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VOA Special English Technology Report - July 10, 2011
You could fill the sky with all the ideas people have had for flying cars -- or what Carl Dietrich calls "flying-driving vehicles."
CARL DIETRICH: "Since the turn of the twentieth century, there have been many hundreds of published concepts for flying-driving vehicles. And some of them have actually been built and flown. But at this point the Transition is the closest to actually getting to the marketplace.”
Carl Dietrich heads a company in Massachusetts called Terrafugia.
Lightning McQueen is Back in Worldwide Adventure 'Cars 2'
VOA - Alan Silverman | Hollywood - July 01, 2011
A 2006 animated hit from Pixar introduced a world of talking motor vehicles, especially a shiny red racecar and his rust-encrusted best friend, a tow truck named "Mater." Now they're back for an adventure that takes them around the world. Here's a look at Cars 2.
LIGHTNING:"Wish me luck." MATER: "You go get 'em, buddy."
In the original Cars, celebrity racecar "Lightning McQueen" is stranded way off the beaten track, in the town of Radiator Springs where he learns to appreciate life in the slow lane. In this sequel, "Lightning" is back for a star-studded series of international competitions …and he brings good-hearted, but dimwitted, Mater along as part of his crew.
LIGHTNING:"Oh, look at this! Okay, now, Mater remember: best behavior." MATER:"You got it, buddy. Hey, what's that?"
From Tokyo to Paris to Rome, Mater skids from one misadventure to another until he crashes into a team of spies trying to solve a mystery affecting the world's energy supply.
AGENT HOLLEY: "There's an American liaison operating under deep cover."
MATER: "Domo arigato" (thank you)
AGENT FINN: "These Americans are clearly master spies."
AGENT HOLLEY: "Oh, you've got to be joking."
And "joking" is the key word for John Lasseter, a co-founder of the Pixar animation studio and director of both the original and "Cars 2."
"We can take things that you've seen in our world or other movies and re-imagine them - or, as we say, 'car-ify' them - and it's fun."
Lasseter, a pioneer of computer animation, is now chief creative officer at the Walt Disney studio, which purchased Pixar in 2006. While that takes up most of his time, Lasseter could n-o-t resist getting behind the wheel again for the "Cars" sequel.
"I am so passionate about cars," explains Lasseter. "My father was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership in Los Angeles, and I worked summers there as a parts delivery boy. I just love cars and it's so much fun to bring cars to life and take a look at their world and everything about that."
AGENT FINN: "I never properly introduced myself: Finn McMissile, British Intelligence."
MATER: "Tow Mater, average intelligence."
The voices for Cars 2 include Oscar-winning English actor Michael Caine who admits he also was driven to make the film.
"I've got three grandchildren, and the reason I wanted to do it was I wanted them to see me, because if you think about it, the films that I make little children can't go and see," Caine explains. "So I've got this tremendous bond with my grandchildren through this film. It was a wonderful opportunity for me."
Caine joins the ensemble from the first film, especially comic actor Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better known by his stage name "Larry the Cable Guy." Whitney …or Larry …says his homespun humor is a good match for playing Mater.
"He likes people for what they are. He doesn't judge anybody for how they look or anything like that. He's just an easygoing, friendly guy who just wants to be friends with everybody. So that's why I like Mater," Larry explains.
PIT CREW: "Your suspension stats look good …tire pressure is excellent …he's got plenty of fuel."
MATER: "And he's awesome."
Even with all the action, Cars 2 is ultimately about two best friends: Mater and Lightning McQueen. Owen Wilson is back for the sequel as the bright-eyed racecar.
"With this movie, it was this exciting new adventure with the world grand prix …and that the friendship between them has a sweetness to it," Wilson says. "But there is also the hilarity of seeing Mater as a kind of fish out of water in this sort of spy intrigue and stuff. I think it's very appealing."
In what has become a Pixar trademark, Cars 2also advances the art of computerized animation with realistic depictions of international landmarks. However, as this is a world of cars, each is imaginatively fashioned from wheels, fenders, grillwork and other motor vehicle parts.
