RideLust

Based out of West Philadelphia high school, the West Philly Hybrid X Team is making headlines for their impressive engineering ability in the creation of the K-1 Attack hybrid supercar. Designed and produced entirely within the walls of West Philadelphia High School’s Automotive Academy, the student-built K-1 Attack is an impressive demonstration in alternatively-fueled performance.

Equally impressive is the group itself, founded in 1998 by physics and math teacher, Simon Hauger, and responsible for giving inner-city students a valuable opportunity they otherwise might not have been afforded. In addition to offering a chance for West Philly students to demonstrate a mental acumen far beyond their years, the Philly Hybrid X Team also provides a unique preparatory course for a career in the automotive industry. Charged (no pun intended) with designing and executing an 100-mpg automobile, the Philly Hybrid X Team is vying for the prestigious Progressive Automotive X Prize and, despite the odds, are considered a Top 10 contender.

Hit the jump to check out exclusive video footage of the Hybrid X team, and the K-1 Attack, in action. Read More…

Baard Eker, designer and 49 percent owner of Koenigsegg, spoke briefly about the future of the brand Born From Jets. “Saab has to refine their quality level, their soul and spirit and we believe that this is something we can help with. The most interesting thing is that GM thinks the same.” You think, GM? I guess the existing 10-year product life cycles just weren’t cutting the mustard. But what does the future hold?

Read More…

Green motor oil. Green as in environmentally friendly. You knew this one was coming. It’s not a bad thing, really, and by that I mean it won’t be a bad thing when it’s well established and reliable. But for right now… Well, I’m not so sure I want to pour a few quarts in any of my vehicles.

Say goodbye to lubrication via pulverized tyranasaur and hello to lubrication via bovine fat.

Read More…

Which one would you rather see with a Turbo-Diesel powerplant?

am-biv-a-lence
-noun
1. Psychology. the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions.

Lamborghini is taking its own steps to save the environment through the kissing of environmentalist-ass!

Like most companies, the Italian manufacturer finds itself under pressure to make-nice and reduce C02 emissions and increase the fuel-efficiency of their cars. Though Lamborghini is technically exempt from the harshest wave of Emission Laws in the European Union per a clause pertaining to “manufacturers of ‘specialty’ vehicles (with fewer than 10,000 new cars made per year) who run their own production facilities and design centres, even though they are part of a group of associated producers,” Lamborghini nonetheless is doing their part to at least look like they care.

In a new press release, Lamborghini details their plans to clean-up their factories by attaching solar panels to the roofs of their plants, really a smart move considering factories make up the portly midsection of those Pollution Pie Charts.

But their plans involve the possibility of Lamborghini Hybrids as well. Read More…

Don't hold your breath.

Volvo has issued a press release laying vague claim to an upcoming series of plug-in diesel hybrids (PHEV “DRIVe” in Volvo’s “Bork Bork” corporate marketing lingo) that will maybe, sort of, probably be coming in 2012 (give or take a decade). We hear lots of elaborate claims by automakers about their upcoming products, and we’re not doubting that Volvo CAN make these hybrid cars … we’ll just believe it when we see it.

Read More…

If you fancy a lift, bring coal and lithium-ion batteries!

You’ve seen steampunk laptops, steampunk guitars, steampunk iPods, pretty much everything under the sun. But how many steampunk vehicles have you seen outside of Howl’s Moving Castle? Slap on your goggles, work up a head of steam, and take a gander at these 10 steampunk vehicles, ranging from modestly altered to completely bespoke.

Read More…

The Mosler MT900 GTR XX Twin Turbo by IAD. Got that?

A company that lives up to its moniker, Intense Auto Design has crafted a frighteningly purposeful version of the MT900 GTR XX to attack the production top speed record currently held by the SSC Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo. Some of you might remember Mosler as evil genius who created the Consulier, a car so ugly that the ugly stick would cross the street rather than beat its offensive sheetmetal.

Read More…

E10, 10% ethanol, on sale in the US.

A group of ethanol industry representatives has requested that the EPA approve a gasoline blend that increases the ethanol content, up to a possible 15%. This new blend could be called E15, although a lower percentage could be approved. What does this mean for your warranty?

Read More…

Watkins Glen, famous former home of the US Grand Prix, hosted the 4th annual Green Grand Prix, a race that focuses on (obviously) green car categories. Darin Cosgrove of MetroMPG took the prize in his category and also achieved a whopping 99.7 MPG in his heavily modified roller skate Pontiac Firefly, a clone of the Geo Metro and Suzuki Swifts you know from having a crush on a cheerleader in high school who had one. While hypermiling is not for everyone, it’s cool to see someone literally double the mileage of the best factory-spec car, the new Toyota Prius.

Read More…

Apparently bound and determined to make this break-up as nasty as possible, Ford has delivered one last parting shot to soon-to-be former subsidiary, Volvo, in the form of the new Ford Focus X Road. Unveiled this week at the 2009 AutoRAI in Amsterdam, the Ford Focus X Road is expected to hit dealer lots in the Netherlands in mid-summer 2009 as a blatant design rip-off of the Volvo XC70. Fortunately, as Ford is wont to do, the similarities between the Focus X Road and the XC70 are largely aesthetic, and although the Focus X Road appears to be an off-road ready wagon, it’s basically just a grocery getter with a suspension lift. Dubbed a “soft roader,” the Focus X Road features the same FWD layout as the standard Focus, but the ride height has been lifted to simulate an AWD all-terrain wagon – but wait, it gets even more mundane! Catering to the biofuel-savvy crowd, Ford saw fit to engineer the Focus X Road’s 125-hp 1.8L 4-cylinder engine to run off of either standard gasoline or enviro-friendly monkey piss E85, both of which are expected to yield excellent gas mileage. Read More…