A Female Carexpert’s Weblog

If you have $10,000, what you will you buy? Do you think you can purchase a car? Why not? Yes. With just your $10,000, you can own the new SAM from Cree Ltd and can experience how nice it is to have a three-wheeled electric vehicle.

In Switzerland, the newest electric three-wheeled vehicle produced by Cree Ltd. features a power pack with six individual batteries that can produce 168 volts. Its 15kW motor can make 80Nm of torque that is proficient of driving the SAM in a speed that reach up to 85 kilometers per hour. Your $10,000 will be wisely spent because SAM, as you can, looks pretty good with an aluminum backbone chassis and autonomous front suspension with an oblique leaf spring, just like the Corvette. It weighs 695 kilograms or about 1,500 pounds.

If you worry about its safety, well you shouldn’t be because it has a three-point seatbelts together with an incorporated roll bar. With the launching of such kind of vehicles only prove that alternative transportations have a profitable market in the industry. Indeed, this is the one that people would love see in the U.S. as a replacement for the ZAP Xebra.

In Tesla Blog, JB Straubel, Chief Technical Officer at Tesla Motors, updated extensively the Roadster which they will release later this year. In the recent schedule update, the Silicon Valley start up is presently preparing a running change to the upgraded power train starting with car #41 which would take place sometime in late summer. The plan will result to a extra efficient and less intricate with a huge increase in torque.

Straubel said that they have installed the better motor, inverter, and gearbox which is a system they called Powertrain 1.5. Further, the company’s blog stated that the higher torque is phenomenal. Driving with a 1.5 Powertrain is much better since the motor torque is enhanced by more than thirty percent ahead of what was already enormous.

The two-speed transmission which has several durability, efficiency, and cost challenges was discarded by Tesla. A simpler yet more efficient one-speed unit was now used which only weighs about less than 17 pounds. Its gear ratio is twelve percent less than the two-speed box. The one-speed transmission brings fewer drags on the motor while increasing the efficiency and hitting the car’s range by about ten miles.

A power electronics module that delivers thirty-three percent more current to the motor is what Powertrain 1.5 features. Pushing more current, based from Autoblog Green, produces more heat. Tesla developed more the transistors to diminish electrical resistance in order to increase the engine’s cooling power and so as the heat. However, as the temperature rises, the conflict also rises which generates a cascading effect of increasing resistance and temperature resulting to more serious problems in both PEM and the motor. Tesla’s engineers fortunately solved the problem through changing the materials and components in both which permits to decrease the resistance in both areas.

If Tesla’s approach works, not only the dynamic performance of the Roadster will be developed but also the range. The tandem of new gear box and the less heat generation is anticipated to develop the range more of a car by about ten miles.

Based from Straubel, Tesla is insistently testing the Powertrain 1.5 on dynameter and on the road. Later this summer, Tesla Motors’ Roadster will run for thermal testing. On the track, it will hold up to 40,000 kilometers of low-and high-speed durability testing.

Are you excited to experience the 1.5 Powertrain of Roadster? Well, if you are driving a Roadster with two-speed transmission, it will be retrofitted to Powertrain 1.5. Isn’t great?  

In 2006, Chevy Volt program started. Since then, General Motors’s goal is to present the range extended electric vehicle for just $30,000 price point. A high-volume sale of electric cars is seen with such price offer. However, lithium ion batteries stay extremely too costly for it to be sold at such price with profit.  That’s why GM states that they anticipate Chevy Volt to be unprofitable in the early years of production. Domestic automakers can only go no further in promoting the car because of the certain financial difficulties.

To get a help in making Chevy Volt sufficiently funded to lessen the financial burden of both the manufacturer and consumers, GM is encouraging the Congress to pass a law removing the tax for plug-in vehicles. For a time now, debate about tax credits for plug-in hybrids is on-going in Congress. The ER-EVs want to be especially included in the credit by GM. $7,000 for the purchase is likely to be the target point.

The $30,000 price will not be possible unless the tax credits are successfully passed by Congress and likewise the White House, said by GM sources mentioned by Automotive News. Last week, the House of Representatives have already passed a bill that incorporated PHEV tax breaks. However, White House has declared a refusal.

The said tax breaks will definitely not progress. Well, let’s just wait probably early next year for the new president.

Last May 25, Sunday, the 92^nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Standing at the top podium, which was the goal of all the thirty- three qualified racers, was the Brisbane-born Kiwi Scott Nixon. Second was Victor Miera with only 1.75 seconds winning margin from Nixon.

Danica Patrick who was the first woman to win an IndyCar race failed to finish the laps because of Ryan Briscoe. The suspension of Danica’s car was wrecked when Ryan pulled out of his pit box and slipped the back of Danica. Danica was infuriated with what happened. She goes out, marched firmly down the lane, then tugged off her gloves and looked as if she was ready for a second collision with Ryan but this time face to face.

The possible confrontation was prevented by the speedway official who persuaded Danica to go climbed over the pit wall and back to the garage. Then, she reappeared when she turned cooled off already.