Lightning McQueen is Back in Worldwide Adventure 'Cars 2'
Free market solution is designed to help neighborhoods make do with fewer cars
VOA - Tom Banse| Portland, Oregon
- June 20, 2011
Photo: Colin Fogarty
Eric Loebel, of Portland, Oregon, plans to rent his Volvo S80 out to strangers with the help of a car sharing service.
Americans love their cars. There are more cars, per capita, in the United States than in any other country - more than eight cars for every 10 Americans, according to recent government figures.
But most of the time, those vehicles sit idle, parked in a driveway or on the street. Now, several startup companies on the U.S. West Coast are helping people rent their personal car to someone else when they don’t need it.
Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing
Eric Loebel is one of those people. For a small price, he wants to let his Oregon neighbors “borrow” his car. It’s a dark blue, model year 2000 Volvo sedan.
The sales and marketing consultant says he doesn’t use it much.
“My wife and I are huge bike commuters and almost don’t need a car, but haven’t quite been able to eliminate that element," he says. "So we have a car that basically sits in front of the house maybe 85 to 90 percent of the time.”
Loebel is one of the first car owners in Portland to list his wheels for rent through a so-called “peer-to-peer car sharing” service called Getaround.com.
The website for car sharing service, Getaround.com, lists the personal vehicles available for hourly rental.
“Cars are so expensive to own," he says. "This can definitely offset some of the cost.”
The website lets car owners decide for themselves how much to charge borrowers to rent by the hour, day or week.
Collision protection
Loebel is charging $9 per hour or $199 per week. So is he worried someone will wreck his car?
“Ummm... no. My relationship to my car is one of non-attachment.”
And besides, he says the car sharing marketplace automatically includes liability and collision insurance that is separate from his own. That’s an important feature. Most U.S. insurance companies hold the owner of a vehicle responsible for accidents, no matter who is driving, and can raise the insurance premium.
So the Oregon Legislature is considering new regulations to smooth the road for person-to-person car rentals, following an example set by the California legislature last year.
“Commercial uses of vehicles are prohibited under typical insurance policies," says State Rep. Ben Cannon, a Democrat from Portland. "So we needed to create new law to provide for the possibility that someone could put their car into a car sharing program without violating their motor vehicle insurance policy.”
Cannon’s legislative fix encountered no organized opposition on its way to passage. He enthusiastically endorses personal car sharing as a free market solution to help neighborhoods make do with fewer cars.
Something for everyone
Person-to-person rentals began in Germany a decade ago, and there are a handful of similar companies in Europe and Australia.
The concept caught on quickly in California over the past year, according to John Atcheson, vice president of Getaround, one of four car-sharing startups in the San Francisco area.
“We have had an amazing array of cars leaping into our system," Atcheson says. "Not just 1995 pickup trucks, but we have had late model Mercedes, Audis, any type of car you can imagine. We actually have a Tesla Roadster - a $150,000 sports car - that people have put into this pool.”
Atcheson’s company and its competitors screen the driving records of prospective borrowers. Private car owners post when their vehicles are available in a members-only internet marketplace.
The car sharing companies take a commission of 35- to 40 percent of the rental price to cover administration and insurance. Owners and borrowers can police the marketplace by giving each other online ratings.
“So far, we have had surprisingly few issues come up," Atcheson says. "In fact, the only issue I can think of right now that has happened is that someone had a BMW sports car in the system. It was a stick shift. Someone who didn’t know how to drive a stick shift very well took it and burned the clutch down.”
Getaround helped to pay for a new clutch.
Another service called JustShareIt plans to stand out by going beyond cars. Its founder says the company will offer person-to-person rentals of power boats, dune buggies, jet skis and snowmobiles too.
OC Car & Truck Show 6/11/2011 - 6/12/2011 Phone: 302-436-0183 Address: Ocean City Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay Website: www.occarshow.com
One of the East Coast largest automotive and culture events comes to Ocean City with the most amazing vehicles that grace the pages of your favorite automotive magazines. From tuners to exotics, from trick trucks to slammed SUV's, from crazy classics to super bikes the OC Car Show has something for everyone. Combine that with top name companies with interactive displays, vendors with everything for your ride and the Ocean City's biggest name performances live on the OC Car Show Stage, the event is great entertainment. For updates on artists and special guest appearances check the website.
