Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category

So we have a hybrid commuter cars, buses, trains, toilets, and everything in between, but what about the commercial vehicles that move goods and deliver services across the country? 

Peterbilt annouced back in 2007 about their new line of hybrid commercial trucks. Walmart has decided to start introducing these trucks into their fleet. Which for those who enjoy a little bit of trivia, is the second largest privately owned truck fleet in the nation. What I don’t get is this: I’m glad that Peterbilt decided to start greening up, but do these trucks really offer any real environmental savings?

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Well here is quite an intelligent statement made by one of the most powerful men in the automobile industry. According to a DMagazine article, Lutz sat down for a closed-door session with several journalists. During the time his topics ranged from blasting Toyota’s Prius, to stomping on the global warming debate.

“It makes no economic sense”, he said, speaking of the hybrids coming from Toyota, specifically the Prius. He says that the price will never come down making it more available. Well Mr. Lutz, I don’t believe the Prius was meant to be as much of an economic success as it was an environmental success. Its hard to argue about a hybrid platform that has been tested and lasted as long as the Prius. We all knew going into the Prius that it wasnt the cheapest car on the block, but it was more about the doors it opened for technology and the environment.

But with that said, I digress to Bob’s next memorable quote, Read the rest of this entry »

Detroit over the past few years has been on a Jurassic Park style mission to revive the late 60′s. Ford has reinvented the Mustang, Dodge has the Challenger, so it is only right that Chevy bring back the Camaro.

Since its departure a few years ago many have thought there was a hole missing from Chevrolet’s line-up. Sure they still had the Corvette, but the Camaro was just as iconic. With Chevy playing Dr. Frankenstein, the Camaro is getting a new shot at life.

There are slated to be a couple of engine choices. There will be a 6 cyl version to act as an entry level option and of course a high output V8 for those baby boomers with a little extra disposable income. BUT WAIT, could it be? News has floated around that Chevy may include a version of its two-mode hybrid motor currently found in the new Tahoe and Escalade hybrids.

Why not? Ford and Dodge seem stuck in the 60′s and this would be a huge leap for the Big 3 of Detroit. We are in the 21st century and engineers at Chevy realize that the new Camaro fits the profile of a vehicle who could use their new hybrid drive-train. Also accorinding to GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, Jr., they plan on releasing a new hybrid every three months for the next 4 years. WIth new techonologies such as their hybrid system, ethanol, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, GM is positioning itself to be the worlds leading producer of gasoline-electric hybrid vehilces by 2012.

Could the new Camaro be a step forward for Detroit or will the Big 3 sluff it off and slowly become the next passenger pidgeon?

Could it be? An unlimited source of energy from a substance that is definately not in limited supply and renews itself. Well according to retired TV-station owner and broadcast engineer John Kanzius, its a real possibility. Many have seen a you-tube video where a test tube of salt water is battered by radio waves, self ignites and powers a small sterling engine.

So can it be, a solution to man-kind’s ever growing energy problem? Mr. Kanzius stumbled upon this quite remarkable find while doing cancer research. He was experimenting with metallic nanoparticles with a special coating that helped them target specific kinds of cells. They were then bombarded with radio waves causing them to superheat and kill the cancer cells. With the particles suspened in a salt water solution they unexpectedly ignited. Somehow the water was breaking down into its primary elements, hydrogen and oxygen. He also reported that the energy released was greater than which was used to create the radio waves.

Click to read the rest of the story and view the You-Tube video:

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So I’ve been mulling it over recently about all the buzz surrounding Hydrogen as a viable alternative fuel. Many say that Hydrogen won’t make it because there is no infrastructure to support it. I honestly believe that a government sponsored intiative to solve this problem would be that hard. To devote some serious federal minds and money towards this “global energy crisis”. Its amazing how much money the government wastes on things such as the steriod scandal in major league baseball or giving $10 billion back to tax payers in the form of tax refund checks. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll take my check but honestly do they believe that it will affect a slowing economy?

 Hydrogen is the most abundent element in the universe, so why would we not develop a system of integrating it into our lives? Australia has had great success with solar hydrogen production. The use special tiles made of Titanium Oxide that has the ability to spit apart the water atom into oxygen and hydrogen simply by harvesting sun light:

It would be the cheapest, cleanest and most abundant energy source ever developed: the main by-products would be oxygen and water. Rooftop panels placed on 1.6 million houses, for example, could supply Australia’s entire energy needs.

This coming from the University of New South Wales in August of 2004. Click here to read the rest of the article. This of course would spell bad news for the auto industry in its current state. The laughable goals set by our government of 35 mpg for passenger cars and light truck fleets by 2019 are absurd. 2019?! Even with the current set of technology 35 mpg should be easy no less by 2019. Why doesn’t the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee try setting some goals that actually mean something.

The money and the man power are there to implement some real change. Its just a question of when will something actually happen. The opportunity is there for hydrogen as a very real energy source, but it will take steps by our government to actually instigate any real revolution.