Motor City to become biker friendly with 400 miles of new pathways
Filed under: Etc., Green Daily, USA
The City of Detroit is about to undertake a massive construction project that will create hundreds of miles of pathways for bicyclists to use through the heart of downtown. The project aims to provide safe travel lanes for commuting cyclists and bikers visiting local attractions and, by linking together Detroit’s downtown area, the city hopes to set an example for other cities across the nation. Might as well try to take the lead in something other than urban decay, right?
The plan for new pathways goes into action immediately. Starting this year, the city will designate 30 miles of bikeways in various neighborhoods. Most of these will be nothing more than well-defined bike lanes measuring five feet wide and stretching along the side of existing roads, but it’s a start.
Supporters see a future ahead where Detroit can be traveled safely without a car and cyclists can get around without worry. Sound far-fetched? Future plans call for up to 400 more miles of pathways linking every section of the shrinking city and providing the means for greener transportation options that can be utilized by everyone.
[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Sarigianis - C.C. License 2.0]
Motor City to become biker friendly with 400 miles of new pathways originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
M-Org Chopper Concept is green, organic, hard to describe
Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorcycle, Design/Style
M-Org Custom Motorcycle Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Honestly, we don’t know what it means to have a “frame, suspension and steering grown from organic substances,” but whatever it is, you can see it in the image above. Looks kinda cool, no? Designer Michael Smolyanov describes a process of using fluorine to “destruct the organics and process the carbon” of the frame, leaving a strong and lightweight structure. Whatever that means.
In any case, this concept motorcycle is supposed to be eco-friendly, though it’s powered by what appears to be an air-cooled V-twin engine. Perhaps it would run on alcohol fuel? Looking over the design, the M-Org concept also appears to have some sort of mashup between a Cannondale Lefty and a BMW Telelever fork design.
Finally, the John Deer-esque color scheme is complemented by a saddle that you might expect to see on a very old and well-used tractor. Practical, or even possible? No, most likely not. But if you’re gonna go way out there for a concept, might as well go all the way. See for yourself in our high-res image gallery below, and check out some more of Smolyanov’s designs here.
Australian develops new continuously variable transmission
Filed under: Technology
A variety of continuously variable transmissions types are already on the market, including the well-known variable pulley-and-belt type used by companies like Honda, Suzuki and Subaru. Australian Steve Durnin thinks he has a better idea, however. He’s developed a CVT featuring no belts or pulleys, and all the gears are continuously engaged.
A short video on Australian TV doesn’t really offer much insight into the workings of the device, but like others it is intended to keep an engine operating at its most efficient speed regardless of vehicle speed. We’ve looked over the patent application and the typically dense language did little bit to enlighten us. Nonetheless, we’ll try to explain what we think might be happening.
The system consists of a pair of ring gears and parallel transmission shafts. Each of the shafts have a modulator mechanism that can rotate the shafts, thereby adjusting the effective input-to-output ratio. As near as we can tell, it uses something similar to a mechanism that makes a differential work to adjust the relative rotational speeds of the two shafts. It’s difficult to tell from the sole illustration just how everything moves around. Durnin claims the transmission can provide a 20 percent improvement in efficiency. However, the modulator mechanism will require some energy input to work. Whether that’s factored into the savings is presently unknown. Hopefully, we’ll see more of this and learn precisely how it works.
[Source: Bayside Bulletin, WIPO, Australian Broadcasting Corp.]
Australian develops new continuously variable transmission originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Edmunds.com shuts down fake websites, warns of scamming
Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal
Danger, car shoppers – no longer content to try and convince the gullible that a deposed African ruler needs help storing his millions, internet scammers are now using the Edmunds.com name and logo to try and swindle money away from car buyers. According to Edmunds, the company has already shut down two sites that were hawking a supposed Edmunds-backed escrow service. Once you handed over your hard-earned money to what was supposed to be a trusted third-party, the crooks dropped off the face of the planet.
Edmunds doesn’t offer an escrow service at all, so if you see an ad for a vehicle that suggests using the company to hold your cash, steer clear. You should also report the ad or any other sites boasting similar Edmunds-backed deals straight to the companies that host them. As always, if you think you’ve been taken advantage of, contact your bank as quickly as possible to try to stop the transaction.
[Source: Edmunds]
Continue reading Edmunds.com shuts down fake websites, warns of scamming
Edmunds.com shuts down fake websites, warns of scamming originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ford Figo Specifications
Price: Rs 3,99,900/- to Rs 5,29,900/- (ex showroom New Delhi, As of April 2010)
Variants: LXI, EXI, ZXI, Titanium (Petrol) / LXI, EXI, ZXI, Titanium (Diesel)
Dimensions
Length: 3795 mm
Width: 1680 mm
Height: 1427 mm
Wheel Base: 2489 mm
Ground Clearance: 168 mm
Kerb Weight: 1040(LXI),1060(EXI), 1075(ZXI)1090(Titanium)/ 1090(LXI),1105(EXI), 1115(ZXI)1130(Titanium)
Gross Weight: NA
No. of Doors: 5 door hatchback
Seating Capacity: 5 persons
Fuel Tank Capacity: 45 liters
Engine
Incoming search terms:
- ford figo
Plugging in is America’s best chance forward?
The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid
According to The Electric Coalition, if the US set in motion a plan to be 75 percent EV by 2040, that plan would result in massive job creation, a smaller deficit and an increase in household wealth. Obviously, and of course, the plan would require significant targeted incentives for the purchase of plug-in vehicles, infrastructure, etc.
Sadly, however, the report also shows that the US is probably going to be dependent upon foreign oil for a very long time forward, regardless of whether this plan is put into motion or not.
If true isn’t this also more proof of the importance of natural gas, purely as an interim solution, particularly if new horizontal drilling techniques can be proven groundwater safe? Ultimately, it seems natural gas could provide many of the same economic benefits as this EV plan, but sooner. Couldn’t that more immediate savings then help fund this EV plan?
Inevitably, it is going to take more than 3 decades for electrification to completely displace the need for America’s foreign oil dependence. Can’t we do more in the interim to facilitate this plan? Read more…
