Fuel Economy Tips

The car comes in a sporty design and available in six colors. It looks like it rides high, until you realize that it is much smaller than regular cars, even compared to Japanese sub-compact models. Without the body, it looks like a slightly large go-kart, and the body rides higher as well. It’s possible that further modification can convert this to an even smaller electric go-kart with better performance numbers. However, as it is, it does serve the purpose it was designed for.
Because the Pius comes in a kit, the prospective owners and students would not have any problem trouble-shooting the vehicle or modifying it. Contemporary electric car design has resulted in various permutations of engine and battery pack placement. More advanced electric cars also make use of electric motors, which harness the brake to generate energy. Additionally, most electric cars have electric engines running each of the wheels. Battery packs on higher performance electric cars are also placed in almost all nooks and crannies of the vehicle. The design makes the Pius one of the lightest commercially available electric cars. With a bare bones construction, it should be easy to create a second project for the Pius, extending its range and performance characteristics.

p

With the increasing popularity of electric cars and the resurgence in DIY automotive projects, it shouldn’t be surprising that these two trends would converge. Modi-Corp, Japanese company, has released a DIY (assemble) electric car kit. This is a small project car kit of a Japanese street legal car called a Pius. This is not to be confused with the Toyota Prius, which is a more expensive full-sized hybrid car.
For all intents and purposes, this is not your ordinary refurbished electric golf cart. Based on the specifications, the Pius is capable of a 35kph top speed. At top speed, the car would not run for longer than 45 minutes as it has a range of 25km, credits to a 1HP electric motor and a battery pack 36 V. The car itself weighs 440 lbs.. Admittedly, this is a very modest number, and it wouldn’t go a long way at being a serious car. In Japan, this single-seater is being sold as a motorized bicycle.
It may not look like it, but the Pius is a serious do-it-yourself project for school or universities as an instructional project to teach electric car concepts. This is a basic car design, with the motor in the rear. Battery packs are located above the frontage axle and beside the driver’s seat. The motor controller is placed top of the back motor/transaxle assembly.

The government of China is planning to pump and move in the subsidies and investments to boost China’s industry in green cars. China just did this so as to make itself even more sustainable and even more competitive in the field of green car industry. In account to this, China aims to sell over twenty million units by the year 2020. 
The State Council has presented this moth the blue print of generous subsidies to both green car producers and consumers. The imposition of such types of vehicles in this country aims to curb it over reliance on the use of imported oil.
In the same way, China has carefully plotted the sales of green cars in the country to reduce emissions and imprints of carbon in the environment. This also aims to speed up China’s restructuring in the auto sector to come up with environmentally sustainable models.
It was also added in the report that different core technologies in the country will take their toll investing on the said project of the China government. All of these will work altogether to build a stronger and more globally competitive industry for green cars.
It was reported recently that in a short-term period, China will focus in the production and designing of vehicles that make use of plug-in and electric hybrid vehicles along with the wider range of vehicles that come with engines that combust fuel in an energy-saving mode.
As a matter of fact, China authorities have planned to bring out and sell over five hundred thousand green vehicles by the year 2015. This is expected to increase ten times because the target green cars to be sold until 2020 is going to be a staggering five million units.
By the year 2020, the China government targets to come up with a production of two million plug-in and electric hybrid vehicles every year. This is going to be a very massive production of green cars for a single country, indeed and China is the only country with this kind of target.
China believes that with the use of such vehicles, consumers will be able to reduce fuel consumption by 6.9L for every one hundred kilometers by the year 2015. As for the energy-efficient vehicles, consumers are expected to reduce their consumption by 5.9L. By 2020, the target fuel consumption is going to be 5L for the passenger vehicles and 4.5L for cars, which are considered as energy-efficient.

According to testing, the C30 fairs as a more advantageous racing car compared to the S60 and with C30 consistently proving Volvo’s commitment to promoting environmentally friendly technology and with the 1.6D efficiency as well as the promotion of Flexifuel, the response has been phenomenal. The Volvo 1.6D Efficiency has moderate fuel consumption with low CO2 emission rate.
In a statement made by Crabb, he expressed Volvo’s hopes of creating a winning car for this year’s Green Race and their excitement to develop a new race car that is part of their collaboration with Polestar Racing. Crabb hopes that the new race car model will continue to reinforce their stellar performance in the STCC, a record that has been held with high esteem by Volvo executives. Crabb did not provide any new details about the make and specifications of the new green racer and proceeded by saying that Volvo will release more information about the new car when it is ready.
The development of faster and more fuel efficient cars equipped with Green technology marks the new direction for many car manufacturers. Although most of green developments are used in racing for now, innovative technological changes in the way engines emit harmful gasses are slowly making their way into mainstream automotive production.

The very known Volvo, a leading proponent in earth friendly automotive technology is set to create an innovative stake on race cars, which is based off the revolutionary C30 while continuing its development efforts with bioethanol and the green racing initiative. It is set to showcase their new model in the incoming STCC (the Swedish Touring Car Championship). Volvo Car Corporation has pledged its resources to a 3-year deal for C30.
Volvo representatives claim that the decision to go with a sleeker and faster car for this year’s green racing was quite easy. In house testing had shown that the C30 fared much better, even on standard prototypes compared to the previously developed S60 and was the driving force behind the decision to switch cars.
According to head of Powertrain at Volvo, Derek Crab, it was relatively easy to make the decision to change the race car for this year. The choice was based on excellent results from the STCC season and what it meant as a positive force on the Volvo brand. Derek in a recent appointment has been tasked to take charge of Volvo’s racing Department.

