is standard on the XRS, the optional transmission is a five-speed automatic with sequential shift mode.
Tested here is the CE with automatic transmission with a fuel consumption rating of 7.6L/100 km city and 5.7L/100 km highway which equates to 37 m.p.g. in the city and 50 m.p.g. on the highway. The manual is marginally better at 7.5/5.6L/100 km city/highway.
In common with most new cars there days, the 2010 Corolla is much bigger in flesh than it looks on websites or in brochures.
The ability of modern stamping to produce shapes not possible even a decade ago results in the 2009 Corolla being very curvy.
This to due in part to what Toyota terms the five-metre impression.
Basically the car must appeal to all the senses in terms of the overall package - and also the small details — as the customer walks up to it, gets in and then drives away.
At that point, Toyota believes all the work it has done must come together in the hearts and minds of those in the car.
With an overall length of 4,540 millimetres and a wheelbase of 1,465 millimetres the Corolla is well and truly pushing the outer limits as a “compact” car.
But that’s the trend in the auto industry these days, and in the Corolla most of this growth is in the passenger compartment where seating five is a fact, not an advertising slogan.
The CE tested here has a base price of $16,160, the four-speed automatic adding $1,000. It also was equipped with the $1,905 convenience package (air, pollen filter, tire pressure monitor, power locks, keyless entry, auto door locks).
Lastly there was a $1,270 shipping fee (which seems like a lot from Cambridge) for a total of $19,335.
So what can you expect from a sub twenty grand car?
Quite a bit as it turns out.
Fuel economy was already mentioned but the engine itself is a marvel of technology with dual variable valve timing, fuel injection, direct ignition and even a fly-by-wire throttle system with intelligence.
The latter looks at speed, fuel consumption and load and works out the best way to optimize power with efficiency while limiting emissions.
But that doesn’t means it’s slow.
Heading out to another event at Mosport, I took the Corolla CE along a wide range of surfaces from super highway to two-lane blacktop to old gravel.
Suspension is coil springs over MacStruts with a stabilizer bar at the front and a torsion beam with coil springs and a stabilizer bar at the rear.
Braking is ventilated discs front and drums rear.
Front drive cars like to keep going in a straight line or what is known as understeer.
To make a front-driver “point” into a corner, the tendency is to heave the wheel over.
At least that used to be the case. Modern front-drive cars, and the Corolla is an example, have the benefit of decades of suspension geometry going for them.
In the absence of Michael Schumacher it was left to local favourite Fernando Alonso to steal the headlines in Valencia as the Formula One circus reared its head from a month of hibernation and let rip around the city's Juan Carlos I Marina in preparation for Sunday's European Grand Prix.
Only a few days ago the Spaniard was preparing to join the injury-restricted Schumacher on the sidelines for his home grand prix after the FIA banned Renault for their actions in the Hungarian Grand Prix when a wheel came loose from Alonso's car.
With the decision overturned, Alonso found himself at the centre of a media frenzy when he left the track after topping the timesheets in the afternoon practice session.
It was mostly the doing of McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh who took the lid of the least closely guarded secret in Formula One by revealing that Alonso would "probably" move to Ferrari in 2010.
"I think in reality there are some changes probably with Fernando at Ferrari," Whitmarsh told the BBC.
"That frees up the driver market and every year there is a number of pivotal points during the season which determine what is going to happen in the driver market.
"This year I think we all know that the Fernando/Ferrari move has a knock-on and that ripples through the other teams.
"Clearly the BMW withdrawal has also had an impact. I think we don't see a need at the moment to rush into it, we are concentrating on developing the car and making sure we are more competitive, which I hope we will be this weekend."
Ferrari vehemently denied that any deal had been done.
Unfortunately for Renault and Alonso, it took the shine off a solid performance at a circuit which, on paper at least, should be less favourable to the R29.
"It was a positive day for us with some good laps and the car performed well right from the start of the first session," said Alonso. "We worked on the set-up throughout the day and now we're pretty much happy with what we have so I think we are in good shape for the rest of the weekend. The incident with Nick Heidfeld this afternoon was a normal incident that can happen during racing or free practice. For tomorrow, we will try our best to get on the front row of the grid with the objective of scoring points on Sunday."
Alonso's afternoon did not run without drama after he collided with Nick Heidfeld in the middle of the session.
Taking too much speed into the final corner of the circuit, Alonso could not avoid the BMW, sending Heidfeld flying into the air. The Renault driver also spun in the dying minutes of practice after setting the fastest lap of the session.
