Car Museums Directories - Newspapers
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
AAA Mid-Atlantic
Abracat - Searchable database of classified ads of over 700 newspaper affiliates. You can search by zipcode or in indvidual newspapers.
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy - You can access their most recent Green Book online for a fee.
Air Bag Information - National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration
Airstream - Their new BaseCamp model is an ultra-light multi-purpose tent-trailer hybrid. "This stylish trailer, designed to be both low cost and flexible, was the brainchild of NDA (Nissan Design America) aces Bryan Thompson and Steve Moneypenny, who envisioned a travel vehicle that was a springboard for outdoor adventures rather than a living room on wheels." Airstream expects the price "to remain under $20,000" (list price is actually $22,995.00). Airstream provides photos of the interior, floorplan, specification and pricing. See also Vintage Airstream Podcast, Episode 7, Basecamp, December 8, 2005. Colin Hyde and Rob Baker (50:54). Basecamp is discussed 13 minutes into the podcast. At the end of the podcast, there is an interview with Jini Keasling, Airstream's marketing designer for the BaseCamp trailer. Closest dealer to the Central New York area is DJ RV Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. In addition, see On the Road: Rounding Home Base by Dick Teresi, Forbes Life, April 24, 2006. "The plan, according to Tim Champ, Airstream’s director of marketing and brand development, was to maintain the iconic Airstream exterior design while modernizing the functional interior to appeal to the consumer who, design-wise, gravitates toward iPods, Mac laptops and Mini Coopers."
Alfa Romeo
Alternative Car and Transportation Expo (Alt Car Expo) - Held in Santa Monica on December 9-10, 2006. James Woolsey, former CIA chief , was a keynote speaker. Electrum Spyder, made by the Universal Electric Vehicle Corp, was unveiled. See entry for Universial Electric Vehicle Corp. below.
Alternative Fuels Data Center - U. S. Department of Energy
Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA)
Antique Automobile Club of America Museum - Hershey, Pennsylvania
Antique Automobile Club of America Library & Research Center - Provides access to online catalog.
Arlen Ness Motorcycles - San Leandro, California
Art of the Motorcycle - Guggenheim Museum, June 26 - September 20, 1998.
Artcar Fest - San Francisco. "West Coast's Largest Gathering of Art Cars."
Audi
Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)
Auto Express - "From Britain's leading motoring magazine"
Auto-By-Tel - Quotes to buy or lease
AutoAdvisor - Buyer's service
Auto Bild - German car news. Use Google to Translate into English
Autocar
Auto Channel
AutoFacts - "Provides automotive databases and reports, forecasts, competitive analyses, strategic planning, market research, systems and management consulting. Regional coverage includes North America, South America, West Europe, East Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa/Middle East."
Automobile Magazine
Automobiles - New York Times; free registration
Automotive Engineering International Magazine
Automotive Lease Guide - Find resale ranking in their Residual Value Awards.
Automotive Museums Out Where the Deer and the Antelope Play - Michelle Krebs, New York Times, October 29, 2006. Also by Krebs: Car Museums From the Heart of Dixie to the Texas Panhandle October 15, 2006; Midwest Museums for Every Car Lover, September 17, 2006; On the Auto Industry’s Home Turf, Museums With Broad Appeal [Ohio & Michigan], September 3, 2006; New England in the Fall: A Perfect Time to Take in the Auto Museums, August 27, 2006; and Driving Back in Time: Auto Exhibits in the Mid-Atlantic States, August 20, 2006.
Automotive Research Center - "University-based U.S. Army Center of Excellence for advancing technology for high fidelity simulation of military and civilian ground vehicles."
AutoNation
AutoSite - New and used car information. Offers a calculator that compares the costs of buying versus leasing.
AutoTrader - Used cars
AutoWeb - Online car buying service
AutoWeek Online
Beaulieu - National Motor Museum and Palace House, family home of Lord and Lady Montagu, at Beaulieu, situated in the heart of the New Forest in Southern England.
Benson Ford Research Center - Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan. "Henry Ford's online catalog now includes all of the books, approximately 30% of the trade catalog collection and a growing number of manuscript and archival collections." [January 2007]
Beyond the Basics - An Automotive Encyclopedia - Autosite
BMW AG - International site. There's also BMW of North America.
Road Testing BMW's Hydrogen 7 - By Bruce Gain, Wired, 13 November 2006
X6 - SUV coupe crossover hybrid
BMC Car Clubs
Bodleian Library / Toyota City Imaging Project - Collection of motoring and transport images from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera; database can be searchable by keyword or by browsing through images categorized by type of transport, including Motor Cars.
Bridge Auto Review - Mark Drouillard and Kevin Kelly
Brightcove - "Brightcove is the market-leading Internet video partner for international news and entertainment businesses, including British Sky Broadcasting, CBS Corporation, Discovery
Communications Inc., Dow Jones & Company, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, MTV Networks, National Geographic, The New York Times Company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Time, Inc., Time Life, Warner Music Group, and Washingtonpost.
Newsweek Interactive." This is a rich resource for automotive news.
Plug-In Partners: Plug-in Hybrids
British Car Mailing Lists
British Saloon Car Club of Canada - Lesser known British cars
Bugatti
Business Standard Motoring
Business Week: Hybrids
Cadillac
California Cars Initiative for Plug-In Hybrids
California Fuel Cell Partnership
Calling All Cars
Calloway Cars - "Powerfully engineered automobiles" by Ely Reeves Callaway III
Canadian Driver
Car & Driver - Site includes a Buyer's Guide, a Tech Glossary, and an archive of selected articles from August 1995 to current.
Car Buying Tips - By Jeff Ostroff, who also has a page on How to Lease a New Car.
Car Connection - Published and edited by Paul A. Eisenstein
Car Finance - A subsidiary of NationsBank Corporation, you can apply for a car loan online
Car Show News & Classic Auto Events
Carfax - Vehicle history reports
CarParts - Car and truck parts
CarPrices - Prices on new and used vehicles
The Cars - Brigham Young University exhibition on design and American automobiles. With links to other resources.
Car of the Year - European Car of the Year (COTY) Awards. The winner for 2005 was the Toyota Prius. There is an archive of PreviousWinners.
Car Talk - NPR's Ray and Tom Magliozzi. You can listen online (browse shows)
Hybrids
Cars.com - New & used car pricing, reviews and buying information
Center for Augo Safety
Chrysler - With information on the PTCruiser.
Concours d'Elegance - Classic Car expositions. See Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Concours d'Elegance of the Eastern United States, Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, Hillsborough
Concours d'Elegance, Palo Alto Concours D'Elegance, Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance, Concours d'Elegance at Cranbrook, Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance
Clean Car Campaign - See also Canada's Drive Clean
CleanCars TV
Climate Change and Energy Security: Perspectives from the Automobile Industry - Hearing, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, March 14, 2007. With Webcast.
Commuter Cars - Maker of the Tango, a two-seater electric car
Consumer Reports Online - Much of the site is available to subscribers only. You can subscribe for $2.95 per month or $24.00 for a full year (or $19 if you're a Consumer Reports magazine subscriber). There is aCars & Trucks section.
