Algae slime makes good “Fuel” for moviegoers

For an alternative perspective on the future of the automobile, it may help to look at an alternative film. “Fuel” by Josh Tickle is a thought-provoking documentary that examines America’s addiction to oil and what we can do about it.
 
Tickle does a good job of keeping the serious subject rather upbeat and hopeful, as he travels the world in his so-called Veggie Van, fueled by used vegetable oil. The film is engaging and friendly, cajoling audiences into sympathy with its message, not browbeating them.
 
Tickle is a fan of biodiesel, and a lot of the movie is focused on that fuel. Biodiesel is a promising alternative that until recently had problems only with scalability. It worked terrifically for the few consumers who made the commitment to use it, but it looked difficult to supply enough to fuel more than a million or so of America’s roughly 240 million cars. (Read “Diesel vs. biodiesel vs. vegetable oil.”)
 
“Fuel” also documents the growth of the algae biofuel movement, which promises to create economies of scale that biofuels have not had before. (We’ll look into this fuel movement and share our own findings later.)
 
Statistics on alternative fuels are notoriously squishy. Different studies show different advantages. But as a student of these studies, Tickle’s numbers are within the range of those cited by neutral sources, unlike those of some other documentaries on the automotive industry.
 
That’s not to say the movie doesn’t occasionally paint a rosy picture. As with other documentaries, its problems are more of omission, rather than commission. Framing the discussion around biofuels results in a myopic exclusion of any discussion of fuel cells, batteries, or the micro-level economics fundamental to most American families.
 
For example, after it spends a significant amount of time interviewing officials and citizens of some European countries moving off of oil, and noting how they may pay less for biodiesel than for petroleum-based fuel, it fails to mention that consumers in the United States almost always pay more.
 
And “Fuel” misses the point that the government is now heavily subsidizing the development and distribution of electric cars and plug-in hybrids to wean the U.S. off of oil. And while it touches on the future of wind and solar power, it never mentions the fact that these alternatives also need advanced batteries that can piggy-back off the development of new batteries for cars.
 
One amazing statistic in the film compares the cost of funding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (to protect American access to oil, the film posits) with the cost of providing enough solar panels to meet the electricity needs of every household in the United States. Based on our check of government and solar industry figures, the cost would be about $350 billion, or about three years of averaged war funding. (Admittedly, the issue is more complex than pure dollars, but it is an interesting bit of trivia, nonetheless.)
 
Accepting the biodiesel emphasis for what it is, leaves an informative and engaging documentary. It raises interesting questions worth considering, and it’s worth seeing even for those who consider themselves pretty well informed on alternative fuel issues.

—Eric Evarts

First Impression: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

Starting in 1991, Honda Accord wagons began to roam American roads, but these practical cars disappeared from our market after just a few years. The rising popularity of SUVs, fueled by the emergence of “crossovers” based on car platforms, saw wagon-minded customers move to Honda’s CR-V and Pilot, as well as dozens of competitors. Now, history is about to repeat itself with import wagon-like vehicles making a revival, even if their sloping styling isn’t as practical as the Accord and Toyota Camry wagons of yore. Think of the Accord Tourer as Honda’s answer to the Toyota Venza.
 
Honda will return to the hatchback/wagon market this fall with several new model variants, including the Accord Crosstour. In addition, Acura is introducing a ZDX model derived from the MDX platform, and the luxury brand has recently announced it will also offer a TSX wagon (a wagon version of the Accord sold elsewhere in the world, called the Accord Tourer).
 
The front- or all-wheel-drive Crosstour will come only with a 271-hp, 3.5-liter V6 mated to a five-speed automatic. Three trim lines are available: base EX, EX-L, and EX-L Navi. All-wheel drive will be optional on the EX-L and EX-L Navi, making this the first Accord model to offer AWD.
 
The Accord Crosstour has created Internet buzz as due to its polarizing styling. We’ll leave that to you to debate. More importantly, we recently spent a day behind the wheel of the Crosstour, and we found the beauty is on the inside—with a familiar, Accord cabin with added versatility. However, the added functionality doesn’t rival a true wagon.
  
