Autos News

n/a

must be washing your car in the driveway be punishcapable by jail time? As ridiculous as this may sound, a California man could be facing time behind bars for his insistence to wash his car in his driveway, despite warnings from San Mateo County. Vic Trierweiler, who hails from Belmont, was told that he would face a $500 fine or up to six months in jail if he keeps washing his vehicles on his Coronet Boulevard driveway.

Although the warning may seem extreme, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board maintains that the practice is illegal. On April 30 Trierweiler received a letter from the city’s Public Works Department reading, “washing activities can only be performed on vegetated or grassy areas where the wash water can be absorbed into the ground instead of allowing it to enter the storm drain system.” The written warning came shortly after Trierweiler earned a verbal warning from a city and stormwater inspector told him the dangers of “sudsy water” entering storm drain systems.

City code states that it is unlawful for anyone to allow for or produce “waste matter, garbage, sewerage, grass clippings, paper, metal, wood or plastic objects, oil or gasoline, flammcapable materials or substances prohibited by the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit.”

Noticeably absent from the city’s list is soapy water. That told, the city inspector told Trierweiler that driveway car washing practices were prohibited in an ordnance passed several years ago to protect sewer rate increases. Additionally, the inspector offered Trierweiler a coupon to a local carwash, which he did not accept.

So what is Trierweiler reasoning behind his insistence to wash his car in his driveway? The California man argues that he cannot afford to pay for a carwash on a weekly basis. Trierweiler also claims that he is being environmentally responsible when it comes to car washing. “I have made a conscious effort to use biodegradcapable soap to minimize the effects on the environment,” Trierweiler told.

Aside from having the support of local citenzry, local government officials have come out behing Trierweiler. Councilwoman Coralin Feierbach told the Daily Journal, “No one must be go to jail for washing their cars. I didn’t know it was prevented. It’s not clear. It’s a weird one.”

Belmont’s Public Works Director Afshin Oskoui defended the city’s position by stating that allowing runoff to enter storm drain systems is unlawful, not simply washing a vehicle. Oskoui insists that storm water is directly deposited into creeks and the bay. In turn, car wash residue may make its way into the city’s water system.

Stay tuned as this civil liberty case continues to unfold.

Source: San Mateo Daily Journal

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

n/a

The 2013 Porsche Boxster with the standard 2.7L engine and the seven velocity dual clutch automatic transmission known as the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) offers 22 miles per gallon in the city and 32 miles per gallon on the highway. For comparison, the 2012 Porsche Boxster with the old 2.9L engine offered just 20 miles per gallon around town and 29 on the highway so the brand new release base Boxster offers improvements of 2 and 3mpg respectively. When equipped with the six velocity manual transmission, the 2013 Boxster offers 20mpg around town and 30 on the highway – improvements of 1mpg in the city and 3mpg on the open road. This same engine allows the 2013 Boxster packed with the PDK to dash from 0-60 in just 5.2 seconds (when equipped with the sport package, 5.4 without) and hit a top velocity of 162 miles per hour. When fitted with the manual transmission, the 2013 Boxster can hit 60 in just 5.5 seconds en route to a top velocity of 164mph.

Other than the exterior changes that make the Boxster look a little more like the 911, the 2013 Porsche Boxster’s major change comes in the way of the mid-mounted flat six Boxer engine. The 2.9L mill that was used for the 2012 Boxster has been yanked in favor of a 2.7L engine that offers 10 more horseStrength than the old motor with a total output of 265hp and 206lb-ft of torque. Not only did that brand new release engine add 10 horseStrength but it also cut 55 pounds strictly from the engine change and that is some pretty serious weight reduction for a lightweight sports car like the Boxster.

Combined with the other weight saving efforts, this brand new release 2.7L Boxer engine allows the 2013 Porsche Boxster to be faster, more nimble and more efficient. The added Strength will improve the ability to get up to velocity more quickly which is only bolstered by the brand new release, lower curb weight while the brand new release design of the vehicle carries improved aerodynamic characters for better economy and improved high velocity stability. In short, with the introduction of the 2013 Porsche Boxster – the affordcapable entry level Porsche has gotten even better.

