Daryl Hannah brings ethanol-powered Kill Bill Trans Am to EcoReview TV show
Filed under: Ethanol, Green Daily
Daryl Hannah has promoted all kinds of cars powered by gasoline alternative recently, from her classic biodiesel El Camino to electric vehicles to, lately, an ethanol-powered Trans Am. We’d heard that she was going to convert the bruiser to electric drive, juiced from solar panels on her house, but that plan seems to have been scrapped in favor of the biofuel. Hannah will show off the ’79 Pontiac Trans-Am in an episode of the TV show EcoReview that will air on Tuesday, March 23. Haven’t heard of it? That’s because it’s a show produced by Community Television of Santa Cruz County. How cool is that?
The episode is called “The Greening of the Auto Industry: from Paint to Fuel,” so we expect to see topics we’ve covered before (paint? check) and something we haven’t, like a comparison of emissions of a car running on unleaded gasoline engine to one burning E10, E15 and E85. If you can’t watch the show, you can stream it here when the time comes.
[Source: Domestic Fuel]
Daryl Hannah brings ethanol-powered Kill Bill Trans Am to EcoReview TV show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wild, Out Of Control Toyotas? Baloney.
I cannot sit quietly on the sidelines any longer. This whole Toyota-recalls hoo-ha has morphed into nothing but yet another âcrisisâ that a ravenous media and 21st Century Americans — a people who live better and more safely than any humans in history — have transformed into their panic du jour. This morning I watched a video âreportâ on CNN.com showing a Toyota owner who drove her Tundra off a rain-slicked road and down a cliff — and claims she could do nothing to stop the car. The victim appeared on camera with the requisite tears and even the cliché neck brace to bolster her plight. Naturally, the possibility that said driver might in fact be woefully lacking in skills or — yes, Iâll say it — even talking on the phone or texting before the crash never arose during the interview. These days, it’s always someone else’s fault.
I was in this business when the same joke of a âproblemâ hit Audi in the 1980s. Thanks to a few witless drivers and a barrage of breathless, clueless news reports (including, most prominently, a fear-stoking segment on “60 Minutes”), the entire country began treating the Audi 5000 sedan as if it were a four-wheeled Beelzebub. Only years later, after an exhaustive Federal investigation costing millions in taxpayer dollars, did the truth emerge: for whatever reason, Audi owners were stepping on the gas instead of the brakes
Did “60 Minutes” do a follow-up piece on that? Of course not.
Lest you assume at this stage that Iâm a Toyota apologist, let me state my position clearly:
1) Poorly fixed floor mats very possibly did contribute to sudden acceleration or a âstuck throttleâ in some Toyotas. Then again, there likely isnât a brand of car made whose throttle hasnât been fouled by an errant floor mat on occasion. Car âdefectsâ are part and parcel of creating a machine of such breathtaking complexity. All automakers suffer from them, and 99% of the issues are minor and dealt with swiftly.
Are radioactive cosmic rays to blame for unintended acceleration?
Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Technology, Toyota
Could cosmic rays from space be to blame for Toyotas that uncontrollably speed out of control? Could such cosmic rays put you in danger of becoming a bright orange superhuman rocky man-Thing? These are the questions that a number of researchers are suggesting need a closer look to see if electronic glitches could be the root cause of Toyota’s unexplainable rash of unintended acceleration.
Before you dismiss the cosmic ray theory, consider that the issue has been known since the 1950s, and airplane and spacecraft manufacturers design in safeguards that triple-check all data as a defense from such interference from space. Later, in the 1970s, researchers found that small amounts of this radiation does indeed make it down to the surface and can cause problems with small electronics like cell phones and computers.
For its part, Toyota responded to requests for comment from The Detroit Free Press that its electronics “are not the same as typical consumer electronics. The durability, size, susceptibility and specifications of the automotive electronics make them robust against this type of interference.” Sounds like Toyota isn’t buying the cosmic ray explanation.
Apparently, there’s just one sure way to know if there’s any legs to the issue of cosmic rays causing unintended acceleration, and it involves placing errant vehicles in front of particle accelerators and showering them with radiation. It seems that there are a number of firms that can perform such tests, but it remains to be seen if Toyota will make its vehicles available – and, we assume, write out a rather large check – for such testing.
