Study Driving

Learning to Drive Takes a Dive

Marcel — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:58:49 +0000

With rising oil prices these days, who would still want to drive a car? Technically, this will affect a lot of aspiring drivers, particularly the teenagers. But the groups which will surely be hit hard would be the companies that provide driving lessons as their main bread and butter.

For the record, there are many people who enroll in driving institutes to know the basics of driving and be able to drive their own car to get to the destinations of their preference. But with gasoline practically becoming impossible to afford, people are being advised to turn to public transportation or even use bicycles if they really want to avoid these fuel burdens. And if this keeps up, who would want to learn to drive?

Just imagine the fees included in studying driving. It does not come cheap. Enrolling in these driving institutes such as A1 Driving Academy in the Philippines really costs a lot. So when you think of it, you have to pay to be taught to drive and the next thing you have to think of is on whether you can afford the fuel prices. Now that is something that will really make you think twice.

In general, you just have to be practical. For the people who used to drive their car to work, many are taking the bus, trains, and subway or better yet, hitch a ride to people who are still driving cars to get places. So with these options available, would you still want to learn to drive?

Green Fuels - Bad (We Told Ya’!) / Electric - Good (They Say!)

Marcel — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:44:55 +0000

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).

Honda Plans Hybrid Version of Fit

Marcel — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:04:28 +0000

The small compact has been around for quite sometime and is seen by many as a power packed addition to the Honda line of great cars. The Japanese auto manufacturer has released plans to come up with a hybrid version of their ever popular compact that is causing quite a stir in the auto industry due to the apparent size limitations of the Fit. Honda has long been into research and development of commercial hybrid vehicles with their forays into fuel-cell powered cars but they have yet to come up with a commercially successful product. Hybrids in the US and Japan abound but more of them are of the converted types while Toyota has been a major player in the hybrid technology market since 1997 when they released the Prius which to this day has its loyal fans and detractors. Mainly because of the ugly looks the car has and also due to the fact that it is a hybrid which caught up late into the fight. Gas prices have started to soar and with it at $4.00 or more per gallon, the future for gas guzzlers is truly bleak.
With supply woes on the headlines of everyday newspapers and with the US going into severe economic slowdown, the effects of the problems have started to bite hard all over the globe. Hybrids are the way to go and along with better and more efficient cars that are currently on the market today, the future for hybrids and other auto technologies are truly more of a necessity rather than a fad. The oil crisis has many giving up their rides in exchange for public transport such as trains and buses (some bus fleets in the US and elsewhere have started to use hybrid technologies as well due to high diesel prices which in some cases has been more expensive than gasoline) and with no solution within reach soon, the future is leaning towards hybrids.
The Fit as well ads the many other hybrids that are currently on the roads are making themselves felt within the congested streets of many major cities. Hybrids will make our air cleaner and easier to breathe but it may also correct the congestion we are currently having to deal with on the road.

Toyota Prius Global Sales past 1 Million Mark

Marcel — Sun, 25 May 2008 01:59:05 +0000

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.

Plug-in Vehicles Concept now Reality

Marcel — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:56:04 +0000

With the acceptance of plans for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) has been widely debated and criticized but with many city’s, manufacturers and other groups accepting and formulating their own support infrastructures for future implementation of such types of vehicles a question surfaces in the sense that would the utility companies have enough will to support such technology by 2010, the period when most car manufacturers have signified that they would begin releasing PHEV vehicles to the general public. The utilities companies are the ones who would be bearing the brunt of the strain with the advent of such technologies and proposals like the ones below can make the difference between having a greener electric car future or not. Utility companies should be able to develop smart meters that would prevent charging of such vehicles during peak times to avoid overloading infrastructure that is already in place. The Utility Company cannot simply replace and upgrade all of the transmission and management systems at so fast a pace due to costs which are also quite high. The current level of off-peak surplus energy (electricity) is so much that even today, it is possible to support a very large fleet of electric vehicles. The adoption and use of PHEV’s would or could lessen CO2 emissions by as much as 50% which is great for the environment. Time is still on the side of utilities but they should act soon if the vision of an almost fully electric vehicle market is to take shape. Even with the minor changes required, billions of dollars of commitment from utility companies is needed. These developments are indeed in debate and are being discussed in the Industrialized world but implementation of such systems in the developing world may take longer than targets set by the various environmental groups and governments for cost is still the main deterrent. Tomorrow might see the rise of the PHEV as the main form of transport, but till these issues are addressed, the fate of the move is still in question and time is running out.

