(Source: Collegeathome via LifeHacker)
This data-laden infograph shows some scary stat.. Good news is that shortening your commute by 20 minutes might lower your risk of neck and back pain by 14%, obesity by 20%, and heart attack by 300% . Now if you will excuse me, I’ve to go find a job near my home or find a home near my job.
Image Courtesy: Collegeathome via LifeHacker
Image Courtesy: Imgur.com via Reddit
(via Reddit)
(Source: Studydriving.com via Infographlove)
Interestingly, the infographic below summarizes the data into this nugget: Americans make better cars than Japanese. No wonder GM and Ford are making a comeback. After all, this country love a good comeback.
We all know the art of marketing/selling a product is as important as making a great product. Looks like BMW has achieved this on both fronts. I was stunned by the subtleness and awesome creativity behind this simple yet effective ad campaign by BMW. I’m sure you would agree with me as well. Register your comments below.
This is inevitable in the world of electronic data and what bothers me is the fact that it can be done with relatively cheap labor (total cost of $1500) and some good amount of graduate engineering research work. If such a thing were to happen in the world of talking cars (IntelliDrive), would it open up the possibility of creating “zombie” cars whose networks can be manipulated and controlled externally to create horrific crashes? Not sure but that is terrible to even think about. Whatever be the case, the designers of the modern cars (especially the ones designed for the IntelliDrive era) should take this possibility into account and come up with fool proof data security.
We’ve told you before about experiments to hack into the increasingly complicated programming in modern vehicles. How complicated? A typical luxury sedan will carry three miles of wiring, scores of processors and close to 100 million lines of software code, or roughly 20 times more than used in a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Those previous experiments showed what could be done with a physical connection to a vehicle’s computer. The new work by teams from the University of South Carolina and Rutgers tried a different tack: spoofing the wireless sensors in wheels used by tire pressure monitoring systems, required in all new U.S. vehicles since 2008.
The researchers didn’t find a wide-open door so much as the security employed by a 1920s speakeasy: once they learned the secret knock, the unidentified test car’s controls let them in no questions asked. The team sent fake warning messages from 40 meters away, and in another experiment, got the test car to flash a warning that a tire had lost all pressure while beaming the signal from another car as both drove 68 mph.
Because each sensor uses a unique ID tag, it was also possible to track specific vehicles, in a way that would be far less noticeable than roadside cameras.
I like this part: “The process of conversion isn’t brand new, but this will be the first automobile fully converted to run on biogas in the United Kingdom without any loss of performance.”
The Bio-Bug is a regular old 2 liter VW convertible modified to operate on both gasoline and compressed methane gas: once the methane runs out, the car reverts back to running on gasoline. The cars run on so little methane that just one regular sized sewage plant could run a car (or cars) over 95,000,000 miles per year.Read more at www.engadget.com
(Source: Business Week & WSJ)
Ford Motor Co. is upping its production of fuel efficient vehicles in the third quarter to meet demand, the company, says for vehicles being purchased under the extended Cash for Clunkers program, as well as overall increased interest in new cars by consumers.
Cash for Clunkers is pushing August sales so far this month to levels not seen since before the global credit meltdown last Fall. In the first few days of August, Edmunds.com says the auto industry was cracking at a 16 million a year rate. That’s up from less than a 10 million selling rate in the first half of the year, and less than 12 million rate in July.
Ford increased its third-quarter production to 495,000 new vehicles, driven primarily by the demand for its Focus and Escape models. The company will build 6,000 more Focus vehicles during the quarter through overtime and Saturday shifts.
Ford senior sales analyst George Pipas says that it is too early to project the selling rate for August on the whole. “But I can tell you that retail sales we are seeing is eyepopping versus a year ago.”
Ford’s chief economist Ellen Hughes-Cromwick said the clunkers program could generate as much as 750,000 in new vehicle sales for the industry and is now on pace to run out of money within the next three weeks.
“This is what fiscal stimulus is suppose to do when you are in the financial situation we were in,” Hughes-Cromwick said.
