Sometime in the future, gas stations would switch to selling gas. Gas in the sense, air, which when compressed to an extent, has enough energy to help a specially designed engine, generate power. Big companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are interested in looking for other ways to run their cars, and might want to take a close look at these air powered engines.
Sure, these things make a lot of noise and don’t coax out enough horsepower, but with time and research, things could change drastically. Just like how electric cars or hybrid cars have evolved and reached a certain stage where the trade-offs are not considerable and offer a number of advantages over the normal cars, soon air powered engines might catch on and small-car manufacturers could use them on a large scale.
Turkey is famous for its carpets and sweets and within a few years it could well become the green counterpart of Detroit. Cars like the Antro Solo could be mass produced there and exported to parts of the world. Antro what? Let me explain.
The Antro Solo is a three-seater, 600 pound, 100 mpg, 87 mph car. It will be all yours for just $18,000 in the year 2012. Built entirely of carbon fiber and composites, the power to run the car comes from not one or two, but four sources: gas, battery, solar panels and... PEDALS !
As the world moves towards eco-friendly and easy-on-the-wallet modes of transportation and everything from trains to lawn movers are shifting towards alternate sources of energy, a young set of individuals have come out with a cute yet effective automobile.
A group of high school students who are fully aware of the present situation surrounding the auto industry have designed an electric two-wheeler with a roof.
Powered by lithium phosphate batteries with an output of 60 volts, the permanent magnet motor utilizes the power to propel the bike. The recharge time is just about 3 hours and should get you to sit up and notice I say its body is made carbon fiber and Kevlar composite material (stuff that F1 cars are made of). The chassis benefits from chromoly tubing.
On a full charge, the roofed-bike will cruise for 40 long miles with a pedal-to-metal velocity of 60 mph. At those speeds, safety is addressed by a proper seat and seat belts which makes it safer than a normal two-wheeler. The pod will also protect you from the heat and dust on a summer’s day and will help you keep warm during winter time.
While other high-school kids were busy learning to efficiently hit on the good-looking, this team of 19 students toiled hard for a period of one year to see this concept from the state of imagination to reality. What we appreciate is their unique thought process, a green two-wheeler is certainly pointing in the right direction and who knows? there might be a future GM or Honda head among this group of students.
Powerful, spontaneous and ultra-efficient: this is the new top version in Audi’s V6 engine range. The 3.0 TFSI develops 290 hp and a huge 309.78 lb-ft of torque. It combines two state-of-the-art technologies in perfect style – gasoline direct injection and compressor supercharging. The hi-tech V6 will go into production later in the year.
The brand with the four rings has a long tradition of supercharged engines. The legendary Grand Prix racing cars built by Auto Union back in the 1930s already featured compressors, which coaxed as much as 440 kW (around 600 hp) out of the mighty 16-cylinder and 12-cylinder engines. From the late 1970s on, Audi focused its attention on the exhaust turbocharger, which helped it to a succession of noteworthy triumphs in the world of motor sport. It was at this time that Audi’s turbo engines began to enjoy resounding market success.
The compressor is now staging a comeback. It is the ideal supercharging technology for the new three-liter V6, the 3.0 TFSI; the T in Audi engine designations consequently no longer exclusively denotes turbo versions.
Opel’s revelation of a new driver-aid system comes a day after we found a new application for classmate Distonic plus present on the Mercedes S-Class. This technology would support rather than irritate buyers looking for a mid-size car with extra safety features.
Some of the S-Class’s customers complained the Distronic plus along with other safety allies, snatched most of their effort while driving. A group of onboard computers were found guilty for this problem of turning drivers into merely passengers. A car which can brake and accelerate on its own is not a driver’s car after all, is it?
What a driver’s car needs is a device or a group of electronic gizmos to promote driving and not monotony. Opel’s answer couldn’t have come at a much better time.
Opel’s technology uses a camera fixed to the front windshield behind the mirrors, which detects road signs on the go. By clicking and analyzing 30 pictures every single second, the system can detect road signs displaying speed limits. Instead of applying the brakes or setting a constant speed, it will alert the driver by displaying the speed limit on the instrument cluster. If the speed limit changes, the driver is alerted again.
More power and torque with less fuel consumption – that is the dream of every engine designer. With the Audi valvelift system, which manages the inlet valve timing in a gasoline engine in a very innovative way, that dream becomes a reality. Audi uses this technology for its direct-injection 2.8 and 3.2-liter V6-FSI engines in the A4, A5, A6 and A8.
Intelligence is all in the head, one might say – the cylinder head in the case of a car’s engine. The aim is to open and close the valves in such a way that the correct charge of air is always drawn into the cylinders. The first breakthrough came years ago with the rotation of the camshaft by means of adjusters – permitting the valve opening and closing times to be varied. The Audi valvelift system now achieves the next step – variable control of the valve lift, thus influencing the cross-section of the intake duct.
