The rise in fuel costs is finally forcing people to get creative with their alternative fuel ideas. Scientists have been warning that some day the cheap petroleum that fuels most nations would run out and alternatives would be necessary. However, most of us are wait-and-see personalities who do not react to such warnings until we have to. As gas prices threaten to hit $4 per gallon in the US, and are well past that in other nations, some of the most viable solutions are coming form The Little Men of industry. Check out the videos to follow and see what some of the alternatives to Big Oil that are right under your noses.

The majority of the home remedies for fuel shortages that are out there are for Diesel engines. Take a look at the FuelMeister and Bill Bolch from New England Biodiesel and what promises to be a .70 cents per gallon solution.

If you live in an area where Biodiesel cannot be found at any local filling stations (and that is most of us) there are a few vegetable oil alternatives are open to you. Two very specific options are to either get Scientific and build your own system or to purchase a ready-built system to convert used vegetable oil into biodiesel. Below you will find two videos that offer a glimpse at each of these alternatives.

The Little Industrialist… and the Understanding Mom

The Home Diesel Bio-Kit

VEGGIE-DIESEL’S PROVING GROUND
There have been a few tests from disbelievers that have made it onto your TV screen. Both Mythbusters and Top Gear have dedicated segments to testing whether used vegetable oil can fuel a non-modified diesel car. While parts of the episodes are pure entertainment, the process that they are testing the validity of is factual.
Jamie and Adam of Mythbusters concluded that the corn oil fuel “Myth” was “Busted” because at some point the free supply would dry up as the commodity’s demand rises. But as a low cost bridge between high priced diesel and lower cost biodiesel the veggie car is a winner. Check out the Mythbusters clip below to follow their process.

Now Jamie Clarkson of Top Gear is an automobile enthusiast and a BBC bafoon, which is part of his charm. An interesting point that came up in the Top Gear episode is that the production of home brewed fuel is taxable in the UK. In the US the law has been that you could produce and sell up to 10,000 gallons of biodiesel at home before the need to tax your fuel kicked in. Either way it is essential that you check your state, Federal and local laws before taking off on your veggie fueled adventure.

When you look deeper into the home brewing alternatives available for biodiesel you find that there are a number of viable solutions. At this point none of the solutions are posing any serious competition with one another (nor with Big Oil) and the science that drives them is free to anyone who wants to try them.

The introduction of any home brewed biodiesel into your vehicle is an automatic voiding of your warranty, so if you have a brand new diesel vehicle that is under warranty you may not want to make a test case out of it. However, there are still a number of used Volkswagen and older Mercedes diesels around that can be purchased at a very reasonable price. Just do not expect to break any land speed records with your unmodified Veggie Car.

If you are looking to pick yourself up a used large SUV to tote your family around now is definitely the time. The glut of SUV’s in the used market is a result of many owners swapping their $90 fuel fill-up for a sedan that fills for half the price. All those used SUV’s traded-in already are filling up used car lots as buyers walking in off the street are also looking for something more fuel efficient. So if you are sitting on a large SUV now and thinking of swapping it in for something more fuel efficient trading it in may not be the answer.

Most owners who go to a car dealership looking to trade their current ride in for something new usually come out shell-shocked when they learn what the dealership is willing to give them for their trade. Those choosing to turn in their SUV right now will certainly be finding their trade-in value far from what they had invisioned.

According to CNW Marketing Research and the AP SUV sales were down 14% in the month of March when compared to March of 2007. The darling SUV of the American Auto Industry no longer sparkles under the looming clouds of $4/gallon fuel prices. In the face of such a decline in value the only solution for many SUV owners looking to downsize may be to sell their vehicle themselves; a task many owners dread. Even diesel trucks are not immune to the declines in value.

