The Japanese auto maker has surpassed any other hybrid vehicles in the same class and their reaching the 1 million global sale mark solidifies their point. Toyota once challenged Ford’s dominance as the worlds leading car manufacturer in the world and now, they have also taken the seat from the many hybrid manufacturers out on the market. May it be in Europe or in the US, hybrids are seen as one of the most prolific and family friendly hybrids around. In Asia and Japan where the hybrid has been sold for quite sometime already (actually way before the gas crisis hit the US and world markets), many have been seeing the familiar silhouette of the car driving around the streets in major cities. Toyota has continuously improved on their vehicles and technology is one of the areas where the Japanese have excelled promptly finds its way down into the consumer who benefits from such improvements. Other Auto Manufacturers have been on the leading edge of automotive technology with Honda and Mazda taking part of the
Intelligent Transport System (ITS). A form of transportation system where all the vehicles have the capability to determine conditions on blind corners, steep hills and many other information for other sources (Traffic Bureau, etc.) . All these advancements to design highway/road safety systems that aim to augment the drivers ability to make the right decisions and take the right actions as a result.
Toyota Hybrids have been at the head of the pack when it comes to numbers and they are now one of the world’s top car manufacturers in some niches. Ford and other industry giants have kept them on their toes and with a surplus inventory of millions of vehicles as a result of the global economic slowdown, they are seeing quite a slow sales season this year. But their grip on the hybrid market has been established as they continue to lure in drivers in Europe where they have begun to sell their favorite hybrid the Prius as well as hybrid versions of other vehicle types in their arsenal.
There has been much talk into the ability of tomorrow’s smart cars that have the capacity of augmenting the human driver at the steering wheel of all vehicles. While the driver may not be totally eliminated form the total driving experience, there are technologies in development and use that are designed to augment the driver’s abilities with respect to vision, reaction time and collision avoidance. Technologies in development like the ones currently being researched and proven by the Japanese car manufacturer Honda, their ASV and DSSS systems are designed to lay out the future of smart cars that talk to each other and communicate with traffic computers allowing them real time data acquisition form other vehicles.
Additions of vision augmentation such as the ones used by Mercedes that have built in IR emitters that are seen by an onboard camera that allows drivers to see in front of the vehicle and at the rear when parking avoiding hidden dangers that cannot be revealed even with current HID technologies. Adaptive lighting also used by newer Mercedes cars which has servos and sensors that maintains the most amount of light on the road and out of the face of drivers in oncoming vehicles is also making roads safer and better to drive. Blind corner detection which Mazda is developing is also to take part in the development of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that would be the framework of tomorrow’s smart roads where cars and drivers are able to gain information form each other and directly form the traffic management people.
Technology has gone a long way in terms of improving the safety and ease at which we drive tomorrow’s cars but the question on how far we would allow these technologies to take over our vehicles is for us to say and many still feel uncomfortable at letting technology rule our lives. That’s why we still have pilots when planes can fly themselves without them and Ship Captains when current high-tech ships can sail on their own. The human ability to react and reason is still the best technology when it comes to risk analysis and no computer can top the intuitive human touch to date.
Several reports from consumers have been found to have accidents linked to
old tires being sold at many tire centers across the world. Even newly installed tires that have been manufactured years before they were installed onto vehicles have the potential to fail miserably soon after installation. These tires have long since been in inventories that though they are new have been sitting for as long as 10 years, maybe more in shelves and stocks. Tires like all manufactured goods have a specific timeframe fro them to retain their reliability and for something that is supposed to carry your car as you drive around that becomes a serious matter. Many have died as a result of old tires that have been stripped of treads sending vehicles crashing into everything in its path. Tires that blow out takes away control form the driver for the much needed traction which is the main form of control for all motorized vehicles. Tires that have been sitting on shelves for more than 10 years lose integrity with plies separating and shearing off resulting in accidents.
Tires do have a code to indicate when they were manufactured but they come in
cryptic codes that only the manufacturer knows how to read. Families of people who have died as a result of tire blowouts, wants congress to issue strict laws that would require tire manufacturers to include manufacturing dates on the information stamped on tires and that a ten year limit to be imposed as shelf life for them.
The deaths have to stop and it would only be prudent for these manufacturers who sell millions of these tires worldwide to take measures that allow
consumers to determine the lifespan of their products. Hopefully, these measures would make the Sunday drive safer and people would be assured of safer cars with brand their new tires.
