Energy

GM Diesel Hybrid: Opel Astra

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Boy, I really missed this announcement. Then again, I’m not sure anyone else saw it either. Back in January 2005, GM said it was working on an exciting new hybrid-diesel platform:

With fuel consumption below 4-liters/100km (MVEG mix), the Astra Diesel Hybrid is projected to be 25 percent more fuel-efficient than comparable diesel models.

[…]

The two-mode full hybrid technology can provide a significant reduction in fuel consumption helping to meet ever-stringent carbon-dioxide emission targets. Its scalability enables the technology to be applied to markets around the world.

[…]

1.7L CDTI with 92-kw/125-hp and 280-Nm/206 lb-ft of torque; with maintenance-free particulate filter

And since then, nada. No news on this concept car. Instead, in January 2006, GM announced a new fashion concept: the hybrid Tahoe. It is like ordering a low-fat BigMac.

The front of the Chevrolet Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid has been lowered 10 mm compared to the conventional Tahoe, which provides additional aerodynamic benefits as well as a smoother and sleeker appearance.

Lowriders are really just guys trying to get a few extra mpg out of their classic Cadillacs and Buicks, right? Reminds me of the Range Rover’s variable height said to increase mpg from 8 to 10 when used to lower the flat-boxy SUV at highway speeds. Hey, every little bit counts, even though they marketed it as a comfort, safety and off-roading stability feature (would you buy a Range Rover for any other reason?). Sorry, I digress:

“This truly looks like a special vehicle,� said [Design Manager David] Smith. “It is packed with details, and every one of them serves a function.�

Looking good is a function, right? Especially to the Design Manager. The function of all that chrome is…

There’s no mistaking this truck for anything other than a hybrid: Badging appears on the C-pillar, on the rear liftgate and on the hitch cover.

Of course. A giant SUV is so clearly a hybrid vehicle that GM decided they would paste big colorful badges all over it saying “Don’t hate us for our high-margin SUV, it’s a hybrid”.

Other aerodynamic refinements include sharpening of the D-pillar rearward, including the taillamps, a CHMSL appliqué detail spoiler over the rear hatch and a closeout panel under the back of the vehicle to facilitate airflow.

Lightweight, aero-efficient wheels with the lowest rolling-resistance tires available for full-size trucks further trim fuel use, and are complemented with a tuned ride to provide the ride and handling performance and attention to detail that customers expect from a totally integrated vehicle.

Ah, now I get it. They’re trying to make it *cool* and *hip* to be hybrid. Cool and hip means driving a Tahoe, thus they were pushed into this decision by the consumers. Maybe they will find some well-dressed androgenous actors to drive the new Tahoe in advertisements. Ok, bad joke. But the fact that SUVs are high-margin does not excuse the fact that the smaller cars are really more efficient right now, especially the smaller hybrid-diesel.

Perhaps instead of this exercise in finding new shades of lipstick for a pig, some GM marketing muscle could be put into technology developments that could put GM back on the map.

I mean, just for perspective, compare the above “wowy, zowy” super cool Tahoe press release language with the ultra-nerd tone for the Astra:

From the outside, the Astra Diesel Hybrid, with its unique panoramic glass roof, doesn’t look much different from a production-version Astra GTC.

Hmmmm. No badges? How uncool. And why isn’t it lowered with chrome wheels? Oh, wait, this is for the european market.

Inside, however, the tachometer in the gauge cluster has been replaced by instruments that provide feedback on the operation of the hybrid propulsion system, such as traction provided by the electric motors, traction from the diesel engine, or both. Another gauge displays the battery’s charge level. Also, a video animation in the graphic information display located in the center console depicts the current propulsion state of the vehicle when it’s driving.

Ah, yes, instruments showing the “current propulsion state”; what every car buyer wants to know when they look for a car.

I have to admit I’m happy that GM is headed towards hybrids, but if only they could try a little harder to get real things really rolling. After all, McDonald’s serves salads now and I hear they are not only tasty but bringing home the bacon:

The world’s largest fast-food chain also Tuesday announced the sale of its new Asian Premium salad, expected to be the company’s largest seller, according to industry experts.

Security

Parents log out of eBay

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I can not resist commenting on this story. It does not surprise me that a three-year old child was able to use a computer to purchase a real automobile on an auction site. In fact I can just imagine a high-tech company executive telling his/her staff “I want this system to be simple enough for a baby to use!”

