Ford Gives the 2010 Taurus Two Engine Options

The Ford Taurus is a large, quiet sedan that is designed for its role as a family sedan. The base engine is a 3.5L V6; a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 is the only optional engine. The base 3.5L V6 produces two hundred sixty-three horsepower at six thousand two hundred fifty revolutions per minute, and musters two hundred forty-nine pound feet of torque at four thousand five hundred revolutions per minute.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the base engine will deliver eighteen miles per gallon on the city cycle and twenty-seven miles per gallon on the highway cycle. The 3.5L V6 is capable of hitting the quarter mile mark from a standstill in sixteen and three-tenths seconds at a speed of eighty- nine miles per hour; zero to sixty acceleration comes in at seven and nine-tenths seconds. In comparison, the 3.5L V6 twin-turbo is rated at three-hundred sixty-five horsepower and returns seventeen miles per gallon in city driving and twenty-five miles per gallon on the highway. The twin-turbo powerplant is only available on the Taurus SHO model. All wheel drive is also available on the SHO model; all other models drive the engine’s power through the front wheels. The Taurus is outfitted with a six speed automatic transmission; this is the only six speed automatic transmission currently available on a vehicle in the Taurus’ class. Other standard features found on the Taurus include manual air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, a power driver’s seat adjuster, and a standard trip computer. The Taurus received a four star rating by the U.S. Government in rollover crash testing.

Solar Energy is One of the Best Green Energy Options

One of the most effective and environmentally friendly types of alternative power is solar power. This is accomplished by transforming the sun’s rays into electrical energy with the help of solar cells.

There are 3 basic procedures for utilizing this type of green energy source. They include passive and active solar power, and also by utilizing photovoltaic cells or panels.

Whenever we use passive solar energy, no energy is converted at all. Passive solar energy works with the architectural structure of a building to gain the highest gain from sunshine.

This type of technique can also be used in homes. Research has shown that for minimal expense, this can easily lower the home heating requirements up to 80%. This means you don’t have to turn on the heating system nearly as often. As a people, we would not consume anywhere near the amount of energy that we do now, if we all used a passive solar approach. Our electricity is mostly produced by using, and depleting, non-renewable energy resources.

The next approach, which is called active solar power, is the most basic manner of changing sunlight into heat. It is possesses its own restrictions, as it basically works as generating hot water. It can be a huge benefit, particularly if you use a hot water heating system in your house.

The final practice is employing solar cells to make electrical energy. This will make it possible for us to possess the energy we need by producing our own electricity. This electricity can be used to power an entire house or even an office building. The size of the solar system will determine the volume of power changed into electricity. Solar cells change sunlight into electrical energy as direct current, or by utilizing a power inverter, it can be modified into alternating current. This is the normal kind of electricity used within our homes. The smallest solar cells can be observed in popular items like calculators, while large numbers of cells are assembled together to make large solar panels. Houses and office buildings can often be observed with solar panels built on top of the roof.

The only downfall of this green energy source is the fact that it can only generate electricity when the weather is good and the sun is shining. On cloudy days, no electrical power is produced whatsoever. With no large battery bank, conventional electricity will need to be turned on until the weather eventually improves.

Among the more interesting uses of solar power has been when solar driven autos have been constructed during tests. The same as buildings, they are limited by the size of the battery bank built into the vehicle. The satellites in space are typically run by solar energy. A fully functioning organization can even operate by itself, thanks to photovoltaic energy. It does not matter where solar panels are situated, as long as they get a lot of sunlight. Solar panels work in the winter months, as well as during the warmer summer months.

The larger the quantity of solar cells used in your panels will definitely result in a greater amount of electricity that you can produce. If big enough, this could possibly get your home through several days of overcast weather. If you have a large enough battery reserve, you may never have to switch to using conventional electric power.

Solar electricity is not the only source of natural power which could be considered. Throughout the decades, we’ve learned to use other green energy sources. Some other commonly used environmentally friendly energy sources are hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, bio-fuels and wind power. These are all safe for the environment. We could lower our need for non-renewable energy sources, like oil and coal, if more of us used renewable energy for our power.

To help make this exciting occasion take place, we have to get our legislation to increase the use of alternative energy sources. Currently, our politicians appear to be all talk and no action when it comes to liberating our country from the use of fossil fuels, and saving the environment. To save planet Earth, this has to be changed.

