Dodge Circuit EV for a Cool 100,000 Dollars

Since the recall and destruction of GM’s EV1 in the 90s, there has been little hope that an affordable, reliable and practical EV will be on the market within the near future.  The Dodge Circuit EV though with all its bells and whistles has done little to restore confidence in a future without oil dependence.  While the Dodge Circuit is the adequate competitor for the Tesla Roadster it’s quite unacceptable that this automaker’s version of an EV is unreasonably priced at a cool 100k allowing for only the wealthy and elite to sport this luxurious Green Car.  The Dodge Circuit will maintain between 150-200 miles on a single charge and can be plugged into any household 110-volt socket.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/11/detroit-2009-dodge-circuit-ev-now-with-cross-hairs/

 

A Love Note From Gas Prices

Im gonna go down on you and make you soo happy.  Then Im gonna come back up and {expletive} u really good!

Sincerely,

GAS PRICES

 

Old & New Insights, All that’s In-between & 99 MPGs

His name is Mike, he’s an inventor from the East Coast and has managed to rig up Honda’s first hybrid, the Insight, to achieve a whopping 99 miles to the gallon-superior to any of those so called “Gas Sippers” as the various auto ads like to put it and certainly surpassing Gas Guzzlers though with any luck, may soon shrink in numbers as GM contemplates the discontinuation of their Hummer brand.

Source:  www.99mpg.com/projectcars/MikesInsight/  

Mike’s system, the Manual Integrated Motor Assist or MIMA, includes quite a number of “gizmos and gadgets” as demonstrated here.  Those who are not technologically inclined can still appreciate the MIMA system for two reasons: obviously for its improved fuel efficiency and for it’s sophisticatedly complicated  system essentially created by a “dude tinkering around in his garage” rather than one of Honda’s seasoned engineers.  The system is in high demand, so once you’re off the wait list, you’ll drop a cool grand for the system plus labor.  Furthermore, modifications to the Insight don’t stop with the MIMA.  As you can see, Mike’s own has all the bells and whistles, which consists of an extra wheel called an E-wheel, a controller and a V-booster battery. 

Average nationwide gas prices are lower today when compared to a year ago but the sting of 4 dollars a gallon for regular unleaded still looms – as evidenced by numerous factors, such as the change in commuter behavior and dealer shortages of the compact and fuel efficient Mini Cooper.  With that said, if you aren’t one of the lucky dogs who own an Insight, which even without Mike’s MIMA system, V-booster battery, controller and extra drop down E-wheel, still gets an impressive 60-70 MPG.   

Furthermore, amidst the completion of this article it has been brought to light by an Insight enthusiast whose website is insightman.com, that Honda has two new hybrids on the horizon (as do many other car companies do-ahem the Chevy Volt and Nissan to name a few) for 2010: one of them is the CR-Z, shorthand for “Compact Renaissance Zero”, a coupe or as Honda puts it a “sporty hybrid.”  The other is, surprise, surprise a revamped 5-door, 5-seater Insight.  Two observations:  the new Insight has a strong resemblance to the Toyota Prius and second, doesn’t it seem plausible that the CR-Z is actually the descendant of the originally discontinued Insight?  Honda has preemptively explained that the new Insight’s similar physical attributes to the Prius is all about aerodynamics.  Just a coincidence?  Pump N’Go surmises it’s all business strategy: admist a gas price crises where consumers have become highly concerned citizens, bring back a once popular and yet discontinued vehicle and re-release it as a direct competitor to Toyota’s successful hybrid.  With that said, Honda did their competitor one better with a $19,000 MSRP, thousands less than it’s hybrid counterpart.    

The New Honda Insight

 

 

The New Honda CR-Z

 

 

Who Killed The Electric Car???

 

To date, Americans have managed to send a man to the moon more than once and yet lack the ability to produce a viable, inexpensive and mass-produced electric car.  If you’ve poked around our site (or around the web), you’ll find there are plenty versions of GM’s EV1’s.  The dream that American’s could whisk around in their cars without ever making the routine trip to the fueling station to fill up and empty your wallet was once realized, though only for a moment.  General Motors can arguably be blamed for the rise then suspicious and arduous fall of GM’s Electric Vehicle, better known as the EV1.    

