Pininfarina Ethos Green Sports Car

There was very little crossover between eco-friendly attributes and sports cars back in the early 1990s. Even so, there were major players exploring how performance and fun-to-drive characteristics could be incorporated into "greener" performance cars. Italy's Pininfarina, a major design firm and coachbuilder long associated with the likes of Ferrari and Maserati, was one such company. Pininfarina joined with others including GE Plastics, Orbital Engine, and Hydro Aluminum to show the way with the Ethos, a wonderfully stylish sports car equipped with materials and technologies that pointed the way to the future. This article, reprinted just as it ran in Green Car's September 1992 issue, discusses our experience with this car on the Mireval test track in France.

PININFARINA ETHOS SHOWS GREEN CAN BE SPORTY
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1992 The Pininfarina Ethos, an environmentally designed sports car introduced at this year's Turin Motor Show, was recently driven by Green Car at Goodyear's Mireval proving ground. Time spent behind the wheel at this Mediterranean test track proved the Ethos a concept both interesting and timely for the auto industry.

A combined project of Orbital Engine Co., Hydro Aluminum, General Electric Plastics, Pininfarina, and others, the Ethos is intended to be both technology demonstrator and sales tool. These companies hope that a fully functional Ethos will help cure the myopia that plagues auto executives by packaging far-sighted vision in an attractive package that can be built today. This is no mere exercise. Rather, it's an opportunity for an automaker to put its marque on the Ethos' easily recycled bodyflanks. Then, either Pininfarina or the automaker can begin producing copies in the short term.

Technologies that allow the Ethos to stake claim to the environmentally friendly title include an efficient three-cylinder Orbital two-stroke engine, a lightweight extruded aluminum frame, a recyclable thermoset plastic body, and water-based PPG paint. These, and other, features allow the car to use comparatively few resources in construction or operation and also make it easy to recycle.

Orbital claims its engine would meet the California ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) standard while still offering an impressive acceleration figure of 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds. The company also cites it would achieve a 35 percent improvement in fuel economy over a current vehicle equaling the Ethos' projected 1,450-pound weight. Bottom line is faster acceleration than a BMW 325i and better gas mileage than a Honda Civic VX. A marked decrease of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions would correspond to the increase in fuel economy since much less gas would be burned to travel the same distance.

But, there's more. An interesting aside is that with further refinement of the Orbital two-stroke engine, it's also suggested that the Ethos might even be able to attain near-zero emission vehicle (ZEV) levels similar to those specified in California legislation for electric vehicles.

Unlike most of the concept and show cars that debut at international auto shows, the Ethos is a fully operational vehicle. To prove it, our test driver pushed the mid-engined Ethos around Mireval as hard as if it were the latest European production exotic. Though only one example exists, each shift was made at the redline, the straights were run at full throttle, braking was at the last instance for every turn, and the tires' entire cornering power was exploited.

Our impression? This first Ethos felt somewhat like a low-powered Mazda Miata. Since it featured a steel monocoque chassis rather than the planned aluminum spaceframe, it was more than 200 pounds overweight. But, the Orbital engine also did not offer as much power as company officials say production versions might. The cumulative result is good, but not exhilarating, performance with 0-60 mph acceleration times in the range of 10-plus seconds.

Handling was entertaining when fitted with sticky Goodyear GS-Ds rather than low-traction, high-mileage tires. But some glitches expected from a one-off driven at its limits showed through, including at one point an overheated engine. The most notable shortcoming was presented by the stretched fabric-over-tube frame seats, the same innovation found in GM's Ultralite concept car. While it's possible this type of seat may be comfortable enough for a typical commute, they were bruising during hard driving.

Pininfarina's Ethos is an important milestone in environmental auto design. It's stylish, forward-thinking, and with a few areas of refinement, will set standards others should consider emulating. Perhaps most importantly, the Ethos dispels the myth that a sports car cannot be both exotic and in tune with the new automotive environment unfolding before us. In a future where myriad alternative fuel and gasoline autos will fill a wide array of niche and regional markets, Green Car editors note that the Ethos, or a similar vehicle, is likely to be one of the many players.