Ford’s European executives said Wednesday they are holding formal talks with different governments to continue similar clunkers programs which are boosting sales in such countries as Germany. Russia, which is in a deep economic slump, also said Wednesday it too will start a scrappage offer.
Ford will build 10,000 more Focus sub-compact cars and Escape crossover SUVs than it had planned. In July, the first month of the government’s Clunkers program, the Focus was the top model purchased with the help of government rebates, while the Escape was the only utility vehicle to make the top ten.
Ford is increasing its North American production to a total of 495,000 units in the third quarter, an increase of 18% from the same quarter in 2008. Ford also plans to produce 570,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, a 33% boost from the same quarter last year and 15% above planned third-quarter output.
The increased production will come after the Clunkers program has run out of money, but Ford says it will need it to replenish depleted inventories and deal with increasing demand for more fuel efficient vehicles as consumers anticipate higher gas prices with a recovering economy.
Click here to read the entire article.
(Source: AP via Yahoo & New York Times)
The Senate will vote to extend the popular “cash-for-clunkers” program before going home on Friday, Majority Leader Harry Reid declared Tuesday in a strong signal the government won’t let the trade-in rebates die under the surging demand that has almost exhausted federal backing.
Images via Apture
Reid’s GOP counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, predicted his party would not block a vote and “the matter will be completed.” Republicans were still demanding a chance to amend a House-passed version that would extend the program into September, but Democrats were confident the bill wouldn’t be changed.
“There obviously is a real pent-up demand in America,” the Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said. “People love to buy cars, and we’ve given them the incentive to do that. I think the last thing that any politician wants to do is cut off the opportunity for somebody who’s going to be able to get a rebate from the government to buy a new automobile.”
Visiting the White House for a lunch with the President, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, was also asked about the program.
“We’ll pass ‘cash for clunkers,’ ” he said. And Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who is the minority leader, said there would be a vote, but he did not suggest an outcome. Opposition to extending the program has been dissipating. One vocal GOP critic, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, said Tuesday he would not try to block the legislation. And three lawmakers who wanted the program limited to the purchase of even more fuel-efficient vehicles said Monday they would back the plan.
Republicans have said it puts the government in the bad position of picking winners and losers.
“People want to know what’s going to be next. Cash for shoes? Cash for groceries?” said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala.
The first $1 billion in funding is expected to lead to sales of 250,000 vehicles and the additional $2 billion would generate sales of perhaps a half-million more vehicles. The program has encouraged about a quarter-million Americans to buy new cars at time when the economy is still in recession and badly needs a boost.
Buyers of new cars and trucks have swamped formerly deserted auto dealers to claim their rebates — up to $4,500 when they trade in older models that get significantly worse gas mileage. The older vehicles are then scrapped.
Because the House has already recessed for August, any change by the Senate would effectively interrupt the rebate program until Congress returns in September. Consumers who don’t get in on a deal this week would have to wait until then to take advantage of the rebates, assuming eventual passage.
Click here to read the entire article.
(Source: Detroit News via Autoblog & Bloomberg)
Image Courtesy: Apture - Ford Focus
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has processed 80,500 transactions so far, and the early winner of Cash For Clunkers appears to be the Ford Focus. The Detroit News is reporting that the Focus is the number one vehicle purchased under the government program, showing us why Ford’s C-Segment vehicle gained 43.6% in July. Ford also saw an amazing 97% increase in Escape sales in July, a tally that was likely improved with the help of Cash For Clunkers.
The controversial and somewhat clumsy program is drawing plenty of attention for its popularity amongst car buyers, and Detroit automakers appear to be taking more than their fair share of sales.
The White House says 47% of all vehicles sold through the bill so far come from US automakers; 2% higher than the domestics’ 45% overall share. Four of the top 10 vehicles purchased under the program come from domestic automakers, and over half of all vehicles were built in the States.
This wildly popular program is currently all but spent and is awaiting the Senate nod for a further $2Billion cash infusion to keep it going. On Friday, the House approved the $2 billion increase. The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday or Thursday; the White House is pressing it to act. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told MSNBC that the program has been a “lifeline to the economy.”
