CAR-LOG

2003-12-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

The Final Cut

After discussing many issues surrounding automobiles today, our group has finally finished this assignment. About a month ago, our group found automobiles as a common interest among us and the topic fitted us naturally. Now, after completing the assignments and the group presentation, we have all carried a topic throughout all our entries and our individual portion of the presenting, varying widely but all dealing with automobiles in some way.

First, Ankit has enumerated the continuing evolution of cars and the ongoing development of new features, including the development of a higher standard of safety in cars. He details the history of cars from the era of "horseless carriages" to the future of automotive design. In addition, Kyle has focused on the ever-present factor of oil and fossil fuels in the automotive landscape, including the fuel efficiency of various automobiles, the nations increasing reliance on imported oil and the movements surrounding the debate about oil, such as Arianna Huffington's Detroit Project. Richard Beaulieu details different types of cars created by the industry, such as the ever changing luxury car, gas-guzzling muscle cars and the onset of hybrids to the market today.

Another group member, Sushrat, delved into the topic of the future for these machines. Standing out among his entries is the details of the flying cars currently in development, much closer to realization and production than many people think, but still a long way off. I, Matthew, have wrote about different aspects of current technology among these machines. I have included topics from the simple but indispensable seat belt to an air car currently in development. Enjoy the site we have created and learn from the facts and arguments we have presented below.

2003-12-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

Final Individual Entry

Over the final weeks of this semester, I have had the privilege of working together for this weblog on automobiles. Primarily, I have become enlightened by the research done by me and my teammates. If such research did not constitute a compulsory assignment, such information would still be absent in my mind today. As for the information obtained for my personal blogs, I have found out about air cars, a device that robs a person of their ability to start their car until payments are made and the details of such technologies as automobiles that run on compressed air, a device turning off a cars ignition in lieu of payments and the details of an immense Porsche racing car. To an even greater extent, my colleagues have unearthed facts well beyond my knowledge before this project, such as flying cars and the actual images of crash tests.

Current Technology has served as the theme for my entries here, including anything coming out in traditional Internal combustion cars and any types that already have been made but not in feasible production yet. After my introductory entry, I gave my opinion on the necessity of both seat belts because the increased safety they bring and the laws to require their use due to the huge costs of not wearing them. Since then, I have reflected on the three technological advances detailed in the last paragraph. I hope that through my writing and the writings of the other members that your understanding of automobiles has been enlarged as much as mine has.

2003-12-07T19:31:00.000-05:00

Last Individual Entry

This assignment helped our group to develop a forum for the general discussions on cars in general. We each brought to the blog a different aspect of the technologies that were involved in cars. We talked about the evolution of these technologies and their advantages.
We crossed a wide range of topics; from the rising interest in hybrids to the different safety issues involving cars. Although we all evaluated different aspects concerning cars there were moments in which we would cross into each others topics. For example when I was talking about the sky car and self driving vehicles, I talked about how safety was the main concern for people who would have to use the above technologies even thought safety was under Ankit's general area of discussion. Also one can notice that at some point or the other we all write about hybrids in our blogs.
The group blog assignment gave me a chance to notice how ones writing can be influenced when in a group rather than when individually writing. Especially since one has to make sure that the others agree with what they are writing about and the points of argument they bring up. It was an interesting project that helped us asses our strengths and weaknesses. Therefore we debated various topics individually instead of us all discussing one. This helped us build an exhaustive blog which people will find entertaining to read.

2003-12-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

Air-Powered Car on the Horizon

Next to all the hype about hybrid engines and fuel-cell cars as the path to a cleaner, less-fossil-fuel-burning tomorrow, a french company currently has plans to create an air-powered car, as recorded in a Wired article. This imaginative technology uses compressed, cooled air in its fuel tank to react with warm air to push the automobile forward. The prototypes created have not lived up to the expectations created by its creaters, requring a full tank of air to travel seven kilometers around their test parking lot. If reached to realization, this technology could even far surpass the other alternitive engines in reaching the creators' environmental goal. Even hybrids and fuel cells need chemicals of some sort in order to run. The engineers of the project hold that a feasible car could be created with the right funds, but few with substantial assets are willing to invest in a technology this far-reaching and controversial. The article detailed the catch-22 involved in this situation, where investors won't give money without a fully functional product but a fully functional product can't happen without the funds in place. Other than hybrids, alternitive motors are about as feasible today as fusion power plants. However, I do sincerely hope that this concept can come to realization and eliminate the need of any consumption of fossil fuels for its owners.

