Archive for August 22nd, 2008

Filed under: AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily
Photo by Natalie Maynor Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
It wasn’t so long ago that the airwaves and blogosphere echoed with the shrill cry of “Drill here! Drill now! Pay less!” It seemed people were so desperate for the price of gasoline to stop its meteoric rise that they were… »

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in
Photo by rintakumpu. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
It’s been over a year since we wrote about WiTricity, the MIT-developed wireless charging system. While we’re still a long, long way from powering all-electric automobiles without heavy and expensive batteries, there is an update on the cordless power idea, this time from… »

Filed under: SMART, Legislation and Policy, USA
A smart that’s lost its top? No, the smart Crossblade! Click above for more
In our time covering the auto industry, we’ve heard of many, many recalls taking place. Most of them are pretty innocuous sounding. Though some could potentially lead to an accident, it seems that the situations required… »

Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen
Now that Volkswagen has announced plans to build a plant in Chattanooga TN, the automaker may begin partnering with the nearby Oak Ridge National Lab to conduct transportation research. Volkswagen is one of the biggest proponents of diesel engines due to their inherent efficiency and may convince scientists at Oak Ridge to… »

What is it about New Zealanders that makes them so entertaining when they decide to do something stupid in an automobile? For instance, here we watch as a couple of hoonlings build a ramp on the edge of a cliff, cut the doors off a Ford Telstar, and then launch it into the great beyond…. »

Apparently shot by Chrysler marketers in the same rock quarry as the Hang 10 Dodge Dart, this photograph of a model in kicky bellbottoms posed next to a 1974 Dodge Sportsman van creates more questions than it answers: Why is she dressed like a Disco Office Cowgirl Quaalude Dealer? Is she going to load a… »

Filed under: Etc.

It’s been proven that simple aerodynamic mods can make a big overall difference on your fuel economy, though the results can’t always be described as pretty. Thanks to a tip from a reader, we can again see that enterprising drivers can make easy modifications to the exterior of their vehicle in an effort… »

One of the reasons Futurama has had such staying power is their success at creating memorable minor characters. One of the best minor characters is Hedonismbot, a robotic bacchanalian that lives his days as if tomorrow will never come. With his assistant Djambi, the fat Romanesque robot funds crazy projects like an opera about a… »

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that’s the coolest… and the most hellish! Italy held on to its PCH Superpower crown in our last Choose Your Eternity poll, with the Alfa Romeo Duetto taking a 53-47 victory over the British contestant. After admiring the lovely surfboard-friendly Hang… »

Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus
click to enlarge
Lexus is hedging its bets with the British cops. At the annual National Police Fleet Managers conference that will take place in early September in the UK, the luxury automaker wants police fleets to seriously consider its hybrid vehicles – the RX 400h and the GS 450h, both of… »