high gas prices killing old pumps

Small mom and pops gas stations around the country might have to go out of business because their old fashion pumps can't register more than $3.99 per gallon,some of these old pumps can only register $99.99 for the total sale.
Upgrading to new digital pumps can cost between $10.000 and $15.000,not many people in small communities can afford it,demand for replacement pumps has cost a months backlog for companies that make or rebuild the mechanical meters,and thats just for the gas stations that can afford to upgrade.
There are about 17.000 old mechanical pumps in gas stations that will need to be repaired or replaced.



With gas prices going through the roof and regulators requiring cars to be ever more miserly, Volkswagen is bringing new meaning to the term "fuel efficiency" with a bullet-shaped microcar that gets a stunning 282 235 mpg.

Volkswagen's had its super-thrifty One-Liter Car concept vehicle -- so named because that's how much fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers -- stashed away for six years. The body's made of carbon fiber to minimize weight (the entire car weighs just 660 pounds) and company execs didn't expect the material to become cheap enough to produce the car until 2012.

But VW's decided to build the car two years ahead of schedule.

Continue reading "Laugh at High Gas Prices With a 282-MPG VW" »



Post Comment | Comments (248) | Permalink


California Requires 'Pollution Labels' For Cars
By Chuck Squatriglia July 03, 2008 | 7:00:00 AMCategories: Emissions


It's easy enough to know what kind of fuel economy a new car gets - it's printed right there on the window sticker. Finding out how much pollution it emits is a little harder if you don't know what terms like LEV, SULEV and PZEV mean.

The California Air Resources Board is making it easier to identify "greener" cars by requiring new vehicles to display window stickers indicating how much smog-forming and global warming pollution the car produces. The label will note the vehicle's "smog score" and "global warming score" on a 10-point scale, with cleaner cars getting higher scores.

"It's a translation of the old terms, which were very cryptic," says board spokesman Dimitri Stanich. "Consumers can immediately look at these labels and know where the car ranks."

Automakers must affix the labels to all new cars beginning Jan. 1, but Stanich says they could begin appearing on some models as early as this month. And although the rules apply only to those cars sold in California, the information is only a mouse click away so anyone can see it.

Continue reading "California Requires 'Pollution Labels' For Cars" »



Post Comment | Comments (11) | Permalink


Utah Takes NJ Transit Hand-me-downs
By Alexander Lew July 01, 2008 | 2:52:45 PMCategories: Mass Transit


They aren't fancy with their limited legroom and lack of power outlets for laptops, but at least they can still roll. Salt Lake City has decided to put New Jersey Transit's old rail cars on UTA's tracks in response to crowding on some of the city's FrontRunner commuter trains.

The Comet cars, built for NJ Transit in the early 70s, will still feature the wood-panel wall papers, the aluminum bar luggage racks and the seating arrangement of two on one side of the aisle and three on the other. A few rows of seats will be taken out in order to accommodate bicycles. Wireless internet will still be available, but users must use their laptop battery for the whole trip. The exterior NJ Transit livery will be replaced with one that will fit in with the other FrontRunner trains.

UTA has bought 25 of these cars. Each NJ Transit car cost $35,000 each and are being fixed for $400,000. This is much cheaper than paying $2.2 million per new rail car.

Photo: Flickr/Christopher & AmyCate.


Post Comment | Comments (16) | Permalink





Bus Rapid Transit Debuts in the Bronx
By Alexander Lew June 30, 2008 | 1:49:50 PMCategories: Mass Transit



Sunday, passengers taking the Bx12 Limited bus route in New York's Bronx experienced a different ride than the usual. The buses had changed colors and the stops became "stations." With the use of dedicated lanes, pre-paid boarding, and limited stops, the city hopes to reduce the time to travel the whole route by at least 10 minutes in the future. The buses, however, aren't much faster when looking at the printed schedules.


Continue reading "Bus Rapid Transit Debuts in the Bronx" »



Post Comment | Comments (9) | Permalink


Uncle Sam Rolls In a 100-MPG Solar Plug-In Hybrid
By Chuck Squatriglia June 27, 2008 | 6:21:15 PMCategories: Batteries, Hybrids, Plug-In Hybrids


Tony Markel drives a plug-in hybrid that runs 50 miles per charge, goes 100 miles per gallon and gets power from the sun. If he has his way, you'll drive one too before long.

His 2006 Prius has a lithium-ion battery six times more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride pack Toyota put in it. But what makes the car really cool is the solar panel on the roof. It generates enough juice to go 5 miles.

Markel is a senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He and his colleagues have been experimenting with the car for about a year in a quest to make lithium-ion batteries cheaper and more durable. "Those are the barriers -- battery cost and battery life," he says. "That's the main thing holding the technology back."

