First Drive: 2010 Buick LaCrosse

With GM cutting its number of brands in half, those who remain in the General's employ now have both the opportunity and the obligation to define their roles, build unique products, and sell lots of cars. As one of GM's four surviving brands, Buick owes a debt of gratitude to the Chinese market, where it is considered a premium marque. In the United States, the brand urgently needs to develop a similar cachet, and the 2010 Buick LaCrosse is an effort to do just that.

Younger skin for a younger Buick

Buick is making a conscious effort to attract younger buyers, and that shows in the new LaCrosse's styling. The grille is bolder, the headlights are more aggressive, and a strong character line on the sheetmetal sweeps along the profile. A high beltline and narrow glass reduce the visual height of the car to create a sportier stance. Chrome accents appear around the side glass, above the taillights, and on the door handles of some models. In all, it is an eye-catching new design, unexpected of Buick, that still doesn't betray the brand's image of comfortable luxury.

Interior by Asia

GM tapped its Chinese designers to treat the LaCrosse's cabin. The result is tasteful design of swooping lines crafted from quality materials. The interior is accented with ambient lighting in the dash, center console, and doors that glows ice blue.

With a base price of $33,765, the top-of-the-line CXS comes with a well-equipped, luxurious cockpit. Interior appointments include leather, heated and ventilated front seats with eight-way power adjustment for both driver and passenger, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a heated steering wheel with audio controls.

Because many Chinese car owners won't actually drive their Buicks (they'll be chauffeured, of course), GM placed extra emphasis on the rear compartment design. Legroom is expansive, and the rear seats are comfortable. While many sedans make do with a flat, benchlike rear seat, the Buick offers supportive, bucketlike seats for two passengers with room for a third on the hump. An available rear-window sunscreen raises and lowers with the push of a button next to the gear selector. All LaCrosses feature a 12-volt plug in the rear of the center console; a 120-volt AC power outlet is also available.

What's luxury without technology?

The high-end CXS comes with an extensive list of standard technology, including Bluetooth, keyless entry and ignition, an eleven-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, a USB port, and the rear AC outlet. For $350, a head-up display shows speed, rpm, outside temperature, and a compass. When listening to satellite radio, song titles appear on the windshield as the song changes, and navigation directions show up as you approach a turn. Our test car came standard with rear parking sensors and was also equipped with the $1995 navigation system, which incorporates a rear backup camera. There's also an available rear-seat DVD entertainment system with two screens mounted on the back of the front seats

First Drive: 2010 Ford Flex with EcoBoost

With the 2010 model year, Ford is marking the start of its EcoBoost initiative, a plan that will dramatically effect the company's entire lineup in the coming years. By using turbocharging and direct injection with smaller-displacement engines, Ford says it can offer better performance and fuel economy. The company expects it will put 1.3 million EcoBoost engines on the road by 2013 and offer the technology in 90 percent of its models.

The Flex crossover is one of the first Fords to get EcoBoost. Using a 3.5-liter V-6, the Flex achieves V-8 performance with V-6 fuel economy. The Flex EcoBoost (which is only available with all-wheel drive) achieves the same fuel economy as the base all-wheel-drive Flex, which is rated at 16/22 mpg.

Powertrain
The technology in Ford's EcoBoost engines isn't revolutionary, but the company's plan for such widespread adoption is unique. In the 3.5-liter V-6, two turbochargers spin as fast as 170,000 rpm to force more air into the engine while fuel injectors spray gasoline into the cylinders at 2175 psi. Adding more air and fuel allows extra power to be squeezed out of each combustion event.

There are plenty of automakers that might detune a performance engine by 10 to 20 hp in the family crossover, but the Flex receives the same 355 hp that will move the Ford Taurus SHO, the Lincoln MKS, and the Lincoln MKT. Ford has decided that its first EcoBoost engine needs to place more emphasis on performance than fuel economy in order to build a positive impression of the technology. Future Ford engines using turbochargers and direct injection may focus more on the fuel economy side of the equation. Torque is rated at 350 lb-ft and spans from 1500 to 5250 rpm. It's that plateau-flat torque curve that creates an exciting and effective blast when the throttle is planted. Ford estimates 0-to-60-mph acceleration occurs in about 7 seconds.

EcoBoost Flexes all receive a manual-shift mode for the six-speed automatic transmission, along with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. The paddles are a great addition for the performance engine but could use some refinement. When the gear selector is left in drive, the paddles can't be used to effect a downshift. In manual mode, the transmission is happy to provide downshifts at a fairly quick pace but sometimes isn't restrictive enough (yes, we just said that). Multiple times, we asked for one too many downshifts, and the Flex obliged by dropping down a gear - right on top of redline. To top it off, the coarse, dull finish on the plastic paddle shifters looks out of place compared with the rest of the well-trimmed cabin.

