In the last 8 years the Japanese car makers have been using CVT transmission is most of their cars with the exception of Mazda and Suzuki. All the other Japanese brands such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, subaru and Mitsubishi use the CVT transmission extensively in their model range. The most extreme being Subaru who actually used the CVT transmission for the new Subaru WRX. Unlike the Japanese, the Koreans and German car makers either did no adopt the CVT or abandoned it quickly after 1 generation of models.
CVT is suppose to be more fuel efficient than regular torque converter type automatics but it dulls down the driving experience to the point where the car is boring to drive. The simulated gear shifts programmed into the CVT transmission makes it feel like it is changing gears but the driving experience is still numb to say the least. Furthermore the transmission is unable to handle sudden increase in torque if the car's engine is modified.
I am wondering when the Japanese car makers will wake up and switch twin clutch gear boxes.
Tuesday 26 August 2014
Wednesday 13 August 2014
evolution of tyre technology
The black round things that keep our cars on the road that we call tyres or tires (US spelling) has been around for more than 100 years but the concept of it has not really changed. It is still filled with air or nitrogen and will puncture if it hits a nail or a sharp object. Tyres of course have become stronger, more durable and also more resistant to heat and also is able to withstand more damage. Comparing a tyre made in the 1990s and a tyre now, the new tyre is able to withstand much higher speeds (high performance tyres) and offer much better grip and return better fuel economy.
Materials used to make tyres have also evolved in search for better performance.
Many years ago a concept developed by Michelin appeared in some car magazines and this concept tyre did not use air. The outer tread is suspended on rubber spokes on the inside (kind of like a bicycle wheel). Many observers thought that this idea was brilliant since the tyres will never go flat due to a nail or damage from sharp objects. It is still unsure why until today it has not gone into production. Perhaps the tyre companies probably thought that they would loose a lot of money from the reduction of replacement tyre sales resulting in damaged tyres. The tyre companies would only make money on selling replacement tyres that had no more tread left. There is also the possibility that the spokes inside could make the ride harder since you cannot alter the air pressure inside.
Materials used to make tyres have also evolved in search for better performance.
Many years ago a concept developed by Michelin appeared in some car magazines and this concept tyre did not use air. The outer tread is suspended on rubber spokes on the inside (kind of like a bicycle wheel). Many observers thought that this idea was brilliant since the tyres will never go flat due to a nail or damage from sharp objects. It is still unsure why until today it has not gone into production. Perhaps the tyre companies probably thought that they would loose a lot of money from the reduction of replacement tyre sales resulting in damaged tyres. The tyre companies would only make money on selling replacement tyres that had no more tread left. There is also the possibility that the spokes inside could make the ride harder since you cannot alter the air pressure inside.
Tuesday 5 August 2014
going electric
As far as we can think back the car has always run on gasoline or diesel but due to the ever rising cost of fossil fuel this will eventually come to an end. Electric cars seems to be making big in roads into the automotive world. Initially many people were skeptical about electric cars with many commenting about the possibility of electromagnetic radiation, short driving range and long charging times and the possible dangers of the car being stuck in a flood. Toyota's hybrid cars were a good in between solution that offered the best of both worlds but the problems came with the recycling of the batteries and the diminishing battery life.
Some car companies took it one step further by developing sporty electric cars to make it more appealing since the regular electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf was boring to say the least. Tesla Motors took the concept and made it much better by introducing better driving range, luxurious interiors and more efficient use of the power. BMW on the other hand turned their attention to the i3 and i8 both of which are revolutionary to some degree. Keeping true to their motto of making "ultimate driving machine", BMW made the i3 as the city car with an optional gasoline range extender motor and the i8 as the first electric sports car.
Despite earlier criticisms by motoring journalists, BMW managed to prove that their electric cars are worthy of the BMW badge and made the car enjoyable to drive.
The number of pure electric cars sold worldwide is less than 1% of the total volume of cars sold but the number is growing steadily, more so in developed countries where the charging infrastructure is better. Countries like Japan hybrid and electric cars are common as many car parks have charging facility for electric cars.
Once car companies are able to squeeze out a range of 500km on a single charge I believe will be a big impact on the sales of electric cars. The range anxiety problem is still common until now since many of the current electric cars only offer up to 250km range but in reality most of them run out of power by 180km. this basically restricts the owners of driving long distance with the electric car.
The introduction of the induction charging system will help with the sales of electric cars to some degree but someone has to bear the cost of installing the system in public places to allow the electric cars to be charged while stationary.
More evolution of the electric car is yet to come. It will get seriously interesting when the electric cars are self driven and is capable of driving ranges in excess of 500km on a single charge.
Some car companies took it one step further by developing sporty electric cars to make it more appealing since the regular electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf was boring to say the least. Tesla Motors took the concept and made it much better by introducing better driving range, luxurious interiors and more efficient use of the power. BMW on the other hand turned their attention to the i3 and i8 both of which are revolutionary to some degree. Keeping true to their motto of making "ultimate driving machine", BMW made the i3 as the city car with an optional gasoline range extender motor and the i8 as the first electric sports car.
Despite earlier criticisms by motoring journalists, BMW managed to prove that their electric cars are worthy of the BMW badge and made the car enjoyable to drive.
The number of pure electric cars sold worldwide is less than 1% of the total volume of cars sold but the number is growing steadily, more so in developed countries where the charging infrastructure is better. Countries like Japan hybrid and electric cars are common as many car parks have charging facility for electric cars.
Once car companies are able to squeeze out a range of 500km on a single charge I believe will be a big impact on the sales of electric cars. The range anxiety problem is still common until now since many of the current electric cars only offer up to 250km range but in reality most of them run out of power by 180km. this basically restricts the owners of driving long distance with the electric car.
The introduction of the induction charging system will help with the sales of electric cars to some degree but someone has to bear the cost of installing the system in public places to allow the electric cars to be charged while stationary.
More evolution of the electric car is yet to come. It will get seriously interesting when the electric cars are self driven and is capable of driving ranges in excess of 500km on a single charge.
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