JULY 27, 2006MIT Vehicle Design Summit Focuses On "Green" Transportation BOSTON, MA (July 3, 2006) - Seventy-three students from 21 universities around the world have gathered at the MIT Vehicle Design Summit this summer to design and build between five and 10 commuter vehicles that exploit human power, biofuels, solar technologies and fuel cells to travel at least 500 miles per gallon of fuel.
This sketch of a concept solar car was created for the MIT Vehicle Design Summit, a gathering of students who will work on alternative transportation ideas this summer.
(Photo: Mitchell Joachim and William Lark)At the end of the MIT Vehicle Design Summit, the cars created by the students - who have previously designed solar racecars for the World Solar Challenge (WSC) and super-mileage vehicles for the European Shell Eco-Marathon (ESEM) - will tour the country to bring attention to the social and technological issues surrounding alternative-powered vehicles. Unlike the WSC or ESEM, which have become too specialized for commuter use, the MIT summit's focus is aimed at in-depth exploration of alternative transportation technologies in vehicle design that could be mass-produced for consumers. The two month, June 13-Aug. 13 program will also lay a foundation for ongoing multidisciplinary transportation research involving all five MIT schools. "We hope to create a project-based, socially conscious engineering curriculum for the '06-'07 academic year," said Anna Jaffe, a junior in civil and environmental engineering and one of the summit student organizers. The students will work with industry and academia speakers and mentors to create the vehicles. Through a partnership with the MIT Media Lab's Fab Lab, additional cars will be designed and will be built at fabrication labs in Norway, Costa Rica, India, Ghana and South Africa. The participants will also publish a technical manual at the conclusion of the summit and distribute their findings in the public domain. "We hope to have an impact on not only the field of solar racing, but the energy debate as well," said co-organizer Robyn Allen, a senior in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "Exploring both the socio-political and technical aspects of this work, we are excited to provide a space for students to lend a new voice to the global energy discussion."(Source: MIT)Is GM Fast-Tracking Plug-in Hybrids? DETROIT, MI (July 10, 2006) - According to Bloomberg News Service, General Motors Corp. (GM) is developing a hybrid-electric vehicle with a battery that recharges at any outlet. Bloomberg issued the report after GM officials announced the plan's details. The plug-in hybrid would enable a mileage rating of 60 miles per gallon, say unidentified GM sources. The plug-in designs GM is testing may be ready in time for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January, but any commercial production is at least a year away. The sources declined to say how much the company is investing. Bloomberg also reported that Chris Preuss, a GM spokesman, declined to comment on any plans for a plug-in hybrid. The news service also interviewed several financial analysts, including Brian Bruce, who helps manage about $18 billion at Boston-based PanAgora Asset Management in Boston. He told Bloomberg that GM has a hard choice to make between hybrid and fuel-cell research versus current product development: "If they spend too little on current development, there might not be much of a company going forward. If they spend too little on future development, they could arrive in the future with nothing competitive." (Source: Bloomberg)Illuminating the Path To Increased Internet Sales MENLO PARK, CA (June 28, 2006) - For small businesses seeking greater exposure on search engines to help increase sales, a solution from Homestead Technologies Inc. may be a good fit. The company recently launched "SearchLight," which it calls an affordable and efficient way to deliver advertising to small business Web sites from more than 20 different search engines, including Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.com. Homestead works with small business owners to make their Web sites appear more prominently and frequently within appropriate search engine results - enabling potential customers to find their products or services faster and more easily. "Small businesses are losing valuable sales because potential customers simply cannot find them online," says Justin Kitch, Homestead founder and CEO. "Their business Web sites are not visible within search engine results, or they're buried in the results by the national chains, making them virtually non-existent to qualified and motivated customers." He notes that recent studies show the emerging growth of Internet sales, citing Jupiter Research, which expects online retail spending to increase from $81 billion in 2005 to $95 billion in 2006, and a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers that recently reported that Internet advertising revenue reached a record high of $3.9 billion in the first quarter of 2006. Kitch says that larger-sized companies work to capture this online retail growth by increasing their advertising spending. Small businesses that do not leverage the power of online advertising, he adds, run a substantial risk of being excluded from the Internet's vibrant, global marketplace. "This growing trend is having a damaging effect on the success of small businesses as we move into the Internet era," he says. SearchLight improves search engine advertising by eliminating the time and hassle associated with launching and managing a search engine advertising program. Increasing a Web site's organic or "natural" search ranking can be complicated and time-consuming and often concludes with varied and unpredictable results. Small-business owners attempting to optimize their Web sites without expertise can encounter a number of unexpected roadblocks: sudden search engine rules that change often and without warning; rule violations that can result in search engine delisting; and lengthy Web site probation periods for newly registered sites. Several different packages are available for small businesses, and Homestead says its consultants will conduct a personal review session with customers to improve Web site conversion and help stimulate or increase sales. The company can be contacted at
www.searchlight.homestead.com.(Source: Homestead Technologies
Inc.)EPA Aims To "Green" the
Automotive Supply Chain WASHINGTON (June 28, 2006) - Continuing efforts to strengthen environmental policy and collaboration in North America, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson convened the 13th Council Session of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) last month. Pursuant to the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the CEC was created by Canada, Mexico and the United States to improve the coordination of environmental and trade policy in North America. Members of the CEC include the top environmental administrators from each country. As part of the CEC's five-year strategic plan, current CEC projects include: Implement a public-private initiative to "green" the automotive manufacturing supply chain throughout North America by improving environmental performance in the production process. Promote renewable energy in North American markets. Develop a strategy for the sound management of chemicals in North America. Johnson explained, "By working together, we are building a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable environment for future generations."(Source: EPA,
CEC)UBC Wins Supermileage Competition With 3,145 MPG Vehicle VANCOUVER, CANADA (JUNE 28, 2006) - The University of British Columbia (UBC) finished first in the collegiate division at the recent 27th Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Supermileage Competition. The university's vehicle achieved 3,145 mpg - the equivalent of driving from Los Angeles to Boston, with more than 500 miles to spare.
