CarSeekBlog

Hybrid Garbage Truck

According to HybridCars.com, the average garbage truck pulls up, stops, idles, loads and moves on between 300 and 1,200 times per day. Most of these trucks are fueled by diesel, and on a good day, they’ll manage about 4 or 5 mpg. We won’t even talk about the number of pollutants those trucks spew forth.

The good news is that both Peterbilt and Volvo have designed hybrid garbage trucks, and they’re becoming viable options in many American cities.

Ann Arbor, MI, for example, is purchasing four of the Peterbilt trucks, which come equipped with a Hydraulic Launch Assist hydraulic system designed by Eaton. The city expects that fuel economy will increase by 30% and that they’ll also save money because these trucks will require fewer brake replacements.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which monitors environmental law and fuel economy testing, the hydraulic hybrid system also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent or more when used on heavy duty trucks.

There is no data on whether the waste management workers who operate such vehicles will be any quieter when handling trash cans in the early morning hours, though their trucks certainly will be.

Filed under: Going Green, In the News by Mel
Tags: « Going Green - Hybrids - Michigan »
No Comments »

It’s a safe bet that most of the fans of the latest Twilight movie, Eclipse, are fans of the character Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson), and not the car he drives, but even though the Volvo XC60 doesn’t get top billing, it’s an important part of the movie. Thanks to the folks at Volvo and YouTube, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the scenes was made:

Filed under: Media Monday, Volvo by Mel
Tags: « Media Monday - Volvo - Volvo XC60 »
No Comments »

It’s no secret that car buying trend news has been pretty much devoted to hybrids, plug-in electric hybrids, and fully electric cars for the past few years, and that’s fine, because going green is important, but something you may not find out from the nightly news is that there’s been a new upsurge in the popularity of full-sized SUVs. Specifically, according to a report from Kicking Tires, sales of these vehicles have increased by 19%, as compared to an overall industry growth-rate of 17%. The full-sized SUV category is comprised of large-sized body-on-frame vehicles like the GMC Yukon and large crossovers like the Chevrolet Traverse and the Lincoln MKT.

This upswing in the SUV market is apparently surprising carmakers as well as the general public. GM has had to authorize overtime at their production plant in Arlington, TX, where the Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe are made, because they have such low inventories of these models. USA Today reports that employees there are working 10 hours a day and on Saturdays to meet demand. As well, both Nissan and Toyota are having difficulties keeping up with the demand for their 2011 QX56 Infiniti and Sequoia, respectively.

So, why are SUVs so popular again? Several news sources are speculating that it might be related to forthcoming regulations that could make these vehicles, if not rare, than at least incredibly expensive to own or operate, because of more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Stable gas prices, currently at $275/gallon may be a factor as well.

Large SUV sales are good for automakers because it’s basically like “printing cash,” says Jim Hall at 2953 Analytics. That’s because traditional body-on-frame SUVS share much of their hardware with full-size pickup trucks.

And how are compact cars faring in this market? Interestingly, not so well. They’ve only seen a 14% growth rate so far this year.

Filed under: Buying Trends, Cadillac, Chevy, In the News, Nissan, Toyota, lincoln by Mel
Tags: « full-sized suv - SUV »
No Comments »

Car and Driver reported today on their blog that the Porsche 918 Spyder, the concept car originally revealed the night before the start of the 2010 Geneva auto show, last March, will go into “limited series production.

This car is a performance hybrid with four different driving modes, and a KERS-type overboost feature similar to those found on 2009 Formula 1 cars. Power comes from several different combinations of its 3.4 liter, 500+ HP V-8 engine (based on the engine from the RS Spyder LMP2) and three lithium-ion electric motors (one integrated into the transmission, and two on the front axle), which provide a total of 218 HP. This means that the Porsche 918 Spyder can act as either a series or parallel hybrid, since the car can be propelled solely by the front axle motors, or by the electric motors used in conjunction with the engine. In it’s least consumptive mode, this Porsche offers a positively European 78mpg, while in race mode the top speed approaches 200mph.

While no actual details have been released, it’s likely that this car will be available only in extremely low numbers and extremely high prices. It is set to become Porsche’s new flagship model – the brand’s opportunity to set the bar for high-performance, dual-source power.

Porsche 918 Spyder concept | Source: Car and Driver

Filed under: Going Green, In the News, Porsche by Mel
Tags: « Coming Soon - Concept - Hybrid - Porsche »
No Comments »

Last month, the folks from Volkswagen took over New York’s Times Square and hosted a huge media event to reveal the new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. Thanks to the nice folks at YouTube, we’ve got video of the event:

Filed under: Media Monday, VW by Mel
Tags: « 2011 Jetta - Media Monday - Volkswagen - VW »
No Comments »