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Archive for May, 2016

Tesla: The Supergeek’s Supercar

NikolaTeslaBack in the 1880s, electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla tinkered around with using an AC motor to power vehicles. For some reason, the idea didn’t catch on the way his fellow inventor Thomas Edison’s lightbulb did, and cars kept mostly running on fossil fuels for another century while gaslights faded into the past. Tesla’s electrical car was sidelined into the realms of fiction, along with his ideas for wireless electricity transmission and death rays (yep, he’s the original “mad scientist who’s developed a death ray” beloved of sci-fi, superhero cartoons and steampunk, AND he predicted mobile phones). However, concerns about peak oil led to the ideas being dusted off again and considered seriously.  Was it possible for electric cars to be feasible for everyday use? Could people invent a battery that would hold enough charge to power a car over more than just a few kilometres? Oh yes – and can electric cars be cool rather than geeky and boring?

Enter Tesla Motors, a company founded in 2003 with the long-term goal of making mass-market electric vehicles that could provide the fossil fuel market with some serious competition. The Tesla Roadster proved that an electric car could indeed deliver the goods, combining style and performance with purely electric motors. The Roadster was the first purely electric car to have a battery range of 320 km per charge. This award-winning design made the cover of Time magazine in 2006 and proved hugely popular in the USA. The Roadster had a 0–60 mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 165 km/h, which is more than the legal road limit (and what else would you want anyway)? Its styling was very classy indeed and used carbon fibre throughout for the bodywork.

TEsla RoadsterThe Roadster is no longer listed on the Tesla Motors website. Three sedans have taken the Roadster’s place: the Model S, the Model X and the Model 3, which are very boring and ordinary names for cars that are anything but boring and ordinary: the Model S, for example, has a 0–100 time of 3.0 seconds (performance variant) and will do so without the engine roar typical of its petrol-powered peers doing the same thing.  They are an idea whose time has come – unfortunately too late for Nikola Tesla, who died in poverty in 1943 in spite of his brilliance and many inventions (he sold his patents).

Tesla Motors is the brainchild of a Canadian entrepreneur with the delightful name of Elon Musk. Tesla is not his only breakthrough invention: he’s also one of the team who created PayPal, the man behind the SpaceX non-governmental space exploration organisation (the one that’s thinking about the Mars colony) and tons of other high-tech ideas, including SolarCity, which produces low-cost solar panels to reduce dependence on fossil fuels even further. He is the owner of the famous aquatic Lotus Esprit that appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me and has strong opinions on keeping a lid on artificial intelligence, in spite of owning an AI company.

Of course, with any vehicle, you’re going to have to think about how you’ll make sure it’s got what it takes to move, whether you have to top it up with electricity, petrol or diesel. One of the big barriers to the widespread use of purely electric vehicles is the problem of recharging the battery. You thought recharging your mobile phone was bad! This infrastructure problem is a hurdle that has to be overcome with any new fuel or power source type. With electrical vehicles, there’s also the problem that many generators run on fossil fuel, which means that this technology isn’t quite as green as you thought it might have been. However, the boffins are working on improving ways to get electricity without burning fossil fuel and coal (like Elon Musk’s SolarCity power project mentioned above), so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Tesla models can be charged with enough juice in the battery (OK, I’ll spare you the science lesson about electrical potential energy) to last them 270 km. At Tesla’s specific supercharger stations, this charging process takes about 30 minutes, which is quicker than charging my mobile phone when it’s run flat. You plug it in, head off to the shops, then come back when you get a notification via the Tesla charging app. Tesla vehicles can also be topped up with charge at “destination charging stations”, which are businesses (e.g. shops, cinemas, etc.) that have a compatible charger

Three Tesla models are available for sale in Australia today. Most of these are likely to be sold in Victoria and New South Wales, as these are the states which have Tesla-specific “supercharger” charging stations available. Most of these charging stations are located strategically along the M31 highway between Melbourne and Sydney, and another is located up in Port Macquarie. Destination charging is also available in all states except Northern Territory (most of the Top End misses out – sorry, Darwin and Cairns!). For those interested in a test drive, the showrooms are located in Sydney and Melbourne.

It’s true that purely electric cars have a long way to go until they are as popular as petrol/diesel cars, mostly for infrastructure reasons. However, given the way that hybrid vehicles have caught on, we are likely to see more pure electric cars such as the ground-breaking Tesla, gliding around Australian roads. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the Toyota Prius was a real novelty by being a production hybrid; now just about every car manufacturer is putting out hybrids. Now if we can just solve the problem of making sure that we’ve got enough sustainably produced electricity (i.e. if we don’t end up having to use fossil-fuel fired power generators to meet the electricity needs of heaps of hybrid and electric vehicles), all will be very well indeed.