Danica, who drives for Andretti Green Racing Team, said that one should wait if people are still pulling out in their pit boxes before blending in. Based from what happened, Danica believed the meaning was obvious. All of them work hard and one must not just come out of pit box and swing three lanes. That is why there are ‘get up to speed’ lane and ‘at speed lane’ and she is ‘at speed’.

From that point, Danica was moving stealthily forward but it was pretty obvious that Danica’s car did not have enough speed to combat with concluding winner and pole sitter Scott Dixon and other front runners. In the 200-lap contest, she had run as high as sixth but unfortunately could not advance anymore. That’s the time she let her team know her annoyance. She told herself to be slow.

In contrary to how Danica viewed herself, the owner of Danica’s car, Michael Andretti of Andretti Green Racing believed that Ryan Briscoe must be the one to blame. For him, Danica was doing well until Ryan tried to swing over and got the back end and fastened Danica at the rear.

Remember the 1963 Ferrari Lusso that was sold for $2.31 million last year? Well, everything that McQueen ever rode ha truly commanded premium prices. Now, McQueen’s Porsche will be placed by Bonhams & Butterfields in an auction during Monterey auto week where biddings can possibly hit $2 million. Considering that Porsche is a pop cultural and a motorsports hallmark, $2 million is quite cheap.

Anyway, do you know who Steve McQueen is? Well, in Bullit, The Great Escape and The Thomas Crowne Affair are the films where McQueen starred. In 1970, Porsche was raced in a 12 Hours of Sebring where McQueen finished second following Mario Andretti. The said race is considered by many as one of the best endurance races ever.

The Porsche was specifically bought by McQueen for the race and then hired Formula 1 driver Peter Revson to be his co-driver. At first, they never thought they have the chance to be at the lead but with the end of the race, they were at the lead. The Ferrari guys, who were experts, were not delighted and so became determined to win at all costs. Andretti whipped his more powerful cavallino rampante. However, he didn’t manage to get around McQueen until the second to the last lap.

It was truly a remarkable finish considering the competitors of McQueen like Dan Gurney and Jacky “Mr. Le Mans” Ickx. Later that year, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, McQueen raced Porsche with two cameras placed on it. The video showed in the documentary style movie, Le Mans. A 3.0-liter eight-cylinder boxer motor that creates about 350 horsepower composes Porsche. The car weights 1,400 pounds and has top speed of about 200 mph.

Now, if you have an extra $2 million, Steve McQueen’s Porsche might be in your garage. However, if you do not have such amount of money, better be contented with McQueen’s watch at the moment.

To produce at mass the lithium ion batteries for electric and plug-in vehicles, Nissan Motor Co. and NEC Corp. have joined. They will invest $115 million in a factory that will create 65,000 batteries a year by 2011. It is truly concrete evidence that Nissan is serious about its promise of bringing electric vehicles to America in 2010. Also, Nissan is fervent to lead the emerging market for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Nissan also wants to rule in the so-called “next generation” green cars. One proof of growing market of green vehicles is the sales of Toyota Prius that reached more than million. Recently, Honda had announced that they will put up a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle on the road.

However, Nissan believes that they have advantage when it comes to electric vehicles. The Nissan-NEC partnership called as Automotive Energy Supply Corp. is providing the batteries that Renault will use in the electric cars it is putting up for Israel and Denmark, wherein the governments supported Silicon Valley startup Project Better Place with its arrangement to offer reasonably priced EVs to the masses. The same arrangement with the government of Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture is what Nissan is wants.

 Both Nissan and NEC are so positive in its planned technology to market its batteries to several automakers and suppliers. The shared project stated that the batteries can distribute twice the power of the nickel-metal hydride batteries which is used in the Prius. Further, the lithium-ion batteries have been certified to be safe and showing high- performance qualities on normal runs of more than 100,000 kilometers or 60,000 miles.

The factory of Automotive Energy Supply will be build at the Zama Operations Facility of Nissan in Kanagawa. They say that 13,000 batteries will be released next year and by the year 2011, production will reach 65,000. Over the next three years, Nissan and NEC will invest $115 million and beyond that, NEC will add another $105 million.

General Motors and the Department of Energy host each year the Challenge X. It is a contest for the next generation to encourage them to make a car that we might possibly buy tomorrow. All contenders are given a Chevrolet Equinox and instructed to make an incredibly clean and fuel efficient car that people would buy. They have to make sure that the car they would make would have no funky aerodynamics, no skinny tires, and no batteries that die after 20 miles. Cup holders must also be present.

Mississippi State won for the second time. A hybrid electric drivetrain powered by a 1.9 liter direct injection turbodiesel, running on B20 biodiesel was given to Equinox. The drivetrain they made increased fuel economy by 38% over the production vehicle which only gets 19 mpg. The second place was given to Wisconsin State with almost the same strategy- a hybrid electric vehicle with 1.9 liter GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by B20. Likewise the third place used almost the same formula.

Majority of the 17 contestants preferred to utilize turbodiesel hybrid drivetrains. They only differ in their modeling stratagem. Some teams used the available smaller, more fuel-efficient turbodiesel. To decide who the winner was. Series of tests were done over 12 days like drag racing, road rally, and autocross to determine fuel economy and emissions. Consumer acceptability was also the determining factor.

Now, if you would happen to be included in the said contest, what strategy would you use to gain the favor of consumers?

Do you want to contribute in lessening the carbon dioxide on our environment? Do you think the best way is to use a hybrid car? Well, perhaps hybrid cars have been helping a lot in saving our environment but recent facts show that used cars are more efficient in reducing the carbon dioxide level in our atmosphere.

This month’s issue of Wired, Matt Power explains that hybrid vehicles get high gas mileage. However, it takes 113 million BTUs of energy just to make one hybrid like the recent Toyota Prius. 113,000 BTUs of energy in a gallon of gasoline are there in a Prius. An equivalent of 1,000 gallons is consumed by Prius before it arrives at the showroom. Matt said that such is a carbon debt, which you won’t pay until the Prius reaches 46,000 miles or more.

Further, there is an easy way to avoid that debt and that is to buy and use a used car because the said debt has already been paid. Be wary, however. Used car must not just be a used car. It needs to be fuel efficient.

For example, a 1998 Toyota Tercel that gets 27 miles per gallon in the city/ 35 miles per gallon in highway miles. Foe Prius to achieve the same carbon saving as the 10-year-old Tercel, it has to travel 100,000 miles first. There are numerous used cars out there that top 30 mpg like Ford festive or Aspire that delivers 33 mpg. Also the mid-‘90s Mazda Proteges are nice for 30 mpg or more and so as the Dodge Colts of the early ‘90s. Include in your list the Honda CRX HF models which will give you 39 to 45 mpg, the econoboxes, and the Chevrolet Chevette that gives 36 mpg and the ’87 Chevrolet Sprint that has 40.

Most probably, you would not believe what Matt Power had written but mind you. Used cars are becoming big sellers. Fuel-misers from early 1990’s are selling high and prices have gone up 30% in the past few months, said US Today. In fact, a Geo Metro with 175,000 on the odometer has lately sold for three grand on eBay.

To sum it up, you don’t have to spend a lot just to purchase a new Prius or any hybrid, just choose the best used car in the market. In such way, you would certainly contribute in decreasing the carbon dioxide content in our atmosphere. Indeed, driving a hybrid can make you feel good but definitely won’t help much.

Another woman has proved the capability of women in competing in the motor sports. Melanie Troxel had finished an inconceivable spin at Bristol Dragway last Sunday, winning her first Funny Car round then counting three more in series which made her won the Thunder Valley Nationals. Her performance was truly startling especially the weather is wt and wild.  

Gotham City Racing ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T was the one that she drove. She won over the defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon, Ashley, Force, Jim Head, and her colleague category rookie driver Mike Neff. Her recent win was fifth in her career following the four in the Top Fuel. In NHRA, Troxel is the 14^th driver to record victories in both Top Fuel and Funny Car and likewise she is the first woman to achieve such. In both categories, her husband, Tommy Johnson, also has wins.

Since there are several women that already have names in the same field like Ashley Force, who is the first woman to win in Funny Car, she does not want to compare herself with them. She believes that is would be ridiculous for her and Ashley to think who is better. She is not competing with any woman but with everybody in the industry.

She is currently giving her full concentration on her elimination and dealing with irregular rain in Bristol Dragway so she doesn’t have much time thinking of what is in history. She and her team are focused on getting some round wins and a race win.

Since she was the winner, she joined the other 13 drivers who have won in both funny cars and top-fuel dragster. In the 13 drivers, her husband is among them. Johnson admitted that when Melanie switched in racing funny cars, he was not the biggest fan of her since there was an “added pressure” on his part, racing against her wife.

Kristi Yamaguchi replaces Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the honorary starter when Mayweather renounce his duty because of death in his family. Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, a popular figure skater, and the newest “Dancing with the Stars” winner. She would now be the honorary starter that will wave the green flag as a sign of the start of 92^nd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, may 25.

To date, Yamaguchi is the first female honorary starter in Indianapolis 500. She will bring the elite 33-car beginning field in the hunt for the checkered flag and racing immortality. Mayweather, the supposed honorary starter, wished all the best for the drivers especially his friend Helio Castrovenes and a safe race to everybody. He can’t attend this year’s race because of the death of his uncle.

As an honorary starter, one must have achievements. Kristi Yamaguchi, a native of Fremont, California, is truly qualified to be one. Aside from her Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, she is likewise a two-time champion in World Figure Skating in 1991 and 1992, a U.S. National Champion in 1992, and a four-time champion in World Professional Figure Skating. Further, she was one of the first U.S. women to contend in both pairs’ events and ladies’ singles. In 1988, she won the World Junior Pairs and in 1989 and 1990, she won the U.S national title with Rudy Galindo.

In addition to her achievements is her winning in the season six “Dancing with the Stars” of ABC wherein she was paired with professional dancer, Mark Ballas. She was proclaimed champion in the said competition.

Though, Kristi is in other field, the point is women can truly be successful in almost any famous field. So, let’s watch out the 92^nd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday and hope that one of the three women qualified wins or luckily the three of them.