Alonso's pace could help Brawn GP as championship Jenson Button looks to defend his eighteen point lead over Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel after finishing outside the top three in the last few races.
The Brawn cars certainly seemed to enjoy the hotter temperatures in Valencia and Jenson Button finished the second session just over half a second adrift of Alonso in second place.
"We've had a reasonably good first day of practice and it's encouraging to see that the car seems to be on the pace again."
"The focus of our programme was on set-up checks and back-to-back evaluations to confirm that the work done back at the factory after our shutdown was in the right direction. There is still some work needed on the set-up before qualifying as I'm not completely happy with the balance but all in all the pace of the car seems reasonably good."
Team principal Ross Brawn confirmed that the BGP001 was better suited to the track conditions: "We've had a good start to the weekend today with two strong practice sessions. The track temperatures are very high here, reaching 50°C this afternoon, so we have been able to manage our tyre temperatures well and not encounter the issues which have hampered our pace at the past few races."
"Both drivers followed very similar programmes as we revisited some set-ups from previous races as test items to increase our understanding of the car's performance. The initial feedback is that Jenson and Rubens are broadly in agreement on the direction that we should follow from here. and we've pleased to have collected so much data to apply here and take onto the next race in Spa. Overall it's been a positive beginning to the weekend."
Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton, fresh from his first victory of the season in Hungary, ran strongly in the morning practice session, but an early spin in the afternoon resulted in the Brit tagging his Mclaren's new front wing into the barrier and damaging the support hangar.
A though the contact was only slight - breaking one of the front-wing hangers - the team's lack of spares meant that he was forced to sit out the remainder of the afternoon session.
"I touched the wall, but didn't even really feel the impact," Lewis later admitted. "I only grazed the front wing - but, unfortunately, it couldn't be repaired as we didn't have a spare one. Hopefully, we can get a new one for tomorrow, or else we'll have to make some changes - we don't have lots of these wings available.
"I didn't feel too happy with the car this morning, but the changes we made between the sessions were very positive. On my last lap, I was six tenths up and it was already looking quite good, so I feel positive for Saturday. It's a shame we missed out on so much track-time, but I still think we'll be okay tomorrow - that time can always be regained."
When, I've confirmed here before, overlook Fuel cells, hydrogen, propane, CNG, etc. Battery cars like the Volt and Tesla are the future. With China by now delivering plug in hybrids, Tesla shipping, the Volt announced, and currently the big Ford push its game over for contending technologies. This is great news not only for the environment but also for the industry that has finally agreed on a path forward. Now that a direction has been chosen, the benefits of focused research and improvement as well as economies of scale will drive this technology down to the point that everyone will be able to afford a plug in in a few short years.
One bigger plus is the information gained when these first products start to ship. That can really accelerate the knowledge base so as to build even better and more reliable cars. To be sure it's been a long haul with many fits and starts but it looks like battery technology, along with advances in LED lighting and other high efficiency advancements, has finally progressed to the point of economic viability.
As of Tuesday morning, car buyers in the U.S. had signed deals to trade in 411,624 clunkers for new vehicles, getting rebates of up to $4,500 from the federal government. Most of the trades have been pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The top 10 vehicles purchased by those making clunker trades:
Volvo Trucks has long proclaimed itself as the industry leader in the field of passive safety, that is to say technology that helps protect those involved in a collision. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Volvo introducing the three-point safety belt, an invention that safety experts say has saved more lives in traffic than any other technical feature.
"We immediately gave free use of our patent to all manufacturers and today the safety belt is a natural feature in virtually all trucks and cars. That is why we can say that there is a bit of Volvo in every vehicle on the road, irrespective of make and model," Volvo Trucks' traffic and product safety director, Carl-Johan Almqvist, said.
However, although the three-point belt has been around for half a century, its use is still worryingly low among truck drivers in some countries.
On Swedish roads, only four out of 10 truck drivers use the belt, while France, owing to tough legislation, has boosted safety belt use to 80 percent.
The consequences of not using the belt are well documented in Volvo Trucks' own accident research.
Of 15 truck driver fatalities on Swedish roads over the past three years, for instance, only one was wearing a safety belt.
However, in the U.S., a record 72 percent of truck drivers used seat belts in 2008, according to information released last December by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The number was actually higher for drivers for national or regional fleets at 75 percent vs. 62 percent for independent owner-operators.
