Design Evolution

While forthcoming electric-drive vehicles capture automotive headlines, manufacturers are making more subtle technological improvements to their current offerings of hybrids and conventional vehicles. Toyota’s 2010 Prius, the most efficient gasoline-powered vehicle and number two on ACEEE’s “Greenest” list, shows a 3-mile-per gallon increase in fuel economy, to 51 city / 48 highway. Toyota attributes the gains to an increase in engine size — which allows the engine to operate at lower rpm on the highway, together with a new exhaust gas recirculation system, an electric water pump, a lower coefficient of drag, and lightweighting of several parts, though overall vehicle weight has increased in the bargain. The new Prius also features LED low-beams and taillights, a more efficient A/C system, and solar panels on the optional moon roof.  New hybrid offerings — the Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan — broke into the year’s top twelve, and several more are slated for arrival later in the year.

The 2010 Ford Fusion appears not only in hybrid form but also as the Fusion S, a conventional model achieving a 17 percent boost in fuel economy over last year’s 4-cylinder automatic using variable cam timing and a six-speed transmission. Ford also added to its roster of vehicles with EcoBoost, an engine package combining turbocharging with direct injection. But while the technology has been touted as offering fuel economy gains up to 20 percent, this year’s Flex and Taurus models use Ecoboost to achieve V8 performance with a V6 engine and leave fuel economy unchanged. The Lincoln MKS with Ecoboost does gain two miles per gallon on the highway and one in the city, however. Other Ford fuel-saving tweaks include a Lincoln MKT featuring a liftgate lightened 40 percent through the use of magnesium and aluminum instead of steel, and electric power steering to replace a hydraulic pump.

More generally, the use of engine refinements such as variable-valve timing continues to rise, and lightweight materials, better aerodynamics, and improved transmissions are all experiencing flurries of activity that demonstrate the large potential still remaining to reduce the fuel consumption of conventional vehicles without compromise in consumer appeal. Yet, in the big picture, these new technologies are not yet moving the needle perceptibly on environmental performance. Indeed, the average Green Score stayed level this year at 32.

2010 Market Trends

Fuel efficiency is in the spotlight as the U.S. auto industry continues its struggle out of the tailspin that began in 2008. New vehicles sales barely surpassed 10 million units in the 2009 calendar year, down over 20 percent from 2008 and 33 percent from 2007 sales. As sales inch back up, consumers’ interest in miles per gallon remains strong. In early 2010, fuel prices are once again well past the $2.50-per-gallon mark, and there is a widespread expectation that economic recovery will only push prices higher.

Reinforcing the trend is the Obama Administration’s announcement of stricter fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards, effective beginning in model year 2012. The proposed standards call for an average fleet-wide fuel economy of 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016, a 36 percent increase from 2009 standards. Manufacturers are working on a variety of new technologies to ensure they will be able to comply.

Source:Greencars

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Hyundai UK sees 2011 a "tough year"