Tires: Big Grippers, Consumer Reports, November, 2007, Vol. 72 Issue 11, p 58-61. Ratings of summer and all-season ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires. Top on the list was the Falken Ziex ZE-912.
Tires: Seasoned Performer, Consumer Reports, November, 2006, Vol. 71 Issue 11, p 52-55.
Tires: All-Season & Winter, Consumer Reports, November, 2005, Vol. 70 Issue 11, p 58-61.
Consumers Car Club - Finds the best deals
Court Roils Auto-Rules Debate: Vermont Wins Right To Limit Emissions; Nationwide Ripples - By Mike Spector and Jeffrey Ball, Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2007. "More broadly, the ruling is likely to increase pressure on Congress to toughen federal fuel-efficiency rules, known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards -- and to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from sectors beyond autos."
Cummins Engine Company - Manufacturers of the diesel engine for the Dodge Ram trucks.
CycleBuy - "Offers current, accurate, dealer cost information for popular new motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, and snowmobiles sold in the United States. By knowing what a dealer pays for a new machine, a smart buyer can often save hundreds or even thousands of dollars when buying a new bike, quad, or Jet Ski."
DaimlerChrysler
Davis Registry - "Worldwide clearinghouse for information regarding the three-wheeled Davis automobile."
Detroit News Online - Their Auto section is a good resource for news stories on the auto industry.
Digital Librarian: Car Museums - Antique car museums in the United States and Canada.
Dodge Ram HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle)
Dream Machines: A look inside the newest hi-tech cars - Time Digital
Edsel & Eleanor Ford House - Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
Edmund's Automobile Buyer's Guides - Excellent starting point, site provides reviews and prices for new and used cars.
Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas
EPA 2006 Fuel Economy Guide: Fuel Economy Leaders: 2006 Model Year
European New Car Assessment Programme
EV World
EV1 - Electric vehicle site from General Motors
Family Car
Farewell, Octane. Hello, Volt! - Rich Beattie, New York Times, September 2, 2005. Information on how to convert your car to an electric vehicle. Mentioned in the article: Electric Vehicles of
America in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Electric Auto Association and Electro Automotive in Felton, California.
Ferrari
Ferrari North America
Fiat
Fisker Automotive - "Environmentally friendly, premium cars featuring plug-in hybrid technology." See:
Fit for a Prince: The Fisker Karma Hybrid by Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2008. "The four-door sports sedan is a so-called plug-in hybrid and is capable of going 50 miles on electricity before a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity to charge a lithium-ion battery pack on board....The Karma is both environmentally responsible and capable of going 125 miles an hour consistently. It can hit a speed of 60 miles an hour in 5.8 seconds — equivalent of the performance of a gasoline powered V8 sports sedan."
Electric-Car Firms Get Star Investors - By Norihiko Shirouzu and Rebecca Buckman, Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2008.
Forbes Lifestyles: Vehicles - See Pump Busters 2004 by Dan Lienert.
Ford - In Ford Direct users can configure a new vehicle, apply for credit and find a local dealer for a price quote.
Ford Fusion
Prodigy - Hybrid electric family car able to achieve more than 70 miles per gallon fuel economy and the Ford Escape
Formula Sun Grand Prix - Solar car race
Fuel Cell Today - See also Ballard Power Systems
Fuel Economy - Department of Energy/Environmental Protection Agency site compares the fuel economy of selected vehicles. You can search for high fuel economy vehicles by market segment, size class or manufacturer. The overall winner for the fifth straight year is the gasoline/electric hybrid Honda Insight.
Gas Buddy - "Network of more than 173 gas price information web sites."
General Motors - Trax, Beat, and Groove, three small concept cars, were introduced at the New York Auto Show in March 2007. They may be available in 2010.
GM Volt
Fuel cell technology
Globe & Mail Auto - Toronto
Green Car Congress - Mike Millikin
Green Car Journal - Edited and published by Ron Cogan.
Green Vehicle Guide - United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guide to the cleanest and most fuel-efficient vehicles.
Guide Auto - "Essais routiers autos, blog automobile et guide d’achat". Le Guide de L'Auto is an annual Quebec auto guide edited by Denis Duquet and Gabriel Gélinas.
Harley-Davidson
Hemmings Motor News - "Antique, classic, vintage and special interest auto marketplace comprised almost exclusively of advertising catering to car collectors and restorers"
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village - Dearborn, Michigan
Honda
Honda CR-V - Received top rating in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests.
Acura
Insight - Winner of the Sierra Club's Excellence in Engineering Award.
Honda Civic GX NGV - Natural gas powered car
Honda Fit - See Candidate for Best Car on Road: Honda Fit's $15,220 base price and stellar mileage make for an econobox to remember by Jeff Sabatini, Wall Street Journal, November 8-9, 2008. "But the crowning achievement is that the front-wheel-drive Fit is as fun to drive as it is functional, thanks to a sprightly 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine."
Honda FCX - Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV)
Horseless Carriage Club of America
Hummer
Hybrid Buyer's Guide 2005 - Dan Lienert, Forbes
Hybrid Cars - See their Guide to Maximizing Mileage in Toyota Prius
Hybrid Owners of America - "Organization created to organize and advocate for the interests of the more than half a million Americans who already own hybrid gas-electric cars and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles."
Hydrogen vehicles (concept vehicles and prototypes) - Mercedes-Benz F600 Hygenius, GM Sequel, Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, Suzuki Ionis, Honda FCX, Toyota Fine-X, Morgan Motor LIFECar,
Ford Focus FCV.
Hyundai
Tucson
Infiniti
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - Crash test results. See 2007 Top Safety Pick award winners and Status Report, Vol. 41, No. 9, November 21, 2006.
Insurance News Network: Automotive Insurance - Provides car safety information including crash test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
IntelliChoice - New car information, used car prices, rebates & incentives.
International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins GlenInternational Human Powered Vehicle Association - With information on the Raven Project.
International Motor Show - Frankfurt - Also known as the Frankfurt Motor Show, it is held bi-annually in September. (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung für Personenkraftwagen in Frankfurt am Main)
Isuzu
Jaguar
J.D. Power and Associates - Automotive market researchers
Jeep Unpaved
Kelley Blue Book Used Car Bluebook Values & New Car Pricing - Provides dealer invoice and retail prices for car and options.
Kia - See You’re Hired. Now Turn Humdrum Into Must-Have by Phil Patton, New York Times, October 24, 2007. "Competitive, inventive and analytic, Mr. Schreyer, 54, surprised the automotive world by moving to Kia as its chief design officer last fall, the equivalent of a big-time athlete opting for the expansion team."
Sportage
Lamborghini
Lancia
Land Rover
LeaseSource - Provides information on auto leasing
Lemon Car Page - T. Michael Flinn
Lexus - See Lexus RX 400h Hybrid
LookSmart's FindArticles - A search for Prius locates 566 articles including Hybrid driven: Toyota aims the 2004 Prius at a mass-market audience and gives us a glimpse of things to come by John Peter, Automotive Industries, Oct, 2003 and Mileage Matters - 2004 Toyota Prius by Tom Murphy, Ward's Auto World, Nov 1, 2003.