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Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Jaguar XE S Supercharged V6

Once upon a time cars came in three sizes: small, medium, and large. Once upon a time you could buy a Jaguar in just one size. Large. Now there’s a choice of SUV, sports, small medium and medium large and of course, large. The relatively new and all alloy XE (compared to the bigger XF) fits into the small medium size. Why small?2015 Jaguar XE S profileIt’s a compact sedan, with emphasis on compact. It’s just 4672 mm long, 2075 mm (with mirrors extended) wide and stands just 1416 mm high. That puts it right into the same ring as the BMW 3 series and Mercedes-Benz C Class. For two normal sized people in the front, there’s just enough room. For the two in the back, because it’s not really wide enough for three abreast to be truly comfortable, rear leg room is then severely compromised. With two sub ten year old children on the rear pews, the front seats have to be moved forward to provide some measure of comfort for them.1463294325210Odd given the wheel base is a relatively large, compared to overall length, 2835 mm, an inch longer than the 3 series and 5 mm shorter than M-B’s C Class. Also, the British contender has a slightly larger turning circle than both, at 11.66 metres compared to 11 for the continentals.

Those same front seats become a problem for drivers even of average height, with the seats needing to be lowered to allow some head space…but that then compromised, somewhat, forward vision and the need to look out the window in certain parking situations, regardless of the reverse camera and guidance lines, because sometimes cars go forward into tight spaces and there’s the lingering doubt about clearance for the alloys and scraping on concrete…2015 Jaguar XE S front seatsThere’s also the matter of the steeply raked front screen, with the roof line meeting the glass directly over the driver and passenger’s head. Given the S had a glass roof, which drops the lining by a crucial inch or so, it just doesn’t work ergonomically. BUT, at least the designers have given the rear seat passengers a bit of extra head room.2015 Jaguar XE S profile b & wThe interior design of the XE also intrudes into space; the flying buttress wraps around into the bottom of the windscreen nicely however it also curves in at the top along the doors, potentially making driver and passenger a touch liable for claustrophobia. Even the power window switches are oddly placed, perched uncomfortably on the top level of plastic.

Being the size that it is, it also shrinks boot space, (455 litres, compared to the 3 series and C Class 480 litres) to the point a weekly shop started to look like it was going to overfill it. At least it’s a powered boot lid, with a simple button in the mid right side of the lower section needing a gentle press.2015 Jaguar XE S rearIt’s black and red leather (which looks a treat)on the seats for the XE S, with, thankfully, both heating and cooling, operated via the eight inch touchscreen. Unusually, the rear seat passengers do get the ability to warm their behinds, a nice touch on a coolish autumnal or winter’s day. There’s DAB+ audio pumping through Meridian speakers and with a fair amount of punch. There are dials just below, housed in piano black plastic, for the aircon that are easy to operate, and the designers have placed embossed lines into the plastic, mimicking the XE’s tail light design.2016 Jaguar XE S rear lightThe Start/Stop button is also located here, pulsating red in a heartbeat fashion. The centre console is of hard, hard plastic, and given the cabin size it becomes a leg rest. It’s not a comfortable feeling for the kneecap, nor is there an abundance of soft touch material in the cabin plastics full stop.

Tech wise, The XE S is loaded: Blind Spot Monitoring, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning (a subtle but noticeable shake of the steering wheel), Reverse Traffic Detection, Park Assist and 360 degree camera view. The driver gets a HUD, a simply brilliant and intuitive piece of vehicle engineering that, in A Wheel Thing’s opinion, should be more prevalent in cars, however the XE’s display was in red, and sometimes lost against the background. You can also option in a Driver Condition Monitor, alerting you to lapses of concentration and Adaptive Cruise with Queue Assist.2015 Jaguar XE S heated rear seatsNow, for the good news, and the XE’s’ raison d’être. That comes in the form of Jaguar’s bespoke supercharged 3.0L V6, powering down through to the rear wheels, and a razor sharp handling package. There’s 250 kilowatts and a very usable peak 450 torques to play with, but get too exuberant and you’ll see the 63 litre fuel tank being drained faster than a cold beer in the hand of a shearer at day’s end. Jaguar Australia says 11.6 litres/100 kilometres in the urban jungle but a reasonable 8.1 and 6.1 litres for the combined and highway cycles.2016 Jaguar XE-S rear seatsIt’s an easy spinner, revving freely when asked or lazily rotating at well under 2000 rpm in top gear. Connected to an eight speed auto, with Dynamic and Sports modes, it’ll slingshot the 1635 kg machine to say goodbye to your license speeds in around five seconds, on its way to a computer limited 250 kmh. Dynamic is engaged by the simple matter of tapping one of a pair of buttons mounted in the centre console, which changes the car’s driving mode from Snow, Eco or Normal. Not only does it sharpen the transmission’s response, it feels as if the suspension tightens up, stiffening the ride yet doesn’t lose comfort plus changes the interior lighting from a cool blue to a baleful red.