2003-12-06T15:02:00.000-05:00

Final individual entry

This assignment of writing a group blog has really helped me in more ways than one. I had no knowledge about cars and I am not much wiser now than before about how a car works and what its engine is made of, but this assignment has taught me how to work in a group. I have learned the importance of co-ordination and working in a group has helped me learn more about my group members and their thoughts. Reading and commenting on their entries has given me access to a lot of information which normally I would never have looked up. The ideas and topics they provided me were immensly helpful in writing my entries. Thus, I would say that working in a group has been extremely beneficial to me.

Another aspect of this assignment was the research involved in getting acurate information. This again helped me sharpen my researching skills and also gave me a lot of information about cars in general though I was not able to grasp most of it.
Sushrut's and Matt's entries on technology have helped me write my last entry for the group blog. Richard's and Kyle's entries on hybrids and importance of fuel respectively have helped me in two of my entries.

At the end of this assignment, I know more about the future technologies being developed by car manufacturers like hybrids and the sky car. I also know what kind of technology is currently available in the market. I hope that more such assignments come my way in future as one of the best way to learn (not classical subjects, but about the world in general) is to learn by experience and learning from peers.

2003-12-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

Due to the ever advancing technology, cars today have become faster, better and perhaps cheaper than what they used to be once upon a time. Cars today have better fuel efficiency, better acceleration, better looks, better engines; on the whole, they give better value for our money than previously. Cars have becomea necessity for todays world. Everyday, new models are introduced in the market. Research is constantly going on to make better, more efficient and safer looking cars. Sushrut talked about the sky car in his entry. Matt talked about the "Super machine" in his entry. However, I ask, what is the ultimate car? Is it the sky car or a self driven car or a hybrid? Perhaps the answer lies in the ever demanding, ever reaching out for more and for perfection; in the human mind. According to me, the "ideal" car would be a car that can fly, that can float, that can go into space, that one can live and work in (as in caravans or mobile homes), that offers a great fuel efficiency (perhaps 100 miles to a gallon of non polluting fuel or something similar for an alternate fuel powered vehicle), that has a good speed and acceleration and finally, is still small enough to fit into the parking spaces of today.

Am I asking too much? Am I dreaming or imagining? Perhaps or perhaps not. I cannot say today if all this will come true one day because the most important thing behind an invention is the need for it. Only when such a need arises, does man begin to work on fulfilling it. Maybe all that I said will not be required in future. Maybe cars will remain merely a form of transportation (or, if we run out of fuel they will all be scrapped!) but this kind of car which I described will reduce the need for houses (I say reduce as many people would still like to own a traditional estates with swimming pools, a personal library and a mini museum in their house). This reduction in housing would then give us more land, which we could use for perhaps agricultural purposes.

Though this does sound far fetched, I hope that some day, at least most of the features I've mentioned are incorporated in the "ideal" car.

2003-12-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

Final Entry

In doing this assignment I learned a great deal about the ongoing debate concerning fuel efficiency. It is a popular topic in the automotive world. This is apparent due to the fact that nearly each member of our group discussed it in their blog entries. I researched many different automotive sites and learned much about the new technology being developed to help solve the fuel efficiency problem. The solutions range from pressuring companies to obtain higher mileage in their SUVs, to developing and producing hybrids for consumers, to even taking personal transportation into a third dimension.

Groups like the Detroit Project are making an impact on their readers and are gaining popularity. With their pressure, they may be able to persuade automakers to produce the SUV that can achieve “40 MPG”. They will continue to keep the public informed of alternative solutions which will someday change the situation completely.