Volkswagen L1 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Achieves 170 MPG

The desire to leapfrog the competition through innovative technology has always been a driving force in the automotive field. In 2002, Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch underscored this by driving the company’s breakthrough 1-Liter car concept from Wolfsburg to Hamburg to prove a point: Traveling 100 kilometers on one liter of fuel not only was theoretically possible, but could be done in the here-and-now. It created quite a stir.

That milestone, which translated to a whopping 235 miles-per-gallon, set some pretty high expectations for the future. The next challenge would be an eventual transition from concept to manufacturable car in ways that would allow mass production of such a vehicle at an affordable cost. That’s no easy thing, which is why many concepts never make it past the ‘what-if’ stage. The 1-Liter car is not one of them.

Volkswagen has now reached another milestone with the VW L1, a follow-on concept that’s said to point the way toward a production version. Weighing in at a scant 838 pounds with a lightweight carbon-fiber reinforced body (CFRB) offering a remarkably slippery 0.195 Cd (coefficient of drag), this new concept carries on the original design’s tandem aircraft-style seating. A lift-up canopy allows entry and exit, reinforcing the jet fighter theme.

Then there’s this car’s unique physical footprint. At 150.1 inches, the L1 features an overall length that’s similar to VW’s Fox, a city car that’s been sold outside of the U.S. market for some years now. Similarities end there. In fact, the L1 features a ground-hugging silhouette that, at 45 inches high, is more aligned with that of a Lamborghini Murcielago … and its 47.2 inch width has no peers anywhere within the ranks of today’s production cars. It’s a given that if a production car emerges based on the L1 concept – and VW is hinting strongly that this may be the case by 2013 – then those behind the wheel will have no worries about getting lost in the crowd.

European automakers in particular have a penchant for advanced diesel technology, and VW is no exception. In this school of thought, combining advanced diesel power with electric drive simply makes sense. It’s no surprise, then, that the second generation concept’s powertrain has evolved to now include a new high-tech 0.8-liter turbo direct-injected (TDI) engine. Available power is 27 hp in ‘ECO’ mode and 39 hp in ‘SPORT’ mode, with a maximum 74 lb-ft of torque. An electric motor, start-stop system, and 7-speed DSG gearbox augment the rear-mounted clean diesel powerplant. Top speed is just under 100 mph.

The VW L1 shares a different way of thinking in its approach to super-high fuel economy through lightweighting, diminutive size, and a small but advanced diesel-electric hybrid powerplant. While not everyone will want a very small vehicle with two-place tandem seating, a choice like this would fit the needs of a lot of drivers who deal with solo commutes every day and are tired of paying the price for their mobility in high gas costs and unnecessary CO2 emissions.

While this latest iteration’s nod to functionality has seen overall fuel efficiency slip a bit from 1 liter to 1.38 liters of fuel required per 100 km of driving … a ‘mere’ 170 mpg … we figure that drivers can clearly live with that.

Europe & Japan Push Fuel Cell Cars. Why Not the U.S.?

The Department of Energy, long a supporter of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, is much less so these days. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu doesn’t see the case for hydrogen in the same way as his predecessors, with policies and funding of late reflecting a fundamental shift from hydrogen to battery-intensive plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

This has been welcomed by electric vehicle interests but is disruptive to those who have long been working to make hydrogen vehicles a reality. While not necessarily sending hydrogen interests in a tailspin, it has made them question the government’s support for the long road to mass commercialization that has been going on for many years, and what this means.

Case in point: As the U.S. government de-emphasizes its hydrogen efforts, the German government has joined with leading industrial companies in a plan to build a thousand hydrogen fueling stations over the next five years. This coincides with the plans of some automakers that expect to begin selling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the same time frame. A similar effort is taking place in Japan, with the government there supporting the efforts of 13 oil and gas companies to dramatically expand hydrogen fueling opportunities in that nation. The contrast with the Obama Administration’s approach is stark, which many feel needs to change.

“Failure to act will insure the U.S. cannot meet its long-term fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction objectives,” says Charles Freese, executive director of GM Fuel Cell Activities. “GM has invested more than $1.5 billion in fuel cell technology and we are committed to continuing to invest, but we no longer can go it alone. As we approach a costly part of the program, we will require government and industry partnerships to install a hydrogen infrastructure and help create a customer pull for the products.”