The FMCSA said its research showed that nearly 40 percent of unbelted driver fatalities could be prevented with safety belt use and up to 70 percent of moderate injuries to drivers could be reduced or eliminated by the proper use of a seat belt.
"The human being does not have a built-in speedometer so we do not perceive speed as dangerous, especially not when we sit high up in a large vehicle," Almqyist said. "In a global perspective, every year a large number of drivers die while not wearing a safety belt and their lives might have been saved by the truck's most obvious safety feature. This is something we must rectify, a challenge that is as big as the development of new technologies for accident avoidance," said Carl-Johan Almqvist.
We have safety belt reminders in our trucks, but ultimately it is the drivers themselves who must realise the risks they are taking when they drive without wearing the safety belt. Virtually our entire systematic safety approach is bypassed if the belt is not given the chance to hold the seat occupant securely in place during an accident. This applies equally if the driver is thrown around inside the cab or is thrown out of the cab if the truck rolls over."
The world's first vehicle with three-point safety belt as standard - a Volvo PV544 - was delivered in Karlstad, Sweden on Aug. 13, 1959.
Fans of the carry Islander spirit find little comfort in her as yet undecided fate. Instead of sailing away into the sunset and a new life the ferry is rusting away at a dock in New York City where it has been moored for some time.
On February 23, Don Slovak, a farmer and truck driver from the town of Valatie, N. Y., just east of the Hudson River and about 15 miles south of Albany, placed the winning bid on eBay for the former Steamship Authority (SSA) ferry that served the Vineyard route for 57 years. At the time of the purchase Mr. Slovak told The Times he liked what he saw and read on eBay and decided to speculate. He said he had some interest from people in other countries.
The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), the corporation responsible for Governors Island in New York City, purchased the 770-passenger, half-century-old ferry for $500,000 in July 2007. GIPEC put the ferry on the Internet auction block rather than pay an estimated $6 million for needed maintenance and repairs. But according to a story published Friday in The Times Union newspaper of Albany, the ferry has become a "titanic headache" for Mr. Slovak.
The newspaper reported that Mr. Slovak claims he was hit with new conditions demanded by the state before it would release "the rusted craft, which remains moored in New York Harbor."Ms. Slovak has filed a notice of claim alleging breach of contract. In legal documents, Mr. Slovak contemplates suing to recover $171,400 in lost profits from his deferred plans to flip the ferry to a new owner.
Mr. Slovak has been trying to sell the ferry whole or in parts and has been marketing it to Third World countries, the newspaper reported. A lawyer for the town of Kinderhook has told Mr. Slovak not to bring the ferry to his farm, where officials said he maintains a junkyard and operates an unlawful auto transport business.
Dubai: A GP2 test race will officially throw open the Yas Marina Circuit a week before the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"Everything is on schedule to have the best of the best circuits in the world," Mohammad Bin Sulayem, president of the UAE Automover Touring Club, told Gulf News.
Bin Sulayem, who will have to oversee the hosting of the final round on the 2009 Formula One calendar in his capacity as the FIA vice-president as well as the president of the local national motorsport authority, is confident Abu Dhabi will meet the FIA deadline.
He added that the idea is not just to host an F1 race, but to present the best-ever race to the motorsport fraternity. "Every race is a successful one, but we aim to have the very best one here," Bin Sulayem insisted.
Under the plan, the track will be ready and opened to host a GP2 competition in order to have "all systems running" at the Yas Marina Circuit a week before the November 1 Grand Prix. The competition involving GP2 cars has been scheduled to be held on October 23-24 to gauge the preparedness of the circuit.
"Yes, we are on time. I know there is a lot of pressure for us to have everything up and running, and this sort of pressure is good. A similar thing happened with the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain, and they came through with it. I don't see any reason why we cannot," Bin Sulayem said.
The Yas Marina Circuit will be renowned designer Hermann Tilke's latest creation. Designed as an Arabian version of Monaco, the 21 corners will twist through the man-made island passing the marina and winding its way through sand dunes with several long straights and tight corners.
The circuit has four planned grandstand areas with a total seating capacity of over 41,000 - and will have part of its pit lane exit run underneath the track.
Tuesday, personal and commercial automobile insurer Progressive Corp. (PGR: News ), reported a rise in profit for the month of June, benefiting from higher earned premiums from Personal Lines and Commercial Auto Businesses and a realized gain on securities.
Net income for the month of June was $114.9 million or $0.17 per share, compared to $81.8 million or $0.12 per share in June 2008.
