The Institute has studied the underride crash problem for more than 30 years, including mid-1970s crash tests demonstrating how then-current guards were ineffective in preventing underride (see Status Report, March 29, 1977; on the web at iihs.org). Federal rules put in place in 1953 required interstate carriers to have rear underride guards meeting speci? cations for ground clearance, setback, and width, but not strength, energy absorption, or attachment methods.

The National Highway Safety Bureau, predecessor to the National Highway Traf? c Safety Administration (NHTSA), indicated in 1967 that it would develop a new standard, but the agency abandoned the effort in 1971 even though the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that energy-absorbing underride and override barriers on trucks, trailers, and buses be required. In 1977 the Institute demonstrated that a 30 mph crash of a Chevrolet Chevette into a tractor-trailer with a rear guard meeting the US rule resulted in severe damage to the car’s occupant compartment.

The Institute petitioned NHTSA for a new standard. It took the agency nearly 20 years to publish new rules. The upgrade took effect in 1998 and resulted in lower and wider underride guards under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 224. Another standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 223, introduced quasi-static test requirements specifying minimum levels of strength and energy absorption (see Status Report, March 2, 1996). The standards cover new trailers but exempt many types of heavy trucks used in everyday commerce including straight trucks, wheels-back trucks, and special purpose trucks. The result is that the majority of trucks on the road aren’t subject to underride rules.

Meanwhile, the passenger vehicle ?eet has changed dramatically since NHTSA wrote the standards. Regulators then were concerned that “overly rigid guards could result in passenger compartment forces that would increase the risk of occupant injuries even in the absence of underride.” The agency also recognized the need for balancing energy absorption with guard strength because “the more the guard yields, the farther the colliding vehicle travels and the greater likelihood of passenger compartment intrusion.”

The Institute’s latest analysis indicates that guards too weak to adequately mitigate underride are a bigger problem than overly stiff guards.

According to this video (and news to me but not really news) is that some stations (Speedway?) have installed “Gas Pump TV” – to entertain and advertise to customers while they fill their tank.

Besides being a nuisance, could it be a distraction at a time when you should be paying attention to the fact that you are pumping gallons of a highly flammable liquid into one of the most expensive things you own that also may be occupied by a few friends and family members sitting inside at the same time.

I’m wondering if anyone else has seen similar systems, if so where?

Federal employees will not be allowed to text while driving, according to an executive order signed Wednesday night by President Obama.

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray H. LaHood on Thursday announced the measures aimed at curbing what he called a deadly epidemic of distracted driving.

The order covers federal employees when they are using government-provided cars or cellphones and when they are using their own phones and cars to conduct government business.

Separately, the federal government plans to ban text messaging by bus drivers and truckers who travel across state lines, and may also preclude them from using cellphones while driving, except in emergencies.

Tragically, distracted driving claims thousands of lives each year. Texting is becoming more and more popular with both teens and adults, and many of those teens who grew up texting are now getting behind the wheel as inexperienced – and distracted – drivers.  

Last year, 5,870 people died and 515,000 were injured nationally in crashes linked to distracted driving – often due to the increasing number of drivers who juggle cell phones, BlackBerries, and other gadgets.

Drivers who talk on cell phones are four times as likely to crash, regardless of whether they’re using a hands-free device, studies show. In fact, a yakking driver is just as much a road hazard as one who is legally drunk. Texting poses even greater risks, since motorists have to take their eyes off the road.

It’s not just cell phones and text messages. The availability and variety of in-car gadgets continues to grow, and with it the potential for distracting drivers long enough to reduce reaction time and rob drivers of that critical second or two that could mean the difference between accident avoidance or tragedy.

From Yahoo News/AP

Compared to overall carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, the pollution savings from cash for clunkers do not noticeably move the fuel gauge. Environmental experts say the program — conceived primarily to stimulate the economy and jump-start the auto industry — is not an effective way to attack climate change.

“As a carbon dioxide policy, this is a terribly wasteful thing to do,” said Henry Jacoby, a professor of management and co-director of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change at MIT. “The amount of carbon you are saving per federal expenditure is very, very small.”

…

Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, who examined the clunkers program in an academic journal, said there are far better ways to cut energy use and greenhouse gases.

“It’s not that it’s a bad idea; just don’t sell it as a cost-effective energy savings method,” he said. “From an economic standpoint it seems to be a roaring success. From an environment and energy perspective, it’s not where you would put your first dollar.”

Details on how you can do this are online at:

http://www.fuelclinic.com/index.cfm/page/vencorps

Thank you! 

In the part of the glass that’s half full - we had over 600 people read and consider our idea at that site. We had a good percentage of them decide to vote to support the idea. For a few days we were the “most active idea” at their site, and for much of the week we were featured on their homepage. We gathered valuable feedback and comments, and this competition helped us focus on some core principles for FuelClinic.com – that may have ultimately been the biggest win so far.

Thank you so much to those friends and supporters who took the time to vote. It is personally very rewarding that this idea reaches out to so many.

