Cars with WiFi

August 5, 2007

Dave Winer muses today on the possibility of cars with WiFi. I'm not sure I'm wanting to wait for the auto makers to figure this one out. His post expresses a thought I've had for a while. Our cars need to be able to connect to our houses and to other Wifi networks we might see along the road. Now with some tools like USB cable modems the possibility of being connected in more places is even possible (though doing much music syncing on EDGE would be slow).

Several folks have already done modifications to put Mac minis in cars. We already know that these little computers can drive the car on their own so why not expect a complete data system. At the end of the day I'm thinking I'd rather have an after-market system that easily plugs into the car over a system that comes with the car. The Prius has a great GPS but since it doesn't interface with the systems I use it is less useful than it could be. While an interface would make it more useful, it would still be yet another system and type of system to figure out how to integrate.

Solar power for cars done poorly

January 8, 2007

"Solar panel for cars" came across my news reader earlier today. What a great idea I thought. Then I looked at the article on the Wired site. Not such a hot idea. The solar panel is in a disc that attaches on the roof. The whole thing is reminiscent of the mobile two-way satellite arrangements for motor homes. While the solar panel may indeed "provide power for gadgets" slowing down a couple of MPH will save a lot more than the added cost of the aerodynamic drag this monster is sure to generate.

And so it goes

July 19, 2006

Of course the week after we purchase a new car there has to be news on what's coming next. True to form Wired has the article today about the impressive next generation of electric vehicles. Then again our car will be paid off a lot sooner than one costing $80,000. The pop-culture buffs amongst us will appreciate that in driving a Prius you're driving the same car as Alexandra Paul, Alicia Silverstone, Billy Crystal, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, David Duchovny, Ellen DeGeneres, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford, Jack Black, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kirk Douglas, Kurt Russell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Patricia Arquette, Rob Reiner, Robin Williams, Salma Hayek, Susan Sarandon, Steven Spielberg, Tim Robbins, Ted Danson, Tom Hanks, Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrell.

Passat wheels

November 26, 2005

Not long ago having a damaged 17-inch wheel on the Passat I started looking for replacements. Of course the wheels I bought some years ago at a discount were discounted back then for being on close-out. Heading over to the universal parts store (E-bay) I located a set of factory rims taken from a 2001.5 Passat. The Passat B5 got a mid-year make-over. Across the net and in parts stores the first question asked is whether you have an early or late 2001. Having an early 2001 I held my breath a bit to see if the wheels would fit. I knew they had the same 5-112mm pattern but was the offset terribly different? Read more about Passat wheels

Tire economics

November 21, 2005

WIth a need to replace the wheels on the Passat searching for information on how wheel size influences fuel economy is my new pastime. Tire Rack has an article suggesting that "upsizing" to performance tires may cause an increase in rolling resistance. This seems to be logical. There is also the trade off in weight. Low-profile tires are lighter but the wheels they mount on are heavier than their 15-inch brethren.

If low-profile did better in the lab would not the Ford Focus have standard 17-inch wheels instead of 12- or 13-inchers? Another article from a trucking publication says "When low profile tires first came out, they were about 4 percent more fuel efficient." It concludes "With today's new tires, there is virtually no difference in mpg due to tire size." I'm leaning towards believing this. Apparently it is true for large trucks and if anything it seems smaller wheels may provide better economy. Certainly when it comes time to buy new tires the standard-sized option will be significantly cheaper. Added to the extra shock-absorbing and the possibility that the next pothole won't require a new set of rims and the idea looks pretty good.

Maniac Monday

November 14, 2005

On the way to Vegas this morning the "Emissions Workshop" light came on again on the Passat. Over the next few dozen miles the "check engine light" flashed on and off, mileage was poor and the engine ran rough. The first debate is where to take it to get work done. Last time it went to a shop other than the dealer they couldn't read the code on the computer as Volkswagen keeps them shrouded in secret-decoder ring fashion. Deciding the least of all evils was the dealer I called to make the appointment hoping they could get it in this week. Findlay Volkswagen went one better and got it in and out today. One two coils later they have called to say it's ready to pick up.

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