Behind the wheel
Unsurprisingly, the driving experience is much like the sedan, though I found the additional rear mass evident at times. The standard automatic has two “sporty” new features: gear-hold based on lateral G forces and rpm rev-matching when downshifting. The Crosstour feels, to me, far less sporty than the Accord sedan or coupe, cars where this technology might be more appreciated.
 
According to Honda, fuel economy according to the EPA is 18 city, 27 highway, for the front-wheel-drive Crosstour, while the AWD version will be slightly worse at 17 city, 25 highway.
 
Inside, the cabin is very much standard Accord fare, and any owner switching from an Accord coupe or sedan to the Crosstour will feel at home. The cargo area is roomy, measuring 55.7 inches at its widest point. A nifty feature, the carpeted floor lids can be flipped over to expose a hard plastic surface that is good for transporting dirty items. Underneath the panels is a removable 1.9 cubic-foot cargo box with two handles, making it easy to carry some items from the vehicle. 

The 60/40-split rear seats can be folded from the cargo area using one-touch levers, but when the seats are folded the narrowest point of the cargo area—just 31 inches across—becomes readily evident. While the Crosstour isn’t designed to carry sheets of plywood, this narrow area is something buyers should be aware of.
 
When the Crosstour goes on sale on November 20th, the base front-wheel drive EX model will start at $29,670. The Crosstour EX-L will have an MSRP of $32,570, which grows to $34,770 for the Navi version. All-wheel drive versions start at $34,020, with the Navi-equipped ones starting at $36,220.
 
—Jon Linkov

Consumer Reports 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey – Who’s up and who’s down

Ford has secured its position as the only Detroit automaker with world-class reliability, according to Consumer Reports’ 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey. About 90 percent (46 of 51) of Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln products were found to have average or better reliability. The results now available online in the car types pages, new car selector, and on the model overview pages—all available to online subscribers.
 
Ford’s sustained production of vehicles that are as dependable—or better than—some of the industry’s best dispels the notion that only Japanese manufacturers make reliable cars. Other than the Toyota Prius, the reliability of the four-cylinder Fusion and Milan ranks higher than that of any other family sedan. Both of those Ford Motor Company products continue to beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, while the upscale Lincoln MKZ tops its rivals, the Acura TL and Lexus ES.
 
The findings are based on responses on 1.4 million vehicles owned or leased by subscribers to Consumer Reports or its Web site—the biggest response in the Annual Auto Survey’s history. Consumer Reports’ expert team of statisticians and automotive engineers used the survey data to predict reliability of new 2010 models. Predicted reliability is CR’s forecast of how well models currently on sale are likely to hold up. 
 
Other key findings:

The Lin­coln division has had mixed results: some models score below their Ford equivalents. All-wheel-drive versions of the Lincoln MKS, MKX, and MKZ are below average.
 
The least reliable vehicle, the Volk­swagen Touareg, is 27 times more likely to have a problem than the most reliable car, the Honda Insight.
 
Twenty of 37 small cars have above-average predicted-reliabil­ity including the Honda Fit, Scion xD and Volkswagen Golf.
 
Even good brands falter. Among the least reliable vehicles in their respective classes are the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS, the Nissan Versa sedan, and the Subaru Impreza WRX. The Lexus GS AWD is the only Toyota mod­el with below average reliability.
 
Some newer GM products are bright spots. Overall 20 of the 48 GM models Consumer Reports surveyed have aver­age reliability scores. (GM has a number of strong contenders either just released or in the pipeline, but they are too new for CR to have reliability data on them.)
 
More than one-third of Chrysler products are much worse than average, including its new car-based SUV, the Dodge Journey. Last year, Consumers Reports couldn’t Recom­mend any of its products either because of mediocre performance, poor reliability scores, or both. However, this year CR can rec­ommend: the four-wheel-drive ver­sion of the redesigned Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.
 
