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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Driving on a cloud
"like driving on a cloud"--that's what one relative told me about the test drive I gave him over the holidays. "I feel like I've been to the future," said another.
As I've stated throughout this blog, the main reason I think we need to convert to electric vehicles is to stop CO2/global warming. The second most important reason for me is to stop wars for oil. Third is all the devastation caused by oil spills, pipelines, trailing ponds, air and water pollution, and all environmental impacts.
But most people don't buy cars based on these factors. That's why it has been such a pleasant surprise to find out how smooth and comfortable the Volt is to drive. And it accelerates like no car I've ever driven (including my dad's old Cadillac and my mother-in-law's Mercedes). Of course, I expected the Volt to be quiet, but it is still a great feeling to take off with no sound from the engine.
Like most people I also feel that price is a key factor in buying a car. I never bought a new car before the Volt, simply because used cars are so much cheaper. But lots of people do buy new cars, and, as I've tried to argue, the Volt can actually save money if you can finance it over 15 years at today's low interest rates. See FAQs below.
As you can see, I think the Volt is a great car! As we Volt owners know--once you go electric, there's no going back.
How much does it cost to run? The car goes about 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour (kwh). PG&E has a special nighttime rate for charging electric cars overnight--about 6 cents per kwh (including minimum monthly fees). Dividing 6 cents per kwh by 3.5 miles per kwh means that the Volt costs less than 2 cents per mile! After running on batteries for the first 35 miles, the gas generator/engine takes over and the car then gets about 37 miles per gallon. It takes about 10 hours for a full charge using standard 110 volt house current.
How does that cost compare to most cars?
Average mileage in the U.S. is about 20 miles per gallon. At $4.00 per gallon, that comes to 20 cents per mile. So, the Volt saves about 18 cents per mile. If you drive 1,000 miles per month on the electric motor, that is a savings of $2,160 per year.
What about the cost of the car? The retail price of the Volt is $41,000. There is a $7,500 tax credit so the net price is $33,500. Assuming that a comparable gasoline engine car would cost about $15,000 less than that, the annual savings of $2,160 is like investing $15,000 and getting paid back with 12% interest over 15 years, not even counting resale value—not bad! And the price of gas keeps going up, so the rate of return will keep getting better.
As I've stated throughout this blog, the main reason I think we need to convert to electric vehicles is to stop CO2/global warming. The second most important reason for me is to stop wars for oil. Third is all the devastation caused by oil spills, pipelines, trailing ponds, air and water pollution, and all environmental impacts.
But most people don't buy cars based on these factors. That's why it has been such a pleasant surprise to find out how smooth and comfortable the Volt is to drive. And it accelerates like no car I've ever driven (including my dad's old Cadillac and my mother-in-law's Mercedes). Of course, I expected the Volt to be quiet, but it is still a great feeling to take off with no sound from the engine.
Like most people I also feel that price is a key factor in buying a car. I never bought a new car before the Volt, simply because used cars are so much cheaper. But lots of people do buy new cars, and, as I've tried to argue, the Volt can actually save money if you can finance it over 15 years at today's low interest rates. See FAQs below.
As you can see, I think the Volt is a great car! As we Volt owners know--once you go electric, there's no going back.
How much does it cost to run? The car goes about 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour (kwh). PG&E has a special nighttime rate for charging electric cars overnight--about 6 cents per kwh (including minimum monthly fees). Dividing 6 cents per kwh by 3.5 miles per kwh means that the Volt costs less than 2 cents per mile! After running on batteries for the first 35 miles, the gas generator/engine takes over and the car then gets about 37 miles per gallon. It takes about 10 hours for a full charge using standard 110 volt house current.
How does that cost compare to most cars?
Average mileage in the U.S. is about 20 miles per gallon. At $4.00 per gallon, that comes to 20 cents per mile. So, the Volt saves about 18 cents per mile. If you drive 1,000 miles per month on the electric motor, that is a savings of $2,160 per year.
What about the cost of the car? The retail price of the Volt is $41,000. There is a $7,500 tax credit so the net price is $33,500. Assuming that a comparable gasoline engine car would cost about $15,000 less than that, the annual savings of $2,160 is like investing $15,000 and getting paid back with 12% interest over 15 years, not even counting resale value—not bad! And the price of gas keeps going up, so the rate of return will keep getting better.
It's back!
IT WAS my last enjoyable moment of motoring in 2011, but what a moment it was.
Regular readers will already know that last month I decided that what I needed in my life was a MK1 Mazda MX-5, the one with the funny pop-up headlights and the grinning owners. With a little pub-based help from eBay and a search through the classified ads in The Champion, I came up with a charming G-reg example in Mariner Blue, which despite having just over 100,000 miles on the clock came in surprisingly clean nick and felt tighter than a drum to drive.
Which I've gone on to tell you absolutely nothing about... until now.
The truth is that it's been off the road for the last few weeks because - and I'm not proud to admit it - the car's Camac tyres let me down in spectacular fashion. Since then it's had a few optional extras installed, to follow on from my earlier efforts to fit a slightly more tasteful steering wheel.
The little blue sports car now has the spec to match the looks, with bigger brakes, a stronger rear axle, and new diff and propshaft. Oh, and some much meatier tyres, which still haven't arrived yet, making the drive from Rainford to Southport on the original budget rubber a not-at-all nerve-racking experience!
But then the rain stopped and - seeing as I never decline a chance to get a ragtop's roof down - I got reacquainted with why the MX-5 is still the best selling sports car the world has ever seen. Yes, the car hadn't been run for ages and the idle control was a bit iffy, and that somehow water had made it into the driver's footwell in its enforced holiday and made the interior smell like a damp dog. Worst of all, it was still on the heart-stopping (but sadly not car-stopping) budget tyres, meaning every roundabout was a choice between dawdling, wheelspinning or heading backwards into the nearest hedge.
In truth, it was rubbish because the car badly needs some decent rubber and a bit of TLC, but it was still an MX-5 with the roof down, which is one of motoring's great experiences.
Even I'll admit the little Mazda hasn't been the luckiest car I've ever owned, but maybe it's just that 2011 hasn't been its year. 2012 - and a summer of winding down leafy country lanes on tyres that are actually up to the job - is just around the corner.
My eternal gratitude goes to Ian, Anthony and Gareth Jackson of Parkhill Garage, based in Rainford, for having the patience to put up with my MX-5. I'm not terribly good at plugging things but if you live anywhere near Rainford, give them a ring on 01744 882749 if you need a repair.
Yeah I suck... BUT!
Been buried with work and holidays. Even the other blog has been suffering. In the mean time go check out the Team Heron Suzuki Flickr page. AMAZING stuff there and it goes on for 300 pages!!.
Special Thanks to regular contributor Travis Lawson for the hook-up!
Back shortly
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamheronsuzuki/
Special Thanks to regular contributor Travis Lawson for the hook-up!
Back shortly
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamheronsuzuki/
The Very Best Adventures
Will Shortz is a smart guy. In early 2005 when asked if he had a New Year's resolution he was working on, he replied:
"You know, I don't make New Year's resolutions. If I think of a way to improve myself during the year, I just do it immediately."
That struck me as good advice, advice worth taking to heart and acting on. Note that this is not a lack of resolve, but rather a resolution to act daily with resolution.
Looking back on 2011, I see the results of resolutions. Not big do or die resolutions but intentions that resulted in the actions that filled the days. Christine decided to buy a bike and ride the Oregon Coast. While that trip was wonderful and beautiful, the smile I see on Christine's face every day when she rides her bike is even more beautiful.
In April the idea of riding a bit, every day resulted in my looking more closely at the place I call home and finding the time for small adventures. Adventures are important and adventures happen day by day.
Or in the dark of night. One recent adventure involved riding all night through the longest night of the year with my friends Mark, David, Scott & Brad. Some folks may ask the question "Why?" as in why ride dark roads and trails on a cold night. I could answer with tales from a world made strange and beautiful by darkness, where a herd of elk is glimpsed in a headlight beam, where thoughts of deep philosophic import are shared among friends, where we find a Kelly Kettle can fuse itself to a plastic picnic table even in freezing weather, where true fine dining is found at 3:00 AM in a mini-mart in Fall City and where nothing tastes better than morning coffee after an all-night ride. Those are all answers with their own truth but the truest best answer is the one given by those friends who know the right answer is "Why the hell not?" and ride with you.
And so we ride.
We, who are on the road, must have a code that we can live by. In 2011 my friend Tarik wrote it down and it's good:
1) RIDE BIKES
2) TRY NOT TO BE AN ASS
Words to live by.
I wish you the very best adventures in 2012.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce
Friday, December 30, 2011
Lancia Flaminia Zagato Serie 1
Why 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for events
IF ancient Mayan tradition and a rather poor disaster movie are to be believed then 2012 is going to be your last year on Earth.
Luckily, there's more than enough in the way of motoring events to keep you going over the next year, which is no mean feat given 2011 was a bit of a bumper year for car and bike shows in itself. Whatever your tastes you're bound to find something to look forward to later this year.
For starters there's another Woodvale Rally to look forward to, although when it takes off at RAF Woodvale near Formby on August 4 and 5 the organisers will have the tricky task of topping last year's magnificent Battle of Britain flypast, which at last year's 40th anniversary event literally stopped the show in its tracks. The good news is that I haven't been to a bad Rally yet, and with the show's usual blend of cars, bikes, planes and traders it doesn't look like there's one on the way.
A classic car event with a charity twist also returns to the region later this year, when the Lydiate Classic Car and Bike Show returns to the village's parish hall. All proceeds from the event go to Cancer Research UK, so you get to help a good cause while checking out a great selection of cars and bikes from years gone by.
There's also tantalising talk - but as yet no firm confirmation - that a repeat of last year's Ormskirk MotorFest is on the cards, with a provisional date of Sunday, August 26 for the full throttle event. Of all the events I went to last year, this was by far the one most enthusiasts told me they'd love to see happening again. With last summere's event offering up the surreal sight of a Ferrari Enzo, a SEAT touring car and a 40-year-old F1 car roaring around Ormskirk's one way system, I completely understand why.
And if you're prepared to jump into your car and drive a little there's a wealth of shows right across the north west, with everything from the Cholmondley Pageant of Power in Cheshire, the Totally Transport Festival in Blackpool, and every bike show, autojumble and indoor exhibition you can think of in between.
All you need now is some sunshine!
If you've got a motoring event taking place in 2012 you'd like to share with Life On Cars get in touch with us by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or call 01704 392404. For a full list of events visit www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com
Thursday, December 29, 2011
VIDEO - GAMBARAN PENUH PROTON TUAH
Sebelum ini kita hanya melihat wajah kereta ini yang ditutupi dengan pelekat tetapi kali ini kami dari ProtonCLUB akan menunjukkan wajah sebenar bagaimana rupabentuk Proton Tuah ini. Dibawah ini kami sediakan sedikit paparan video untuk anda tonton dan kami akan terus mencari bahan-bahan lain mengenai model terbaru ini untuk tatapan anda di blog ini.SPYSHOT - PROTON TUAH P3-21A
Mungkin ramai yang tertanya-tanya bagaimana rupabentuk kereta keluaran PROTON yang akan datang dan terbaru. Dan mungkin ramai juga yang telah tahu namanya yang dikenali sebagai Proton Tuah atau P3-21A yang bakal dipasarkan tidak lama lagi.Khabarnya model ini mungkin akan dipasarkan pada tahun 2012. Apa yang pasti, model ini dijangka dapat memenuhi kehendak pengguna dan mampu bersaing dengan model import.
Melihat dari bahagian dalaman pula, ciri yang diterapkan dalam model TUAH kali ini nampak begitu hebat dan lain dari model PROTON sebelum ini. Mungkin ini adalah evolusi terbaru yang mahu ditunjukkan PROTON bagi menyaingi model-model import yang berada di pasaran.
Namun yang pasti, kita semua pasti ingin tahu berapakah nilainya dan adakah nilainya sepadan dengan rekaan dan ketahanannya. Diharap pihak Proton mampu memberikan harga mampu milik kepada rakyat Malaysia kerana kenderaan ini adalah buatan Malaysia. Dengan ini ia pasti mampu menyaingi model import yang lain.It's Been A Charles Dickens Year
The following was written for the Midwest Producer Magazine which covers Kansas as well as Nebraska. That explains the mention of both states in the column.
It has finally come and gone. The long awaited day, the very object of our dreams, the goal has arrived for those in drought ravaged southern Kansas and the flooded parts of Nebraska and Iowa and beyond. What day am I speaking of, you ask? It's Christmas, or better yet the end of a long wearisome year. If this was a piece of music the word 'fine' would be in small letters on the calendar signifying the end or as one of my brothers likes to put it, "We finally wore it out."
It started as consequence of a particularly hard fall years back. It seemed that every day another big problem arose. We'd have to figure out how to get a loaded grain cart out of the mud when it had already sunk to its frame. The next day would lead to having to take the duals off of a tractor to clean the mud from between the wheels. Every day was a challenge and my older sibling answered my whiny question about when this is ever going to end by saying, "We're just going to have to wear the year out. Someday we'll wake up and it'll be Christmas and this will finally be behind us.
Well, it's Christmastime and 2011 is behind us and none too soon. It has been a Charles Dickens year in farming - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I've talked to farmers from both states who expressed frustration at watching most all of American agriculture enjoying the best of times while others are, or were, hoping for the best from crop insurance companies to give legs to their hope that there indeed will be a next year for them.
The drought continues in Kansas. For those farmers, the drought isn't over, but there might be a bit of a respite while they wait for the hope of next year. Optimism reigns supreme if you're a farmer. As I type this, maybe the snow that is falling in Kansas will start the winter wheat crop.
Without being optimistic and having faith, farmers would be fairly reticent to hide several hundred dollars worth of inputs in the soil on each acre, each spring, without being sent to the loony bin.
We know the plants will spring from the ground in straight, neat little rows. They always have. It's simply too much work to believe otherwise.
The flood is the other story and I'll be the first to admit that I've avoided much mention of what has been the elephant in the room for us. As I've traveled, I am reminded that I have a connection to many folks across our great states of Kansas and Nebraska. It's a connection that is easy to overlook when the product is sent from my computer here on the farm to Terry Anderson's computer and then, well I don't know how it works from there.
I do know magic is involved to a certain extent. But the point is, I continually run in to readers who say something to this effect, "I've been reading about the river in the newspapers but how are you and Marilyn doing on your farm, you never say."
Most of the ground I farm is flat. I've never farmed "gently rolling" before but now I have some. We lost another 40 to cutting by the river and sand deposits too deep to do anything with. We were the fortunate ones however. We have good friends who have lost their homes and buildings and some very large fields have hundreds of acres with sand deposits that have rendered the ground of no further use.
In small communities we know the people and the struggles that each one faces. The thing that really amazes me is that these are the same folks who greet you with a smile, a handshake, a question about your own well being as well as an offer to help. Yes, they want to help you when they are the ones who lost their home. The belief is always that it could be worse. Eternal optimists are everywhere in rural America. That's why we live here. It's not for the weather or the excitement of raging flood waters. It's for the people.
I talked to "Bill" at the big farm show in Lincoln. He came up to the Midwest Messenger/-Midwest Producer booth that I was in and looked at me for a bit and then tipped his cowboy hat back and said, "So, you're Cliff?" I admitted that I was. He continued, "I always read your article in the Midwest Producer." I thanked him. He continued, "That is if I don't fall asleep while I'm reading it."
I chuckled a little. He had a good belly laugh about it.
Yeah, it is the people.
It has finally come and gone. The long awaited day, the very object of our dreams, the goal has arrived for those in drought ravaged southern Kansas and the flooded parts of Nebraska and Iowa and beyond. What day am I speaking of, you ask? It's Christmas, or better yet the end of a long wearisome year. If this was a piece of music the word 'fine' would be in small letters on the calendar signifying the end or as one of my brothers likes to put it, "We finally wore it out."
It started as consequence of a particularly hard fall years back. It seemed that every day another big problem arose. We'd have to figure out how to get a loaded grain cart out of the mud when it had already sunk to its frame. The next day would lead to having to take the duals off of a tractor to clean the mud from between the wheels. Every day was a challenge and my older sibling answered my whiny question about when this is ever going to end by saying, "We're just going to have to wear the year out. Someday we'll wake up and it'll be Christmas and this will finally be behind us.
Well, it's Christmastime and 2011 is behind us and none too soon. It has been a Charles Dickens year in farming - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I've talked to farmers from both states who expressed frustration at watching most all of American agriculture enjoying the best of times while others are, or were, hoping for the best from crop insurance companies to give legs to their hope that there indeed will be a next year for them.
The drought continues in Kansas. For those farmers, the drought isn't over, but there might be a bit of a respite while they wait for the hope of next year. Optimism reigns supreme if you're a farmer. As I type this, maybe the snow that is falling in Kansas will start the winter wheat crop.
Without being optimistic and having faith, farmers would be fairly reticent to hide several hundred dollars worth of inputs in the soil on each acre, each spring, without being sent to the loony bin.
We know the plants will spring from the ground in straight, neat little rows. They always have. It's simply too much work to believe otherwise.
The flood is the other story and I'll be the first to admit that I've avoided much mention of what has been the elephant in the room for us. As I've traveled, I am reminded that I have a connection to many folks across our great states of Kansas and Nebraska. It's a connection that is easy to overlook when the product is sent from my computer here on the farm to Terry Anderson's computer and then, well I don't know how it works from there.
I do know magic is involved to a certain extent. But the point is, I continually run in to readers who say something to this effect, "I've been reading about the river in the newspapers but how are you and Marilyn doing on your farm, you never say."
Happy New Years From The Morrows
The short answer is that it is one of those "best and worst" years for us also. The Missouri River has drained back into its banks and we were mostly left with few structural problems except for the trash that was left along the edges. The exception is one field that had 40 acres that was carved pretty badly. About the top 5 feet was washed away. We were able to hire a dozer to smooth it a bit and have worked it four times in four different directions and think the planter will be okay next spring.Most of the ground I farm is flat. I've never farmed "gently rolling" before but now I have some. We lost another 40 to cutting by the river and sand deposits too deep to do anything with. We were the fortunate ones however. We have good friends who have lost their homes and buildings and some very large fields have hundreds of acres with sand deposits that have rendered the ground of no further use.
In small communities we know the people and the struggles that each one faces. The thing that really amazes me is that these are the same folks who greet you with a smile, a handshake, a question about your own well being as well as an offer to help. Yes, they want to help you when they are the ones who lost their home. The belief is always that it could be worse. Eternal optimists are everywhere in rural America. That's why we live here. It's not for the weather or the excitement of raging flood waters. It's for the people.
I talked to "Bill" at the big farm show in Lincoln. He came up to the Midwest Messenger/-Midwest Producer booth that I was in and looked at me for a bit and then tipped his cowboy hat back and said, "So, you're Cliff?" I admitted that I was. He continued, "I always read your article in the Midwest Producer." I thanked him. He continued, "That is if I don't fall asleep while I'm reading it."
I chuckled a little. He had a good belly laugh about it.
Yeah, it is the people.
BMW 640i Gran Coupe
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Xmas Greeting to the North!
We are pleased to send our fraternal greetings to residents of the Frozen Wastelands of the North, especially those of the new site "Manchester's Advanced Drivers", which is "dedicated to the drivers of Manchester who take the art of driving beyond the norm."
We will await to see whether the photographs are really of driving "beyond the norm" or merely, as they are in Bristol, driving in a way more advanced than the eighty-years-out-of-date highway code tells you.
Manchester Drivers, we welcome you!
We will await to see whether the photographs are really of driving "beyond the norm" or merely, as they are in Bristol, driving in a way more advanced than the eighty-years-out-of-date highway code tells you.
Manchester Drivers, we welcome you!
Saab isn't dead yet, former chairman insists
DON'T write Saab off as a name consigned to the history books because the company and its models aren't dead yet.
That's the message former chairman Victor Muller has told the world after most turbulent month in the Swedish firm's history, and suggested that a buyer for the beleaguered company may yet be found.
After personally declaring Saab bankrupt, Mr Muller told national media: “Under the new situation of bankruptcy, perhaps another type of scenario could be conceived, one where perhaps no Chinese parties are involved because that seems to be the sensitive element for General Motors.
"Perhaps Saab can find a new lease of life in a new structure with new ownership."
General Motors, the American automotive giant which owned Saab until 2010, still supplies Sweden with parts and technology for the 9-3 and 9-5 models, and has vetoed interest in the firm from Chinese firms after fearing that GM intellectual property would end up in the wrong hands.
Following the bankrupty declaration Saab's operations have been put under the control of receivers, but Swedish law allows companies that are in bankruptcy to be revived if an investor is found.
Do you own a Saab? Have you been affected? Let us know by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or by calling 01704 392404.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Nissan Juke-R
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