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Archive for January, 2012

Back Flip On Ethanol

A huge back flip has been announced by the NSW Government on the ethanol issue. Both Government and Opposition supported the withdrawl of 91 octane unleaded from the garage forecourts in favour of 10 percent ethanol by 1st July 2012. When this was announced and made law in 2009 there was an outcry from motorists, petrol retailers and refineries alike.

Private Fleet discussed the pros and cons at length here and our readers responded here. It was clearly not a popular decision as many motorists would be forced to pay for premium fuel and virtually every NSW motorist would, arguably, face higher fuel bills as the slightly lower ethanol pump price did not compensate for the poorer fuel economy.

Clearly someone was listening as the O’Farrell government announced on 20th January that the cabinet has agreed to dump the ban on 91 unleaded!

So NSW motorists will be pleased, as will interstate drivers who would be faced with having to put 10 percent ethanol fuel or 95 octane premium brew in their tanks when they venture into NSW.

Do you think it’s a great example of the government listening to the people, or do you think they should have gone ahead anyway?

Have you say below. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/moneza-online-zaym.html

Is Running On Compressed Air Just Too Much Hot Air?

In 2007 Tata Motors of India announced to the world that they had developed a car that would run on compressed air and that it would be on the market by 2008. In fact they even displayed a car (see below) and said that at least 6,000 would be on the road within months.

There were some remarkable claims made at the launch of this car:- 

• It would be totally emission free at the exhaust

• It could be re-charged at home in 4 hours, or at a garage in minutes

• It could have a range of several hundred kilometers before it needs a re-charge

• It would be frozen air that could be directly used as an airconditioner etc.etc.

• A fully optioned car could be put on the road for less than $10,000!

It sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it. So why haven’t we heard more?

Well, that’s a bit of a puzzle as Tata Motors, whilst being the largest vehicle manufacturer in India (and they also own Jaguar and Land Rover) have gone strangely quiet. Tata did admit to having some heat exchange problems with the technology a couple of years ago. In 2009 the University Of Berkely in California published a report that said “Even under highly optimistic assumptions the compressed-air car is significantly less efficient than a battery electric vehicle and produces more greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional gas powered car with a coal intensive power mix.

On the other hand Luxembourg-based MDI, the developer of the concept, is much more confident.

Their latest design (shown  below with and without clothes) was exhibited at the Paris Motor show last year.

                                  

Financial support for this venture has been provided to MDI by Tata, and MDI is certainly upbeat about putting an air-compressed powered car on the roads in the near future.

So will it happen?

We shall see. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/online-zaym-na-kartu-payps.html

Dumb and Dumber-Lambo Catches Fire

It’s sad enough to see a supercar on fire- but how would you feel when it was done on purpose??

This picture is of a brand spanking new Lamborghini that was planned to be the star exhibit at a car show in Portland, Oregon, USA yesterday.

The show safety regulations forbid a car to be shown with a fuel in the petrol tank. So you’d syphon it out, wouldn’t you? Or a better option would be to drive it for 50kms or so, you’d think. Mmmm, not the goons who delivered this car. They decided to start it up and rev it to the limiter in neutral until it ran out of fuel. Then they got fed up doing that so they wedged a piece of wood under the accelerator and walked away for a while. Quite naturally the engine overheated, caught fire and was ruined. Nice day’s work, what??? http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/sms-finance-express-zaimy-na-kartu.html

In Praise Of Slower Driving

Cars are designed to go fast, which is why they took over from horse-drawn transport and bicycles on the road. All modern cars, even the most sluggish and cumbersome, are capable of travelling at a speed that was once considered impossible – about 150 or so years ago, before the advent of the railway, it was believed by the scientific authorities that humans would suffocate if they travelled over 30 mph (about 48 km/h).
However, while modern cars can go three times this “fatal” speed with ease and some makes sold in Australia have their speeds limited (e.g. certain makes of BMW), we don’t always have to go as fast as we possibly can. Sometimes, there’s something to be said about driving a bit more slowly. So what can be said in favour of going slower?

1     It’s safer. Sure, cars have all the safety features that the engineers can think of, but sheer physics will win the day. If you lose control in spite of the ABS, ESP and all the rest of it, and smack into something solid, all that energy will be transferred to your car’s body and to your body. Carnage. This is why speed limits exist, why powerful cars are speed limited and why the cops get so snippy about leadfooted drivers.

 

2      You use less fuel. Again, it’s a matter of physics. The faster you go, the more energy is needed to get your car to that speed and to keep you there. And this energy comes from petrol or diesel, even in a hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius. Slow down and you save money.

 

3      You put less stress on your car’s mechanics. Physics again – at higher speeds, more force is needed to alter the vehicle’s velocity – and the velocity changes when you change direction as well as when you slow down or speed up. Change the velocity aggressively or assertively, and this does increase the wear and tear on the tyres, the brake pads, the steering mechanism, etc.

 

4      When you’re in an unfamiliar place, you can find your way a bit more easily. It’s easy to miss landmarks and road signs – and that includes signs such as speed limits and arrows – when you’re going at a fair clip. How many times have you been barrelling along looking for a particular road only to miss your turning because by the time you had read the signpost and recognised the street name, you’d overshot?

 

5      To quote an old proverb, galloping horsemen see no flowers. If you are always in a hurry, you often miss some of the beautiful and interesting things around you. The truth of this old saw is often proved by people driving around Perth during June–November: take it slowly and you can appreciate the famous wildflowers; rush and they’re just a blur. And this doesn’t just apply to rural driving in the lusher parts of Western Australia – it also applies in downtown Sydney. If you take it at a more leisurely pace, you get a chance to notice things you wouldn’t otherwise – a small boutique or café, a quirky mural or an attractive/interesting looking person.

Sure, there are times when we have to make the most of the speed that our cars have on offer. And there are times when it’s fun to go faster (but within the speed limits!). But at times, it doesn’t hurt to slow down and enjoy the drive, as well as driving more safely and frugally. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/turbozaim-zaimy-online-bez-otkazov.html