What is the future of fuel? What's new? What's next? Since 2007, Gas 2 has covered a rapidly changing world coming to terms with its oil addiction.
Before electric vehicles can ever truly go “mainstream,” automakers have got to figure out how to race them in an exciting fashion. The problem is that even the heaviest, most expensive batteries can only provide power for a few minutes of racing. But a clever idea that looks to classic slot cars for influence may give EV race cars a competitive edge.
It was recently reported that Navistar, an American based diesel engine manufacturer, had sued Lisa Jackson the director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to uphold the Clean Air Act. Now several other heavy duty truck makers have responded to the suit, including Mack and Volvo.
Bamboo is light, strong, and renewable due to the plants fast rate of growth. In other words, bamboo is perfect to make bicycles out of. Enter what might the coolest designed bike on the streets of Australia. The bike is from Australian student and designer Alexander Vittouri and called The Ajiro.
Hot rodding has its roots in a fringe group of auto enthusiasts who made radical engine and styling modifications in the pursuit of speed. But there is a new breed of hot rodder out there, who are taking everyday automobiles and converting them to a variety of alternative fuels, and they’re not all content to just putter around town at golf kart speeds. Todd Perkins wants to go fast, and his all-electric hot rod called “The Inhaler” has lofty goals…somewhere in the 200 mph range.
I love drag racing, and EV drag racing has been making waves the last few years as technology and gearheads catch up to the times. I’ve been following the saga of Ron Adamowicz and the Team Haiyin EV Camaro for a few months now, and they’ve just run their best time yet…a 10.08 @ 127 mph. Video inside.
How would someone who uses their truck for work, every day, respond to a plug-in pickup? If Ford built a full-size pickup using design notes cribbed from Chevy’s Jesus car Volt, would the savings on fuel justify the added initial costs? That’s what the fleet managers at PG&E (and the drivetrain specialists at ALTe) hope to find out, as they put a converted Ford F-150 pickup through a gauntlet of stop-and-go driving, hauling, commuting, and more next year.
When I hear the name Messerschmitt, I instantly think back to the German airplane maker and its creations during World War II. But they also made cars, and this video caught an Audi compact EV testing somewhere in Berlin that has everyone saying Messerschmitt.
The British have a long history with the “autocar,” and while British-built cars are often maligned for having electrical gremlins, they are also some of the best looking cars ever conceived. So when Bristol Cars announces that it will be building a 200 MPH capable plug-in hybrid, you better pay attention.