With the UK's scrappage scheme now ended and an increase in VAT (sales tax) from 17.5% to 20% scheduled for January 2011, what is the future for scrappage sales leader Hyundai and the new car industry in general?
Managing director Tony Whitehorn said: “The scheme, introduced to incentivise new car sales during the recession, came just at the right time for the brand because we had just introduced new models such as the small i10, the i20 supermini, the i30 family hatch and the iX35 compact crossover SUV, ideal fuel efficient, cost effective scheme models.”
As a result, Hyundai was scheme market leader as about 400,000 new cars and light commercial vehicles were delivered.
Hyundai topped the scheme sales league with 45,700 sales compared with Ford’s 44,457. In third place was affiliate Kia with 33,444 customers.
Whitehorn added: “Our success with the scheme not only increased our sales by over 102% to 56,726 units, it raised our brand’s profile and product awareness. So far this year our UK sales are up again on the same period last year by 138% to 34,611 units and we should achieve 60,000 sales this year – slightly more than last year. Vehicles on the roads are the best form of advertising.”
He said: “Scrappage was also useful for us because people experienced our products for the first time. The brand in the UK had suffered enormous anonymity in the past but 90% of our scheme sales were to conquest customers.  We had one customer who bought an i10 and he introduced 16 other people to the brand.”
“After scrappage customers are still looking for affordable, stylish and reliable vehicles and affordability above all is going to be a key issue in the future because of the economic climate. This is more good news for us as we introducing nine new models in the next 17 months – a real ‘product-fest’.”
“Hyundai is very focussed on reducing CO2 levels and are working on supplying more petrol and diesel engines to meet the sub-120, -110 and -100g/km tax levels. I question whether there will be the infrastructure in the UK to support electric vehicles. Hybrids we can supply but the long-term answer is fuel cell technology. In the meantime, the realistic route is to make current petrol and diesel engines even more fuel efficient.”
“Although we remain a predominately a brand which appeals to retail customers, the fleet and business user-chooser sector is a biggest opportunity for us in the future and we already have the products to meet their requirements especially the new iX35 compact SUV which is creating a lot of interest. We are looking to supply smaller fleets – not major discounted fleet sales. We need to increased our the size of our current 148 strong dealer network and we are looking to add regional dealer groups to our network to bring that number up to 165 by 2011.”
He said, “The proposed VAT increase next January will be a major challenge for the market, everybody knows what is coming in January 2011 so the last quarter of this year, which wasn’t going to be good, will now be good as customers beat the VAT increase.  But 2011 will be a tough year”
“The industry cannot absorb the VAT increase, with the margins we are all working with it is just not possible.”

SRC-interview just auto.

Head Hunters!

Yes Head Hunters. Now don't think of an image of some guy hunting your head.But Yes it is.Most of the premium jobs around the world is filled up by Private Head Hunters.Recent surveys says that 70% of the job never reach the market as they are already filled by Head Hunters.
Now what is Head Hunter?
The answer to this is Head Hunter is a person who is in higher authority of the company or a group or organization who has pretty good knowledge of  keeping personal relation ship's and thus when a job opening comes up , these Head Hunter use there PR to hunt down some men they know and that's it the job is filled.

Think of a executive job opening when there is a opening for a team lead or a manager in a company .No company advertise it for the 1st week or may be month ,the reason behind is others may be manager or higher level executives use there contacts and call in some of the people whom they have worked for and offer them the job opening there company has .99% of the time the offer is being accepted by there contacts result the person who had offered them the the job had just earned 1 month of his salary by referring him to the company.So do always keep in mind no matter if you are just 1 month old or 3 years old in the company if you find that your manager is leaving .Try to push your leg by asking your company senior to promote you .
The company will never say no as they know that you have the talent you are working for .So you may have a 50-50 chance to kick into yours managers or your team lead shoes.
Most of the people whom i have worked with don't even bother to think about it becz of the myth that they can only excel by changing job , well from now on try doing this and if your company says no find another job and put down your papers , the company will on its knees to retain you hence you will be in the part of negotiating the job you do the salary you get and many other things.
Always remember that people in your past hasn't made with you in your present becz they don't deserve .

What i have learn t in my previous job experience back in India was "Love your work , Not you Company".
So next time you see your old boss do remind him that you still exists and are willing to change your job.Who know he might be able to help you out.

Comments would be appreciated.

Getting a job in IT field

Most of the people i have met so far are having a mixed experience in all the fields in IT.But what they don't understand is that you only have to be good in just one field .Lets say take the Data field in IT all i hear is some doing SQL or Oracle or Sysbase ... all these are a part of data field but limited to what they are trying to achieve.If a person wants to become a data base administrator he should know what a data base administrator do.The way he can know is search for key words in Google for data base administrator job description,check out the website which have salary survey for DBA(data base administrator) understand what this field is about and then go ahead with the right step to proceed .
IT is a vast field there is always a job for every kind of IT stuff we have.One of another branch of Data jobs in IT is data analysis or business analytic s jobs .Now most of the people I have worked with don`t even know a world that exists outside of there work environment.SAS is one of the biggest player in data or business analytic s , they have there technology to process and to analyze the data ,model data and many other .So instead of taking a college education of 4 years and then learn just the basics of all language its better to just do a programmer certification in SAS or an analyst certification SAS and start working as a data analyst , for sure will get a job .SAS has a huge market share in data analytic s so there are always jobs which need SAS programmers or SAS data modeler .
All i am saying is while considering taking a debt from and doing your course in a college or university if you know what you have to do, they why not go directly for it.
FACT- that companies never look out for education in any fields all they look is if u can work and make money for them.

