Monday's video blog featured Venezuelan-born race car driver Milka Duno making her first attempt at stock car testing for the Automobile Racing Club of America at Daytona International Speedway a little over a week ago, a foray that turned out to be pretty successful. But it seems it's hard to write about or discuss Duno without IndyCar superstar Danica Patrick being referenced or mentioned in some form or another. Well, sure enough the TV commercial sexpot and would-be NASCAR-bound Patrick was also getting in on the stock car fun at the ARCA's Daytona event December 18 through 20, which is reportedly also Danica's first stab at stock car testing.
With her qualification during this test race, Danica is now slated to appear in an ARCA race on February 6 at the world-famous Daytona Speedway, and she is scheduled to debut in a NASCAR event later in the month at California Auto Club Speedway. Though this video isn't the most exciting thing in the world, it presents Danica giving her insights on her first official stock car event and her orange and green Chevy blazing around the track. If nothing else, this video and the news around it should officially mark Danica's entry into the world of stock car racing.
California will be the "lead market" for the Chevy Volt when the electrically driven car is available at the end of next year, General Motors said Wednesday.
California was chosen because the state has the largest U.S. car market, and Californians are "known to be leaders in adopting groundbreaking new technologies," GM's vice president of global Chevrolet brand, Brent Deware, said in a statement pegged to this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show.
Production of the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010. GM has not announced pricing for the 2011 model, though newly dethroned CEO Fritz Henderson acknowledged earlier this fall that the price would be about $40,000. (GM's board on Tuesday asked Henderson to resign, effective immediately.)
California, here we come.
(Credit: General Motors)As part of the California rollout, GM plans to make 100 Volts available to three utilities for testing. The cars will be used as fleet vehicles, and performance data will be collected via GM's OnStar in-car communications for a Department of Energy-run research program.
Financially strapped GM has a lot riding on the Chevy Volt. The car is designed to run for 40 miles on its lithium ion batteries and then use an engine-generator combination for longer rides. GM expects that most customers will do the majority of their driving on electric charge only, making the cost per mile cheaper than gas-only cars.
Even with the public excitement over electric cars, automakers are still not totally sure how consumers will adjust to the new technology and how electric components will operate in real-world conditions.
GM, as well as other automakers, plans to offer electric vehicles in certain regions that will invest in the infrastructure to support them. The California research program calls for the installation of 500 charging stations at people's homes, at businesses, and in public places.
About a week ago, I read an article online about how automotive industry insiders were recently given a sneak preview of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible, which is reportedly slated to begin production in the near future. With all the dire financial straits General Motors has found itself in the last few years, this is definitely good news--I'm sure that I'm not the only who would hate to see such a classic American muscle car tradition bite the dust.
In fact, there seemed to be a lot of rumbling amongst industry reports that the 2010 Camaro might have been a concept-only vehicle not for sale to the general public. Thankfully, that has turned out not to be the case, and based on an online search, the 2010 Chevy Camaro convertible seems to be readily available at many Northern California dealerships. And while the general public has yet to get a glimpse of the 2011 model, we can however marvel at the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible via Web video, and here's one that will give you the low down on what this newest edition is all about.
This brief synopsis vid comes from those geeks at Edmunds.com (whose videos and analysis are almost always succinct and top notch) where they take the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible for a spin along a Pacific Coast Highway. And Edmunds notes that at the time of this production, the Camaro was still a giant question mark in the mass sale plans of GM. Is it the most amazing Camaro you've ever seen? Uh, no (the '69 Camaro gets my vote for baddest Camaro ever). But I'd rather have a modest modern Camaro running the streets than not to exist at all.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--California's air regulators last week began crafting rules that would force automakers to install windows that do a better job of reflecting sunlight. The goal is to keep car interiors cooler, which would reduce the use of air conditioning.
The proposed legislation requires 75 percent of passenger vehicles sold in California to have windshields that block 50 percent of the sun's heat. It would go into effect in the 2012 model year.
(Source: Automotive News)
The Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell takes part in the Hydrogen Road Tour.
(Credit: GM)Electric cars have been getting plenty of buzz lately, but the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is still going strong. The California Fuel Cell Partnership, along with Powertech Labs, National Hydrogen Association, and U.S. Fuel Cell Council, will seek to regain the spotlight with a road trip to demonstrate the practicality of these vehicles.
The road tour route runs up the West Coast, from Chula Vista to Vancouver.
(Credit: California Fuel Cell Partnership)Twelve fuel cell cars from seven automakers will drive from Chula Vista, in Southern California, up to Vancouver, Canada, a trip of 1,700 miles. Vancouver was chosen for the destination because it will play host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, where a fleet of fuel cell buses will provide transportation.
