MARCH 2, 2006Highway Safety Efforts Paying OffWASHINGTON (Jan. 19, 2006) - The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its annual report "Traffic Facts for 2004," which provides an analysis of traffic statistics. Within the analysis, a number of positive trends for both fatality and injury rates per million miles driven were identified by NHTSA: * Rates for crashes with fatalities and injuries both fell in 2004 over the prior year. This includes overall figures, passenger-only statistics and alcohol-related accident results. * An historical low of 1.44 deaths per million miles driven was established in 2004. * The injury rate per million miles driven dropped by 6 percent. * Weekends during midnight to 3 a.m. remains the most deadly three-hour period in the week. * More than half of the fatalities occurred on roads with a posted speed limit at or over 55 mph. * While alcohol was involved in 39 percent of fatal crashes, that number jumps to 76 percent between midnight and 3 a.m. * Ninety-five percent of crashes involved passenger cars or light trucks(Source: NHTSA)Speed Sensing Technology Key to New Vehicle Safety
PLYMOUTH, MI (Feb. 2, 2006) - As automakers and safety suppliers begin to transform braking systems into more active safety systems, speed sensing technology is increasingly being used to provide more reliable and accurate performance in this critical application. The technology also can be used for other speed sensing applications, such as vehicle stability control and electric steering, transmission and engine control systems.
Elastomeric Magnetic EncoderAccording to Freudenberg-NOK, elastomeric magnetic encoders (EMEs) provide several key benefits to the next best technology, the metal tone wheel. Consistent, improved accuracy results from the incorporation of high-precision multiple magnetic pole pairs that provide an improved target for the sensor. EMEs, says the company, are more robust in rugged automotive applications. In addition, this technology also provides component reduction and improved assembly in design, size and weight reduction, packaging flexibility and technical/functional integration -- resulting in overall system cost savings.
Dr. Theodore G. Duclos, vice president, operations and technology for Freudenberg-NOK said, "The features and benefits of this technology are extensive. These product attributes, combined with the company's proven production and testing expertise, make this encoder technology an ideal fit for a variety of critical automotive applications."
(Source: Freudenberg-NOK)
SAN DIEGO, CA (Feb. 2, 2006) - Hybrid powertrain design presents unique engineering development challenges. At the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium, Opal-RT presented two of its latest real-time hybrid powertrain simulations.
The company's core business has been providing simulation technologies to help engineers reduce the development cycle of the power electronics, electric drive control and energy management systems. Using hardware in-the-loop simulators (HIL) enabled by these technologies, design engineers are now able to use a virtual vehicle, based on real-time simulation, to prototype new system concepts, validate control systems and perform initial calibrations in the laboratory before a prototype vehicle is assembled. Opal-RT says its HIL simulators are currently serving OEMs and suppliers developing hybrid electric vehicles and components throughout North America and Asia.
The first demonstration was a real-time simulation of a fuel-cell hybrid vehicle. The core of the virtual hybrid powertrain is a high-precision Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) inverter model running on an HIL simulator at a time step of 10 microseconds. The simulation provides sufficient accuracy to reproduce typical distortions caused by dead times in switching circuits.
The second demonstration took power electronics simulation a step further in speed and accuracy. The three-phase PMSM model is implemented in Simulink, which is then automatically compiled and downloaded into a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip for execution using the XILINX System Generator. This chip-based simulation allows upcoming hybrid powertrain components, such as inverters and DC-DC converters with switching frequency upwards of 100 kHz, to be accurately modeled in real-time.
Jean Belanger, president of Opal-RT, stated, "As hybrid vehicles gain greater acceptance in the marketplace, Opal-RT will continue to develop technologies and practical solutions that allow design engineers to simulate more, accurately, and in real-time."
(Source: Opal-RT Technologies
Inc.)
Automaker
Index Score
Lexus
874
Pontiac
864
Suzuki
864
HUMMER
857
BMW
856
Kia
856
Saab
854
Mazda
851
Subaru
850
Mercury
846
Honda
845
GMC
841
Cadillac
839
Scion
838
Isuzu
837
Jaguar
837
Mitsubishi
837
Chevrolet
836
Toyota
835
Average
834
Lincoln
832
Dodge
831
Land Rover
831
Acura
829
Buick
828
Porsche
821
Ford
820
Hyundai
819
Jeep
817
MINI
817
Nissan
817
Volvo
813
Infiniti
812
Saturn
812
Chrysler
810
Mercedes-Benz
810
Audi
810
Volkswagen
806
Scores courtesy of J.D.