General Motors’ focus on hydrogen vehicle development programs goes back decades and it has accelerated in recent years. Green Car editors have test driven many GM fuel cell concepts and demonstrators over the years including the Hy-Wire, HydroGen3, and Equinox Fuel Cell. The technology has progressed tremendously over these years and current product, although quite high-tech, drives just like a ‘normal’ vehicle. More than 100 Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell demonstration vehicles have been on the road as part of the automaker’s ‘Project Driveway,” with over a million miles of driving amassed to date by everyday drivers.

Among the latest breakthroughs in the automaker’s Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell program is the downsizing of the fuel cell powerplant by some 50 percent, allowing improved packaging that allows it to fit in the same space as a conventional four-cylinder engine, with a commensurate weight reduction of 220 pounds. Importantly, it also uses half the precious metals of the previous generation fuel cell, and that means a significant reduction in cost as well. Plus, according to GM, the program’s hardware mechanization has been dramatically simplified, a move that improves durability, reduces cost, and simplifies manufacturing.

GM claims that hydrogen-powered fuel cells “are a few years away from widespread commercial use,” and thus require additional investment and partnership. A key part of this is greatly expanded hydrogen station availability.

Peugeot SR1 2+1 Grand Touring Car One Smooth Concept

PSA Peugeot Citroen has developed its Hybrid4, previously called HYmotion4, which is planned for initial use in the Peugeot 3008 crossover to appear in 2011. As an example of the versatility of this parallel hybrid architecture, Peugeot recently displayed the striking Peugeot SR1 ‘Grand Touring Car.’ The SR1 is a 2+1 coupe with third passenger seat located between two front seats. Entry to this seat is facilitated by the center console that slides forward for better access.

The Hybrid4 features an internal combustion engine driving the front wheels and an electric motor driving the rear wheels, with no mechanical connection between the two. The SR1 concept uses a 1.6 liter THP (Turbo High Pressure) gasoline engine, a four-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged engine developed in conjunction with BMW.

The SR1 engine produces 218 horsepower. When combined with the rear mounted 95-horsepower electric motor, a total of 313 horsepower is available for peak performance. Details of the Peugeot 3008 have yet to be revealed. However, shown in Prologue HYmotion4 form, it used a 163 hp, 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbodiesel and a 36 hp electric motor.

Besides four-wheel-drive, the Hybrid4 allows an electric-only mode at lower speeds to make it a zero emission vehicle. When both engine and motor are used it features a combined fuel consumption of only 48 mpg. The SR1 also has four-wheel steering with steering angle controlled as a function of road speed.

GM eAssist Mild Hybrid Tech Coming to Buick LaCrosse

Based on GM's Belt Alternator Starter (BAS) system offered on the 2007-2009 Saturn Aura and Vue, plus the 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, the General’s latest generation eAssist system supplies over three times greater power than the previous iteration. This mild hybrid eAssist technology provides regenerative braking and stop/start functions to deliver a welcome bump in fuel efficiency.

All 2012 Buick LaCrosse luxury sport sedans equipped with four-cylinder engines will come with eAssist as standard equipment. Combined with several other features, there’s a 25 percent increase in fuel economy compared to the 2011 LaCrosse equipped with the same 2.4 liter engine.

The liquid-cooled, 21.5 horsepower motor-generator replaces the alternator on the 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine, providing both motor assist and battery charging via a new belt-drive system. The DOHC direct injection engine is rated at 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft torque and is coupled to a modified Hydra-Matic 6T40 6-speed automatic transaxle.

Electrical energy is stored in a 115 volt, 0.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. This battery, an integrated power inverter, and a conventional 12 volt battery are located between the rear seat and trunk. While the car’s trunk capacity is reduced slightly there is still access to the trunk via a split-folding rear seat. An electric fan cools the power pack, drawing air from a vent located in the rear package tray.

During regenerative braking, up to 15 kilowatts of electricity is available to charge the battery. Some 15 horsepower of electric assist is available for heavy acceleration. This added power allows taller gearing to improve fuel economy without degrading acceleration performance or driveability. By providing some electric assistance at cruising speeds, light acceleration or mild grade climbing can be done without the transmission downshifting.

