ELECTRICALLY FORCED INDUCTION
FORCING MORE air and fuel into the combustion process enhances power on demand, a great idea in these days of downsized engines for better mpg. Hitherto, forced induction has been … Continue reading
CARBON FIBER TIDBITS
CARBON FIBER’S time has come. This is not only in aerospace and high-end sports like Formula 1, but in automotive uses where material costs are typically figured in pennies rather … Continue reading
TALK TO ME, IRIS
WE’RE FAMILIAR (sometimes irritatingly so) with autonomous voices and their menu-based options. “Hello, your call is important to us,”—but apparently not enough to employ a real person. What’s more, whether … Continue reading
MAZDA MIATA AT QUARTER CENTURY
MAZDA IS celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Miata at the New York International Auto Show, taking place April 18 – 27, 2014. Given my personal involvement with Miatas, it’s … Continue reading
AN AUTONOMOUS CAR FUTURE
SCIENTISTS AT MIT, Stanford and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have explored implications of the driverless, autonomous car. Their paper, “Toward a Systematic Approach to the Design and … Continue reading
FIA FORMULA E—PLUGGED IN FOR 2014/2015
BERNARD NICLOT, Technical Director, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, spoke on February 11 at the SAE 2014 Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Symposium in La Jolla, California. His topic was “Growing Importance … Continue reading
QUICK CHARGE = QUICK DEGRADATION?
RECHARGE TIME is a major shortcoming of battery electric vehicles. As an all but impossible target, a conventional car’s fillup at the corner gasoline station takes perhaps five minutes. By … Continue reading
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
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
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
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