The way he sees it, though, the barriers won't stand much longer.

Continue reading "Uncle Sam Rolls In a 100-MPG Solar Plug-In Hybrid " »



Post Comment | Comments (102) | Permalink


Portable Nav 2.0 Brings Phoning, Texting And Searching
By Doug Newcomb June 27, 2008 | 3:56:19 PMCategories: GPS



Portable navigation systems are flying off the shelves, but the latest generation offer two-way communication and could make their predecessors seem like a dead-end street. Traditional portable navs receive GPS info to keep you on track, but one that's already available and a few coming down the road also send info via a cell-phone connection.

Mio's announcement that its Moov 380 with a built-in SIM card is coming to the U.S. means that Dash Express won't be the only Internet-connected portable nav. Mio says the Moov 380's GPRS connectivity will allow making phone calls, sending and receiving text messages and performing local searches via the Internet. The device will operate at 2.75G to 3G speeds, and Qualcomm is a development partner.

But even with two-way connectivity, marketing a portable nav that requires a contract with a wireless carrier could be a hard sell.

Continue reading "Portable Nav 2.0 Brings Phoning, Texting And Searching" »



Post Comment | Comments (1) | Permalink


X-Ray Screening Comes to London's Underground
By Alexander Lew June 27, 2008 | 2:00:14 PMCategories: Mass Transit
Airport-style X-ray screening machines and bomb-sniffing dogs are coming to a "handful" of London Underground and National Rail stations this summer, but the threat of widespread passenger rebellion kept authorities from installing them at every station.

The Department for Transport says ongoing concerns about terrorism prompted increased security at stations in London and other cities but subjecting everyone to the added delays would be impractical.

"Screening equipment and dogs can be effective in the railway environment," Transport Minister Tom Harris says. "However, given the very large passenger flows and thousands of entry points on the UK rail and underground networks, 100% airport-style screening is not feasible using today's technology."

Continue reading "X-Ray Screening Comes to London's Underground" »



Post Comment | Comments (2) | Permalink


Pimp My Smart - And Put 13 People In It
By Chuck Squatriglia June 27, 2008 | 1:04:51 PMCategories: Car Culture, Microcars


With the SmartTwo selling like hotcakes, it was only a matter of time before people started doing crazy things with it - like wrapping it in outlandish bodywork and seeing how many people can squeeze into it.

Austrian tuners Koenigseder went to town on a ForTwo Cabrio. Flared fenders widen it and Eibach springs drop it. Those 17-inch wheels are positively dinky in an era when some guys are sporting 28s or even 30s, but they're the perfect size for a ForTwo. The interior gets a psychedelic makeover, and floral decals highlight your eco-cred, right?

Speaking of the interior, just how many people can you squeeze into a ForTwo?

Continue reading "Pimp My Smart - And Put 13 People In It" »



Post Comment | Comments (30) | Permalink


Mazda Cutting Fuel Economy In A Big Way
By Chuck Squatriglia June 26, 2008 | 5:45:03 PMCategories: Fuel Cells


Mazda says it will cut the fuel consumption of its cars 30 percent by 2015 in a sweeping campaign that will see the automaker replace almost every engine in its lineup, shave at least 220 pounds from every car it builds and continue developing its hydrogen hybrid.

The announcement comes as the entire industry is reeling from plummeting sales brought on skyrocketing fuel prices. Automakers are ditching their SUVs and trucks in favor of smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles and Mazda has outlined what it calls "a holistic approach" to reducing the fuel consumption.

The push begins with next year's models.

Continue reading "Mazda Cutting Fuel Economy In A Big Way" »



Post Comment | Comments (17) | Permalink


Pistons? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Pistons!
By Chuck Squatriglia June 26, 2008 | 4:27:35 PMCategories: Military


The U.S. Air Force is bankrolling development of a pistonless internal combustion engine that would provide unmanned aerial vehicles with more power and greater torque in a smaller, lighter package.

It's called a nutating engine and it uses a rotating disk that that wobbles as it spins, creating voids or pockets. Air and fuel are forced into the voids, compressed and ignited to create propulsive force just like a piston.

So why is that better?

Continue reading "Pistons? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Pistons!" »



Post Comment | Comments (14) | Permalink


VW Rolls Out a Backward Hybrid
By Chuck Squatriglia June 26, 2008 | 2:07:29 PMCategories: Plug-In Hybrids


Volkswagen's been toying with hybrids for awhile and got electric-vehicle advocates in a lather over the diesel-electric Golf it unveiled a few months ago. Now the company's promising a plug-in hybrid by 2010 and the German government's written a big check to make it happen.

