Car Chute » hybrid engines

Ford’s Flex and Fusion Hybrid are All Stars!

robert — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:38:09 +0000

If you remember, we last reported that the Ford Flex was so good it could still be considered as a great car in the year 2030, well, it seems to have won another award for the present day: it and the Ford Fusion Hybrid are named 2010 All-Stars by Automobile Magazine.

Reasons for why the Flex won:

Jason Mase, Ford crossover marketing manager, says it is the design and features available with the Ford Flex that make the vehicle stand out.
“We’re delighted that AUTOMOBILE Magazine has named Flex an All-Star two years running,” he said. “The AUTOMOBILE editors recognize Flex stands apart from the rest of the crossover crowd with unmatched style, tremendous passenger comfort and space, and leading technology features like the available EcoBoost engine, Active Park Assist, Ford SYNC® and a refrigerated second-row console.”

It seems that the Flex is good on its own even if it wasn’t considered as a Green vehicle, granted, its EcoBoost engine is enough.

As for the Ford Fusion Hybrid:

Jennings says what makes the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid special is that it doesn’t drive like a hybrid.
“Its very ordinariness is what makes the Fusion Hybrid an AUTOMOBILE Magazine All-Star,” said Jennings. “The Fusion Hybrid is not a performance machine, but neither does it feel hobbled or inadequate for daily driving. Perhaps the best thing about it is that, apart from the LCD color screens, you might never know you’re driving a hybrid.”

Eventhough it’s not as strong as the other cars, being green was enough to win the award. Hopefully, more high performing green cars will be rolling out the production line soon.

Press Release

Search for Your Green Car Online

robert — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:52:21 +0000

So you think gasoline guzzling cars are not really your thing and want to try out “green” cars? Don’t know where to get one or don’t have enough money to buy a brand new one? Well, if you want to buy or try out second hand green cars, then head over to Carlocate.com. There, you’ll be able to search for the green car you want for the budget you have. You have the option to search for brand new or used vehicles:

Hybrid
fuel efficient
Diesel
flexible fuel cars

“More and more, consumers are interested in buying vehicles with better fuel economy and lower emissions,” said Nicole Case, general manager for CarLocate.com. “But being eco-friendly is more than looking at hybrids. Wading through all the information to find those cars isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the Green Search option for both new and used cars. Now, we’ve made it quick and easy for car shoppers to find vehicles on our site that are more environmentally friendly. This is just one more way we’re building our search function to cut the clutter and take consumers to search results that more exactly fit the cars they want to buy.”

Both new and used cars are guaranteed to have passed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards of 23.1 miles per gallon, and an EPA air pollution score of six or above. It’s a great idea to spread and increase more green cars on the roads and hopefully other businesses, both online and offline, to follow suit what Carlocate.com has done.

Press Release

Top 10 Best Engines of 2010

robert — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Enough with the car awards of the year, it’s time to look under the hood and check out which engines made it as the 10 Best for 2010. According to Ward’s 10 Best Engines, the winners are as follows:

This year’s winners and the applications tested:
2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A4)
3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S4)
3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
2.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
4.6L Tau DOHC V-8 (Hyundai Genesis)
2.5L Turbocharged DOHC H-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)

“This year’s list embodies how the industry is responding to demands for higher fuel economy and lower emissions without shortchanging performance,” Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter said. “Auto makers are using innovative designs and advanced technology to boost horsepower and torque while downsizing engines and increasing efficiency.”

It’s a good thing that one of the criterias involved was the lower gas emissions. It just shows that engine makers do care about saving the environment. Now if they can only make engines this good that runs on ethanol. In the meantime, since the US economy’s going down the slippery slope, it’s great that they’ve also included the criteria regarding fuel economy. The last thing we need are engines that guzzle gas like there’s no tomorrow.

Here’s to hoping that next year’s best engine’s list will have engines that help save more on gas and produce lower (or better no) carbon emissions.

Press Release

Ethanol Powered Limos on Climate Change Conference

robert — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:01 +0000

If I told you that big time politicians will be riding on straw powered limos, would you believe me? Well the ones who will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen will be riding in one.

The climate-friendly fill-up came about as a collaboration between Danisco’s enzyme division Genencor, Inbicon Biomass Refinery Technology, Novozymes, and Statoil, assisted by the Partnership for Biofuels. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supplying the limousines: 30 Volvo S80s and 10 Volvo V70s will be chauffeuring politicians from all over the world during COP15. Among those present at this first official filling-up with E85 in Denmark were senior representatives of the companies involved as well as Jan-Christoph Napierski from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ COP15 Logistics unit. “An event such as the UN Climate Change Conference attracts a large number of exciting new technologies, which could help to solve the climate challenge.”

Besides the politicians attending the conference, come 2010 Statoil’s Danish customers will be able to fill up their tanks with advanced biofuel as well. Lucky them as they’ll be able to experience its benefits first. If it becomes successful hopefully the other countries will copy them.

It’s a great way for politicians to see how ethanol can be a good alternative to gasoline and be able to apply it to their own countries. Hopefully with this move, and the main politicians who are in charge of their countries energy resources experiencing the ethanol powered ride, will change their minds about using gasoline to fill up their vehicle’s tanks.

