The current fuel crunch, driven fundamentally by a rising global demand for oil, has spurred debate among consumers, political leaders, academics and entrepreneurs about plausible alternatives.

A good bit of the discussion has focused on biofuels, commonly defined as energy derived largely from plants and crops like corn, soybeans, switch grass among other sources.

"It's become obvious that the biofuels sector is much more viable now that the prices of oil are high," said Beth Ahner, an expert in biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University.

Algae, thought of as pond scum by many people, is an intriguing biofuel prospect, some researchers and entrepreneurs say.

CNN.com producer Cody McCloy, who's driving across the United States in a biofueled diesel-powered vehicle, is a fan of algae-based fuel, after running it much of the day on Monday during his travels through California.

Source: CNN

Read More of the article @ -> Pond Scum becoming new oil?

1. Inspect your antifreeze while your engine is cold by using a tester to check the mixture for its freeze point. A 50/50 ratio means 50% distilled water and 50% antifreeze, which is sufficient in most climates, except in extreme cold.

2. Have your charging system checked for free at any Advance Auto Parts store. Cold weather starts make the vehicle battery work much harder and getting stranded in the cold is no fun!

3. Change your oil and oil filter. Clean, high quality engine oil goes a long way in protecting the motor in cold start situations. Use the oil recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

4. Visually inspect all lights; marker bulbs, tail lights, third level brake lights, especially headlights and driving lights. Daylight savings time requires bulbs to work longer hours.

5. Tire Tread condition; check it yourself, or have it checked. Winter driving requires good traction in snow and ice. Quality tire tread sheds the snow, ice and road grime more quickly, providing better traction for improved safety. Check your tire pressure regularly, especially in colder temperatures. Follow the recommended PSI found on the driver’s side door post for maximum traction.

6 Visibility is key to your safety; make sure that your wiper blades are in top condition, to fully clear your windshield, and back window if the vehicle is equipped. Road salt and slush can jeopardize visibility. Use washer fluid containing de-icer and Rain-X Treatment on windows to avoid the chiseling of ice early in the morning.

7. Inspect your engine’s belts and hoses. Cracked, frayed or worn out rubber won’t stand up to temperature extremes. Don’t get stranded on your next trip because of a $10.00 belt or hose!

8. Replace the Cabin Air Filter if the vehicle is equipped. Outside contaminants from Fall and Summer driving are stranded in the cabin air filter and running the heater on “high” in the extreme cold only sends the micro-particles deeper into the vehicle.

9. Protect your vehicle’s paint. Rain, snow and salt are extremely tough on paint. A tough coating of quality car wax will add another barrier in-between road grime and your vehicle’s paint.

10. Last but not least, prepare a roadside emergency kit including a flashlight with fresh batteries, a blanket, food bars, water bottles, cell phone, jumper cables, flares, Fix-a-Flat, HELP Sign, and a first aid kit.

Good news for those who drooled over the unveiling of the new 2008 Chevrolet Camaro at the Detroit Auto Show this year, Chevrolet is finally confirming Camaro as a production model which will go on sale in early 2009. Chevrolet promised the new 2008 Camaro production model will be faithful in design and performance to the Detroit concept.

Read more --> 2008 Chevrolet Camaro Review

Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News

The Chevrolet Volt is slowly consuming Lyle Dennis' life.

A year after casually launching a blog devoted to General Motors Corp.'s ambitious efforts to build a battery-powered Chevy, Dennis, a neurologist from Suffern, N.Y., has become a cyber-celebrity of sorts.

"I just wanted to do anything I could to make it happen, and I thought it might be fun to have a blog," Dennis said. "I didn't expect all this. It can be challenging."

His Web site, GM-Volt.com, gets about 100,000 visitors a month, he said. More than 7,400 people have signed a waiting list he's compiling that he says he'll send to the company to convince it that there's a market for the product.