Other fuel saving technologies in the eAssist equipped LaCrosse include engine shut-off when stopped and fuel cut-off during deceleration. Improved aerodynamics include better underbody airflow, active control of front-end airflow, and electronically controlled shutters in the lower grille that close at higher speeds to push more air over the vehicle, thus increasing aerodynamic efficiency. Tires are optimized for performance and fuel economy. An ECO gauge helps a driver achieve maximum efficiency. The full-size eAssist LaCrosse luxury sedan will offer 37 mpg highway and 25 mpg city economy for about $30,000.

Have a perfect, game-free Christmas

Christmas is the perfect time to give the games a break and have some quality family time

Santa couldn't tear himself away from Angry Birds. Photograph: Martti Kainulainen/Rex Features

Traditions are always puzzling to those who don't share them. I'm Jewish, so the idea of a "perfect family Christmas"is foreign to me.

It can make me sad at this time of year to see my friends running themselves ragged to try to give their children the most "perfect" Christmas ever, with celebrity-chef-worthy food, mountains of elegantly matching-wrapped gifts and constant rictus grins. (Of course, my family is exactly the same at Passover, but that's another story.)

We all know that the desire for perfection can get in the way of authenticity and enjoyment; it's the same with games. There's a completist part to many of us that can't rest until we reach the perfect 100% finish point.

I've stayed up late into the night not to finish the main thread of a game but to get that last pesky bit of an accomplishment. I stayed up till 5am a few weeks ago to get all the weapons in very-far-from-hardcore cartoon game Plants Vs Zombies .

It's at this point that gaming starts to seem less like fun and more like an extra, boring job.

A recent Panorama programme about gaming addiction has been rightly called sensationalist – exaggerating the problems suffered by a very few gamers.

But most gamers I know have experienced addiction's little brother: a completist compulsion that can keep you playing a game after it's stopped being fun.

So I say to you Britain: don't aim for perfection. Serve your burnt roast potatoes. Give your wonkily-wrapped gifts. Embrace your family arguments as a sign of how much you trust each other.

And leave your Christmas gaming gifts half-played. Have a half-arsed gaming Christmas.

Microsoft's Latest Video Game Gamble

Investors think Microsoft would do better if it just exited consumer businesses

On June 15, at a video game convention in Los Angeles, Microsoft (MSFT) will unveil a little box of outsize importance. Code-named Project Natal, the device will be an add-on to Microsoft's aging Xbox 360 game console, which has shipped 40 million units in five years. Xbox sales have been slowing since Sony (SNE) cut the price of the PlayStation 3 console last summer, but Microsoft hopes Natal will revive the Xbox—because it lets users play games without a controller. Just drive your pretend car or swing your virtual baseball bat and Natal, which sits in front of the TV and has built-in sensors, picks up the motion. Following the event in L.A., Microsoft is launching an ad blitz leading up to a consumer release in October.

Microsoft needs Natal—or whatever it's called by the time it goes on sale—to be a hit. The technology is inarguably cool, and is a rare bright spot in Microsoft's decade-old—and thus far mostly disappointing—push to move beyond PCs and into game consoles, music players, and smartphones. Operating income at its Entertainment & Devices unit, which is responsible for those products, is expected to come in at $773 million for the year that ends June 30, according to UBS Securities (UBS). That's a 10 percent operating margin, compared with 72 percent for Windows, its most profitable business. While the Xbox is a strong No. 2 in the video game market (after the Nintendo Wii), the entertainment division has lost $8.6 billion on sales of $49 billion since 1999, estimates Katherine Egbert of Jeffries & Co. An initiative to build Internet-based TV systems has yet to take off, and its iPod-like Zune music players have bombed. While Apple (AAPL) just sold its two millionth iPad, Microsoft recently scrapped a tablet code-named Courier. In smartphones, Microsoft's share in the first quarter was 6.8 percent, down from 10.2 percent the year before.

