Environmentally friendly and fuel efficient vehicles are very much in vogue with major car manufacturers at the moment due to the increasing demand for such concepts which is being attributed to rising fuel prices. Indeed, 65% of motorists will purchase a more fuel friendly vehicle the next time they buy a new car according to research by MoneySupermarket.

However, adoption of full fledged self sustaining concept vehicles such as the all-electric Nissan Leaf have been held back due to two major problems. The first of which is the poor recharging station infrastructure; but the more fundamental issue is the length of time it takes charge up electric vehicles and the limited range between these charges. It appears that motorists simply aren’t prepared to accept this level of inconvenience in exchange for a cheaper annual fuel bill at the moment.

In their push to develop fuel friendly options, it appears that the major manufacturers may have missed a potentially major future development. This has opened the door for a certain internet search engine provider to potentially revolutionise the motoring world.

Google Self-drive

Google has been quietly developing the world’s first fully fledged autonomous vehicle. Fitted to a fleet of robotic Toyota Prius models, the new technology has so far logged 190,000 miles on a variety of different driving roads ranging from country lanes, to busy motorways and congested city centres.

The technology detects other road users, pedestrians and the road ahead by using sensors and lasers which are fitted to the roof of the vehicle. The device uses the lasers to produce a detailed 3D map of the area which is combined high resolution Google Maps to determine the best route while avoiding pedestrians and other road users. It will also respect road regulations such as speed limits and adhering to traffic light signals.

Professor Sebastian Thrun from Stanford University is one of the leaders of the project along with Google engineer Chris Urmson. Thrun stated that the main aim of the project is safety; with the Professor believing that this project could actually cut the number of road traffic accidents by half.

This could therefore ultimately impact on car insurance premiums, which have been becoming an increasing problem for motorists in recent years; rising by 40% in the past 12 months according to the AA. Google also hopes that the technology will reduce traffic congestion would could address the additional major issue facing the motoring world of fuel prices; helping to lower overall fuel consumption by reducing the amount of time spent in traffic jams and ensuring that a steady speed is maintained.

Meanwhile, some of the key advantages that Urmson envisages with the technology are the ability to do work or other chores while on the way to work, and the fact that the car can park itself. This will enable you to get dropped off at a restaurant or shops; allowing the car to go off and park. It also means that you can be picked back up upon requesting its return on a smart phone. Batman eat your heart out.

Potential obstacles

One flaw of the vehicle however which Urmson admits is its need to be more “aggressive”; with the vehicle perhaps yielding to other motorists more than an ordinary driver would be willing to do. However, on a road full of autonomous Google cars, this would of course not be an issue and it ultimately will not be the deal breaker that significantly detracts from the appeal of the design.

A more pressing issue which Google must also overcome before the technology is put into mass production is the legal and liability issues. However, the company is optimistic and Nevada has recently becoming the first U.S. state to legalise fully autonomous vehicles.

Thrun and Urmson also concede that reliability is one of the key issues which must be ensured before the technology goes into mass production. This was corroborated by Google Co-founder Sergey Brin who has his engineers the target of completing one million miles prior to launch. However, Brin added that he was “optimistic” and stated that they were “getting there”.

This all links into Google’s attempts to branch out away from being a mere search engine provider; with Google android phones and even Google maps now becoming increasingly prevalent figures in the technology market.

AdvanceTec industries – a company well known for its wide range of communication products and solutions has just released into the market the AdvanceMobile VXI. AdvanceMobile XV1 is a handsfree mobile phone solution that you can activate on a GSM Wireless carries irrespective of where you are located.

AdvanceTec Industries has done this in its bid to help other companies comply with control communication costs, text messaging and hands free laws. In addition, the company has gone a step further to meet the customer demands for an in –built vehicle phone solution that makes use of the GSM network by inventing the AdvanceMobile VX1.

This product offers its user full duplex voice quality and a small palm microphone that you can use just the same way you would use a two-way radio. The gadget enables you to enjoy GPS vehicle tracking systems for only a small monthly charge. The gadget uses Motorola GSM Quad Band technology and only needs a GSM SIM card and GSM carrier activation for it to perform optimally.

The device works by making it possible for you to track mobile assets. It also offers its users the ability to enable vehicle speed notification and one button emergency notification features for your motor vehicle.

Peugeot and BMW are working to create electric car batteries that will be even greener than products on the market right now. While this does not pertain to fleet companies yet, it may in the nearest of futures. Fleet companies are generators of some of the pollution in the atmosphere. The power needed for fleet vehicles and the amount of time they are on the road means that they tend to create a lot of carbon dioxide. There are definitely products that help reduce this such as vehicle tracking.