Of the 48 models with top reliability scores, 36 are Asian—Toyota ac­counts for 18; Honda, eight; Nissan, four; and Hyundai/Kia and Subaru, three each.

With only a few exceptions, Japanese vehicles are consistently good. All Honda and Acura products have average or above average reliability.

Hyundai and Kia continue to make reliable cars. The Hyundai Elantra and Tucson, and the Kia Sportage get top marks. Only Kia’s Sedona minivan and Sorento SUV score below average.

European brands continue to improve. Mercedes-Benz has significantly rebound­ed, with most models average or better. Scores from rival BMW are more mixed.

Volkswagen and Audi are also staging a nice reliability recovery. The Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf) and the new CC earn top scores.

Porsche has one serious hic­cup this year: The Boxster drops to below average, which strikes it from Consumer Reports Recom­mended list. But the Cayenne SUV im­proved to average.

Full reliability history charts and predicted-reliability ratings on hundreds of 2010 models, plus a list of what’s up and what’s down, best and worst models, and a comparison chart of brands can be found online in the Guide to Reliability, in the December issue of Consumer Reports, and in the latest Consumer Reports Cars publication, Best & Worst for 2010 on sale November 17, 2009, everywhere magazines are sold.

GM ready to unload Hummer

General Motors is now one step closer to selling off the Hummer brand to Chinese company Tengzhong. Today GM announced that they are in a definitive agreement that will allow Tengzhong to acquire the Hummer brand and trademarks as well as rights to manufacture Hummer vehicles. Tengzhong will own 80 percent stake in the company and a private entrepreneur will hold the remaining 20 percent.

Part of the agreement requires Hummer to contract manufacturing and other services to GM for a period of time. The H3 and H3T will continue to be built in the Shreveport, Louisiana plant and the H2 at the Mishawaka Indiana plant until June 2011 with a possible one year extension. This is good news to the 3,000 plant workers who will continue to be employed.

Once the deal is final, Hummer is expected to offer an alternative power train in each model, E85 capability in the 2010 H3 and H3T, and the potential for a diesel engine in the H3 for markets outside of the U.S.

While the financial details were not officially announced, Bloomberg is reporting the sale is worth about $150 million, which is quite a bit less than the $500 million General Motors said it was seeking during bankruptcy proceedings. It looks like the collapse in negotiations for Saturn last week spurred GM to consider a lower price to keep this deal from falling through as well.

—Liza Barth 

Record low traffic fatalities so far in 2009

The National Transportation Safety Board recently reported a 9 percent decrease in deaths from 2007 to 2008. Now a new report shows that traffic fatalities are continuing their downward slide in 2009.

New data (pdf) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that traffic fatalities reached a record low the first half of 2009—down 7 percent over the same time last year. NHTSA estimates 16, 626 people died on U.S roads between January and June, down from 17,871 fatalities in 2008. By quarter, fatalities dropped about 10 percent in the first quarter and 4 percent in the second.

Traffic fatalities have been declining steadily since 2005. One reason, which could be attributed to the economy, is that people are traveling less. The Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled dropped by 6.1 billion miles—about a 0.4 percent decrease for the first half of 2009. Even standardizing for miles traveled, the fatality rate declined to 1.15 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles down from 1.23 fatalities in 2008.

Another reason for the decrease in deaths has been the increase in safer vehicles on the road. Side- and curtain air bags are becoming more commonly offered as standard equipment, which help to better protect occupants in crashes. Active safety technologies such as lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, and adaptive cruise control are also becoming more prevalent, which helps drivers to avoid accidents all together. For more information on car safety, see our guide.

—Liza Barth 

Plane crash reminds of need for parking brakes

Brooke Shields and Jim Belushi were involved in a minor plane crash last Friday, highlighting a key safety message for pilots and car drivers: be sure to set the parking brake, or place tire chocks. There were no injuries, though egos were likely bruised.