Lotus
Lynx Motors International - UK
Maserati
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz - Germany. Also available in English. Their E320 Bluetec is the winner of the 2007 World Green Car Award, selected by over 40 automotive journalists as the cleanest diesel vehicle in the world.
MG Car Enthusiasts Club
Michelin
Mini USA - Mini Cooper
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation - Search for information about their i MiEV electric vehicle
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation - Japan
Mondial de l’Automobile - Official site of the Paris Motor Show, held biannually at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles
Moto Guzzi - Italy
Motorweek - "Television's original automotive magazine" created by John Davis.
Motor Trend - Their Car of the Year Awards include the Chrysler 300 (2005) and the Toyota Prius (2004)
MSN Auto - Microsoft's online car buying service offers product reviews, prices, and information on leasing options and rebates. A highlight of the site is the Surround Video Gallery which gives 360-degree rotating views of car interiors and exteriors. See also MSN Cars UK Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - New York. You can search the Collection and Dadabase, the online catalog of the Museum of Modern Art Library, Archives and Study Centers. Among the Past Exhibitions are Different Roads: Automobiles for the Next Century (1999), which "includes nine innovative automobiles designed to confront the growing social, economic, and environmental conditions facing the consumer and the automotive industry in the beginning of the twenty-first century" and AUTObodies: speed, sport, transport (2002).
NADA Appraisal Guides - National Automobile Dealers Association used vehicle value and appraisal guides for cars, trucks, boats, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, motor homes, trailers, campers, and personal watercraft. Provides retail consumer values (selling prices), trade-in and loan values for subscribers only.
NAPA Home Page - National Automotive Parts Association
NASCAR Online
National Safety Council - With a National Safety Council Training Agency Directory where you can search for Defensive Driving Courses and a Fact Sheet Library.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Includes recall and complaint databases. SaferCar.gov has crash test and rollover ratings from 1990 to the present.
National Transportation Library - U.S. Department of Transportation Governor Announces First Plug-In Hybrid Added to State Fleet - Press Release, December 20, 2006. "Governor George E. Pataki today showcased a new plug-in hybrid car that is being added to New York State’s vehicle fleet, another step toward reducing our dependence on imported energy and protecting our environment. Earlier this year, the Governor announced a $10 million program to convert the 574 hybrid vehicles in the State fleet to be plug-in hybrids, which can achieve significantly higher mileage with lower emissions of harmful pollutants."
New York International Auto Show New York Times: Automobiles
Nissan - 44% is owned by Renault.
Altima
Verfsa
Nitto Tire
North American International Auto Show
North American Singer Owners' Club
NPR - A search for Prius retrieves 'Consumer Reports' Gives Hybrid Car Its Top Rating, Morning Edition, April 4, 2005 and Conversion Kit Allows Hybrid to Go Gas Free, Talk of the Nation, April 22, 2005.
Onstar - GM is equipping its vehicles with a subscription package of services designed to provide personal assistance while traveling. It provides emergency assistance, remote diagnostics, directions, information on restaurants and lodging. Other options include a wireless phone service, a 'virtual advisor' and e-mail.
OZOcar - "Eco-luxury" car service in Manhattan started by Jordan Harris (creator of the Green Car to the Red Carpet concept) and Roo Rogers. Fleet consists of hybrid vehicles (Priuses and Lexuses) equipped with an Apple iBook, high-speed Internet connection, and satellite radio. According to one web site (Electrifyingtimes) the "hourly rate within Manhattan is $45, which is also the fare from the city to La Guardia Airport. Manhattan to JFK or Newark is priced at $60."
Panda - Fiat. Designed by Alessi.
Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) - "Partnership between the United States Government and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) which
representsDaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors. The goal of PNGV is to develop technology that can be used to create environmentally friendly vehicles that can achieve up to triple the fuel efficiency of today's vehicles with very low emissions without sacrificing affordability, performance or safety."
Penske Automotive Group - Their Smart USA division distributes the smart fortwo, and is now taking reservations for the 2008 model, expected to arrive in January 2008.
Peugeot
PlugInAmerica - "advocates the use of plug-in cars, trucks and SUVs powered by cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment."
Popular Mechanics - Jim Dunne is the Detroit Editor.
Popular Mechanics: Automotive News
Popular Science Magazine
Porsche
Cayenne - Sport utility vehicle powered by hybrid technology is being developed by Porsche with Volkswagen AG and Audi AG,
Prius
Toyota Looks Ahead As Prius Hybrid Hits 10 - By Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press, 10/30/2007. "In an interview, [Takeshi] Uchiyamada recalled the exhaustion, the loneliness and the gambles as his team debunked Toyota's image as a safe and boring imitator of rivals' successes."
PriusOnline
Yahoo! Groups: Prius
VFAQ Prius
IRS Clean-Fuel Vehicle Deduction
New York State Form IT-253: 2004, Alternative Fuels Credit, IT253
RVs (Recreational Vehicles) - RV Search, Fleetwood, Monaco, Thor, Winnebago,
Rear View Mirror: Automobile Images and American Identities - UCR California Museum of Photography exhibition has five online essays as well as photographs by Berenice Abbott, Ansel
Adams, Will Connell, Robert Flick, Herbert Quick, Ed Ruscha and Margaret Bourke-White.
Renault
Review of the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles: Seventh Report (2001) - Full-text and searchable from the National Academy Press.
Road and Track Magazine
Road and Travel Magazine - "Comprehensive online magazine providing content and resources from which consumers can make informed and intelligent decisions regarding their automotive, travel and safety needs."
Road Safety Information Index - This site from Transport Canada has a Vehicle Recalls section with a searchable database. Vehicles covered include cars, boat trailers, all terrain vehicles (atvs), motor homes, motorcycles, jet skis and snow mobiles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also has a Recall Database and other information on Recalls.
Robb Report Collection Goes Green As Special “Green Machines†Issue Spotlights The Future Of Alternative Fuels - April, 2007. "Robb Report Collection offers a compendium of fast, alternative fuel vehicles—from hybrid-powered sports and luxury cars that substantially reduce carbon output, to hydrogen concepts and powerful prototypes that promise to eliminate emissions altogether,†said Gregory Anderson, Senior Automotive Editor of Robb Report, adding that because no other consumer car magazine has devoted such detailed attention to the topic, “this issue serves as a green guide to the future of fuel, a trend that will likely be led by the upper end of the market.â€
Rocky Mountain Institute
Recent Advanced Automotive News
Transportation
Transportation Links.
Rolls-Royce Owners' Club
Romance: Car trips in the nineteen-thirties took you to some unexpected places - By Roger Angell, New Yorker, May 26, 2003. "Driving, for all its drags and trouble, puts us together—I’m amazed that its immense advertising never quite gets this right—and on some trips delivers a complicated fresh sense of ourselves."
Saab Cars USA
Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept
Saab 9-3 - Received top rating in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests.