Hybrids are finally starting to make a name for themselves too. Until recent years, hybrids were unavailable to the general public and considered to be underdeveloped for real world applications. But automakers like Toyota and Honda have made great progress in refining the technology and have successfully produced hybrid cars that live up to their expectations. I even learned that SUV hybrids are currently being developed as another step in solving the SUV efficiency problem.

But perhaps the most interesting thing I learned while doing this project was that of the development of the Skycar. I believe that this techonolgy will prove its worth in the next few decades. Even though Moller International is offering it's Skycar to consumers, much more development and research will be needed into the safety of the vehicle before the general public would begin to trust such a machine. There will also need to be competing companies in order to keep prices reasonable for consumers. But the fact that the Skycar can "cruise comfortably at 350+ MPH and achieve up to 28 miles per gallon" is a mere feat in itself considering few midsize cars attain such mileage at highway speeds of ~70 MPH.

With all of these technologies being developed and refined it is just a matter of time before we reach an acceptable standard of efficiency in our vehicles. But we need the help of the consumers and groups like the Detroit Project to urge automakers to produce these technologies. If the general public shows a genuine interest, there will be a company who will step up and accept the challenge.

2003-12-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

The SUV Debate

There has been great examination into the efficiency of SUV’s. Everybody knows that they consume larger amounts of fuel compared to other consumer vehicles. But an idea that people tend to fail to realize is that SUV’s are often utilized for their “utility”. Many people haul large object that regular cars can not accommodate. Owners of average size cars must either rent a truck or have a delivery service transport large items. They in turn use extra fuel, either by making multiple trips to pick up a rented truck or by having it transported by a delivery truck with an engine larger than that of an SUV. This is the case of SUV owners. But the question is how often do they haul items of this size? If they do it multiple times each month then it could be considered efficient. On average, most people do not transport many large items often, and in the meantime they drive their SUV for regular commuting. Finances permitting the best situation would be that of owning an SUV and a more economic car. This way the car could be used for everyday commuting and the SUV would be there for special occasions, creating a balance of efficiency.

2003-12-01T14:57:00.001-05:00

Fuel Consumption Information

Amidst the debate on whether or not driving SUV's are related to funding terrorist activity, it is a fact that these vehicles consume considerably greater amounts of fuel. According to the Energy Information Administration, the United States produces only 11% of the world's oil whereas OPEC, which includes nations such Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, produces 38% of the world's oil. It is also a fact that these countries' governments have been known to fund terrorist operations in various countries. Organizations like the Detroit Project are aware of this and base many of their conclusions on this fact. The US government has many sites concerning fuel economy and usage in new automobiles. According to their fuel economy values for the 2004 model year vehicles, General Motors makes tend to have the highest fuel consumption. The Chevrolet K1500 Silverado 4WD truck consumes over $2000 annually. General Motors vehicles have the highest annual fuel costs with many over $1500, with Ford trucks and SUV's not too far behind. When compared to the $334/yr it costs to fuel a manual Honda Insight, domestic fuel consumption is atrocious. This is why many people are frustrated with domestic companies. Some people even have created merchandise regarding to the current fuel situation, which are interesting items. And with an impending tax decrease for businesses buying SUV's, the situation seems to be developing into an increasingly complicated issue as we speak.