It turns out after the twin-engined Cessna light plane, ferrying the stars to a party at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Calif., landed safely, the pilot reportedly forgot to essentially set the parking brake. The plane rolled into a nearby parked SUV, shearing off its mirror. It’s not every day you find planes crashing into cars--and everyone living.

Parking brakes, also called emergency brakes, are required by law to be installed on cars and work on a different system than the standard brake pedal. The emergency brake system ensures the car will have some stopping ability even if the hydraulic brakes fail. Usually the emergency brake is cable operated and works only on the rear wheels.

If you have to engage the emergency brake, in a panic situation, do so slowly, as a sudden yank in a turn could cause the car to spin. (Admittedly, some people do this for daredevil entertainment, but it is unsafe on public roads.) In case of an emergency, don’t hesitate to engage the e-brake if your hydraulic brake system fails, as the less-powerful parking brake will take much longer to stop the car.

As the pilot of Brooke Shield’s plane learned, setting the emergency brake when parking is also important. In cars with a manual transmission, it provides an important backstop if you forget to leave the car in gear, and when you step on the clutch to restart the car.

Even in cars with automatic transmissions, setting the parking brake can help prevent the car from rolling downhill and make it easier to get the car back out of Park after you restart it.

However, since they’re cable operated, parking brakes have a tendency to seize if left on for long periods of time or in wet or snowy conditions. In those cases, parking on a level surface or in a garage, and leaving the car in gear can minimize the need to set the parking brake.

Maybe if Ms. Shields had been driving her Volkswagen Routan, this wouldn’t have happened.

—Eric Evarts

Life after cash for clunkers: September auto sales

The much-publicized cash for clunkers program gave a shot of adrenaline to car sales this summer, inspiring purchases even from consumers who did not participate. With the $3 billion spent in moving people into more fuel-efficient vehicles, the question became, what would become of the market without the federal incentives? The answer: September sales figures show that all manufacturers saw a significant 35 to over 50 percent sales decrease compared to August. But--and here’s the good news--when compared to last September, a few manufacturers actually saw a sales increase, including Hyundai, Kia, and Subaru.

Here are the sales trends among the largest automakers:

Chrysler: Still struggling post bankruptcy, Chrysler saw a 42-percent decrease over last September and down 40 percent for the calendar year so far.

Ford: Helped by a sales surge from the redesigned Taurus, Ford showed only a small decrease of five percent over September 2008, but so far this year they are down 22 percent.

GM: Low inventory levels after the clunker program pushed General Motors to a decrease of 45 percent over last year and 36 percent decrease so far for 2009.

Honda: With a decrease in sales almost across the board (except the Pilot, which showed a small increase), Honda sales were down 23 percent over last year and 24 percent so far this year.

Hyundai: Continues to enjoy growth and increase market share. They reported a 27 percent increase over last September and a 1.4 increase year to date.

Nissan: Sales for September were down 7 percent over last year and 26 percent year to date. A number of vehicles, including the Nissan Maxima, 370Z, Pathfinder, and Frontier, as well as the Infiniti QX56, saw a gain over last year.

Subaru: Attributing its success to the redesigned Outback and Legacy models, Subaru saw an increase of 1 percent over last September and continues to have the highest sales percent increase of any manufacturer--up 10 percent for the calendar year so far.

Toyota: Overall sales were down 16 percent from last year and 27 percent year to date, but the Lexus division saw an increase of 7 percent over September 2008.

Even with help from last month’s cash for clunkers program, manufacturers are still struggling this year. As they enter the fourth quarter, we should see some more promotions and rebates to help drive up sales before the end of the year.

—Liza Barth 

Distracted driver summit

Today starts a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., to address the dangers of driving while texting and other distractions behind the wheel. The event coordinated by the Department of Transportation will bring together government officials, educators, researchers, technology experts, and law enforcement officers to address the issues and risks and determine what type of action is needed to help combat this growing safety problem.

Driving while texting has become an increasingly important topic as recent data found that texting is significantly more risky than using a cell phone while driving. So far, 18 states plus the District of Columbia have banned text messaging while driving. In addition, new drivers are banned from texting in nine states (Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in the state of Texas. The Cars blog will be monitoring the summit and will bring you the latest information as it becomes available.

