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Archives for October 2011

Multiple Controversies Shroud Fisker Karma Debut

October 21, 2011 by admin 2 Comments

Did you catch the Fisker Karma debut earlier this week? If not, you weren’t alone. This hybrid electric vehicle has gone on sale, but the truth is out: the supposedly Eco-friendly Fisker Karma gets worse gas mileage than an SUV. At least that is the contention of Forbes magazine and some other critics.

Fisker Karma
The Fisker Karma electrified vehicle.

Fuel Efficiency

This is a vehicle that was supposed to demonstrate that sport sedan drivers can have their cake and eat it too, by enjoying a robust road performer that squeezes out more miles to the gallon than the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and other traditional hybrid cars. Instead, we have here a car that gets an equivalent 52 empg when operating in electric-only mode according to the EPA. That mode lasts just 32 miles, thus when the electric motor runs out of juice, the 2.0-liter inline four cylinder engine kicks in and gets just 20 empg.

The Karmas gas-only number is lower than the 21 mpg a 2012 GMC Yukon gets when equipped with a 5.-3-liter V-8 gasoline engine paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission and offered in rear-wheel-drive. Smaller SUVs get even better gas mileage and virtually every gas powered luxury sedan, the type of vehicles Fisker is targeting, achieve at least 25 mpg on the highway. The Karma retails from approximately $97,000.

Loan Guarantee

Disappointing fuel ratings isnt the only controversy shrouding the Fisker Karmas debut. ABC News reports that Fisker Automotive was given a $529 million loan guarantee by the Obama administration, with Vice-President Joe Biden remarking at the time that thousands of American jobs would result from such support. Instead, Fisker has outsourced production of its vehicle to Finland, keeping much more limited engineering and design work in the U.S. Valmet Automotive, the company producing the Fisker Karma, has hired 500 Finns to build the luxury sedan.

When reached by ABC News for a comment, CEO Henrik Fisker said that there was no contract manufacturer in the U.S. that could handle building the Karma, thus the outsourcing of jobs overseas with the Obama administration signing off on the deal. Fisker claims that the money received from the federal government has not been used to support manufacturing in Finland, with the company using other funds instead for that purpose. Still, there are very few much needed jobs that have been created following the federal governments investment in Fisker.

Solyndra Comparisons

The company states that it has secured $600 million in private financing and is distancing itself from comparison to Solyndra, the bankrupt energy company that received a $535 billion loan guarantee from the Obama administration. Fisker himself noted that Solyndra chose a pricey California address for its manufacturing base, a poor choice where any company would “obviously fail.”

The Fisker Karma arrived to the market about one year late. Just 40 cars have been produced, with two sold in the United States thus far. Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler founded the company in 2005, intending to battle the BMW 6 Series and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, among other high-end luxury models.

References

Forbes: Update: Fisker Karma Electric Car Gets Worse Mileage Than an SUV; Warren Myer; October 20, 2011

Engadget: Fisker Karma Gets EPA-certified 52MPGe, Sales Ready to Begin; Dante Cesa; October 20, 2011

FuelEconomy.gov: 2012 GMC Yukon 1500 2WD

ABC News: Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland; Brian Moss, et al; October 20, 2011

U.S. Department of Energy: Obama Administration Offers $535 Million Loan Guarantee to Solyndra, Inc.; March 20, 2009

See Also Fisker Automotive: Stick EVs With a Fork?

Photo: Fisker Automotive

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: EPA, FINLAND, Fisker Automotive, FISKER KARMA, Henrik Fisker, LOAN GUARANTEE, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

3 Steps to Replacing a Car Battery

October 19, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

When you least expect it, your car battery fails to turn over, leaving you stranded. If you’re fortunate enough, you’re near a shop, a phone or other public place where help can be quickly summoned and a replacement battery installed. If you’re far from home, on the road or otherwise remotely located, then you have a potential crisis on your hands.

Car batteries typically last 2 to 6 years, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. A nonworking battery doesn’t alway signal that the battery is dead, something that an electronic battery tester can determine. If you rule out other potential problems such as a worn-out alternator, a loose or frayed battery cable or headlights that were left on and drained the battery, then you can assume that your battery is dead.


Corrosion is a potential killer of a car battery.

1. Remove the dead battery.

Lift the hood of your car and locate the battery.  In most cars, the battery is located in the front right or left side of the engine compartment. In some cars, it may be pushed all the way back against the firewall separating the engine compartment and the cabin. In a few instances, the battery will be located behind or underneath the second-row seat. The 2011 Chevrolet Impala is one such example of an oddly placed car battery.

Clean off the top of the old battery, using a mixture of baking soda and water to remove residue. Wipe dry. Using a crescent wrench, disconnect the battery bolt holding the negative clamp, sliding the cable away from the battery. Do this step for the positive clamp. Disconnect the battery from the battery tray if so connected — there may be a supporting bar or clamp on the bottom of the tray. Once fully disconnected, remove the old battery and place it to the side.

