How can a speed bump harvest electricity?

Ever wanted to power your home with speed bumps? It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Read on for more!

“There was a time when debates surrounding speed bumps revolved around whether or not a community needed speed bumps to slow down drivers on a certain road. Safety was the key issue. Now, a new key issue is making its way into the discussion -- the question of whether or not speed bumps can actually harvest unused energy from a car.

Many energy discussions involving vehicles focus on how to reduce the fuel consumption or overall energy cost of operating that vehicle. Hybrid car technologies seem to focus on either reducing the amount of fuel a car uses or ways to create power (for the car) by implementing systems like regenerative braking. But using a vehicle to create power for an outside device hasn't received as much attention. So how might it work?

When a vehicle approaches a speed bump, most drivers press down on the brake pedal to slow the car down. The car's braking system expends energy that gets transferred to the brake pads and then into heat. It takes a lot of energy to slow or stop a car. In addition, the speed bump itself receives energy via the weight of the vehicle coming into contact with it.”

Read more at: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/speed-bump-harvest-electricity.htm

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Hyundai, Kia split up roles for eco autos

Eco-friendly cars, coming right up from Kia and Hyundai!

SEOUL--Hyundai Motor Group plans to carry out a role-sharing between Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors in developing eco-friendly cars.

Hyundai Motor will take on developing models of “plug-in hybrids,” which utilize rechargeable batteries, and hydrogen-powered “fuel cell vehicles,” group vice chairman Yang Woong-chul said.

He said Kia Motors will mainly focus on “electric drive vehicles” which use electric motors or traction motors for propulsion.

“Kia is set to launch sales of the TAM, an electric powered vehicle, as early as later this year,” he said. “We have the yearly sales target of 2,000 units and are considering exporting the vehicle.”

The project has been unveiled during the group executive's meeting with reporters at the Frankfurt Motor Show over the weekend...

Read more: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/company-focus/2011/09/21/317310/Hyundai-Kia.htm

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How are cars becoming more user-friendly?

Are we approaching an era of self-driving cars?

“Fred Flintstone had a car that he had to power with his own feet; by that standard, all of today's cars are pretty easy to use. But cars are becoming even more user-friendly -- so user-friendly, in fact, that they may not even require a user at all. That's because much of the new car technology involves taking over the role of the driver.

For instance, no longer does a driver need to mind the blind spots, as certain cars come with detection systems that will alert the operator to obstacles in other lanes. If a driver should start to drowse off and drift into another lane, the steering wheel will shake or a voice will alert the driver to what's happening. Gone are the days of manually changing the cruise control speed when the car in front of you slows down -- now, adaptive cruise control uses radar to track the speed of that car and adjust the speed on its own. And since cars with adaptive cruise control can sense just how much space separates them from other cars, they can go into panic mode when cars ahead start hitting their brakes.

But you needn't fear a world of self-driving cars just yet. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, drivers want features that improve safety, but they're not ready to turn over complete control of the road to a machine just yet [source: Adams]. In other words, while drivers may like alerts about a car in their blind spots, they want to be the ones that adjust their cars to account for it. And the same survey found that drivers are willing to keep their eyes on the road despite the goodies that new cars are offering; fancy features like WiFi or temperature-controlled cupholders are at the bottom of drivers' wish lists, perhaps indicating that drivers know they need to focus on driving, not on checking the latest sports scores online.

While today's drivers may be wary of cars that do too much for them, that doesn't mean they don't appreciate a little help and convenience. Keyless ignition systems save drivers the hassle of looking for their keys, new fuel tank caps that don't require a lot of turning can save time at the gas station, and self-repairing paint, which covers a scratch as soon as it occurs, eliminates the ordeal and expense of the body shop.”

Read more: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/cars-more-user-friendly.htm

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Hyundai Announces Pricing For Blue Link Service

Hyundai announces pricing for Blue Link Service.

Fresh off of winning two major honors for its innovative Blue Link system at the recent 9th Annual Telematics Update Awards, Hyundai provided an important telematics update of its own by announcing that Blue Link service would be available to its drivers for as little as $79.

Blue Link, which is set to debut this summer on the 2012 Hyundai Sonata and roll out through the majority of the Hyundai lineup by 2013, will offer more than 30 different connectivity features and safety services, available in three different packages:

Assurance—Designed to offer enhanced peace of mind for Hyundai owners, the Blue Link Assurance package allows drivers to contact emergency and/or roadside assistance specialists with a push of a button; in addition, if a collision with an air-bag deployment occurs, the system can automatically establish contact with a trained response specialist even without the need for driver action. MSRP: $79 for one year, $139 for two years and $198 for three years.

Essentials—This package includes all Assurance functionality as well as remote door lock/unlock, remote horn/lights activation and remote start, all using a toll-free phone number, website or mobile phone app. Also included are a number of connectivity features, like hands-free text messaging (enhanced by Blue Link’s exclusive Agent-Assisted Voice Recognition system) and location sharing, as well as a quick reference guide to vehicle functions and Service Link, which simplifies scheduling service appointments.

Vehicle self-diagnostics is another part of the Essential package, as is a suite of services designed to monitor the vehicle’s location, speed and time of use, to ensure, for example, a teen driver or valet is operating the vehicle responsibly. MSRP: $179 for one year, $315 for two years and $448 for three years.

Guidance—Turn-by-turn directions for vehicles that do not have on-board navigation systems, a wide range of point-of-interest resources (including the ability to download POI information from select websites), route guidance, traffic and weather data, gas station locations and fuel prices, and even restaurant ratings are all in the mix with the Guidance package, which also includes all services available in the Assurance and Essentials packages. Plus, this package includes guidance of another kind—an Eco-Coach service that monitors and reports on a driver’s fuel use and emissions to help coach more efficient driving. MSRP: $279 for one year, $491 for two years and $699 for three years.