According to a quote from the U.S.News magazine, “Anything diesel has dropped $5,000 in the past five months” as a result of the rising price of diesel. With biodiesel alternatives still far from prevelant in most areas of US diesel owners are left with diesel prices that average .50-.60 higher than the price of regular unleaded fuel. Unlike the ultra-efficient diesel cars that get 40-60 mpg like the new VW Jetta BlueDiesel, diesel trucks suffer the same fuel inefficiency as their gasoline powered twins.

As costs continue to climb the next question will be whether GM’s Green Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode Hybrid will suffer the same as the non-hybrid SUV’s? At 20-mpg in city driving the Tahoe Hybrid doubles the fuel mileage achieved by the non-hybrid alternative, but will 20-mpg stave the off the SUV value decline swarming the market. With a mark-up ranging from $10,000 to 15,000 and a starting price just shy $50,000 how many buyers are going to be willing to risk the aggressive depreciation that could befall their purchase?

Evisol is yet another Scandinavian company that is looking to provide EV solutions to the growing problem of global high fuel costs. Unlike like the Norwegian company TH!NK that is bringing cost effective budget rides to North America this Fall, the Netherlands based Evisol is dishing out a bit more wind-in-the-face fun with their all electric ThoRR roadster.

Inspired in design by the Lotus 7 roadster chassis the ThoRR roadster is what a primitive roadster is all about, except it derives its motive power from electric motors fueled by lithium batteries and not V8 engines fed on gasoline. The electric powered motors give the ThoRR a rather ominous, erie quiet as it propels down the road (as evidenced in the video that follows).

We use the term primitive because the ThoRR roadster does not have any of the refined attributes of cars today. The concept behind the ThoRR roadster is simplicity, but it is best described on the website itself:   “This concept stands for high performance through simplicity and light weight. Because of the absence of ABS, power assisted braking, power assisted steering, any form of sound absorption, even a roof and a windshield, only the basics of a car remain.” [ThoRR.eu]

That simplicity holds true when you look at the weight of the car and its maximum power output.

The ultra light ThoRR comes in at 755kg (1,665 lbs) total weight with the batteries taking up 280kg (551 lbs) of that total. The batteries contain enough juice under steady driving conditions to travel 200 km (124 miles), but under performance driving conditions that distance is cut to 140 km (86 miles). With that said and with a high output the equivalent of 272 hp and 332 ft lbs of torque, the ThoRR should be able to achieve a 0-to-60 in the 3 second range.

Evisol professes to a commitment to versatile electric transportation as a company philosophy as they seem committed to applying their ideas to both land and water. Their website marries two simple conclusions into one marketable solution:

Electricity = Versatility 
Transport = Versatility 
thus Electricity x Transport = Versatility Squared

The ThoRR roadster exemplifies that equation, to say the least.

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…That is the question that many people are asking. While design taste and preferences are truly a matter of preference, and to some design falls second or third to utility or performance, an appealing design will make or break a vehicle.

One modern day, non-hybrid design that exemplifies bad design and a sales flop is the Pontiac Aztec.

While picking on the Aztek at this time is a little off topic in that it is not a Hybrid it is still a prime example of what happens when design fails function. Although the car has been out of production for years Pontiac is still able to sell new Azteks from their stockpile of “New” cars that never sold. In 2007 they sold 25 Azteks.

The concern today turns toward the hybrid and ultra fuel sippers that are growing in demand as gas prices continue to climb. Europeans have been enduring high gas prices for decades and on a whole adjusted their shopping to what they could afford, smaller cars and diesels, a long time ago. After a solid 15 years of SUV mania in the states it is difficult to break those shopping habits along with the feelings of need for utility and safety associated to SUV’s. And believe me, the American auto industry was more than happy to sell those marked-up SUV’s to a thirsting populace. So much so that during that 15 year span of SUV mania cars nearly slipped off the radar in the design and board rooms. Now that another fuel crisis is upon us and new technologies are advancing the auto industry is having to rethink just what the Car will become. …And that in turn is leading to some interesting, odd and sometimes quirky autos.