Another green technology that has becoming widespread all over the world is the Electronic car.  This technology gives the user zero emissions by using electricity as its source of power.
Ethanol is an alternative fuel used to power up cars. It is usually made from corn, sugar cane and other types of woody grasses. It is the same type of alcohol found on alcoholic beverages.
Another type of green technology is the Hydrogen car or the Hydrogen Fueled Cells. There have been some cars that are directly made by manufacturers as hydrogen cars and it is efficient with zero emissions.

Natural Gas made from clean burning fossils is also one of the alternative fuels developed in part of the green technology. It is usually in the form of liquid and sometimes in the form of a compressed gas. There is also the use of Biodiesel where you can use different organic oils.

Plug-in Hybrids is an efficient green technology. It is a technology where in your car can run for a mile using electricity alone in spite of the combination of gasoline engine and electric motor.
And one of the most promising of them all is the Air Powered cars. Wherein there is nothing used but compressed air. It is currently being tried and developed on the road on parts of Europe

Because of the alarming situation of our environment today, there have been a lot of green cars or green vehicles that has been developed in response to the need to protect the environment. There are manufactured cars that are really meant for the environment but you don’t need to worry about it. You can also customize your car and find green technologies that will help you transform your car to be environmental friendly.

There are different ways on how you could do this. But you will need to research first and read about it so that you can maximize the full potential of the technology. Make sure that the technology matches the model of your car so that there would be no problem when you upgrade it. In the same way, make sure that the alternative fuel that will replace gasoline is readily available in your location so that you will have no problem refueling.

Check out this information about different kinds of green technology and their alternative fuels and who knows you might be interested in customizing your car to help save the environment.
One of the most popular green technologies is the Hybrid, which is the combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Basically, this technology does not eliminate the use of gasoline but it lessens it. Hybrid cars require less gasoline but it is more efficient for it emits less gas emissions.

According to Jonathan Banks, Senior Analyst for NADA, hybrid vehicles  are always expected to depreciate after the surge in gas prices reaches its peak and falls back down. And this could mean a golden opportunity for car owners who are eyeing a fuel efficient or hybrid car. Now that most car owners are less concerned about the price of gas, the demand for hybrid vehicles are also expected to go down. And that leads to the decline in their average value for retail.

2011 Toyota Prius C Concept

According to the recent report from the National Automobile Dealers Association, the prices for hybrid, midsize and small cars will get cheaper by $300 to $900 in June. A good example is the 2009 Honda Civic that is expected to be $600 cheaper. A 2011 Toyota Prius is expected to cut $900 from its regular price. All of these predictions will take place in June.
The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report says that today’s fuel prices are 20 cents cheaper than the previous month. The average national fuel price for unleaded gasoline is $3.61 per gallon, which is a major change from the first quarters of the year wherein lots of analysts projected that gas prices would reach $4 per gallon at the very least.
However, Detroit News reported that there are less used vehicles in the market generally. In line with it, the prices for hybrid cars are still high. This conclusion is backed up with their details saying that between 2009 and 2011, fewer Americans bought new vehicles.  Last year’s demand for popular vehicles have also resulted to fewer vehicles that return to the market. There are fewer trade-ins too. So even if the demand goes low, the supply remains low. Car owners cannot just sleep and by a hybrid the next day.
To get the best car deals, car buyers are still recommended to look diligently in the websites of automobile authorities. Whether one is looking for a used or a brand new car, reading reviews will still be useful. Look for great car deals in your local area.
Now that the prices can go up with just a blink of an eye, it is important to note that these details remain as predictions. Who knows, the price of gas can again surge up by July and the prices for cars may follow quickly. This month could really be the best time to get a more efficient car.

Commendable Green Credentials
The Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost’s engine is a piece of excellence in the green car industry.  It perfectly blends superb refinement, inventiveness, and parsimony. Due to its small size, the engine can warm up in no time, while the three cylinders greatly cut down pumping losses as well as friction. Due to the unwillingness of the engine to stop, Ford has modified and enhanced its automatic stop-start system to effectively save fuel. On top of this, the direct fuel injections as well as the advanced turbo-charging system also contribute in reducing the engine’s thirst for fuel. The materials used in the sound insulation came from recycled cotton fibers. Not only that, recycled plastics also are partly used in manufacturing some of the heating pipes, battery housing, wheel arch liners, and carpets.
Exterior Style
Although some expert exterior tuners and designers are suggesting that the Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost looks better in bright colors, its over-all exterior design and appearance is acceptable in the green car industry. With its dimension of 4,359 mm by 1,868 (length by width), the air vents, which is tri-angular, in each side is a nice touch.
The Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost comes with a price tag of £17,745. Although it is not cheap compared to other green cars available in the market today, you will enjoy its central locking capability, wheels made from alloy, power steering, superb air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, electrically powered door mirrors and many more. This Ford is also covered by a three-year warranty or 60,000 mile warranty.

Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost: Ford’s Green Car Forte. Ford has released another ground breaking green car in the form of Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost. With the car’s 1-litre petrol Focus EcoBoost, it is capable to reach a near sixty mpg! Added by the touch of hybrid technology, the end results show inexpensive, no complication, and lesser weight. Overall, the Ford Focus Zetec EcoBoost’s engine undergoes a magnificent refinement, which leads to a game-changer in the green car industry.

Above Average Performance
The car’s sheer acceleration is very impressive. The astounding three-cylinder that is turbo charged 1-litre engine can yield up to 123 brake horsepower, at 6,000 rotations per minute. Also, the engine boasts its “overboost” function that can heighten the torque from 125 lbs ft to 148 lbs ft in just 25-30 seconds. This will guarantee its driver for a speedy overtaking ability. In addition, the engine top speed is recorded at 120 mph so you can reach the acceleration to 62 mph in just 11.3 seconds.