VOA - Rosanne Skirble | Washington, D.C. April 05, 2011
The future of auto parts?
Scientists in Brazil are turning fruit fibers into car parts. At a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society, the researchers described their work in making the next generation of automotive parts made from natural fibers from bananas, pineapples and other tropical fruits.
The laboratory that Alcides Leao runs at Sao Paulo State University sees value in such agro-waste waste. "We extract the fibers from the leaves or trunk, and then we separate the cellulose from the other plant components. So basically cellulose is the key raw material."
This cellulose mixture is used as a bio-based, not petroleum-based plastic for car parts. While the idea has been around since the early 1990s and championed by Toyota, what’s new in the Sao Paulo lab is the scale. Leaves and stems of bananas, pineapples and other fruit with tough skins are put into a device similar to a pressure cooker.
Leao says chemicals are added and the result is a fine material that resembles talcum powder. "Basically we are using a very simple process similar to pulp and paper where we are able to go over and over in several cycles. We are able to move from micro-scale to nano-scale" or down to the molecular level.
It is costly - less than one-half kilo of nano-cellulose is needed to produce 45 kilos of super-strong light weight plastic material. However, the nano-cellulose-reinforced plastic is 30 percent lighter and as much as four times stronger than petroleum-based plastic and easily matches carbon fiber and fiberglass.
Leao says it makes the car more durable, fuel efficient and eco-friendly. "Before it was 50 percent non-biodegradable, non-renewable, that was the plastic based on oil and now we end up with 100 percent bio-degradable, bio-renewable material."
The nano-reinforced plastics have other advantages over conventional plastics including greater resistance to damage from heat, water and spilled gasoline. Leao expects nano-fiber- reinforced car parts to reach the market within two years. He also predicts the product could someday replace steel and aluminum.
US Car Sales Up Sharply in February
VOA - March 01, 2011
Sales of new vehicles jumped markedly in the U.S. in February, with sales by the world's two biggest automakers up the most.
Japan's Toyota, the global leader, said it sold nearly 142,000 vehicles last month, a 42 percent increase over the same month a year ago. Meanwhile, U.S.-based General Motors, second in the world, said it sold more than 207,000 vehicles in the U.S. in February. That's a 46 percent jump.
With signs the U.S. economy is slowly improving, other automakers also reported robust sales. Ford said its sales were up 14 percent, with Chrysler reporting a 13 percent gain and Nissan a 32 percent increase.
GM emerged from bankruptcy last year and has nearly overtaken Toyota as the world's biggest auto manufacturer. It has trimmed the line of models it offers customers in an effort to streamline its operations. Its February sales total was partly boosted by the company's use of various sales incentives.
Analysts say the improving U.S. economy has given some buyers a better sense of security that they will not lose their jobs and can afford to make a big-ticket purchase like a car.
One GM official, Don Johnson, said the sharp rise in the price of oil caused by the political turmoil in the Mideast has not had an impact on car sales so far. He said rising gas prices facing American motorists, however, could eventually affect sales and shift demand toward more fuel-efficient models.
Americans Rev Up for Cleaner, More Efficient Cars
Obama calls on US automakers to produce more electric-powered alternatives
Rosanne Skirble | Washington, D.C. February 15, 2011 - VOA
Photo: VOA - A. Greenbaum
Lawyer Jeff Parmet, behind the wheel of his Volt, says he hasn't pumped gas since buying the electric car in December.
Americans are in the market for more energy-efficient and cleaner-running cars. In his State of the Union address to Congress last month President Obama challenged the U.S. automotive industry produce more electric-powered alternatives.
"With more research and incentives we can break our dependence on oil with bio-fuels and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015," he said.