VW boss Martin Winterkorn says gas and diesel engines will be around for a long time to come, but "the future belongs to all-electric cars." The automaker is staking a claim to that future with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain it calls Twin Drive. It will debut in a Golf fitted with a 122-horsepower diesel engine and an 82-horsepower electric motor.

"While the e-motor on a typical hybrid model just supplements the combustion engine, the exact opposite is true on Twin Drive," Winterkorn said during the car's unveiling in Berlin. "Here the diesel or gasoline engine supplements the e-motor."

Continue reading "VW Rolls Out a Backward Hybrid" »



Post Comment | Comments (88) | Permalink


Bendy-Bus Boycott Broken
By Alexander Lew June 26, 2008 | 1:11:44 PMCategories: Mass Transit


Australia's bendy-bus boycott has been broken.

Bus drivers in Sydney voted to ban the vehicles, formally known as articulated buses, earlier this week amid safety concerns. It wasn't their length that was the problem - as was the case when bendy-buses made their debut in London - but the fact drivers believed the electronic brakes could fail without warning.

That can be a problem when you're driving a vehicle that weighs several tons, and the drivers' union says there were more than a few close calls on the road.

Continue reading "Bendy-Bus Boycott Broken" »



Post Comment | Comments (7) | Permalink


People Love Hybrids Enough to Actually Buy Them
By Doug Newcomb June 26, 2008 | 7:00:00 AMCategories: Hybrids


With outrageous gas prices quickly killing the once-mighty SUV and making hybrids the sexiest thing on four wheels, people not only want gas-electric cars, they're willing to fork over the money to buy them. A study by J.D. Power and Associates finds consumers will spring for ecofriendly rides even after learning it will set them back an average of $5,000 more than a similarly sized conventional car.

J.D. Power has long used its annual "U.S. Automotive Emerging Technology Study" to gauge public interest in automakers' latest gadgets and gizmos. It polled 19,000 people and found 78 percent of them "definitely" or "probably" are interested in making their next car a hybrid. Even after being told such cars typically carry a $5,000 premium, 46 percent said they'd still put a hybrid in their driveway.

It doesn't take a survey to know high fuel prices and the benefits of going green are resonating with consumers, but J.D. Power's findings show a growing number of people are willing to pony up for it. Past studies have found purchase intent decreases incrementally as the price of new car tech climbs.

"You'll usually see a huge drop-off at $1,500," says Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technology at J.D. Power. "But the drop-off was nowhere near what I thought it would be in this case."

Continue reading "People Love Hybrids Enough to Actually Buy Them" »



Post Comment | Comments (38) | Permalink


Stoners, Like, Totally Solve Nation's Air Travel Problems
By Chuck Squatriglia June 25, 2008 | 2:53:24 PMCategories: Air Travel, Airports, Autopia WTF? Dept.
Air travel is a total hassle, man, and marijuana advocates in Denver say everyone would find the normally excruciating process a lot more pleasant if they could enjoy a few bong hits before boarding. It might even help solve a few of the problems that airlines have been experiencing lately. The way they see it, if people can knock a few back before a flight, they should be able to spark one up. They're calling on airports nationwide to install marijuana lounges.

"All we're saying is, in light of the fact drunk and disorderly incidents on airplanes are becoming more common, it really makes sense to allow adults the choice to use marijuana," says Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, the organization calling for the lounges. "There's no rational reason our government would allow people to use alcohol and not use marijuana."

Well, except for the fact the feds classify marijuana a Schedule 1 drug, putting it alongside heroin, mescaline meth and acid on its list of Drugs That Definitely Are Evil.

Continue reading "Stoners, Like, Totally Solve Nation's Air Travel Problems" »



Post Comment | Comments (80) | Permalink


Dallas Introduces "Super Light Rail Vehicles"
By Alexander Lew June 25, 2008 | 2:52:44 PMCategories: Mass Transit



Dallas Area Rapid Transit needed a way increase the capacity of its light rail trains quickly and cost-effectively. Instead of buying a whole new set of light rail trains, DART decided to stick "inserts" into its current fleet of light rail trains, making Dallas' "super light rail vehicles."

In partnership with Kinkisharyo of Japan, DART is taking apart its vehicles at the articulation joint (the place where the light rail vehicle bends) and adding a whole new car. The inserted section seats 25 additional passengers. Room for standees will nearly double. It also includes an extra door in a low-floor section meaning that there are no steps to board the train. Wheelchairs can therefore directly roll onboard without having to use the complicated lift mechanisms.