[Source: Detroit Free Press] Read more…
Mopar also planning high lift Ram 1500 for Jeep Safari, Raptor put on notice
Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Performance, Truck, Dodge, Off-Road
Answering the question of whether Mopar’s Ram Power Wagon concept is meant to be a competitor to the awe-inspiring Ford SVT Raptor (that’d be a ‘no,’ it would seem) is a report courtesy of our friends at PickupTrucks.com that Chrysler’s go-fast division is also planning to release a long-travel version of the Ram 1500 at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
Adding credibility to Mopar’s off-road-ready Ram “research project” is the presence of veteran Baja racer Kent Kroeker, who’s KORE company is already the go-to expert for aftermarket Dodge truck goodies (see photo above of his Ram 2500 racer). Being based on the Ram 1500 means that Chrysler’s Raptor-fighter will feature independent suspension at all four corners. We should also expect plenty of suspension travel. Oh, and could this be a hint at the future?
While it’s not necessarily expected that the Ram brand will offer such a high-lift, long-travel model in dealerships right off the factory floor, there is a decent chance that the components developed for this concept could end up in a Mopar accessory or KORE catalog (or both?) sometime soon. And you can count us firmly among those looking forward to that.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Mopar also planning high lift Ram 1500 for Jeep Safari, Raptor put on notice originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Honda recalling 410,000 Odysseys and Elements for brake problem
Filed under: Minivan/Van, Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Honda
Honda Element – Click above for high-res image gallery
Honda has announced a recall for some 410,000 vehicle due to a defect with the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) module. According to the automaker, 344,00 Odysseys and 68,000 Elements (MY 2007-2008) are affected by the problem and owners will be notified via mail this April to take their vehicles into dealers.
The issue with the VSA results in a softening sensation through brake pedal and a longer pedal travel that requires owners to apply more pressure to bring their vehicles to a halt. The condition worsens over time as the stability control system lets a small amount of air into the braking system. Full details on the problem, including Honda’s recall hotline, are available after the jump.
Gallery: 2009 Honda Element
Yet Again: Dealer accused of failing to honor eBay deal for new car and this time it’s a Dodge Challenger
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge
It’s like déjà vu all over again. Fact: Dude wins an eBay auction for a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with 250 miles on the odometer. Fact: Usually a new (or in this case, new-ish) SRT8 sells for about $41,000. Fact: Winning bid was $29,100. Opinion: Sweet deal, bro!
Of course there’s the small matter of the people selling it not wanting to let it go for that price. The seller, Glenn E Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Signal Hill, CA near Long Beach, has apparently made the same mistake that Glenn Hyundai of Lexington, KY made with the Genesis Coupe. Meaning that somebody at Glenn E Thomas forgot to set a reserve on the auction, and they just sold a car for much less than they’d planned.
There’s a 20+ page “discussion,” raging over at Challengertalk.com. Opinions are slightly mixed, but it seems that the overriding sentiment is that the buyer (named Hitman) won the auction fair and square and that once again, a novice dealer has wandered into the minefield that is selling a new car for less than they intended via eBay. Last we heard, Hyundai of America stepped in and helped settle the Genesis Coupe debacle. Good luck to Hitman, that (possibly) lucky SOB.
[Source: Challengertalk]
Yet Again: Dealer accused of failing to honor eBay deal for new car and this time it’s a Dodge Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Officially Official: Volkswagen establishes R brand
Filed under: Performance, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen, Design/Style
Volkswagen Golf R – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ever since Volkswagen pulled the wraps off of the Golf R and Scirocco R, it was rumored that the automaker would be creating a separate R division, solely focused around creating new performance models, as well as special design packages. The new company, Volkswagen R GmbH, will take on the responsibilities of developing, implementing and selling R-badged products henceforth.
By making R GmbH its own separate division, we’d expect to see more R-badged products hitting the streets in the near future. The new Passat CC R-Line is already on sale in Europe, and the rumormill is buzzing about a possible Jetta R, previewed by the New Compact Coupe concept at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The Golf R is expected to arrive in North America next year, and we sincerely hope that R GmbH delivers more products our way shortly thereafter. Hit the jump for Volkswagen’s official press release.