The car, which is still years and some significant scientific advancements away from becoming reality, is developing a quirky, cult-like following in cyberspace. The Volt is also showing up on other Web sites, forums and social networking pages such as Facebook.com.

One site even claims to be taking pre-orders for the vehicle, though the operation has no link to GM or its dealers. Since GM hasn't even started building the car, paying someone for a spot on any waiting list is a bad idea. GM spokesman Rob Peterson said the automaker is aware of that site and looking into it to ensure that would-be buyers aren't cheated out of money.

Read entire article from source --> Chevrolet Volt generates surge of traffic on Web

The winners are featured in the pages of the February 2008 issue of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, available on newsstands beginning January 2, 2008.

2008 Automobile of the Year: Audi R8

Audi’s first foray into the sports car arena impressed the editors with its depth of abilities, which include straight-line speed, deep reserves of power, generous suspension travel, laser-like directional stability, and the surefootedness of all-wheel drive. The R8’s glass-encased, 420-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 engine has the sound of a traditional Italian supercar. Editors called it a great real-world sports car in the vein of the Porsche 911, but with the exotic presence of a Ferrari.

“The R8 absolutely captivated the automotive world this past year,” said Jean Jennings, President and Editor-in-Chief of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE. “It propels Audi into a whole new league of driving dynamics, and it emphatically caps Audi’s steep ascent from the somnambulant lull in which it languished in the early 1990s. The R8 is a thrilling new sports car from a company that’s stronger than it’s ever been.”

Design of the Year: Audi R8

The arresting R8 features a bright metal blade on its side, an unmistakable and dramatic design feature shared with no other car. For Design of the Year, AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE looks for innovation, style, beauty, engineering, dynamics, heritage and public approbation, and editors noted that the R8’s design is outstanding in almost every way.

“We honor the designers and the engineers who have so perfectly realized a truly civilized grand touring coupe,” said Design Editor Robert Cumberford. “It is far more comfortable than cars of equal performance, and it features a highly focused environment for the driver but a relaxed and more open space for the passenger.”

Read entire article from source --> AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Names the Audi R8 Automobile of the Year

This is one mean machine.

General Motors Corp. on Wednesday took the wraps off the much-anticipated 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 -- the fastest production vehicle ever built by GM.

The new 'Vette will be showcased next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It won't come cheap when it hits the market next year: The price tag is expected to be just under $100,000.

The 620-horsepower limited-edition Corvette is based on the performance Z06 Corvette, but better. Under its carbon fiber hood is GM's new LS9 engine -- eight cylinders of pure supercharged power.


The 6.2-liter small block uses a sixth-generation Eaton supercharger to crank out 585 pound-feet of torque. That torque helps the ZR1 fly from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

Read entire article here @ ZR1 hits 60mph in 3.7 secs

After 15 years traveling civilian highways, Hummer is gaining distance from the original war wagon.

Just as Jeep adapted to a post-war world of cul de sacs and leafy suburbs by branching out into varied vehicles, the Hummer brand must find a reason to exist beyond its brutish personality.

From the militaristic AM General original, the brand's current owner, General Motors, derived the H2 with more creature comforts and more GM components. With the original H1 on the way out, GM introduced the H3 in 2006, a smaller vehicle built in Shreveport, La., alongside the Chevrolet Colorado pickup.


Although still unmistakably Hummerous, the H3 is much more approachable, comfortable and maneuverable than its H1 ancestor, sharing a 5-cylinder engine with the Colorado.

Read entire article here @ Hummer H3 Aplha

Switzerland's innovative Rinspeed, maker of the Splash hydrofoil car that flies over water, released images last week of its new wonder car: the sQuba, capable of diving to depths of 33 feet.

Here's why it belongs on your Christmas wish list:

• Plenty of free parking. Seas and oceans cover most of the earth's surface.

• No more traffic tickets. In fact, no more traffic.

• Never check windshield wiper fluid again.

