Is there real progress hapening on the hydrogen highway?
Filed under: Hydrogen
BMW Hydrogen 7 – click above for high-res image gallery
So, does Peter Wells, who recently wrote an article called “Hydrogen highways: the concept becoming reality,” rely on the hydrogen fantasy themes we discussed recently? Not so much, at least at first. He even admits that the current state of hydrogen availability is “sparse and geographically constrained.”
Wells’ article begins with a simple list of hydrogen projects that have been completed or are being finished now. Wells lists hydrogen corridors in Norway and Japan, California and Germany, to name just four the eight he found, and it’s kind of cool to see them listed in one place. Whether or not these stations are a good idea or not we’re not going to get into right now, but at least there’s a bit of reality entering the hydrogen proponent’s vocabulary. Thanks to Roy B. for the tip!
[Source: Automotive World]
Is there real progress hapening on the hydrogen highway? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Cadillac plans European return (EU)
Cadillac is planning to announce a new distribution arrangement for the UK and Europe before the Geneva motorshow. Cadillac is viewing ‘multiple proposals’ for the distribution arrangements, which are thought to include various different independent distributors and the possibility of Vauxhall/Opel taking over the responsibility itself.
“We’ve got multiple proposals along all those lines and we’ll make a decision soon. I’d like to be at Geneva with a solution,” said Cadillac general manager Bryan Nesbitt.
Cadillac needs a new distributor because its previous arrangement came to an end last year when its Dutch partner, Kroymans hit financial trouble. As a result sales are mothballed while Cadillac sorts out its future plans, but the company desperately needs new and solid distribution arrangements in Europe because a new range of cars with a more subtle design language are on their way.
These will more obviously target the three major executive car segments – in BMW terms, 3, 5 and 7 Series.
The 5.1m long XTS saloon concept shown at Detroit is the first sighting of this evolved design language which takes the heavily-creased Art and Science theme developed in the late 1990s. Although the XTS is sized around the Mercedes S-Class, it won’t necessarily be the flagship of Cadillac new range. Most immediately it will replace both the DTS and STS, but in pricing and positioning it still leaves room above for a super-luxury Cadillac saloon in the mould of the V16-powered Sixeen concept of a few years back.
Edmunds puts Toyota recall into marketplace percentage context
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota
There’s no arguing that Toyota’s recent string of recalls and safety issues is a huge deal. After all, Toyota enjoyed years of rapid growth due in large part to its sterling record of safety, reliability and practicality. When analyzing the actual data, though, an interesting question arises: Are we – both the media and the public at large – blowing the Toyota recall story out of proportion?
The answer to that question is up to each and every one of us to decide, naturally, but Edmunds has taken it upon itself to compile a mountain of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data in an effort to shed some much-needed light on Toyota’s recent woes (including its Lexus and Scion divisions) in comparison to the rest of the automotive marketplace. Here’s the crux of Edmunds’ findings:
Toyota ranks 17th among automakers in the overall number of complaints per vehicle sold… Toyota was the subject of 9.1 percent of the complaints from 2001 through 2010 (through February 3). During this period, the company sold 13.5 percent of all new cars in the United States.
So, what does all of this mean? That’s debatable. Consider that these issues, which were reported to NHTSA by consumers themselves and entered into an database that’s not checked for accuracy, are not weighted for severity. So, a seemingly trivial issue counts just the same as one that could lead to a serious accident or death. Nevertheless, hit the jump for Edmunds’ complete breakdown and ranking of all automakers from 2001 to February 3rd of 2010.
Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit?
Filed under: Etc., Videos, Russia
Russian strap-on tank treads – Click above to watch video
If you’re Ken Block, you replace the four wheels on your Subaru with a set of Mattracks. If you’re an enterprising inventor in Chelyabinsk, Russia with leftover tread assemblies from what looks like construction machinery, you make this… doohickey. Whatever rested on the treads before was removed, and in its place a car has been fitted. The video first shows a car driving onto the treads with its wheels still on, and while our Russian isn’t what it used to be we can’t imagine how that could work. Follow the jump to see the thing in action. And for those of you enduring the East Coast winter, shipping is available…
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit?
Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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U.S. Army to give long-serving Humvee honorable discharge?
Filed under: Government/Legal, Hummer, Military, Specialty, Off-Road
United States Army HMMWV (Humvee) – Click above for high-res image gallery
The military-spec High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee) has had a long and honorable lifespan, for sure. But there’s no arguing that American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else the U.S. military is active need a new vehicle that’s been designed and built to counter modern warfare tactics.
This being the case, it’s not terribly surprising to hear that the final 2,620 Humvees have been ordered from Mishawaka, Indiana-based AM General by the U.S. Army. In total, AM General has produced 240,000 Humvees since 1985.
Just as the Humvee replaced the original military Jeep some 25 years ago, today’s replacement is seen as a response to a revised set of needs in the battlefield, not the least of which is adequate protection from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. More than 1,700 U.S. troops have died in Iraq alone from IEDs as of last month, and the military is responding by switching to Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, and the M-ATV from Oshkosh.
The Humvee story isn’t yet over, however, as the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force still have many of them in service. What’s more, the Army’s latest budget includes nearly a billion dollars to maintain its existing fleet of Humvees. Also keep in mind that the Humvees used for military purposes are not the same as those sold under the civilian Hummer brand, which General Motors is still working to sell to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery of China. For more Humvee goodness, check out the high-res gallery below. All photos are courtesy U.S. Army.
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Scratch that: Next generation Honda Ridgeline not coming in 2011
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Truck, Honda
A little confusion travels quickly. As long ago as last year and as recently as last week’s Chicago Auto Show, the bed-happy gents at PickupTrucks.com were told that a new Honda Ridgeline would be arriving sometime in 2011. Now the guys have been told by Honda, “That’s not the case.” The proper information: “there will be no significant change to the Ridgeline through the 2011 model year.”
That leaves the Honda pickup to soldier on through a 50-percent decline in sales and EPA numbers on the wrong side of frugality for at least another two years. And with a five-year-old design. Perhaps Honda wants to see how the truck market (and the auto market in general) does in the near term before it decides what the next Ridgeline should be. Or perhaps the company wants to get its core models in order, like those hybrids, before it makes another play at a small segment. We only have guesses – but there are certainly people out there who’d rather have a new Ridgeline.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Scratch that: Next generation Honda Ridgeline not coming in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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