The Mayfield Village, Ohio-based company's net premiums earned for the month increased to $1.32 billion from $1.31 billion last year. Net premiums written for the period was $1.36 billion, compared to $1.38 billion last year.
For the month, net premiums earned from Personal Lines Business were $1.22 billion and net premiums earned from Commercial Auto Business were $140.6 million. Net premiums earned from other business were $2.3 million.
For June, the company reported a pretax net realized gain on securities of $25.8 million, compared to a loss of $16.1 million last year.Combined ratio for the month was 91.0%, down 1.8 points from 92.8% in the year ago month.
Year-to-date, net income increased to $597.5 million or $4.6 per share from $536.7 million or $6.1 per share a year ago. Net premiums earned for the period increased to $8.17 billion from $8.11 billion in the same period of the previous year.
The company is scheduled to release its August results on September 10, 2009.
PGR closed Tuesday's regular trading at $15.80, down 0.37 or 2.29%, on a volume of 3.48 million shares on the NYSE.
The government's "Cash for Clunkers" program has proven wildly popular with consumers, but has very strict rules. Not all cars are eligible and not all dealers participate.
In New York, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has issued cease-and-desist letters to nearly 40 auto dealers across New York state whose advertisements for the new federal Car Allowance Rebate System were allegedly misleading and deceptive.
Cuomo took the action after reviewing a number of advertisements from various car dealerships that omitted significant requirements that had to be met in order for a consumer to be eligible to get the rebate. According to the complete, the ads mislead consumers into believing that their trade-in vehicle qualifies for the program when it does not or that they are eligible for a several-thousand-dollar rebate, when they are not. The letters order all dealerships to immediately modify promotions and advertisements to clearly explain how the program works.
The "Cash for Clunkers" program provides funds with which auto dealerships may credit consumers $3,500 or $4,500 for trade-ins that may be worth considerably less. It seeks to boost the economy and promote a cleaner environment by encouraging consumers to trade in their current vehicle for a newer, more fuel efficient one.
"This new federal program not only allows consumers to buy new vehicles that they otherwise might not be able to afford, but creates an enormous incentive for people to choose environmentally-sound, fuel-efficient cars," Cuomo said. “This program could be a boon for both our economy and our environment, as well as provide much-needed financial assistance to consumers. Businesses that fail to advertise honestly and try to take advantage of this federal program will face legal action by my office.”
Cuomo said advertisements by several auto dealerships aggressively promoted the program without fully disclosing its limitations, while other dealers advertised similarly named "cash for clunker" promotions that have nothing to do with the CARS program without making the distinction. Cuomo urged consumers to become familiar with the general requirements of the federal CARS program: It applies to the purchase or lease of a new vehicle;
• The trade-in must be in drivable condition;
• The trade-in vehicle’s fuel efficiency must not exceed a combined city/highway fuel economy of 18 mpg;
• The trade-in vehicle must have been insured, and registered to the current owner, for at least one year prior to the trade-in;
• If a transaction falls within the CARS program, the amount credited to the consumer is $3,500 or $4,500 depending on the type of vehicle being traded in, the type of vehicle being purchased, and how much the fuel efficiency of the new vehicle exceeds that of the trade-in. For example, in the case of a passenger vehicle being traded in and a new passenger vehicle being purchased, if the new vehicle has a combined fuel efficiency of at least 4 mpg but less than 10 mpg better than the trade-in vehicle, then the credit is $3,500; if the difference is at least 10 mpg, then the credit is $4,500.
Dealerships must register with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Dealerships that received cease/desist letters, include, by region:
• New York Metro: Plaza Hyundai, Ltd.; City World Toyota; City World Hyundai
• Nassau County: Garden City Jeep Chrysler Dodge; Hassel Volvo; Karp Volvo; Millenium Toyota and Nissan of Garden City
• Suffolk County: Competition Toyota; Security Dodge; Town & Country Jeep Chrysler Dodge; Atlantic of Bay Shore
• Westchester: Smith Cairns Ford, Inc. of White Plains; Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge
• Poughkeepsie: Healey Chevrolet; Healey Ford; Newburgh Park Motors
• Buffalo: Basil Resale Sheridan; Basil Toyota; Cappellino Buick; Dave Smith Ford; Emerling Chevrolet; Paddock Chevrolet
• Rochester: Lessord Chrysler Products; Bob Johnson Chevrolet
• Syracuse: Fayetteville Dodge; Royal Nissan-Subaru; Summit Dodge
• Binghamton/Southern Tier: Delhi Motor Company, Inc.; Gault Toyota; Miller Auto Team; Stafford Chevrolet
• Utica: Victory Chrysler Dodge Jeep; Cooper Kia; Steet Ponte Chevrolet; Don’s Superstore; Davidson Chevrolet Cadillac Buick Pontiac GMC of Rome; Carbone Nissan; Carbone Dodge Chrysler Jeep
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Electric Vehicles & Battery Technology Report" report to their offering.