Do leave comments .I would appreciate suggestions.
TAZSJZHT55CM 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars H2ICE

Hydrogen Fuel Cars

Hydrogen cars are not only the future, they are here, now. When hydrogen cars become the status quo, the U. S. can lessen its dependence upon foreign oil, achieve lower prices at the fuel pumps and cut down on the greenhouse gases that produce global warming. The future of hydrogen cars is not a pipe dream, as there are already many hydrogen fuel cell cars and H2ICE vehicles on the roads. California, Japan and the European Union (especially Germany) have many hydrogen fuel cars being used as fleet vehicles now.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

In 2005, Honda leased the first commercial hydrogen car to a family in Redondo Beach, California, (pictured above). In 2008, the Honda FCX Clarity became the first production line built hydrogen fuel cell lease vehicle rolled out to the same family plus dozens others.

For the past 28 years, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been conducting research on hydrogen fuel cells for use in transportation, industry and residential use. According to the LANL, "Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Research at Los Alamos has made significant technological advances in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), and related technologies such as the electrolyzer (a fuel cell in reverse, liberating hydrogen from electricity and pure water)."

Unlike many of the hybrid and "green" cars currently on the market, hydrogen fuel can offer the promise of zero emission technology, where the only byproduct from the cars is water vapor. Current fossil-fuel burning vehicles emit all sorts of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, ozone and microscopic particulate matter. Hybrids and other green cars address these issues to a large extent but only hydrogen cars hold the promise of zero emission of pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fossil-fuel automobiles emit 1 ½ billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year and going to hydrogen fuel based transportation would all but eliminate this.

Not only that, hydrogen cars will lessen the United States' dependence upon foreign oil. The so-called "hydrogen highway" will mean less dependence upon OPEC, the big U. S. oil companies, oil refinery malfunctions and breakdowns and less resistance from oil-selling nations like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia or from hostile nations who would rather sell elsewhere.
H2ICE Fuel Car
Consumers will finally get a break from the never-ending rising prices at the gasoline pumps.

President Bush when he was in office allocated approximately $2 billion in hydrogen highway research funds. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was pushing to get 200 hydrogen filling stations built by 2010 stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way down to Baja, California (but has fallen short of this goal because of a poor economy and lack of political will).

Since Californians buy one-fifth of the nation's cars, the new hydrogen car technology could replace the current gasoline engine automobiles in what is called "disruptive technology" where something so innovative comes along it simply replaces the old technology very quickly.

Then again, a more likely scenario is that dual-fuel automotive systems will be developed that can run on either gasoline or hydrogen fuel as the hydrogen infrastructure is being developed. The conversion from gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to hydrogen powered combustion engines is agreed upon by most scientists and engineers to be a particularly easy transition and would buy time for hydrogen fuel cell cars to be fully adapted.
But, hydrogen cars are not isolated to those that burn the fuel in internal combustion engines (H2ICE). There are more hydrogen fuel cell cars being built currently than any other kind.
Hydrogen Fuel Car

Let's also not forget about hydrogen-on-demand vehicles that are either using a hydrogen compound or electrolyzing water to create H2, avoiding the compressed or liquid hydrogen refueling scenario altogether. And, what about adapting hydrogen peroxide for fuel in car since it is currently being used in racecars and jet packs as a propellant?

Hydrogen cars are the future, so why not take a test drive of this website right now and see what you'll be driving a few short years from now. With Germany, Japan, Norway and the U. S. in the hunt, the hydrogen economy is just around the bend. Will you be ready?