Saturn
Saturn Aura - Voted the North American Car of the Year in 2007. See Clean or Efficient? An Engine Goes for ‘Both of the Above’ by Lindsay Brooke, New York Times, August 19, 2007. â
€œWith minimal changes to the engine hardware, H.C.C.I. [homogenous charge compression ignition] gasoline engines should be able to produce diesel-like efficiencies while simultaneously lowering emissions.†2007 Saturn Aura: Aura, a New Age of Saturn - By Peter Passell, New York Times, November 5, 2006. "The bosses at General Motors have given Saturn a midsize sedan with the looks, brawn and sticker price to compete with the latest entries from Asia."
Scion
SEMA Show
Smart Cars - Made by DaimlerChrysler. To be sold in the U.S. starting early in 2008. See:
Inspiring envy with the 'anti SUV' - NBC Nighly News: Our Planet, January 27, 2007.
DaimlerChrysler to sell Smart car in US, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 28, 2006.
Smart Car a Shred Move? Penske Takes a Flier on Distributing DaimlerChrysler's Tiny Vehicle - By John D. Stoll, Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2007.
Penske Automotive Group - Their Smart USA division distributes the smart fortwo, and is now taking reservations for the 2008 model, expected to arrive in January 2008.
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) - Sponsors Collegiate Design Series including the Formula SAE and the Mini Baja.
Society of Automotive Historians
Speedtrap Exchange
Sports Car Club of America
Stationwagon.com - Steve Manning's site provides information about station wagons, new and old. Similar resources include Land Yacht Marina, National Woodie Club and Marina's Station Wagon.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System Search - Manufacturing is 2000-3999. The SIC for Cummins Inc., for example, is 3510. See also Search Edgar. NAICS, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) has replaced the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.
Subaru
Forester - See 2009 Subaru Forester: A Small Hauler Crosses the Line by Christopher Jensen, New York Times, July 13, 2008. "The model I tried had the huge and delightful “panoramicâ
€ sunroof. The windows are also large, providing wonderful all-around visibility, even when backing up. That gives the Forester such an open feeling that even claustrophobes should fine it calming."
Impreza
Legacy
Tribeca
TED Ideas worth spreading - See the TEDTalks podcasts for April 2007: "Great cars are Art" (free registration). "American designer Chris Bangle explains his philosophy that car design is an art form in its own right, with an engaging account of the BMW Group's Deep Blue project, intended to create the SUV of the future."
Tesla Motors - Founded in 2003 in by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. "Our vision was a car that was energy efficient but also good looking and fun to drive." The company is located in San Carlos, California and plans to start selling its electric Tesla Roadster in 2007. See Tesla Motors Powers Up: Electric sports car startup gets $40M, Red Herring, June 19, 2006.
Tires
Tire Rack - "Stocks one of the largest selections of high quality wheels available anywhere."
Avon Tyres
Bridgestone
Cooper Tires
Dunlop
Falkin
Firestone
Goodyear
Hankook
Kumho
Michelin
Nitto
Pirelli
Sumitomo Tires
Toyo Tires
Yokohama Tire
Tokyo Motor Show - Chiba. Held every other year in the late Fall. Other shows are held in Frankfurt, Shanghai, New York and Geneva.
Toyota
Camry
Highlander
Prius
RAV4
Venza Crossover Sedan
Yaris - Small, economy car
Traffic
Traffic Web Cams - Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT). See also Real-Time Traffic Cameras
WNBC Live Traffic Reports - Metropolitan NY/NJ area
National Traffic and Road Closure Information - Federal Highway Administration
New York Traffic Information - Federal Highway Administration
Traffic.com
Travel Advisory News Network
Yahoo Traffic
Iteris - Real time traffic maps.
Transportation Energy Data Book
Union of Concerned Scientists Clean Vehicles Program
Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Corp. - Creators of the Electrum Spyder "an exciting 2 passenger convertible all electric freeway flier that will be available in limited production. Powered by a 300 vdc system, the Spyder provides an effective range of up to 150 miles on a full charge using nickel zinc batteries, standard in all of our vehicles."
USA Today: Cars
U.S. Council for Automotive Research
Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats - Marriott Library, University of Utah
Vehicle Safety: Opportunities Exist to Enhance NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program - April 29, 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress (GAO-05-370). Available in full text.
Visionary Vehicles
Volkswagen
Eos
Jetta
Polo BlueMotion - Volkswagen Polo BluMotion Named a Finalist for World Green Car of the Year
Volvo - See also Volvo North America
Wall Street Journal - More and more stories are becoming available without a subscription. Use the Resource Center Search Page or Google to locate stories. Search for articles by John D. Stoll, Joseph B. White
Wall Street Journal: Autos
Wall Street Journal Auto Show Tracker
New Vehicle Pricing Calculator - Edmunds.com
Eyes on the Road Column - "Joseph B. White writes Eyes on the Road every Monday for the Online Journal. His column offers readers insight into the top consumer issues in the automotive industry, ranging from car pricing to safety to the latest gadgets." Some of White's recent columns include:
Big Brains at Sandia National Lab Tackle the Future of Combustion (October 22, 2007) "Technologists at the Sandia Lab are researching the basic science of a variety of alternative approaches to the gasoline-fueled internal-combustion engines."
Electric Car Maker Aims For the Top With Sports Car (October 15, 2007) - "Uses 6,831 lithium-ion batteries similar to those used in laptop computers, a patented electric-motor system, and a highly sophisticated package of controllers and software to deliver an exotically attractive car that zaps from standstill to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds and can travel up to 245 miles on a single charge."
Fit for a Prince: The Fisker Karma Hybrid - By Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2008. "The four-door sports sedan is a so-called plug-in hybrid and is capable of going 50 miles on electricity before a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity to charge a lithium-ion battery pack on board....The Karma is both environmentally responsible and capable of going 125 miles an hour consistently. It can hit a speed of 60 miles an hour in 5.8 seconds — equivalent of the performance of a gasoline powered V8 sports sedan."
Race to Make Electric Cars Stalled by Battery Problems - By Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2008.
Auto Channel Videos - Some highlights:
The Darling of 'Cleantech' - Joe White interviews Tesla Motors co-founder Martin Eberhard (October 12, 2007)
Fuel-Efficient Future - David Patton reports on new car models from the Frankfurt Auto Show, many of which are hybrids (September 12,2007)
Making Your Own Hybrid - Joe White tests a Toyota Prius modified by a lithium-ion battery pack. (August 3, 2007)
Walsh CarLines - Michael P. Walsh's newsletter on automobile emissions with access back issues from May 1999. Walsh is a 2005 MacArthur Fellow.
Who Killed the Electric Car? - Documentary by Chris Paine about General Motors' EV1. Appearances by S. David Freeman, Chelsea Sexton, Mil Gibson, Ed Begley Jr, Tom Hanks, Phyllis Diller and Alexandra Paul. Alternate title: EV Confidential. See reviews at Rotten Tomatoes and MRQE. "As Mr. Paine forcefully makes clear, the story of the electric car is greater than one zippy ride and the people who loved it. From the polar ice caps to Los Angeles, where many cars truly are to die for, it is a story as big as life, and just as urgent." (Manohla Dargis, New York Times, June 28, 2006.) See also Michael Wilmington's review in the Chicago Tribune.