Power and AssociatesAutomaker's Consumer Web
Sites EvaluatedWESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA (Feb. 1, 2006) - J.D. Power and Associates has released its 2006 Manufacturers Web Site Evaluation Study. The study, done twice per year, measures the usefulness of 37 auto manufacturer Web sites to consumers during the new-vehicle shopping process. Sites are evaluated by new-vehicle shoppers in four key areas: appearance, speed, navigation, and information/content. Information/content - which includes vehicle features, specifications, images, configurators, payment calculators and dealer locators - is the most important factor area to shoppers, accounting for 36 percent of the overall index score. Index scores are rated out of 1000. Lexus ranked highest with an index score of 874, an increase of 32 points from the study in June 2005. Across all manufacturer sites, the industry average of 834 is the highest recorded in the seven-year history of the study. This average increased significantly from the previous wave (823). In fact, J.D. Power and Associates noted, this is the first time all manufacturer scores exceeded 800 points.(Source: J.D. Power and Associates)Does Your Marketing To First-time Buyers Hit The Mark?CHICAGO, IL (Feb. 6, 2006) - Whether a dealership or an aftermarket repair shop, the question is: Are you marketing where there's traction, or merely spinning your wheels? For example, is getting the attention of 18- to 30-year-old consumers important to your business? If so, then changing the marketing approach to that demographic and the way sales and service personnel treats them may be in your future. In making the necessary changes, understanding first-time car buyers - where they get their information, how they get it and what expectations and needs they have - may be the difference between failure and a new stream of loyal customers coming through your door. The Polk Center for Automotive Studies (PCAS) says that traditional advertising is ineffective in attracting first-time vehicle buyers. In a PCAS study released recently, amongst mass media outlets, the study noted that "... 35 percent of first-time vehicle buyers consider the Internet to be their most important informational tool, compared to 8.2 percent for television, 4.4 percent for magazines, 3.6 percent for newspapers and 1.1 percent for radio." Lonnie Miller, managing director for the PCAS, expanded on the Web-based dependence of these Generation Y buyers, stressing that both manufacturers and retailers need to incorporate an effective Internet strategy: "The Internet's relevance in the 18 to 30 year age group has reached critical mass and is completely reconfiguring how car companies need to reach out to first-time buyers." Furthermore, 65 percent of respondents said they made their buying decisions without the influence of family or friends. He added, "Creating breakthrough content and developing relationships with customers through emerging media technologies will separate the winners from the losers in the next five years." Miller suggested, "Harnessing mobile media technology will be the automotive industry's most important marketing challenge and opportunity in the next decade." In determining how to use the Internet, he says podcasts and video-on-demand are two emerging marketing tools that can be utilized to reach and hold the attention of these buyers. Finally, doing a gut-check in how a business treats a first-time buyer face-to-face is also worth considering. Forty-two percent of first-time buyers felt treatment is very important, Miller said. Specifically, first-time buyers enter a business with the expectation of being treated as well as long-time, older buyers. Not recognizing and adapting to this could be a deal-breaker, without a business ever knowing why. In today's world, there is no one-size-fits-all marketing that will reach all buyers. Be it first-time buyers or any other segment of a businesses clientele, three keys apply: * Going to where first-time buyers spend their time is critical. * Designing marketing material that appeals to their decision making style and needs will keep their attention. * Exceeding their expectations when face-to-face will help close the sale.(Source: Harvard Working Knowledge, Polk Center for Automotive Studies)Hydrogen Fueling Network Expands
LEHIGH VALLEY, PA (Feb. 1, 2006) -Air Products recently opened its newest and eleventh hydrogen refueling station in Riverside, CA.
The hydrogen fueling station is part of a five-city alternative energy demonstration program for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Aimed at stimulating demand for hydrogen fueling, accelerating the expansion of the region's hydrogen fueling network and educating the public on hydrogen-fueled vehicles, the program puts hydrogen fuel in the real world and in the public eye.
