Research into possible assistance by the car’s computers along with various sensors in aiding drivers when driving in bad weather is underway to make the roads safer. Funded by Veridan and Honda, the researchers at The University of Buffalo are working to perfect and prototype a system which would have some built-in reflexes into the car allowing it to assist the driver in case of a skid or slide. Many drivers still get into accidents when ice, rain and other weather impair the usual driving environment.
The system would involve the car’s computer which would have some pre-loaded reflex routines that tackle most driving situations, sensors that will be embedded in every part of the vehicle and active assist systems much like ABS assists you in maneuvers on slick roads. There is a required level of skill that is involved in order to recover from a spin such as which way to turn the wheel to counter the spin and how fast the driver has to turn it to effectively avoid disaster. The braking, engine, steering and many more parts of the car would assist the driver in making that critical split-second decisions on which way to turn the wheel and how much braking and engine power would be required. The parameters that would be built into these proposed systems are being tried out in simulators to obtain repeatable and standard results.
Researchers have found that the best and least invasive assistance technique can be achieved by audible warnings which allow the driver to keep his eyes on the road to allow better understanding of the situation. The new system would supplement but not totally take over the control of the vehicle for the best and fastest computer in the world is still the human brain which makes hundreds of thousands of calculations from visual cues and other sensory gathered information to allow the proper technique to be executed. The driver is still the most dangerous part of a motor vehicle for even with all the advanced technologies and safety systems that have been developed; the person is still the biggest threat to himself. Proper training and stimuli can help make a person more focused on his driving and lessen the accidents that have become more common on the streets of today.
Continued from the previous post.
For the cons, well there isn’t much for the only problem they have seen so far is that there was a higher emission level for carbon monoxide (which is deadly to humans) and that it will decrease the engines maximum output to some extent. There is also a nasty trait of BioDiesel that it is a very good solvent that any deposits in the engine or fuel system can get dislodged by the fuel causing clogging in filters, pumps and other fuel delivery parts. After switching to BioDiesel or the other available blends (pure biodiesel or B100 or mixed with petroleum diesel and sold as B20) it is recommended that you get the fuel pump changed and all other parts that are made of rubber in it’s many forms and shapes with non-rubber ones to avoid leaks and spraying you with the stuff.
No fuel alternative is perfect for most of them are still in the development stage. Opposed to the almost century old history of the current diesel and gas powered engines, the technologies for alternative energy/fuel are still in their infancy. There are some who argue that shifting to BioDiesel will increase emissions rather than decrease it. It would also create problems with grain exports for farmers would opt to farm higher yield BioDiesel producing crops than export grains. The landscape would change from diverse fields of several diverse grains to corn or other more productive oil producing crops. An answer to this would be research into using algae (microscopic plants) for BioDiesel production to minimize the economic impact crop shifts would have.
We will surely see more and more green vehicles and alternatives at the gas pump in the future for we have no choice. We have poisoned the earth for so long that the effects are now causing catastrophic changes to our weather and health. We just hope these technologies would filter down faster to the end-user (which is you and me) as they get to perfect their respective technologies before it is too late for mother earth.
The technology has been in use for quite sometime and there are a select group of individuals who do use and support the use of BioDiesel. The fuel comes from used cooking oil and unused cooking oil that is processed to break down the fatty acid that makes up the vegetable oil.
Transesterification is the process of converting the base material (which is common used cooking grease in a reaction vessel that converts it into fuel grade diesel fuel. It is filtered through very fine membranes that takes out any foreign matter or suspended matter in the case of used oil and then mixed with methanol or some other alcohol with potassium hydroxide added as a catalyst. The result of the chemical reaction are esters and glycerol with the first one being the BioDiesel.
Like all fuels, the technology has its pro’s and con’s which are currently being addressed with research and the development of better refining technologies. On the good side of things, it is biodegradable, mainly because it comes from natural products and bacteria can break it down unlike petroleum based products that can damage the environment. Surprisingly, BioDiesel also performs better in terms of engine lubrication for it has a better ability to seep into the engine’s parts (due to smaller molecules) prolonging engine life and efficiency. The last benefit is that it needs little if no additional modification to your current engine setup (well except for the fact that all hoses and fuel delivery parts that are made of rubber is dissolved by the stuff) allowing minimal implementation costs. It can also be mixed with petroleum diesel in ratios specified by the ASTM as B20 or 20% bidiesel and 80% Petroleum Diesel. Higher concentrations should be evaluated on a case to case basis for some people have been using pure Biodiesel for years. The problems associated with the technology will be expanded on in the next post.
A super-car with its sleek looks and exotic feel, the Lotus Elise is a roadster one would truly enjoy on the road. With a Carbon fiber composite body and epoxy bonded extruded aluminum for it’s base structure, the low weight allows it to come to a top speed of around 150 mph going from 0-60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. The soft cloth top, LED taillights, sealed headlights and daytime running lights, this futuristic looking roadster fits in alongside the Porches and the other notable roadsters of today. The suspension is fully independent with unequal length wishbones combined with Bilsten mono-tube gas dampers, an Eibach Coil Springs and a front anti sway bar it all adds up to a stable and smooth ride in all road conditions. The four ventilated cross-drilled disk brakes coupled with Lotus’s racing and Brembo Calipers with ABS, braking is smooth and reliable even during the most demanding turns and maneuvers.