Z Car - Designed by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the Z Car is a two-seater hydrogen-fuled hybrid commissioned by London art dealer Kenny Schachter.
Wrightspeed - Founded by Ian Wright, the company "builds extreme performance electric supercars."
Yahoo! - Automotive
Zapworld - ZAP is a Santa Rosa, California, firm that markets alternative-fuel cars. (It's name stands for Zero Auto Pollution.) It sells Smart cars.
Zenn Cars - "Zero emission, no noise."
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Automobile
Karl Benz's "Velo" model (1894) - entered into an early automobile race
Passenger cars in 2000
World map of passenger cars per 1000 people.
An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.[1] However, the term "automobile" is far from precise, because there are many types of vehicles that do similar tasks.
Automobile comes via the French language, from the Greek language by combining auto [self] with mobilis [moving]; meaning a vehicle that moves itself, rather than being pulled or pushed by a separate animal or another vehicle. The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum [wheeled vehicle], or the Middle English word carre [cart] (from Old North French), and karros; a Gallic wagon.[2][3]
As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car per eleven people).[4]
1 History 2 Production 3 Fuel and propulsion technologies 3.1 Petroleum fuels 3.1.1 Diesel 3.1.2 Gasoline 3.2 Biofuels 3.3 Electric 3.4 Steam 3.5 Air 3.6 Gas turbine 3.7 Rotary (Wankel) engines 3.8 Rocket and jet cars 4 Safety 5 Economics and impacts 5.1 Cost and benefits of usage 5.2 Cost and benefits to society 5.3 Impacts on society and environment
5.4 Improving the positive and reducing the negative impacts 6 Future car technologies 7 Alternatives to the automobile
History
Main article: History of the automobile
Although Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769 by adapting an existing horse-drawn vehicle, this claim is disputed by some, who doubt Cugnot's three-wheeler ever ran or was stable. Others claim Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China, built the first steam-powered vehicle around 1672 which was of small scale and designed as a toy for the Chinese Emperor that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger, but quite possibly, was the first working steam-powered vehicle ('auto-mobile').[5][6] What is not in doubt is that Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive in 1801, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle although it was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, and would have been of little practical use.
In Russia, in the 1780s, Ivan Kulibin developed a human-pedalled, three-wheeled carriage with modern features such as a flywheel, brake, gear box, and bearings; however, it was not developed further.[7]
François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed the first internal combustion engine, in 1806, which was fueled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and used it to develop the world's first vehicle, albeit rudimentary, to be powered by such an engine. The design was not very successful, as was the case with others such as Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir with his hippomobile, who each produced vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by clumsy internal combustion engines.[8]
In November 1881 French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile that was powered by electricity. This was at the International Exhibition of Electricity in Paris.[9]
Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile.[8]
An automobile powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine was built in Mannheim, Germany by Karl Benz in 1885 and granted a patent in January of the following year under the auspices of his major company, Benz & Cie., which was founded in 1883. It was an integral design, without the adaptation of other existing components and including several new technological elements to create a new concept. This is what made it worthy of a patent. He began to sell his production vehicles in 1888.
Karl Benz
A photograph of the original Benz Patent Motorwagon, first built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the conceptIn 1879 Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle.
His first Motorwagon was built in 1885 and he was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on January 29, 1886. Benz began promotion of the vehicle on July 3, 1886 and approximately 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a model intended for affordability. They also were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany.
In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion flat engine, called a boxermotor in German. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a joint-stock company.
Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company, DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890 and under the brand name, Daimler, sold their first automobile in 1892, which was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, that they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895 about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after falling out with their backers. Benz and the Maybach and Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each other's early work. They never worked together because by the time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG.
Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named Daimler-Mercedes, that was placed in a specially-ordered model built to specifications set by Emil Jellinek. This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902, a new model DMG automobile was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine which generated 35 hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers.
Karl Benz proposed co-operation between DMG and Benz & Cie. when economic conditions began to deteriorate in Germany following the First World War, but the directors of DMG refused to consider it initially. Negotiations between the two companies resumed several years later when these conditions worsened and, in 1924 they signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest, valid until the year 2000. Both enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, and sales and they advertised or marketed their automobile models jointly—although keeping their respective brands.
On June 28, 1926, Benz & Cie. and DMG finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz as a brand honoring the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the Maybach design later referred to as the 1902 Mercedes-35hp, along with the Benz name. Karl Benz remained a member of the board of directors of Daimler-Benz until his death in 1929 and at times, his two sons participated in the management of the company as well.
In 1890, Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines and so laid the foundation of the automobile industry in France.
The first design for an American automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine was drawn in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent for an automobile in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built and proved to work (a requirement for a patent). After a delay of sixteen years and a series of attachments to his application, on November 5, 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent (U.S. Patent 549,160 ) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hindered, more than encouraged, development of automobiles in the United States. His patent was challenged by Henry Ford and others, and overturned in 1911.
In Britain there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success with Thomas Rickett even attempting a production run in 1860.[10] Santler from Malvern is recognized by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made the first petrol-powered car in the country in 1894[11] followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895 but these were both one-offs.[11] The first production vehicles in Great Britain came from the Daimler Motor Company, a company founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896 after purchasing the right to use the name of the engines. Lawson's company made its first automobiles in 1897 and they bore the name Daimler.[11]
In 1892, German engineer Rudolf Diesel was granted a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897 he built the first Diesel Engine.[8] Steam-, electric-, and gasoline-powered vehicles competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s.
Although various pistonless rotary engine designs have attempted to compete with the conventional piston and crankshaft design, only Mazda's version of the Wankel engine has had more than very limited success.
Production
Ransom E. Olds.The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. This concept was greatly expanded by Henry Ford, beginning in 1914.
As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing production by seven to one (requiring 12.5 man-hours before, 1 hour 33 minutes after), while using less manpower.[12] It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford's apocryphal remark, "any color as long as it's black".[12] In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.[12]
Portrait of Henry Ford (ca. 1919)Ford's complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and high efficiency is called "Fordism," and was copied by most major industries. The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the economic rise of the United States. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were
using less productive methods.
In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide seeing the founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroen was the first native European manufacturer to adopt the production method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did not, had disappeared.[12]
Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes.
Ford Model T, 1927, regarded as the first affordable American automobileSince the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans often have heavily influenced automobile design. It was Alfred P. Sloan who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, so buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved.
Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1930s, LaSalles, sold by Cadillac, used cheaper mechanical parts made by Oldsmobile; in the 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac; by the 1990s, corporate drivetrains and shared platforms (with interchangeable brakes, suspension, and other parts) were common. Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, and even companies with decades of production, such as Apperson, Cole, Dorris, Haynes, or Premier, could not manage: of some two hundred American car makers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, and with the Great Depression, by 1940, only 17 of those were left.[12]
In Europe much the same would happen. Morris set up its production line at Cowley in 1924, and soon outsold Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford's practise of vertical integration, buying Hotchkiss (engines), Wrigley (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as well as competitors, such as Wolseley: in 1925, Morris had 41% of total British car production. Most British small-car assemblers, from Abbey to Xtra had gone under. Citroen did the same in France, coming to cars in 1919; between them and other cheap cars in reply such as Renault's 10CV and Peugeot's 5CV, they produced 550,000 cars in 1925, and Mors, Hurtu, and others could not compete.[12] Germany's first mass-manufactured car, the Opel 4PS Laubfrosch (Tree Frog), came off the line at Russelsheim in 1924, soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with 37.5% of the market.[12]
See also: Automotive industry
Fuel and propulsion technologies
Auto rickshaws in New Delhi run on Compressed Natural GasSee also: Alternative fuel vehicle Most automobiles in use today are propelled by gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal combustion engines, which are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate change and global warming.[13] Increasing costs of oil-based fuels, tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies include the development of hybrid vehicles, and electric and hydrogen vehicles which do not
release pollution into the air.
Petroleum fuels
Main article: Petroleum fuel engine
Diesel
Main article: Diesel engine
Diesel-engined cars have long been popular in Europe with the first models being introduced in the 1930s by Mercedes Benz and Citroen. The main benefit of diesel engines is a 50% fuel burn efficiency compared with 27%[14] in the best gasoline engines. A down-side of the Diesel engine is that better filters are required to reduce the presence in the exhaust gases of fine soot particulates called diesel particulate matter. Manufacturers are now starting to fit[when?] diesel particulate filters filters to remove the soot. Many diesel-powered cars can run with little or no modifications on 100% biodiesel and combinations of other organic oils.
Gasoline
Main article: Petrol engine
2007 Mark II (BMW) Mini CooperGasoline engines have the advantage over diesel in being lighter and able to work at higher rotational speeds and they are the usual choice for fitting in high-performance sports cars. Continuous development of gasoline engines for over a hundred years has produced improvements in efficiency and reduced pollution. The carburetor was used on nearly all road car engines until the 1980s but it was long realised better control of the fuel/air mixture could be achieved with fuel injection. Indirect fuel injection was first used in aircraft
engines from 1909, in racing car engines from the 1930s, and road cars from the late 1950s.[14] Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is now starting to appear in production vehicles such as the 2007 (Mark II) BMW Mini. Exhaust gases are also cleaned up by fitting a catalytic converter into the exhaust system. Clean air legislation in many of the car industries most important markets has made both catalysts and fuel injection virtually universal fittings. Most modern gasoline engines also are capable of running with up to 15% ethanol mixed into the gasoline - older vehicles
may have seals and hoses that can be harmed by ethanol. With a small amount of redesign, gasoline-powered vehicles can run on ethanol concentrations as high as 85%. 100% ethanol is used in some parts of the world (such as Brazil), but vehicles must be started on pure gasoline and switched over to ethanol once the engine is running. Most gasoline engined cars can also run on LPG with the addition of an LPG tank for fuel storage and carburettor modifications to add an LPG mixer. LPG produces fewer toxic emissions and is a popular fuel for fork-lift trucks that
have to operate inside buildings.
The hydrogen powered FCHV (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle) was developed by Toyota in 2005
Biofuels Main articles: Biofuel, Ethanol fuel, and biogasoline Ethanol, other alcohol fuels (biobutanol) and biogasoline have widespread use an automotive fuel. Most alcohols have less energy per liter than gasoline and are usually blended with gasoline.
Alcohols are used for a variety of reasons - to increase octane, to improve emissions, and as an alternative to petroleum based fuel, since they can be made from agricultural crops. Brazil's ethanol program provides about 20% of the nation's automotive fuel needs, as a result of the mandatory use of E25 blend of gasoline throughout the country, 3 million cars that operate on pure ethanol, and 6 million dual or flexible-fuel vehicles sold since 2003.[15] that run on any mix of ethanol and gasoline. The commercial success of "flex" vehicles, as they are popularly known, have allowed sugarcane based ethanol fuel to achieve a 50% market share of the gasoline market by April 2008.[16][17][18]
Electric
Main articles: Battery electric vehicle, Hybrid vehicle, and Plug-in hybrid
The Henney Kilowatt, the first modern (transistor-controlled) electric car.
2007 Tesla electric powered Roadster
Tata/MDI OneCAT Air Car
A CNG powered high-floor Neoplan AN440A, run on Compressed Natural GasThe first electric cars were built around 1832, well before internal combustion powered cars appeared.[19] For a period of time electrics were considered superior due to the silent nature of electric motors compared to the very loud noise of the gasoline engine. This advantage was removed with Hiram Percy Maxim's invention of the muffler in 1897. Thereafter internal combustion powered cars had two critical advantages: 1) long range and 2) high specific energy (far lower weight of petrol fuel versus weight of batteries). The building of battery electric vehicles that could rival internal combustion models had to wait for the introduction of modern semiconductor controls and improved batteries. Because they can deliver a high torque at low revolutions electric cars do not require such a complex drive train and transmission as internal combustion powered cars.
Some post-2000 electric car designs such as the Venturi Fétish are able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.0 seconds with a top speed around 130 mph (210 km/h). Others have a range of 250 miles (400 km) on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highway cycle requiring 3-1/2 hours to completely charge.[20] Equivalent fuel efficiency to internal combustion is not well defined but some press reports give it at around 135 miles per US gallon (57 km/l/162 mpg-imp).
Steam
Main article: steam car
Steam power, usually using an oil- or gas-heated boiler, was also in use until the 1930s but had the major disadvantage of being unable to power the car until boiler pressure was available (although the newer models could achieve this in well under a minute). It has the advantage of being able to produce very low emissions as the combustion process can be carefully controlled.
Its disadvantages include poor heat efficiency and extensive requirements for electric auxiliaries.[21]
Air
Main article: Compressed-air car
A compressed air car is an alternative fuel car that uses a motor powered by compressed air. The car can be powered solely by air, or by air combined (as in a hybrid electric vehicle) with gasoline/diesel/ethanol or electric plant and regenerative braking. Instead of mixing fuel with air and burning it to drive pistons with hot expanding gases; compressed air cars use the expansion of compressed air to drive their pistons. Several prototypes are available already and scheduled for worldwide sale by the end of 2008. Companies releasing this type of car include Tata Motors and Motor Development International (MDI).
Gas turbine
In the 1950s there was a brief interest in using gas turbine engines and several makers including Rover and Chrysler produced prototypes. In spite of the power units being very compact, high fuel consumption, severe delay in throttle response, and lack of engine braking meant no cars reached production.
Rotary (Wankel) engines
Rotary Wankel engines were introduced into road cars by NSU with the Ro 80 and later were seen in the Citroën GS Birotor and several Mazda models. In spite of their impressive smoothness, poor reliability and fuel economy led to them largely disappearing. Mazda, beginning with the R100 then RX-2, has continued research on these engines, overcoming most of the earlier problems with the RX-7 and RX-8.
Rocket and jet cars
A rocket car holds the record in drag racing. However, the fastest of those cars are used to set the Land Speed Record, and are propelled by propulsive jets emitted from rocket, turbojet, or more recently and most successfully turbofan engines. The ThrustSSC car using two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans with reheat was able to exceed the speed of sound at ground level in 1997.