Regrettably, as far as countries that are broadening their use of alternative energy sources go, the United States is not even in the top ten, and falling quickly behind. Germany and Japan are two countries that have already considerably enlarged their applications of solar power. Germany is currently the world leader in the production of solar cells and panels. Following Germany and Japan in renewable energy utilization are Italy, Spain, South Korea, and France.

Without a doubt, the USA can do better, and not end up being left behind. We ought to use their example, and do our best to change from traditional fuels to the many forms of replenishable energy sources.

New sticker options help buyers decide on fuel economy

Police and fire blotter 9/1/2010
Incident reports released Tuesday by the Abilene Police Department:

Read more on Abilene Reporter-News

EPA, DOT Propose New Fuel Economy Labels
U.S. DOT and U.S. EPA are jointly proposing changes to fuel economy labels consumers see on window of new vehicles in dealer showrooms. One label features letter grade to communicate vehicle’s overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission performance. Second proposed label retains current label’s focus on MPG and annual fuel costs, while adding comparison information on fuel economy and …

Read more on ThomasNet

US midday: Wall Street soars
LONDON (SHARECAST) – Wall Street is soaring ahead following positive US manufacturing sector data released in the middle of the morning and the strong Chinese manufacturing figures.

Read more on ShareCast

One in Five Would Consider an Electric Van According to Swinton Commercial
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM–(Marketwire – 08/29/10) – One in five van drivers would consider driving an electric van according to a survey by Swinton Commercial. The van insurance retailer surveyed 1,200 online customers about their next purchase and 19% would consider purchasing an electric van to help the environment but only if the price was right. This comes at a time when the Coalition …

Read more on Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance

New sticker options help buyers decide on fuel economy
The federal government needs your help in deciding between two new fuel economy stickers to be posted on vehicles for sale.

Read more on WBTV Charlotte

The Kia Sorento’s Engine Options

The Kia Sorento is a mid sized crossover SUV which was produced and sold by the Kia Motors company from 2002 until 2009.  The Sorento has been discontinued and will not continue with a 2010 model.  The Sorento was a popular car because of its affordable price and its excellent safety ratings.
 
The 2009 Kia Sorento came with two different engine options.  The first engine option which came standard with the Sorento was a 3.3 liter six cylinder engine that produced 242 horsepower.  Towing capacity with the 3.3 liter engine was about 3,500 pounds.  The 3.3 liter Sorento engine got an EPA estimated 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 miles per gallon on the highway. 

The second engine option came standard within the Kia Sorento EX trim.  This engine was a 3.8 liter six cylinder engine that produced 262 horsepower.  With the 3.8 liter engine, the Sorento received increased towing capacity of nearly 5,000 pounds.  Due to the increased performance, the Sorento receives worse fuel efficiency.  The Sorento EX gets and EPA estimated 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway. 

Both trim levels of the 2009 Kia Sorento came standard with two wheel drive.  For an additional fee, the Sorento could have been upgraded to all wheel drive, which would have reduced fuel efficiency by about 5%.  The car could be further upgraded by selecting an automatic transmission over the standard manual transmission.
 
While it was not available in the United States, Kia introduced a 2.4 liter diesel engine which helped increase fuel efficiency.  Depending on the transmission selected, the diesel engine produced excellent fuel efficiency ratings of up to 42 miles per gallon. 

Hybrid Cars and Fuel Savings – Feasible Options

As an engineer I have been studying and following the renewable energy debate and developments for well over 30 years and many useful as well as useless inventions/solutions have crossed my road of discovery.

One tendency, which always seems to stand out, is the all or nothing approach.

All wind power or all nuclear power or all wave, solar etc. and lately all hydrogen, rarely ever a composite/combination of current conventional and renewable energy resources.

The latest fads seem again all nuclear or all hydrogen and the most laughable of them all “Carbon Sequestration”.

CO2 Sequestration, i.e. compressing CO2 and pumping it to the bottom of the oceans or into some geological cavity is as costly in energy consumption as the building, as well as decommissioning of nuclear power stations and the storage of radio active waste and equally hazardous.

Using Bio Fuels, with its current technology, is a bit like incinerating your breakfast, lunch & dinner to drive your car.

Even more fascinating is that all of these latest offerings are not feasible for another 10 to 30 years, requiring huge amounts of funding to prove or disprove their viability. So it seems that invariably concepts are being promoted which have no immediate application when there are ample and proven concepts that can be implemented now with considerable immediate benefits.