2003-12-01T14:57:00.000-05:00

As I have researched our topic, I've come across many different views of it, which did not surprise me. Today, many people drive gas guzzling SUVs. Many people are starting to drive smaller more gas efficient vehicles such as Civics and other Hybrids. Some people don't really care and drive what cars appeal to them. My family and I own three cars, all packed with a V8 engine. The trucks and the Mustang aren't very gas efficient. My family knows we are wasting a lot of gas, and could be driving smaller cars, but for one, the only cars I would trade my Mustang for use more gas and my dad will not give up his trucks for a tiny car. As a response to such ideologies, car companies are designing cars to try to address the situation. In my research, I found that only the foreign car companies such as Honda, Toyota, and BMW are actively designing better alternatives. The hybrid Civic and the Prius are two examples of this. While hybrids offer high fuel efficiency, they are still relatively expensive, as are most other alternatives. While the foreign companies are racing to design the ultimate alternative, a cheap hydrogen fuel cell powered car, American motor companies aren't really caring about it too much. With Dodge's release of the 5.7 Liter Hemi in its trucks, the continued upgrades of the Corvette, Mustang, and Viper, by Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge respectively, and a continual emphasis on big cars like the Hummers, the American companies are promoting gas guzzling. While some communities claim this as bad for the economy and ecology, I really can’t agree, as I am a fan of the aforementioned cars.

2003-12-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

In the near future the probability of using a sky car doesn't look probable. At this present time car manufactures are mainly focusing on building a car that works efficiently on sustainable sources of energy. The first couple of attempts at making solar cars were not failures; but they were unsuccessful in providing a new source of energy. Also the hydrogen powered cars were unsuccessful due to their high overhead costs.
Right now hybrids look like our best chance at conserving our quickly diminishing oil resources. For more information on hybrid cars read through Richard's blog entries. He has developed a detailed discussion about the working of hybrids and their advantages.
I haven't been able to find an online community that is presently discussing my specific area of interest, but I have been able to gather information about my topic which is the future of cars through various websites like BBC and the various car manufacturers' websites.
Our group blog discusses about cars in general and the technology that it requires to be safer, more efficient and economic. The technology that is presently in use, that is under research and is still a concept on the drawing board.

2003-12-01T14:45:00.000-05:00

Randy Rathbun's blog displays his thoughts on vehicles quite clearly. He is quite ecstatic about the new hybrid cars, the Prius, Civic, and the Insight. While he appreciates these cars, he finds SUVs and other gas guzzling vehicles distasteful. He is an example of many online communities that are looking forward to more alternative fuel or alternative engine cars. Other than hybrids are fuel cell cars, another example of alternative engine is the Skycar, mentioned by Sushrut in his blog on Sunday. I found this quite amazing, a car that flies. Although many people might complain about the hazards of flying cars, as there are enough with cars on the ground, a flying car could be molded into society. For those communities that are searching for an alternative to gas wasting cars, a flying car that gets 28 mile to the gallon with a cheaper fuel would definitely be a good alternative.

2003-12-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Make Your Payments or Lose Your Ignition

Many used car companies are now fiting their cars with devices which disable the automobile's starting ability when payments are overdue, according to an Article in Motor Trend. Many of these companies cater to poorer segments of the population with little or bad credit histories and, thus, many of the customers default on payments for as much as 100 days, many times forcing a repossession, or sometime customers skip town with their car, usually without the police finding the car. These devices reduce this to a considerable extent, as they both warn the customer three times with a red beeping light located in the dashboard that they are overdue on their payments and completing disabling the starter after a certain period of time. At first, I personally questioned the issue of people having to adhere to such a device, but they are just as justified as the anti-shoplifting detectors at the entrance and exit of any store or the power company switching off power due to a default in payments. Looking at it from this perspective, I reason with the dealers in their attempt to stop hemmoraging cash.

2003-12-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

The $440,000 Super-Machine

As a Mechanical Engineer, I'm always interested in the design of the cutting edge cars as they come out on the market. The new Porsche Carrera GT, as profiled in Car and Driver, pushes the boundaries on any car, whether for street use or racing use. First the price tag itself shows the pure uniqueness of such an automobile, on both the outside and under the hood. This car first began on the Le Mans circuit as a racing car, but soon became Porsche's flagship machine. However, the most surprising feature of this car is that 1500 cars are being made. Down in Palm Beach, FL, one of the richest cities in the world, one can drive through the island and count the number of Rolls-Royces they see driving on the same road. Such a commoncy of this type of car is unwarannted, due to the inherant racing design and the corollary of the notorious comfort aspects. The engineering, though, does not disappoint either the writers or the general public. The writers became most impressed after the driver turned the ignition key to the off position, where the engine noise stopped immediately. Usually one expects to hear a car die only after a second or two, but the enginneering of the car has such precision and uses such materials that the car so finely responds to the user's demands, even shutting off the car.

