Auto Blog

There weren’t a lot of astoundingly cool vehicles to drive at the AFVI Expo Ride and Drive earlier this week. Still, throw a handful of alternative-fueled cars, trucks and CUVs in a Las Vegas parking lot, and I’ll check it out. As you can see in the video I made of the event, Bosch was heavily represented by a half-dozen or so clean diesel models. GEM and Miles EVs were easy to spot, and there was even a hybrid cherry-picker and a propane pickup or two. To kick off the event, Ed Begley, Jr. and Bobby Rahal cut a ribbon (see pictures below) and then took a short loop around the lot. Watch the video after the break, and thanks to Shotgun Musical Laboratories for the sounds.

From time to time, an idea pops up which causes you to say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Often, these concepts seem to make so much sense that they absolutely must be implemented as soon as possible. Andrew Leinonen’s concept for a floating solar-powered power station may just be one such idea. Using a lighter-than-air vessel, like a blimp, which can be maneuvered pretty much over anyplace in the world, power could be granted to disaster areas and other needy places using solar cells embedded all over the blimp which would turn the suns rays into electricity. It’s possible that a vessel such as this could be tethered to the ground using “power boxes” which would be deployed from the airship using long power-carrying cables. The concept features twelve one-hundred-twenty volt outlets along with two two-hundred-forty volt outlets which would be able to offer power where it’s needed most.

[Source: Pull The Sky Down via Engadget]

It used to be that restaurants had to pay to have their waste oil taken away. Then, with the boom in homemade biodiesel, people were willing to schlepp it away for free, which made everyone happy. I ‘, pretty sure there are some areas today where biodiesel groups are paying to take the oil away. But, with the high gas prices and the easy-to-understand value of waste oil, said oil is disappearing from restaurants in Wichita, Kansas, reports KWCH-TV. As Healy Biodiesel owner Ben Healy tells the station, “Oil is really the life blood of our company and if we don’t have oil, there’s nothing for us to do here. Every gallon of oil that is stolen from us is a gallon of oil we can’t sell.”

[Source: KWCH]

It’s not uncommon for owners of the late, lamented Geo Metro XFI, which USA Today refers to as “nerdy,” to report fuel mileage rivaling and sometimes beating hybrids such as the Toyota Prius. The lightweight structure and very small engines - just three-cylinders and 49 horsepower for the Metro - allow these little runabouts to post great mileage figures. With gas prices at an all-time high, the efficiency of vehicles like the Metro, Ford Fiesta and Apsire and Hyundai Excel is raising their prices to levels sometimes above what they cost new. Don’t believe us? Check out this recent eBay auction for a low mileage Metro and see for yourself.

So, should you be running out and purchasing a used fuel-sipper of your very own? Maybe, but consider that these vehicles would not be able to meet the safety regulations required by law today and the fact that they would likely not pass current emissions requirements. Additionally, the fuel savings of these vehicles makes for pretty poor performance. At AutoblogGreen, we’re apt to overlook some of these deficiencies in the name of efficiency, but we also recognize that older vehicles such as these can present problems to their future owners. Our advice, therefore, would be to look hard in order to find a good deal if you’re really interested in the ultimate in fuel savings, and remember not to discount the first-generation Toyota Prius in your search.

[Source: eBay Motors, U.S. News]

Photo by qthrul. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 went into effect, there has been a nationwide renewable fuels standard (RFS) in the U.S. The amount of biofuels required by the bill were increased by the Energy Independence and Security Act in December of last year. As we all know, the economic realities of corn ethanol have been quite the topic of discussion since then, and the state of Texas is looking to take advantage of a provision of the the 2005 Energy Policy Act that allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change the RFS “if implementation of the RFS would severely harm the economy or environment of a state, region, or the entire country, or if EPA determines that there is inadequate domestic supply of renewable fuel.” An economic hit is exactly what Texas governor Rick Perry is worried about, and wrote a letter to the EPA on April 25 asking the Agency to halve the nationwide renewable fuels standard mandate (2008, the RFS is nine billion gallons). The EPA is accepting comments for 30 days here and will decide within 90 days of the April 25 receipt. Read the EPA’s call for comments after the break.

EPA announcement:

EPA Seeks Input on RFS Waiver Request

EPA is seeking comments on the state of Texas’s petition to reduce the volume of renewable fuel required to be used in motor vehicles and other engines. In an April 25, 2008 letter to EPA, Governor Rick Perry asked EPA to halve the nationwide renewable fuels standard (RFS) mandate for the production of ethanol derived from grain, citing adverse economic impact due to higher corn prices in Texas. EPA is publishing a Federal Register notice opening a 30-day comment period on the request. The RFS mandate for 2008 is the equivalent of 9 billion gallons.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established the RFS program, and volume levels were increased in the Energy Independence and Security Act, which was signed into law in December 2007. The 2005 energy law also included provisions enabling the EPA Administrator to grant a full or partial waiver if implementation of the RFS would severely harm the economy or environment of a state, region, or the entire country, or if EPA determines that there is inadequate domestic supply of renewable fuel. In consultation with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy, EPA must decide on a waiver request within 90 days of receiving it.