2015 Jaguar XE S PRND 12015 Jaguar XE S PRND 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dash backlighting takes on the same hue as the centre info screen says Dynamic Confirmed. Left in Normal or Eco, it’s still responsive, but needs just a little bit more pressure on the go pedal. The gearbox changes somewhat more softly, easing into the changes, rather than snatching them through . Outside, a passer-by would hear a gentler note from the twin exhaust, rather than the erotically charged, raspy snarl, emitted when the XE is punted hard.

Back to the road; it’s a superb, fluid and confident chassis underneath the passengers, with a solid and sporting feel at freeway velocities yet doesn’t bounce people around the cabin, offering a pliant, lush, comfortable ride at residential speeds. Undulating roads are consigned to the scrapheap, sharper bumps are leveled and the damnable shopping centre speed bumps are the only ones that feel as if they’ll overpower the XE’s setup.

The sound of the blower is intoxicating, especially under a solid right foot, and being supercharged means instant response when the ankle is bent. Using the paddle shifts adds to the theatre, with a hint of snap/crackle/pop from the exhaust when the foot is lifted.2015 Jaguar XE S wheelOutside, there’s gorgeous metallic grey 20 inch alloys wrapped in 265/30 Pirelli tyres ensuring that grip is always there, under normal circumstances. The XE can be provoked a little too, with that powerplant up front combining with the chassis to give a little sideways kick heading into a turn and the power on. It’s almost a coupe style, with a long, flat, aluminuim bonnet (with pedestrian safety pop up installed) and a short tail.2015 Jaguar XE S frontThe steering is “on” all of the time; just the slightest movement has the XE responding to your touch, not unlike a cat presenting the belly for a rub and purring the moment you start. Being electrically powered there’s variable ratios, with long sweeping turns handled differently to tighter turns or car parking spaces. It’s communicative and precise in its accuracy.2015 Jaguar XE S dashThe dash design is clear, legible, not overthought, and is lit by a cool cobalt blue light, as are the piping lines in the console, right and left air vents, and in the doors. Select Dynamic Mode via the toggle switches in the console, and they become a devilish red shade, as mentioned. It’s a small yet effective visual touch.

Warranty? Three years and unlimited kilometres. Price? Call it around $102K plus on road costs.

At the End Of The Drive.
The XE S is a Jaguar, mostly. There’s grace, there’s pace, but not a lot of space. If Jaguar is aiming the XE at a SINK or the DINKs, it’s fine. Add an extra body and things become interesting.
Feature wise, there’s plenty on board, as there should be and you’ve got that sensational supercharged V6 heartbeat up front that’s simultaneously enticing and intoxicating. For two aboard, it’s comfortable in the leather seats, with almost every button within easy reach of both front seat passengers but just seriously don’t expect the back seat to be a comfy place.

Plastics need to soften up, the centre console really is too hard and detracts from what is an otherwise enjoyable work space. There is, however, plenty of toys to play with, that cracker engine and in truth a reasonable economy figure as well. A longer warranty, though, would be nice.

But, it IS a Jaguar, a technological advancement with the aluminuim construction, and a fantstic ride and handling package. If you need more room, there’s the XF. Or the XJ. Or the soon to be released (Q3 2016) F-Pace.

For more info, click here: Jaguar Australia http://credit-n.ru/blog-single-tg.html

Drive A New 3-D Printed Car

With new automotive technology rampaging on it seems that we’ll be able to buy our own 3D-printed cars.  The world’s first 3D printed car is called “Strati” and is made by Local Motors, and is reportedly going on sale during 2016.

Did you know that most vehicles that we drive around in today are made up using around 2000 parts?  Local Motors indicate that the Strati is made up from just 40 parts.  Mechanical parts like the suspension, motors and battery are sourced from a Renault Twizy – which is a battery-powered two-seater electric city car designed and marketed by Renault.  Everything else on the Strati is made up of integrated single material pieces.  These pieces include the exterior shell, frame and some of the interior features, which have been printed using ABS plastic that has been reinforced with carbon fibre.