2. Install a new battery.

By now, you probably realize that car batteries have varying life spans. Driven under normal conditions, your new battery should last for the 24-, 36-, 48- or 60-months or more it was designed for. Choose a longer life battery especially if you plan to keep your car for several more years. The battery should be the same size as the one being replaced.

Place the new battery on the battery tray and connect the positive battery cable with the positive terminal and the negative battery cable with the negative terminal. Secure the frame. Apply battery lithium grease to prevent corrosion. Tighten the clamps using the crescent wrench. Close the hood, get in the car and start the engine. Reset electronic devices including the clock as needed.

3. Dispose of the battery.

Most retailers will gladly take your old battery off of your hands for a nominal recycling fee. Or, if your town has a recycling center, you may be able to drop it off there for free. In any case, old batteries are an environmental hazard and should be disposed of properly.

Not everyone is keen on handing a simple job as replacing a battery. Some retailers offer free installation too with a battery purchase, a good way to have someone else do the work as well as take the old battery off of your hands.


References

AA1Car.com: Diagnosing a Car Battery That Runs Down

Consumer Reports: Car Battery Installation and Maintenance

Filed Under: Car Tips Tagged With: battery, car battery, car care, maintenance tips, tps

Decoding Motor Oil Weights

October 13, 2011 by admin 3 Comments

If you’re getting ready to change your car’s engine oil yourself, you need to choose the right motor oil weight based on its viscosity. Viscosity represents the internal friction of a fluid or a gas — thick fluids have a higher viscosity and thin fluids have a lower viscosity.

API Labeling

Thanks to standards put in place by the American Petroleum Institute and endorsed by America’s automakers, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Engine Manufacturers Association, there is a great deal of uniformity when it comes to choosing motor oil. You can find API engine oil quality marks on every can of motor oil featuring both a service symbol “donut” and a certification market “starburst” to help consumers decode motor oil weights. [1]

donut-starburstThe starburst simply tells consumers what the oil is used for. It will either state “for gasoline engines” or “for diesel engines” leaving the “donut” information for decoding.

Motor Oil Weights

Motor oil weights are published with two numbers separated by a dash. The first number is always followed by a “W” to represent winter. At lower temperatures, motor oil must resist thickening otherwise it will not be able to flow properly to coat all the moving parts. For example, thick oil will make it harder to start your engine at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The lower the first number, the thinner oil it is at lower temperatures. [2] Thus, if the number is 5, then its viscosity is better designed to handle cold weather then one with a 10 rating. For winter driving, many cars use 5W-20 or 5W-30 motor oil.

The second number defines oil’s viscosity at temperatures of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the boiling point for water. The higher the second number, the thicker the motor oil is, which is ideal for summer driving. Most summer oils are rated at “40” or “50” and sold as 10W-40 or 20W-50.

Manufacturer Recommendations

So, which motor oil should you choose for your car? That answer is easy: whatever the manufacturer recommends. Manufacturers will typically provide a range of motor oils to use including one that may be recommended for hot weather and another that is recommended for cold weather. By following manufacturer recommendations you can ensure that your engine is properly lubricated to limit engine wear, to perform optimally and to consume less fuel.

References

[1] American Petroleum Institute: About Engine Oil

[2] Popular Mechanics: How To Pick The Right Motor Oil For Your Car; Paul Weissler; August 1, 2002

Filed Under: Special Tagged With: American Petroleum Institute, engine oil, FUEL, motor oil weights

Hankook Tire: No Longer Anonymous

October 6, 2011 by admin 3 Comments

A Korean tire manufacturer wants you to know the ‘Hankook Tire’ name.

You’ve heard of Firestone, Goodyear and Michelin, but what about Hankook Tire? Maybe you have and simply just didn’t make the connection. This company, based in South Korea, is the seventh-largest tire manufacturer in the world, deriving 20 percent of its business from original equipment manufacturers and the rest from customers seeking replacement tires.

And it is with replacement tires that the Hankook name may have surfaced for you, especially if your tire retailer includes Hankook among your choices. You may have also noticed the manufacturer’s prominently displayed ad in New York City’s Times Square or as a sponsor of 22 major league baseball teams. Moreover, Hankook Tire is a significant supporter of Formula Drift.

Industry Suppliers

Opportunities to visit the facilities of auto industry suppliers don’t come nearly as often do my visits with the car manufacturers, so when Hankook invited me to visit the company’s research and development center in Akron, Ohio, I jumped at the chance. The company’s U.S. headquarters are located in Wayne, New Jersey, but the Akron Technical Center is where much of Hankook’s U.S. marketed products are conceived.