Sometimes companies can go overboard thinking that the obstacle to the flow of money is a little bit of authentication, or a simple authorization check. But there needs to be a balance. Making things too easy leads to a higher rate of fraud and frustration among those trying to undo unauthorized or unathenticated purchases. And so what actually surprised me was the mother’s reaction:

Mrs Neal, of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said she had left her eBay password in her computer and her son had used the “buy it now” button.

She said: “Jack’s a whizz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons.

“I was just horrified.

“We now have the parental locks on – and we make sure we sign out of eBay!”

Note that she said rather specifically that she does not sign out of anything else, just eBay. Is that the right lesson? Baby buys car on eBay, mother signs out of eBay. Baby buys new computer on Amazon…

Security

Mine safety workers commit suicide

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Sad story about the psychological effects of managing a system that can not be trusted.

Two miners whose jobs included watching for safety hazards inside the Sago Mine before the deadly explosion last January committed suicide in the past month.

Neither man had been blamed for the disaster that killed 12 of their comrades, and neither one’s family has definitively linked the suicides to the accident. But those who knew the men say there is little doubt the tragedy haunted them.

Tragedy beset by more tragedy. This part of the report was also disturbing:

Boni, who was certified as a fireboss and occasionally conducted pre-shift inspections to ensure the safety of incoming crews, told investigators he had detected low levels of methane in that area five days earlier and reported his findings to a supervisor, who was not alarmed.

As for Chisholm, he told investigators that a carbon monoxide alarm had sounded about 20 minutes before the explosion. Following ICG procedure, he alerted a crew inside the mine and asked it to verify the alarm because the system that had a history of malfunctions.

At a hearing in May, ICG executive Sam Kitts said miners are not required to evacuate when there is an alarm; they verify it, then decide how to proceed.

“The dispatcher did what he was supposed to do. He notified a maintenance person who was then able to go up and check the sensor before they would have again advanced onto the section,” Kitts testified.

The men may have blamed themselves, struggled with investigators’ visits, or buckled from public scrutiny, or all three. And yet we see that they were forced to make calls based on a system with “a history of malfunctions”. Does the system manufacturer carry liability as much as the operations management, or even the operators themselves? What was the accepted standard for a functioning mine alarm system? Was it accurate 50 or 90% of the time? I know that an intrusion detection system that gives anything more than 40 or 50% false positives, especially in high traffic areas, is a problem. That number might seem low, but the cost/benefit analysis of getting an intrusion detection system above 90% often reveals better investments in security. Perhaps miners would be better served by new breathing apparatus rather than slightly better alarms.

I also wonder how the cost of a false positive weighed upon the alarm operators (e.g. what was the tone of the workers and managers when a mine was stopped and the workers evacuated — annoying and unnecessary interuptions, lost revenue, better safe than sorry, etc.)?

Energy, Security

Judge rules for caution on environment

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The story is really about preserving endangered US mountain carribou from weekend-warrior snowmobile enthusiasts, but I thought this quote was worth pointing out:

Citing aerial photographs that show snowmobile tracks crisscrossing caribou routes to vital feeding areas, the judge added, “The court chooses to be overprotective rather than under-protective.”

And why not? If you move the snowmobiles to another location, or require them to reduce their pollution (noise and emissions), is there any real difference? Whereas if you do not, the carribou may be gone forever. Seems like the judge made a wise call, in terms of risk. The article goes on to show a little irony:

Snowmobile interests have countered that the herd has shrunk over the decades mostly because of past logging, backcountry skiing and global warming

Global warming, likely to be caused by exhaust. And snowmobiles are one of the worst polluters, each engine putting out the equivalent exhaust of 1,000 cars as I’ve mentioned before. Think about that for a second. Just one hundred snowmobiles would put out 100,000 cars worth of exhaust.

The risk actually identified by the animal experts was that the heavy snowmobiles pack down so much snow that it prevents the caribou from escaping their enemies in deep powder. They also argued that the noise of the unregulated engines disturbs the caribou enough to hurt their feeding and calving. These claims make sense, and were apparently well documented, especially when compared to the “it’s because of global warming, not because of the engines that might be a major contributor to global warming”. Interesting that the snowmobile interests wanted to argue about disturbances caused by backcountry skiing. With logic like that, it is no wonder the judge decided to send the snowmobiles packing. Did the defense present photos of angry-looking ski couples making nasty faces at the caribou? Perhaps they had evidence of the latest ski fashion colors causing a loss of caribou appetite?