To help introduce Blue Link to customers, Hyundai will offer complimentary Assurance service for six months, and free Essentials and Guidance for three months, on all new Blue Link-equipped Hyundai vehicles. And if customers decide to renew their service within 30 days of vehicle purchase, the complimentary subscriptions extend to a full year for Assurance and six months each for Essentials and Guidance.

“Blue Link combines safety, service and infotainment into a complete package that works to both help simplify Hyundai owners’ lives and reduce distracted driving,” said Barry Ratzlaff, director of customer satisfaction and service business development, Hyundai Motor America. “We’ve carefully studied how drivers rely on smart phones and navigation systems as an innovative link to the outside world. Blue Link brings that seamless connectivity directly into the car.”

Read more: http://www.hyundaiinthenews.com/hyundais-sets-pricing-for-new-telematicsconnectivity-system/#more-989

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Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving?

Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving? That’s the question that  Christopher Neiger from “How Stuff Works” asked. Read more to find out his conclusion. 

Texting, or short message service(SMS), is a quick form of communication that allows users to send 160 characters or less to and from their cell phones and smartphones. A study by the Pew Research group in 2009 and 2010 reported that out of the number of Americans who have cell phones, 58 percent of adults and 66 percent of teens use them to text [source:Motavalli]. With these high percentages of Americans using text messaging every year, many are bringing the habit along with them when they drive. The same Pew study showed that 34 percent of teens who use their phone for texting said they've done it while driving, and 47 percent of adults who texted said they had done it while driving, too [source: Motavalli].

In 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that almost 6,000 fatalities and over half of a million injuries were due to accidents caused by drivers who were distracted [source: Motavalli]. The study wasn't focused on texting, but it does show the seriousness of driving while distracted. Like many other driving distractions, texting involves a certain amount of mental attention as well as physical application which may be why 28 states have banned drivers from texting while operating a vehicle [source: Motavalli].

But is there really proof that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving? Even though research is just now being done to measure the effects of texting while driving, some in the automotive industry and others in research circles say that texting is definitely more dangerous than drunk driving. Mainly because taking a driver's eyes off the road significantly cuts down on his or her ability to react to changes.

In 2009, Car and Driver conducted a driving test with their editor-in-chief and an intern to prove or disprove that texting while driving was more dangerous than drunk driving. The first step of their experiment was to test and measure the reaction times of both drivers while driving sober with no distractions, and then while reading and sending text messages on their cell phones. A light mounted to the front windshield simulated a car braking in front of them [source:Austin].

As they read and sent text messages, their response time was measured based on the time it took between when the brake light came on and when the driver applied the brakes at both 35 miles per hour (56.3 kilometers per hour) and at 70 miles per hour (112.7 kilometers per hour) [source: Chang]. Both drivers had a longer response time while reading and sending the text messages when compared to driving without any distractions. After the initial test, both drivers then consumed alcohol and reached the legal driving limit for intoxication in their state. After running the same test again while driving drunk, response times for both drivers were better when the driver was drunk, compared to when they were reading or sending text messages while sober. Car and Driver writers mentioned that the test was performed on a closed airport runway, with no road signs and no turns. Although this test was performed on a closed course, slow response times due to texting could result in serious consequences in real-world driving situations.

Another test conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory in London took it a step further. It found that drivers who texted had slower response times, were more likely to drift in and out of lanes and even drove worse than those who were driving while high on marijuana [source: Nugent]. The study found that reaction times for those who texted while driving were 35 percent worse than when they drove without any distractions at all. When driving while intoxicated, the reaction time was only 12 percent worse than when the driver was sober and driving without any texting distractions [source: Nugent]. The researchers also found that there was a significant decrease in ability to maintain a safe driving distance between vehicles while texting and steering control dropped by 91 percent compared to driving without distraction [source: Nugent]. One of the study's commissioners eventually concluded that texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things a driver could do while behind the wheel of a car.

Read the full article: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/texting-while-driving-worse-than-drunk-driving.htm

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What cars have the lowest cost of ownership?

What cars have the lowest cost of ownership? Read on to find out!

There's more to the cost of owning a car than just paying the sticker price; in fact, the car with the lower sticker price might just turn out to be more expensive over the long haul. In other words, you might have the cash to buy a car, but not the income to afford to own it. That's the difference between price and total cost of ownership (TCO).

The total cost of ownership (over five years) includes six factors:

• Depreciation accounts for 46 percent of TCO (the average model depreciates 65 percent).
• Fuel costs mount up quickly -- especially for SUVs -- constituting 26 percent.
• Interest varies according to vehicle price, but in a typical case (a five-year loan, 15 percent down, 6.4 percent interest), it accounts for 12 percent of TCO.
• Insurance costs vary according to age, location, driving record, vehicle make and model but on average account for 11 percent.
• Maintenance and repair constitute 4 percent of TCO on average.
• Sales tax costs owners about as much as maintenance and repair, assuming the national average of 4.9 percent.

So which cars have the lowest cost of ownership? It's a complicated question and your circumstances may vary (especially if you include used cars in the mix), but here are some good candidates among 2010 vehicles. The list also indicates the award-winners in their categories for 2010:

Nissan Versa (also best compact car), Toyota Yaris (also best subcompact car), Hyundai Accent, Honda Civic, Scion xD (also best compact wagon), Honda Fit, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius
(also best mid-sized car), Nissan Cube, Chevrolet Aveo5

Read more: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/cost-of-car-ownership/what-cars-have-lowest-cost-of-ownership.htm

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