It’s 190 Horsepower, 1.8 Liter Mid-mounted 4 cylinder engine loaded with DOHCs and VVTL-I makes for a powerful powerhouse that delivers on demand. Multi-point injection ensures the engine gets the most amount of power when requested for and the electronic controlled ignition and throttle control maximizes the engines capabilities at the users command and demand.
The Lotus Elise comes from a long line of historic and pioneering cars that have always managed to stay in the news in spite of its low presence on the roads. The car’s history has maintained a loyal following and assures it a place in the cars to look out for in the years to come. At just under $60,000 US, the car is considered to be a medium priced roadster, but alongside the Audi’s, Lambo’s and Porche’s, it is a car to be reckoned with indeed.
The car has killer looks and that might be due to the prestige associated with the brand. More related to James Bond than any other car (well in one movie he used a Mercedes and controlled it with a Nokia Communicator), the brand has become synonymous with cutting edge technology and sleek stylish looks inside and out.
With a chassis made up mainly of aluminum, magnesium alloys and carbon composite materials (which has been the trend to increase fuel efficiency making them lighter and stronger than steel) the car truly is a product of cutting edge research into alternative materials that have begun to go out of the space industry. An all alloy engine with quad-overhead camshafts, 48 valves, 5935 cc. V12 it is one of the most powerful and complex engines around. The brakes are also out of the sci-fi box with six pistons which would be needed for it has a maximum speed of almost 200 miles per hour.
The steering has servotronic speed-sensitive power assisted and the suspension, well, it has double wishbones in front with incorporated anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bars and monotube adaptive dampers. For the rear, we have double independent double wishbones with anti-squat and lift technology (mostly derived from F1 Racing technology as most European cars have under the hood). The nice thing about this monster, it has settings for road and track making racing as easy as pie with the switch of a button adjusting all suspension, steering, engine and braking systems accordingly.
The headlights are high intensity discharge adaptive lights that are now becoming standard on most luxury cars allowing maximum illumination during the darkest driving hours. The rear brake lights are LED type with adaptive displays allowing maximum visibility on and of track. The Aston martin DBS, a breed on it’s own.
A True American Classic which comes from a long line of muscle cars that have graced racetracks all over the world. Loaded with an 8.4 liter V10 a356 T56 Aluminum engine, capable of generating 600 hp controlled by the new Venom Engine management system giving maximum output while still staying within idle and OBD requirements. It has a 6-speed manual transmission using wider gears (10%) giving more power than previous generations. It has independent front and rear suspension, along with a 4-wheel disk brake with ABS. The car is a true muscle car in its class and along with manufacturer approved and tested upgrades it can even get better. Priced under $100,000.00 US, it is still in the moderate range falling below European cars that are in the upper echelons.
Being a Muscle car, it can go from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, the engine features variable valve timing which allows phasing of intake and exhaust called Cam in Cam making it more fuel and emission efficient. Using twin disk clutches, it shifts easier and faster than previous models and can rival any other car in its class. Using Brembo Brakes for unparalleled braking and cornering allowing maximum control even on those tight corners coupled with GKN Visco-Lok Limited slip differentials you get the power when and wherever you need it. And it doesn’t stop there, the styling and looks of the viper truly makes it worthy of the name Viper which has been known for stunning looks that is sure to make heads turn where ever you go whatever the weather adding the hum of it’s powerful engine that is music to the ear of the most avid car lover.
Well, this might have to do more with the way the human body is designed and how much information we can process in a short period of time. Scientific data has shown that our actual active line of sight window (or the area of our vision which is fully analyzed and can be reacted to instantaneously) is limited to a few square inches in front of you. The rest is what is considered to be the peripheral vision area which we are aware of but do not have too much concentration on. Add to it the tunes playing on the radio, the shifting combination of the depressing the clutch and changing gears and you have a lot of information to handle for the human body to actually process (try this test to see if you are a safe distance from the car in front of you).
At 40 kmh, the average car (with stock brakes) can stop reliably in about 5 car lengths which translates to around 50 or 60 feet. This might sound quite far but this is true. Now back to the speed limit thingy, well these are placed due to many considerations such as the type of road surface, the amount of traffic that is to be expected, and the surmised fuel savings and so on and so forth. The one about speed in relation to fuel consumption is a good one, for at 80 kmh, your vehicle is running in balance with it’s weight and the momentum or it’s forward thrust that the engine is running efficiently burning only enough fuel to maintain that speed no more and no less. Now with most carburetor type vehicles that would be a good idea for these vehicles do not have computer brains like the newer models of cars which seem to have technology crammed into each and every corner.
The ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or computer of newer cars has the necessary programming to obtain information from a bank of sensors on the engine (temperature, idling speed, revolutions, amount of air entering the engine and many more) that allows it to adjust the performance of its parts to provide or attain maximum efficiency while maintaining fuel economy. Depressing the gas pedal on a carb-type vehicle and you pour gas into the engine even if it doesn’t need it sending some into the overflow line onto the street. Newer cars have recovery lines which send excess fuel back into the fuel delivery system or the gas tank for re-use. The speed limit is the determined safe speed to maintain necessary distances for braking allowing you enough time to react properly to the events that unfold such as in emergency cases in front of you. The human body reacts quite fast (in milliseconds actually which is the time your eyes see the information, sends it to the brain, processes it and comes up with the necessary response and sends the nerve impulses to the necessary muscles on your limbs for you to react) but at high speeds, that might not be enough. Why race down a street which is only a few blocks long? Just ease on the gas pedal and accelerate gradually for it not only saves fuel, it also saves on the wear and tear on other parts of the vehicle(brakes, suspension and other parts). Enjoy the trip and not the ride for it allows you to ponder about better things than the darned traffic jam ahead of you.
Drive-by-wire is the common name for electronic throttle control. Traditionally, cars’ accelerator pedals are connected by cable to the throttle control on the engine. The relevance of DBW is that it takes the guesswork out of “stepping on it,” and calculates the appropriate throttle, based on traction, vehicle speed and engine speed. It’s called “drive by wire” because the gas pedal is no longer physically connected to the engine in order to function. Instead, it’s all electronic.
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We’ve all heard the bad rap biofuels has gotten with the increased pollution and macro-economic impact it has on society but you’ve gotta’ give credit for these engineers who have managed to come up with alternatives to our increasingly oil dependent economies in so short a time. The problem wasn’t with the fuel itself for it fulfilled all pre-set criteria for a fuel that burned with less emissions than oil-based fuel products. As it turns out, it takes more energy to produce a liter of biofuel that off-sets the gains of the said alternative. The foray of engineers into the hybrid arena was merely to fill in the gap till fully electric systems became more feasible.
Fuel cell technology today, has resulted in some of the coolest cars around. From electric compacts that run on hydrogen or compressed natural gas that has similar abilities as bio fuels used in conjunction with better fuel cell technologies and reactors they all make for a better transition from an oil-based economy to a hydrogen or LNG-based one. The benefits of these alternative fueled cars is so much that research has been pushed to the extent of breakthroughs being put into prototypes as soon as they are discovered making for some really cool cars. With some manufacturers fielding test fleets to iron out the kinks in the system, they should have a working infrastructure by 2010 when most manufacturers schedule the release of their versions of the electric vehicles to take up the slack where bio-fueled vehicles left off.
Hybrids used to be a fad that people say was one of those things like that stubborn popcorn kernel stuck in between your teeth that you can’t seem to get out that has to fall out sooner or later. Many saw them as a waste of time and that the rule of the petrol powered vehicle was good for another 50 years or so. Gues what, we don;t have enough oil for the auto manufacturers sell more and more cars everyday adding to the already taxed supply. Oil has become a bargaining chip on the global political scene that a simple lack of production would have devastating effect for some of the most gas reliant economies like the US and many countries of Europe. Oil is the most in demand resource and scientists have been telling us that the supplies are limited and it would only be time before we ran out sending us back to the dark ages without power and cars. Then it came, gas shortages and oil wars that prevents it from flowing steadily to fuel the growth of the many booming economies.
As the problems associated with methanol, LPG, LNG and other hybrids got ever more complicated even affecting the global food shortage, PHEV cars are gaining ground. With gas prices in the US soaring above the $4.00 mark, people are desperate for better more efficient cars. Hybrids are in that can be plugged in to charge their batteries for the next day’s trips as their owners rest. The advent of more efficient batteries such as Lithium Ion types has given the electric car a boost that more prefer Plug-In Electric Hybrids over the other types. Even the stock electrical systems of the Toyota Prius have been overhauled using these revolutionary batteries that have the capability to take you over 100 miles on a single charge.
Li-Ion Batteries are found in most gadgets and gizmos such as cell phones, PDA’s and many other small ones we carry around each and every day. Traditional Lead-Acid batteries have a long charge/discharge cycle and are prone to failure due to several factors such as humidity, temperature and the battery’s previous charge which has a nasty ability to have a short life and some safety concerns about the acids they contain should you get into a crash and they spill it all over the place, you get the picture.
Green cars powered by methanol have been given the boot and plug-in hybrids have taken central stage. The food shortage we are currently experiencing is blamed on these green fuels where farmers saw the potential and stopped planting other food crops concentrating on methanol sources for their crops, the result is not enough food for many people (the Mexicans have even rioted over a shortage of tortillas somewhere) and for something to be totally sustainable, that doesn’t look good. So they throw away the keys and focus on PHEV’s which have toxic batteries but have less impact on the environment (for now or till someone blows the whistle about some hidden problem that is also counter the aim of becoming sustainable).
Research into possible assistance by the car’s computers along with various sensors in aiding drivers when driving in bad weather is underway to make the roads safer. Funded by Veridan and Honda, the researchers at The University of Buffalo are working to perfect and prototype a system which would have some built-in reflexes into the car allowing it to assist the driver in case of a skid or slide. Many drivers still get into accidents when ice, rain and other weather impair the usual driving environment.
