Ford has just revealed earlier today their new 6.7 Liter Power Stroke V8 Turbocharged Diesel Engine that will replace the current heavy duty diesel engine supplied by Navistar. The new engine will make its debut in the next-generation F-Series Super Duty trucks.
The capability and reliability found in the new 6.7 Liter diesel engine starts with the engine block. The new Power Stroke’s block is made from compacted graphite iron (CGI), which is about twice as strong as regular gray cast iron. While this is the first use of a CGI block in North America in this class of vehicle, Ford has successfully used the material in engine blocks in other products around the world.
Perhaps the diesel mills extended range due to its alternatively fueled nature would make it the perfect candidate to power the next Ford SVT Raptor to another strong finish at Baja. However due to the U.S. market’s dislike for the less refined crude product it would be hard to imagine this engine in anything other than a dedicated work truck.
Press release after the jump.
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When the Ronn Motor Company debuted the hydrogen powered Scorpion super car at the SEMA show last year, he let the world know that just because a car is green doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. So by asking the question, “How fast can you make water go?” RMC’s CEO Ronn Maxwell has embarked on an endeavor that will leave him amongst the likes of recent automotive pioneers like Tesla’s Elon Musk and Henrik Fisker.
The Scorpion’s chrome-moly tube chassis is wrapped in a custom made carbon fiber skin thanks to the legendary Gaffoglio family from Metalcrafters. The exterior of the 40 MPG super car has enough bold curves and cutouts to secure its place as an exotic sports car. The heart of the RMC Scorpion is a 3.5 Liter V6 from an Acura TL that has been upgraded with a pair of Turbonetics turbochargers and a H2GO hydrogen injection system, this alternative fuel mixture increases fuel economy by 20% to 30% while reducing emissions at the same time. The combination is good for around 600 HP, which allows the 2200 pound super car to go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds and reach a theoretical top speed of 200 MPH.
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When Jay Leno officially hung up his gloves as a late-night talk show host, the prevailing thought was it was only a matter of time before he ends up in front of the cameras again.
Apparently, the return was sooner than most of us thought. Leno is scheduled to debut a one-hour prime-time show, which is predictably called, ‘The Jay Leno Show’, and being a true pistonhead, Leno is pitching to include an auto-racing event as one of his key segments.
While the format for this segment seems familiar – Leno actually copied it from Top Gear’s ‘Reasonably-Priced Car Challenge’ from which, ironically, he was one of the guest drivers – the ex-late night host is adding his own personal twist into this segment.
He’s calling it the “Green Car Challenge”, which will have celebrities racing around a specially-designed track inside the NBC compound in a – you guessed it – environmentally-friendly car.
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The Cash for Clunkers program has given automakers a spike in their sales and while they’ve been reaping the rewards all to themselves, those who have been late to throw their hats on the program are finally doing so.
One car brand that has joined the fold is Audi, which is now extending an extra $1,000 incentive for every car sold under the government-funded CARS program on top of the rebates the program gives away.
Audi’s program only covers a limited number of its models – 18 2008 and 2009 models, to be exact. The newer models are still being discussed as eligible vehicles, although some of them, including the Audi A5 2.0T, have yet to be included because the EPA hasn’t certified the car’s fuel efficiency rating.
Audi America’s CEO, Mark Del Rosso said that the CFC program is a great opportunity for Americans to get their hands on a new Audi, which, for some of us, just might be too good an offer to pass up. It’s not all the time when you can say that you’re this close to purchasing either an A3, A4, A4 Avant, A4 Cabrio, TT Coupe or Roadster, a Q5 or many of their quattro variants. So when the opportunity presents itself, it’s something that’s definitely worth considering.
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In a very bold move Nissan Jidosha Kabushiki-gaisha has made history by unveiling their first zero emissions vehicle intended for mass production. In an attempt to skip the gas/electric hybrid craze and jump directly into plug in electric vehicles, it might appear that Carlos Gohsen is set on taking over the world like a James Bond villain with the long awaited lithium ion beattery technology. This past Sunday the Japanese automaker unveiled the Nissan Leaf, a five door electric vehicle with a 100+ Mile range at their home base in Yokohama. The Leaf features a sharp, upright V-shaped body with a pair of slanted LED headlights that were designed to cleverly split and redirect airflow away from the door mirrors, thus reducing wind, noise and drag.
Those top secret batteries that we were talking about are made up of laminated lithium ion cells that are capable of delivering over 90 kW of power and weigh only 440 pounds. The battery pack sends it stored energy to the Leaf’s front mounted electric drive motor that only outputs 80 of those kilowatts for a maximum output of 107 HP. The interesting thing about an electric motor is that they make their peak torque at 0 RPM, we know this sounds crazy, but unlike the internal combustion engine, the amount of energy an electric motor can do is based upon how it was made and it delivers that power at one constant amount. That is a healthy 208 lb-ft of torque. The instantaneous power should provide off the line acceleration comparable to the Infiniti G35 sports car.
Of course the question with any purely electric vehicle is how long will it take to charge? Nissan claims that the Leaf will take 8 hours for a full charge from a 200 V source; so a high capacity 220 V outlet is recommended, otherwise it will take twice as long for a full charge from a standard 110 V AC outlet. There is an impressive 50 kW AC fast-charge capability. This allows for an 80% charge of the lithium ion batteries meaning you can go up to 80 miles with only a 30 minute charge, or if you are really in a hurry, you can get an additional 31 miles after being plugged in for only 10 minutes. Although the hardware necessary is a little too expensive for in home use, leave that up to your local municipality. The disadvantage of having to run with all that electronic gear onboard is the excess weight, however because it can be mounted low in the chassis it should make for a decent handling package.
Press release after the jump.
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