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: