Fuel Cell Technology Advances Even Further!

The 2012 Honda FCX. Image Courtesy of Honda.

Anyone who has enough common sense can see that running cars on fossil fuels is a practice that needs to be phased out. The big debate that's raging in the automotive industry right now is what's the best way to wean us off our use of fossil fuels. There are people who tout biodiesel as a great alternative, mostly because the tech is pretty well-developed and could be implemented quickly. A growing faction of the auto industry is putting their weight behind electric cars, especially with the recent success of the Tesla Model S.



For years and years many of the largest automakers in the world have been trying to crack what they consider the holy grail in alternative fuels: hydrogen fuel cells. These automakers feel that fuel cell technology is the future. Fuel cell cars drive more like internal combustion models. Gas stations can be outfitted to deliver hydrogen (this one is debatable, say many electric car proponents). The best part of hydrogen fuel cells is tailpipe emissions are only a small amount of water.

There have been big problems with developing the technology. Fuel cell vehicles have been pretty slow (although Honda's FCX was the first to solve that problem). Many have wondered how the hydrogen will be stored and transported.

Mercedes has recently tackled one of the big problems: size. Hydrogen fuel cells, like lithium ion batteries, take up quite a bit of space. Quite a while ago GM was playing around with fuel cell "skateboards" where the cells were built into the car's chassis, making it thick and heavy. Mercedes has developed a fuel cell engine that is the same size as an internal combustion engine, meaning fuel cell vehicles don't have to contain a huge array along the entire chassis. Just this week Mercedes announced it is teaming up with Nissan-Renault and Ford to mass produce fuel cell vehicles and begin pushing for most hydrogen fueling infrastructure.

The new and more compact Mercedes fuel cell engine. Image courtesy of Daimler.

What does this mean for the future of the automobile? Only time will tell for sure, but a development like this could put fuel cell vehicles in the hands of millions of drivers across the globe, significantly dropping the demand for oil. I'm sure this isn't the last of this story, so look for more developments in the future. 

Board Track Heroes...

Entertaining Video of the Day: Guy in a Honda Has a Cargasm Over Three C7 Corvettes

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

The new C7 Corvette is picking up quite a bit of interest, both inside and outside the automotive world. Anyone who knows the difference between a wrench and their stick shift can tell a new generation of Corvette is a big deal.

And the C7 is a big deal, with numerous improvements over the C6. Of course, most people don't worry too much about what's under the skin of the new 'Vette, getting all hot and bothered over those new chiseled looks.



I'll be honest, the first time I see a C7 on the road I will be giving it a long hard look. The guy in the video below, who is riding in a late 90s Honda (either a Civic or Accord) doesn't just stare at three C7s on the road, but he makes the female driving the car stalk them as he has a cargasmic episode in the passenger seat. The best part of the video, by far, is the cheesy heavy metal music playing as a soundtrack (with lyrics about jumping on a tiger and whatnot). As the guy approaches the Corvettes once they're parked you can tell he's wobbly-legged and tongue-tied. Honestly, it's worth three minutes of your time.

Enjoy the video here:

Denim, Denim, and a C7 Corvette Test Drive

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

Some guys get all the breaks. When it comes to the automotive world, that guy often seems to be Jay Leno -- yes, the comedian. There's a good reason why he gets so many perks in the automotive world. Have you see the guy's garage? He has one of the most amazing car collections in the world and a huge following of gearheads and even casual car appreciators. Every car company with a marketing team that has any sense knows this, so they grab any chance they can get to put Mr. Leno behind the wheel of one of their hot new cars.



GM isn't spending money on frivolous things like Super Bowl commercials. Instead, the automotive giant let Jay Leno be the first person who isn't a GM employee drive the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. I'll be honest, I'm still not sold on many of the design elements of the new 'Vette, but watching a denim-on-denim Jay Leno drive it makes me more excited to get behind the wheel of one. Watch the video below, then wipe the slobber off your keyboard and/or screen.

The Fiat 500 Is Like a Go-Kart!

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth. Photo credit Chrysler Group International LLC.

My first taste for car racing came to me the first time I climbed behind the wheel of a go-kart at the ripe old age of ten. I still enjoy kart racing, partly because the simplicity of the machine provides you feeling extremely connected with the track.

For anyone who has driven a Fiat 500 knows it is about as close as you can get to a street-legal kart. The car is small, handles tight and provides some punchy acceleration. The higher-performance Abarth gives a driver even more thrills and chills.



Someone decided to test just how much of a go-kart a Fiat 500 Abarth really is by racing it on a Detroit-area kart track. While the driver's skills are mediocre at best,you can clearly see from the video below that the little Italian car fits on the track quite well.

Car Saftey Technology

Mercedes-Benz wrong-way alert technology

To me, car safety technology is one of the most important features I look at when vehicle shopping.