Source

Car and Driver’s Top 10 Cars for 2010

robert — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:01:45 +0000

Where have all the quality and safety in American cars gone to? It seems that overseas manufactured cars and automotive vehicles seems to be the one that’s taking a look at quality and safety more than it is over here. No wonder our automotive industry is down in the gutters. This is further proven after Car and Driver Magazine just listed down the 10 best cars of 2010: and it’s no surprise that only two of the top ten belong to American car manufacturers.

Following are the 2010 Car and Driver 10Best winners (in alphabetical order), followed by the number of times each model has made the list:

2010 Audi S4 (2)
2010 BMW 3-series / M3 (19)
2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V (2)
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (1)
2010 Honda Accord (24)
2010 Honda Fit (3)
2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata (11)
2010 Mazda 3 / Mazdaspeed 3 (3)
2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman (3)
2010 Volkswagen GTI (7)

The list is not in a ranked order. A panel of 18 Car and Driver editors determined the winners by rating them on a scale of 1-100 with a focus on functional performance, driving satisfaction and value. Vehicles considered for the award must be available in the United States by January 2009 and priced below the cap of $80,000, or 2.5 times the average transaction price as of summer 2009. Winners from the previous year are re-nominated if they are still available under the price cap.

Hopefully this is a wake up call to American car manufacturers to do their best to produce quality cars that will attract not only local buyers but foreign ones as well.

Press Release

CT&T Announces Plans for U.S. Electric Vehicle Production

Auto Buff — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:31:02 +0000

July 1st 2009, CT&T Company which is a global leader in electric and battery vehicle technology announced that starting from the fourth quarter of 2009, the company expects to begin selling c-Zone utility EVs for commercial and government applications as well the e-Zone City Drive EVs. Vehicles will range in price from $8,000 US dollars to $16,000 fully equipped. That is as announced by CT&T United, the U.S. subsidiary of CT&T Korea, Ltd.

Furthermore, CT&T said that they are not only going to launch c-Zone utility EVs, but also Mid-speed Electric Vehicles, High-speed Electric Vehicles, Utility Electric Vehicles, as well as batteries in the Lead Acid, Advanced Lead Acid, Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion categories for domestic and export markets. “We are accelerating our plans to become a major investor in zero emissions vehicle technologies in the U.S.,” said Lee. “CT&T has become a category leader because of our advanced technology, plus we offer a solution to the primary barrier to consumer adoption of electric vehicles by offering EVs at affordable prices.”

CT&T is an acknowledged global leader in Electric Vehicles and EV technologies with manufacturing facilities currently in South Korea and China with several U.S. facilities targeted to begin production by the end of 2009. One of the few fully integrated vehicle, motor and battery producers in the world, the Company produces and markets City Drive, Mid-speed, High-speed, and Utility electric vehicles under the CT&T brand. Young Gi Lee, a former executive of Hyundai Motor Corporation, founded the CT&T in 2002 with a vision of bringing zero emissions transportation options to companies and individuals.

Car of the Month: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Auto Buff — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:16:44 +0000

The first day of the month always starts with an award for the previous month, and Car Chute chose The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid as Our Car for the Month. It’s introduction was early and even before we really see the ‘Most Fuel Efficient Mid-Size Car in America’, it already set a scene by receiving an honor as NADAguides.com’s Car of the Month, too.

Wondering what is being offered by this stylish wonderful hybrid car? Continue reading…

Many hybrid cars have futuristic models to suit its technology. However, have you ever asked yourself: Are you ready to ride a car with that odd style? Well, the good news is Ford had been thinking about that, and The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is able to provide an exceptional fuel economy without sacrificing style.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is supported with a combination of 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine, electric motor and nickel-metal hydride batteries. Advanced regenerative braking recovers up to 94 percent of the energy lost during braking, feeding power back into the battery. The whole system allows the Fusion to run at up to 47 miles per hour in pure electric mode.

What makeCar Chute proud is that The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has many ‘green’ features such as Ford’s SmartGauge with EcoGuide. This system displays dozens of statistics including instant fuel economy, battery charge status, vehicle power mode and accessory power consumption that make it both easy and entertaining for the driver to maximize fuel economy.

Are you ready to ride your 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid car as fast as 41mpg in the city? Purchase your own starting at $27,270 and welcome your eco-friendly life!

Scania Truck Concept

Auto Buff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:04:10 +0000

These concept truck designs may have been seen at one point or another in movies such as Judge Dredd or i-Robot. But while many have yet to see a suitable replacement from the gas chugging vehicles used for business and commercial use, that thought may be just over the horizon. The Scania Truck concept is something worth checking out and hopefully a machine we can all get to see soon.

With the rant for the ouster of noisy and pollution-making truck an obvious concern. These new Scania Truck Concepts aim to provide an eco-friendly approach, using diesel-electric-hybrid engines that should be something worth watching out for if they do get out of the conceptualization stages.

It is designed to be eco-friendly and economical by using a diesel-electric hybrid engine. The innovative part comes on the wheel-hub design that sports indicative color-coded LEDs that point out speeding and other rules broken.

(Source) Yanko Design

Car Chute » hybrid engines

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