The sudden rise of gas prices has many Americans turning to mass transportation for the majority of their needs. In previously posted facts about hypermiling, the whole thing has more to do with driver discipline rather than the vehicle itself. With diesel going way above gas prices (which is quite unusual for gasoline is normally priced higher than diesel) big rig truckers and heavy machinery operators are feeling the crunch with many considering handing in the towel, for now that is. Heavy machinery that used to consume $400.00 of diesel a day now get the same amount for $700.00. Hybrids are alleviating some of the problems but not many can afford to purchase a newer more efficient vehicle. Besides, the environmental impact of green fuels (ethanol) are more than their weighted benefits.
People have formulated their own unique gas saving techniques such as collating all errands into one trip and taking it easy on the gas pedal. Gone are the days of hitting pedal to the metal and in with ease on the gas pedal for more fuel economy.
Cars have become more and more efficient as better engine technologies and lighter parts have been steadily finding its way into the market yet the sudden price increases have caught many off guard. Out with the V8’s and V6′ and in with the hybrids who may be the only option though a very costly one. Concepts like the one suggested by a previous post regarding a hybrid company which sells the car but leases the batteries might be a sound way to go. Gas prices would continue to go up as supply truly is dwindling, not because it is getting scarcer but because some of the biggest suppliers are experiencing conflicts like Iraq (some say it s the second largest producer of oil which is why many are interested in the troubled land). There might be no sight to an end to the high prices which affects all other goods for most rely on transportation at one time of the other.
The term describes a select group of driving aficionados who do out of this world driving (safely I hope) to squeeze every ounce of energy from every gallon of gasoline they have in their tanks. With gasoline hitting more than $3.00 a gallon, who wouldn’t? The trend has owners of hybrids and standard gas powered vehicles doing extreme driving practices such as trailing big-rigs (Tractor Trailers) to take advantage of their downdraft which creates suction in between the rig and your vehicle that you are actually pulled along by the rig in front of you. Another practice has people coasting as they are about to hit the stop light and many more. They have come up with unimaginable feats of getting up to or more that 100 MPG which is phenomenal with standard driving practices. Many have taken notice and many are turning into converts but many still question the safety of some of their practices or sometimes even the legality of doing such extreme maneuvers just to save every drop of gas.
They are a growing group that aims to educate people how they can lower their carbon footprints even while driving their cars. Many of these feats are possible only on hybrids but some nuts have been doing them in gas powered ones with equal results but I doubt that their lives should be placed on the line just to save on gas. Hybrids have a small gasoline engine that assists the electric motors during certain conditions that the computer can detect. Hybrids are designed or programmed to have the switching between gas and electric power under certain conditions to be automatic though most have switches that tells the car to stick with electric, gas or automatic propulsion. Hybrids have been getting reports of flat batteries and low charges due to these practices and doing some of these maneuvers on a gas powered vehicle can send you to the grave in no time due to braking power that is provided by the engine itself. It might be better to work with the designers of hybrids to have these changes to the way the car thinks included in the car’s computers rather than having to turn them off and do what you think is best for safety aspects are overlooked by some of these techniques and driving styles. And till they become standardized, I wouldn’t encourage drivers to do the same for as everybody does the same, who will you tail for everybody’s tailing everybody else, and all you’d end up with is a pile up of hybrids and trucks, you get the picture.
The drive to save on gasoline and thus lessen the dependency on oil is great. Global warming, high oil prices and many other environmental and man-made factors are having people take extreme measures just to save on gas. You might save every drop of it but endangering your life and the lives of others may not constitute such acts so do think twice about the implications.
Thanks to Mr. Luis Cruz for the suggestion!
Since the manufacturer still owns the battery maintenance and other costs such as repair and disposal are to be shouldered and handled by the manufacturer, the car owner simply brings it in, gets a fresh set then drive off. Now that’s an idea and even the American firm who would take part in he newly formed company agrees so much they call it a WINNER. The cars would be imported from Norway and then be sold in the United States for under $20,000 US (they set it there so it falls cheaper than the Prius) and they are in talks with US battery makers who would be taking care of the production of the batteries locally which would make the process of maintenance easier and faster.
