4 Great Features of Today’s Tech-Enhanced Cars

Cars have come a long way in terms of features, comfort, safety, and everything in between. The more that we can put into a car, the more that we’ll use it. People are driving everywhere they need to go, preferring it to air travel sometimes because they’re able to control the experience in a different way. Not to mention that it’s great to have a car with features you can brag about to your friends. Below are just a few of the latest advances in auto technology that are on the horizon.

1. Self Driving Cars

We would be remiss if we didn’t include something about the self-driving car. Google has poured a ton of research into making sure that we can ride around while the car does all of the work. There have been some accidents, sure, but they’ve been collisions caused by other drives. Gosh, sounds a lot like real life right?

This technology amazes us because it could severely cut down on fatigue while getting from one place to another. It would also prevent accidents as people wouldn’t have to dose themselves with caffeine just to stay alert enough to drive. There are some obvious health benefits to this.

2. Biometric Locks

Biometrics is already here to stay, but it just gets better and better over item. Imagine going to your car and opening it without a key. You could have a fingerprint reader that will only unlock the vehicle for you and anyone else that you add to the reader’s file. You see this in the movies a lot with retina scanners more than hand or fingerprint machines, but hey, anything’s possible right? Continue reading “4 Great Features of Today’s Tech-Enhanced Cars” →

Top 5 Hybrid Cars to Check Out Right Now

Great cars come and go, but hybrid technology has the potential to truly change the future of driving as we know it. While it’s not full on electric vehicle transportation, hybrid cars give you the best of both worlds. You can cut down on fuel consumption, but still have the gas power to go longer distances. It’s a compromise that isn’t new, but it’s one that has worked very well for drivers so far.

Here’s the list of hybrid vehicles that have caught our attention so far.

1. Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is a mid-size SUV that can carry your family and give you plenty of style along the way. The Highlander has lots of features for drivers that give you great technology everywhere you look. The dash layout is designed to give you a luxurious feel without the big price tag that comes with it. You get up to 28 mpg on the highway, and a comfortable ride to go with it. For a mid-size SUV, the acceleration isn’t bad either. The vehicle produces about 280 hp. It’s not a super beast, but it isn’t a mouse either.

2. Honda Accord Hybrid Edition

The Honda Hybrid goes beyond the Highlander to give you 50 mpg in the city and 45 on the highway. That’s way higher than the Highlander, but that’s to be expected. The Accord is more compact and more focused on fuel economy, while the Highlander is designed to move people first. Automatic transmission is designed to give you good handling without making you run the risk of being stalled in traffic. Other features waiting for you with the Accord hybrid edition include USB inputs, a very spacious infotainment screen, hands-free messaging to all of your friends and forward collision warning. These are just a few features waiting for you, so be sure to check out the full list if you’re interested.

3. Chevrolet Volt

Not everyone needs to a big, spacious, roomy car. Enter the Chevy Leaf, a car designed to merge hybrid technology with super-smooth handling. The seamless transition between the gas technology and the hybrid technology is great for people new to driving hybrid vehicles. The rear seating can be a bit cramped for people used to roomier cars like the Accord and definitely the Highlander, but the Volt has a little something for everyone. Continue reading “Top 5 Hybrid Cars to Check Out Right Now” →

4 of the Fastest Cars on the Market Today

Imagine a world where you could fly down the open road in the car of your dreams, where money and speeding tickets aren’t a problem. Wouldn’t that be amazing? While you can’t do that in real life, there are some incredible cars that truly earn the title of “fastest car around”. Ready to dream with us? Here are a few cars to check out!

1. Hennessey Venom GT

This car dominates the list at 270 miles per hour, or 435 km/h. This sleek car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, making it the stuff of dreams for many car enthusiasts around the world. It has a world class V8 twin turbo engine that can produce over 1200 hp. Of course, all of this engineering comes at a high price: over a million dollars! It’s the fastest car around today, with plenty of muscle under the hood to keep things interesting.

2. Koenigsegg Agera R

This beautiful car is designed for speed more than roominess. SO if you were hoping to take the kids out for a spin in a fast car, you’re out of luck. The Koenigsegg Agera is built for speed with twin turbos that have the power to put out almost 1100 hp. For 1.6 million dollars, you can put one in your driveway. The current top speed for this beautiful engineering marvel is 260 mph. Not bad, even though “theoretical” speeds place it higher. If you manage to test one, let us know!

3. Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo

Want something a little cheaper? The Saleen S7 starts at just 555 thousand dollars, a discount compared to some of the other cars on the list. You get to go from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. This All-American beauty sports 500 horsepower from the beginning. Definitely a car to keep on your list.

