?As Efficient as a U-Haul? ? One Family?s Story of Moving By Bike

There are gradations of commitment among those who bike for transportation. On one end, you may have the occasional bike commuter. The person who uses other means when it rains, or it’s cold, or it’s dark. Then, at the other end of the spectrum, you have the Davis family from Davis, California. Moving by bike: the Davis [...]

Source: http://streetsblog.net/2010/11/12/as-efficient-as-a-u-haul-one-familys-story-of-moving-by-bike/

Heikki Kovalainen Mikko Kozarowitzky Willi Krakau Rudolf Krause Robert Kubica

Kyle Busch Says Emotions Aren't Keeping Him From Sprint Cup Title

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Don't blame the emotions of Kyle Busch for another year that saw the No. 18 Toyota fail to win the Sprint Cup championship.

That was the message the 25-year-old relayed Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, site of Sunday's second-to-last race of the 2010 season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"Whether or not (emotions are) the cause for me not being able to contend for a championship," Busch said, "I'd have to disagree 100 percent. I won a Nationwide Series championship last year as the same person I am."

The subject is timely for Busch. He was penalized two laps by NASCAR during last week's Sprint Cup race at Texas after displaying his middle finger towards a NASCAR official while he sat in the No. 18 on pit road. At the time, Busch was serving a one-lap penalty for speeding in the pits.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/12/kyle-busch-says-emotions-arent-keeping-him-from-sprint-cup-titl/

Dorino Serafini Chico Serra Doug Serrurier Johnny ServozGavin Tony Settember

Whitmarsh: F1 set for historic finale

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes Sunday's four-way Formula 1 world championship title decider could be one of the most exciting races in the history of the sport, after overseeing Lewis Hamilton to second on the grid in qualifying at Abu Dhabi.

Source: http://www.inracingnews.com/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/whitmarsh-f1-set-for-historic-finale/

Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire

IED students design their take on a future McLaren concept vehicle


British supercar maker McLaren and the Turin Instituto Europeo di Design recently collaborated on a project designed to give IED students the opportunity to create their own concept vehicle that could potentially find its way into the Woking production facility in 2020. The requirements for each designer was simple: design a hybrid, mid-engined four-wheel drive SUV that?s based on a McLaren chassis and has enough space to accommodate two people.

Each of the 33 participating designers had the opportunity to pick the minds of McLaren designers and engineers at the automaker?s headquarters. After completing their design proposals, McLaren and the IED went out and selected the 11 best designs that were put in the ?further development? category. In the end, three models stood out from the rest with the designs for these concepts getting the green light to be produced via a 1:4 scale model. The three concepts that made it this far include the Holon, the Bio Renovatio, and the Torok.

The collaboration between McLaren and the IED gave the school?s students the opportunity to work with an esteemed automaker like McLaren. The attention-to-detail required in this line of work was an eye-opening experience for all the designers.

?McLaren is known for its attention to design detail,? said IED director Cesar Mendoza. ?Everything is for a reason and that is what we wanted our teams to understand. Then, in order to heighten the quality of the final works presented, we chose virtual presentation, including animation, that enables us even to test the movements of the parts."

Check out the concepts in the photo gallery and let us know which one you like best. You can also have a look at a couple of videos after the jump featuring some of the concepts entered in the competition.

IED students design their take on a future McLaren concept vehicle originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 14 November 2010 06:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/ied-students-design-their-take-on-a-future-mclaren-concept-vehicle-ar99827.html

Danny Ongais Rikky von Opel Karl Oppitzhauser Fritz d Orey Arthur Owen

2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist achieves up to 37 mpg highway

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2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist
2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist technology - Click above for high-res image gallery

Think of this as a Buick LaCrosse Hybrid. General Motors' new eAssist technology employs a 115-volt lithium-ion battery and 15-kilowatt electric motor to increase fuel economy by 25 percent compared to today's four-cylinder LaCrosse. This means the Buick sedan will achieve an estimated 25/37 miles per gallon (city/highway).

2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssistDuring initial acceleration, the electric motor delivers 15 horsepower and 79 pound-feet of torque to get the LaCrosse moving. A torque-smoothing function is activated as the gasoline engine is turned on, and the eAssist system kicks back on during deceleration, using a fuel shut-off feature and regenerative braking, combined with a start/stop system for the 2.4-liter gasoline engine. At full tilt, the gas engine produces 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of twist to keep things moving along at speed, and is mated to GM's Hydra-Matic 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission.

Other modifications to the LaCrosse eAssist include improved underbody panels and an active front air-flow shutter to keep the sedan's coefficient of drag as low as possible. Inside, a revised instrument panel not only shows when the LaCrosse is operating in electric mode, but has an eco-meter for the driver to monitor how efficient his or her driving style is.

GM will be offering eAssist as standard equipment on all 2012 Buick LaCrosses equipped with the 2.4-liter four, and pricing is expected to begin around $30,000. Considering the LaCrosses's size, level of content and efficiency, it sounds like quite a bargain. Read the full details in GM's press release, after the jump.



[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist achieves up to 37 mpg highway

2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist achieves up to 37 mpg highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/15/2012-buick-lacrosse-eassist-achieves-up-to-37-m/

Aldo Gordini Horace Gould JeanMarc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi