Mazda 6 Revealed

After a number of teaser images, the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia rival has been shown and remains true to the sexy Takeri Concept that was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2011.

 The show car's Kodo ‘soul of motion’ design language has been transferred to the production version, making it the most aggressive looking 6 yet.

 The Mazda 6 will be the second model in the line-up, after the CX-5 crossover, to be developed using Mazda's Skyactiv technology.

 It will also extend on the CX-5's Skyactiv tech by debuting two new features.

 The i-Eloop regenerative braking system stores energy in one of two capacitors, taking around seven seconds to fill, and returns the energy to the electrical system to run things such as the air-conditioning, stereo and light while the car's at a standstill.

 The engine won’t be running, either, as the second new technology is on the new 6 is Mazda's i-stop (meaning idle-stop) technology.

 The focus on efficiency means that the 148bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel version of the 6 will be capable of 1500km on a single tank.

 This engine will be joined by a 174bhp version and a 164bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine.

 The Moscow show car will use a direct-injection Skyactiv-G 2.0-litre petrol engine and six-speed Skyactiv-Drive automatic transmission.

 An Estate version is expected at the Paris Show in September.

 The Mazda 6 will be on sale on spring of 2013, with pricing expected from around £18,000.

Saturday, July 28, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

How new tires can ruin your car

Most people probably don't realize how easily a brand new set of tires can turn the car they love into something awful.

 "They can transform your vehicle," said Jennifer Stockburger, a tire tester for Consumer Reports magazine. I knew that, too, at least in a theoretical sense.

 But I learned first-hand when I got to drive four otherwise identical BMW 3-series sedans each with a different set of performance tires. I can now tell you that the worst BMW I've ever driven was a brand-new 3-series on cheap tires.

 I was visiting the South Bend, Ind. headquarters of the tire sales Web site, TireRack.com. Even before I left the Tire Rack parking lot on the first set of tires I knew something was badly wrong.

 The BMW felt like it was driving over a gravel road... even when I was driving over smooth asphalt.

 The steering also felt indistinct and vague, not the way BMWs usually feel.

 Later on, I drove the car with a set of more expensive, and evidently better, tires and suddenly the BMW felt like a BMW.

 The ride was smooth and the steering responsive with good, but not irritating, feedback.

 Then came the fun part: testing each set of tires on a water-soaked test track. Sure enough, the same tires that felt best on the road also excelled on the wet track.

 The cheap tires felt fine going around a tight turn until, with no warning, the back end of the car swung out like a pendulum.

 Even with the help of electronic stability control -- which was set to "Sport" mode to allow some sliding -- it was hard to get the car back in line.

 (ESC pumps the cars brakes at individual wheels to help get the car back in line when computers sense a skid.) On the more expensive tires, I was able to make a more graceful trip around the wet track.

 When the tires did start to skid, they did so gradually and, when ESC intervened, it did so gently and predictably.

 How to shop: That's good to know, but most of us don't get to test-drive tires.

 The secret is knowing where to find good information. Start by knowing what's on your car now.

 Your car's suspension, steering and braking systems were designed around a specific tire and your car will usually perform best with tires that most closely match the originals, said Stockburger.

 Gallery: Supercars from household names If you don't feel like parsing all the numbers on the side of your tire -- although it might still be good to do that -- the Tire Rack's Web site allows you to enter the make, model and trim level of your car and see a list of tires that will work.

 That doesn't mean you can't change things up a little to suit your needs or your tastes, said John Rastetter, Director of Tire Information Services at Tire Rack.

 For instance, if your car came with "V" rated tires, meaning they're designed to handle speeds up to 149 miles per hour, you might safely replace them with "H" rated tires designed to go only 130 mph, he said. You might get a lower price and a more comfortable ride, just be sure you're not going to drive aggressively.

 While consumer automotive consultant Lauren Fix said she agrees with Rastetter, not everyone is comfortable with that idea. Consumer Reports, for instance, recommends against buying a lower speed-rated tire, said Stockburger, except when buying a dedicated winter-only tire.

 A lower speed-rated tire can also have worse traction and braking performance, she said, even though that's not, technically, what those ratings are about. Many car owners are now paying attention to rolling resistance, too. Low rolling resistance improves fuel economy.

 But the actual difference in fuel mileage is minimal -- about 1%, at best -- and the cost, besides a higher-priced tire, is often longer stopping distance, said Stockburger.

 In an emergency, you could find that you made a regrettable trade-off.

 A decision guide in the Tire Rack Web site can steer you toward tires that fit your needs and preferences while still staying within reasonable parameters for your car.

 Both Tire Rack and Consumer Reports' Web sites offer detailed breakdowns of various tires' performance characteristics and the Tire Rack, in particular, has owner ratings that tell you what people who've lived with the tires actually thought of them.

 One thing you should definitely not do, though, is wait until the last minute to start shopping for new tires.

 "There's a huge advantage to shopping around and comparing prices," said Stockburger.

 With some time and attention, you can find the right tires at the best price.

Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Electric car concept drives progress with extended 500-mile range

Despite their green credentials, electric cars still come up short against their petrol-powered cousins when it comes to range -- how far they go before the battery needs recharging.

 But a new "range-extended" electric vehicle (EV) equipped with the latest fuel cell technology is promising to close the gap going 500 miles (800 kilometers) without refueling, say its developers.

 Bringing together the expertise of three Danish companies, the Modular Energy Carrier concept (MECc) utilizes bio-methanol -- a biofuel which can be harvested from a range of sources including natural gas -- to improve the competitiveness of EVs.

 "Bio-methanol is a very good way to power cars because it has a very good CO2 profile, much better than diesel or gasoline," says Mogens Lokke, CEO of ECOmove, designers of the innovative "QBEAK" car which will carry the technology.