Methods such as co-generation (recovery of waste heat) or preheating by renewable resources rarely rate a mention. Both methods are only a few of the many options guaranteeing substantial reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Again, the aspect of the hydrogen as fuel debate is the all or nothing approach. It is nothing new that cars (and planes) can run on hydrogen. The catch here is the, currently, enormous cost of the fuel storage and the non-existing infrastructure. It is even proposed to generate the hydrogen from, would you believe it, carbon based fuels or nuclear power.

One can only wonder why the viable and relatively low cost conversion of existing means of transport is so rarely being considered as an option. For many years now the conversion of petrol powered vehicles to LPG/CNG was feasible, economical and aided the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Hybrid cars, powered by a combination of internal combustion engine, batteries and electric motor can be another, but still very expensive, option to lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

So why not use hydrogen in combination with conventional fuel to reduce your fuel consumption and your environmental footprint? It is a proven technology. A low cost on-board hydrogen generator produces small quantities of hydrogen serving as a combustion enhancer. This hydrogen generator only operates while while your petrol/diesel engine is running making it perfectly safe, saves substantial amounts of fuel and does not require any hydrogen storage. In other words no hydrogen is produced when the engine is not running.

The Options We All Have for Computer Monitor Recycling

When it comes to computer recycling and disposal, many people wonder how and where to take their old equipment. If you are looking for the ways to dispose of your old monitor or recycle the same, the following information will certainly help you in this regard. It will let you know some of the most effective methods that are used today for the purpose of computer monitor disposal and recycling.

Computer Monitor Disposal: The trash can is not the best idea.

This method is the simplest and yet the worst. It is not at all prudent to use this method because when you try to dispose of your old monitor in a trash, the chances are great that it will end up in a landfill. This will not only contaminate the water, but the materials of your old monitor will also cause harmful affects on environment.

Computer Monitor Recycling: Municipal Pick up Day

Municipal pick up day is a much better method to recycle the monitor, as it provides a solution for the landfill issues regarding the computer monitor disposal.

Computer Monitor Recycling: Using Recycler

This method of computer monitor disposal or recycling is one of the best methods. In this method, a recycler is used that is specifically designed for computer monitor recycling. However, make sure that the recycler has a closed loop process in order to ensure that your old monitor will not end up in any landfill.

This is very important to recycle the monitors successfully. There are several steps involved in this complete recycling process. First, the recycler shreds the monitor so that various materials and plastics could be separated and smelted. Eventually, the old monitor materials get ready to be recycled into a new product.

This process is very effective, but still, many people hesitate to use this process only because it costs them a little money. Remember, if you recycle your monitor in an effective way, you do a favor to your environment. Therefore, at the end of the day, it is certainly worth paying the charge for that. Your state or province may already have by laws in place that cover associated fees. Your local computer shop will have more information about this.

Hence, here we see that if you have an old monitor, you can use various methods to dispose or recycle the same. However, you must take your time to decide which method you should select. Some of the methods do not cost you anything, but they are quite harmful for the environment. Always remember, the best method for disposing or recycling your monitor is the one that does not cause any harm to the environment.

Eco-friendly Options Don’t End With Reusable Bags: Green Your Vehicle To Be Friendly To The Environment

You decide one hot, sunny day that your car needs a wash and wax. You hop in your vehicle and head to the local auto store to choose and purchase your supplies. As you’re checking out, you’re asking whether you want paper or plastic. Then just as you’re about to make your decision, you’re asked, “Do you want to purchase reusable shopping bags for $1.99 apiece?” You decide to go with the reusable bags. Back at home, you start to clean your car, wondering if there’s anything else you can do to be friendly to the environment.

First, consider your car and what kind it is. What was one of its biggest selling points for you? Was it the mileage and how low it was or the horsepower underneath the hood? No doubt, car manufacturers have thwarted several attempts to be eco-friendly by giving people what they want with what they don’t want. A muscle car of the 1960s was built with tons of horsepower but only got 12 to 15 miles per gallon. It wasn’t uncommon to find some of these cars with only 10 miles per gallon. In today’s society, cars can go to zero to 60 in mere seconds and give car owners at least 20 miles or more per gallon.

Of course, the condition of the car hasn’t changed. As long as you give your car a tune up and clean the filers, the vehicle will run better and cleaner, meaning it’ll be better for the environment. Make sure to check out your tires’ pressure since low pressure can reduce the gas mileage by about 15 percent. If you don’t already have a tire pressure gauge or filters, consider heading back to the store with your reusable cotton bags to purchase them.

