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Toyota Prius Online Community with News, Forums, & Research
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See here:
Autocar quotes unnamed "senior sources" saying Mazda is testing an electric car that uses a Wankel rotary engine to charge the battery. It's the same approach GM is taking with the Volt, which will feature a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and lithium-ion battery. Things are going so well for Mazda that it's got a prototype -- a modified a Mazda MPV -- undergoing road tests.
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| | 2009 Toyota iQ revealed (updated)
Toyota's IQ concept unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show will be seen
soon as the 2009 ~ 2010 real production model in competition to the "MB's Smart city commuter"..
Now, if Toyota put the "Synergy Drive" to this compact car,
can you imagined the fuel efficiency windfall. Many people do not need larger commuter.
Here in CA, I see 60% of drivers in the morning commute hours driving "Solo"
Toyota showed off its super compact, C-segment iQ to the world in Geneva today.
The car was first shown in concept form at Frankfurt last year, and will be produced in late 2008.
Toyota is touting the iQ as the ultimate refined mode of transportation and at less
than 118 inches in length, it’s certainly small enough to be a devoted city runabout.
The iQ is called a 3+1, meaning it is capable of carrying up to three adults along with
a child or luggage in comfort.
Toyota is especially proud of the six engineering innovations it utilized to
maximized interior space in the iQ in addition to the long wheelbase of nearly 79 inches,
which minimizes overhangs but maximizes the space between the wheels. The first includes
a newly developed compact differential, alone said to be responsible for over 100mm of
added length in the cabin in comparison to the B-segment Toyota Yaris.
The rest includes rear-angled shocks and a flat fuel tank under the seats,
a smaller heater / air conditioner unit that’s just as efficient, a center take-off steering column,
an asymmetrical dashboard as well as slimmer seats claimed to contribute about
1.5 inches in length to the interior. Despite its small size, the iQ received a 5-star safety
rating in Euro NCAP testing.
“We came to the conclusion that, in order to ensure a sustainable future, there was a
need for a radical change in vehicle packaging. We needed to create a break-through, away
from the traditional belief that small is basic,” said Kazuo Okamoto, Executive Vice President in
charge of Research and Development at Toyota.
The pushed-forward dashboard features temperature controls with an LCD display,
as well as a 5.8-inch screen for satellite navigation system.
The iQ showed at Geneva sat on 16-inch wheels and powerplant choices will include
two gasoline and one diesel engine. Toyota expects to sell 100,000 units of the iQ in
its first year of production globally.
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By Danny at 08/26/2008 - 11:35am
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I received an email from the folks at BIG INK this morning about their fleet of Priuses for their sales force. They have done a really cool "wrap job" on the cars, and I thought I'd share it with you all. More pictures follow some information from the folks at BIG INK.
http://www.inkbig.com/ecogreen
Quote: | Here at BIG INK Display Graphics we have wrapped a fleet of 4 Toyota Priuses for our sales team and associates in conjunction with the launch of our ZERO-Waste Recylcing Program and Eco-Green Substrate Material options for our customers. We are dedicated to pioneering an environmentally responsible change in direction for the graphics industry, and this Prius Fleet is enabling us to seamlessly translate that message to everyone that comes into contact with our company. The cars carry one of four environmental graphics (Birds, Bees, Caterpillars, and DragonFlys), and a simple yet powerful message of “Little Things Make a BIG Difference”. We believe that it is truly the “little things that make a big difference” when it comes to environmental responsibility, and it is our goal to create a culture that supports that message within and around BIG INK Display Graphics. We hope you enjoy the look and message displayed on these awesome cars! | | | |
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Hi,
NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas' News Source
Quote:
... . . .
Hybrids don’t make much noise. They whisper — if that — when the combustion engines shut off as they stop at intersections. For those who take off slowly after a stop, the hushed electric motor barely hums. That’s all bad for blind people who rely on noise from car engines to decide when it’s safe to cross streets.
Even worse: There’s no clear solution.
