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California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception {Engadget}
Oct 13th 2009 11:22AM I'd like to call bs on this. A few months ago I got the windows tinted on my Prius. I tinted all the rears windows and hatch back in accordance with California state law.
When I got my tinting done I was given the option to spend an extra $80 to upgrade to ceramic based tint instead of metallic tint. Benefits of the upgrade are greater efficiency of the tint (keeps the car cooler than the same darkness level of metallic tint) and no interference with radio devices. I opted for the ceramic because I like efficiency (hence the Prius) and I also like gadgets (again, hence the Prius). I have built in bluetooth hands free as well as built in GPS in the car and I am an occasional ham radio operator. I have never had any problem whatsoever with the ceramic tint and my radio devices.
So why don't we hear people talking about using the ceramic based window treatment versus the metallic? Because it doesn't make for exciting headlines like "OH NOES, CALI TREE HUGGERS KILL FUN FOR EVERYONE AND PUPPIES!"
The CARB decision, unlike some of CARB's other decisions (Hydrogen vs. Electric, anyone?), is smart and well intentioned. Mass production of ceramic based tint will bring the price down, and smart engineering will solve the rest. I've often wondered why it wasn't already a requirement for all cars to come with some greater degree of window tint. Good tinting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make your car more comfortable and efficient regardless of whether it's a hybrid or a Hummer. Most SUVs come tinted - why not the rest?
Spy Shots: Is this the 2011/2012 BMW 1 Series? {Autoblog}
May 28th 2009 11:49PM Those tail lights remind me of the ones on the Think City. http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/thinkcity.jpg
Jeremy Clarkson on Honda Insight: Possibly the worst new car money can buy {Autoblog Green}
May 19th 2009 6:42PM @augustus
I found the noise of the engine itself to not be that bad, however the overall cabin noise on the freeway was noticeably louder than the Prius. The Insight is smaller, and clearly has less sound dampening as another way to cut costs. In regards to the poor gas/electric integration I didn't have too much of a problem with it. It felt sluggish off the line as the motors figured themselves out, something I've noticed in all Honda IMA cars I've driven, but nothing that you couldn't get used to with time.
The only other harshness I noticed after that was putting my foot down to get on the freeway where at one point I could feel something happen where presumably the electric motor realized it had some work to do. One of my biggest dislikes of Honda's IMA system in general is the lack of versatility of electric mode like Toyota's HSD. I feel that if the Insight used a system like HSD, it would be able to get much better mileage given the smaller size and lower weight of the Insight as compared to the Prius.
@slk23
I completely agree about the quality of the fit and finish of the materials. I think that the Insight will not be the ideal "people's hybrid" that Honda wants it to be. For that, I think we'll have to wait until Hyundai releases a hybrid. Hyundai can do cheap the right way. Honda was once able to but just seems to have forgotten how and it really shows in the new Insight.
Jeremy Clarkson on Honda Insight: Possibly the worst new car money can buy {Autoblog Green}
May 19th 2009 12:36PM Full disclosure: I own a Prius, I'm very pro-EV (active member of Plug In America), I'm a Top Gear fan, and I'm a fan of the original Honda Insight.
Jeremy Clarkson is right. I test drove the new Insight last week and I was very disappointed. It felt like somebody took a low end Civic and a Chevy Aveo and put them together. The interior was a sea of strangely laid-out hard plastic. The seats were uncomfortable and felt very cramped even though I had just come out of test driving a Smart ForTwo, which felt much more spacious than the Insight. The car was not particularly powerful or sporty feeling, merging onto the freeway it felt almost unstable. You get what you pay for I suppose, and if saving a few bucks on the price of a Prius, Civic Hybrid, Civic GX is that important to you and you still want a hybrid then I suppose the Insight is your car.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a 1.5TB Drobo! {Engadget}
Mar 24th 2009 12:09PM Electric cars and infrastructure (particularly transit/rail) spending! That's the way to fix it!
Techspansion closes, VisualHub discontinued {The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)}
Oct 3rd 2008 1:52PM I'm an assistant film editor and I use VisualHub as part of my job. It's really a big shame to see it abandoned. I hope the developer chooses to open source it at least - because it's an important part of my workflow and I'd hate to see it disappear.
Mitsubishi could launch i MiEV retail sales in mid-2009 {Autoblog Green}
Jul 10th 2008 12:08PM I don't think the i (MiEV or otherwise) would have a hard time passing US safety regulations since it is very similar to the Smart, just longer. In fact, the petrol i even uses the same engine as the Smart if memory serves. I remember hearing something about the fact that it may need to be made slightly wider for the Australian market, so that may hold true for the US as well. Either way, if Mitsubishi wants to sell that car in the states (and I sure hope they do, because I want to buy one), then they can make it happen.
Tesla confirms Model S sedan, 225-mile range and $60k {Autoblog}
Jun 30th 2008 5:04PM Because he's actually getting one of the first 10 Tesla Roadsters. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/all-amped-up/
Reagan's Ex-Secretary of State asks Gov. Schwarzenegger to bring back the electric car {Autoblog Green}
Mar 27th 2008 4:09PM If anyone wants to watch or listen to the live feed from the CARB meeting, go here: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?bdo=1
FCC redefines "broadband" to mean 768Kbps, "fast" to mean "kinda slow" {Engadget}
Mar 19th 2008 8:31PM Unfortunately it is high if you live in a rural area like I do. Well, if you can count northern Los Angeles County as rural. I have a choice of Hughesnet, Wildblue, or a fly-by-night company called Digitron. Hughesnet (who I have) starts at 700Kbps. I buy a small business package that is 1.5Mbps down/300Kbps up and costs $100/mo plus $600 in equipment and installation. Wildblue starts at 512Kbps/128Kbps and the highest level of service they offer is 1.5Mbps/256Kbps. Digitron starts at 512Kbps (with no mention of upload speeds) and maxes out at 1500Mbps. And if that's not bad enough Hughesnet and Wildblue impose asinine Fair Access Policies which for me (and I pay extra for increased capacity) means I can only transfer 500MB in a 24 hour period. The base plan only allows you 200MB.
So this FCC bump, while it may not seem like much to those who can get cable, DSL, or fibre, is a big deal to those of us who are more limited. It will force our small selection of providers to get with the times and upgrade their equipment and impose fewer limits.