Hankook Tire

► 7th largest tire manufacturer in the world
► 7th largest tire retailer in the United States
► New plant is under construction in Indonesia
► Hankook has 5 R&D centers worldwide
► 80% of its business is replacement tires
► OE manufacturer for 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
► Ventus S1 evo luxury premium summer UHP #1

Only four media professionals were invited for Hankook’s event, a five-hour show and tell of the company’s facility, providing us with the unique opportunity to meet with some of the top engineers in the business. Although the company’s Akron facility has been in existence for nearly two decades, many of the 40 or more employees on hand were lured to Hankook from other tire manufacturers including B.F. Goodrich, Dunlop and Goodyear.

Hankook History

Hankook Tire was launched in 1941, survived foreign occupation and two devastating wars, and is one of several companies that have helped to transform South Korea from an impoverished nation into an international powerhouse. Rapid growth has come in the past 10 years — the company is the only global tire manufacturer that has managed to remain profitable and increase its market share. With its current or under construction manufacturing plants in South Korea, China, Hungary and Indonesia, the company expects to climb to fifth place globally by 2014, but it will still be well behind Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear, the tire industry’s version of the Big 3.

The Hankook name is found on a variety of tire applications including cars, pickup trucks, touring and racing, medium and light-duty buses, and winter duty. The company does not make motorcycle tires nor will you find its tires on earthmoving equipment — a spokesman for Hankook noted that the company is satisfied with its current market penetration and will concentrate on growing those segments.

Technical Center

The Akron Technical Center is all about engineering, research, rubber compounding and testing. Why Akron? Well, Akron was once known as the “tire manufacturing capital of the world,” but has long since seen its industry flee overseas. What’s left are several research centers and Goodyear’s global headquarters. Notably, the University of Akron is a prime research hub for tire manufacturing, enabling industry minds and academia to collaborate. Hankook says that a number of its new workers come from schools such as Akron, students who complete a cooperative education program and are hired upon graduation.

Tire design is conceived by utilizing proprietary or industry software. Not until engineers have determined the concept’s viability is the design forwarded to another department for a full scale mockup.

Our comprehensive tour allowed us to see the inner sanctum of Hankook’s U.S. research and development. No cameras were allowed, but much was shown, including proprietary equipment that runs tires through a series of tests including one device that tests a tire’s ability to withstand temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

These tests are run by engineers to help determine how tires behave on the road including measuring for noise, vibration and harshness. We learned that when a car manufacturer considers a tire for its vehicles, the automaker works closely with Hankook Tire to design one to its specifications. This involves starting the process off by using in-house software to design the tire, followed by a review from Hankook engineers before a prototype is built at ATC.

Once a design is determined, then that information is transferred to South Korea and a set of ready for testing tires is shipped stateside for automaker inspection. It takes about two or three cycles of development to get the right tires made before a final design is locked down. The final design follows extensive track testing to ensure that the tires meet the car manufacturer’s exacting requirements.

Once a design passes engineering scrutiny, it passes to an “artist” who designs and cuts the tire accordingly. That design eventually finds its way to South Korea where a set of road ready tires are shipped back to the United States for testing.

Natural & Synthetic

If you are under the impression that tires are chiefly made from natural rubber, then you’re mistaken. Natural rubber is used, but SBR, bromobutyl, polybutylene and EPDM may also be used, synthetic rubbers that are mixed and milled with other ingredients until the right consistency is made. Yes, there are some similarities between tire making and cake baking — you need the right ingredients and percentages thereof to produce a finished product that won’t go flat when it exits the oven.

The Hankook tour underscored the importance of tire safety and vehicle control. To this day, when you purchase a new car, the car manufacturer extends its warranty to every vehicle component except the tires. Your tires are warranted solely by the tire manufacturer, but the relationship between the car company and the tire company is the same as you would find between the automaker and a suspension supplier, for example. With tires, a separate umbrella of protection is offered directly from the tire manufacturer, an original equipment supplier that is chosen by the car manufacturer.

Renting an ice rink helps engineers to see just how well tires grip ice. Other tests include spewing water on a track and measuring hydroplaning.

Manufacturing Guidelines

The most important takeaway from my visit with the Hankook Tire people is that there is much more engineering that goes into tire construction then you might guess. Federal regulations, industry guidelines and company operating procedures are followed to ensure that the finished product conforms to these stipulations. That’s critically important, because tires not only hold up an important consumer investment, but can affect the lives of people riding inside of these vehicles.

Disclaimer — Hankook Tire paid for my flight, hotel and meals. No money was exchanged to solicit a review from me. These comments are entirely my own.

Photos: Hankook Tire USA

Filed Under: Special Tagged With: Akron, ATC, Engineering, HANKOOK TIRES, OHIO, South Korea, tires

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