They are set to begin with 50 demo units aimed at utility companies who need these types of vehicles which are small and best of all GREEN. For safety concerns, well it is considered to be one of a handful of (the Prius, Tesla Roadster being some of them of them, most of the others failed to go beyond prototype stage due to cost issues) of the world’s crash tested and highway certified fully-electric cars in the world. Speed freaks don’t fret; the manufacturer says they can raise the top speed to conform with US speed limits. It charges for three hours on a full day’s use and eight for fully drained batteries. Apparently the idea has been in use for quite sometime in Europe, just wonder why the idea hasn’t caught up in the States sooner?
Nope, were not thinking of a new idea, but the car’s name is Think! The Toyota Prius is credited to be the first commercial fully-electric vehicles among the wide array of other alternative fuelled cars in the United States which has now received more buyers due to ever higher gas prices that have again soared to record highs just a few days ago. The only thing holding back many people from buying fully electric vehicles is the fact that there is still a very big issue with battery reliability as many Prius owners have discovered. The trade off may be enough for some just to become more environmentally friendly yet for most who do want to go green batteries remain the main issue to date. There is a clever idea from a European electric manufacturer who is in process of setting up shop in the US with their fully electric car, the THINK that is ideal for city dwellers due to its two-seater capacity and 110 mile range with a top speed of 65 miles per hour. Now that’s not at all new and many have been able to top that so where’s the innovation? Well they plan to sell the vehicle but lease the batteries. Why the hell would anyone buy a car that you don’t fully own? Well, current battery technology has gone a long way but many reliability issues still remain which is why they have decided to approach the problem with the idea of taking the worrying about the batteries (which is a true headache for the fuel savings can offset the cost of the batteries when they do need replacing)from the hands of the customer whom they charge a monthly fee for using it and maintenance (along with a small electricity insurance to cover electricity prices should they go up).
In the never ending story of how GPS has allowed drivers and travelers alike to get to their destinations faster and easier, another addition to the saga of the errant GPS and their likewise errant drivers. As in previous posts regarding GPS and their ability to go wrong (extremely wrong) and give wrong directions drivers in the UK have had their common sense so to speak driven out of them as they drive into bridge overhangs and other structures which were not taken into consideration by the GPS mapping systems. The article came to my attention from Gadzooki which has a post dated on the 18th of April which shows hilarious yet serious statistics of drivers running into bridges like the ones shown in Mr. Bean cartoons and movies. These drivers trust their high-tech GPS navigation devices so much they forget to keep their eyes on the road and mind structures their vehicles may encounter. GPS has indeed made driving a pleasure by giving the right directions and even telling us when and where to go but it would also be a good idea to consider and include real-time traffic and positional data (not forgetting to take into consideration the location of low lying bridges and structures that may not accommodate the various types of vehicles that are on the road) which is already in some advanced high-price units.
The UK is a growing market for GPS and various gizmos and gadgets are coming to the public being sold as aides to UK drivers. The advantage is that the tons of camera’s in and around major cities allows UK traffic authorities to provide up to date traffic information where the driver can select alternate routes. The growing number of vehicles on the roads of Britain are becoming more and more of a problem which results in gridlock and traffic exclusion schemes to select areas that have provided some relief.
The Uk has also been able to produce one of the most powerful computers on earth named Hector which could be used to process vast amounts of data including traffic management and other tasks for the British Government. As technology progresses and heads into the future, we would be amazed at how far it has gone in the span of our lifetimes. We would also be assured of constant laughter when technology plus humans equals less common sense which makes the drive worth taking. Watch out for that BRIDGE!!!!!!!
The UK is issuing new laws regarding the non-immediate issuance of parking tickets that can now be sent in by mail. There is also a new finding that says most drivers simply pay off fines without facing the adjudicator which has the ability to overturn a ticket if it was issued wrongfully. This is another triumph for the drivers of the UK for they have long been taxed heavy for the over congested streets and insufficient parking spaces. The Chief Adjudicator has announced the effectivity of the law last March 31 and has seen a great deal of satisfaction amongst drivers who now have better chances of getting off their unjust tickets that sometimes take days if not weeks to arrive by post which has been argued as too long a period for most drivers have lost the ability to gather relevant evidence to defend themselves in the time it takes for the summon to get to the alleged errant driver. The said ticket and delays in notification causes much dismay that people are left with no option but to pay. On the side of the city councils however, they are now allowed to use technological means such as the use of CCTV cameras and other surveillance systems to detect violators of parking laws which are strictly enforced due to the lack of parking for major cities and towns.
The law does give more chances for people to get off the hook so to speak yet the authorities are reiterating that they will continue in their efforts to apprehend people who have indiscriminate disregard for the law regarding illegal parking.