Electrification has been thrust into the spotlight as a means of reducing vehicle emissions at a time when concern about the environment has moved to the centre stage of global politics.
Leaving aside contentious issues surrounding the production of electricity there are enormous challenges facing the automotive industry if it is to realise its ambitions of manufacturing significant numbers of electric vehicles by the middle of the next decade.
Electric powered vehicles comfortably pre-date those powered by the internal combustion engine, yet the technological challenges that held back the advance of electric vehicles more than a century ago still remain today: principally storing electricity in light, affordable batteries that can be quickly recharged at low cost.
This report takes an exhaustive survey of the different types of battery that exist or are under development around the world from conventional lead-acid through to laboratory only, highly secretive EEStor systems. Recent announcements by Japanese manufacturers' intent on delivering Lithium-ion batteries for EV applications simply represent a half-way house solution to a complex scenario.
Whilst the technology demanded in electric motors isn't so varied they, too, need innovative and financially feasible solutions if EVs are going to make any significant impact on future transport solutions. A review of electric motors examines the virtues and claims for various systems.
Finally the report takes an exhaustive look and appraisal of electric vehicles currently on offer or under development. As with the early days of petrol driven cars more than a 100 years ago there are, clearly, winners and losers, the feasible and the fantastical.
Yet just how big a role electrification will play in our future transport needs is far from certain. That EVs will play a part is now accepted, albeit grudgingly by some, but how significant a player they will become depends very much on which of the technologies and systems covered in this survey prove the most efficient and reliable.
Louisville is again hosting the Annual Street Rod Nationals, which start Thursday at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
National Street Rod Association Special Events Director Jerry Kennedy says more than 11,000 of the vehicles from across the country will be on display through Sunday.
A street rod is defined as a modernized automover that was manufactured before 1949.
Kennedy says the organization has developed a strong relationship with Louisville.
"This is our fifteenth visit to louisville, and the thirteenth consecutive year that we have been here. When we first came here in 1988, our vision was much like the city's. We could see what louisville was going to do in the future and it went very well with what NSRA wanted to accomplish as well," Kennedy said.
The event is one of Louisville’s top conventions, with an economic impact of more than $15 million
A small, retrofitted LPG kit may make 10,000 two-stroke autos street legal but they will continue to pollute more than the four-stroke ones, warn experts.
"We saw how Bangalore remained smoky even after two-stroke autos (around 70,000 of them) switched to LPG to conform to the Bharat Stage II emission standard. Poor technology and the pathetic maintenance of the autos made conversion an exercise in futility," M.K. Chaudhari, a senior deputy director of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), told Metro.
Calcutta risks facing what Bangalore did by following a 2007 notification issued by Chaudhari’s organisation in letter but not in spirit.
The Pune-based ARAI, which has the last word on automotive industry standards in the country, had said that only a two-stroke auto in good condition could become Bharat Stage II-compliant by switching to LPG. The Left Front government is using that very notification to create an escape route for all two-stroke autos manufactured after August 2000.
Anumita Roy Choudhury of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi said a two-stroke engine would remain a more polluting one than a four-stroke one irrespective of the fuel being used. "Two-stroke autos have switched to CNG or LPG in several cities but it has been found that the emission advantage is minimal. The problem of incomplete combustion remains even after the vehicle is retrofitted with an LPG or CNG kit."
In Delhi, two-stroke autos were allowed to convert to CNG during the phase-out but are now banned from the streets.
With the more stringent Bharat Stage III mass-emission standard set to take effect next April, those autos in Calcutta that opt for the conversion lifeline will become even more retrograde. "The long-term solution, therefore, is to go for a four-stroke LPG auto rather than resort to conversion," Roy Choudhury said.
A senior official of Bajaj Auto Ltd, the largest manufacturer of three-wheelers, said from Pune that it was "impossible" to convert two-stroke petrol autos to "single-mode LPG ones" with the available technology.