“The problem is we don’t really have a good answer for how to deal with it,” said Bill Jacobson, . . .
| So following their instructions, I wrote a 250 word, letter to the editor but you' all need to use your own words. I had to write tight but home boys and gals can and probably should write like we talk. Don't forget to slap HR 5734 cosponsors Marion Berry and John Boozman with a 'clue by four.' <GRINS>
Bob Wilson
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Practical Traveler | Renting a Hybrid
With Supplies Tight, Prices Are High
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Published: August 24, 2008
AS travelers continue to face sticker shock at the gas pump, more are turning to hybrid rental cars in search of savings. But with supply still limited and demand so high, these green cars are commanding a substantial premium.
In a recent search for a weekend rental from San Francisco International Airport in August on the Avis.com site, the Nissan Altima hybrid was the most expensive vehicle $207.98 for a two-day trip more than even the sporty Ford Mustang, for $161.98, or the Pontiac Vibe, listed as an intermediate S.U.V., for $149.98.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/tr...rachybrid.html | | |
| | Summertime, and the living isn't so easy - The Boston Globe
Quote:
By Alex Beam,
Alligators swimming in the streets of Florida. . . . Tragic lightning strikes on golf courses. . . . Tornados touching down in Kansas, New Hampshire, and all points in between. From the first shark sightings in May until the big boomer hurricanes roll in before Labor Day, the American summer - once a time of rest and relaxation - has become one long, terrifying Red Alert.
. . .
Of course, we already knew Priuses were dangerous. The National Federation for the Blind has been complaining that Priuses - a.k.a. the "Silent Killers" - make too little noise when running on their electric engines, with potentially unfortunate consequences for men and women who can't see.
Then CNN reported that a fully sighted young Minnesota boy rode his bike into one of those super-quiet Priuses, emerging from the crash with bruises and scrapes. This doesn't happen with other cars!
Astonishingly, the House of Representatives is considering legislation that would require a minimum noise level for hybrid vehicles. Just in time, two Stanford engineering students have designed an artificial noise system for use on the Prius. ...
| Amazing, simply amazing, a column that didn't just copy the blind propaganda news releases. I wonder how Alex managed to "get a clue." <GRINS>
BTW, columnists make their living from public approval. Not quite the way I'd say it, still an "atta boy" is merited.
Bob Wilson
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Future Lexus Concepts.
Wow, Technology adavances! back to the future...
The following is from Jon Rådbrink:
NUAERO: (pronounced no-ero) represents new aerodynamics.
My final project at the Vehicle Design Dept. at the Royal College of Art is about creating a design that visually communicates sustainability through its form.
As the environmental issues do close in, the days of vroom-vroom and big engines are gonna go away. Kevin Gaskell, CEO, EurotaxGlasss International
The core of concept of sustainability is efficiency. In the future we will have to have vehicles that are efficient in every way; from their efficient use of and lightness in materials, their efficient form and architecture, to their efficient use of fuel and resources.
My Lexus Nuaero concept proposes a new design language to communicate ecological efficiency through an architecture inspired by aerodynamics. Ive been looking at different basic principles and ideas about aerodynamic efficiency and then combined them into a unique vehicle architecture. Usually aerodynamics is a final stage in car design, so this project kind of started where most projects finish.
Dezeen Blog Archive Lexus Nuaero by Jon Rådbrink | | |
| | stangmatt66
Posted this article in PriusOnline in due credit to him/her.
FROM WORLDCARFANS.COM:
The next generation Toyota Prius is entering its final stages of development and to entice those prospective consumers in we can bring the first shot of the redesigned interior.
The inside word from Japan is that the 2010 version of the landmark hybrid will deliver both better fuel economy and more power. The 1.5-liter engine will be replaced by a larger 100bhp 1.8-liter version which will improve high speed cruising of the vehicle. A new generation electric motor will boost the model's total power to 160bhp and there are rumours of an optional solar panel roof being fitted to the model as well. Improvements will certainly get the thumbs up from the politicians, fuel economy could go down to as low as 2.9 litres per 100 kilometres (80 mpg) whilst emissions may drop below the 100g/km mark.
It may not look it, but the body will be all-new, growing 2.5 centimetres wider, but getting some 3 centimetres shorter in overall length. The Prius' range may also grow from the current one body style, with a sedan variant expected to be launched as well and a little further down the line we should also see a plug-in version.
BIGGER PICS
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2005 Salsa Red Prius, package #6, custom beige leather
MSBcreations.com | | |
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