TOKYO SHOW CONTRAST
I FIND it difficult to image two more contrasting automobiles, but both appeared at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The Nissan BladeGlider is so radical, it makes your teeth ache. … Continue reading
AUTO SHOW FUEL CELL CARS
THEY WERE a Pacific Ocean apart, but the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, both held November 22-December 1, shared world introductions of fuel cell cars … Continue reading
CLIFFORD NASS—SINGULAR SCHOLAR
I NOTE the recent death by heart attack of Clifford Nass, 55, Stanford University professor and expert on how humans interact with advanced technology. It was Prof. Nass whose research … Continue reading
ALTERNATIVE FUEL GAME PLAN
SAE INTERNATIONAL has published a Technology Profile, Future Automotive Fuels and Energy, by Bruce Morey. A brief summary of it appeared in SAE’s magazine, Automotive Engineering International, October 1, 2013. … Continue reading
FUEL CELLS: YEA OR NAY?
FOR TODAY’S debate on the future of fuel-cell propulsion, we are fortunate to have two eloquent spokesmen—with quite opposite views. Providing a fuel cell update is Satoshi Ogiso, Managing Officer … Continue reading
DAMN THE CO2, MOVE THE METAL!
WHAT WITH German luxury and high-performance automobiles not exactly prized for their frugality—and the European market currently in the dumps—the German government has persuaded the European Commission to ease its … Continue reading
VOLVO + DIMETHYL ETHER
ONE OF the most promising sustainable fuels is appearing first in heavy trucks. Volvo believes it has found a winner in DME, dimethyl ether. Among DME benefits are simple conversion … Continue reading
LED MATRIX HEADLAMPS
THERE ARE plenty of reasons for more automotive lighting of the Light-Emitting-Diode variety. LEDs are more efficient than conventional incandescent illumination. They give stylists great opportunity for originality. They offer … Continue reading
HONDA “SMART IMA”
THINK OF Honda’s recently announced hybrid One-Motor Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive as “Smart IMA.” I’ve admired the engineering elegance of the earlier Integrated Motor Assist hybrid except for one aspect: … Continue reading
BMW i3
TECHNICAL DETAILS of the 2014 BMW i3 urban electric vehicle have now been revealed. Is it a major step forward for BEVs? Is it a technical marvel? Is it merely … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 