Fuel cell cars that will be making the trip include the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell, Mercedes F-Cell, Honda FCX Clarity, Hyundai Tucson FCEV, Kia Borrego FCEV, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota FCHV-adv Highlander, and Volkswagen HyMotion. The cars, which have ranges of 200 to over 500 miles, will be relying on a mobile refueling station for their hydrogen needs.
The tour starts on May 26 in Chula Vista, and ends on June 3 in Vancouver. Stops have been scheduled along the route so the public can get a chance to see these cars. Check the Hydrogen Road Tour '09 Web site to see if there's an event near you.
The hard-top convertible Ferrari California has more junk in the trunk, but is still a super car. A reviewer for the U.K.'s Fifth Gear takes the California for a road test on some European hairpin back roads.
The car debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It boasts a front-mounted eight-cylinder engine to pull the extra weight in the back.
With the goal of reducing the production of greenhouse gases, California regulators on Thursday pushed the state toward the adoption of automotive fuels that use less carbon.
The state's Air Resources Board said that by 2020, the new regulation will staunch greenhouse gas emissions from California's transportation fuels by 16 million metric tons, or 10 percent, and will boost the market for alternatives to fossil fuels.
At the heart of the regulation is the concept of "carbon intensity," which takes into account not only the emissions associated with driving cars, but also the those gases emitted during the production and delivery of fuel. Fuel providers, refiners, importers, and blenders, the Air Resources Board said, will have to meet an average declining standard of carbon intensity.
Regulators expect the new standard to cut down on the state's dependence on petroleum and to push the market toward a range of alternative fuel technologies, including biofuels, electricity, and fuel cells. The regulation is geared toward replacing 20 percent of the fuel used by cars in California with clean alternative fuels by 2020.
Actions taken by California, which by itself is one of the world's largest economies, can have an effect well beyond the state's borders. The state has already set in motion an effort to impose tough fuel economy standards, which the Environmental Protection Agency shot down under the Bush administration. In January, shortly after taking office, President Obama applauded California's initiative and ordered the EPA to reconsider that rejection.
To help boost development of low-carbon fuels from sources including algae, switchgrass, and municipal solid waste, the California Energy Commission aims to provide approximately $120 million dollars per year over seven years.
The Air Resources Board said that to produce what it sees as a need for more than 1.5 billion gallons of biofuels, over 25 new biofuel facilities will have to be built and will create more than 3,000 new jobs, mostly in the state's rural areas.
The new regulation stems from a 2007 executive order by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The transportation sector accounts for 40 percent of California's total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the board.
We get a first look at the new Tesla S, California may tell you what color car you can drive, Chevy's Volt reminds it is for real, and we drive a BMW diesel that will surprise you.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• First impressions of 2010 Prius
• First look at the new Tesla S
• CNET Review: BMW 335d diesel sedan
A driver fills up a Fuel Cell Vehicle with hydrogen at one of California's few public hydrogen refueling stations. California is expected to get 46 more hydrogen retail stations by 2014.
(Credit: California Fuel Cell Partnership)Paving the way for the so-called Hydrogen Super Highway, California Fuel Cell Partnership released a roadmap that details plans for 46 retail hydrogen fueling stations in six targeted California communities by 2014. Hydrogen is considered to be the holy grail of clean transportation because Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) emit only water when driven, but a lack of infrastructure is one of the major roadblocks to this advancement.
"By 2017, automotive manufacturers plan to place 50,000 zero-emission fuel cell vehicles in customer hands. FCVs will provide the performance, durability, driving range, and comfort that customers want, and meet the nation's need for a domestic fuel that is better for the environment," said Catherine Dunwoody, CaFCP's executive director in a press release.
For the moment, only six of the state's 26 hydrogen refueling stations are open to the public. Most are privately owned and operated for corporate fleet or testing vehicles. The CaFCP gave details for the cost of building 40 stations by 2012, which is projected to be $181.5 million and is expected to be funded largely by the government to incentivize the industry to begin the transition to hydrogen.
... Read More
The Volkswagen Lingyu fuel cell electric vehicle prototype
(Credit: Volkswagen)The Volkswagen Passat Lingyu is the latest fuel cell vehicle to join the testing program at the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento, Calif., according to an announcement issued last week by the German carmaker.
Volkswagen recently imported 16 of the zero-emissions fuel cell electric vehicles that were developed in partnership with scientists from Tongji University and debuted at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Lingyu uses hydrogen to power an electric motor, and produces only water and oxygen as emissions. ... Read More