Safety
Main articles: Car safety and Automobile accident
Result of a serious automobile accident.There are three main statistics to which automobile safety can be compared:[22]
Deaths per
billion journeys
Bus: 4.3
Rail: 20
Van: 20
Car: 40
Foot: 40
Water: 90
Air: 117
Bicycle: 170
Motorcycle: 1640
Deaths per
billion hours
Bus: 11.1
Rail: 30
Air: 30.8
Water: 50
Van: 60
Car: 130
Foot: 220
Bicycle: 550
Motorcycle: 4840
Deaths per
billion kilometres
Air: 0.05
Bus: 0.4
Rail: 0.6
Van: 1.2
Water: 2.6
Car: 3.1
Bicycle: 44.6
Foot: 54.2
Motorcycle: 108.9
While road traffic injuries represent the leading cause in worldwide injury-related deaths,[23] their popularity undermines this statistic.
Mary Ward became one of the first documented automobile fatalities in 1869 in Parsonstown, Ireland[24] and Henry Bliss one of the United States' first pedestrian automobile casualties in 1899 in New York.[25] There are now standard tests for safety in new automobiles, like the EuroNCAP and the US NCAP tests,[26] as well as insurance-backed IIHS tests.[27]
Economics and impacts
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Please see the discussion on the talk page. (December 2007)
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.
Further information: Automotive industry
Cost and benefits of usage
Main article: Economics of automobile usage
The costs of automobile usage, which may include the cost of: acquiring the vehicle, repairs, maintenance, fuel, depreciation, parking fees, tire replacement, taxes and insurance,[28] are weighed against the cost of the alternatives, and the value of the benefits - perceived and real - of vehicle usage. The benefits may include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence and convenience.[6]
Cost and benefits to society
Main article: Effects of the automobile on societies
Similarly the costs to society of encompassing automobile use, which may include those of: maintaining roads, land use, pollution, public health, health care, and of disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life, can be balanced against the value of the benefits to society that automobile use generates. The societal benefits may include: economy benefits, such as job and wealth creation, of automobile production and maintenance, transportation provision, society wellbeing derived from leisure and travel opportunities, and revenue generation from the tax opportunities. The ability for humans to move flexibly from place to place has far reaching implications for the nature of societies. [29]
Impacts on society and environment
The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.
Further information: Global warming
Transportation is a major contributor to air pollution in most industrialised nations. According to the American Surface Transportation Policy Project nearly half of all Americans are breathing unhealthy air. Their study showed air quality in dozens of metropolitan areas has got worse over the last decade.[30] In the United States the average passenger car emits 11,450 lbs (5 tonnes) of carbon dioxide, along with smaller amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen.[31] Residents of low-density, residential-only sprawling communities are also more likely to die in car collisions, which kill 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number.[23] Sprawl is more broadly a factor in inactivity and obesity, which in turn can lead to increased risk of a variety of diseases.[32]
Improving the positive and reducing the negative impacts
Fuel taxes may act as an incentive for the production of more efficient, hence less polluting, car designs (e.g. hybrid vehicles) and the development of alternative fuels. High fuel taxes may provide a strong incentive for consumers to purchase lighter, smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, or to not drive. On average, today's automobiles are about 75 percent recyclable, and using recycled steel helps reduce energy use and pollution.[33] In the United States Congress, federally mandated fuel efficiency standards have been debated regularly, passenger car standards have not risen above the 27.5 miles per US gallon (11.7 km/l/33.0 mpg-imp) standard set in 1985. Light truck standards have changed more frequently, and were set at 22.2 miles per US gallon (9.4 km/l/26.7 mpg-imp) in 2007.[34] Alternative fuel vehicles are another option that is less polluting than conventional petroleum powered vehicles.
Future car technologies
Main article: Future car technologies
Automobile propulsion technology under development include gasoline/electric and plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, biofuels, and various alternative fuels.
Research into future alternative forms of power include the development of fuel cells, Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), stirling engines[35], and even using the stored energy of compressed air or liquid nitrogen.
New materials which may replace steel car bodies include duraluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotubes.
Telematics technology is allowing more and more people to share cars, on a pay-as-you-go basis, through such schemes as City Car Club in the UK, Mobility in mainland Europe, and Zipcar in the US.
Alternatives to the automobile
Main article: Alternatives to the automobile
Established alternatives for some aspects of automobile use include public transit (buses, trolleybuses, trains, subways, monorails, tramways), cycling, walking, rollerblading, skateboarding, horseback riding and using a velomobile. Car-share arrangements and carpooling are also increasingly popular–the U.S. market leader in car-sharing has experienced double-digit growth in revenue and membership growth between 2006 and 2007, offering a service that enables urban residents to "share" a vehicle rather than own a car in already congested neighborhoods.[36]
Bike-share systems have been tried in some European cities, including Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Similar programs have been experimented with in a number of U.S. Cities.[37] Additional individual modes of transport, such as personal rapid transit could serve as an alternative to automobiles if they prove to be socially accepted.[38]
See also
[show]v • d • eAutomobile configurations
Part of the Automobile series
Car body style
and classification 2 plus 2 · Antique car · Cabrio coach · Cabriolet · City car · Classic car · Compact car · Compact executive car · Compact MPV · Compact SUV · Convertible · Coupé · }
Coupe utility · Crossover SUV · Custom car · Drophead coupe · Executive car · Fastback · Full-size car · Grand tourer · Hardtop · Hatchback · Hot hatch · Hot rod · Large family car · Leisure
activity vehicle · Liftback · Limousine · Luxury car · Microcar · Mid-size car · Mini MPV · Mini SUV · Minivan · Multi-purpose vehicle · Muscle car · Notchback · Panel van · Personal luxury car ·
Pickup truck · Retractable hardtop · Roadster · Sedan · Saloon · Small family car · Sport compact · Sports car · Sport utility vehicle · Spyder · Station wagon · Estate car · Supercar · Supermini
· Targa top · Taxicab · Touring car · Town car · T-top · Tow truck · Ute · Van · Voiturette
Specialised vehicles Amphibious vehicle · Driverless car · Gyrocar · Flying car
Propulsion
