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CarbonCounter.com has a great app where you can compare prices and carbon emissions

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You’ve gotta check this out! The folks over at MIT have crunched the numbers and found overwhelming support that not only do electric vehicles emit less pollution over their lifespans, but many are also cheaper after tax rebates. The results are surprisingly obvious. If you need help understanding, the points to the left on the chart are cars that cost less (initial price, maintenance, and fuel), and points that are lower on the chart have less lifecycle emissions (production, tailpipe, electricity generation, ett.). So don’t worry, these MIT guys have factored in all of the assumptions to make your choice easier. You can also customize the app by changing variables such as the cost and sources of electricity and gasoline prices. This is a fascinating app and I hope they keep it updated for future makes and models. Electric vehicles are orangish yellow.

Carboncounter was created by Marco Miotti, Geoffrey J. Supran, and Jessika E. Trancik at the MIT Trancik Lab, based on reference [1], and programmed by Marco Miotti using AngularJS and D3.

Costs are given in 2014 USD. Vehicle specifications were obtained from manufacturer websites and cars.com, and are based on 2014 models (except for the Toyota Mirai, Chevrolet Bolt, and Tesla Model 3). Emissions were calculated based on the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model, developed by Argonne National Laboratory. Fuel economies reflect the official EPA ratings, which are based on a standardized test procedure specified by U.S. federal law.

Details on the calculation of costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and emission targets can be found in the Supporting Information of reference [1].

[1]: M. Miotti, G.J. Supran, E.J. Kim, J.E. Trancik, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016.

Rimac Concept One

Archie Hamilton Races a Tesla P90D vs. a Rimac Concept One vs. a Ferrari LaFerrari

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British race car driver Archie Hamilton wanted to find out how fast the Rimac Concept One really is so he came to Croatia, where Rimac is based, and brought with him a Tesla P90D with Ludicrous Mode and the ultimate road-going Ferrari – the LaFerrari.

The Rimac One is a super electric car in every sense of the word, but you might not have heard of it before. It has four motors at the wheels with a total horsepower well over 1000 hp. Each rear motor has its own two speed dual carbon clutch gearbox. The two gears allow the Concept One to accelerate quickly not only from a standstill, but while travelling speeds well over your local highway speed limit. Additionally, the Rimac One has seven independent cooling systems so the car can perform at extreme levels for prolonged hotrod sessions. With this setup, the Rimac has a few advantages over simpler electric supercars. The One can shift without losing torque. Power delivery is never interrupted since the front motors still deliver torque to the front wheels independently. The four motor powertrain architecture can control each wheel extremely precisely. With high tech traction control computers, the car can transition power from one wheel to the next in a turn or traction slippage situation.
Rimac_One_torque_vector_illustration

As you can see in the video [spoiler alert] the Rimac One smokes the Tesla and it’s not even close. Later, Archie Hamilton warms up the Ferrari, which puts up a fight, but ends up mincemeat as well. The Concept_One achieved 2.69 seconds to 100 km/h and 9.92 seconds on the quarter mile. If you’re interested in owning this electro-rocket you might be able to snatch one for under a million dollars (US$980,000).

RImacOneFerrari

Tesla Model S P100D, Tesla Model S P90D

Guy is Bringing his Tesla Model S P100D to the Drag Strip and Toasting the Competition

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So it’s happened. Kids are now bringing their Teslas to the local midwest drag strip to race against big block engines and souped up imports. Kind of like how people are switching to those e-cigs. I guess it was only a matter of time before die hard coal burners noticed sub-3 0-60 for about $100,000. That’s not entirely out of reach if your dad owns the local Ford dealership or something along those lines. With 100% torque from a stand still, Tesla Model S can smoke just about anything the locals bring to the track. One YouTube channel, Tesla Racing Channel, has been entirely dedicated to doing just that for about 5 years now. They currently own a P90D and a P100D Model S with Ludicrous mode with which they drag race on a daily basis. They intend to get a Tesla Roadster as well as a Model 3 to add to their collection. So if you ever were curious about what the Tesla Model S can do in the 1/8 and 1/4 mile, check out this guy’s channel.

