Toyota can now make an electric motor withour rare earth metals
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 31, 2012
Rare earth minerals/metals are poorly named simply for the fact most of them are not actually rare. They are instead difficult to mine and therefore expensive. it also doesn’t help matters that China currently supplies 95% of the market. However, that should slowly change now that new, large deposits have been found in a tiny village in Nebraska and the Pacific Ocean.
Rare earths are used in many of the gadgets we all own including TVs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. They are also used in the manufacture of electric vehicles, and more specifically electric motors–an industry that is set to grow quickly over the coming years.
Tech companies have so far resigned themselves to having no alternative, and therefore having to pay the high price of getting the rare earths they need. Toyota has taken a different approach, though. it has set about researching alternatives to the neodymium and dysprosium rare earth metals it currently uses for electric motor production. the end result is it can now do without them, potentially cutting the cost of manufacture and solving the supply issues, depending on what the replacement is of course.
For the moment, Toyota is holding off switching production, but has said it will make the switch if rare earths pricing does not fall. Research will continue to try and remove the reliance on such minerals from the company’s other products too.
Toyota’s decision to research around the problem is surely not a unique one. If the cost of these materials continues to rise, alternatives will be found. If China is keeping watch it may start to reduce pricing so as to keep companies like Toyota buying rather than losing them as customers in a few years.
via Reuters
Toyota can now make an electric motor withour rare earth metals
Nissan’s truly spacious Sunny
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 31, 2012
“Caaar” is definitely stretching the point but the Nissan Sunny is certainly the most spacious saloon in its price range. it may only be a centimeter longer than the Tata Indigo Manza but has an eight cm longer wheelbase to give it valuable extra inner space. it is also 14.5 cm taller so there is a much greater feeling of space. As the little Dutch boy, with his finger in the dyke, might have said a few centimeters can make a huge difference.
As a late entry into the Indian market, Nissan has had to go the extra mile with better products and better prices to get customer attention in a fiercely competitive market. In size it compares with formidable brands like the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Ford Fiesta Fiat Linea, Maruti SX4, Skoda Rapid and Toyota Etios. As Japan’s third largest car company and the world’s eighth largest it is pulling out all the stops to also make a mark in India.
It offers two excellent 1500cc petrol and diesel engines offering 99 and 86 HP respectively. although these engines are the same as are fitted to the Nissan Micra hatchback they are big enough to give a big car feel with outstanding fuel consumption of 17 and 21 kmpl respectively under ARAI test conditions.
This will translate into roughly 13 and 15 kmpl under normal driving conditions. although the peak HP is not too great both engines have good torque to provide good pickup and smooth acceleration even from low engine speeds. with its effort to look and feel big the looks are undoubtedly a bit bulky and the big heavily chromed grille is very much in your face. it looks a bit bold for some but has a look that cannot be missed on the street.
The interiors are well laid out though not especially exciting, except for the AC vents to cool the rear seats. the USP of the Sunny is definitely to ensure that the rear seat passengers are pampered. I first met the 1970 model Sunny that had a 1200cc engine which had long powered the Premier NE118 but how the car and its technologies have changed over the years. On a test drive it is a smooth and very comfortable car to drive or be driven in. Not a great car for the fast and the furious but the Sunny is a very good family car for those who want economy in purchase and in ownership.
The writer is an automotive expert and the former editor of a national magazine
BMW, Toyota, and diesel
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 31, 2012
“We are now joining forces to further develop environment-friendly technologies and to expand our innovation leadership in each of our segments.” –Norbert Reithofer, chairman of German automaker BMW, on the company’s recent alliance with erstwhile Japanese competitor Toyota
As is well known on this side of the pond, Japanese automaking juggernaut Toyota has been building up a light truck presence for many years now in the pickup segment with its Tundra model – a fine vehicle, to be sure, but one that lacks that critical option common to its rivals from Ford Motor co., General Motors, and Chrysler: the diesel engine.
Though Toyota made noise several years back about developing a diesel-powered Tundra model, the company ended up quietly spiking the idea for reasons of its own.
Now, a newly-minted development partnership forged with Germany’s luxury car maker BMW may – and I say “may” here with an awful lot of uncertainty – revive the potential for a diesel powered Toyota trucks for the North American market, though any such occurrence would at best still be many years off over the horizon.
The reasoning behind this admittedly long-range guesswork stems from BMW and Toyota’s “memorandum of understanding” signed earlier this month to collaborate on “next generation” powertrain technology, with includes joint work on lithium-ion (li-ion) battery technology for hybrid-electric vehicles.
The deal also means that, starting in 2014, BMW will supply Toyota’s European subsidiary – Toyota Motor Europe – with BMW’s latest generation of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines. Consulting firm IHS Global, which tracks the world’s automotive market very closely, said these diesel engines will be fitted to “unspecified” Toyota models in the European market, but are most likely aimed at the C-segment Auris, MPV-C Verso, D1-segment Avensis and SUV-C RAV4.
“This is potentially a very valuable collaboration for both parties and it could end up evolving into a significant partnership which substantial benefits and synergies,” noted IHS in a research brief. “There is little in the way of crossover and competition between BMW and Toyota. And if Toyota models … are suddenly available with diesel powertrains, their appeal is likely to be considerably broadened, as is no doubt Toyota’s intention.”
[Here’s a look at BMW’s diesel engine technology.]
