May 11, 2008
Top tech transportation
By Rick DeMeis

You may have missed it (I first did), but the

Notable are the inclusion of only two concept vehicles. Among the production cars are the high performance Chevy Corvette (which racing legend Mario Andretti told Automotive DesignLine packs more bang-for-the-buck than his Lamborghini) and the Nissan GT-R, along with the Lincoln MKS—an auto show stunner with Ford and Microsoft's co-developed Sync infotainment system and a direct injection, turbo charged V6 with performance of the company's standard V8.

Perhaps more noteworthy production cars on the list include the BMW X6, which uses the FlexRay data bus for communications between the transmission, active steering, and suspension (beyond the company's X5 featuring FlexRay in chassis and suspension applications). Also noted is the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion diesel (not available in the U.S.) with 62 mpg economy—better than a Prius hybrid and with sub-Prius CO₂ emissions.

Finally, in the pair of concepts on the list is the Mercedes F700. This car has a homogeneous charge-compression ignition (HCCI) engine that the company dubbed the DiesOtto for the combination of diesel and otto cycles—with compression approaching that of diesels without the NO_x emissions. This convergence of power train technologies was part of the buzz at this year's SAE Congress last month in Detroit.

Bad joke alert: The wags at IEEE also said perhaps DiesOtto sounded too much like DeSoto (a Chrysler badge which died 50 years ago), and that since Mercedes recently sold Chrysler, the name should be changed. (Hey, if you remember DeSoto, your biggest concern could be retirement.) So following on a theme (bad joke alert: part 2), if the Italians developed a combination Rankin and diesel cycle, might the engine be called the risotto?
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April 28, 2008
I'm a (technology) believer
By Rick DeMeis

Recently we posted a

Being an analog and visual kind of guy (traits that have come in handy as an engineer), I still figure that a good AAA map is all I need in a car (although the latest car systems will tell you where to find restaurants, etc.) My GPS interest was in getting a handheld unit to help with hiking in New York's Catskill Mountains to find out-of-the-way places to photograph. Using information on Rich's site, I settled on one to order. (Beware—I first went to the lowest price dealer who asked on the phone if I wanted the "U.S. model." Obviously I did—to which he told me it would cost $40-50 more, and the one on the Internet was the "grey market" international device. I then told him he just lost my business.)

With a unit, I was now able to begin my quest to photograph a waterfall from the only spot that would provide a view of its full height (thanks also in large part to local history/hiking guru Bob Gildersleeve who gave me the GPS coordinates of the location). A window of only a few weeks in spring was available to get a picture, because once the foliage is out, the view is obscured. In the winter the slope of the clove (canyon) wall is too dangerous when covered with snow, and the sun is also too low for a good picture.

When I arrived at a nearby parking area in the state preserve, I couldn't find the landmark Bob had given me. So trusting my equipment, I started hiking in the direction my GPS indicated was the most direct route (with a nice big arrow). I quickly found the old railroad bed he noted, and then turned off this once I was opposite the point on the clove wall where I could view the scene. A beeping unit then indicated I reached the exact coordinates, from which I could look around and finally spot the falls through the trees. Needless to say, just a map and luck wouldn't have worked to find the location without a lot more time.

Able to secure some shots from crouching on a convenient ledge, I then folded up my gear and used the "breadcrumb" mode on my GPS to head out and take a parallel rail bed to my starting point, about two and a half hours from when I left—all-in-all a great day thanks to some sensitive chips, an antenna, and, above all, local knowledge.

On a final note, the unit I purchased has capability and options for auto use—in case I decide to come further into the 21st century.
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April 21, 2008
'Green' is the new 'black'
By Rick DeMeis

Cruising the aisles at the SAE 2008 World Congress, the predominant mood was 'green.' Exhibitors were highlighting technology aimed at reducing emissions, improving fuel economy, and alternative energy sources.

Hybrid and clean-diesel power trains, fuel-cell and plug-in cars, and BMW's Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel sedan (internal combustion engine luxury car run solely on hydrogen) set the stage for a promising, sustainable personal transportation future. Perhaps the most optimistic booth featured maps of hydrogen fueling stations in major American cities that could be available within a decade for filling up fuel-cell powered vehicles.

It seemed this trend to greater environmental responsibility and energy independence was made more imperative—and legitimate—by the unbridled rise in U.S. fuel prices to record levels going on outside the hall. I say "legitimate" because those of us with enough corporate memory remember calls for energy independence and fuel efficiency going back to the First Energy Crisis in the early 1970s—perhaps this time we'll finally get it right.
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April 11, 2008
SAE circus starts
By Rick DeMeis

Automotive DesignLine is at the SAE Congress (April 14 to 17) in Detroit. Usually there is some blockbuster (or mini-blockbuster) news coming out of the show. Last year it was

This year, one contender is the diesel electric hybrid SUV announced by Indian automaker Mahindra and power train specialist FEV—the first of its kind in the Asian market.

The Scorpio Hybrid Diesel SUV looks like a mini-dual cab pickup and features a parallel hybrid power train. Electric motor functions include starting, launch, power augmentation, and regenerative braking. The 4-cylinder diesel puts out 85 kW of power and 270 Nm torque and the electric motor is capable of 30 kW and 270 Nm, respectively. The 288V NiMH battery has a capacity of 8.4 Ah.

Stay tuned for other tech surprises to come out of the annual SAE get together.
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