To view the waiver request and Federal Register notice seeking comment, go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/index.htm

[Source: EPA]

After spending a long afternoon together, during which time Penny had given her companion a right thorough thrashing that had been met by only a satisfying compliant willingness, the moment for reward had come. Her hand dipped the sponge into warm soapy water to prepare it for more long gentle strokes down the gleaming black taut skin covering the powerful musculature of the young classic beauty. Penny’s breath was coming out in soft gasps as finally finished her task of appreciation and stood back to admire the effect which her efforts of working over the luscious body had produced. Her new friend filled her with the same desire she had felt as when they had first been paired a few days earlier. Sadly, only several more days remained until she would have to give the car back.

You see, Penny Mallory, a World Rally Car and precision stunt driver (as well as television presenter), had been loaned the PGO Cévennes for a week so she could give it a drive and write about her impressions. She loved it so much she actually gave it a hand washing (our narrative of that event in the paragraph above), an occurrence I don’t believe has ever happened before in the history of automotive journalism. And, indeed, the PGO Cévennes is car that has never happened in the history of the automobile before. Based on mechanicals from Peugeot and burning CNG for zero particulates and low CO₂ emissions, the Cévennes borrows freely from the ’50s era Porsche 356 to which it is a homage to fulfill the performance promises older classic cars can only make. But don’t take our word for it. Read an account of the tryst from Ms.Mallory herself by clicking on the “read” link below.

[Source: DueMotori]

Click above for high-res gallery of the V Eight Jenson Interceptor

Any automotive enthusiast can quote you the story of the Cobra; the British AC Ace stuffed with a Ford V8, a strategy that was equally successful for Sunbeam with its Tiger - right down to the Ford small-block V8 - though the Cobra later got the FE big block. Perhaps less well known are the GTs to come out of Jensen. We even featured one of these more obscure English muscle-machines as a Reader Ride a while back. The original Jensen Interceptor sported a body designed by Italy’s Touring, and various flavors of Mopar V8 were nestled in the nose. Nearly 40 years on, V Eight LTD is engaging in some revisionist history.

The Jensen Interceptor S by V Eight is essentially a total rebuilding of an original Interceptor, with many key areas upgraded with modern components. A General Motors LS2 sends 414 horsepower to the independently sprung rear wheels through a modern five-speed automatic transmission. The stock chassis calibration has been upgraded as well, and 17-inch wheels couple tire to tarmac. £75,000 pounds will get you a hand-rebuilt and upgraded Jensen that’s a significant improvement in quality over the original, while also benefitting from decades of advancement in engine management. Some might yawn at the small block and its virtual hotrodding ubiquity, and a more esoteric powertrain swap would be equally exciting. We’d be just as puppy-dog waggy over a twin-turbo VQ V6 smashed in there, but who can argue with a vintage sports car that never fails to light off instantly, idles demurely, and can snap the tendons in your neck when you flatten the pedal, all wrapped in an uncommon body shell? Any chance we could get one to sample for the Autoblog Garage? Thanks for the tip, Pottz!

[Source: jensen-cars.co.uk]

We’ve touched on Vespanomics before, the merging of economics and the joy of riding a Vespa scooter. It seems simple enough… Vespas get good gas mileage + gas is expensive = riding a Vespa saves you money. Just how much money are we talking? What are the ramifications of choosing to ride a scooter of any sort as your only mode of transportation? We’ll get an opinion on each of these questions, and likely more, when Motorcycle USA finishes up its piece on the realities of the Vespanomics principle. Also under scrutiny will be the emissions of the Vespa scooter, though whatever the findings, the new four-stroke catalyzed powerplant will be worlds cleaner than the two-strokers of old. The scooter of choice for this little test is the Vespa GTS 250ie, which lugs along a 250cc fuel injected engine which many claim can return fuel mileage up around seventy miles per gallon. Let the testing commence!

[Source: Motorcycle USA]

Click above to view video after the jump

Way back in September 2006, Saturn ran a commercial in which a bunch of people saw the brand’s cars out in the real world and exclaimed, “That’s a Saturn?” Obviously meant to communicate that you would be surprised to see the new Saturns of the day and how far they had come, the commercial really just got annoying fast to the point where the word ‘Saturn’ started sounding weird because it was said so many times.

The commercial apparently wasn’t much for the actors to make, either. Steve Hall at AdGabber found a different version of the commercial, which we’ll call “That’s a f@#$% Saturn!”. It seems after they had gotten the footage that Saturn’s ad agency requested, the actors, director and production crew had some fun and made a different, rated R version of the commercial that probably more closely resembles reality than the canned responses in the original commercial. Check it out for yourself after the jump along with the original commercial, and don’t worry, the BLEEPS hide anything that would offend your boss, spouse or kids. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: AdGabber]

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Original Commercial