If the name 'Trident' has visions of Maseratis and vintage Triumphs dancing through your head, you are in for a big surprise. When we first looked at the Trident Iceni, it was powered by a 375-hp GM turbo diesel V8 mounted up front and producing 520 lb-ft of torque. After a year or two of development, it's even better according to its makers, with the latest version of the venerable Duramax diesel tweaked to offer 550 horsepower at 3,800 rpm along with an arm-wrenching 950 lb-ft at just 1,800 rpm. Trident claims the Duramax can slingshot the Iceni to 60 mph in well under four seconds and on up to a top speed easily surpassing 200 miles per hour. According to the British company, its modified GM/Isuzu engine is capable of running on any blend of biodiesel without voiding the warranty and returns 68.9 miles per gallon (or 57 mpg in U.S. gallons) at a steady 70 miles per hour. Is this the guilt-free supercar for the eco-conscious speed freak?
With an elaborate chassis folded from stainless steel and a composite body, the Iceni will not rot away. The rear-mounted 8-speed automatic transmission also allows for wide gearing, which is fortunate since the diesel engine isn't going to be a revver. The company is currently looking for funding and hopes to offer the Iceni for about £75,000 out the door. So far, Trident has mentioned no plans to send its wares across the pond to the U.S. Pity us poor Americans.
In the world of alternative power, not all fuels are created equal. This fact is true with ethanol, where the alcohol can be made using fairly inefficient processes, some of which involve corn, or using more advanced cellulosic methods which do not use a foodstock. Diesel too can come from either petroleum or from non-dino sources. You're probably aware that Audi has been assaulting various race tracks using its advanced diesel powered race cars, specifically its two-time Le Mans-winning R10 TDI, which has so far been running on what is known as gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel fuel. With the 24 Hours of Le Mans just around the corner, Audi and Shell, the fuel provider for Audi's race team, have announced that the team will be blending a small amount of biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuel into its secret mixture. Shell's BTL fuel is made from materials such as wood chips and will make its on-track debut on Sunday, June 1, as Audi's R10 TDI begins its official Le Mans testing.
Click on the image above for high-res shots of this wacky scene
Running diesel vehicles on biofuels is a good thing, right? Not always, according to Greenpeace Argentina. It seems that the export of soybeans from Argentina is causing more pollution than was initially estimated. Also, too much of Argentina's native forests are being mowed down for the soybeans. These issues are in stark contrast with two of Greenpeace's stated charters: (1) catalyzing an energy revolution to address the number one threat facing our planet: climate change and (2) supporting sustainable agriculture by encouraging socially and ecologically responsible farming practices.
No Greenpeace protest would be complete without some sort of outlandish stunt, and this one follows suit. Because most of the Argentinian biodiesel goes to Germany, a Mercedes-Benz M-Class and a Porsche Cayenne were made to look like bulldozers by men and women wielding German flags. The two SUV's were surrounded by fake tree stumps. Once again, Greenpeace has done an admirable job of catching plenty of attention. Whether the group's wacky efforts have any effect, though, is another matter entirely.
In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next year's H2 and H2 SUT, which will be the first production models to be Flex-fuel capable.
You won't need to drive a HUMMER to get E85 at the station. The pumps are open to the public, a first for a dealer-owned gas station. By 2010, GM has said all HUMMERs will be biofuel-capable. GM plans to market 15 Flexfuel models next year, but only one percent of the country's service stations sell E85. GM is using that as an opportunity to open the public's (and dealers') minds to putting alternative fuel stations in alternative places.
Said GM's Larry Burns, "Down the road we may even want to consider hydrogen dispensers at dealerships."
Jon Markman at MSN Money doesn't hold back when he says "Corn-based ethanol production is sure to go down as one of the greatest mistakes ever in U.S. energy policy." It's even more provoking when he writes "replacing fossil fuels with corn-based ethanol would double greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades. The studies show that switchgrass, an alternative to ethanol that's more weed than plant, would boost emissions by 50%."
The problem isn't with the cars, the problem is with what it takes to grow the biofuel in the first place. Clearing the land, harvesting, and refining the crops, plus the loss of forest and wild lands and habitats, amounts to creating a carbon footprint worse than fossil fuels. According to the Science article which, admittedly, posits an extreme scenario, it would take 423 years to even out the carbon debt if Indonesia's peat lands were converted to palm oil fields.
The research is starting to give some people pause, such as the folks at the European Union who declared they wanted ten-percent of the block's transport fuel to come from plants. And Joe Fargione of the U.S. Nature Conservancy asks, "Is it worth it? ...[S]urprisingly the answer is 'no'. These natural areas store a lot of carbon, so converting them to crops results in tons of carbon emitted into the atmosphere."
