ALTe’s plug-in hybrid Ford F-150 unveiled at the Work Truck Show
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford
Putting a bigger battery and a plug-in hybrid powertrain into a pick-up truck isn’t exactly a new idea (see here and here for just two examples). Of course, sometimes, old ideas are worth keeping around.
At the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show this week, ALTe LLC, based in Michigan, showed off a Ford F-150 that has a plug-in hybrid powertrain installed. Of course, because everybody’s got to make their mark, ALTe calls their system a range-extended electric powertrain (REEP). File this along with General Motor’s extended-range electric vehicle (ER-EV) as a different name without a meaningful distinction. These are all plug-in hybrids.
In any case, the demonstration truck uses a 25 kWh lithium-ion manganese oxide polymer battery pack and 82 kW Remy DC drive motors that provide a 52-mile all-electric range. When needed, a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder normally aspirated gasoline engine generates power for the battery. In this charge-sustaining mode, reports Green Car Congress, the truck’s fuel economy is about 32 miles per gallon. The powertrain offers 295 pound-feet of torque and has a towing capacity of 6,500 lb.
[Source: Green Car Congress]
ALTe’s plug-in hybrid Ford F-150 unveiled at the Work Truck Show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
My Own Schadenfreude on the Toyota Unintended Acceleration Issue
Forget what General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda or Hyundai might think about the tremendous fall of Toyota’s reputation amidst poorly installed floor mats and
electronic gremlins in regenerative braking and power steering systems. I’m
enjoying my own Schadenfreude these days, and it’s directed toward Thomas L.
Friedman.
You’ll remember Friedman as the Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist who suggested, a couple of years before GM filed for bankruptcy, that Toyota should buy the American automaker and put it out of its misery. Friedman displayed a bit of Schadenfreude himself when he began that column with these words: “I have a question: If I am rooting for General Motors to go bankrupt and be bought out by Toyota, does that make me a bad person?”
Well, no. Just horribly uninformed. Later, Friedman feigned surprise when, in late 2007, Toyota joined its American brethren in opposing a 35-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard.
Heavens to Deming! Toyota is as profit-hungry as the company it should have usurped.
Neither history nor The New York Times has recorded, so far, whether our
second-favorite Pulitzer winner now is dreaming of Toyota going bankrupt and being bought out by Geely, Spyker or Brembo.
GM President Mark Reuss: Chevrolet Cruze Coupe “may show up”
Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Chevrolet, GM
Chevrolet Cruze – click above for high-res image gallery
Check out this little nugget General Motor’s North American president Mark Reuss let slip during a recent web chat:
“[...] 2 door cruze is a nice idea, and it may show up in the global market. As we have 2 door Cobalts currently, [North America] would naturally look at a Cruze 2 door, but I believe our small car portfolio will be WAY beyond what it is now, so a 2 door something still is needed.”
Quite interesting, no? Especially as the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt as Chevy’s C-segment car. We suspect there will be a bit of overlap between the two cars (GM’s high-volume models die hard), but the idea of a Cruze SS Coupe is quite tantalizing. To us at any rate.
Also lip smacking is another bit of info Reuss let slip when a man named Pete asked the following question, “Can you tell us if the plans for a ZETA RWD sedan in one of the core brands is moving forward?” Mr. Reuss’ response, “quite possibly Pete…….” That’s not the Lutzian answer we’re used to (“RWD, twin-turbo wagons with manuals for all!”) but it’s not a “no,” either. Also of note, Reuss, a competition-license carrying “car guy” at one time owned Buick GNX #446. Good to know, and stay tuned….
Incoming search terms:
- chevrolet cruze coupe
Spy Shots: Dodge Ram Power Wagon hits the streets in search of Ford SVT Raptor
Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Chrysler, Dodge, Off-Road
Dodge Ram Power Wagon spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
We just told you that that Chrysler will be launching four new “Moparized” vehicles later this month, and our spies have already caught one of these new vehicles – the Dodge Ram Power Wagon – on the streets of southeast Michigan.
Unlike the Power Wagon that’s just now hitting dealers, this is a totally unique package, featuring a single-cab configuration with a short, style-side bed. The huge off-road tires and exaggerated wheel arches lead us to believe that this is Chrysler’s answer to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (if only in concept form), and our spies tell us that this prototype “made hair-raising sounds” as it drove by, leading us to believe that the 383-horsepower Hemi V8 is underhood.