Follow the Leap for analysis on 10 designs that represent the Hybrid-Electric-Fuel Efficient market.

The number one selling hybrid the past decade has been the Toyota Prius.

Not only is the Toyota Prius a winner on the sales floor, but for Toyota the car has the brand recognition that any company would crave. When you see a Prius, like it or not, you KNOW it is a Prius. It is the cream of the crop for the elite Green car shopper as it has received much recognition in Hollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio drives one himself. There is almost a level of Green Snobbery associated to the Prius. So why is everyone in America not driving a Prius?

Well, for starters, as with any polarizing design there are those that are magnetically drawn to is and those that are magnetically repulsed by it. To an automobile traditionalist the Prius may appear too funky for daily driving, despite its obvious fuel mileage benefits. It is not bad design, just polarizing.

Honda has put out a few hybrid designs.
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The Honda Insight was their first hybrid effort, and like the Prius the Insight was a polarizing design. However, for whatever reason, the market did not embrace the Insight – whether it was the two doors vs. four doors, power, appearance it just did not win over the market. Honda also attempted to convert already existing models in their line-up into hybrid variants. Both the Civic and the Accord came out in Hybrid form, but only the Civic remains available. The failure for the Honda Accord was that the fuel mileage barely rivaled the gasoline powered alternative and cost considerably more in hybrid form. The Civic is performing adequately, but still cannot compete with the Prius in sales.
Honda has a couple hybrid concepts that are working their way onto showroom floors in the future. The Honda CR-Z gives the “hybrid” look in its design and Honda hopes to win over some buyers.

General Motors is working diligently on an all Electric vehicle with their Volt Concept.

GM has put a lot of work-hours into keeping their launch date of 2010 for the Volt Concept. While the design shows signs that it is not your ordinary gas powered car, it still maintains a familiar shape that may attract the average car buyer. The Volt, in concept form, is a far less polarizing in appearance than many other hybrid or electric vehicles, and only time will tell if the car in its final form will reach an appreciative buying audience. What GM hoped would be the EV for the middle-class may turn out to be something a bit higher. The current outlook is that the MSRP for a Volt will be in the neighborhood of $40,000.

Another all electric vehicle receiving a lot of attention is the Tesla Roadster.

The Tesla roadster maintained a small, Lotus look to it that immediately appeals to a lot of roadster shoppers. However, at a price nearing $100,000 it is not a car that is aimed toward the middle-class, and that is okay. Not everything has to be for the average driver. The Tesla roadster at least exemplifies that not all hybrid, EV or ultra fuel efficient vehicles have to be quirky to garner attention.

One car that would garner attention with any motive source is the Fisker Karma.

Drawing on the inspiration of many Italian designs the Fisker Karma is a “Looker” to put it mildly. The all electric design brings a sense of elegance to the EV market, and with that elegance again comes a price. Reaching over the $100,000 price point the Fisker Karma is not likely to be found in a many of your neighbors garages. With the Fisker Karma a level of grace has been introduced into the EV market that was not there before.

When it comes to the TH!NK City EV, grace is not exactly its primary concern.

The TH!NK Citygives credence to the peculiar and could very well be the next Volkswagen Beetle if sales go right. No, not that Volkswagen is going to rebadge the Norwegian companies EV as a Beetle, but that its popularity could find an accepting market during a time of economic crunch and high fuel prices. At a sub-$20,000 price the TH!NK City may be the most attainable of the new EV’s and in 2009 we will get the chance to see. That is when the TH!NK City will enter the California market.

Volvo has its own little teaser for a Plug-in Hybrid based on their new C30 design.

