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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Nov 20, 2009 - Ethanol Black Hole
At the pumps, it's virtually impossible to find non-ethanol laced gasoline. The "up to 10%" blend has reduced the mileage on my vehicles a solid 10% for the two years I've been forced to use it. Any time I manage to be somewhere that doesn't have ethanol-blended gas and can fill up, the mileage on my car immeditely jumps back up. There's no way around it, ethanol useage does not cut gasoline use. The 10% less gas I'm putting into the tank is clearly offset by the fact that I have to buy 10% more fuel to travel the same distance. How's that for a bogus "carbon offset"? The limit for ethanol allowed in gas now stands at 10 percent though ethanol makers have applied for an increase to 15 percent and the EPA is supposed to issue a decision by Dec. 1. Does anybody pay attention to what's actually happening?
Nov 19, 2009 - The More Things Change...
Electric vehicles are not new to our industry. Manufacturers were offering battery-powered cars 100 years ago. But due to constraints on range, affordability and the supporting infrastructure, battery-powered cars were never mass-marketed and the internal combustion engine became the standard. Electric vehicles were relegated to low-volume specialist applications. And so the story continued for decades. Let's see... constraints on range, affordability, and lack of infrastructure. Yep, that about covers it. The concept of an electric vehicle is a great idea. But that practicality issue will continue to get in the way until there's a leap forward in battery technology.
Nov 18, 2009 - And The Lucky Ones Are...
I'm still not sure how a car that's not going to make Dollar One in profit is going to turn GM around and get me my $165 back (roughly the amount spent on the bailout for every man, woman, and child in the US) The markets will no doubt be picked to maximize sales and buzz, but the car is going to have to stand or fall on it's own merits and not the hype.
Nov 17, 2009 - Green LightsAR Index 663.56 +28.25 (+4.45%) Stocks of individual interest Dow 10406.96 +180.02 (+1.76%) Lots of green this week as everything is up and the news seems good. Somehow they're even calling a $1.2 billion loss at GM in less than a quarter a positive sign. (I'll believe we're getting our money back when I see it) The only place I'm seeing red, and it's a good red, is that prices at the pump eased again as the speculators were unable to have their way, although as the three recent bumps in the graph show, that have been trying!
Nov 16, 2009 - An Eye On You
The Dutch government is to become the first country in Europe to introduce a green tax to replace annual road tax on cars. And you thought we heard grumbling here about things like red light cameras!
Nov 15, 2009 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
The only ones that are going to have fun with those are the wheel companies who will get to sell more wheels. If you run over a pebble it's going to dent your wheel with those "tires".
Nov 13, 2009 - Watts Up With That?
I suppose the manufacurers are hoping to amp up interest in the auto show with a battery of EV's ( they haven't named the vehicles that will be displayed yet). I imagine it's going to be a high voltage display that will overload your senses, although I'm not expecting to be transformed into an EV enthusiast by the sparks. I just hope the cars aren't ohmly looking. That might short circuit the whole thing!
Nov 12, 2009 - Car Parts?
Sounds like an interesting idea, although the question of durability comes to mind when I read this line in the article: Ellen Lee, a technical expert in plastic research at Ford, said the biomaterial is stiffer, lighter and more environmentally friendly than other substances. Stifer and lighter tends to sound like more brittle, so I suppose it will take some long term testing to see how these "green" parts will hold up under normal use. Read the entire artcile at thestar.com
Nov 11, 2009 - Disconnect?
I guess it's the natural followup to the wild success and overwhelmingly positive reaction that the public has had to the Volt. Oh right. The Volt hasn't even hit the road yet, is priced too high, isn't projected to make a profit, and is never, ever going to live up to the ridiculous claim of 230 MPG. Bob Lutz said it would have been easier financially to produce a Cadillac electric vehicle first because a premium brand would command a higher sticker price, which in turn would help defray the cost of lithium-ion batteries. Great idea. Let's make an even more expensive electric car with what has to be a more limited electirc range due to all the luxury appointments you're going to put on it (got to maintain that Cadillac image) and that will turn GM right around. Um, yea, right. Other than the "gotta have the latest gadget" crowd I don't see the general car buying population clamoring for this.
Nov 10, 2009 - Leading IndicatorAR Index 635.31 +27.34 (+4.50%) Stocks of individual interest Dow 10226.94 +437.50 (+4.47%) I'm still slightly amazed that Ford really has been the driving force in the AR Index right from when I started to record things back in April 2008. There were many things I half-expected to see once enough data was recorded, but this really wasn't one of them. I suppose the next big test for Ford will be whether they can weather the hissy fit the UAW just threw when they rejected the contract changes.
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