For literally years I have been saying that car brands ought to produce a car that “folds” when parked. One that you feel comfortable driving (we have no time for tiny cars that make you feel cramped or awkward when you drive them), but which space saves when you need to fit into a notoriously miniature city parking space.

So, I was pleased when I first read about the Hiriko. This little Spanish electric car has now been launched to the eager city market, and it does exactly hat I’ve always hoped for – it shrinks from being an already small car (clocking in at just 100 inches), to a TINY car (of just 60 inches. That’s an impressive size!

Welcome the Hiriko

And in the boot...

Sci-fi looks

Of course, if you drive the Hiriko you will, of course, stand out from the crowd. The little motor looks borderline insane, like something that just fell out of the future and into the unsuspecting Spanish streets. And, I would worry about a gang of opportunists literally carrying my little electric motor away. That said, if you can park in spaces that tiny then you will probably be willing to put up with all the ridicule in the world – after all, you won’t have to spend half an hour driving round in circle just to nab the only space that becomes available!

The Hiriko will be leased to city dwellers by the Spanish government, or retailed for $16,350.

So, what does the fall of Petroplus mean for you, as a motorist?

Well, Petroplus supply 10% of the country’s current fuel, and as of today all fuel sales have been halted with immediate effect. So, we can understand why scaremongering newspapers (we’re looking at you, Daily Mail) are jumping up and down screeching about fuel shortages, strikes, and (if the rhetoric is anything to go by) the impending doom of the human race.

Still, sinister hyperbole aside, is this something to be worried about? Are drivers suddenly going to see a hike a cost and a fall in fuel availability.

According to The Department of Energy and Climate Change, this isn’t the case. Their spokesman is on record saying:

“The refinery remains operational. We understand that a process is underway to put in place the necessary commercial arrangements to deliver product into the market. Companies have already made alternative arrangements to ensure adequate supply of products are available while these commercial arrangements are being put in place.”

In addition BP have confirmed that there are no immediate supply issues across their retail network, which should ensure that the current fuel market remains stable for the timebeing. Alternativbe funding for the refinary or suppliers will need to be found, but right now motorists shouldn’t be worrying.

The temptation is always to stock up, to queue up and panic buy in advance of the fuel apocalypse. But here at THE Blog About Cars we think it is sensible to sit back and see how the situation develops – as right now it looks like we’ll be OK.

Lesson 2: What are Engine Cylinders?

We all hear about engine cylinders on a day to day basis when we talk about or read about cars. A single-cylinder engine, a 4-cylinder engine, and in the news at the moment, Audi’s response to the VW Up!’s 3-cylinder fuel-saving engine. So…

What is an engine cylinder?

The cylinder sits at the core of the engine, and is the space in which the piston moves. To understand why we even have this we need to know that a piston helps change fluid pressure to mechanical energy or vice versa. It slides up and down in the cylinder, working as a stopper that compresses the fluid (diesel, petrol etc) without leaks. The heated gases (fluids) in the compustion chamber force the piston down on the power stroke and transfer mechanical energy through the connecting rod into the crankshaft.

That’s the technical bit, but don’t worry, just knowing what it is and it’s basic purpose is enough for most conversations.

An Inline 4-Cylinder Engine

 (Image from How Stuff Works)

What do engine cylinders mean for your car?

If you put a tiny amount of high-energy fuel in a small, enclosed space and ignite it, a lot of energy is released in the form of expanding gas, and this is essentially what happens in the engine cylinder. This is the power that your engine produces, hence the fact that engines with more cylinders - V6, V8 or even V10 – are so popular. Of course, more cylinders means more potential power produced, but of course it also takes more fuel, generally reducing the fuel efficiency. This explains why companies like Audi are offering 4-cylinder engines that, when required, will shut down two of those cylinders - offering greater fuel efficiency in situations where less power is needed.

It is also important to remember that whilst more cylinders generally equals the potential for more power, there are plenty of other factors that influence whether the car actually has more. In reality all sorts of things effect the power – torque, friction, car size and turbos, to name but a few.

Do you know what an engine cylinder is now?

Hybrid cars particularly of the HEV(Hybrid Electrical Vehicle) variety have grabbed the attention of the more green conscious motorists across the world, boasting claims of dramatically lowered carbon emissions and increasingly efficient levels of fuel consumption.

However with such miraculous claims come major skepticism from the more performance driven petrol heads amongst us.

As well as the particularly green savvy market, the hybrid has also attracted the attention of a wide range of Hollywood A-listers. With the Toyota Prius, for example, the likes of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz can be seen cruising down Mulholland Drive in the £20,000 green machine. However, this coupled with a few G6 flights makes this particular group of users slightly less eco-friendly…

Yet another hybrid...

Hybrid Issues

Let’s use the Toyota Prius as our example. Despite much popularity and endorsement from the celebrity crowd, the Prius has received much criticism from quite a large group of nay-sayers. Jeremy Clarkson has on more than one occasion ‘voiced his concerns’ on a wide range of issues surrounding the green car.