 "In combination with the way we built the car which is really lightweight (425 kilograms) we can get the 500-mile range.

 This is considerably more than Nissan's battery-powered Leaf which maxes out at 138 miles (222 kilometers) and even the Chevrolet Volt -- a battery/gasoline "range-extended" EV -- which has a range of 375 miles (603 kilometers) according to the U.S. automaker.

 ECOmove's award-winning QBEAK incorporates patented in-wheel electric motors which deliver a top speed of 75mph (120kph), but it's the novel chassis design which is propelling the project forward.

 "Instead of putting in a fixed battery, we have built in (six) modules that can be fitted inside the chassis. We can use battery power in the modules or any other kind of energy source," Lokke said.

 The fuel cell converts a bio-methanol/water mix into electricity charging the battery, according to ECOmove, while waste heat from this process generates power for the car's heating and cooling system. 

Bio-methanol is a cheap and abundant fuel with a short carbon chain, says Mads Friis Jensen from Serenergy, designers of the fuel cell.

 "We are using bio-methanol, which is chemically identical to methanol, because you can manufacture it from any source, including natural gas, biomass and timber waste," Jensen said.

 He says production of the biofuel is increasing in Europe, pointing to Dutch manufacturer BioMCN, who have been reforming glycerine (a residue of biodiesel production) into bio-methanol commercially since 2010.

 Compared to gasoline, bio-methanol production cuts CO2 emissions by more than 70% on a well to wheel basis BioMCN says.

 Jensen estimates emission reductions from the QBEAK's tailpipe will be around one third of those from traditional combustion engines.

 Iceland-based Carbon Recycling International are another company using industrial emissions as a feedstock for renewable fuels production.

 Their George Olah Plant -- named after the Nobel Prize-winning chemist and author of "Beyond Gas and Oil: The Methanol Economy" -- started production of bio-methanol at the end of last year.

 Fuel plants like these are finding a good use for an industrial by-product and may be feasible for some transport applications says Adrian Higson, head of biorefining at the UK's National Non-Food Crop Center.

 "It's always the case that when you look at any fuel that's produced that you've got to look at the efficiency of the engine it's used in.

 In itself, methanol is not a great fuel because of the energy content and toxicity," Higson said.

 "But the efficiency of a fuel cell would make bio-methanol interesting as a fuel as opposed to it being interesting for the standard fleet," he added. According to the U.S.

 Department for Energy (DOE), direct methanol fuel cells are unhindered by the storage problems associated with some other "clean" fuels (like hydrogen) because methanol is a liquid and has a higher density.

 This means it's easier to transport and supply to the public through the current refueling infrastructure, say the DOE.

 It's a fact which hasn't escaped the attention of ECOmove, Serenergy and MECc project managers, Insero E-Mobility who estimate reconfiguring a gas station to dispense bio-methanol would cost around $12,000-$18,000.

 The project was recently awarded funding from the Danish government's Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program and ECOmove hope to launch a battery-powered QBEAK with a range of 186 miles (300 kilometers) later this year.

 A battery/fuel cell demonstration model is expected to arrive sometime in 2013.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Smart headlights to enhance driving visibility in rain and snow

Researchers in the US have come up with a solution to the problem of headlight glare reducing driver visibility in the rain.

 It is a problem with which anyone driving on UK roads in the last three months will be more than familiar.

 Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a smart headlight that can shine "around" rain.

 The idea is that the headlight will be able to predict where rain falls and adjust light beams accordingly.

 Prototype success Using low-cost, off-the-shelf components the researchers set about developing a system that switches off rays of light that hit raindrops.

 The smart headlight consists of a projector, camera and beam-splitter.

 The camera takes images of the raindrops, a processor uses a predictive algorithm to work out where rain will fall, and then the projector switches off light rays that would have normally hit the raindrops.

 The process from capture to reaction takes about 13 milliseconds.

 The result is a slightly dimmer headlight, but one that blocks out glare from falling rain and snow. An early prototype, tested in the lab in conjunction with artificial rain, found that the system worked better at slower speeds.

 The researchers simulated different car speeds and rainfall intensity and found that in severe thunderstorm rain, the system had a 79% success rate in making raindrops invisible when the car travelled at 30km/h, while at 100km/h that fell to around 20%.

 Carnegie Mellon's computer science professor Srinivasa Narasimhan, part of the team working on the project, admitted that the system had some way to go before it could be used in real cars.

Saturday, July 07, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Japan eyes driverless cars by early 2020s

Expressways in Japan could start seeing self-driving cars in 10 years, according to discussions by Tokyo and carmakers.

I can't wait for the era of self-driving cars. I can't believe it's 2012 and we still have to turn a steering wheel and push pedals to get around while we could be doing better things like sleeping, reading, or actually watching the scenery roll by instead of the road.

The Japanese government has started talks on the goal of getting self-driving cars on public roads by the early 2020s.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism has said it's the first in the world to seriously consider robot cars for the masses, according to Nikkei Automotive News.

Participating automakers include Nissan, Toyota, Fuji Heavy Industries, Honda, and Mazda. The ministry plans bimonthly talks on the topic.

A major issue that will take up lots of talk time is how to assign responsibility in accidents involving self-driving cars. If there's no human driver, who's to blame?

It's the same debate that's swirling around UAVs that could one day wield lethal force without a human in the loop.

While automakers wouldn't want to take responsibility for self-driving cars in accidents, one option being mooted is companies that would lease automatic cars to drivers, like rental cars.

The robo-wheels could debut on special lanes on expressways in Japan, according to Nikkei.

Sunday, July 01, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More