2003-12-01T01:55:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous posts that cars have evolved a lot since their inception and not only from the outside, but also from the inside. These changes are a reflection of the changes taking place in society. Today cars are so cheap that most people today can afford one.
Different types of cars are built for various classes of people. Those who can afford it, get bigger, better cars with more accessories. They decorate their cars in various ways to reflect their social status. Thus cars have become a social status symbol. Sometimes though, people go a bit too much out of their way in doing such things. For example a kind of wheel accessory called a spinneret costs about 1000$ for each wheel and the only thing it does, is spin when the wheel spins, but at a different and variable speed.
Perhaps it is understandable to accessorize cars with things that are useful in some way, but if someone puts a 10,000 $ sound system in his car (which by the way could kill everyone in the car if it was operated with all windows closed); it seems total madness and eccentricity.

2003-11-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

The sky car being developed by Moller International is the first attempt at actually developing a flying car that is affordable, easy to maintain and able to make the use of cars obsolete. The sky car at the moment is only able to hover. If it is actually perfected we will then have a new form of transport. There won’t be any time wasted in traffic or waiting at signals. We will be able to get from one point to another directly.
With the constant improvement in technology the prospects of a flying car actually being produced looks promising. Then once it is produced there is the problem of tackling with the general human behavior. The fear some people may have of traveling in it or trusting it not to crash or malfunction. The major concern for most people is safety. If Moller International is able to provide a full-proof safety system on the sky car we might witness a revolution in mass transportation.

2003-11-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

Perhaps or rather certainly I'm late this week and apologise for the delay. This week, I'd like to talk about car safety measures. At the time that cars were created, they were considered to be "monsters" or "horseless-carts". Anyone who did not know how to drive a car could end up doing a lot of damage to himself/herself as well as others around him if that person were to sit behind the wheel. Car safety has thus always been an important issue. One of the most common thing used in car safety is the seat belt. The seat belt has now become a compulsory safety feature in cars and here in the US, it is required by law to be worn at least by the all passengers sitting in the front seats. A lot of research has been done on car safety and another tool used for protection from injuries during an accident is the air-bag. There have been various different crash tests and these have proved the importance and usefulness of air bags. Here are a few links to crash test videos and one can see for oneself how useful these videos are in evaluating the safety of a car -
1. Crash Tests Conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
2. Crash Test Video Vault
3. Exponent- Multimedia Crash Test Video
Note: some of the images may be disturbing so watch with caution.

2003-11-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting site on Fuel Cells that contains a lot of information about them. For those of you who wish to read more about fuel cells, this site offers much about how they work, what they require to work, and how else they are being tested and applied into vehicles. I bring this up because fuel cells are incredibly efficient and put out no emissions. They offer the chance of a revolution in the car industry. Hybrid engines are not as revolutionary as fuel cells as they are only marginally more efficient for the price tag. Here is a site about these hybrids that contains information on how they work. These sites provide some insight into how these two engines work, their pros, cons, all relative to gasoline powered combustion engines, for those of us who are not completely familiar with their intricacies.