The Volvo C30 came out in late 2007 and was influenced by a bit of history in regards to the large rear-hatch window. Otherwise the car is based on the S40 sedan that has been a pretty good design in sales for Volvo. It may not be the design that is holding back the sales of the C30, but more its price. At $28,000 buyers may be more tempted by the S40 sedan at the same price. A plug-in hybrid variant of the same car however may work to win over more curious shoppers, as long as the mark-up does not put it too far out of range. Either way the design of the C30 certainly draws attention.

Another car that certainly draws attention in small spurts is the Smart ForTwo

The Smart ForTwo could certainly classify as a micro-car and for some it may remind them of the Penny Racers of their youth. For some it is a standout design that attracts the right kind of attention to the growing market of small cars, and to others it is a micro death trap (perception, ofcourse). In buying a Smart ForTwo you are certainly enforcing the old adage that Less is More.

So in the analysis of a number of hybrid, EV and fuel efficient vehicles that are either currently available or soon to be have we answered the question at all? Do those automotive buzz words have to equate odd or bad design? As the new technologies of an EV or hydrogen age develop they will certainly alter the way we drive and the way we look at cars. Designs like the Prius and the Smart ForTwo do put a curious face on fuel efficiency and draw a lot of attention to the cause, but it may be designs like the GM Volt and the Fisker Karma that will work to convert the average shopper (given the right price) from their gas guzzling vehicles over to the land of electric motivation.

In celebration of 30 years BMW bestowed upon the M1 and the many fans who adore it a gift in orange and alloy. What you are looking at above is not a mere rendition of what a redesign of the M1 would look like, as animated as it appears to be. It is a physical reality that may be more study than reality, but truly does capture the spirit that drove the two preceding designs.

The new M1 concept car was received by those attending the Concorso d’Eleganza at Vista d’Este this weekend, where you will see in the photos of the gallery that it was joined by its 2 brothers. While what we see here may be just a concept it does reinforce the knowledge there are still people around today who can produce superlative designs such as this. To anyone’s knowledge thus far the 30 year anniversary M1 concept is merely a shell as no hint of a motive source or interior contents were exposed as its single outing.

Rekindling the knife’s-edge sharpness of the two prior designs tip of the hood the new M1 begins just as all others, with the two kidney shaped grill bookended by sinister headlamps. The contours of the body reflect well on the Giugiaro-designed M1 that followed up on the original M1 designed by Paul Bracq. The tribute follows suit from front to rear concluding with the louvered rear window and the dual BMW badging over-top of the rear break lamps.

Take a look at the gallery after the leap and join BMW in celebrating 30 years of M1 design.

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Ford has announced a milestone as they have now built their 9 millionth Ford Mustang. It is a tremendous achievement for the once smaller pony car that was built to target a market that was eager for an some affordable sporty coupe. The record setting car was a GT Convertible that is on its way to a dealership in Iowa.

The Ford Mustang was introduced at the World’s Fair on April 17th, 1964. Just a week ago Ford quietly celebrated the Mustangs 44th Anniversary. In its first day of sales Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs nationwide; 419,000 in the first 12 months. By its second year of production there had been 2 million of the famous Pony car sold. After those record setting years things slowed down just a bit as it took another 42 years to make it to 9 million cars built.

The retro-influenced redesign that was released to showrooms in 2005 has also helped to revitalizes the Mustangs sales figures, as it has been the most popular selling model since those glory days in the 60′s. This years 2008 models will come with a couple firsts as far as features go for the Ford Mustang. An optional Glass Roof will be available for the first time ever in a Mustang, and the Warriors in Pink Package will be used to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organizations search for a cure to breast cancer.

The Mustang is Ford’s longest running nameplate and in part due to strategic designs and market savvy pricing the only Pony car not to cease production is sure to continue for many years to come.

Source[Ford]

(TH!NK CEO Jan-Olaf Willums and Design Manager Kathinka Von der Lippe)

TH!NK, a Norwegian electric car producer, is ready to give America their first taste of an affordable, mass-produced, all-electric vehicle in 2009 thanks to a partnership with Green-leaning investors Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers (http://www.kpcb.com) and RockPort Capital Partners. While TH!NK has been producing EV’s for the Scandanavian roads for a number of years now and has enjoyed other partnerships, including a stint with Ford, this will be their first forray in North America.