Strati

Strati

Local Motors has developed the car so that it’s available with all the digital 3D-print files and build manuals available to the public for downloading and modifying by individual users.  Local Motors aims to open around 100 micro-factories near major cities around the globe over the next ten years.  The Strati boasts a sporty, little 2-seater design that, at present, takes 44 hours to print.  Local Motors are working to speed this process up so that it only takes 24 hours to create.  The Strati’s body is laid down layer-by-layer or slice-by-slice, and the Strati has approximately 212 layers laid down in its body.  So, similar to a home desktop 3D printer, the Strati uses BAAM (big-area additive manufacturing) technology which relies on a digital 3D model part becoming sliced into layers.  These modelled layers are then used to generate real layers of ABS plastic that are generated by the 3D printer.

Amazingly, this sort of 3D technology could have you download the necessary files from Local Motors, choose your options, create your own individual Strati on your computer and Local Motors could have the car made up inside two days.  Design engineers from Strati suggest that you could even come up with your own design idea, have it looked at by Local Motors and then once settled, could be printed into your very own unique car design.  That sounds fun; you could design and build your very own car.

The Strati vehicle is currently powered by a 6.1 kW battery which can be recharged in only 3.5 hours.  It alsohas a top speed of 80 km/h – a perfect city car with zero emissions, and costing not much in power to charge.

Manufacturer, Divergent Micro-factories, is also in the business of creating their own 3D-printed cars with a difference, using the latest green technology.  Take a look at their exciting supercar model called the Blade which has a 520 kW biofuel engine that is capable of flinging the car from 0-100 km/h in less than three seconds!

The Blade

The Blade

3D-printing has been used in all sorts of engineering and modelling projects.  Progressively, 3D-printing has been used in the building industry with all sorts of ingredients used for layering down in its design.  You can even use 3D-printing and it’s layering machines to layer down a concrete building in any style or shape.  This sort of technology allows you to get back to the lego block days when you really could create anything from your childhood imagination.

So what about layering down the dimensions and shape of a 1961 Jaguar E-Type? http://credit-n.ru/zaymi-online-blog-single.html

Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport

1462696033235Range Rover’s TDV6 is the entry level model to the Range Rover Sport family and has some omissions surprising to find in a luxury SUV. We’ll come to them shortly.
What’s important here is the engine. It’s an impressive piece of earth rotating machinery, with torque enough to twist Superman’s arm. What it also delivers is an engaging driver experience, aurally and physically, shoving the passengers backwards whilst reeling in the horizon, complete with a snarl from the exhaust and a most undiesel like growl from the front. Impressive stuff from a 2115 kilo machine.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport engine

The reason for the excitement is a V6 of 3.0 litres capacity; there’s a whopping 600 torques (peak) at just 2000 rpm with a suitably eyebrow raising 190 kW at 4000 revs. It’s the redline figure for this that raises the eyebrow further, with 6000 rpm the end of the line here. It’s a figure that only the most churlish and disliking of torque will see, or someone that likes to think about engines self destructing from revs, as that torque really is all you should need to know.

The engine is hooked up to a slurry eight speed auto; if you’re in a hurry, use the paddle shifts. It’s quick, sharp, instant, crisp to a fault when you do so, compared to the easy and soft change under gentle acceleration or the slide from ratio to ratio under a heavy right foot. There were instances of what is known as turbo lag, when the right foot goes down and the turbo is spinning at revs lower than required to pressure the engine into performing. Consequently, some driving situations had the big beastie lurching forward after a moment’s hesitation, requiring the driver to be on their guard.

As it’s a vehicle that asks for, nay, demands spirited driving, the economy was a surprise all the way. The official figures are: 6.9L/100 km for the combined, 6.4L/100 km for the highway and a not unreasonable 7.8L/100 km for the urban. A Wheel Thing’s stint saw 8.5L per 100 km as the final figure.

Right quality seemed less jiggly than the HST tested in early 2016, with a sensation of rubber meeting the varying road surfaces more efficiently, with perhaps a touch more softness in the air adjustable suspension. Handling was also just that little more planted, as a result, lacking the minor skittishness the HST exhibited. Rubber was 235/65/19 from Pirelli, which may have contributed.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport wheel

The steering was quick, responsive, with the variable ratio speed sensitive making parking easier to deal with. It’s planted, stable, thanks to an almost equal front to rear rear track of 1690 mm and 1685 mm. A decently large wheelbase of 2923 mm, inside the 4850 mm overall length, does however make a turning circle of 12.3 mm a little larger than expected. 2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport front seatsInside, you’re greeted with a nice office. You get in, strap in, hit the Start button, go to zero the trip meter and then adjust the electric seats….except the TDV6 doesn’t have them. Yes. Being the entry level, it’s Mr Manual Adjustment to the rescue. Being a vehicle from the UK, there’s no problem with heating the comfortable leather seats. Cooling, however, is a different question. Hmmm…2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport dashGiven it’s the entry level model, it’s not unsurprising that the TV function (yes, truly) wasn’t fitted but it does come with DAB+, with station info on a cluttered screen. Again, the sensitivity of the tuner in the TDV6 wasn’t quite as strong as hose in the Japanese cars tested, with signal dropout and degradation far more apparent. But, when locked in, sound quality was punchy and clear.