• Never get stuck again on the Ambassador Bridge. Just cruise underneath.

• No more money spent on car washes.

• All the sushi you can grab.

Read entire article here @ Six reasons to buy a sQuba

Mario Andretti
By ROGER HART


Mario Andretti, now 67, is tan and fit, and only gray hair and facial character lines hint at his age. It's hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since he's been a regular in the cockpit, yet his name remains synonymous with racing's highest levels, among both ardent fans and the general public. Andretti is the greatest race driver of our time, having won in just about every series in which he's competed.

He is nothing if not forward-thinking, a trait that served him well in forming his racing career and armed him for on-track battles. He used foresight again as he began to wrap up that career in 1994. That's when he stumbled on something that would become his new passion: a winery in California's Napa Valley. As he traveled the world racing cars, Andretti renewed a love of wine that began when he was a child in Italy.

"I grew up drinking wine," Andretti said between sips of his own chardonnay in the yard of his winery. "In fact, that was about all we had on the table. Would I have preferred a soda pop? Yes, I would. It was 90/10, water to wine, to flavor it.

"I really started to pay attention to wine when I was in my 30s. I became more curious about wine through my travels. In South Africa in the early '70s, we would always go to good restaurants, and I wanted to order French wine, but some of the people I was with said, 'No, no, order the South African wines.' You try them, and you see they make good wines, too. So in Argentina, I ordered Argentine wines, and so forth. I enjoy the ethnic specialties of food everywhere; you can never go wrong with those. It's the same with the wines."

Read Entire Article here @ Mario Andretti

Mercedes' SLK roadster is getting a facelift for 2009, with around 650 parts that are either brand new or modified. Most obvious is the redesigned front end, which apes the style of the much larger McLaren SLR road car. The air dam has also been modified to give the whole nose a more pronounced arrow-like shape.

The designers have also revamped the rear end with a new diffuser-style lower section and added trapezoidal exhaust tail pipes and AMG-inspired, darkened tail lights. Around the side, the door mirrors are larger than before and feature LED indicators.

Inside the car there's a revised cabin with new instrument cluster and three-spoke sports steering wheel with multi-function buttons. Mercedes is also installing its latest audio and telematics package in the SLK for the first time. Standard integrated features include a Bluetooth hands-free system and an MP3 interface hidden in the glove box. The firm's Linguatronic voice-operated control system is on the options list for the first time.

All engines offer more power and torque, but less carbon dioxide emissions. As an example, the V-6 unit in the popular SLK 350 has the same 3.5-liter capacity, but now develops 305 hp, up 33 hp on the outgoing model.

Since its launch in 1997, close to five million SLKs have been sold around the world. The latest version hits showrooms from April, with prices to be announced early in the new year.

Original Article 2009 Benz

I3 Individuality
Aleksandra Sladek
The I3 is a personal mobility vehicle that is based on individuality and visualization. Wanting to design a vehicle that was an entertaining drive but also retained the stability of a car, a three-wheel layout was chosen. The design, with two wheels at the front and a single wheel at the rear, is quite innovative as the whole body tilts 40-degrees to enhance driving dynamics. The interior can be customized to conform to owner's tastes. Drive-by-wire technology keeps the design simple, minimizing visibility of functional components. Aleksandra won the Best Use of Design and Engineering award for her concept presented by Assystem, one of the exhibition sponsors.



Honda Bullet
Dave Humphreys
The Honda Bullet is based on a shotgun cocking system. As Humphreys explained: the difficulty he experienced while trying to enter his low-slung sports car at car parks needed to be addressed. He found that a solution could be found to improve ingress and egress without the door mechanism impeding access. His solution therefore is a door which slides back over the vehicle, incorporating the roof in its movement. Roughly the size of a Ford Mondeo at 4.65 meters long the concept could source power from a multitude of sources. The powerplant can be cooled through the massive air inlets at the rear.

Check out more designs here 2007 Car Design Show