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Category Archives: Driving it Tomorrow

SAE 2014 HYBRID & EV SYMPOSIUM—BATTERY UPDATE

SAE’S ANNUAL symposium on hybrids and electric vehicles, held February 11 – 13, 2014, in La Jolla, California, was rich in technical nuggets. This first of several postings shares battery … Continue reading

March 14, 2014 · 2 Comments

F-SERIES: FIRST TO ALUMINUM

LET’S CELEBRATE one of the most successful vehicles in the world, the Ford F-Series pickup. The timing seems right: At the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the … Continue reading

February 25, 2014 · 3 Comments

SOLID-STATE BATTERY UPDATE

TOYOTA HAS recently released data on its battery research, both for solid-state batteries expected during a 2020s’ timeframe as well as a next-generation lithium-air concept perhaps a decade beyond that. … Continue reading

February 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

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

November 30, 2013 · Leave a comment

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

November 25, 2013 · 4 Comments

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

November 16, 2013 · 1 Comment

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

November 5, 2013 · 1 Comment

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

October 27, 2013 · Leave a comment

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

October 20, 2013 · 2 Comments

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

October 17, 2013 · 4 Comments