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| 5/28 |
| 2007/5/23-26 [Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:46731 Activity:moderate |
5/23 "SAN FRANCISCO - Calling a cab with an environmental conscience"
http://www.csua.org/u/ir7 (SFGate.com)
41.4mpg for Prius cab vs. 12mpg for Crown Victoria cab.
\_ How much trunk space?
\_ I looked at a Prius in a parking lot, and it looks like it
can't even fit one big suitcase. But then most cab passengers
in big cities don't carry luggage. So I guess a driver is still
better off if he can save on gas most of the time, and
occasionally has to pass on some passengers because of their
luggage.
\_ There are also a bunch of Ford Escape hybrid taxis around the city.
The biggest trouble with hybrid vehicles in a dense urban
environment is their silence when running without the IC engine
engaged. Several times I've been nearly hit because I didn't
hear a hybrid moving in my direction.
\_ Weren't you taught to look both ways before crossing the
street??
\_ Sure, but that doesn't work as well as you'd like in a
crowded urban environment with crazy drivers, hostile bikers,
oddly angled 5 way intersections, and poorly timed traffic
lights.
\_ Which is even more of a reason not to depend on your ears.
\_ Bicycles are silent also.
\_ Aside: Some studies have shown that the most dangerous
place for a crosswalk is at a vehicular intersection--
exactly where we always put them. If crosswalks were
mid-block, they'd be much safer. -tom
\_ That will make traffic more congested (becasue vehicles
will stop and intersections and mid-block), hence
producing more mad drivers.
\_ uh, yeah, and let's get rid of all those stop signs
and traffic lights while we're at it. -tom
\_ That's how freeway intersections work. It's just
too expensive to do it for local intersections.
\_ and of course no one ever gets angry at
freeway intersections. -tom
\_ Public Policy should always have as its top
priority "must not produce any more mad drivers."
\_ That's called "Stealth Mode" in the Hybrid Humvee.
http://evworld.com/archives/conferences/evs14/humvee.html |
| 5/28 |
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| www.csua.org/u/ir7 -> www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/27/BAG2IPG4O135.DTL A new taxi company -- Green Cab -- has started hauling passengers around San Francisco, and its name refers not only to the snazzy paint job on its cabs but its vow to drive only hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles. Launched this week with just a single Toyota Prius, Green Cab is a worker-owned company founded by eight San Francisco cabbies. Within five months, they expect to have at least five cabs on the streets. "And then we expect to grow from there,'' said Mark Gruberg, one of the owners. While Green Cab is open to using alternative-fuel vehicles, including those that run on compressed natural gas or biodiesel, practicality and the desire to maintain the cleanest vehicle fleet possible have the company focusing on high-mileage hybrids. "There are two principles we feel most strongly about -- having a driver-run company and having an environmentally responsible company,'' he said. That compares to about 12 mpg for a Ford Crown Victoria, the typical San Francisco taxi, Gruberg said. Gasoline- sipping cabs benefit the environment as well as taxi drivers since they pay for fuel themselves. "The gas savings could put a lot more in your pocket,'' he said. San Francisco has other cabs that could be described as green: about 140 Crown Victorias that run on compressed natural gas and 40 hybrids, all or most of them Ford Escape sport utility vehicles. Another 25 alternative-fuel or hybrid taxis and 25 handicapped-accessible cabs are expected to hit the streets in the next few months. Heidi Machen, executive director of the San Francisco Taxi Commission, said the commission is considering whether to require taxi companies to buy only alternative-fuel, hybrid or high-mileage vehicles when replacing retired cabs. The city's Environment Department approves an annual list of such vehicles. "Every three years, the entire fleet of taxis turns over,'' she said. "It seems like this is really coming together at the right moment,'' he said. "There is so much in the air about (low-emission cars) and in the public awareness." Until Green Cab expands its fleet of hybrid taxis, callers won't be guaranteed a ride in a Prius, he said. But if a green vehicle isn't available, they won't be stranded. Another taxi company -- Regents -- is handling dispatch duties, and will offer to send another cab if a Green Cab isn't available. |
