The S Sedan does 0 - 60 in 5.6 seconds,  and get’s 300 miles per charge. People looking for a performance sedan in this price range, can reserve the car here. So why aren’t other manufacturers designing beautiful electric or hybrid cars like this?

In addition to our usual posts, we are looking for guest participants to contribute on our blog.  If you are interested, feel free to comment on this post or email us at dumpitinthepump |at| gmail.com.

Guest bloggers will have an open forum to share news, stories, rants and raves for all things related to the energy crisis, green energy, solar energy, oil supply, gas prices, etc…  We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Turbocharging is usually associated with increasing horsepower in smaller engines. Auto makers such as Ford are looking to turbo as a way to reduce engine size in some of their most popular models in order to increase fuel economy while maintaining the same performance levels.

The two biggest hurdles automakers must overcome in order for this to have a realistic impact are lowering the octane standards required by turbo engines,  and managing how the fuel is delivered to the engine (so lead-footed drivers don’t burn too much gas from large boosts by flooring the pedal).

Currently, most turbocharged engines require high octane gas in order to maintain parts in the turbine (bearings and other fast moving parts). Auto-makers will have to figure out how to make turbos work and last with lower octane fuels if they want to sell them on a large scale.

The problem of drivers calling on the turbo for large spurts of  power may be the most expensive to solve, as it would require a redesigned engine management system.

The video below shows a quick demonstration of how turbo works.

The F3DM is run by a fully electric motor and has a range of 60 miles per charge. That might not seem too impressive but along with the electric motor comes a small gas powered engine used to recharge the battery while in transit. This feature distinguishes the F3DM from other all electric prototypes like the Chevy Volt or Tesla Roadster. Ironically, the F3DM’s range will still end up depending on a tank of gas.

The other big difference between the F3DM and the Chevy Volt is the price. The F3DM is expected to start at around $22,000, where the Chevy Volt is expected to come in around $40,000.

Being a pioneer in lithium-ion battery innovation, BYD has an edge over its competitors when it comes to safe battery life. One of the concerning hazards of fully electric cars is the volatility of their batteries, specifically the possibility that they catch fire and explode. BYD claims their new batteries are the safest and most efficient produced to date, as they have spent more than 10 years perfecting the technology for cell phones and other small electronics.

*Thanks to easyCGI for finally figuring out how to work with Wordpress like other hosting companies.

The electric Cayman will dish out about 200 bhp with an expected 0 - 60 time under 4 seconds, making it faster that the Tesla Roadster. The Porsche will have less horsepower, but the better acceleration is expected to come from its high torque output (324 ft-pounds).

What we’re really interested in, is the sound this electric Porsche will produce.

And then..

At any rate, we’ve been on a slight break. It seems most other blogs in our realm have been too, except for those with tons of unpaid writers throwing up content for them.

So what’s new in the energy/green/oil world?  Terrorism, Tidal, bleak alternatives.

Thanks to those participating on our new Forum - The more suggestions for topics the better!

Fast forward to 2:25 in the video below and you will hear a sound similar to the modified Delorean from Back To The Future.

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While this sound isn’t like the Porsche, its not necessarily worse. It sounds great. It sounds powerful and futuristic. Could this be as strong a selling point as the engine sound from the Porsche?

Let’s think about another pro of the electric engine. Take a look, and listen to the video below.

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Can you imagine walking down the street in New York City with 100% electric automobiles trafficking the streets? This would have an incredible impact on noise pollution in dense metro areas.

Let’s do another poll:

If hybrid cars looked better, I might consider buying one. Maybe they are designed to appear economical. Maybe the buyers of these cars are not concerned with styling, so no effort is put into it and cost is then reduced. Maybe manufacturers saw how successful Toyota was with the Prius so they decide dumpy looking cares are the way to go. Who knows. The point is, they are ugly and we would love to know the reason why.

The Insight will start being sold in the US this coming April, 2009. The biggest perk about the Insight will be its price. The Insight will start at $18,500 which will make it the least expensive hybrid available. Honda is able to sell at this price point because of cost reductions from the use of their “Motor Assist” hybrid technology, and also because they spent a total of 3 man hours on its styling.

Style, economy, and performance can come together - enter the Lightning GT. Hopefully hybrid car makers can take a turn towards more attractive looking cars sometime in the near future.

So what is this plan being pushed and what are the perceived benefits? In short, the plan is to lift the ban on offshore drilling to bring down the price of gasoline for Americans. A secondary goal is to raise $84 billion for alternative energy and conservation funds. This money would start accumulating immediately once exploration begins, as oil companies will no longer be eligible for a manufacturing tax credit. It’s as simple as that…

Now, what are the realistic expectations Americans should have about this plan?

• It will be 10 years before oil will start to be pumped into refinery pipelines, from the point the exploring begins.
• Oil will start being pumped out in 10 years, but maximum capacity isn’t expected to be reached until 2030.
• As the oil is pumped from these new leases, it will just be auctioned off into the global market, and the highest bidder will buy the oil. It will not be set aside solely for Americans, unless we are planning to change the way we participate in free global markets.
• Even though the plan projects to raise $84 billion for alternative energy projects, drilling in these off-limit areas will risk serious environmental damage to our coastlines.

With those kinds of expectations, you may wonder why there is even a debate. Well, it comes down to votes. The fear of continued high gas prices may lead voters to choose whatever candidate tells them their plan will reduce prices at the pump.

A recent WSJ/ABC News poll revealed voters’ stances on how they feel about about expanding offshore drilling:

Obama Voters

Right Direction: 41% Unsure: 14% Wrong Direction: 45%

McCain Voters

Right Direction: 88% Unsure: 4% Wrong Direction: 8%

Undecided Voters

Right Direction: 61% Unsure: 17% Wrong Direction: 23%

Those numbers look a little concerning. Our two nominees should start focusing on realistic alternatives to gas price reduction, instead of lobbying for whatever plan gains traction at the polls.

We’re interested to see what DumpItInThePump readers think about this issue. Let us know!