(Photo: SAE/ Morgan Lok) Supermileage is an annual SAE event for engineering students. Students design, build and drive a single-person vehicle to achieve the best fuel mileage possible. The vehicle must be powered only by an internal combustion engine with no assistance from electric motors or human propulsion. During the six years that UBS has competed, it has won the event four times. Team captain Kevin Li said, "We achieved this level of efficiency by optimizing many aspects of the vehicle design, including: aerodynamics, light-weight construction, a small displacement engine (54 cc) and conservative driving habits."(Source: SAE, Vancouver Sun)New Engine, Body Programs Announced for NASCAR's
Grand National Division DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Officials of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) have announced a multifaceted new program for the NASCAR Grand National Division, which includes the East Series and the West Series.
(Photo: Howie & Mary Hodge/NASCAR) A new spec engine will be available for teams in those divisions, beginning on Aug. 1. The new engine is expected to save teams considerable amounts of money while delivering stellar performance, says NASCAR. The new spec engine is available through Provident Auto Supply, a North Carolina-based performance parts distributor owned by former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship crew chief Gary Nelson. Nelson has also served as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series director, vice president of Competition and vice president of Research and Development with NASCAR. In addition to the spec engine, a composite body for Grand National cars is also now available for use in the Grand National Division. Composite bodies are currently available from Summit Racing, BSR Products and Eshleman Racing. The combination of the spec engine, composite body and the option of running either 105- or 110-inch wheelbases comprise a number of cost-saving initiatives for the Grand National Division. The sanctioning organization also plans to reduce its minimum driving age to 16 for the Grand National and Modified tours beginning in 2007. "We're taking these steps with the Grand National Division to reduce the cost of racing at these levels," says NASCAR vice president of Competition Robin Pemberton. "The combination of the spec engine, composite body and a choice of what wheelbase to use, either 105- or 110[-inch], should provide great competition for teams that eventually want to work their way into NASCAR's three national series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series." Teams will be able to run the spec engine and composite bodies this year. Spec engine kits can be ordered through Provident and assembled by independent engine builders. "We want to phase the spec engines into these tours," said Pemberton. "We've done a lot of testing with the engines in the past few months and these motors are going to be very competitive and very durable." NASCAR says the cost is going to be well below what teams are currently spending on engines. Composite bodies should also trim costs from the budgets of Grand National racers. NASCAR has already announced it will discontinue its Elite Division at the end of this season. The 2007 schedules for both the West and East Series will be announced later this year. "We're going to spend a lot of time developing these two series," said Pemberton. "With the competitive environment getting tougher all the time, we must have a series to develop young talent." The two series meet annually for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, an invitational event featuring the top 15 drivers in each series. This year's Toyota All-Star Showdown is scheduled for Oct. 20 and 21 at Irwindale (CA) Speedway.(Source: NASCAR)Mechanics Veto Extending
Oil Changes LEXINGTON, KY (June 2006) - The nation's top mechanics are rejecting the recommendation by some in the automotive industry that cars can go 5,000 miles or more before oil is changed.
ARLINGTON, VA - A report recently released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that electronic stability control (ESC), if included on all vehicles, would save roughly 10,000 lives per year. The report goes on to say that equipping vehicles with ESC reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent and reduces the overall risk of a single-vehicle crash by 40 percent.
Currently, ESC is only standard equipment on 40 percent of 2006 models, including many SUVs and luxury cars. It is an available option on an additional 15 percent of model-year 2006 vehicles. ESC typically costs between $300 and $800 as a standalone option, but may cost as much as $2,000 when included as part of an option package. The IIHS report urges automakers to speed up the inclusion of ESC on all of their vehicles.
Congress has given the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) an October deadline for a proposed rule that requires and sets standards for ESC. NHTSA hopes to have the proposed rule out this summer.
For the full IIHS report, visit www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr061306.html.
(Source: Automotive Aftermarket Industry
Association)