To drum up support for more dollars, the White House is touting the program’s value. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the average fuel economy increase so far is 9.4 mpg; a 61% increase verses the vehicles destined for a sodium silicate bath. So far, 83% of the vehicles traded in have been trucks, while 60% of the vehicles purchased under the program have been cars. The White House estimates that Cash For Clunkers will save the average car buyer $700 – $1,000 in gas prices during the life of the vehicle.
The sales last month from the federal incentives may result in fewer buyers later this year after the program ends, George Pipas, Ford’s sales analyst, told CNBC today.
A similar program in Germany won’t sustain sales growth into 2010 as those incentives expire, said Matthias Wissmann, president of the German carmakers, today at a Frankfurt news conference. Germany’s car market expanded by 26 percent from a year earlier in the first half, propelled by increases of at least 40 percent in May and June.
Our favorite auto website, Jalopnik, offers a comprehensive list of the top 10 vehicles sold and trade-ins) dealt under this CARS program.
The Ten Most Traded-In Vehicles (vehicle’s EPA mileage)
1. 1998 Ford Explorer (14-17 mpg)
2. 1997 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
3. 1996 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
4. 1999 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
6. Jeep Cherokee
7. 1995 Ford Explorer (15-18 mpg)
8. 1994 Ford Explorer (15-18 mpg)
9. 1997 Ford Windstar (18 mpg)
10. 1999 Dodge Caravan (16-18 mpg)
The Ten Most Purchased Vehicles (vehicle’s EPA mileage)
1. Ford Focus (27-28 mpg)
2. Honda Civic (24-42 mpg)
3. Toyota Corolla (25-30 mpg)
4. Toyota Prius (46 mpg)
5. Ford Escape (20-32 mpg)
6. Toyota Camry (23-34 mpg)
7. Dodge Caliber (22-27 mpg)
8. Hyundai Elantra (26-28 mpg)
9. Honda Fit (29-31 mpg)
10. Chevy Cobalt (25-30 mpg
Click here to read the entire article.
(Source: Wired)
Image Courtesy: Apture
Seven billion gallons of gasoline. That’s how much fuel America consumes each year just running the air conditioning in their cars. And don’t think riding with the windows down is the answer; the Mythbusters have long since debunked that solution.
That’s 5.5 percent of the country’s fuel use, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says auto air conditioning contributes more than 58 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Factor in a 50 million additional tons of CO2 due to refrigerant leakage and you have a environmentally unhealthy result that no American would be proud of.
In the age of gaining independence from oil and seeking responsible consumption, the Department of Energy (DOE) has funded the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to seek solutions to make air conditioning and other similar ancillary systems more efficient. The findings of this research can help automakers hit President Obama’s target for increased average fuel efficiency and put a dent in the carbon footprint of American cars. Research on cabin cooling efficiency is aimed at three areas:
What’s in it for the OEMs and to us – the consumers? Here are some of the reasons:
The National Renewable Energy laboratory says its work, if it is implemented by the auto industry, could save us 3 billion gallons of gas a year.
Click here to read the entire article.
TransportGooru Musings: The OEMs are already cranking up their own research and the market is seeing a glimpse of what’s been cooking in the labs thus far. The Energy Department in December awarded $4.2 million to Ford and $2.3 million to General Motors to help them develop thermoelectric climate control systems. From the Japanese stable, the latest model of Toyota Prius features an solar electric panel on the roof that powers the air-conditioning, saving on gallons of gasoline that most cars use to power the A/C. The solar panels on the roof of the new Prius model will provide 2 to 5 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power the A/C fan, making it a wonderful option for folks living in hot climate zones. Wanna know what’s even more fun? You can activate the A/C from inside your house (actually, anywhere within 30 ft radius) remotely using your key fob, making the car cool and comfortable when are ready to climb into it for your saturday afternoon shopping trip. You don’t have to dread getting into your car anymore after leading it outside in your drive baked under the sun. Not forget, Toyota made an awesome commercial showing off this new feature, which you can check it out here.