Safety and Quality Augmentation Systems - How Far should They Go?

Marcel — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:20:23 +0000

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.

Converting any Vehicle to a Hybrid

Marcel — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:39:17 +0000

For almost $4,000.00 that is, the Poulsen Hybrid is a Power Assist Unit that is hailed as a simple bolt on upgrade for standard gas-powered or diesel vehicles. The device has caused a stir and is raising eyebrows for the device simply has the old car retro-fitted with rear DC motors, controllers, on-board charger and storage batteries. The move has the standard vechicle running using electric motors for propulsion on level roads and as with hybrids, switching to the gaspowered engine during high demand conditions like going up hills or when the battery is going flat. The system works by switching to the electric motors after the car has reached a pre-set speed say the cruising speed you select, after which the gas engine halts operation leaving the maintenance of the pre-set speed to the electric motors that gets power from the batteries.
Safety experts are quite concerned at the overall look of the vechile with parts that protrudes from the rear wheels to the trunk but the best part about the idea that makes it interesting is the fact that you don’t need a totally new car to get onto the path to green motoring. New hybrids cost a lot of money and the approach of offering a bolt-on upgrade to save a bit of the gas pump is nice. One European car manufacturer has offered an enticing approch by selling the Think and not the batteries which are kept on lease to eliminate the problems associated with maintenance of batteries which are costly and quite hazardous to the environment. The approach to upgrade existing cars is more realistic that telling a company that has a large fleet of vehicles to simply get rid of all thier cars and get newer hybrids for them to go green. Other options are just not that enticing due to huge investments and often lacking infrastructure limiting their effective range (only certain major cities have support for LPG, LNG and Ethanol Powered Vechiles)

New Tires Safer Drive? Not Always

Marcel — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:19:26 +0000

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.

Trading in your Gas Guzzler - Not Really Saving You Financially

Marcel — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:41:02 +0000

People with gas guzzlers are tempted to do trade-in’s which would be the logical choice so many consider exchanging theirs for a newer, more efficient and environmentally friendly hybrid. The move will indeed lessen your carbon footprint but will not necessarily get you savings financially, except for gas that is. Old cars have been known to be notoriously more muscle than efficiency and more and more people are finding out the hard way that power isn’t everything; for all that power comes a high price tag to fill up the tank at the pumps. Gas is now running over $4.00/gal and it does not show any signs of slowing for the price pf crude are still quite unstable.
To get the facts straight, you will get savings in fuels but considering the high prices of taxes, vehicle cost and other contributory factors are up against a move, financially. The savings at the pump would take years for them to make a difference for the payments you have to make for the car and the low price a gas guzzler would surely get (even a half-year old gas guzzler has a trade in value of less than half the price for which it was brought). Gas savings should not be the only basis for selecting a better vehicles for at a normal 60 month payments term would have you paying for more than half of the actual sticker price when you bought the car. Adding to that the taxes and other out of pocket fees, less the very low trade in value of the old vehicle and you end up with a lot more financial liabilities than you think you’d have to pay for.
The bottom line, if you are simply concerned with the high price of gas and don’t have much cash to spare getting a new car, even the most efficient ones ca set you back in debt. It takes years for the actual impact in terms of savings to be actually realized (by your pocket or checkbook) and it is not the only solution. Try easing on the gas pedal and keeping your engine as efficient as it can be with regular maintenance. Try adopting hypermiling techniques which have claims of getting 100 miles of more to the gallon (with hybrids a little less for regular engines) and you might just save enough gas and cash to keep that old gas guzzler in your garage for a bit longer while maintaining your sanity at those high prices.

US Gas prices, Biting Hard

Marcel — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:32:59 +0000

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.