More than an engine upgrade
The Flex with EcoBoost is more than just a Flex with a different engine. The engineering team has also modified the suspension with stiffer springs, higher damping rates, and a ride height that has been lowered by ten millimeters. Combined with the already-low ride height and excellent body control, the subtle changes make this Flex one of the best handling crossovers on the market and do a good job of disguising its 4839-pound weight.

Ford has also equipped EcoBoost Flexes with electric power steering (the base Flex will continue to use a hydraulic system). The primary advantage is that Ford can now incorporate its Active Park Assist (see below), but the system also adds a feature called Pull-Drift Compensation. When a driver has the steering wheel slightly turned to keep the vehicle straight on a crowned road or in strong crosswinds, the computer recognizes it and activates drift compensation. By adding small amounts of torque to keep the wheel off-center, the driver can reduce the amount of effort to keep the wheel cocked and car straight.

The enthusiast's crossover
Ford touts EcoBoost's advantages with a pragmatic slant: better towing with above-average fuel economy. We agree that those are admirable attributes. But driving the winding roads of the Rockies outside of Boulder, Colorado, we came to admire the Flex EcoBoost as something else: an enthusiast's crossover. Combined with confident body control and surprising handling, the torque-monster engine creates a fun driving experience. All-wheel drive provides sure footing, and the paddle shifters allowed us to run up and down through the gears and keep boost at the ready.

To emphasize the Flex's towing credentials, Ford took us to Estes Park, Colorado, at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet. Towing trailers that were loaded with 2500 pounds of ATVs and dirt bikes, we ran up mountain roads in a GMC Acadia, a Dodge Durango Hemi, and a Ford Flex EcoBoost. While the normally aspirated engines--a 3.6-liter V-6 in the Acadia and a 5.7-liter V-8 in the Dodge Durango--wheezed from a lack of air, the Ecoboost's turbochargers kept the Flex steaming ahead. At sea level, the Hemi and the EcoBoost are on a much more level playing field - but the earth is not flat. The Flex can pull up to 4500 pounds and comes standard with a trailer sway control system when equipped with the towing package

The Smera: Roller Derby for the Smart Set

The Smera started out in 2003 as the Moulene concept. In 2006 they founded Lumeneo to develop Moulene concept. Voilà - The Smera!

Specs:

* Type: Dedicated plug-in electric vehicle
* Class: 1+1 passenger car
* Manufacturer: Lumeneo
* Propulsion system: 2 15 kW brushless electric motors with permanent magnets
* Top Speed: 80 mph (130 km/h)
* Zero-to-60: 8 seconds
* Vehicle range: 90 miles (150 km)
* Fuel(s): Electricity
* Battery pack: 10 KWh Lithium-ion (144 V, 70 Ah capacity)
* Time to full battery recharge: 3-5 hours
* Tailpipe emissions: No
* Price: €24,500 ($34,000)
* Availability: Yes (in Paris)


he controlled tilting. The vehicle's integrated inertial system, controlled by central electronics, determines the Smera's optimal tilting angle and transmits that to the cabin and the 4 wheels. The feel of this tilt is said to be 'intuitive', has a 25 degree maximum tilting angle, and requires no training at all.

The cockpit. Lumeneo calls it a "luxury cocoon" that "offers a panoramic look around the city", which all may be a bit of a stretch, but I could easily go for a spell in the Smera's snug and uncluttered leather cockpit with the aviation steering.

The redundancy. A nice little fail-safe function, if the Smera's drivetrain runs into a problem, it's designed to do the PC equivalent of tapping F8 during reboot—operate in a safe mode on one electric motor to get you where you need to go.
What we don’t

The prospects. The Smera has good specs, but this is what we've come to expect from a lightweight vehicle with little room for much beyond a driver and his choice between a passenger and trunk space.

The name. Company name? Love it. Vehicle name? An abomination.
Conclusions

In early 2009, Lumeneo was busy conforming the vehicle for road certification in France and cleaning up other loose ends. According to a couple of outlets, Lumeneo began taking orders in the winter and were set for vehicle delivery by this summer. Any takers? I don't know, but I imagine that timing, vehicle impracticality, and cost are coming together in a perfect storm to derail Smera sales.