You remember Flight 1549, of course — that was the Airbus A320, that took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport and then landed unexpectedly (if fortuitously) in the Hudson River. After the aircraft was recovered from the drink, it was hauled to the Garden State on a barge. And after it was removed from the barge, it was partially disassembled and transported by truck through the narrow streets of  East Rutherford, NJ – a town best known as the home of the Meadowlands sports arena complex.

More Photos after the break… Click “Read More”

Since the accident last month, the airplane had been stationed at a barge in Jersey City, after being plucked from the icy Hudson River. Moving to a more permanent home, the jet was transported via a police motorcade and flat-bed truck to its long-term resting place in Harrison.

“It was moved to a salvage facility for storage and further evaluation,” said Ted Lopatkiewicz, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is in charge of the investigation. “Up until now, it was sitting on a barge.”

BlueMotionTechnologies bundles Volkswagen’s best environmental technologies of today to fulfill the automotive aspirations of tomorrow. These are developments such as the new start-stop system and energy recovery by regenerative braking, electric drives and hybrid systems as well as clever drive systems like the one in the new TSI EcoFuel. To the point: its aim is no less than to bring the cleanest and most economical cars to the streets.

Today, BlueMotionTechnologies are already being launched on the market in three extremely fuel efficient and clean Passat versions: BlueMotion with fuel consumption under 5 liters, EU-6 conformance in the BlueTDI, and the TSI EcoFuel that emits just 119 g/km CO2. Consider these examples:

Passat BlueMotion:
Here a common rail TDI (81 kW/110 PS) provides for 4.9 liter fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of just 128 g/km. The Passat BlueMotion has a Start-Stop system and conforms to limits of the Euro-5 emissions standard. Its range of over 1,400 kilometers on one tank of fuel is a minor sensation – travelers starting out in Berlin will not be looking for a gas station until shortly before Rome. Naturally, the Passat BlueMotion will also be available as a wagon.

Passat BlueTDI:
Its 105-kW diesel is ahead of its times; that is because Volkswagen is introducing the first TDI to conform to limits of the Euro-6 emissions standard that does not take effect until 2014. Aboard the Passat BlueTDI, a SCR catalytic converter reduces nitrogen oxides to less than 80 mg/km. Fuel economy of the sedan shifted by a 6-speed gearbox: 5.2 liter/100-km (CO2 emissions: 137 g/km). Further options: the “BlueTDI” will also be available as a wagon, and it will be available with a 6-speed DSG.

Passat TSI EcoFuel:
The Passat TSI EcoFuel is ushering in a new era of cars powered by natural gas. Until now, one of the drawbacks of cars powered by natural gas is that their performance can be rather unexciting. Thanks to its 110 kW strong high-tech engine, the Passat TSI EcoFuel combines a maximum speed of 210 km/h with excellent fuel economy and finally puts an end to these limitations. The car accelerates to 100 km/h in just 9.7 seconds. Despite its great agility, the world’s first turbocharged and supercharged direct-injection engine configured for natural gas operation is satisfied with just 4.4 kilograms of natural gas, which is about € 4.25 per 100 kilometers. With a 7-speed DSG, the Passat breaks the magic CO2 limit of 120 g/km in this class (6-speed transmission: 4.5 kg/100-km and 123 g/km CO2). If the natural gas on board should run low before the next fill-up station, the engine controller switches over to gasoline mode. The car has a total range of more than 900 kilometers.

Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid. Because the future of the automobile – and BlueMotionTechnologies as well – offers more than just one answer, in parallel Volkswagen is presenting a prototype of the future Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid (333 PS / under 9.0 l/100 km). This car will enter production in 2010 as the world’s first hybrid SUV to have 3.5 metric ton towing capacity. Volkswagen is introducing one of the highest performance parallel hybrid systems in the world in this SUV. The German carmaker is utilizing a high-tech alliance of a V6 TSI (245 kW) boosted by supercharger and an electric motor (38 kW). Up to a speed of 50 km/h, the Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid can be driven by just the electric motor. In this case, no emissions are generated.

System surpasses gasoline efficiency, reaches near-diesel levels and reduces operational costs compared to current fuels

Ricardo today revealed the development of technology that optimizes ethanol-fuelled engines to a level of performance that exceeds gasoline engine efficiency and approaches levels previously reached only by diesel engines. The technology, called Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection or EBDI, takes full advantage of ethanol’s best properties – higher octane and higher heat of vaporization – to create a truly renewable fuel scenario that is independent of the cost of oil.  Work on this research project has been carried out at the Detroit Technology Campus of Ricardo Inc.

“Developing renewable energy applications that can lead to energy independence is a top priority at Ricardo,” said Ricardo Inc President Dean Harlow.  “We’ve moved past theoretical discussion and are busy applying renewable energy technology to the real world.  The EBDI engine project is a great example because it turns the gasoline-ethanol equation upside down.  It has the performance of a diesel at the cost of a gasoline engine, and runs on ethanol, gasoline, or a blend of both.“

EBDI solves many of the challenges faced by flex-fuel engines because it is optimized for both alternative fuels and gasoline.  Current flex-fuel engines pay a fuel economy penalty of about 30 percent compared to gasoline when operated on ethanol blends such as E85.  The EBDI engine substantially improves ethanol’s efficiency, and performs at a level comparable to a diesel engine.