Since my wife and baby were in a car accident several years ago, where the other driver shot out into traffic without looking both right and left, I've become a huge safety advocate. The car they were driving was totaled when the other car t-boned it, setting off the front airbags (it was a while ago, so no side curtain or side seat airbags). The car was not equipped with a sensor in the front passenger seat, so the airbag on that side deployed. Stupidly, the airbag was positioned so it smashed into the windshield, sending the glass spraying throughout the cabin of the car.



For those of you who don't know, in most collisions where a windshield breaks, the safety film on the glass actually holds all of the shards of glass in place. After that car accident, my wife found shards of glass sitting on our baby's neck. They both were fortunate enough to not be seriously injured in the accident, one that could easily have been much worse.

Back when Volvo first developed the seat belt, the Swedish automaker decided to broadcast the results of crash tests using a dummy strapped in with a seat belt and one that did not have one. The results, of course, were sobering. Volvo went one step further and broadcast the video on national television in the United States, causing an uproar among car owners. Back then, the Big Three tried to accuse Volvo of causing unnecessary panic in the public, among other things. Fortunately, most automakers today have started to realize the value of safety technology, to one extent or another.

Mercedes-Benz is one of the leaders in safety tech (Volvo is still one, along with BMW, the VW group and others). Safety technology often is introduced near the top of the car food chain on models like the Mercedes S-Class or the BMW 7 Series, like the infrared and night vision technologies available on those cars Mercedes has announced the new S-Class and E-Class will both be outfitted with a system that will issue audible and visual warnings to drivers if they are traveling the wrong way on a road or freeway entrance. Sometimes people get turned around, especially in confusing downtown areas, and they don't see the "Wrong Way" signs. The car is outfitted with cameras that recognize such signs, literally reading them.

Self-driving cars are becoming more of a reality, which I view as just another piece of safety technology. Many of these cars will likely just enhance a driver's performance, stepping in when a driver doesn't react to an obstacle in time. There are quite a few cars on the market today that detect an impending collision and move the brake pads so they are almost touching the rotors, give the driver an audible and visual warning about the impending impact or even stop the car for the driver. Self-driving cars and other safety technology also means elderly drivers and those with medical conditions that impair their senses can still get around, but without putting everyone on the roads (and unfortunately sidewalks) at risk. I only see good in this technology.

Dakar Rally 2013 Colour Studies

In the excitement of following the Dakar Rally I've been inspired to try a few quick digitally painted colour studies based on photographs from the Dakar website:

www.dakar.com

Andre Karginov, 4326 4x4 Kamaz

Ruben Faria (Prt) KTM

Cyril Despres (Fra) KTM

  

 Cyril Despres (Fra) KTM

 Lopez Contardo Francisco Chaleco on Stage 5

 Stage 8 River Crossing

Christian LaVieille (FRA) & Jean-Michel Polato (FRA)

Proto Dessoude on Stage 11 

Flores Seminario Ignacio (Peru) on Stage 2

The Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig"

I'm a huge Porsche fan for many reasons. Anyone who knows about Porsche's very accomplished racing program's history will at least recognize the 917/20, a race car that is lovingly referred to as  the "Pink Pig." The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1970.



Not many cars can pull off pink very well, but the 917/20 wears its race livery with pride. That might be in part because the Porsche 917/20 was like the Superman of endurance race cars for its time. Part of the secret of the Pink Pig was that it incorporated a longer tail to help it travel at high speeds around the track, but it also incorporated the handling characteristics of short tail cars so it was able to stick the corners of the race track better than the competition. Anyone who's raced on a track before knows that if your car doesn't corner very well, you can lose many precious seconds in just one lap, which can result in a loss if the race is tight.

If you want to see the 917/20 Pink Pig in person, book your flight to Germany. The only one made now resides in the Porsche Museum, a place I could likely spend days touring. For now you're just going to have to enjoy this YouTube video that gives plenty of closeups of the car:

Easy Come, Easy Go Insurance Process!