Take that GM. Toyota is one of the global leaders in the field of Automobiles. Their commitment to make fuel-efficient and clean engines has fetched them an award at the prestigious International Engine of the Year Awards this year.
But don’t assume it’s because of the Prius and veer away from the rest of this article. Toyota’s Polish-made, 1-litre three-cylinder 67bhp gasoline unit as found in the Toyota’s own Aygo, Yaris, Echo and Vitz and in the Citroën’s C1, Peugeot’s 107 and Subaru’s Justy came out successful but not without some tough competition.
In the sub-one litre category things couldn’t have been any better. The final contestants were Mitsubishi’s 84bhp 999cc three-cylinder turbo and Daimler’s 45bhp 799cc diesel unit, which is recognized as the world’s smallest direct injection diesel engine. Interestingly both those engines at present serve the Smart Fortwo city car.
But that didn’t bother our winner. The main reasons behind its success was its feather like weight, tipping the scales at 67 kg, it is no wonder this is the world’s lightest internal combustion engine.
The technology that goes into making such a light package isn’t rocket science. The use of a light weight material like aluminium to construct it helps achieve this feat. Aiding the cause futher is its extra-small cylinder bore-to-bore distance (wall thickness between bores is just 7mm), and the use of a light weight resin throttle body and fuel delivery pipe. The air intake system and engine cover is an integral piece, a design first for Toyota, a weight-saving initiative.
The panel was also impressed with its Variable Valve Timing system (VVT-i) technology, which holds responsibility for the smooth acceleration, a crucial factor that won this award for Toyota.
This engine is literally a fuel-sipper. 4L/100km on a combined cycle is as good as its gets, giving it another entry in the record books as one of the most fuel efficient engines in today’s cars. A figure of 109g/km of CO2 emissions speaks for itself and strengthens the point that this victory is a well deserved one.
Whether it be a quick call to a business colleague for an important discussion, listening to favourite music tracks or checking home and office e-mails whilst on the move - the Apple iPhone® is a leading-edge business tool with multimedia capability, available in Germany and other markets.
Now Mercedes-Benz allows the iPhone® connection to be fully integrated into the vehicle architecture for the first time - once again pointing the way ahead for the automotive industry. The new Apple iPhone® cradle allows simple switching between the telephone and audio functions. What’s more, thanks to the location of the cradle in the centre console, the iPhone® is within easy reach of both the driver and the front passenger.
For ease of use, the iPhone is controlled via the multifunction steering wheel, while the vehicle display is used to indicate the phone status or music functions and information such as the track title and artist.
The fully integrated iPhone® is available now for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, E-Class, CLK-Class, CLS-Class, S-Class, CL-Class, SL-Class, M-Class and R-Class. The product will also be offered for the new GLK-Class when this model is launched in October. In Germany, the Apple iPhone cradle retails at € 249 (including VAT)..
The adapter leads for the Media Interface or iPod Interface are available for € 39 (including VAT) in Germany.
Opel introduces a first: A camera that aids drivers in two different ways. The Traffic Sign Recognition function reads speed limit and no-passing signs and displays them on the instrument panel. The Lane Departure Warning alerts drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane. Together, these two systems improve driving safety, reduce stress and can even prevent costly speeding tickets.
“These new features follow Opel’s philosophy of enhancing driving excitement by assisting drivers without reducing their level of control.” explains Hans Demant, managing director of Opel. “That means the system gives drivers information, but it doesn’t intervene.”
Known as the Opel Eye, the wide-angle, high-resolution camera and processors were jointly developed by GM/Opel engineers in Rüsselsheim and specialists from supplier Hella. The camera, located between the windshield and the rear-view mirror, detects road signs and lane markings. It is not much bigger than a mobile phone yet can take 30 pictures per second. Two signal processors, with the help of proprietary GM software, filter and read the photos.
It will be first offered in Opel Insignia and soon in other models.
Seven gears that shift at lightning speed without interrupting traction – Audi presents a new phase in the evolution of transmission systems. The seven-speed S tronic has an extremely dynamic, high-efficiency action. This new dual-clutch transmission is designed for use with a longitudinally installed engine and quattro all-wheel drive. It is suitable for a wide range of sporty models and will go into production in the second half of 2008. In addition to the new seven-speed S tronic, Audi offers a wide range of other transmission technologies, with an ideal solution for every need.
With the seven-speed S tronic, Audi is launching a new phase in its driveline strategy. The new transmission, entirely developed by Audi, is intended for sporty mid-range models. It is a high-tech component which Audi has designed to be dynamic and highly efficient.
Audi drivers can use the new seven-speed S tronic in various modes. The fully automatic mode, in which the computer selects the gears, provides D (Drive) and S (Sport) programs.
The gears can also be shifted manually with the selector lever or with the optional rocker switches on the steering wheel – an impressively rapid action. The shift response is dynamic, smooth and extremely precise – typical Audi features.
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