The totally integrated vehicle fueling system is providing the storage and dispensing of hydrogen to hydrogen-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines modified to burn gaseous hydrogen. This model station generates hydrogen using an on-site electrolysis-based hydrogen production unit from Proton Energy Systems.
The Riverside facility differs from the recently opened Santa Ana hydrogen fueling station. The Santa Ana station uses delivered, rather than generated hydrogen.
Proton's Senior Vice President Robert Friedland said, "We are helping to demonstrate how using hydrogen as a motor fuel is becoming more and more practical for our nation's transportation needs."
(Source: Air
Products)
(Photos: Sheila's Wheels)LONDON (Feb. 1, 2006) - Sheila's Wheels (SW), a car insurance brand for women, has teamed up with MIRA, an automotive engineering firm, to transform the traditional seatbelt design and cater for women's curves. According to research by SW, 92 percent of women admit to tampering with or not wearing their seatbelt due to the discomfort it causes while driving. When it comes to seatbelts, one size does not fit all, says SW. One in five women complained of discomfort across the chest when they were buckled-up. The discomfort is potentially endangering the lives of female motorists. Almost a quarter (23 percent) reduce the effectiveness of their seatbelts by slipping it under their arms while driving. More than one in eight (14 percent) have failed to buckle-up at all, and more than half (55 percent) say they have adjusted their belts to make them more comfortable. In response to these findings, SW and MIRA have invented the "S-Clip": a simple device that changes the route of the belt to take it down the middle of the chest instead of cutting across. This adjustment minimizes the flattening of the chest and rubbing on the neck. SW says the it has been subjected to crash test safety checks to ensure that neither the clip nor the desired rerouting of the diagonal belt strap impedes the effectiveness of the actual seatbelt or increases the likelihood of injury in the event of an accident. Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for SW explains: "We hope that by highlighting this problem, manufacturers will look into more long-term design solutions to improve seatbelt comfort for women." (Sources: Sheila's Wheels, MIRA)GM To Build First Light-Duty Hybrid Transmission In America
WHITE MARSH, MD (Feb. 1, 2006) - General Motors (GM) announced today that the first light-duty integrated hybrid transmission to be designed and built in the United States will be produced at the automaker's Baltimore transmission plant.
GM will invest up to $118 million to upgrade the facility for building a new, rear-wheel-drive two-mode hybrid vehicle transmission. The investment, says GM, will create up to 87 new jobs. The new two-mode hybrid transmission will go into production next year and will initially be used in the automaker's new full-size SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon.
In GM's SUVs, the two-mode hybrid system will be mated to a Vortec V8 engine with Active Fuel Management, providing a fuel efficiency gain of at least 25 percent. This gain will be achieved by capturing electrical energy through regenerative braking, shutting the engine (and fuel) off at idle and during deceleration and providing an all-electric launch and drive capability.
"Our two-mode hybrid transmission is a leap forward in hybrid technology and a key part of GM's unique strategy to offer several different hybrid systems in a range of popular vehicles," said GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. "Our multipronged hybrid program is in addition to our many other efforts to minimize the impact of our cars and trucks on the environment, including the 1.5 million GM vehicles already capable of using ethanol/gasoline blended E85 fuel and our cutting-edge advances in hydrogen fuel-cell technology.
GM, DaimlerChrysler and the BMW Group are jointly developing the light-duty two-mode technology. Two-mode hybrid technology uses a variable transmission with two electric motors and two hybrid modes of operation. The addition of a second mode to the drive system improves efficiency and reduces the need for exceedingly large electric motors. This second mode is used mostly when the vehicle is at higher speeds, such as on the highway, so fuel economy will be optimized in both city and highway driving.
(Source: GM)
COLUMBIA, MD - To compete with the expansion of satellite-delivered radio, traditional radio has been making the technology switch to High Definition (HD) broadcasting. On Jan. 26, 2006 WXKB-FM became the 700th American station to make that switch.
Robert Struble, president and CEO of iBiquity Digital Corp., developers of HD radio technology, said, "We expect the growth of HD radio to accelerate as more listeners look to take advantage of the benefits of digital AM and FM broadcasting, which include dramatically improved sound quality, innovative content, continued access to local news and information, and no subscription fees." He added that 60 percent of Americans now have access to HD radio.
(Source: iBiquity Digital
Corp.)
