Diamond gas is valuable but Gas surge For $3.75 Creates Rush
Reported Friday, Jul 25, 2008
After weeks of relentless spikes in gas prices, things seem to be looking down
for the moment. According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of
gas dropped 2-cents overnight. We found at an Evansville Busler's Gas Station
at Diamond Avenue and Stringtown Road charging customers $3.75 a gallon. Some
motorists were excited about the lower price while some say it really doesn't
matter. $3.75 might seem cheap right now, but last year at this time, we were
paying $1 less a gallon.
see also this squido lens , no wonder people are looking for alternatives :
how
to build an engine for improved gas mileage
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Who needs gas? He's running on hydrogen
Our reporter test drives the fuel-cell Chevrolet SUV that GM is developing.
Running on hydrogen
The hydrogen-powered 2008 Chevrolet Equinox SUV is one of several
experimental vehicles under development by General Motors as the auto giant
prepares for a future when its gas guzzlers go the way of dinosaurs. Video by
Camino Alonso-Ponga
Register
auto writer John Gittelsohn is test driving a hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox
SUV. Read what's it feels like behind the wheel of a non-gas diamond guzzling
eco car.
photo: KATE LUCAS
For the next two days, I'll be test driving a hydrogen-powered 2008 Chevrolet
Equinox SUV. It's one of several experimental vehicles under development by
General Motors as the Detroit auto giant tries to prepare for a future when its
gas guzzlers go the way of dinosaurs. Here are my impressions:
It looks and feels pretty much like a regular gas guzzling SUV, except it's
decorated with decals saying "H20," "FUEL CELL" and "ZEROemissions."
Turn the key and the only way you know the engine is running is by the lights
on the dashboard. There's a screen on the center of the dashboard that shows how
hydrogen fuel flows into the engine, creating energy. Instead of emissions,
cartoonish blue dots stream toward the four tail pipes. The only
"exhaust" is water.
Pop the shifter it into drive and you can't hear anything, except the whir of
rolling tires and the whisper of the wind.
From the Register's parking lot, I took it for a quick spin onto the I-5
Freeway, heading south. For once, because this is a green car, I can take
advantage of the carpool lane, if I were driving solo. For me, that's one of the
major attractions for an eco car -- getting to drive fast. But I was traveling
with a two other people from work and one from General Motors, so we qualified
for the diamond lane legally no matter how you cut it.
The Equinox accelerates smoothly, even with the added weight of extra
passengers. There's no transmission, so the acceleration occurred without
shifting through gears. You can't see the engine -- it's just an electric motor
anyway, so there isn't much to look at.The Equinox's manual says it goes 0-60 in
12 seconds. I counted outloud when we rolled onto the freeway and it seemed like
we reached 60 mph in less time.
Todd Goldstein, the "Vehicle Responsible Engineer" who served as my
instructor on the intricacies of the Equinox, said the engine produces 93
kilowatts, which is comparable to about 125-130 horsepower.
The Equinox's three fuel tanks -- manufactured by Quantum Fuel Systems
Technologies Worldwide Inc. of Irvine -- pack enough compressed hydrogen to
travel about 200 miles.
I don't plan on driving that far over the next couple of days. One of the
dashboard features shows how many miles you're getting per kilo of hydrogen.
During most of my short drive, I was getting more than 50 miles a kilogram.
Goldstein said a kilo of hydrogen is roughly equivalent to a gallon of
gasoline when it comes to energy -- so that seems pretty fuel efficient -- 50
miles a kilo.
I took the Equinox for another spin in the afternoon. The cartoon image of
its fuel system gets boring pretty fast. I prefer to play around with the XM
satellite radio. I was trying to find a good station as I whisked along the 55
Freeway. Then I noticed that the traffic ahead -- even in the carpool lane --
had ground to a halt.
I can report this: The brakes work very well.
I'm happy to report that photographer, Kate Lucas, was wearing her seat belt.
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