Audi Globe Trotters Gear Up For Mileage Marathon, Sweet Lou Dunbar Unavailable For Preseason Commentary

I’m totally for conserving the environment and saving the seals and everything, just so long as I get to ride in his car

On October 6th, Audi will kick off the Mileage Marathon, a cross-country trek spanning from the East to the West coast, aimed at promoting their fuel efficient diesel model lineup. Over 187 drivers will participate [including the auto bloggers at AutoBlogGreen], and rewards will be given daily to the drivers who managed to consume the least amount of fuel. More than just clever way to advertise Audi’s enviro-friendly technology, the Mileage Marathon is rumored to also serve as a preview for Audi’s future North American line-up. Audi’s marathon fleet will be comprised of 23 TDI engine-equipped vehicles, including the Audi Q7, Q5, A4, and A3 models. Of the four TDI’s, only the Q7 and the Q5 have concrete timetables for an American debut. The Q7 is slated for U.S. release in 2009, while both hybrid and diesel versions of the Q5 are scheduled for an appearance in early 2010.

[News & Photo Source: AutoBlogGreen]

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The Ford Nucleon: A Miniature Nuclear Reactor in the Trunk

Imagine a car that would emit no harmful vapors and would offer incredible fuel mileage far beyond that of the most efficient cars ever built. It’d be sleek and silent, with only the hum of a turbine. It’d basically be run on steam. That’s how nuclear power works.

Yeah, nuclear power. The Ford Nucleon concept car was designed to be powered by a miniature nuclear reactor. Simple, safe, and eco-friendly, right?

Ford’s engineers imagined full-service recharging stations in place of gas-stations, where depleted reactors cores could be swapped out for fresh ones. The car’s reactor setup was basically just like a nuclear submarine’s, only smaller. It was designed to use uranium fission to heat a steam generator, rapidly converting water into high-pressure steam which could then be used to drive a set of turbines. One steam turbine would provide the torque to propel the car while another would drive an electrical generator. The steam would then condense back into water in a cooling coil, and be sent back to the steam generator to be reused. It’s a closed system, so as long as there is some radioactive material in there, it’s good to go. No emissions, except for the eventual nuclear waste.

Designers anticipated that a typical Ford Nucleon would be able to travel about 5,000 miles per charge.

The idea never took off because reactors that small weren’t possible at the time and the shielding needed would have weighed down the car excessively. But it’s not really that bad of an idea. The US Navy has a 100% perfect record of nuclear safety with their subs. It’s greener than a lot of other technologies, who knows, maybe we’ll see some nuclear Honda’s out there come 2020.

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GM’s Diversified Approach To The Future

2010 Volt: Just one piece of GM's future

Whether you are a fan of GM or not, and I certainly have been as critical as anyone, the world’s largest company shows signs of bolstering their committment even further to provide better fuel efficiency in the future.  In each area of vehicle production; gas, diesel and hybrid, GM has important plans in the works.

2010 Chevy Volt: Whether it looks like this or not is another story

To begin with, GM is promising to produce one new hybrid per quarter for the next four years.  In November 2010, GM plans to launch the Chevrolet Volt, which uses a different type of gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. The electric motor alone drives the wheels and the gasoline engine powers a generator that recharges the lithium ion battery pack. 

The company has just opened an advanced powertrain testing laboratory in suburban Detroit.  The automaker is rolling out engine technologies that maintain performance while lowering emissions and fuel use. GM has been adding gears, (nearly all of GM’s future automatics will be six-speeds), reducing the weight of its powertrains and designing engines capable of being mass produced with high-tech features such as direct fuel injection and turbochargers.

The model for GM’s future plans for lighweight gas engines are already on the road and embodied in cars such as the Pontiac Solstice GXP and it’s cousin the Saturn Sky Red Line. The engine used in those roadsters is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with direct fuel injection and a turbocharger. The 260 Horsepower for these vehicles constitutes the most power per liter of any production engine GM has ever made.

GM's new 4.5 diesel engine

Two new diesel engines are planned, one for trucks and one for cars. About a year from now, GM will launch one of the most important new engines in its 100-year history: A 4.5-liter diesel V-8 that will be offered in light-duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and in SUVs.
The elimination of a heavy cast iron exhaust manifold and a lighter intake manifold cuts 75 pounds of weight that is part of a conventional diesel engine.  These weight savings in should result in a 25 percent fuel economy gain over the standard 5.7-liter gasoline engine and enable the Silverado to get around 26 mpg in city and highway driving.

GM's innovative HCCI engine

Also in 2010, GM hopes to be the first automaker to launch a vehicle with an HCCI engine. Homogeneous charge compression ignition enables a gasoline engine to run like a diesel at idle and at cruising speeds. The result is about a 15 percent fuel economy gain and dramatically lower emissions.

Finally, fuel cells are also in GM’s near future. The company is launching test fleets of Chevrolet Equinox hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles in North America, Japan and Europe.  GM’s latest generation of fuel cell can fit in the space of a four-cylinder engine. The company expects to have fuel cells ready for mass production by 2012.  GM is hoping one or all of these innovations will help resurrect their business.

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