The first car of their three current designs that will be sold by TH!NK North America will be the TH!NK City. To start out the company will focus its sales in California, but if the car sales go as expected there will be more states to come we can imagine. The TH!NK City is built from materials that make it 95% recyclable and has a range of 110 miles and reaches a top speed of 65 mph. There are two battery options available to the TH!NK City buyer: lithium or sodium.

As with the all electric car system Project Better Place that is taking place in Isreal, the owner of a TH!NK car will pay a maintenance fee for the batteries used in their cars. In exchange TH!NK will assume all responsibility associated with their battery packs, including swapping them for new batteries if necessary. The fee also covers the body panels of the car; which they describe as dent resistent and rust proof. The proper support and gentle aging that takes place over the cars lifetime is one of the reasons TH!NK believes their cars will retain a high resale value over time. 
…Photo Galleries to follow…

Ofcourse the first thing most observers will note about the TH!NK City will be its deminutive size. In the eyes of many road tested American’s who are quite conditioned to equate vehicle size with safety the TH!NK City, much like the Smart ForTwo, is too small and presumably unsafe. However, the TH!NK City was engineered with both the European and US safety standards in mind. With impact crumple zones, steel reinforced doors, air bags and a stiff passenger compartment it seems that safety has been on the minds of the designers from step 1.

What came before safety was the intention to provide its buyers with a Green car that produces zero emissions beyond those incurred by the local electricity provider. Those areas receiving power via wind or solar energy would give the drivers of a TH!NK vehicle the peace of mind that they are producing zero carbon emissions from their daily excursions. Another freedom enjoyed by a TH!NK City driver would be in passing all those gas stations with their per gallon prices of nearly $4.

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As fuel prices approach critical highs the the introduction of all electric vehicles such as the TH!NK City are arriving at just the right time. If given the proper price point on the North American market such electric vehicles have the opportunity of becoming a primary commute transport for many. That is if enough consumers have grown weary of their increasing fuel expenditures and are ready to embrace the new breed of cars that are coming out.

While the concept of electric vehicles may seem new to some, TH!NK has been in business for 17 years producing electric vehicles. The new TH!NK City is the 5th generation electrical vehicle to come from the Norwegian company. So do not mistake TH!NK North America’s efforts as some brash start-up looking to capitalize. While they may be able to capitalize on a market thirsty for mobil alternatives, TH!NK knows its best means of thriving will be to provide a product that meets the rigors and requirements the market demands.

A potential second vehicle that may follow a successful debut by the TH!NK City would be the 4-door TH!NK Ox. At first glance it appears that the TH!NK Ox offers styling cues remenicent to the Toyota Prius and even Honda’s latest hybrid concept. The major distinguishing characteristic between the TH!NK Ox and its hybrid driven bretheran is ofcourse that the TH!NK is ALL battery.

There are also particular advances destined to solidify the TH!NK Ox as an industry leader. The TH!NK Ox is highly connected, featuring real time navigation, web, e-mail and open source interfaces, intelligent and sustainable driving and route calculations. It also comes equipped with a solar panel strip across the roof of the car aimed to keep the cockpit a steady temperature even while the car is turned off.  The TH!NK Ox will come in market driven variations including Taxi service, passenger car and even a sporty-coupe with special Lithium batteries targeted toward performance driving.

TH!NK Ox
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TH!NK North America looks to be a force to reckon with not only for the Green-minded people of California and Scandanavia, but for drivers in all parts of the world. While that may seem like a bit of hyperbole to some it may be an inevitable future as fuel and other energy costs continue to spiral beyond out control and drivers scramble for cost efficient alternatives. If sales are not as strong coming out of the gate maybe TH!NK should consider a partnership with Smart USA. They could build an all electric TH!NK-Smart-Too.