“In real-world terms, these efficiencies mean that EBDI can reduce the actual cost of transportation when compared to fossil fuels, and it does it with a renewable resource – ethanol,”  said Rod Beazley, director of the Ricardo Inc Gasoline Product Group.  “The combination of technologies we’re applying to the EBDI engine make the most of ethanol’s advantages over other fuels, which include a higher octane rating and a higher heat of vaporization.  Without getting too technical, this means we can use a high level of turbocharging to achieve the high cylinder pressures that ethanol enables.  Add in some other advanced technologies such as direct injection, variable valve timing,  optimized ignition and advanced exhaust gas recirculation, and we’re squeezing out more power than is possible with gasoline.” 

The prototype EBDI is a 3.2-liter V6 engine that ultimately could serve as a replacement for a large gasoline or turbo-diesel engine in a large SUV. The first firing of the engine & initial development is currently taking place and will be installed into a dual-wheel pick-up truck demonstration vehicle later this year.  Beazley emphasized that the technology is very scalable.  Applications could reach far beyond the automotive and light-truck industry. “Imagine agricultural equipment that, in effect, burns what it harvests – corn, sugar cane or some other renewable substance.  It could mean tremendous cost savings across many industries.”  

The EBDI project represents a technical collaboration with Behr, Bosch, Delphi, Federal Mogul, GW Castings and Honeywell, to further the advancement and commercialization of this highly promising technology.
 
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Ricardo plc: With technical centres and offices in the UK, USA, Germany, the Czech Republic, China, Japan, India and Korea, Ricardo is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world’s transportation sector industries. The company’s engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell powertrain technologies. Its customers include the world’s major vehicle, engine and transmission manufacturers, tier 1 suppliers and leading motorsport teams. Ricardo is committed to excellence and industry leadership in people, technology and knowledge; approximately 70 per cent of its employees are highly qualified multi-disciplined professional engineers and technicians. A public company, Ricardo plc posted sales of £197.7 million in financial year 2008 and is a constituent of the FTSE techMark 100 index – a group of innovative technology companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.  For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.

A couple of quick thoughts…

• Early in the book he claims to have no political axe to grind. While he does hold politicians of both parties accountable for their energy-independence rhetoric, there is a certain venom lavished on the “neocons”, and no matter how hard he tries to hide it – his slip is showing, and it’s distracting.
• In the first chapter, Bryce sets the argument up in his favor, with a definition of “energy independence” strictly meaning a perfect 100% self-sufficient energy economy. With such a narrow definition (which rightly could be read into the sound-bite-sized political slogans from the past 30 years) Mr. Bryce sets the standard so high that any amount of energy dependence would prove his argument that independence is just not possible. His arguments (so far) are strong enough that he doesn’t need to frame the debate so rigidly from the start. I’m curious why he did.

I’ll have more in a few days.

There is also a time-lapse video of the salvage operation where you can watch the ice flow around the site as the crame slowly raises the plane from the deep.

11 More photos after the break… click “Read More”

The purpose of EATR is to develop and demonstrate an autonomous robotic platform able to perform long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for manual or conventional re-fueling – in other words it needs to “eat.”

According to researchers, the EATR system gets its energy by foraging, or what the firms describe as “engaging in biologically-inspired, organism-like, energy-harvesting behavior which is the equivalent of eating. It can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable.”

I can see it now: One day you walk out to start you car only to find this robot sucking your tank dry. “Sorry, I was hungry,” it says.”

While this is very interesting, even more interesting is the power-plant at the heart of this thing, the Cyclone.

In Phase I, Cyclone will build and deliver within six months the engine with a biomass combustion chamber for demonstration purposes. Cyclone believes that its radial six-cylinder, 16HP Waste Heat Engine (WHE) system is ideally suited for this application. In Phase II, Cyclone would build and deliver the biomass trimmer/gatherer and feeder system to work with its engine power source.

Cyclone likens its engine to a modern day steam engine, designed to achieve high thermal efficiencies “through a compact heat-regenerative process, and to run on virtually any fuel – including bio-diesels, syngas or solar – while emitting fewer greenhouse gases and irritating pollutants into the air.”

“Cyclone brings to this project one of the most advanced external combustion engine technologies we have seen,” stated Dr. Robert Finkelstein, President of RTI in a release. “In terms of power-to-size ratio, scalability and fuel flexibility, the Cyclone engine is ideal for a self-sustaining, autonomous intelligent robotic vehicle designed for unique military or civil applications.”

I’ll be baak.

A few years ago WordPress created a plug-in called Akismet, which is a “smart” spam filter. Many websites use it (not just WordPress sites), and Akismet learns from all the spam it collects – so it adjusts fairly quickly to new spammer techniques. It’s allows real visitor comments thru, and stops nearly all spam.

I mention this only because some people have asked why their comments aren’t immediately posted. I try to get to them as quickly as possible.

If you run a blog, and do not yet know about Akismet – do yourself a favor and read more about it here:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/akismet/