That message echoed through the cavernous exhibition halls of the 2011 Washington Auto Show, held recently in the nation’s capital, where 700 domestic and imported vehicles were on public display, including new, environmentally friendly, or "green" cars.
Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan awarded the magazine’s Green Vision Award to Ford for redesigning its best-selling Focus line of gas powered cars into the Ford Focus Battery Electric model. "This is a pretty amazing car. The technology is first rate," he said.
Another crowd pleaser at the show was the all-electric 2011 Chevy Volt, which General Motors introduced as a concept car in 2007 and is on sale in U.S. showrooms.
Cogan says the sleek, aerodynamic four-seater is a milestone in automotive engineering. "It offers the essence of what an electric vehicle should be, with the ability to have an on-board internal combustion engine generator that also creates electricity so you can just continue driving."
High performance
That’s been the experience of Jeff Parmet, a lawyer who works from his home in Potomac, Maryland. He says he hasn’t pumped a drop of gas into his car since he bought it in December. "Ideally I never want to put gas in it. That’s the goal."
VOA - R. Skirble
Jeff Parmet starts his Volt inside on a cold day using an application on his mobile phone.
The Volt goes about 65 kilometers on a single charge. When the onboard gas generator kicks in to recharge the battery, the car can go up to 480 kilometers between plug-ins.
Parmet says the Volt more than meets his needs. "A lot of people thought it would be like driving a glorified golf cart. That's not the case. This is an engineering marvel. It’s a performance car. It really accelerates fast. It handles great. It corners great. My hat is off to Chevy for what they did with this car. I’m just delighted with it."
General Motors hopes to manufacture 10,000 Chevy Volts this year and another 45,000 in 2012.
On a cold day like this one, Parmet sits at his kitchen table and warms up the Volt by tapping into an application on his mobile phone. A few minutes later in the garage he unplugs the long electric charging cable from the car and stores it in his home power station, a box on the wall about the size and shape of a large bathroom scale.
VOA - R. Skirble
Volt owner Jeff Parmet disconnects the power cord from his new electric car.
Next he gets in and pushes a power button to start the car. The car responds in silence. An electronic sound effect confirms that the motor has started. The only noise when he drives is from the wind outside.
Parmet gazes down at his glowing instrument panel. There’s a digital speedometer, a satellite navigation system and buttons to control the radio and the cabin temperature. He also monitors a rear-view camera and a computer screen that calculates battery range, a display with settings for recharging, and a gauge that gives continuous feedback on driver efficiency.
Assessing costs and benefits
Parmet admits that the Volt is expensive. He says while it costs about twice that of a similar-sized car with a gasoline engine, it’s a price he’s willing to pay.
"I bought this car because I strongly believe that we need to move off an oil petroleum-based transportation economy. And I want to make a statement. So I felt that this was an opportunity to do more than just talk the talk."
Parmet sees a bright future for electric cars. He says tighter air pollution controls and higher fuel economy standards have resulted in more efficient gas-powered cars, but he thinks Americans are ready for alternative cars that can achieve much higher energy efficiencies. As more and more electric re-charging stations are installed in public places around the country and as prices begin to come down, Parmet is confident he'll be seeing more and more electric cars joining his on America's highways.
Americans Rev Up for Cleaner, More Efficient Cars
Article and Video from VOA
GM: China ‘Crown Jewel’ in Future Plans
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 - VOA
U.S. automaker General Motors says it is hoping to further capitalize on China’s emergence as the world’s largest market for automobiles.
Calling China “the crown jewel in the GM universe,” GM Chief Executive Daniel Akerson told reporters in Beijing Tuesday the company plans to introduce 20 new or upgraded vehicles into the Asian economic giant over the next two years. Akerson says he believes China will be the highest growth area in the world during “the next 10, 20, 30 years.”
GM sold 2.35 million cars and trucks in China in 2010, more vehicles than it sold in the United States.
The company is turning more of its attention toward China as it continues its recovery from bankruptcy and near-collapse in 2008 during the global economic downturn. The recovery has been aided by an emergency loan from the U.S. government.
GM: China ‘Crown Jewel’ in Future Plans
Article from VOA