You have to admit, at €24,500 this is one pricey roller skate. This is especially so in a gasping economy. The company claims to have plans to begin selling the Smera in other European cities in 2010, but hopefuls in the US shouldn't hold their breath: its 4 wheels rule out the much easier motorcycle classification.

Radical Engines, Quirky Designs Refuel Quest for Car of Future

Where will the car of the future come from? Detroit, which fumbled the electric automobile and let Japan grab the lead in hybrids?

Not likely. Instead, try NASA, MIT's Media Lab or Silicon Valley, where the sizzling, battery-powered Tesla Roadster debuted last summer. New technology that promises to revolutionize the automobile as we know it is emerging from research institutions and startups -- and these innovations won't set you back $100,000 like a Tesla will.

U.K.-based PML Flightlink put four of its 160-horsepower electric motors in the wheels of a BMW Mini to produce a concept car that shoots from zero to 60 in about four seconds and hits a top speed of 150 miles an hour. The engines also act as brakes, recovering energy that charges a battery and giving the car a range of more than 200 miles. A tiny gasoline motor can be used to recharge the battery for longer trips, on which the car gets 80 miles per gallon.

Another British firm, the Lightning Car Company, has already begun taking orders for its Lightning GT, a sleek, 700-horsepower sports car powered by PML's wheel motors.

A team of researchers at MIT's Media Lab, meanwhile, hopes to use the same approach to reduce congestion in today's crowded cities. They're experimenting with small electric motors located in the wheels of the CityCar, a tiny, nimble and practically silent vehicle with wheels that turn 360 degrees, enabling it to slip neatly into tight urban parking spaces. Designed to stack like supermarket carts when not in use, the cars could be parked strategically in front of subway stations and office buildings, where people could grab one as needed for short-term, one-way rentals, says Ryan Chin, one of the MIT researchers.

Others are looking to revolutionize the automobile's engine, not replace it.

The radical new design of the Scuderi power plant splits the cylinders of an internal-combustion engine in two, compressing air in one chamber, then shooting it into a combustion chamber where it's mixed with gas and ignited. The Massachusetts startup's design allows recovered braking energy to be stored as compressed air. It also creates a highly efficient combustion environment, promising to double gas mileage while drastically reducing tailpipe emissions.

Colorado-based Sturman Industries is working on another type of under-the-hood innovation. Run by former NASA engineer Eddie Sturman, who designed an electronic valve for Apollo spacecraft in the '60s, the company uses digital valves to control the flow of air and fuel to internal-combustion engines, eliminating the need for camshafts.

Going digital means the valves work faster and more precisely than mechanically operated ones, and use far less energy. The valves provide such precise control of combustion, Sturman says, that an engine using them will deliver twice the power, with essentially no emissions.

Cars and trucks using the technology would be able to adjust to different fuels.

"You'll be able to fill up with diesel one day, and gasoline or ethanol the next," says company president and chairwoman Carol Sturman. "The valves send information back to a microprocessor which then adjusts the combustion process as needed." Some of the valves are already in commercial production.

How Do I Change My Fuel Filter?

A vehicle's fuel filter is used to keep the fuel that is used in the fuel injection system clean to avoid plugging the fuel injectors and the fuel pressure regulator. The fuel filter should be changed between 25,000 and 35,000 miles depending on driving conditions. First locate and identify the fuel filter, all vehicles are different so you might have to look around for it. Some are under the hood and others are under the car or truck like the one used in this example.
Step 1 - Locate and replace the fuel filter

If you are unsure where your fuel filter is located consult a car repair manual. (Wear protective gloves and eyewear when replacing).

Step 2 - Remove the fuel filter connection
Remove fuel filter connections from fuel lines. A small amount of fuel will leak out when connections are removed. Next remove the fuel filter mounting bracket bolt and remove filter.
Remove fuel filter mount from old fuel filter and install it on the new fuel filter. Make sure that the direction arrow is pointing in the direction of the engine. (Forward in most cases)
After the fuel filter mount is installed reinstall fuel filter. Make sure the sealing "O" rings are in

place, in good condition and free from debris. Remount filter and reconnect. Start vehicle to check for leaks. Note: some fuel filters have a release tool to remove the fuel filter like Ford. To use the release tool insert the tool over the fuel line near the fuel filter, push the tool inward to release the fuel line from the filter. To reinstall the new filter push the fuel lines onto the new filter, the fuel lines automatically hold onto the new filter.

How does a hydrogen fuel cell work in automobiles?