The Natal device, which is expected to retail for about $100, won't sell in volumes high enough to matter much financially for the world's largest software company. But since it works with the current Xbox 360 console, it could reinvigorate sales of that device. That means Microsoft could put off having to field a new console, which would lose hundreds of millions of dollars for a few years; profits come from higher-margin sales of games it creates such as the Halo franchise, as well as its cut on Xbox titles made by other companies. Natal could also fuel greater interest in Microsoft's most impressive consumer play, the Xbox Live online service. More than 23 million gamers use it to play each other over the Net, as well as to download movies and music.

If Natal takes off, Microsoft might be able to extend its reach into other platforms. It could be built into PC monitors and big-screen TVs, allowing consumers to control those devices by speech or motion, moving family photos the way Tom Cruise moved pictures and videos around in Minority Report. Forrester Research (FORR) analyst Sarah Rotman Epps envisions families synching their Natal-based Xbox console with Windows-based tablets such as the new model just announced by ASUSTeK, so each family member could easily download movies or books. "That would make Microsoft relevant for the next decade," she says.

Even as the company hypes Natal and its new mobile software, Windows Phone7, investors don't expect smash hits; in fact, they'd settle for small losses on these and other gadgets. "It's hard to make the case this has been a good use of shareholder capital," says Todd S. Lowenstein, who runs HighMark Capital's value fund. "I don't fault them for trying this stuff, but investors are getting impatient." Other investors suggest that, like IBM (IBM) a decade ago, Microsoft should refocus its efforts on its massively profitable PC and corporate software businesses. Its cash from operations last quarter alone was $7.4billion, a company record. Yet its shares are down about 50percent since Steve Ballmer took over as CEO on Jan.13, 2000. "The stock would go up if Microsoft exited its consumer businesses," says Bill Whyman of ISI Group.

Whyman knows Microsoft won't give up on entertainment. The company has long poured money into maturing markets from word processing to Web browsers, beating market pioneers by underpricing them into submission. "Ballmer's answer is always, 'We'll keep coming,' " says Whyman. "That's not a very comforting answer."

PlayStation Launching Android and iPhone Apps “Very Soon” [PIC]

Sony is set to launch free iPhone and Android apps for Playstation in the very near future, likely in early 2011.

According to the company, the first versions of the apps will come to the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, with more countries expected soon.

With the 1.0 versions, users will be able to monitor their PlayStation Network trophies as well as friends’ games and online statuses. The apps will also deliver gaming news and PlayStation announcements, and it will let users share news or interesting product details viaTwitter, Facebook and e-mail.

Basically, you’ll be able to do everything except actually playing games.

System requirements are about what you’d expect. iPhone and iPod touch users will need to be running devices with iOS 4; Android device owners will need to be running Android 1.6 or higher.

While we’re definitely surprised the apps aren’t going to be available in the U.S. at launch, what we don’t find too shocking is PlayStation’s foray into the world of mobile phones. After all, rumors about the PlayStation Phone have had us and other mobile and gaming bloggers salivating for details for months, and rival Microsoft recently made Xbox Live available to Windows Phone 7 owners.

Here’s a first look at the Android version (above) and iPhone version (below) of the app from the PlayStationblog:

9 Notable Tech Flops That Live in Infamy

Not every gadget is destined for greatness. Despite the hype before launch, or the promise of how ashiny new device will change your life, there are some gizmos that just don’t cut it.

We’ve taken a look back at nine failed tech “innovations” that flopped fantastically in their time — in fact, one didn’t even make it to launch.

Have a look through our gallery, complete with archived video footage of each device, and let us know if you used any of these gadgets and why you think they scored a big, fat “F.”

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1. Sony Rolly

Sony teased the Rolly launch like mad with a bizarre viral web campaign, hyping what turned out to be an egg-shaped, motion-capable music player.

While pundits were expecting a serious contender to the iPod, what eventually launched in the U.S. in 2008 was the oh-so-niche robotic Rolly offering Earth Wind and Fire's "Boogie Wonderland" pre-loaded, just 2GB of memory and the need for consumers to use the bundled software to create their own choreography.

The $400 cost priced this novelty player out of the casual purchase market. The Rolly has now rolled into obsolescence.