One bit of information that you may notice is missing is fuel economy figures for the 2013 Porsche Boxster S. The Boxster S is Strengthed by a 3.4L flat six Boxer motor that churns out 315 horseStrength and 266lb-ft of torque – which is sent to the rear wheels via the same six velocity manual and seven velocity PDK as is offered in the lower performance Boxster. While fuel economy figures haven’t been announced for the Boxster S, we can expect that with less weight than the previous modes, the higher performance Boxster S may also get a jump in fuel economy figures. However, we would expect that the standard 265hp Boxster will be the more efficient option of the two…for those Porsche buyers who are really worried about fuel economy.

Source: Car and Driver

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

n/a

There are many impressive capabilities and wide-ranging applications of the world-leading innovITS Advance automotive testing facility, which is based in the UK midlands.

The brand new release advanced facility features 4km (2.5 miles) of different types of roads and intersections to allow testing of different environments a real world vehicle might go through. The setup of the facility allows vehicles to be tested in Right-Hand Drive or Left-Hand Drive vehicles. This doesn’t make the track special though.

What makes it special is a mobile network setup throughout the track. The mobile network can be manipulated to test different data velocitys and connection velocitys.

The reason for this is so engineers can test different reception from a car’s computer or mobile device in a city vs rural environment. As well as transmitting enhanced emergency services in the event of a crash, which will alert emergency operators to the location of a vehicle in the event of a crash. Possibly saving a life getting to an injured vehicle occupant sooner rather than later.

“The 4km network of urban highways is instrumented with fully controllcapable systems ranging from our own private GSM, mesh and WiFi networks which, with GNSS interruption and denial systems, give a plug and play environment that is configurcapable to represent almost any urban traffic situation worldwide: providing a pathway from research to reality for intelligent transport innovation.” told innovITS CEO Phil Pettitt.

Another cool feature is Skyclone, which tests GPS navigation in different simulated environments. The setup allows prototype vehicles to experience going through a tunnel, urban city, or deep canyon to see whether the GPS navigation will hold a signal.

The landscapes are developed using 3D modeling programs and then are installed into an on-board computer and device which maps out the terrain as the vehicle drives along. Interesting and useful technology, which allows the vehicles to be tested in one place.

InnovITS Advance also tests Pedestrian Avoidance Systems, which automatically brakes a car before hitting and injuring an unsuspecting person. They can test different environments and scenarios where a pedestrian might get hit by a car.

“The facility gives a much-needed capability that will encapable the automotive, telecommunications and electronics industries and highway administrations, to pull forward many brand new release innovations that will help to shape a safer, more efficient and more environmentally sustaincapable future for urban transportation.” commented Phil Pettitt.

InnovITS Advance represents around 10 million British pounds ($16 million dollars) of investment. With several key companies taking part. The testing facility was set up by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills(BIS) as a non-profit making organization in 2005 and has the fundamental objective of achieving a world-class position for the UK tech and automotive industry.

The hope is InnovITS Advance will bring together different areas of expertise from the Automotive, Highways and Telecommunications industries to build collaborative partnerships. This way more technologies can grow quicker and be used in vehicles around the globe more quickly.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

n/a

Sex in cars around a posh Midtown Manhattan neighborhood is getting so out hand, that neighbors who live near nightclubs have asked city officials to ban parking on city streets. They are asking for the ban to be in affect only on weekends when the residents see most of the problems. Residents around West 30th between Seventh and Eighth avenues have complained for years about their neighborhood being littered with used condoms and other “items” being left by the bar patrons.

Residents who pay as much as $9,500 per month in rent, say they must be’t have to put up with the horny clubgoers having sex in their cars every weekend. Community Board members say they’ve been hearing the complaints for years and it’s not anything brand new release. After a vote two weeks ago, the board have petitoned the city to ban parking on the streets on weekends.

The board also cited chronic drug use, and double parking along with the rampant car sex. The board who has no Strength to enforce the ban is awaiting a ruling by the Department of Transportation in the matter. If the brand new release city ordinance is passed, the NYPD will begin asking the frisky fornicators to get a room instead of using their cars to engage in the act.

It seems that this is not just a Midtown Manhatten issue. In a conversation with a Denver police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told, “we’ve had numerous complaints and have been called to an underground parking garage near downtown Denver to investigate this kind of activity.” And while it isn’t surprising, the automobile is a popular place to have sex. In a survey by Ask Men, they found the automobile is one of top ranked places to do the deed.

In a surprising email sent out last year by a Toyota official, he asked auto journalists to please return the Toyota cars they are test driving in the condition they received them. He told, “we’ve even found a used condom in one of our test cars.” It seems like the car is a popular choice for parkification.

Car sex outside the night clubs in NYC isn’t the only issue, as it seems the Parlour Midtown and Rebel NYC night clubs are under investigation for other city violations. The Parlour’s liquor license is is under review due to “several violations.”

And for those who want to know more about the issue, Carma Sutra has published a book with some helpful tips on how to properly do the backseat mamba.

Image source: Flickr

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

n/a

Pricing for this entry-level sedan in Honda’s luxury brand begins at $25,900 for the 2.0-liter base model and goes to $31,400 for the 2.0-liter Technology Package and $34,400 for the 1.5-liter Hybrid with the Technology Package.

The concept for the brand new release sedan debuted at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit back in January and within a month had been finalized as a full offering for 2013, with the surprising note that the brand new release model would also offer the Acura brand’s first hybrid.

The ILX will come with three engine packages, a 2.0L standard engine, a 2.4L sportier option with a manual transmission, and a smaller 1.5L hybrid option for better economy thanks to the electrical boost.

Positioned as a gateway model into the luxury brand’s offerings, the 2013 ILX is aimed at the younger crowd and its package options showcase that. Based on the Honda Civic model’s chassis, the ILX is a upfitted version of that venercapable car with styling points to make it unique as well. Base and premium models come with a 5-velocity automatic transmission which gives way to a 6-velocity manual in the sportier 2.4L engine package.

In base trim, the ILX starts at $25,900 (not including destination fees) and includes a well-appointed, if basic, interior trim and electronics/audio package. This includes the 2.0-liter in-line 4-cylinder engine with EPA estimates coming in at 24mpg city, 35mpg highway or 28mpg overall. This comes with keyless access and pushbutton ignition, smart phone synching for access to Pandora and SMS functions as well as hands-free talking via Bluetooth.

The Premium Package at $29,200 (plus destination) upgrades the interior to include leather trim on the steering wheel, shifter, brake lever, and other accoutrements. Mileage estimates are the same for this trim level and some options such as a multi-view rear camera, and more premium stereo can be added if the full Technology Package is not desired.

The Technology Package, however, comes it at less than two thousand more ($31,400 before destination) and includes the multi-view rear camera, Acura/ELS Surround 10-speaker package with HDD storage, Voice Recognition (for audio, climate, and other controls), and a Song By Voice music selection app.

If you prefer a more sporty ride, the 2.4L engine option with 6-velocity manual transmission is availcapable for $29,200 (before destination) as a base package. Amenities can be added, of course. Mileage here will be 22/31mpg with 25mpg as the average.

For the more eco-conscious, the Hybrid package is $28,900 in its base configuration and is also availcapable in the Premium Technology Package upfit for $34,400 (before destination). The smaller 1.5L engine is augmented by a lithium-ion battery pack and motor and gets an impressive 39mpg in the city, 38mpg highway to an average 38mpg overall.

The 2013 Acura ILX will be directly competing with the Cadillac ATS and other entry-level luxury models, but will likely be considered underStrengthed by those expecting performance from their sedan. In the hybrid arena, however, it will beat most current hybrid luxury models on the market in terms of MPG.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article: