Although there are local elections and issues on the ballot here in Ohio, the biggest attention is the selection of a Republican and Democrat candidate that will run for President in November. In the “delegate rich states” of Texas and Ohio, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama have gone head to head in aggressive campaigning to be the Dem’s nominee. Senator John McCain has all but clinched the nomination for the Republicans although Mike Huckabee has yet to decide on giving up … “until the fat lady sings.” (I think I hear her) Whichever your party, today would be a good day to exercise your right to vote.
I’m slow in mentioning Volkswagen’s Geneva Auto Show announcement of a Diesel/Hybrid hatchback. I’ve been waiting for a more definitive news from Volkswagen and how North America fits in to their plan. Nevertheless, enough time has passed that I should a least say something … and I’ll say what most TDI owners are thinking, “what has taken a company so long to market a diesel hybrid?”
The new VW diesel hybrid is a familiar looking car — in fact it is the ‘über’ successful Golf model. This new vehicle will use the 1.4 liter 74 HP three-cylinder TDI engine found in the Polo BlueMotion, according to the German automotive news publication Auto Bild. For the hybrid electric side it will mate with a 27 HP electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery in the rear. The computer management circuitry will also employ regenerative braking and start/stop engine capability seen in other hybrid vehicles. Unique to Volkswagen though, is how this diesel/electric power is delivered to the wheels. VW will used their 7 – speed DSG gearbox rather than a CVT transmission in many hybrids. An impressive “energy monitor” will be on the instrument panel and will display exactly how the power is being produced and used. According to the press information, this VW TDI Hybrid will return nearly 70 MPG (69.9MPG), and it CO2 emission a small 90 g/km.
There is no news about ‘if’ or ‘when’ it will show up in the U.S., but according to a European report it will head to the UK late in 2009.
Leasing a car is a popular option when shopping for a new car and it makes sense in some situations. In fact as prices of new cars rise, so do the number of people opting for leasing since the initial monthly outlay is generally lower. According to Motorweek, over 17 million Americans are now in automobile leases. The long running PBS automotive television program offered some advice to those considering leasing and clearly points out the pluses and minuses. Besides the mileage overage charge, which got me in trouble back in the 1990s, Yolanda Vazquez points out that other overlooked costs are the acquisition fee, disposition fee and the “dreaded” early termination penalty.
An interesting option for those wanting out of a lease is LeaseTrader.com, a site that matches up those wanting to save money by opting for a secondhand lease and those needing out of a lease. If you are looking for low cost option, this might be a great place to get a deal from someone willing to “pay you” to acquire their lease? Check out the video clip below.
The Geneva Auto Show will have another new clean diesel vehicle which would probably appeal to families here in the U.S. — the Volkswagen Sharan BlueMotion. Unfortunately it is headed to the UK later this year with no indication that it is coming to North America. The turbo diesel powered Sharan offers an impressively low CO2 emission number (159g/km) and excellent fuel economy of 45.6 mpg UK — translates to about 38 mpg US.
The Sharan follows standard BlueMotion practice in that its 138bhp two-litre TDI turbo diesel engine has been modified for better fuel economy, while the gearbox has higher than standard ratios fitted. The ride height has been lowered by 25mm and the front cooling ducts have been repositioned, both in the interests of reducing aerodynamic drag.
I read a Washington Post story regarding border security measures which allows for searching hard-drives of someone’s computer entering the United States. Its a sensible approach to border security, but what will they find if someone wants to protect their data? Is there a way to still secure information? John Sawyer from the University of Florida IT security team wrote:
One method that I’d be willing to try is encryption, using the free, open-source tool, TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt creates an encrypted volume for storing sensitive information. The newest version — released last week — added support for Mac OS X (it already supports Windows and Linux). Applications like Firefox could even be run from the encrypted volume so that all browsing history and cached files would be encrypted. A key feature of TrueCrypt — in contrast to full disk encryption, which is visible when the computer boots — is that the TrueCrypt volume can’t easily be detected. It just looks like random data.
Since I already use Truecrypt on my VistaOS notebook, I attempted to create the hidden volume inside the fully encrypted volume mentioned by Sawyer. It worked like a charm and was a cinch. (HMM … cinch … that will be a post for tomorrow)
Here’s how it might work if someone was to have their sensitive data stored on their hard-drive with this ‘hidden volume encryption’ method. When a border agent (or thief) opens your computer they will request your login and expect that you would allow access. (easy enough to access the data on your hard-drive even without the login so that’s not really security) The agent would then detect the encrypted data volume and see the truecrypt files (.ts) and software — and again a request would be made to access this encrypted data. You would offer the password and access to this encrypted volume and it would mount revealing your data, BUT not the hidden encrypted volume inside which holds the information you want to protect. The beauty is that outside of a polygraph, there is no way to determine if you used this hidden volume inside the Truecrypt encrypted volume.
I also installed the newly released Macintosh Truecrypt software, but I noticed it doesn’t offer a hidden encrypted volume option … yet. (only the single encrypted volume)
For those of you with a taste for performance AND a sport utility vehicle that could use some biodiesel, checkout the diesel version of the Porsche Cayenne expected in 2009. Industry analyst Peter Schmidt indicated the the primary motivation for the diesel Porsche Cayenne is the cost of fuel and improving emissions in diesel technology. The engine fitted into the Cayenne will be an Audi built 3.2 liter twin turbo V6 and Automotive News Europe states that this 300 HP SUV will return about 30 mpg. (no indication whether this vehicle will make it to North America in 2009) See MotorAuthority article.
In a press conference on Thursday, President Bush referenced his administration’s heavy investing in renewable fuels and the problem this expansion creates as it competes for food crops (particularly corn based ethanol). The President stressed that we also “need more oil and gas exploration and for less money to be spent on foreign oil.” These remarks came as some areas of the United States have seen pump prices hit $4.00 per gallon. Its possible with summer around the corner that prices could go even higher, and this could make an already sluggish economy more vulnerable to recession. We can only hope that the Federal Reserves interest rate moves and the tax rebates headed in our direction this May will make a difference. My concern is that this extra cash will be spent on foreign oil or credit card debt and that this will leave very little tax rebate left to stimulate the American economy. (segment of the press conference below)
Wired highlighted the new Audi TT 2.0 TDI, but can’t confirm if it will be available North America. Notice the comment “Roadster” below … might we see a TDI convertible? (LINK to full article)
Behold the TT 2.0 TDI. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (pictured above), matched to a six-speed manual transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive, is good for 167 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque — enough to prod the coupe to 60 mph in about 7.4 seconds (7.6 for the slightly heavier Roadster) and on to a top speed of 140 mph (138 mph for the Roadster). Perhaps more noteworthy than its performance, however, is the diesel TT’s meager appetite: Audi is claiming 44.4 mpg for the coupe (42.8 mpg for the Roadster).
As previously posted, the the hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity is a ‘realistic looking’ automobile, aside from it need for hydrogen. (infrastructure problem) It will be on the roads as a ‘lease only’ vehicle in southern California for about $600/month. (limited availability) This includes regular maintenance and insurance so the number might not be as high as it appears. Nevertheless, it is good to see companies moving ahead with different competing alternatives to petroleum. I wouldn’t mind having a natural gas to hydrogen generator in my garage IF it were economically feasible. The Honda Clarity design might be just about right as a family commuter car and daily driver and it would be nice not to be pumping petroleum or emitting pollutants.
Here’s a video clip from Motorweek which aired last weekend.
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Mike Huckabee were or are speaking Monday and Tuesday in and around Cincinnati Ohio. I could barely contain myself watching the local news interviewing those showing up to listenfawn all over Barack Obama in Cincinnati on Monday. One lady said the “tears just flowed” as Obama walked onto the stage. She said she couldn’t ‘t control her tears as the crying contagion spread from one woman to the next. (good grief)
North of Cincinnati might be interesting on Tuesday, as both Sen. John McCain and Gov. Mike Huckabee will be speaking. Huckabee will be at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason (by Kings Island) at 4:30PM and Senator McCain will be at BAE/Armor Holdings Company in West Chester at 2.45PM.
Since I mentioned Gov. Huckabee, this will probably be a great place to include last weekends Saturday Night Live clip … he is hilarious.
Although there are local elections and issues on the ballot here in Ohio, the biggest attention is the selection of a Republican and Democrat candidate that will run for President in November. In the “delegate rich states” of Texas and Ohio, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama have gone head to head in aggressive campaigning to be the Dem’s nominee. Senator John McCain has all but clinched the nomination for the Republicans although Mike Huckabee has yet to decide on giving up … “until the fat lady sings.” (I think I hear her) Whichever your party, today would be a good day to exercise your right to vote.
An interesting option for those wanting out of a lease is 
The Geneva Auto Show will have another new clean diesel vehicle which would probably appeal to families here in the U.S. — the 
For those of you with a taste for performance AND a sport utility vehicle that could use some biodiesel, checkout the diesel version of the Porsche Cayenne expected in 2009. Industry analyst Peter Schmidt indicated the the primary motivation for the diesel Porsche Cayenne is the cost of fuel and improving emissions in diesel technology. The engine fitted into the Cayenne will be an Audi built 3.2 liter twin turbo V6 and Automotive News Europe states that this 300 HP SUV will return about 30 mpg. (no indication whether this vehicle will make it to North America in 2009) See 
In a press conference on Thursday, President Bush referenced his administration’s heavy investing in renewable fuels and the problem this expansion creates as it competes for food crops (particularly corn based ethanol). The President stressed that we also “need more oil and gas exploration and for less money to be spent on foreign oil.” These remarks came as some areas of the United States have seen pump prices hit $4.00 per gallon. Its possible with summer around the corner that prices could go even higher, and this could make an already sluggish economy more vulnerable to recession. We can only hope that the Federal Reserves interest rate moves and the tax rebates headed in our direction this May will make a difference. My concern is that this extra cash will be spent on foreign oil or credit card debt and that this will leave very little tax rebate left to stimulate the American economy. (segment of the press conference below)
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Mike Huckabee were or are speaking Monday and Tuesday in and around Cincinnati Ohio. I could barely contain myself watching the local news interviewing those showing up to 