2. Microsoft ActiMates

In 2007 Microsoft and PBS shared the vision of "using television technology to enhance education." If that sounds scary, wait until you hear how it worked.

Plush toys based on popular children's TV characters -- Barney and Friends and the Teletubbies -- were fitted with transmitters, and then certain PBS stations sent out an encoded signal that the units could read.

Obviously the point was that the children would interact with the toy as the program played out, but the potential scary movie plotline, and high price, meant the product only managed to stay on shelves for around three years.

3. IBM PCjr

Back in 1984, IBM looked to conquer the then-burgeoning home computer market with the PCjr -- yep, PC junior.

Even though in some ways it was technically superior to rivals at the time (apart from a low-quality keyboard that didn't go down well) the high price, clumsy expansion options and poor gaming abilities made it a commercial failure 1985.

4. Internet Appliances

The video above is for just one of many "Internet appliances" that flooded the market in the 1990s.

Notable models include the Sony eVilla, Virgin Webplayer, 3Com Audrey and the i-Opener, some of which have gone on to become favorites among hackers and modders, but certainly not among the general public.

The theory behind such "appliances" was that they let folks get online without the expense of buying a full-fat PC.

They were often subsidized with a monthly subscription. However, they could easily be hacked, meaning those valuable subscriptions dried up and as the cost of PCs came down, these limited machines became much less of a bargain.

5. Gizmondo

The Gizmondo story is one of the more colorful in tech history -- so much so it would make a decent film.

A 200-mile-per-hour, million-dollar Ferrari crash, Swedish mafia, various arrests, bankruptcy and talk of resurrection were just some of the behind-the-scenes events -- and that's before we even get to the device itself.

The Gizmondo handheld game console saw a much-hyped launch in 2005 but didn't manage to stay on shop shelves long -- and that wasn't because it was selling well.

The unit, which combined games and media playback with a camera and GPS, suffered from high pricing (an ad-supported version was a little too early for its time) and a lack of games.

Tiger Telematics went bust in 2006 before it could realize the next-gen, "widescreen" version dream. You can now pick up old units on Ebay for peanuts.

6. Palm Foleo

The Palm Foleo is an odd one. It was announced in 2007 (to a fairly puzzled reaction) as a smartphone companion product.

The theory was the 10-inch device would sync with and piggy-back on top of your Palm phone's connectivity, offering a larger screen to boost productivity.

Palm axed the concept -- that it boldly talked up as the "beginning of a product family" -- a few months later, which meant it never saw the light of day as far as consumers go.

If Palm had gone ahead with the launch, the Foleo would have been one of the first netbooks, although its limited functionality might not have guaranteed success.

7. Nintendo Virtual Boy

A rare fail from Nintendo comes in the form of the futuristic "Virtual Boy" games system, which was sold as, "A 3D game for a 3D world."

Now a collector's item due to low sales, the system was only ever launched in Japan and North America and was discontinued in 1996 -- just a year after release.

The reasons for the fail were the deadly duo of high cost and too few games, as well as misjudged advertising.

Well, that and the fact that many users reported headaches, sickness and dizziness as a result of strapping on the visor display and getting 3D graphics beamed into their eyeballs.

8. Samsung Q1 UMPC

This awful commercial does the Samsung Q1 no favors at all.

Way before the term "netbook" was coined, Microsoft, Intel and Samsung were busy with "Project Origami," cooking up ultra-mobile PCs that no one actually wanted.

Samsung's Q1 was the first such device to market, offering a 7-inch touchscreen, Windows XP and Wi-Fi connectivity, and a weird on-screen keyboard designed for thumb typing.

Samsung has since followed the Q1 with several updates -- you can buy the Q1 Ultra even now -- but, as a form factor, the UMPC was a huge flop.

9. Swatch Internet Time

In 1998 Swatch decided that the way we tell the time is old-fashioned and needed decimalization.

The main explanation was that time zones are terribly confusing, since the Internet means we're all global. Swatch divvied a day up into 1000 "beats."

Of course new time needs a new watch (clearly Swatch's angle in this, rather than doing it for the greater good) and several models were produced.

Consumers either ignored the new time measurement option available to them, or got so confused they gave up on it.