For more information on distracted driving see our related reports:

Automakers agree to ban
Anti-texting video to scare drivers straight
Using wireless communication devices while driving
Cell phone use and driving laws
Dangers of cell phones while driving
Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?
Texting while driving
Talking in the slow lane

—Liza Barth

Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity

On August 28, 2009, off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family were killed when the 2009 Lexus ES they were riding in sped out of control, crashed into another vehicle, rolled over, and burned. News reports stated that someone in the Lexus called 911 and reported that the car was speeding out of control and that the brakes weren’t working. Initial police reports said that the driver’s floor mat had interfered with the pedals. (Toyota floor mat shown here as an example.)

It was later reported that the Lexus, a dealer loaner car, may have been fitted at the dealership with accessory all-weather floor mats that were too big for that model, and so could not be secured properly to the floor. (See official statement.) It has been speculated that the loose floor mat may have gotten entangled in such a way that the accelerator pedal was pinned down while preventing the brake pedal from being depressed, but the investigation is not complete. The crash is still being investigated by both California authorities and by a team from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2007, Lexus and Toyota issued a floor mat recall due to a problem with the mats potentially getting stuck under the accelerator pedal in certain cars. 
 
Sean Kane, founder of Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., said, “The Toyota Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) problem covers a wide array of models and years -- Camry, Tacoma, Sienna, and Lexus. Floor mat interference can and undoubtedly does cause unintended acceleration, but having reviewed hundreds of complaints, there are incidents that defy floor mat interference as a cause.” (Read the Safety Research & Strategies report.)
 
Whatever the actual sequence of events was that led to this freak accident, having loose carpeting or other items in the driver foot well is probably not so uncommon. This crash vividly illustrates that the worst-case scenario sometimes actually happens. If your car has stock floor mats, take the time to make sure they are hooked to their restraint fixtures, if the car is so equipped. If you have aftermarket or accessory floor mats, make sure they are secured and can’t move around in such away as to interfere with pedal travel. Never stack floor mats; there should be only one per person. And always keep travel trash clear of the driver’s foot well.   

Learn more about safety techologies in our car safety section.

—Gordon Hard

Fisker announces fuel economy for Karma plug-in hybrid – without much hype

 
Measuring fuel consumption in the upcoming generation of plug-in hybrid cars is not a straightforward process, as we’ve said before. Depending on the driving cycle and how often they’re recharged with electricity, their miles per gallon can range to infinity.
 
But such claims sound preposterous and may only damage automakers credibility, such marketing campaign in which  General Motors the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.
 
So it’s refreshing to see an emerging automaker make a more realistic claim, based on a standard set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Fisker Automotive, which plans to  introduce the Karma  plug-in hybrid electric sedan next year, says the car will get 67 mpg based on the SAE test. (GM says its tests of the Volt were based on a new Environmental Protection Agency standard that has not been made public. However, government sources have told us the new EPA standard is based on the same SAE standard cited by Fisker.)
 
In price, the Fisker Karma is likely to compete with cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS 600h. At Fisker’s claimed 67 mpg, the Karma would achieve a 75 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared with those cars. And it would be cleaner and more efficient than today’s best hybrids.
 
Like the Volt, the Karma’s fuel economy will depend entirely on how often it is recharged electrically and how it is driven.
 
Fisker also released some other detailed specifications for the Karma: It will have a 22 kwh battery capable of taking the car 50 miles on electricity between recharges. (A turbocharged 2.2-liter gasoline engine will kick in for longer trips.) The battery pack will produce 200 kw (about 268 hp). Fisker calls electric mode Stealth. Combining the engine and the electric motor (in Sport mode) yields a total of 403 horsepower.
 
All these numbers sound impressive. But we’ll have to wait until the Karma goes on sale to verify their accuracy. At least they don’t seem as wildly out of reach as those of GM.
 
-- Eric Evarts