If you do choose to go out again, perhaps you can consolidate that trip. Consider heading to the grocery store and get some food along with other car necessities you need. If you notice the place that you go to purchase your groceries doesn’t solve your auto supply needs, stop at the local auto store while you’re out.

Another way to be eco-friendly is to carpool. Many states have a rideshare program that help people to get to work but it’s a bit ineffective for a variety of reasons. First, people may have trouble getting their work schedules on the same page. Second, they may not be comfortable posting their work schedule for anyone to see. An alternative to this is to share rides with a neighbor. These are people you most likely know and often spend time with. Not only are you being eco-friendly but you’re having adult conversations.

As we can see, reusable grocery bags are just the beginning to living eco-friendly and saving the environment. When it comes to our cars, we can use our vehicles in an eco-friendly manner.

Alternative Fuel Options For Cars

With the current oil crisis still fresh on everybody’s minds, now is possibly the best time to be talking about what alternative fuel options exist for cars. Let us take a close look at some of the these options to visualize which best suits our needs.

Bioethanol

When very high quantities of bioethanol are mixed with very low quanities of petrol, it leads to a fuel called bioethanol E85. This is a very powerful and yet environmentally friendly fuel. The E stands for bioethanol and the number indicates the percentage of bioethanol in the mixture. So, E85 means a fuel, which has 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent petrol. The advantages in using bioethanol are of course in the cost savings. It costs less than unleaded petrol and can also produce more brake horsepower. Quite a few of the top car manufacturing companies like Saab, Volvo and Ford make cars that can use bioethanol. The disadvantages are in the running costs of the cars using bioethanol. Almost all these cars deliver much less mileage than regular cars. Add to this, the problem of the availability of enough bioethanol filling stations.

Biodiesel

Diesel cars can use biodiesel, which is more environment-friendly than diesel and more widely available than bioethanol. Most diesel engines can run with biodiesel with little or no modifications. However, the biodiesel mixture that most diesel engines are compatible with, contains only a small percentage of biodiesel, typically about five percent. This is hardly enough to have any dramatic reduction in emissions or on the environment. Further, biodiesel is fairly expensive to produce and thus costs not much less than standard fuels, which also means that running costs are not considerably reduced.

Electricity

Electric cars have caught the fancy of many and have been around for some time in some form or another. These are purported to be one of the most environmentally friendly cars, which produce zero emissions if the car batteries can use renewable electricity. However, there are some big disadvantages, the biggest being the cost of batteries. Electric cars themselves cost about 80 percent more than ordinary cars. Further, the rechargeable batteries that make all the difference to the emissions, are so expensive that most of the time, they can only be leased at fairly high prices. And, they only last for about three to five years! Charging these batteries is also not easy with charging points not so wide spread and charging taking anywhere from six to eight hours! All these disadvantages have prevented the electric car from going really mainstream.

The more practical approach to the idea of an electric car is the hybrid-electric car. One part of this car is like a conventional car but the other operates on an electric battery. Energy is used far more efficiently in these cars – when freewheeling, the battery is charged from the motion of the car. Also, when the car needs to move at high speeds, it uses the conventional engine but when it needs to proceed far more slowly crowded city streets, it can switch over to the electric engine. Though at present, these hybrid-electric cars are expensive to purchase, they use much less fuel than conventional cars and produce far less harmful emissions than conventional cars.

While none of the alternative fuels have proved to be a perfect replacement for conventional fuels as yet, possibility remains high of one them doing so in the absolutely near future.

Who can give ideas on environmentally friendly ticket options for an eco-dance?

My club at school is hosting an eco-friendly dance to raise funds. Does anyone have any ideas on what kind of ticket system is environmentally friendly?

Getting more miles per gallon; The answer may require looking beyond CAFE standards and implementing other consumer-oriented policy options to wean drivers … from: Issues in Science and Technology

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This digital document is an article from Issues in Science and Technology, published by National Academy of Sciences on January 1, 2009. The length of the article is 4624 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Getting more miles per gallon; The answer may require looking beyond CAFE standards and implementing other consumer-oriented policy options to wean drivers away from past habits.(MORE MILES PER GALLON)(Report)
Author: Christopher Evans
Publication: Issues in Science and Technology (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2009
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Page: 71(10)

Article Type: Report

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