Source[TH!NK.no, MSNBC]

Mega Mover dump trucks have been used in open pit mining as a means to save money; larger trucks require fewer trips with larger loads and reduced fuel costs. As fuel prices continue to climb GE (General Electric), with additional funding from the US Department of Energy, has been working to include hybrid technology in these mega movers. As many of the huge mining trucks already have diesel generators and electric motors as their motive power adding regeneration technology and rugged battery packs would seem the only hurdle.

Testing of the hybrid system has already been conducted and the project to date has had favorable results. Tim Richter, from GE’s Hybrid Systems division, indicated in his blog about the Off-Highway Vehicle, mega dump truck test that the next step is to determine how to best utilize the batteries of stored energy and to determine the length of service that can be expected from the batteries.

As the regenerative breaking electricity is stored in the batteries of the vehicle determining the best application for the energy during operation will be the next objective. Whether the power is reserved for increased boost for powering the truck up steep grades or for increased torque from a standing start, or both, will require more testing.

They will also need to test the types of batteries available under the harsh conditions found in open pit mining. Effects from the jostling along rough terrain, the impact of loads dumped into the working truck, and the dust and mud that can be found under mining conditions will all require further research.

The costs related to a hybrid system are always a concern, but with fuel prices ever increasing the fuel savings found in hybrid vehicles is gaining favor. What the exact savings will be with the hybrid system in these mega trucks is not specified. The Chevy Tahoe 3-Mode Hybrid System resulted in a 50% increase in fuel mileage and earned it the 2007 Green Car of the Year award at the LA Auto Show. GE’s target output and fuel savings for the hybrid project is not mentioned, but if they can achieve a similar result it would seem a safe bet that the technology will be implemented with haste to help battle the costs of rising fuel.

Source[GE Global Research Blog via EcoGeek]

A lot of car fans and Camaro lovers are chomping at the bit to get a taste of the new Camaro slated to be released as a 2010 model. The above video is a mere teaser of the look and sound that will be the new Camaro. For many, all the sneak-peeks and video have been magnificent teasers for a crowd already percolating with interest.

Well if you thought the above video was of any interest you will want to take the leap over to the Camaro5forum for a longer version of the same test run, but without the dialogue. During the linked video you will get a clearer impression of the V8 rumble that Chevy has in store for their Camaro faithful. It is truly a note that would catch the ear of any muscle car aficionado.

One less fortunate note during the video was watching the Camaro get buzzed by a very swift Porsche. You will also catch a glimpse of a Pontiac G8 GT testing on the same track of the Camaro.

Source[Camaro5via Jalopnik]

It has been a long standing opinion and practice around the globe, but particularly in China, that duplication, adaptation, and down-right replication of designs and other intellectual properties should be expected and considered the sincerest form of flattery. In the 1980′s there was a common saying or belief that the Japanese took the ideas of others and made them better; improved upon them; applied thought and further advanced the technologies of that time. The biggest problem with the Chinese replication of the automobiles of others is that they do not seem to put any thought into it.

The only information provided for what the Beijing Automotive group is calling the B40 (thus the Jeep clone above) is that it has a gasoline fueled engine. Whether it carries the same off-road capabilities as its Trail Rated genetic source is another question.

Beijing Automotive, formerly known as Beijing Jeep, does have a partnership agreement with Chrysler, but the question of how far that partnership goes still lingers. Does their partnership license the replication of the Jeep brand or Wrangler design? With practically zero copyright protection for intellectual property in China there is little that Chrysler is going to do to stop it. Chrysler would more than likely opt to preserve their partnership link to the expanding automotive market that is China than to lose it over some silly copy-cat complaints.

Check out the photo gallery after the leap and see just how adept China has become at breaking out the clone-stamp and serving of a piece of someone else’s pie.

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