A popular conversation point however lies in the facts and figures. Despite the Prius boasting a particularly below average level of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide emissions, the brand went on to state that its emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons and particulate matter were somewhat worse than average.

In fact Toyota specified personally that during production Hybrid-only parts such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and inverters consumed more energy and resulted in greater overall emissions. Furthermore when looking at the manufacturing phase of materials in the car’s life cycle, the Prius performed worse than the class average across all five emission categories. Demonstrating that despite the car performing quite effectively during the consumer use stage, when looking at the entire manufacturing process of the vehicle from start to finish, the carbon footprint of the process was considerably larger than expected.

Toyota have since conducted entire life-cycle emissions  examinations on over seven different vehicle series in 2009/10 and have analysed the data in the hopes of improving the current green range for greater efficiency and the desired result of a smaller overall carbon footprint.

Lesson 1: What is Torque?

What is torque?

The technical definition is that Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, Torque can be thought of as a twist. In essence, Torque is the amount of turning power you have.

Torque will be displayed in lb-ft (generally pronounced foot-pounds), ft/lb or sometimes newton-metre (N·m).

What does Torque mean for your car?

Essentially Torque causes your car to accelerate. In fact, when you are feeling the power of your car screaming along, what you are really feeling is the Torque – along with more obvious things like the weight of the car, the size of the tires and whether your engine can produce that Torque over a variety of engine speeds. Any given car, in any given gear, will accelerate at a rate that *exactly* matches its torque curve (allowing for increased air and rolling resistance as speeds climb). Making sense?

The Torque specification in your car spec is generally the maximum torque of the internal-combustion engine, which is usually a higher value than the actual Torque on the wheels.

People also confuse HP with Torque, and this does get a lot more confusing. However, the easiest way to think of it is this: Horsepower makes you go fast, whilst Torque makes you feel like you are going fast. Horsepower involves Torque and Revs and tends to involve equations that, whilst manageable, put most of us to sleep. Torque is the only thing that a driver feels, and Horsepower is just sort of an esoteric measurement in that context.

Does Torque make more sense to you now?

The scrumptious NSX

Honda (or Acura for the Detroit Motor Show) has confirmed that the NSX Supercar is going to be reborn, with a launch date planned for three years time. It’s because of this that the unveiling of the concept was so widely talked about, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The end result was undeniably stunning, making use of the typical Honda styling points that were never used to their full advantage in cars such as the reworking of the Civic. As well as the distinctive looks the NSX will feature that Honda petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that the brand keeps harping on about, as well as the SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) - essentially a V6 for the rear wheels (with direct fuel injection) and two electric motors mounted at the front.

The surprisngly popular Q3 Vail

The Q3 Vail is one of those cars that will only excite you if you’re heading off to do some skiing with the family and want to buy a car specifically for the occasion. OK, so that’s a little harsh, but the winter-sports theme to the Audi concept is impossible to ignore. As for the car itself, it’s nothing we haven’t seen versions of before - 2.5-litre, 310bhp five-cylinder petrol engine, seven-speed S tronic transmission and 295lb-ft of torque, enough to deal with the snow on its off-road tyres. It’s stylish, just the right amount of powerful, and targeted at a specific audience – so there seems very little doubt that this will do well when it is released onto the market.

Sexy stuff from the Lexus LF-LC

Well, you won’t miss the Lexus LF-LC in a crowded room. Staying with the brands recent movement in the direction of stylish superconcepts with a distinctive brand to them, the LF-LC has a curvy front grille and the sort of concept headlights that you just know will be watered down for any future Lexus models. Either way, it’s the sort of wow car that elicits an immediately passionate response in most people upon first viewing (whether love or hate is up to you), and the  FR setup–front engine, rear-wheel drive makes use of that now-familiar hybrid drive. It’s a wave themed beaut that will be interesting to watch for clues of upcoming Lexus models and styling, albeit hopefully without the tacky looking plasticky styling.

More fun for the VW Beetle this year!

The Beetle has got a big year coming up, what with the release of the most controversial Beetle redesign since they relaunched all those years ago. We’re massive fans of the new look here with that low down sporty sweep and the upping of the aggression ante, but we can’t help feeling like the e-Bugster hot rod concept that VW were raving about is little more than a nod in the direction of all the environmentally friendly critics that were hating on the brand in 2011. That said the battery-electric E-Bugster has a range of 110 miles, and will accelerate from 0-60mph in 10.9sec, planting it securely in the range of current electric cars if it ever makes it to market.

Volvo go hybrid. Again.

Sticking with the (predictable) electric and hybrid themes at this year’s Detroit Auto Show was the Volvo XC60 Hybrid Plug-in. The super safe plug-in hybrid is an indication of the route Volvo are looking to move in with regards to the US market, and their stats make for some interesting reading - a 35-mile all-electric range, and a recharging time of 3.5 hours from a 220V outlet. That’s 7.5 hours charging for most 110V outlets, but even so they are starting to make moves to correct the issues that the American consumers are most likely to be concerned about for hybrid drives. Other than that this is yet another safe and kind of attractive Volvo, expected on the marketing in 2014-2016.

The future of the Prius?