The LA Times just ran a piece about how car collector extraordinaire and The Tonight Show host Jay Leno is seeing green these days. Not envious in the least, Jay in fact has several warehouses around Burbank that house hundreds of incredible vehicles that would incite lust in just about anyone with a car-loving bone in their bodies. No, the green here is the environmental push that is seemingly sweeping the world over. It seems that after spending more time with fellow celebs and enviro-warriors like Ed Begley, Jr., Jay has become enlightened to the needs of Mother Earth.
It should be pointed out that Jay has always had alternative vehicles in his collection. Most of those are early steam cars, but still, last year at SEMA he introduced the EcoJet powered by biodiesel and this year he rolled out the E85 Corvette C6RS by Pratt & Miller. People see high performance and the green movement as two diametrically opposed concepts, but Leno is one of those people who understands you can have both. Making a high performance vehicle doesn't have to come at the expense of the planet if you choose your motivation carefully. Cars like those mentioned above and Audi's diesel-powered R10 Le Mans racers come to mind. And the greening of Jay extends beyond the vehicles themselves.
Leno is investing in ideas like solar panels, wind turbines and grease-eating microbes, according to the article. He's also gradually making over his Big Dog Garage to incorporate self-generated power, energy-efficient heating and nontoxic cleaners. The article is a pretty good read, so check it out for yourself. The funniest bit in the story is Jay's half-serious, half-joking rationale for getting into the green thing: "My thing with the green situation is: Even if you don't believe in global warming, don't you want to screw the oil company or gas company or utility company?"
Priceless.
Thanks for the tip Jay!
[Source: LA Times]
Gallery: SEMA 2007: Jay Leno's E85-powered C6RS Corvette
While we're a bit weary of the green-theme that seems to be pervading the Frankfurt Motor Show, this latest preview seems to meld both environmental aspects and performance offerings into one cohesive package. Germany's FourMotor will be showing off its BioConcept Mustang GT RTD to the masses next week, although the moniker "concept" doesn't quite do it justice, as the GT RTD has already competed in the 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring.
Powering the concept is a turbo'd two-liter in-line four running off of bio-diesel, which produces 280 hp and 369 lb.-ft. of torque. The chassis is still pure Americana, but the stock steel body panels have been nixed in favor of a plastic composite made of plant fibers to reduce weight and lend credence to the GT's environmental cred. Hmm... a turbocharged, four-cylinder diesel Mustang. We're perfectly OK with that.
Etruk, a UK company, is selling a do it yourself biodiesel machine that will turn your fry grease into fuel for just pennies a gallon! For just £895 ($1,821) you can buy its smallest distiller that turns out 40-liter batches. Etruk's site says it's perfect for keeping a single car fueled. Or you can step up to the largest machine, which costs £2,095 ($4,265) and churns out 150 liters of fuel at a time. Just the right amount says the site for someone who wants to start their own biodiesel fueling station.
While it's legal for Brits to make their own highly-flammable fuel right in their own back yards, it's not clear how U.S. authorities would react. We can easily see your neighbors freaking out at the site of this thing next to your kids' swing set. So before you go ordering one of these, check your state and local laws. That is, unless you're just dying to know what Guantanomo is like in the fall.
There's a theory that only men comfortable with their manliness can get away with wearing pink. Whether you buy that or not, Ford's tough little Ranger pickup is trading its plaid shirt image for the pink livery of Salford, UK.
The city just purchased a fleet of six pink Ranger 2.5 TDCi Regular Cab 4x2s fitted with tipper beds for their street-cleaning department. Salford's Public Relations Officer Ian Andrew tells us, "Yes, magenta is our colour! We want our city to stand out and for people to recognise when the city council is providing them with services."
Situated about 200 miles north of London, Salford prides itself on having an eco-friendly image, with 60% green space, 30 miles of rivers and canals and 112 ponds and lakes. And that's why the six pink Rangers will be burning biodiesel for their five years of service.
"The Rangers are superb," said Salford City Council's Transport Manager Terry Dixie. "Our concern is with paper bulk, rather than weight. This provides an opportunity to reduce vehicle size. The Ranger is less expensive than a conventional 3.5-tonne tipper vehicle, provides superior fuel economy and its robust design promises a long life."
AutoblogGreen got to take a look at the testing process that new battery technologies go through before they get on the road in new hybrid vehicles. Speaking of hybrids, a California psychologist examines whether driving one can really make you eternally happy. Oil is the only thing the middle east has in abundance. Desert regions have a lot of sun and an inventor in the United Arab Emirates has developed a two seat car that derives it's energy exclusively from the sun.
Etruk
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