Despite the cost-effectiveness of not having to buy a new fleet of trains, DART has run into some difficulties with its stations.
Continue reading "Dallas Introduces "Super Light Rail Vehicles"" »



Post Comment | Comments (14) | Permalink


All-Seeing Car Reads Road Signs For You
By Matthew Phenix June 24, 2008 | 8:01:48 PMCategories: Intelligent Vehicles, Safety


As cars become smarter than the people driving them and do more of the things humans should be doing for themselves — checking blind spots, watching for lane departures, anticipating collisions — it was only a matter of time before a car started reading road signs.

The "Traffic Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning" system available early next year on General Motors' new Euro-only Opel/Vauxhall Insignia scans the road ahead at 30 frames per second to read road signs and tell you when you're wandering from your lane.

The most innovative aspect of the system is the road-sign recognition processor, which can read signs as far as 100 meters away.

Continue reading "All-Seeing Car Reads Road Signs For You" »



Post Comment | Comments (19) | Permalink


Ferrari Building a Smaller, Lighter, Quicker Enzo
By Chuck Squatriglia June 24, 2008 | 5:07:39 PMCategories: Exotics


The go-fast gurus at Ferrari are working on a successor to the jaw-dropping Enzo that could be the lightest, quickest two-seater ever to roll out of Maranello.

We told you months ago the Scuderia's next supercar would be based on the Millechili concept that embraces the "less is more" ethos. Ferrari sees lighter cars as the best way to reach its goal of increasing fuel economy 40 percent and reducing emissions 25 percent without compromising its reputation for performance. The Millechili is a guidepost to that greener future.

The future arrives in two years in a 600-horsepower car that weighs 2,200 pounds.

Continue reading "Ferrari Building a Smaller, Lighter, Quicker Enzo" »



Post Comment | Comments (25) | Permalink


Hackers Crack London Tube's Ticketing System
By Alexander Lew June 24, 2008 | 11:00:00 AMCategories: Mass Transit


Dutch security researchers rode the London Underground free for a day after easily using an ordinary laptop to clone the "smartcards" commuters use to pay fares, a hack that highlights a serious security flaw because similar cards provide access to thousands of government offices, hospitals and schools.

There are more than 17 million of the transit cards, called Oyster Cards, in circulation. Transport for London says the breach poses no threat to passengers and "the most anyone could gain from a rogue card is one day's travel." But this is about more than stealing a free fare or even cribbing any personal information that might be on the cards.

Oyster Cards feature the same Mifare chip used in security cards that provide access to thousands of secure locations. Security experts say the breach poses a threat to public safety and the cards should be replaced.

Continue reading "Hackers Crack London Tube's Ticketing System" »



Post Comment | Comments (41) | Permalink


As Airlines Cut, Other Industries Feel the Pain
By Dave Demerjian June 24, 2008 | 7:00:00 AMCategories: Air Travel, Business, Travel


When an airline sneezes, does the entire travel business catch a cold? Maybe. Experts say that as airlines raise fares and cut routes, they'll squeeze other businesses who depend on a constant flow of passengers to keep the money rolling in.

Tourism is one industry that's bound to be impacted. Fewer flights and higher prices will cause some travelers to forgo the big summer trip and do something closer to home (though if gas prices don't come down they might just sit home in their air conditioning).

The chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Association says the airlines' moves are putting thousands of regional jobs and billions of dollars of investment at risk. Caribbean markets are especially susceptible to the cuts, he says, because struggling American Airlines handles a majority of traffic into the region. American recently announced that it's cutting its daily flights at its San Juan hub from 93 to 51 and will no longer serve Santo Domingo, Antigua, St Maarten, Aruba, or Samana from San Juan.

And that in turn messes things up for the cruise lines. Ten ships use San Juan as their home port, and if getting to the island becomes too much of a hassle, vacationers may blow off the cruise altogether.

Continue reading "As Airlines Cut, Other Industries Feel the Pain" »



Post Comment | Comments (11) | Permalink


U.K. Looks Into High Speed Rail
By Alexander Lew June 23, 2008 | 12:55:23 PMCategories: Mass Transit



For years, Britain has eyed high speed rail for its domestic service, seeing the successes in mainland Europe and Asia. The need for faster, more efficient, and simply more trains has become apparent with ridership expected to jump by 30% in the next decade and five of the country's rail lines to be at capacity in 2025.

A plan with five new high speed rail lines, which will overlap the country's busiest lines, has been proposed to Network Rail, the company that operates and maintains the Britains's system and infrastructure. A study will look at the feasibility of bullet train service along certain routes, which will be presented in summer next year. If approved, this will be the U.K.'s largest railway construction project since the 19th Century.