In the 90s GM manufactured the plug-in electric vehicle without ever selling them to the public though instead leasing the vehicle for a moderately pricey 400 to 500 dollars a month.  What most Americans may not know is that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) passed mandates which forced automakers to produce a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV), meaning the amount of ZEV’s manufactured and sold would constitute 10% of a car company’s market share in California exclusively.  CARB issued the mandate in response to growing smog-related health issues in California. In the southern California region alone, which constitutes LA, Orange, Riverside and Orange Counties among others, there were 41 stage-one smog alerts issued by the state. 

Though GM initially began research and development of a practical consumer electric vehicle in the 80’s they eventually “pulled the plug” on the EV1 lease program in the 90’s, laying off their top sales force first, recalling the vehicles despite purchase offers and ultimately crushing and destroying the entire fleet.  In 1999, GM bought the Hummer brand and soon thereafter publicly stated there was no need to produce any more electric vehicles. Thanks to http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/who-killed-the-electric-car/ you can watch the documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car” in full and for free and if you really get it, go to http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/electric.html

 

 

Avoid High End, High Price Gas Stations

ü Shell, 76, Chevron, Texaco, Exxon and others are usually the priciest name brands – avoid them at all costs

ü Avoid all gas stations in affluent neighborhoods, prices are always higher

ü Avoid all gas stations close to freeways as they tend to always charge more

ü Try not to purchase the gas station car washes or other perks and offers – you’re only helping their bottom line, thus keeping them in business, selling high priced gas

ü Opt for memberships to warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s Club – these memberships will run you about 50-75 dollars a year but you can split the fee between your friends and family to curtail the membership fees

ü Remember carpooling? 

ü If you are currently looking for job opportunities find ones close to home or that are easily accessed via public transportation;  if you currently are dissatisfied with your position this is the perfect opportunity to find a job with a shorter commute 

 

Save gas With Mygallons.com

With gas averaging $4.10 nationwide in the USA and oil prices reaching $136 a barrel, consumers are finding it hard to save.  But there may be hope in locking in low gas prices in your local city.

www.Mygallons.com is a florida-based company that promises to consumers that they can lock in a low price for regular unleaded gas at the pump and redeem that price when gas goes up.  Sounds like a good bargain?  Pumpngo thinks so…for now.

Mygallons charges an annual fee to join their program and you have to obtain a debit-based card that you use to prepay for the gas to redeem at a low price.  From there, it’s just a matter of adding more money to the account when need be.  As an example, you buy $100 gallons of fuel at a lock in price of $3.50 a gallon, and when the gas price goes up to $4.00, you pay the lock in rate and nothing higher.  That’s a savings of $0.50 a gallon.

The site is under negotiations with a new payment service provider, and certain features of the site are not available such as a location finder to lock in your price.  It’s good that some businesses unlike the oil companies are providing the consumers with an incentive to save on gas.  It’s a start and PUMP ‘N GO locks in the deal.

http://mygallons.com/

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080710/oil_prices.html

http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/

 

6 Bad Driving Habits Will Cost You Gas

They say bad habits die hard.  That is true when it comes to driving bad and wasting gas.  Save on gas by not doing the following thanks to an article on Yahoo by Peter Valdes-Dapena of CnnMoney.com :

1. Racing away from green lights

When the light turns green, you don’t have to take off as quickly as possible. That pedal under your right foot is called the “gas pedal” for a good reason. The more you press down on it, the more gas you’re pumping into the engine.

Press lightly on the gas pedal, and you’ll still accelerate, and you’ll still get where you’re going. You might be surprised at how little pressure it takes to get your car up to speed in a reasonable time.

2. Racing up to red lights

When you’re driving down the street, and you see a light red light or stop sign up ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.

There’s no point in keeping your foot on the gas until just before you reach the intersection. Let off the pedal sooner and give your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently. As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer, too.