Here’s where the geek part comes into play: not all digital stations are the same in broadcasting strength, as A Wheel Thing’s inquisitive mind found out. There’s an “i” symbol for info, on the screen, with the preferred station (Triple M Classic Rock) showing as “single channel” yet sounding like stereo.
Here’s the tech info from Adam at Triple M Classic Rock:

“It appears that because we are running classic rock at a lower bit rate to 2DayFM, we chose to use parametric stereo over discrete stereo. Essentially the stereo signal is down mixed and is encoded with some small amount of information about the stereo signal. This is called Parametric Side info. The Decoder (Car Radio/ DAB Radio) then uses the mono signal with the Parametric Side Info to faithfully regenerate the stereo signal. This technique only actually gives a “good” stereo impression and is only used at lower bitrates.
So the car in theory is showing the correct information by saying “Single Channel” but really it should show “Parametric Stereo”.”

Got that? Good. It would also account for the quicker dropout on that station when it comes to distance but doesn’t account for the weaker reception in areas other cars with DAB+ tuners have.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport rear cargo2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport rear seatsThe interior otherwise has the split fold seats, a robotic face to the steering wheel and plenty of clear vision. There’s no sunroof fitted, though, nor is there the chillbox in the centre console. One does, however, get a power tail gate. There’s analogue dials for the driver and a small LCD screen separating the two. There’s the drive mode dial, also, offering program selections for surfaces like Gravel, Grass, Snow, and little doubt that it’s capable of doing so. There’s also the ride height adjustments, with a bit of “old man” groaning when settling down once the ignition had been turned off.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport console

Outside it’s business as usual for the Sport range, with a strong slope to the windscreen, a stiff taper in the window line through to the rear, LED head and tail lights which provide a distinctive visual signature, more than a hint of brawn to the body style and enough bodywork to justify the Sport nomenclature. 2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport profileThe review car was in Silver metallic, suiting the bluff shape of the big car. Puddle lamps mounted on the underside of the doors show the Range Rover logo, when illuminated. What the heated wing mirrors didn’t get was Blind Spot Alert, leaving the pilot to use the organic analogue detection devices…

However, The TDV6 S does get Hill Descent Control, Gradient release and Gradient Acceleration Control, the Terrain Response Control system, plus Cornering Brake Control and the now standard electronic driver aids.

Safety isn’t an issue, with the brakes (non branded in colouring) responsive immediately, wonderfully progressive throughout the travel and, of course, airbags and most required electronic aids. Warranty wise, you’re covered by three years worth of after purchase peace of mind, including Roadside Assistance.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport rear

2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport tail lightShould Sir decide to go offroad, Sir can feel comfortable in the knowledge of being able to wade up to a depth of 850 mm and with a variable suspension height of 213 mm to 278 mm, approach and departure angles of 19.4 to 27.2 degrees and 24.9 to 31.0 degrees are possible. Towing? Natch. 3500 kilograms, thank you kindly.2015 Range Rover TDV6 S Sport front

Using the online price calculator, the TDV6 comes out on road at just under $101K driveaway, with a list price of just over $88K.

At The End Of The Drive.
Every car is something to its driver, be it an appliance used to get from A to B to A again or an investment that rarely sees the road and is washed once a week, regardless. To A Wheel Thing, the appeal of the TDV6 was the torque, the sledgehammer response when the slipper was sunk and the surprisingly alluring noises as a result. As a road package, it felt better attracted to the tarmac, less liable to be unsettled and skittish.

It was a surprise to not find certain safety options not fitted in a car circling the $100K mark, but conversely it IS the entry level in its range, therefore needs the same differentiation from bottom to top as other ranges of vehicles costing far less.

The TDV6 Sport fitted A Wheel Thing nicely, leaving no doubt that the same engine in a higher range model will offer the ideal balance of “Work” and “Play.”

2015 & 2016 Range Rover and Land Rover range is where you need to go for more detailed info, book a test drive and check out the options list. http://credit-n.ru/kreditnye-karty-blog-single.html