There are many types of fuel cells, but the one that is being considered for powering automobiles is called the polymer exchange membrane fuel cell. One of the benefits of this type of fuel cell is that it has a low operating temperature. It wouldn’t take very long for the fuel cell to become heated enough to produce the electricity needed to power an automobile. A polymer exchange membrane fuel cell has four main parts. The catalyst is what makes hydrogen and oxygen react with each other. The proton exchange membrane, or electrolyte, acts as a block for electrons. The anode and cathode are the negative and positive posts of the fuel cell, respectively.

In order for fuel cells to work, a reaction must take place. Hydrogen gas is propelled into the catalyst by pressure on the anode side of the cell. When this hydrogen comes into contact with the platinum contained on the catalyst, the molecule is split into positively charged hydrogen ions and negatively charged electrons. At the same time, oxygen gas is being propelled through the catalyst, producing single oxygen atoms that have a negative charge. These negatively charged oxygen atoms attract the positively charged hydrogen atoms, and they combine with the electrons from the hydrogen reaction to form water.
How does a hydrogen fuel cell work efficiently?

The purpose of studying how fuel cells might power automobiles is to reduce pollution from automobile usage. Researchers are working to determine how efficient automobiles powered by fuel cells can be, with some prototypes testing at around sixty percent energy efficiency. This may seem low, but most gasoline powered automobiles are really only about twenty percent energy efficient. Battery-powered electric cars have an energy efficiency that hovers just above seventy percent. Researchers have the difficult task of trying to determine how to use hydrogen fuel cells on a wide scale in order to produce automobile pollution.
Hydrogen fuel cell issues

There are several problems facing researchers who are trying to determine how to use hydrogen fuel cells for automobile use. One is that the parts needed for hydrogen fuel cells can corrode easily. Scientists must determine a way of manufacturing fuel cells more cost effectively if they are going to be used on a wide scale. Another issue is that fuel cells need to operate at a wide range of temperatures. They must be able to work on a hot summer day topping one hundred degrees and the coldest winter day bottoming out at a temperature below zero. Scientists must determine a way of making fuel cells more durable. Fuel cells must be kept hydrated constantly in order to produce energy, so there is also the problem of keeping fuel cells hydrated within an automobile environment.

How a Car Computer Works (ECM engine control module) (PCM powertrain control module)

The Engine Control Unit or ECU is a designated computer that was developed to manage the engine control system. The ECM consists of electronics which are mounted on a multi-layer circuit board. The ECM monitors and adjusts the air/fuel mixture and utilizes a catalytic converter to minimize the amount of pollution produced from the engine. There are two modes of operation, closed loop, which means the computer has completely taking over the operation system. And open loop which is used when the engine is cold and operates on a preset program. The engine must be at operating temperature before it can go into closed loop.

The ECM monitors the input and output signals produced by various sensors in the system. The ECM then adjusts the system as necessary. Sensors can include: oxygen sensor, coolant sensor, mass air flow sensor, air intake sensor, crankshaft angle sensor, throttle position sensor, camshaft angle sensor and knock sensor. The ECM operating program consists of information cells. These cells hold the code for proper engine operation, if information is outside the cell parameters a MIL (malfunction inductor lamp) or "check engine light".

Once a "check engine" or a "service engine soon" light in your instrument cluster has illuminated the ECM has stored a diagnostic trouble code. This means the computer system on your vehicle has detected a problem with the various systems it controls. Your car or truck has many different sensors that monitor the various vehicle systems. If the trouble code light has been illuminated your vehicle enters into "limp mode" this means it is running on a predetermined program that causes poor mileage and increased emissions. An engine trouble code reader is an easy to use tool. All 1996 and newer vehicles utilize a "D" style plug-in connector that connects to the code reader. On most vehicles the connector is located at the driver's compartment. Once the code reader is plugged in you can retrieve trouble codes the engine computer has stored in its memory. These codes are the same codes the dealer and repair shops use to replace sensors and clear codes.

The ECM outputs a 5 volt reference to most sensors to drive the monitoring circuits. The ECM also controls the radiator cooling fan, air pump controls, fuel pump, EVAP system and more depending on the vehicle. Communication standards have being established in the OBD2 operating system. Among the communication standards controller area networking or CAN has become very popular and can achieve communication speeds of more than 500 Kbps, which is faster than most communication standards. Advantages of using buses for communication is that if a fault occurs with any of the process modules, it can be reported separately to a diagnostic tool. Manufacturers have different trouble code faults although some are generic. Wiring is simplified by a technique known as multiplexing. In this kind of wiring system is assigned for each module, which consolidates the output and input for that module.