By themselves, these first two tips can improve your fuel economy around town by as much as 35 percent, according to tests conducted by automotive information Web site Edmunds.com.

3. Confusing the highway with a speedway

Even if it doesn’t involve hard acceleration, speeding wastes gas. The faster you go, the more air your vehicle has to push out of the way. It’s like moving your hand through water. The faster you try to move your hand, the harder the water pushes back.

In tests by Consumer Reports, driving at 75 miles per hour instead of 65 miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between 3 and 5 miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.

4. Bumper-buzzing

Tailgating is a bad move for many reasons. First of all, it’s unsafe. You reduce your ability to react if the car in front of you slows or stops. It also means you have to pay ultra-close attention to that car which reduces your ability to scan for other hazards ahead of you and to the sides.

And tailgating wastes gas. Every time the driver ahead taps his brakes, you have to slow down even more than he did. (That’s because you can’t react immediately so you have to slow even more because you’re slowing down later.) Then you accelerate again to get back up to speed and resume your bumper-buzzing routine.

Hang back and you’ll be safer – plus you’ll be able to drive more smoothly and use less fuel. A good rule of thumb is to allow two seconds of space between your car and the one ahead. You can figure that out by counting off two seconds after the car in front of you passes an obvious landmark like an overpass.

5. Driving standing still

You’ve probably heard that it takes more gas to restart a car than to let it run. Maybe that used to be true, but it isn’t anymore. With modern fuel-injection engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once it’s warmed up.

Idling, meanwhile, burns about a half-mile worth of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission. That’s why hybrid cars shut down their gasoline engines whenever they stop, even for a moment.

Now you don’t want to shut your engine down for every little stop in your regular, non-hybrid car – it’s not designed for that – but if you’re waiting for someone to run in and out of a convenience store, turn off the engine.

And don’t go through the drive-through at fast food restaurants. You’re already paying enough for the oil in those chicken nuggets.

Bonus tip: Don’t idle your engine to let it warm up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes gas. Instead, start driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is warm.

6. Short hops

For really short trips, take advantage of the opportunity to get some exercise. Try walking to the store instead of driving. You can save gas and burn a few calories instead.

If you can’t hoof it, save up your errands. A lot of short hops that let the engine cool down at home between trips can use twice as much gas as starting the car once and making a big sweep to all your stops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Go to your farthest destination first so your engine has a chance to reach its optimal operating temperature. Then make your other stops on the way back. With the engine warmed up, the car will restart easily and run efficiently all the way home.

Remember to save more on PUMP N’GO and tell friends and family to get a load of us at www.pumpngo.com

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/579/6-ways-youre-wasting-gas;_ylc=X3oDMTE3YjFtdXFhBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLXRvZGF5BHNsawN3YXN0aW5nLWdhcw–

http://www.cnnmoney.com

 

Hypermiling Your Way Through Savings

Don’t have the money to buy into a hybrid or a fuel-efficient vehicle?  Never fear, hypermiling is here.  Believe it or not, you can add more mileage to your car by simply following a few driving techniques such as the following thanks to a WIRED article:

Hypermiling 101:

1. Go easy on the accelerator and follow the speed limit. It’s a no brainer, but how many people actually drive 55 mph? Fuel economy drops like a stone above 60 mph, so slow down. You’ll bump your fuel economy by 7 to 23 percent.
2. Take all the junk out of your trunk. Why are you hauling those tire chains in July? When’s the last time you used those golf clubs? That big brush guard with the million-candlepower lights may look cool, but it’s killing your fuel economy. Every 100 pounds of stuff you’re needlessly hauling around drops your fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent. Ditch it and it’ll rise accordingly. While you’re at it, lose the roof rack and gain another 5 percent. Keep the spare though. You’ll need that.
3. Get a tune-up and use the lightest viscosity oil your engine will live with. A well-tuned engine is an efficient engine, and lighter weight oil reduces drag. Can’t remember the last time you had a tune-up? Getting one could raise your fuel economy as much as 10 percent.
4. Keep your tires properly inflated. The softer the tire, the greater the rolling resistance – and the more gas you burn. Being 10 pounds under pressure can cut fuel efficiency by 4 percent. Pump those babies up!
5. Don’t idle. How many miles per gallon do you get sitting in the drive through? Zero, that’s how many. If you’re going to be stationary for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine.