Here they demonstrate the difference in acceleration between the P90D and P100D:

Model S, Tesla Model X, Tesla Motors

Tesla Adds “Cabin Overheat Protection” in Software Update

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Tesla has added another innovative smart feature to it’s on board software.  The new function is called Cabin Overheat Protection” and will protect children, dogs, cats, and other macroscopic organisms you happen to serendipitously leave in your Tesla while you are on your daily frappachino run.

Other updates in the newest software include a new user interface and improved autopilot.  What will they think of next at Tesla?

Chevy Volt

Mr. Mobile Reviews the 2017 Chevy Volt

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Mr. Mobile gives an in-depth review of the new, 2017 Chevy Volt. Chevy has made some key enhancements since 2012, make sure you are up to date with all the new features.  The 2017 Chevy Volt includes self-parking, proximity sensors, front and rear mounted cameras that indicates when you are near an obstacle, blind spot warnings, remotes starting, locking, and locating, and just an absolute myriad of  “smart” features you might come to expect with a high-end vehicle these days. Also, the new Chevy Volt can take regular unleaded gasoline, instead of the premium unleaded the generator sipped before.

The Chevy Volt is an extended range electric vehicle; or you could just call it a E-REV or a PHEV.  So, it has an electric range of about 50 miles before its four-cylinder generator kicks in to extend the car’s range to 420 miles.  Then, you can choose to plug it in, charge it, or both.  Since the Volt concept’s inception, Chevy has held on to the idea that consumers would like to hold on to their traditional gas station fill-ups, while enjoying the newfangled garage charging sessions.

Unfortunately, the Chevy Volt has never been as exciting to read, write, or dream about as the Tesla Model S 85D model with a rating of 270 miles, and its $85,000 price. However 50 miles a day of solid, EV drive is more than enough range for the average American driver. According to the Borough of Transportation Statistics, the regular Joe American Driver only drives 29 miles a day.  Additionally, 45% of our trips are simply shopping and doing errands.  So like Jay Leno demonstrated, if you partition your trips wisely, you might not put a drop of gasoline in Chevy’s Volt for years.

So if you are interested in kicking gasoline to the curb, or at least enticed by visiting the pump much less frequently than Jane Soccermom in her SUV crossover next door for $34,490 to about $40,000 fully featured, the Chevy Volt may be a great deal for you.

Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz Vision Van and the Future of Supply Chain Logistics

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Corporate supply chain logistics might not seem interesting to most, but it has been and will continue to be a testing grounds for alternative transportation ideas like electric/hybrid drive, automation, and vehicle sharing. If long haul shipping businesses can save some cash with more efficient diesel engines or air dynamic side spoilers, they will make the investment more quickly than the average joe. This is why the Mercedes-Benz Vision Van could present a realistic opportunity to see how some next-gen ideas, especially automated electric transit, could be implemented in the very near future.

From Mercedes-Benz:

  • Mercedes-Benz Vans launches future initiative adVANce to expand its growth strategy and develop new business models
  • Investments of approximately 500 million euros over the next five years for digitalisation, automation and robotics in vans as well as innovative mobility solutions
  • New organisational unit within the start-up scene in Stuttgart, Berlin and Silicon Valley – approximately 200 employees already work on numerous projects
  • Close cooperation with start-ups, including first strategic investments – among others in Matternet
  • All-electric “Vision Van” van study with a range of up to 270 km, fully automated cargo space and integrated drones

The fleet emission average for delivery vans, trucks and big rigs is 10.17 kg CO2 per gallon of diesel consumed. Delivery vans and trucks average about 7.8 mpg (or 1.3 kg of CO2 per mile) while big rigs average about 5.3 mpg (or 1.92 kg of CO2 per mile). –NCEP

Transit trucks, which make multiple stops and are frequently left in idle by the drivers, would benefit greatly from automation and electrification.  Diesel engines spew tons of particulate matter into localized urban areas. The problems are especially exacerbated by urban city blocks, which trap pollutants in avenues and streets.   Electric trucks would nullify this problem by transferring the pollution to power plants which, hopefully, will continue to become more clean in the future.   Electric trucks in urban areas would make full use of regenerative braking and eliminate the idling problem.

So while most are intrigued by 0-60 mph of the next electric supercar, corporate delivery trucks could demonstrate a new, fascinating approach to modern transportation.  This new way of thinking could open the doors to mainstream drive automation, more efficient ride sharing applications, driver-less taxi services, and other beneficial transportation ideas that could never have been fathomed 20 years ago.