4. McLaren F1

The McLaren brand is familiar to anyone that’s watched more than their fair share of action movies. It’s the type of car that the ultra-rich playboy drives…when they aren’t involved in a drug heist, a car bust, or something equally dangerous. This car can go from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. Not as fast as the Venom, but it’s definitely a headturner nonetheless. It starts at 970 thousand dollars and climbs up from there depending on what extra features you want to add, or any fine-tuning you want to do under the hood. The coolest thing about the F1 is that the doors open up from the sides like wings, rather than the traditional way.

So, out of these picks, which one is your favorite? We’re crazy about fast cars, and we’ll definitely hit you with some more cool picks. Stay tuned!

What Does it Really Take to Convert Your Car to Biodiesel?

Think that biodiesel is new? It’s actually not new at all. People have been able to use biodiesel for a while. It goes back to 1900, where Rudolf Diesel himself used biofuel to power an engine. It was peanut oil then, but little did Mr. Diesel know that he would set off a total revolution. So, if we have known about biofuels for a while, why haven’t we really let them take off? Well, it’s simple: petroleum was cheap enough that alternatives just weren’t on the table. People wanted to go with what was going to be affordable for them, rather than what would simply be convenient for the rest of us.

But let’s go back to the main question: is it possible to convert your car to biodiesel? Yes and no. If you already have a diesel engine, then conversion is possible. But you aren’t going to be able to take a non-diesel car and suddenly make it burn biofuels like that.

Here’s the benefits if your car is already set up. Aside from reducing dependency on fossil fuels here and abroad, biodiesel has fewer emissions than traditional petroleum fuels. The fuel produced (biodiesel) is actually nontoxic, believe it or not. Try to say that about regular oil-derived gasoline. We can make biodiesel again and again, and we’re not going to run out of it anytime soon. Biodiesel engines are cleaner and easier to deal with than their traditional counterparts.

But of course, there is some trouble in paradise. 100% biodiesel will perform badly in cold weather, but there are ways to fix that. You have to blend it with traditional diesel fuel in order to be able to tolerate colder climates. Due to the way biodiesel is produced, it can tear up rubber hosing as well as fuel filters, so it’s important to replace the filters regularly. Biodiesel is really good at cleaning out every place it goes, so you may have to replace things more regularly than you would with a traditional system. But if you can get the oil for free, then you’ll be able to save money as you drive from place to place.

Biodiesel also takes a lot of energy to produce, taking fields away from traditional agriculture. We need a lot of fields working together in order to produce enough soybeans to fuel all of the diesel-eligible cars on the road. Waste vegetable oil is a good step in the right direction, but you really have to be dedicated in order to pull that off. Sometimes it gets tiring trying to go out and find waste vegetable oil from restaurants, since they usually already have a contract with someone to get rid of it regularly. If you reach out to people about your need for used oil, chances are good that they’ll send you on your way with plenty of oil to use. Your bigger problem may end up becoming the storage solutions necessary to keep all of the oil close by.

Knowing the pros and cons comes into play when you’re thinking about converting your vehicle to running on biodiesel. As long as you’re going through the advantages and disadvantages, you’ll be able to make the right decision in the long run. Have fun, the chance to build a biodiesel-powered setup can be thrilling!

Do Electric Cars Benefit the Environment?

Becoming more eco-friendly is a lifestyle change, much like trying to lose weight. If you try to do a bunch of things all at once, you’re not going to get the best benefits. On the other hand, if you keep going slow and work your way up, you’re bound to change your carbon footprint for good. What can you do right now to change things up a bit?

Well, if you’re in the market for a car, it’s never a bad idea to consider going for a truly electric vehicle. Yes, we know that the range isn’t all that good yet. Yes, we also know that the technology isn’t fully perfect yet. Nothing in life is going to be perfect, and we’re all doing the best that we can. Charging stations can also be harder to come by than what they should be, but even this is changing dramatically.

Are there benefits to choosing an electric vehicle in terms of saving the environment? Absolutely!

For starters, you have to realize that over one third of all of the ozone-reducing gases produced in the country is a direct result of our transportation options. It’s been shown that switching to electric plug in vehicles actually allows you to reduce emission considerably compared to traditional vehicles. Why? Well, when you think about it for a minute, things make sense. There aren’t any fuel burning engines or systems in an electric car, so the emissions are much less. The only thing you would have to account for would be the power generators that actually produce the electricity for charging the batteries. It’s a small tradeoff when you think of the long term benefits.

Some people worry that the switch to electric vehicles would put a drain on our electric grid. This is not the case either: we have enough power plants in the country to support well over 75% of the current population switching to electric vehicles. With a renewed push for more charging stations and places to plug in the cars, the dream of a quieter ride on the road may truly become a reality.

Are you interested in an electric vehicle? We have plenty of different articles on the site to help you pick one out. Check those out, and then see if you’re in the market for an e-vehicle. Prices are always falling, which means that you could be one step closer to an amazing experience!