technologies Internal combustion engine · Electric vehicle · Neighborhood electric vehicle · Hybrid vehicle · Battery electric vehicle · Hydrogen vehicle · Fuel cell · Plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle · Steam car · Alternative fuel cars · Biodiesel · Gasohol · Ethanol · LPG (Propane) · Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition · Liquid Nitrogen · Gasoline Direct Injection
Driven wheels Two-wheel drive · Four-wheel drive · Front-wheel drive · Rear-wheel drive · All-wheel drive
Engine positioning Front engine · Rear engine · Mid engine
Layout Front-engine, front-wheel drive layout · Front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout · Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout · Mid-engine, front-wheel drive layout · Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout
Engine configuration
(internal combustion
types only) Flat engine · Flathead engine · Four-stroke cycle · H engine · Inline engine · Pushrod engine · Reciprocating engine · Single cylinder engine · Straight engine · Straight-6 · Two-stroke cycle · V engine · W engine · Wankel engine
Engine fuel type Diesel engine · Electric car · Gasoline engine · Hybrid vehicle · Hydrogen vehicle · Steam car
Portal · Category
[show]v • d • eAutomotive design
Part of the Automobile series
Body Framework Automobile platform • Body-on-frame • Bumper • Cabrio coach • Chassis • Continental tire • Crumple zone • Dagmar bumpers • Decklid • Fender • Fender skirts • Grille • Hood •
Hood scoop • Monocoque construction • Overhang • Pillar • Pontoon fenders • Quarter panel • Shaker scoop • Spoiler • Subframe • Tonneau
Compartments Trunk/Boot • Hood/Bonnet
Doors Butterfly doors • Gull-wing door • Scissor doors • Suicide door • Sliding doors • Canopy door
Glass Greenhouse • Sunroof • Power window • Quarter glass • Windshield/Windscreen • Windshield/Windscreen wiper
Other Curb feeler • Bumper sticker • Hood ornament • Japan Black paint • Monsoonshield • Nerf bar • Tire/Tyre • Tow hitch • Truck accessory
Exterior
Equipment Lighting Daytime running lamp • Headlamp • Hidden headlamps • High-intensity discharge lamp • Retroreflector • Sealed beam • Trafficators
Legal and other Vehicle Identification Number • Vehicle registration plate • Vanity plate • Parktronic • Motor vehicle theft • Windshield/Windscreen washer fluid • Wing mirror
Interior
equipment Instruments Backup camera • Boost gauge • Buzzer • Carputer • Electronic instrument cluster • Fuel gauge • Global Positioning System and Automotive navigation system • Head-up
display • Idiot light • Malfunction Indicator Lamp • Night vision • Odometer • Radar detector • LIDAR detector • Speedometer • Tachometer • Trip computer
Controls Bowden cable • Cruise control (speed control) • Electronic throttle control • Gear stick • Hand brake • Manettino dial • Steering wheel • Throttle
Theft deterrence Key • Car alarm • Immobiliser • Klaxon • Automatic vehicle location • VIN etching
Safety & seating Airbag • Armrest • Automatic seat belt • Bench seat • Bucket seat • Child safety lock • Rumble seat • Seat belt
Other Air conditioning • Ancillary power • Car audio • Car phone • Center console • Dashboard • Flat tire • Glove compartment • Motorola connector • Power steering • Rear-view mirror • Sun visor
Portal • Category
[show]v • d • eCar engine
Part of the Automobile series
Air/Fuel Air filter · Air fuel ratio meter · Automatic Performance Control · Blowoff valve · Boost · Boost controller · Butterfly valve · Carburetor · Charge cooler · Centrifugal type supercharger ·
Cold air intake · Engine management system · Engine Control Unit · Forced induction · Front mounted intercooler · Fuel filter · Fuel injection · Fuel pump · Fuel tank · Gasoline direct injection
· Indirect injection · Intake · Intercooler · Manifold · Manifold vacuum · Mass flow sensor · Naturally-aspirated engine · Piston · Ram-air intake · Scroll-type supercharger · Short ram air intake ·
Supercharger · Throttle body · Top mounted intercooler · Turbocharger · Turbocharged Direct Injection · Twin-turbo · Variable Length Intake Manifold · Variable geometry turbocharger · Warm
air intake
Exhaust Catalytic converter · Emissions control devices · Exhaust pipe · Exhaust system · Glasspack · Muffler · Oxygen sensor
Cooling Aircooling · Antifreeze · Ethylene glycol · Radiator · Thermostat
Ignition system Starter · Car battery · Contact breaker · Distributor · Electrical ballast · Ignition coil · Lead-acid battery · Magneto · Spark-ignition · Spark plug
Other Balance shaft · Block heater · Crank. Cam · Camshaft · Connecting rod · Combustion chamber · Crank pin · Crankshaft · Crossflow cylinder head · Crossplane · Desmodromic valve · Engine
knocking · Compression ratio · Crank sensor · Cylinder · Cylinder bank · Cylinder block · Cylinder head · Cylinder head porting · Dump valve · Engine balance · Oil filter · Firing order · Freeze
plug · Gasket · Head gasket · Hypereutectic piston · Hydrolock · Lean burn · Main bearing · Motor oil · Multi-valve · Oil sludge · Overhead camshaft · Overhead valve · PCV valve · Piston · Piston
ring · Pneumatic valve gear · Poppet valve · Power band · Redline · Reverse-flow cylinder head · Rocker arm · Seal · Sleeve valve · Starter ring gear · Synthetic oil · Tappet · Timing belt ·
Timing mark · Top dead centre · Underdrive pulleys · Valve float · Variable valve timing
Portal · Category
[show]v • d • ePowertrain
Part of the Automobile series
Hybrid powertrains Hybrid vehicle drivetrain
Wheels and Tires All-terrain tire · Bias-ply tire · Contact patch · Custom wheel · Drive wheel · Hubcap · Magnesium alloy wheel · Mud-terrain tyre · Paddle tires · Radial tire · Rostyle wheel · Run flat tire · Schrader valve · Slick tire · Spinner · Tire code · Tire pressure monitoring system · Tread · Treadwear rating · Whitewall tire · Wire wheels
Transmission Automatic transmission · Clutch · Continuously variable transmission · Differential · Direct-Shift Gearbox · Driveshaft · Electrorheological clutch · Epicyclic gearing · Fluid coupling
· Fully-automatic transmission · Gear stick · Gearbox · Hydramatic · Limited slip differential · Locking differential · Manual transmission · Multitronic · Roto Hydramatic · Saxomat · Semi-automatic transmission · Super Turbine 300 · Tiptronic · Torque converter · Transaxle · Transmission (mechanics) · Transmission Control Unit · Turbo-Hydramatic · Universal joint
Steering Ackermann steering geometry · Camber angle · Car handling · Caster angle · Oversteer · Power steering · Rack and pinion · Toe angle · Torque steering · Understeer · Wheel alignment
Suspension Axle · Beam axle · Coil spring · De Dion tube · Double wishbone · Electronic Stability Control · Hydragas · Hydrolastic · Hydropneumatic suspension · Independent suspension ·
Kingpin · Leaf spring · Live axle · MacPherson strut · Multi-link suspension · Panhard rod · Semi-trailing arm suspension · Shock absorber · Sway bar · Swing axle · Torsion beam suspension ·
Trailing arm · Unsprung weight · Watt's linkage · Wishbone suspension
Brakes Anti-lock braking system · Disc brake · Drum brake · Electronic Stability Control · Hand brake · Hydraulic brake · Inboard brake · Brake lining · Brake fade · Brake fluid · Hydraulic fluid ·
Brake bleeding · Engine braking · Electronic brakeforce distribution · Regenerative brake
Portal · Category
Air pollution Bus Car classification Car donation Driving List of countries by automobile production List of countries by vehicles per capita Lists of automobiles
Steering Society of Automotive Engineers Sustainable transport Truck U.S. Automobile Production Figures - production figures for each make from 1899 to 2000
V2G V2V Source: Wikipedia