| evworld.com/archives/conferences/evs14/humvee.html Representatives of the news media assembled on the grounds of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida for a demonstration of a new hybrid-electric HMMWV (Humvee). In a steady drizzle, a standard diesel-powered "Hummer" rumbled into view and slowly approached the damp, but curious group of reporters. It quickly became apparent that something was amiss, this wasn't the vehicle the press had come to see. Instead, with their attention momentarily diverted, the real hybrid-electric Hummer silently crept up from behind to within inches of the crowd before the announcer asked the assembly to turn around to view what some are calling the Army's new "Corvette in Camouflage." You couldn't have asked for a more effective demonstration of the stealth capabilities of this one-of-a-kind prototype military vehicle. The result of a joint engineering effort by a consortium including the US Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TAC), DARPA, the Southern Coalition for Advanced Transportation, Unique Mobility, PEI Electronics and others, the hybrid-electric HMMWV cost less than $2 million dollars in development costs, according to Daniel Tudor, senior program manager for PEI Electronics of Huntsville, Alabama. Corvette in Fatigues While the Hybrid-Hummer looks like the standard Humvee on the exterior, complete with olive-drab and flat black camouflage, underneath its workaday fatigues is a remarkable power plant capable to surprising acceleration and speeds up to 80 miles per hour, a good 10 miles faster than the standard issue HMMWV Its zero-to-fifty mph time is seven seconds, twice as fast as the stock model. It can climb a 60% grade at 17 mph, two and half times faster than stock. In addition, the vehicle gets twice the fuel economy at 18 mpg enabling it to carry a smaller fuel tank, while retaining the same 300 miles range. The vehicle can also ford streams up to a depth of five feet without swamping or stalling. The only trade-off of the current prototype design is a 540 pound loss of payload, presumably taken by the heavy lead/acid batteries. The hybrid version has a rated payload of 1700 pounds, while the stock version is 2,240 pounds. Small Humvee The heart of this new generation military vehicle is its hybrid-electric propulsion system consisting of four 55kW brushless DC electric motors (peaked rated to 75kW), one for each wheel and a 19 liter turbo-charged diesel engine-generator set capable of turning out 55kW of electric power. The diesel-generator can provide power either to the drive train or to the vehicle's 288 VDC advanced lead/acid battery pack. Rated at 350 hp in hybrid mode, the combination gives the Hybrid-Hummer its sports car like performance, as well as its stealth capabilities which is activated by throwing a switch on the console between the two front seats. Going stealth turns off the turbo-diesel and draws power from the 85 amp hour battery pack giving the Humvee a 20 mile range in silent mode (40 miles using NiMH batteries). This virtually eliminates the vehicle's infrared signature, making it nearly invisible to enemy night vision devices. Inside Humvee's Cabin Even with its turbo-diesel/generator running, the Hybrid-Hummer is amazingly quiet, both inside and out. EV World's editor in chief was able to video tape inside the vehicle during its last demonstration drive at the 14th Electric Vehicle Symposium and easily carried on a conversation with the driver. But for the crunch of the tires on the pavement, you can't hear this trooper coming. The noise you hear on the video is from an auxiliary generator powering lights at nearby exhibit tents. Another advantage of individual electric drive to each wheel is the Humvee can be made to turn like a tank, locking or reversing the wheels inside the turn, giving the vehicle an unmatched turning radius. The system also lends itself readily to robotic adaptation, letting the vehicle tackle missions too dangerous for manned operations, such as traversing a mine field. The Army is also working on other hybrid-electrical military vehicles including the M113 and the Bradley fighting vehicle as part of a $43 million development effort funded by DARPA. In addition to improved performance on the battlefield, hybrid-electrics can provide temporary electric power during natural disasters, such as emergency power to a hospital or crisis command center. A hint of where the Army sees this technology going came from a TAC representative who indicated that the Army was working on an all-electric replacement for the M1-A Abrams battle tank complete with an electric canon. Clearly, the battlefield of the future will not only find stealthy aircraft in the skies and stealthy ships at sea, but an equally silent and nearly invisible army on land. For The Latest News, Interviews and Previews of Electric Vehicles... |
| SFGate.com Friday, May 14, 2004 Updated: 12:07 AM PDT ' I'm guessing that the best way to hail a cab or a bartender in Athens will not be by waving an American flag." Sorensen Capital group He's already got more money than god, but that isn't stopping Steve Young (above, right) from embarking on a second career in business. Gov's Balancing Act Schwarzenegger unveils revised budget containing spending cuts and (as promised) no new taxes. Wedding Date's Still On Same-sex marriage opponents lose bid to halt gay nuptials, scheduled to begin Monday in Massachusetts. Researchers say they've found evidence of impact greater than the one that probably caused the dinosaurs' extinction. Wars' $50 Bil Price Tag "It's a big bill," says Wolfowitz, who estimates the cost of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. No Plea From Anderson Using a wheelchair, the haggard-looking suspect is arraigned in the murder of Xiana Fairchild. Giants Left Stranded G-men leave 12 men on base, including two in the bottom of the 9th, and drop series to Philly. Sex, Drugs, And Then 5 Deaths Playboy Playmate tells how she got involved with 2 suspects, but left in just the nick of time. Pixar Growth Plan Wins Fans 20-year proposal for Emeryville site gets flak from activists, but city says go for it. |