2003-11-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

As technology advances, people begin to expect newer and more innovative creations, especially cars. There are many reasons why not everyone still drives a car from the sixties, unlike myself. Cars today are safer, handle better, most are more affordable than ever, and they are generally more gas efficient. Lately, the gas issue has been addressed by a new type of car, the hybrid. These cars are the answers to the waste of fuel on gasoline engines, and the cost of electric cars. They run off of a hybrid gas electric car that saves gas. Unfortunately, these cars are still relatively expensive. For example, one would have to drive several thousand miles in a hybrid Honda Civic to save enough money on gas, rather than just buy a regular civic. This problem mainly arises due to the new technology put into these cars, even though they are gasoline engine driven, Honda Civics are very gas efficient. While there are very few hybrid cars out there, new ones are being built, for example, the Honda Imas, recently showcased in the Tokyo Auto Show. While hybrid cars do generally save gas, they are not the only substitute. Cars powered buy hydrogen fuel cells are also being designed. While these cars would need very little replenishment over long periods of time, the nature of the fuel causes it to be very expensive. While many new types cars are being introduced to the market, gasoline engines are far from being outdated, as they have come a long way from the leaded polluters of the thirties to the newer cleaner versions of today. It will be some time before hybrids, fuel cells, or gasoline engines take a distinct lead in today's race of better engines.

2003-11-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Detroit Project

There is an interesting up and coming group concerning fuel economy called The Detroit Project. Their goal is to convince domestic automakers to produce more fuel efficient cars, or even alternatively fueled cars. They believe that it creates too great of a dependence on foreign oil supplies which has lead to war in the past. The Detroit Project argues that the money spent on fuel for gas-guzzling automobiles like SUV’s eventually funnels down to terrorist groups in oil-producing countries. They make an effective impact on the reader by offering video clips of commercials concerning the relation between fuel economy and terrorism. An interesting commercial is one called “Dream”. It states that Detroit automakers have the ability to make a SUV attain 40 MPG, yet Detroit won’t build it. Other commercials call for the need of hybrid cars and for the decline of wasteful SUV’s. The majority of the Detroit Project’s essays tend to be narrative making multiple arguable points concerning the lack of persistence in decreasing foreign oil dependency.

2003-11-17T15:40:00.000-05:00

Engine/Fuel Efficiency Comparison

In a time when gas prices are an everyday concern, larger automobiles and larger engines are becoming increasingly popular. In order to meet their fuel efficiency quotas, companies are offering a range of economy cars to counter balance their vehicles with large and often excessive engines. Japanese automakers have been developing gas-electric hybrid engines for years, which have recently been made available to the general public. However American companies are only showing interest now in the idea. Ford wonâ€™t even have a concept vehicle ready for a few years, let alone a production model. Increased engine displacement (or size) has been the general trend in new production automobiles. One reason is because many of the vehicles on the road are becoming larger and need the extra power in order to maintain performance. But on the other hand, larger engines are being introduced for pleasure reasons only. Take the new Audi S4 for example. The Audi A4 series comes standard with either a turbocharged 1.8L 4-cylinder engine or a naturally aspirated 3.0L 6-cylinder engine, both of which deliver adequate acceleration and performance. However Audi decided to include a 4.2L 8-cylinder engine into their S4 model. This is nearly a 150% displacement increase from their 3.0L model. In their defense however, they managed to maintain a 150% increase in horsepower (220HP with the 3.0L compared to 340HP with the 4.2L). While many companies increase engine size to gain more power, they often lose efficiency and fuel economy in the process. This is usually a common trait in domestic automobiles, whereas imports tend to be more efficient overall. Even though larger engines are staging a comeback, hybrids are also making a name for themselves. The new Honda Civic hybrid combines a gas-electric engine with its current body model to create an attractive offer for consumers. The Civic manages a combined average of 49 MPG, which is a major incentive since many current vehicles struggle to get 25 MPG.

2003-11-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

The Case for Seat-Belt Laws

Most States have seat belt laws now but many still contest the laws as abridging their rights as Americans. The Article on Popular Mechanics website details the argument for mandatory seat belt laws. Primarily, not wearing a seat belt is stupid, period. Hitting a stationary object at 30 mph without wearing one makes your body a pinball in a machine with the steering column, dashboard and windshield acting as bumpers tallying up points for how many times your body can hit them. Study after study has shown that wearing a seat belt has infinitely more benefits than the cost of inconvenience. While drivers still respond that it is their right to basically play Russian Roulette on the road, their injuries require paramedics, ambulances and emergency rooms, all under tax payer expense. One who survives or even dies in an accident can cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Furthermore, drivers without a seat belt tend to drive more recklessly and much more likely to lose control of a car during a collision, endangering the safety of the surrounding drivers. It has never been a right in America to endanger the lives of other people and cost taxpayer millions of dollars due to the lack of the simple action of wearing one's seat belt.

2003-11-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

Cars over the years have undergone evolution; ever so often-automobile companies develop new features in their cars, which help to improve the driving or safety. Features like A.B.S, airbags and G.P.S just to name a few are commonplace in most cars.
What will the car of the future be like? Take this scenario as an example, a daily commute to work. I get to my car and place my thumb on a sensor on the door .I gets into my car and I tell it my desired destination. It decides the best route and it gives me directions. I get onto the free way and I put the car into automatic. While I let my car do all the driving I watch the news, which is projected onto my windshield and maybe even check my e-mail.
To far fetched is it? No actually it isn’t. The technology for the above is already here. Like all other inventions it will take time for people to accept it. The thought of your car actually controlling it self is scary to many people who like to be in control of things. Then there are the initial startup expenses that cause the use of such technology expensive.
The technology is here it just that we are not ready for it yet. There will soon come a day when all these will be standard on all automobiles.

2003-11-16T01:06:00.000-05:00

As promised, this week, I will be talking about the "evolution" of cars. Cars these days are a lot different from what they used to be. This is not only from the exterior, but the engine as well has undergone several changes. Keeping in mind that some of the readers may not be knowing about the technical mumbo jumbo about cars (don't worry, I'm right there at the top of the list), I will not go into the details about these changes. Car's have become more fuel efficient and important factors for this change is the world wide awareness about energy conservation, value for money and concern for the environment. Todays cars give for mileage and cause less to the environment at the same time, than cars that were built in the early 19th century.
A new concept of virtually no pollution cars is coming up. Cars are being designed to run on things like solar energy, electricity, natural gases (like hydrogen fuel cells, liquid nitrogen) and believe it or not, even water! How cool would it be to have a car that runs on water! Cheap, practically av ailable almost everywhere (except probably the Sahara desert!) and the only pollution given off would be oxygen and hydrogen! However, these cars are extremely expensive and do not have the so called charisma to attract customers. The acceleration, horsepower and I guess the most important factor, top speed, not to mention mantainence. That is why, they haven't been so popular with the market.
For this reason, car manufacturers are at present working on the concept of a hybrid car. A hybrid car, popularly called hybrid, operates on two types of fuels; one is generally conventional fuel or gasoline, the other is a "no-pollution" fuel such as electricity, natural gas or solar energy. However, this concept is popular mainly with Japanese manufacturers. I feel that this concept is very important if we are to conserve our natural resources and protect our environment. We do not want a "Matrix" like scenario in our real world! Thus, I feel that this concept should be promoted by the public and adopted as a norm by car manufacturers until we find a way to harvest energy from a better, long lasting and environment friendly energy source.

2003-11-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

Ever since the advent of the automobile, namely the car, our way of life has been evolving. We can go further faster than we could, and as technology got better, we could get around with more style. Cars with flair have been around for some time, however the most notable are probably the models from the '50s, with their flared fenders and unusual colors. Since then, many types of cars have existed. Today, we have sedans, trucks, sports, SUV's, luxuries, and many others. I'm going to concentrate on the luxury cars in this post. A couple years ago, a luxury car was defined by leather seats, wood trim, a comfortable ride, and a high price tag. Today, that is still true. More and more cars get the luxury label, and some of these vehicles stretch the limits of what defines a luxury car. For example, Hummer's new H2 model, is a luxury vehicle. It isn't a Mercedes, or a Bentley, and it definitely doesn't look like one. But it offers all the accessories that are associated with luxury such as the leather seats and comfortable ride. Trucks, the workhorses of our combustion driven economy, are now given the title of luxury vehicles. The Chevy Silverado with Denali package is one of the most luxuriant vehicles around. This truck rivals the comfort provided by traditional luxury cars. Not only are new types of cars being given the title of luxury, but the price of luxury is changing. Yes, the traditional Mercedes-Benz S430 is $73,000. The Bentleys are $350,000. But, you can buy a Hyundai Elantra GT for $16,000, and it has all the traditional requirements of a luxury car. It offers leather seats, a smooth ride, and wood trim (although its a substitute, it looks real enough) for an extra $225. Although the Elantra seems like a luxury car, Hyundai leaves that title to its XG350, which is $25,000. As you can see, today's cars are redefining traditional titles such as "luxury car". Generally, a car can be found to match any taste, want, or desire of any consumer.