You purchase a new car from the showroom and park it in your driveway. All afternoon long and into the evening, you look out of your window to feast your eyes on your new pride and joy. First thing in the morning when you wake up, you rush to the window to take another look but - something terrible has happened! So you contact an auto insurance company, but surprise - damage from falling tree branches is not covered by collision insurance. Don’t Let This Happen To Yourself Most people finance their automobiles through a bank or other lending institution, and in such cases, the lender will make sure that their interests are fully covered by both kind of policy. Animal accidents, theft, and most acts of nature are covered by Comprehensive. Collision insurance covers only damage sustained by, flipping your car over, hitting another vehicle or hitting a stationary object like a traffic sign. How to find the insurance coverage is right? When you are in the market for a new car you don’t visit to one dealer in a same way you shouldn’t choose insurance agents or an agency without first searching around. Car insurance is a highly competitive business, which is of great importance for the consumer. Use resources like this web site for comparison shopping work and find the coverage that’s right for you, at the right price. Car Insurance Coverage Types - Collision, Liability, Comprehensive Comprehensive Coverage Comprehensive insurance covers every type of damage related to non-traffic. Comprehensive coverage does not cover accidents involving other cars or roadside signage. But, part of the collision coverage. Comprehensive insurance covers when an animal is hit in the accident. Comprehensive insurance also covers the damage to the car because of theft, falls under comprehensive category. Collision Coverage Collision coverage insures against damages to your car as a result of flipping over, or a collision with any object other than an animal. Collision coverage is usually twice of comprehensive in cost and almost always deducted higher. For these reasons, many drivers decide not to buy collision insurance, which may or may not be a good option. Car insurance gives you a sense of relaxation. If an accident occurs, the insurance covers your vehicle, and any other people that may have been involved. There are several policies that you can purchase depending on situation. & what amount of coverage you want. For example, you can choose to protect yourself against accidental harm, burglary, and fire. Your insurance service provider can help you select the policy that meets your demands and your monthly premium in the form of monthly payment. The premium is based on factors such as your past driving history and your age and sex.

The C7 Corvette is Born!

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Unless you've been living in a cave, then you know that General Motors has been cooking up the new generation Corvette, which was revealed this past Sunday evening. It's easily one of the most anticipated model releases of the year, bringing quite a bit of pressure for the huge automaker that has been lambasted by media outlets and the public in general for its reliance on a government bailout (and not to mention a sleuth of sub-par vehicles such as the horribly regrettable Chevy Aveo).

GM drops the Corvette's iconic round tail lights!

GM is calling the new Corvette a Stingray. I'm a huge fan of the old Stingray Corvettes, but quite frankly I don't see any tie between the C7 and the Stingrays of old. Styling-wise, the C7 reminds me of an interesting twist between the current-gen Camaro, the Ferrari FF and the SRT Viper. I'm still trying to decide if this is a good thing (for the record, my wife likes the design). Admittedly, I think companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche are kicking out some much cleaner and visually-appealing designs, but I digress.

I'm not seeing the Stingray resemblance, but maybe that's just me.

On the other hand, technologically speaking the 2014 Corvette sounds compelling. Corvettes have almost always put up some blistering numbers for a budget price (I'll try to forget about that brief time in the 80s when performance was more lukewarm). This new generation of Corvette gives the car a quantum leap into the bold new automotive future. GM engineered a new engine for the 'Vette, the LT1, which produces a walloping 450 horsepower and 450 pound-foot of torque, rocketing the car from 0 to 60 MPH in under four seconds! That's fast, folks! 

The new Stingray fender badge

In all honesty, the weak point of the Corvette--at least since the C4--has been the interior. 'Vette interiors feel cheap, like something you would expect more on the inside of the Malibu or some other lesser model. GM is claiming the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will change that for good. The interior will feature real carbon fiber accents, a higher-grade leather and seats with a lightweight magnesium frame.

The new interior makes use of real carbon fiber

GM has helped the Corvette shed some of its curb weight, taking the car down to  pounds. This has been accomplished with the use of materials such as carbon fiber and magnesium throughout the car. The reduced weight translates into not only a faster vehicle, but also better fuel economy. Official fuel mileage figures for the 2014 Corvette are not available yet, but GM expects them to well exceed the 26 MPG highway rating for the C6.

I'm a leather snob, so I'll wait to see how nice these feel

Does this mean the Corvette will finally be able to corner with the best of them? Can it stick to the corners like a 911 Carrera 4 or M3? Personally I doubt it, but I'll reserve final judgment until I get behind the wheel of one (and I'll post a video of it, for sure). 

The question every auto enthusiast wants to know is what are the high performance versions of the new Stingray Corvette going to be like? The ZO6 and ZR1 offered considerably improved performance over the base C6, so what does GM have in store for the C7 Corvette? One's imagination could run wild, and for now that will have to do. Enjoy the pictures and let me know below what you think of the new Corvette.

New Work in Progress

The new year is always a good time for me to progress my own work as its cold and not many people are putting on events. For those of you who aren't following me on Facebook or Instagram here are some photos of my current work in progress.

To Follow me on Facebook Click the link on the right side of my blog.
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OIL PAINTINGS

 WORK ON PAPER

 

 

Sketchbook Selections Vol 3: Tractors and Machines

CLICK HERE TO BUY

The 3rd in my series of Sketchbook Selections is now available from my Big Cartel Store. It features 24 pages of ink sketches from various 2012 tractor shows and steam rallies. All books come signed and numbered as an edition of 100.