We can’t wait to see the production version on March 27 at the 44th Annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. If these spy shots are anything to go off of, it looks like it’ll be serious fun for desert storming.
Report: GM launching pair of low-pressure ‘test’ dealerships that offer competitor car drives
Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM
A[nother] different kind of car company. A[nother] different kind of car. Apparently, as it once did with its Saturn division, General Motors is again fiddling with the tried-and-true dealership sales model by creating two separate new test programs that would potentially offer a low-pressure car buying environment.
One of them, a so-called Test Drive Studio, would be a “permanent or semi-permanent, minimally branded, brick-and-mortar” facility that would first appear in Chevrolet-centric areas such as Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Included amongst the newfangled features would be test drives in the Chevy Malibu, Traverse and Equinox, followed by their main competition. “May the Best Car Win,” indeed.
According to Steve Tihanyi, general director for marketing services, alliances and branded entertainment, “It’s a non-threatening environment. It’s not pressure-filled; you can drive all the right competitive products against the [vehicles]. If you take Malibu as an example, we will also have vehicles like Camry, Accord, Ford Fusion, or Taurus, so you get a really good cluster of vehicles to experience at your own pace.”
Also new will be a competitive test-drive program that will run concurrently with auto shows in 30 markets all around the United States. “One thing we know about auto shows is a lot of people who come will be in market in zero to 12 months,” says Tihanyi.
To go along with the new dealership test model, GM will start a digital marketing campaign in each of the four aforementioned test markets, targeting buyers currently shopping for vehicles in GM’s competitive markets. Says Tihanyi, “So, hypothetically, if you are on Edmunds.com and shopping a Camry, we are going to offer up an opportunity to come to the Test Drive Studio in that market to compare everything you have in your shopping set right now. Our feeling is you may have not had the Malibu in your consideration set, but if you try it, you will.”
Bajaj Platina: Specifications
General information
Model: Bajaj Platina
Year: 2007
Category: Sport
Rating: 66.5 out of 100. Show full rating and compare with other bikes
Safety: See our safety campaign with the high safety rated bikes in this category.
Engine and transmission
Displacement: 99.30 ccm (6.06 cubic inches)
Engine type: Single cylinder Stroke: 4 Power: 8.20 HP (6.0 kW)) @ 7500 RPM
Torque: 8.05 Nm (0.8 kgf-m or 5.9 ft.lbs) @ 4500 RPM
Fuel system: Carburettor
Cooling system: Air
Transmission type final drive: Chain
Physical measures
Dry weight: 113.0 kg (249.1 pounds)
Overall height: 1,090 mm (42.9 inches)
Overall length: 1,990 mm (78.3 inches)
Overall width: 770 mm (30.3 inches)
Wheelbase: 1,275 mm (50.2 inches)
Chassis and dimensions
Frame type: Tubular construction
Front suspension: Telescopic
Front suspensiontravel: 125 mm (4.9 inches)
Rear suspension: Hydraulic SNS type
Front brakes: Expanding brake (drum brake)
Rear brakes: Expanding brake (drum brake)
Speed and acceleration
Power/weight ratio: 0.0726 HP/kg
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Filed under: Recalls, Toyota, Autoline on Autoblog
RUNAWAY TOYOTAS? WHAT ABOUT DRIVER ERROR?
No one wants to touch it. Not Toyota, not NHTSA, not any politician. But the issue has to be raised. Driver error is most likely at the root of these sudden unintended acceleration incidents.
Unintended acceleration is not a new issue for the auto industry. It’s been around for decades and complaints have been filed against virtually every automaker. Even more telling, it was around long before electronic throttle controls (ETC) ever showed up in cars.
But we’ve managed to work ourselves into a hysteria where everyone automatically assumes that ETC is the culprit. That’s a dangerous assumption that will likely lead us down a dead-end path, and could prevent us from implementing a fairly easy design change that could cure most of these incidents.
While it is possible that “ghosts” in the electronics could be causing a problem, no one has been able to find them. Toyota has done exhaustive investigations into this. So has every other major automaker. So have all the suppliers that make these systems. Independent laboratories, universities, and government agencies have investigated it. But none of them have ever found the problem. Never. And it is my contention that they probably never will.
John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
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