2003-11-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

Automobiles now present the over-powing, indispensable force of commuting in most cities around the U.S. and less so around the world. For the present time, the Internal Combustion Engine gives the best method for commuting people around, looking at both the relative efficiency compared to other types of engines and its superiority in flexibility compared to any other type of transportation. Primarily, considering the present engineering standards of the alternative fuel sources and engines, the internal combustion engine has the most well-tested and cheapest to manufacture engine available. Despite the advancements in solar receptors, solar power doesn't give the car enough energy in direct sunlight, much less enough energy to store and use at night. Indeed, nobody h really has hope for solar cars anymore. Electricals and hybrids definitely show promise and the engineering will come to a point where these engines will become very cost-efficient and marketable. However, the present technology doesn't allow for enough power for the cars and the increased fuel mileage comes at a steeply increased price. One article in "Car and Driver" pointed out that only after driving over 100000 miles would one make up the difference between the Civic hybrid and the normal Civic. I understand and sympathize with the pollution control viewpoint but if you compare cars of today with the muscle cars dominant decades ago, you will see why the pollution in many cities has decreased over the years without a switch to alternate engines or a heavy use of mass transit. Not to say that more work doesn't need to be done and I would concur that the government and the private sector need to push on towards reasonable and clean future.

2003-11-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Automobiles are a huge boon to mankind. One cannot think about a world without automobiles. That is why, we have decided to discuss automobiles (cars more specifically) in our group blog.
Although I am almost a total zero when it comes to cars, engines etc, I will still try my best to discuss and comment as much as I can. The "buzz" word about today's cars is how they are evolving. How alternate fuels operated cars are now comnig on the front; how it will affect the energy and pollution scene.
Another thing about them is how they are getting better, faster, cheaper and more fuel efficient with lots of accessories. To write about the technical stuff would be beyond my capacity, but I can more easily describe in layman terms about cars. Thus in the weeks ahead, I will be focussing on evolution of cars, the ecological point of view about cars and also the social aspect and value of cars.

2003-11-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

Our group decided to present a blog discussion on automobiles. We are going to discuss the modern methods of advertising, the latest technology involved and the general change in trends of consumer in purchasing different types of vehicles.
The types of cars being designed have changed vastly over the years and keep changing. From the great gas guzzlers of the 80’s to the hybrids we see now being developed. With the increase in pollution and the inflation in prices of gas people are beginning to get comfortable to the idea of using hybrid or even electric cars. These hybrid cars use the latest technologies in their engines. This is a good thing but increases the over all cost of the cars. Getting over this hurdle is one of the many problems faced by the cars of the future.
In my future entries I plan to discuss the advantages of these cars and the various incentives that are being put into place to help popularize them. I will also be discussing other car related issues.

2003-11-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

Automotive Introduction

For our group blog we decided to focus on automobiles, concentrating on their performance, fuel economy and overall efficiency. We will be discussing the excessiveness of larger engines. Large engines are now staging a comeback following their phase out during the 1970’s gas shortage. Although some engines are becoming more fuel efficient, many of the engines available today are increasing both in cylinders and displacement. The reason for this return to larger engines is because the public wants increasingly greater performance out of their vehicles. Another reason for larger engines is because of the escalating popularity of SUV’s and other heavier vehicles which require more power. On the other hand, many companies are developing hybrid vehicles in order to meet their fuel efficiency quota.