Advanced hypermiling: OK, you’ve mastered the basics. Now you’re ready for the big time.

1. Buy a fuel economy gauge. Nothing will turn you into a hypermiler faster than seeing, in real time, exactly how much fuel you’re sucking down. If your car was built after 1995, fuel economy computers like ScanGauge are plug-and-play. Older cars may require a vacuum gauge, but they’re pretty easy to install.
2. Coast. Hyper-milers suggest turning off the engine and coasting downhill. Be warned, though – automakers and some consumer groups say you could lose the power brakes and steering, making the car hard to turn and stop.
3. Inflate tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. The pressure recommended by the automaker is a compromise between fuel efficiency, handling and comfort. If you want maximum efficiency, go for the maximum pressure. The ride quality will suffer, but you’ll get better mileage. Here, too, critics have a warning – over-inflating your tires could lead to premature wear and poor handling.
4. Lay off the brakes. In traffic, maintain a slow creep instead of accelerating and braking. Ignore the horns and middle-finger salutes.
5. Draft. This one’s controversial because it’s dangerous. But we trust you: Inch up behind, say, an 18-wheeler, and kill the engine as you enter its slipstream (you’ll feel it). You’re drafting now, getting pulled along by the truck’s gas instead of your own.

Many more tips on hypermiling below.  Keep on saving by reading PUMP N’GO.

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_More_Than_40_Miles_Per_Gallon_Without_a_Hybrid

http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/06/hypermilers09

http://www.ecomodder.com

http://www.cleanmpg.com

 

Neil Young Has Found His “Pot Of Gold.”

The classic rocker Neil Young is singing to a different tune–electric cars.

With the advent of electric cars getting a rebirth, the musician has decided to partner up with his friend Johnathan Goodwin, a mechanic who has a reputation nationwide for re-engineering power systems in average cars to gain more horsepower and rely less on fuel.

Goodwin has developed a prototype power system that is being used on Young’s 1959 Continental Convertible which they tested not too long ago with some glitches. But the feat of making Young’s Convertible into an electric car is fascinating with a positive future. And that future involves using Young’s car as the staple for the first affordable mass-produced electric automobile.

“The technology to make a practical and affordable electric car has been around for a long time,” Goodwin noted. PUMP N’GO couldn’t agree with him more with this notion. The fact is the technology is here, and the national Automakers need to take notice.

Neil Young is optimistic about the change in the technology.

“You know, I thought long ago you could change the world by writing songs,” he said. “But we could change it with this car.”

To quote a lyric from one of Neil Young’s songs, “I’ve been searching for a heart of gold.” Indeed. PUMP N’GO feels that Neil Young has found his “pot of gold” in electric cars.

http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx?articlepath=APNews/Music/20080601/People_Neil_Young_20080601.xml&cat=entertainment&subcat=music&pageid=1

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HBhOCRulJgU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_young

 

Oil Falls At $126 A Barrel

Oil fell at $126 a barrel today due to concerns of oil tankers not being unloaded along the golf coast according to the U.S. Dept of Energy Information Administration.  Also, the dollar gained significantly in the market beating the yen in the Asian Markets.

Meanwhile, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission admitted that it has conducted an investigation into the oil market trading industry for nearly six months.  Price manipulation is the focal point of the investigation and further transparency of the markets are being initiated.  PUMP N’GO doesn’t doubt price manipulation in the markets as such activity exists already in the Stock Market.  This activity makes the rich investors and traders cash in the benefits while the consumer hits pay dirt with high gas prices.

Maybe oil should not be traded in a commodities market.  By doing so, we can feel much better that oil would be dealt with by traditional trading(country to country) thus possibly reducing the price of gas on consumers wallets.  What do you think?

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/oil-prices-fall-to-near-126-a-barrel/n20080530014209990008

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.cftc.gov/