Everett Toyota dealer says the future is electric

Everett Toyota dealer Buzz Rodland, who drives a battery-powered RAV4, says the next step for automakers is incorporating lighter, more efficient batteries.

By Mike Benbow
Herald Writer

EVERETT -- Toyota dealer Buzz Rodland's ride these days is a used RAV4 that costs $225,000.

It didn't cost him that much -- he used some pull and perseverance to snag his model. But that's what Toyota spent to produce the electric car to meet California requirements for a zero-emissions vehicle.

There was a fleet of the vehicles leased in California and used by commuters who would recharge the batteries at a host of charging stations. Toyota is changing its program in California, and Rodland, who was a member of the company's national dealership council for four years, convinced officials after a lot of nagging to send him one of the all-electrics.



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2002 Renault Clio V6 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Well, I have owned this car for 6 months now and knew that I would have to own one of these awesome V6 powered Clio's from the first moment I saw this creation reviewed in EVO magazine.

I took my time reading many reviews to find out if there were any 'bad' points about owning this car! I repeatedly read about the terrible 'fish tail' like handling, if pressed too hard into a sharp bend and its lack of power for a £26k 3LTR sports car. And the poor fuel consumption! (Which is true, if you intend on using the best fuel, Shell Optimax! But well worth every penny)

I read one review that said that it was a nightmare to check the oil level? And slated this on the Clio V6. But, he failed to realise that the oil level is electronically displayed on the dash if he bothered to read the user manual! (Along with the trip computer)

Well, apart from your chin hitting the floor when you first see this car in the metal, and not just from a magazine picture it will bring a whole knew experience to any sports car enthusiast! You will feel a tingle in your stomach just at the sight of it!

From the first moment I turned the key and heard the beautiful sound of this 3ltr V6 supercar I knew I had made the right choice! It made you feel like you were sitting in a much larger beast...



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More Solid than Solid: A Potential Hydrogen-Storage Compound

One of the key engineering challenges to building a clean, efficient, hydrogen-powered car is how to design the fuel tank. Storing enough raw hydrogen for a reasonable driving range would require either impractically high pressures for gaseous hydrogen or extremely low temperatures for liquid hydrogen. In a new paper researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology�s Center for Neutron Research have demonstrated that a novel class of materials could enable a practical hydrogen fuel tank.
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Eco-car projects of Toyota, Mitsubishi, Tata approved

The Board of Investment (BoI) has embraced the new government's Thailand Investment Year 2008-09 campaign by approving promotional privileges for seven investment projects totalling 60 billion baht.

Leading the momentum were investments in the production of small, fuel-efficient eco-cars. The auto industry was one of the main drivers behind the country's doubling of investment value to record high of 744.5 billion baht last year.

Of the seven projects granted promotional privileges yesterday, three were the eco-car production plans of Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota Motors and Tata Motors, whose rivals had already received the green light last year.

Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) will invest 4.71 billion baht to make up to 107,000 eco-cars a year starting in 2010.


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What if your fuel bill was $1,200 a month?

Now, this is pain at the pump.

Record-setting fuel prices have hammered California drivers, but few are reeling like Rick and Arleen Roberts of Los Banos.

Their monthly bill to fill up his diesel VW Golf and her Corolla: Just shy of $1,200.

No typo, no misplaced comma.

"It's killing me," said Rick, 50, a scientist for Roche Pharmaceutical in Palo Alto.

"I never believed we'd be paying this much," sighed Arleen, a catering manager for a hotel in Fresno. Yep, he commutes 220 miles a day over Pacheco Pass to the Peninsula. She travels 165 miles deep into the Central Valley. That's 1,925 miles a week — or more when they work six days out of seven, which both often do.

Some people criticized the couple for choosing to live so far from work, when gas prices are hovering around $3.63 a gallon and diesel is $4.18.


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QAF Auto To Unveil BMW΄s New X3

Bandar Seri Begawan - QAF Auto Sdn Bhd will be holding a roadshow this month at The Mall in Gadong, where they will be unveiling Bavarian Motor Works' (BMW) latest Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) that has recently received accolades for being both efficient and safe.

Offering substantial enhancement of driving pleasure and economy, BMW's latest diesel-powered X3 is being brought to the local market by QAF Auto in hopes to further broaden its leading position in 2008 as the world's most successful SAY

"This is a totally new look for us, so the launching of the car can be compared to a facelift," QAF Auto Sales Manager Clement Chong told the Bulletin yesterday. The newly developed four-cylinder diesel in the X3 2.0d, along with numerous fuel-saving improvements, has been widely lauded for its efficiency and agility in its segment, BMW said in a media release.



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Fueling issues, educated guesses

In uncertain economic times for schools, one thing is almost a guarantee.

That guarantee is one that nearly every person who owns a car, truck or van can relate to. Whatever was paid this year for fuel cost it will almost certainly be more for the following year.

Although fuel cost is not necessary as big an issue for districts as the amount of funding the State of Michigan is going to pay out or how much enrollment will increase or decline, the cost of fuel for districts in the Cadillac area is a concern.

Much like trying to figure out the dollar amount the state is going to pay or the number of students a district might lose, there is no way of telling how much money is needed for fuel cost.

While districts don’t pay have to pay taxes on fuel and technology is making buses more efficient then they were in the past, the uncertainty of fuel prices has area districts looking for ways to stretch every transportation dollar.


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