With new European Union (EU) emissions regulations coming in 2012, IHS said this diesel engine supply contract could be seen as a move by Toyota to further lower the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the company’s European model range. this would ensure that by 2014 and 2015, by which time 80% and 10% of the range will have to meet the 130 g/km (grams per kilometer) emissions limit, Toyota should be in the firm’s estimation, “will be very well prepared to meet these targets.”
Of course, IHS added, Toyota’s access to such diesel engine technology will not come cheap. However, as well as a hefty supply contract fee, BMW is set to benefit from what the firm calls “huge” research and development (R&D) synergies on developing its next generation future powertrain technology in the area of electric vehicles (EVs), hybrids and presumably fuel cells.
“For a company of BMW’s size, and one which fiercely guards its independence, this is a major boon,” IHS said. “R&D for this technology is extremely expensive and developing successive generations of EV and hybrid technology on its own would have been a significant draw on BMW’s resources. Combined with Toyota the two companies’ technological know-how will from a formidable R&D capability in this area as well as introducing significant synergies and cost-savings.”
OK, for sure, such thinking is highly speculative at best and the diesel engines we’re talking about here are small-block powerplants for cars – and for cars pegged only to the European market at that.
But as both Toyota and BMW are global manufacturers and both need scale to help lower the cost of making their vehicles, it’s not so farfetched to see them try and expand that diesel footprint to other markets – and the U.S. would be a natural segue for them both.
four wheel drive Trucks – Their Business oriented Uses And Signature bank Experience
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 31, 2012
Passenger trucks have always been considered probably the most extremely versatile autos. these autos have all the motor developments and central entertainment that one can potentially visualize in almost any car. four wheel drive passenger trucks can be be extremely effective with out of-roading capacities with unparalleled effectiveness. four wheel drive Pickups would be the most favorite available promote for freight and light-weight solutions travelling. as suggested by its name, these types of vans would be the speediest and quite a few effective vans all-around.
four wheel drive pickup trucks are available in numerous styles and are also built by all leading makers. Toyota, GMC, Isuzu, Chevy, Machine, payday loan Toyota are the well-known vehicle makers making these vans. due to its compact size, they have got turned into a smart and speedier technique for freight transportation. Lightweight passenger trucks dominate the United states and also the Western european marketplaces because tiny size and variable-goal use. Several of the popular lightweight pickup trucks marketed out there would be the Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Machine Navara, Isuzu Rodeo, Toyota Hilux for example.
These all-tyre-commute pickup trucks are generally popular inside out of the way areas and also the Peugeot 504 passenger truck is one of very popular ones. they will take channel volume freight and personal loans online approval right on the websites for to carting heavy a good deal with a lot of other characteristics. Entire-size pickup trucks have payloads of about 1.5 a lot which is variable according to the styles and setup. Several of the passenger trucks built would be the most good performance types.
Distinct vans can be found with various cargo area types. a lot of the total-size passenger trucks are 1.5m, 2.0m or 2.4 l lengthy according to the size and volume in the pickup. On the other hand, many makers also provide them with no cargo area. the commute-range and gas tank is plainly visible from the best plus an personal loans admittance is therefore possible to all of the ingredients otherwise included from above. these types of vans are therefore named pickup’s cab
four wheel drive Trucks – Their Business oriented Uses And Signature bank Experience
Information on Toyota Corolla Car and Engine
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 31, 2012
Export of Toyota Corolla cars from Japan to the United States of America started in March in the year 1968. at that time; this compact Toyota Corolla car was offered as a 2 door coupe; a 4 door sedan or a 2 door wagon. the 1.1 ltrfour cylinder Toyota Corolla engine with four speed manual transmissions offered the power; at a time, to the smallest automobile Toyota had ever brought to the American marketplace. Ever since, the new simple design and trustworthy mechanical engineering of the Toyota Corolla have aided as the base for many future groups of this Toyota corolla car which went on to become the most liked car line in auto history. With the exclusion of the Land Cruiser, the ToyotaCorolla is the Toyota model still produced and manufactured as of the model year 2007.
The Toyota Corolla is one of the world’s bestsellingcars ever, with more than thirty million cars sold across 10 distinct generations. Although the Toyota Corolla car has not been sold in the United Kingdom since February 2007, as it was succeeded here by the Auris, it remains to be sold in other overseas markets. the ToyotaCorolla owes it reputation to the point that owning the car is completely painless, if not especially rewarding. Affordable to buy and run, the Toyota Corolla cars have always been consistently reliable, astonishingly well-equipped and extremely practical. but, even when given in enthusiast appearance, the car has tended to be not mainly well acknowledged by the press. That has not discouraged millions of buyers from picking the Corolla car though, because the Toyota Corolla Engine have surpassed where it matters.
The ToyotaCorolla is a really mixed bag of car. on one hand it is dull in terms of design in both interior and exterior design. but it is economical, practical, reliable and very easy to manage and run and thismakes it a favorite with many car owners. About thirty million ToyotaCorolla car owners in fact.Which does show that to create a successful and powerful car, you do not need to build something with any specific flair.
Toyota 4 Runner, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Toyota Celica, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Cressida, Toyota Echo, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Landcruiser, Toyota MR2, Toyota Paseo, Toyota Pick-up, Toyota Previa, Toyota Prius, Toyota Rav 4, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Solara, Toyota Supra, Toyota T100, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra & Toyota Van.