Under The Hood: Archive

Hello, Blog. Don’t panic - I know this picture looks kind of scary, like I’m having surgery or something, but that’s not it. I’m having a blast living in a virtual world here at AVL right now, being tested by their virtual reality machines that simulate real road and driving conditions. I mean, it’s not as fun as actually being on a road trip, of course, but it’s the next best thing to being there. Anyway. I’m lucky to be able to ~~play these cool virtual reality games~~ I mean use this super high tech equipment to get ready for the road. Check out more about what I’m doing by reading about the AVL dynamometer here, where they talk about how even NASCAR uses this to simulate race conditions! ”(The AVL Dynomometer) allows the teams to test the engine in a way that makes the engine think that it is in a car on that week’s track,” this article says. Make the engine think it’s in a car on the track. Hmm. This is fun, and all, but you know, they could have just asked me, and I bet if I thought very hard - or maybe not at all - I could have imagined these conditions I am being tested for, and we could have done it that way. I have a good imagination, Blog, you know I do. Sometimes it is what makes my wheels go round. And you know, if you’re lucky, the same is true for you. x LV

Here I am at AVL waiting for my turn on the dynamometer. I held the table for eleven games.

Jan 24, 20121 note

Neil Young (my driver and bff) this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. (AP Photo by VIctoria Wills). Here’s more from Sundance with Neil and Jonathan Demme.

And here’s one of my favorite things:

Neil behind the wheel!

But no, that’s not my wheel (hmmph!), it’s Victoria’s (as in Ford Crown Victoria, born 1956), whom he drove around with in Journeys, the movie he recently made with Jonathan Demme and premiered this weekend at the Slamdance Film Festival (Sundance’s bad-boy cousin).

x LV

Jan 24, 20124 notes

That’s what they’re saying about all these new, greener car designs. ”Less of this and more of that.” And hey - it’s all good. It’s all progress. But I’m different. I’m proud of my fellow eco-minded brothers and sisters coming down the line. But … I’m not like them. (But I can pretend - Kurt Cobain said th … Oh never mind.) I’m different. I’m not really less of this and more of that. I’m more, well, more of this and less of that, you know? More of this - what cars used to be - I’m a long range electro cruiser - and less of that - I’m a series hybrid, I can go the distance without damaging the planet. More of the dream, less of the nightmare. And I might live a thousand years before I know what that means. Hello, Blog. x LV

Jan 20, 2012

Hello, Blog. I’ve been reading about the auto show in my hometown of Detroit in my spare time while I’m at work here at AVL. ”Industry’s Green Shoots Blossom Into Optimism” is a look at the new green vehicles on display there right now. Of special note, from my cousins at Ford:

FORD C-MAX HYBRID AND ENERGI Ford’s first standalone hybrid nameplates, the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi, are gas-electric and plug-in versions of a compact Focus-based people hauler. On sale this fall, the C-Max Hybrid will deliver about 45 m.p.g. in combined city and highway driving; Ford expects the plug-in Energi to drive more than 15 miles on battery power alone and beat the Chevy Volt’s federally rated mileage equivalent of 93 m.p.g.e.

FORD FUSION Ford’s redesigned family sedan addresses the blind spot of the current squarish model with sleek styling — even if that meant shamelessly cribbing design cues from Ford’s former Aston Martin and Jaguar brands. Gasoline and hybrid Fusions go on sale in summer, with the hybrid targeting a class-best 47/45 m.p.g. in city and on the highway. The Energi plug-in hybrid follows this fall.

And of course, although it’s not green, I did love to read:

“An unexpected splash came from Lincoln, whose remade MKZ sedan, arguably the show’s most overlooked design, signaled that Ford Motor is at last serious about reviving its luxury brand.”

Acura, BMW, Honda and Lexus introduced or talked about introducing electric or hybrid vehicles, and, of special interest to me because I am a hippy at heart on most days, Volkswagen! VW is introducing an electric vehicle, finally. The E-Bugster:

VOLKSWAGEN E-BUGSTER A chopped-roof rival to the new Mini Coupe, VW’s two-seat, all-electric Beetle features a 114-horsepower motor and a claimed range of more than 100 miles.

Which is cool, but I mean, really, I really really wanted them to name it The Lightning Bug. Or even The Flash Drive. Oh well. I hope they kept the dashboard vase. (They should have called it The Flower Power! Petal to the Metal! Petal to the Pedal! Re-Flowering the American Dream! What.) Oh dear. See what happens when I start talking again? I just keep on talkin’ anyway. This little electric VW, it’s cute. I might keep one in my trunk, just for fun. x LV

p.s. The article also mentions that the median age of the American car is near record highs. Ha! They ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Wait until I hit the road (soon!) with my 1959 born bad self.

Jan 20, 20125 notes

Play

Jan 20, 20123 notes

Coming soon to a highway or byway near you: Me! Hello, Blog. I have been thinking very hard as my team gets me ready for - wait for it - The Road. At last! But there’s work to be done before then, right now it’s me and the pavement, and I don’t mean that nice place where the pavement turns to sand. Whew. I mean the pavement in the parking lot where I am being put through my paces like a racehorse before the big race! I am working hard, and thinking harder, concentrating on being the best - and the world’s first - long range electro cruiser, ever. I want to make my team proud. And Mother Earth proud! And Detroit proud. And you, too, Blog. Thanks for believing in me, I won’t let you down, no matter what. x LV

Jan 17, 20124 notes

Under The Hood

February 2012

2 posts

January 2012

6 posts

December 2011

13 posts