| Auto Tata Motors Unveils $2,500 "Nano" in New Delhi
The time to reach the stated maximum speed of 68mph was not given. This slow acceleration does let the Nano achieve excellent mileage -- estimates are 50mpg city and 60mpg highway. While other cars have exceeded these numbers, they don't share the Nano's low cost of entry. The Nano will be available in two trim levels, "Standard" and "Luxury." The "Standard" is truly spartan, with vinyl seats, a single-color interior, black plastic bumpers and not much else. The "Luxury" lives up to its name by comparison, offering a list of features such as: Body-colored bumpers Fog lamps Power door locks Power mirrors Air conditioning and heater Dual-color interior Fabric seats The sticker price for the Luxury model has not yet been announced. In addition to the two model choices, the Tata Nano microsite offers a range of accessories that can be viewed from the car builder, including pin striping decals, a choice of air scoop for the rear-mounted engine, and alloy wheels.
No-compromise mild hybrid car engine has a promising future
Several alternative technologies have been proposed to replace the car's internal combustion engine; some companies are already marketing hybrid gasoline/electric hybrids, though these have their shortcomings. Jon Severn reports on a mild hybrid that makes no compromises, yet it drastically cuts fuel consumption and emissions. Most of us, as consumers of the automotive industry's products, would like to see the next generation of cars have improved performance, driveability that is better or no worse than what we have now, more gadgets, lower fuel consumption, and a price that is lower. Largely on our behalf, the industry and legislators would also like future vehicles to generate reduced emissions, though there is an ongoing argument over where the balance should be between CO2, NOx and, for diesel-engined cars, particulates; Europe and Japan agree rather more closely with each other than with the USA.
Malibu Hybrid's minimal advantage isn't worth the cost
We have established that General Motors knows how to make a two-mode hybrid. Witness the Green Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which utilizes a powerful electric motor in concert with an internal combustion engine. Still, GM continues to build its "mild" hybrids, using the belt-alternator-starter system, yielding in the Chevy Malibu a grand total of 2 mpg in city-highway fuel economy over the standard four-cylinder. This option costs a whopping $1,795 and could only be worthwhile if buyers put in for the $1,300 federal tax credit. To compare, a Toyota Camry Hybrid option costs $200 (over the four-cylinder XLE) and yields an increased fuel economy of 31 percent. .
Fuel-cell vehicles stalled by price tag
Politicians and scientists have been touting hydrogen as the fuel of the future for years. But as the price of oil tops $100 a barrel and more alternative energies find their way to market, consumers might be wondering: Where are the hydrogen fuel cells?
"It's a very difficult technology to bring to the real world," said Taras Wankewycz, vice president of Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, a Singapore company that makes products powered by fuel cells. "The ability to run your car on something that doesn't burn or something that doesn't pollute is still considered very futurist."
A fuel cell creates electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a chemical reaction. Water and heat are the only byproducts.
The technology dates back to 1839, but its first modern use was to supply power to command and lunar modules during the Apollo space program.
Govt okays construction of library in I-8/3
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will establish a public library in Sector I-8/3 at a cost of Rs 59.86 million for which the government has now granted approval.
The go-ahead for the project, which is to be funded from the Public Sector Development Programme allocation of the HEC, was given during a recent meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP). The construction of the library over an area of 19,478 square feet will take two years.
Islamabad has just a few libraries including the National Library and in this light the announcement of another facility is indeed welcome news for the people. I am glad to hear this, said schoolteacher Muhammad Aurangzeb who however pointed out that there was a need to have not one or two but several libraries across town.
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