With fleet tracking companies can reduce the routes and therefore streamline their business. It helps in a number of areas and is one of the methods for making their company greener. However, for some it may not feel like it is enough. With BMW and Peugeot working together it is possible that fleets may be able to use electric properties sooner rather than later.

Carmakers are creating battery packs, e-machines, generators, software, and chargers that can lower the impact of items on the market. At Track Compare a company is able to learn about the tracking systems that can be used now for fleets and eventually there may be other options regarding hybrid fleet vehicles.

Toyota had sold one million copies of his Prius. In 2007, Toyota Camry Hybrid won with her several major awards in the automotive world, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has granted the Camry Hybrid as 2007 Canadian Car of the Year, as well as better car family of more than $ 30,000 CDN. The Canadian Automobile Association has awarded them the coveted prize: CAA 2007 Pyramid for environmental initiatives. Lexus, the premium brand of Toyota sells hybrid sedans and 4×4, the latter (Lexus RX400h) meeting with some success, despite its price. Without approaching the success of the Prius, Honda sells for several years called a hybrid version of Honda Civic IMA and a specific model, the Insight. Other manufacturers have also sold hybrid models but with marginal market shares (Mazda, General Motors, Renault). In France, the most notable effort was Renault, which produced thousands of hybrid Kangoo only. Oil crisis and ecological constraints forced many automakers have announced major research programs in this area, including General Motors, which is associated in this area with Mercedes and BMW, Ford has acquired the technology from Toyota for first generation and more recently PSA Peugeot Citroën, which has partnered with several major OEMs and a French SME, to produce the first diesel-electric hybrid car as part of a major development program supported by the Innovation Agency Industrial.

This type of engine decreases 10-30% in fuel economy after use (urban driving with the most spectacular gains and the lowest highway driving) and also reduces emissions proportion to fuel consumption . The hybrid is therefore particularly interesting for taxis and it begins to be applied to buses and trucks in the U.S., Europe and Japan.
Do drawing its energy in the fuel, at least in the current achievements, a hybrid should not be compared to an electric motor, it is just a heat engine optimizing energy use.
The first such vehicle to be placed on the market in large series is the Toyota Prius in late 1997 in Japan (in a version never sold outside the group), followed by the Honda Insight 2-seater coupe in 1999, was also exported to the United States and some other countries but not in France. The third version of the Prius (model NHW20) has been named European Car of the Year in 2005. In 2008.

• The Full-Hybrid is the most famous formula. The movement of thermal and electric motors are combined because either they are connected to the same tree (a hybrid of “parallel” as the Honda Insight and the prototype Hybrid HDi PSA) is more developed with a planetary gear train (hybrid-series parallel “as the Toyota Prius) which allows for different rotational speeds between the engine and electric motor. Among others, the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Lexus RX400h, GS450h, LS600h use variants of this principle.

• The series hybrid electric vehicle is the engine which powers an electric generator which in its turn the electric motor which drives the vehicle so it can turn optimal regime. In addition, there is no mechanical losses in the transmission. Of batteries or super-capacitors can store energy and possibly ride in fully electric. The braking is, of course, regenerative. The Chevrolet Volt (concept car whose marketing is planned from autumn 2010) illustrates this technology.

• We are talking about PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid) when hybrid vehicle, whether serial or parallel, can be recharged from the grid, allowing for short trips daily to use mode all electric. Thus the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera, the first users of this system, allow users to run 60 miles a day without using gasoline, recharging the batteries overnight. The engine is restarted when the batteries are exhausted or beyond a certain speed, allowing up to 600 km in total autonomy on volts and amps.

• A particular concept (integral-hybrid) is to use a more conventional traction electric motors mounted on the rear wheels. The concept car Citroën C-Metisse uses this principle. This provides four-wheel drive without complication of mechanical transmission.

The vehicles, hybrids according to the importance of the electrical part and how it is combined with the engine. The nomenclature varies depending on sources and manufacturers, the most used is:

• The Micro Hybrid solution, corresponding to the lowest level of hybridization, is illustrated by Stop & Start system available on the Citroen C2 and C3. It is a reversible electric motor fulfilling the roles of starter and alternator on a conventional car, combined with the automatic shut the engine when the vehicle stops, thereby substantially reducing the consumption of urban route ( and only there).

• The Mild Hybrid are an intermediate level of hybridization. The Urban Hybrid system called PSA (concept car-C5 Airscape) is a stop & start the extended functionality that can also provide regenerative braking (the electric motor operates as a generator and provides additional engine braking torque) and provide an extra power to help occasions, the energy is stored in the meantime in batteries or super capacitors. Comparable technologies exist at BMW, Honda (Honda Insight) or Ford.