Our final pick is the Toyota NS4 concept, a plug-in hybrid that ties in with the brands existing eco-friendly credentials. I perhaps would have liked to see something more different from the Japanese Automaker, but the styling is certainly sleek-yet-Toyota, and the attitude more pronounced. Aerodynamics is the name of the game here (note the lack of wing-mirrors), and the shape is tailored to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. As for the tech, the NS4 boasts an advanced plug-in hybrid powertrain that is being kept strictly under-wraps, but which we would hope to exceed the current Prius offering of 135mpg and drop the fuel emissions down another notch.

Which has been your favourite car at the Detroit Motor Show?

Today it's known as "retro"

In 1914, Henry Ford began mass producing the car as we know it today, and the focus then turned to lightening the weight of our cars to save fuel and make them travel faster, and to improve the safety to reduce the number of road deaths. We have seen the advent of the seatbelt (designed by Volvo and now a legal requirement), airbags and sensors for parking to minimise the risk of accidents on the roads, and the international use of signs, traffic lights and road markings to further protect us as we travel about our daily lives.

As technology has developed around us, other problems have been seen such as accidents due to distracted driving, and therefore the use of mobile phones for talking and texting is now illegal in many countries in an attempt to protect us further against injury and death on the roads. Industry standards and legalities on the roads change from country to country but in the UK it is a crime to not wear your seatbelt and to use a mobile phone when operating a vehicle. Due to the amount of accidents on the roads it is also a legal requirement to have a valid car insurance policy, as well as road tax and an MOT certificate to prove that your car is roadworthy and not endangering you or other road users.

Turn it off..

Recently we have seen a more widespread use of the ‘green’ car, a car designed to run from electricity that can be produced from wind and solar power, rather than further draining fossil fuels by using petrol and diesel to power our vehicles.

It is thought that the driverless car will be retailed to the consumer market by the year 2020, meaning that we are free to work from the car on the way to the office, and increasing productivity. There has only been one accident so far with Google’s driverless cars, when a human operated vehicle rear ended it, and so thoughts across the automotive industry are that it could further improve road safety, as car manufacturers have been striving for over the last fifty years.

How could the car as we know it develop over the next ten years?

[Source: image]

Anyway, according to the BBC Breaking News account on Twitter, Saab have this morning filed for bankruptcy following all those months of trouble, after their latest attempt at finding funding has been blocked by General Motors.

We’ll bring you more news and as when it comes!

Who's driving?

Sounding like something out of iRobot, the patent lays out a variety of self-drive options for a potential future car, including details on when the car will go in autonomous mode, how the technology could work (GPS, QR codes and sensors are all in the mix), and what sort of artificial intelligence could be involved. It’s the sort of thing that car geeks and technophobes/files love to talk about, and this week’s publishing on the details of the patent application has set fire to the discussion once again.

Whilst the ins and outs of the tech are obviously worth discussion, but the main thing for us here at THE Blog About Cars is the basic concept. No matter how it does it, would you trust a car that drives itself?

Issue 1: Infallibility

Now obviously the Google Driverless car isn’t actually currently intended to be a fully road-going beast. It isn’t talking about, at the moment at least, all cars being interlinked self-driving creatures that do everything for you. But if this is the way they are going to go, then the cars need to be pretty much infallible.They won’t, hopefully, be vulnerable to human failures such as tiredness and mistakes, but they still need to be able to respond to any eventuality. Weather, road conditions, other drivers, other drivers’ mistakes – all have to be added in, interpreted and responded to accordingly. I have trouble seeing this as tech that is achievable the way the world stands at the moment.

Issues 2: Artificial Intelligence

What if the Google car develops a mind of it’s own? Before we know it we are trapped in a car hurtling along the roads at a million miles an hour, scrabbling at the retracted locks and trying to break through the accident-resistant glass. Meanwhile the car pumps its own noxious gases into the car’s interior, rendering us slightly high and largely unconscious, slumped down until, without ceremony, we are thrown out of the car at a local factory. Disorientated and woozy we lie on the ground, until it becomes painfully apparent that the cars now control the internet, banking, and most worryingly the factory machines that gave them life. We are collected by 10 foot high pincers, given a quick coat of metallic red paint, and stored in a factory where we are farmed for energy. Just sayin’.

Issue 3: Lack of Control

If the car does make mistakes or go feral, what do we do? Human beings have a habit of craving control, and being totally at the mercy of a lump of tech only occasionally seems acceptable. We won’t complain about relying on a lift (an elevator, for those across the pond), but then we couldn’t really do the job ourselves. With driving, however, we are used to being in charge of what the car does and where it goes – and not controlling this would be terrifying. In much the same vein, it would be interesting to see how much control we can wrestle back – would the car come with a built in red “override” button, for instance?!

Anyway, in Hyundai’s own words, Thomas Bürkle (Hyundai’s European Chief Designer) explained that “Two strong arched curves define the silhouette of i-Oniq, creating a playful contrast between the sharp character lines and soft but muscular features.” Well, that clears that up then.

Teasing enough for you?

What do you think the i-Oniq concept will look like?