"Disconnecting the petrol tank from the fuel pipe will not do. Dual-mode carburettors of two-stroke autos need to be replaced with LPG-specific carburettors, which our company has yet to manufacture for two-stroke engines. We explained this to the PVD (public vehicles department) inspectors when they came to our workshop."
Automobile expert S.M. Ghosh said many of the two-stroke autos stepping out of the ban boundary were unfit for conversion to LPG because their engines had been "abused" through long-term use of katatel (adulterated petrol). "Their emission standard surely won’t improve much even if they run on LPG."
According to auto retrofitters in Calcutta, the concept of a single-mode LPG engine might not work in the city given the options illegally available to unscrupulous operators.
"It just takes half an hour to make a factory-fitted four-stroke LPG auto run on petrol or katatel. Strict monitoring rather than new vehicle technology is required to ensure that the high court’s order is honoured," said Yash Khare, a retrofitter.
Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury said the breather for two-stroke autos - allegedly tantamount to contempt of court - was a practical solution.
Rising car sales are offering a glimmer of hope for the depressed international auto sector, but analysts stress that the positive data is largely dependent on temporary government bonus schemes.
The auto sector was one of the first to be hit by the global economic crisis because of a collapse in demand for cars and it is being closely watched by economists as an indicator for any signs of economic recovery.
In the United States, Ford Motor Co. reported Monday its first increase in sales in almost two years, posting a 2.3 percent increase in total sales in July to 165,279. Retail sales at its core brands -- Ford, Lincoln and Mercury -- rose nine percent to 118,197 vehicles.
Chrysler Group reported a nine percent drop in total US auto sales in July to 88,900 vehicles -- of which 76,693 were retail sales -- but said retail sales were up by 52 percent thanks to "cash for clunkers," a government-funded trade-in programme.
General Motors meanwhile posted a 19.4 percent drop in US auto sales in July but celebrated the programme, which helped boost sales for the final week of the month.
The automaker, which emerged from bankruptcy protection on July 10, said it expects its share of the retail market will come in higher than July 2008 despite a nine percent drop in retail sales to 155,569 vehicles.
France offered an upbeat assessment of its auto market, with the main auto manufacturers' group, the CCFA, reporting a 3.1-percent increase in new car sales in July from the same month last year.
Sales at France's biggest carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen posted an impressive 11.4-percent rise and Renault sales jumped by 18.5 percent, the data showed.
But Guillaume Mouren, an analyst at market research company Xerfi, warned sales would fall after a government bonus scheme runs out later this year.
"Even if the bonus scheme is phased out gradually, there's still going to be a big fall next year," he said. "French people want to take advantage of the highest bonus and put in their orders before December 31."
Like many major economies, including Germany and the United States, France has implemented a bonus scheme for car buyers to trade in their old models in a drive to boost sales and promote more eco-friendly transport.
Germany, in particular, has seen a boom in car sales this year because of the scheme and its auto manufacturing federation was due to publish figures on Tuesday that are expected to show another rise in registrations for July.
Spain meanwhile is continuing to see a drop in sales year-on-year, although it is less steep than before, the ANFAC manufacturers' association said.
ANFAC said the latest figures, showing a total of 108,222 vehicles were registered in Spain in July, mark a "continuation of the slowdown of the decline" due to "the positive effects of direct aid on the market."
The picture for the world auto industry is still far from rosy however.
European and Japanese carmakers, including Daimler, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Honda, last week reported dismal results because of the economic crisis, although they remained upbeat about the prospects for a recovery this year.
Hopes for the auto sector are focused mainly on a recovery in Western markets and growth in key emerging economies such as China and India, while once-booming markets in Eastern Europe are still struggling with recession.
Russia's main automaker, Avtovaz, was reported last week to be considering cutting up to a quarter of its 110,000 workforce and the Czech Republic on Monday reported a 10.9-percent contraction in car output so far this year.
One government programme that is helping boost the troubled auto industry, analysts say, is US President Barack Obama's "cash for clunkers" plan, which offers owners of old cars and trucks up to 4,500 US dollars toward a new, more-efficient vehicle.
It has been described by supporters as a victim of its own success, practically burning through all of the one billion US dollars allocated to the programme in its first week after spurring the sale of about 200,000 vehicles.
The US House of Representatives voted Friday to pump another two billion US dollars into the programme. But the effort has hit opposition in the Senate, prompting Obama to invite all 58 Senate Democrats and their two independent allies to the White House for lunch on Tuesday.
