We are all aware that the search for alternative fuel for use by cars these days is growing rampant and apparently we have seen a lot of them. Leading the pack are biodiesels and ethanol but as criticized before, the matter of how the car engine would react is still up in the air.

The manufacturers claim that they will not have any effect and even improve car performance. However, as far as the Philippines Petron Corporation is concerned, they are harmful and may lead to damaged car engines.

The Ethanol gasoline E10 is the alternative fuel being hit, said to be highly corrosive. The E10 fuel is still being sold locally in the Philippines and reports of damaged car engines have been relayed. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been urged of the matter and nothing has been divulged as of yet.

The E10 damages a car’s gas tank, fuel pump, carburetor and fuel injector according to Petron Corp. Chairman Ramon S. Ang. The problem, he said, was that the government did not specify that there should be a dehydrator to remove the water content, which is what makes the ethanol-blended gasoline (E10) highly corrosive.

(Source) Philippine Daily Inquirer

Tags: alternative fuel, car engine, car engines, car performance, carburetor, damaged car, dehydrator, e10 ethanol, e10 fuel, ethanol blended gasoline, ethanol gas, ethanol gasoline, fuel injector, fuel pump, gas tank, petron corp, petron corporation, philippine daily inquirer, tank fuel, water content

Continue reading...

Volkswagen has bagged another award, this time for its car engine technology. This time, the award is their first of a series of awards that the company has garnered. The award is the 2009 International Engine of the Year award for its 1.4l TSI Twincharge Engine.

The famed engine is available on a wide array of cars under the Volkswagen brand. Among the cars includehe Golf, Scirocco and Eos, and is used to good effect by Seat in the Ibiza Cupra.

The award is a milestone for Volkswagen, having beaten out familiar names like Toyota and Honda for their new electric hybrid power plants. With so much going for the Volkswagen brand thus far, expect their cars to rebound in performance this year since they have been copping awards one after another, making them one of the cars to watch this year.

(Source) Asia One

Tags: car engine, Cars, engine technology, Eos, Honda, hybrid power, milestone, power plants, Scirocco, Toyota, volkswagen

Continue reading...

If there are two factors that a motorist could point out as contributing areas for increased fuel consumption, it has to be getting stuck in traffic. Imagine yourself with the car engine running and waiting forever to advance and you can safely say that you are burning more fuel than getting places.

Who is to blame? Well traffic light programming may be one but thanks to the TrafficFlow Manager, all that may be a thing of the past. Aiming to ease traffic congestion and save the consumer some money from fuel, TrafficFlow Manager is a driver alert display that works with traffic signal timing to alleviate traffic congestion.

TrafficFlow Manager is a programmable electronic sign that can be connected directly to the signal controller or manually set to display a predetermined speed during specific times of the day or days of the week. An optional GPS timer receiver ensures synchronization between the display and the signal controls. The electronic sign can also be set and controlled remotely from a central office using either a cellular modem or Ethernet connection.

Thanks to technology, traffic in certain areas may yet improve. If that is the case, you can bet that TrafficFlow Manager may already be used to help in the daily motoring problems we have to deal with today.

(Source) Press

Tags: car engine, cellular modem, electronic sign, fuel consumption, light programming, money, optional gps, signal controller, timer, traffic congestion, traffic light, traffic signal timing

Continue reading...

One thing definite in vehicles these days, added strains on the engine lead to fluctuating fuel consumption. Like in the use of car air conditioning, you can bet that they add to the load of the car engine, perhaps upping the fuel consumption of a car since they are needed to mediate the in-car temperature

As far as helping out the cooling systems in cars, tints and films have been known to lower that burden. With an adjustable thermostat, the load on the car engine is diminished and hence lower. So with that in mind, Southwest Technologies offers the XIR Films.

These infrared reflective glass using XIR film technology for all new vehicles helps a lot in improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. The XIR film is laminated with uncoated glass and enables any automotive glass manufacturer to produce IR reflective glass without the need to invest in tens of millions of dollars in glass coating equipment.

XIR film also makes IR reflective glass cost-effective for low-to-mid volume model runs and for aftermarket replacement glass that otherwise could never justify the fixed costs associated with glass coating production.

“Standardizing on IR reflective glass enables smaller AC systems for all vehicle models,” Capovilla added. “This not only justifies the cost premium of the glass but also makes it a value-added feature for consumers who are increasingly seeking options to reduce their impact on the environment.”

(Source) Press

Tags: ac systems, adjustable thermostat, automotive glass, car air conditioning, car engine, cooling systems, film technology, fuel consumption, fuel efficiency, glass coating, glass manufacturer, mid volume, new vehicles, reducing carbon emissions, reflective glass, replacement glass, technology aim, tints, vehicle models, volume model

Continue reading...

Normally, car air conditioners are used to help fight off the prickly heat. But is that all air conditioners are for? If you are suffering from respiratory problems, you are better off leaving them on as a study has proven that they can help in the health issues as far as air quality is concerned.

In a study released at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), a Hannover Medical School team monitored air quality in three cars between five and 10 years old that had been fitted with air conditioning.

The microbiological quality of air showed “an enormous improvement,” ranging from 80.5 to 88.7 percent, when the air conditioners were on, the researchers say.

For motorists, rarely would you see cars today running without the car air conditioner on. Unless of course you are situated in cooler climate countries, using air conditioners can do more than just cool you off.

However it makes you wonder on the impact it would have on fuel consumption. We all know that air conditioner compressors add to the load of a car engine and once they are on, the engine needs extra power. Regardless, it would be better to pay for gas rather than hospital bills if you are not careful in addressing allergies and potential respiratory problems right?

(Source) Press

Tags: car air conditioner, car air conditioners, car air conditioning, car engine, clinical microbiology, compressors, european congress, extra power, fuel consumption, hannover medical school, health issues, hospital bills, microbes, microbiological quality, microbiology and infectious diseases, motorists, prickly heat, respiratory problems

Continue reading...

Motorists know for a fact that when it comes to saving fuel, taking a load off the car engine is the way to go. But the thing is, what adds to the engine load that makes it consume more fuel than normal? One is the car air conditioning system which affects the normal idling of the car. But all that may change if this brainchild from Ricardo pushes through.

The system is called the EAC (Enhanced Air Conditioning). This system is designed for hybrid or start-stop terrain vehicles to which the air compressor will automatically shut off when the drive power is solely electric or when the stop-start arrangement slashes the engine.

The system is allied to a sophisticated mapping and mobile communication system In the Ford Escape Hybrid which is a Sentience project tested automobile. Also it manages the speed and path of the car. Hence the EAC system can envisage potential stopping points and can decide on when the air-con may require to be switched off. And it assists in decreasing the fuel consumption furthermore.

Though still a project as of this time, the concept is ideal and logical. At least it helps improve the fuel consumption and should it be implemented, fuel for your dollar is sure to be noticed.

(Source) Vicky.in

Tags: air compressor, air conditioning system, brainchild, car air conditioning, car engine, Ford, ford escape, ford escape hybrid, fuel consumption, mobile communication system, motorists, slashes, sophisticated mapping, terrain vehicles, vicky

Continue reading...