Flytoyz

The Automotive Corner Is Here! Could You Believe It, ONLY Hybrids sold by 2020?

2008-08-18T23:17:08Z

I read this on wired’s blog and as an automotive guy it saddens me, yet as someone who cares about the environment this makes me happy. It appears that(according to wired) all new cars as of 2020 will be partially battery powered hybrids. Here is the article I read…

“All new cars will have some degree of hybridization by 2020, by which point battery technology will be ubiquitous and vehicles will communicate with one another and the road to make driving safer and easier.

That vision of the future is laid out in “Automotive 2020: Clarity Beyond the Chaos,” (.pdf) by the IBM Institute for Business Value. The report, based on interviews with 125 auto industry executives in 15 countries, says the industry is on the cusp of revolutionary changes that will see environmental sustainability and technological innovation become top priorities as automakers respond to consumer demands for more efficient cars that don’t sacrifice performance, comfort or reliability.

“In the next 10 years, we will experience more change than in the 50 years before,” says an executive with a European automaker who, like all of those quoted in the report, was not named.

The revolution already has begun.

There is mounting agreement among automakers, policymakers and environmentalists that the electrification of the automobile is inevitable and most of the major automakers are developing hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Although such vehicles currently make up less than 3 percent of the market, the report finds “some degree of hybridization will be evident in all vehicles produced in 2020 and beyond.” That may seem ambitious, but other studies say interest in gas-electric vehicles is exploding and sales could hit 2 million a year by 2013, when there could be 89 different models on the market.

Battery technology will be ubiquitous within 12 years, the report states, and automakers and their suppliers will focus much of their R&D on the software and electronics needed to integrate them into vehicles. “Energy storage is in the heart of the next generation of efforts for fuel economy,” the report quotes one American executive saying. Several automakers plan to offer electric vehicles in America beginning in 2010, and Mitsubishi will begin testing one in California later this year. Still, battery costs — which the report estimates at 10 to 15 percent of the cost of the cars that use them — will remain a significant barrier to rapid market penetration.

Investment in biofuels will continue, although the technology “must undergo rapid evolution for global application and proliferation,” the report states, noting that ethanol from corn and other food crops is a dead end but cellulosic ethanol “has the potential to see widespread acceptance.” Traditional fossil fuels will comprise just 65 percent of the market by 2020, by which point average vehicle CO2 emissions will fall to 97 grams per kilometer — seven grams less than the Toyota Prius emits today.

As for hydrogen, keep waiting. Although the report finds “hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will remain a viable alternative,” even the optimists don’t see them comprising more than a small fraction of vehicles by 2020. Few expect the infrastructure needed to generate, transport and distribute hydrogen to be in place anytime soon.

We’ll see just as much innovation in vehicle electronics as our cars get smarter and do more in the years to come. We’re already seeing the dawn of the .car era as BMW, Chrysler and other automakers rush to bring internet connectivity to your dashboard and companies like Volvo develop systems to make cars virtually crash-proof. By 2020, the report states, cars will communicate with one another to prevent accidents, communicate with the road to respond to changing traffic conditions and use telemetrics to diagnose and repair problems.

As cars increasingly rely on batteries and advanced electronic systems, automakers will have to ally themselves with the consumer electronics, telecommunications and energy industries, the report states. This, too, already is beginning to happen. Several automakers are working with Microsoft to develop their own versions of Sync. Nissan and NEC, like Toyota and Panasonic, are working together on batteries. General Motors has joined 34 utilities to prepare the nation’s electrical grid for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Such collaborations will only grow more common.

“The era when all work could be done within the industry is over,” one Japanese executive says. “Now we need to interface with several external entities to get work done.”

What do you think about this? I mean, its a good thing that will help the world, the air quality and the earth itself. I will stay in the 4cyl combustible market and deem that my contribution, because as of right now most hybrids look pretty atrocious. I gotta quote jalopnik on this because I think they said it best..

“This dismal future of fuel efficiency and dangerously silent cities can only be battled with vigilance and your buying dollars. Imagine a world where hippies fall into deep depressions after their banner method of communicating moral superiority becomes commonplace; muscle-car fiends sit on the floors of garages everywhere, weeping into their now-pointless toolboxes. Where you don’t drive, your car drives you. The horror… the horror.” <~ QFT (quoted for truth)

Here are a few things mentioned that stand out to me..

“ vehicles will communicate with one another and the road to make driving safer and easier” … Communicate with each other? Make driving easier? NO! Do NOT do that! Driving is simple enough!! If you cannot operate a motor vehicle as it should be you should not be on the road, licensed or not(because we all know there are a few jackass’s that drive w/o a license) Drive safer? yes, thats a good thing but that would of course mean people would have to be a little more aware and smarter as well!

“Although such vehicles currently make up less than 3 percent of the market, the report finds “some degree of hybridization will be evident in all vehicles produced in 2020 and beyond”… All Vehicles? Yeah, Ill stay combustible, so I guess no new vehicles after 2020 for me!

“Traditional fossil fuels will comprise just 65 percent of the market by 2020, by which point average vehicle CO2 emissions will fall to 97 grams per kilometer — seven grams less than the Toyota Prius emits today.”

This is a beautiful thing right here, now thats if the north atlantic polar ice caps don’t drop into the ocean and “The Day After Tomorrow” doesn’t happen already, I mean 2020 is 18 years away still!

How do you feel about this? let us know, we like to hear from you all. Dont forget to check our myspace out and his us up on the friends request!

Thanks for coming by today! Keep with us as of right now, MJH and I are looking to launch something on September 3rd! See you Thursday in The Mod Shop!

The Mod Shop Is Here!! Spotlight: JVC Mobile Entertainment!

2008-08-15T00:55:10Z

Welcome Back FT Fans! VizX here as usual and the reason for the title of this post is because this is another week where go-mod’s take the back seat. What I’m covering today has a navigation feature to it which is a real trick addition for a car’s head unit! Yes, its an addition to the head unit, screen and all!

The item is the JVC KD-NX5000, its a single DIN unit so dont sweat if it will fit or not, it should fit most applications of course with a dash kit. JVC is a good company with awesome products and have been providing some of the most cutting edge technological products since 1977 when JVC introduced the VHS recorder to the public before anybody! JVC goes back a long, long time(1927 to be exact) but anyway enough of the company’s history. If you want more history on JVC, check out Wikipedia and you will find more then enough.

This head unit im covering(kd-nx5000 pictured below)

This has a TON of awesome features to it!! Here, ill throw some at you and think on it..

40 GB Hard Drive with 13 Million Points of Interest.
24 GB of free space for Hard Drive Music Server/16 GB for Map Data.
Built-in 3.5-Inch Wide Monitor.
Holds up to 460 Albums of music
Built-In RDS-TMC Real Time Trafiic Tuner
2D/3D Map Views
Power Output:200W Max. (MOSFET 50W X 4), 20W X 4 RMS
Ready for Bluetooth® and iPod adapter’s
Satellite Radio Ready
Steering wheel remote control ready
DVD Video/Audio, MP3/WMA/WAV Capable
JPEG Display

And There is more but I wont go into it! If your interested, please check it out at JVC Mobile Audio

For their car/truck/suv fitment guide on this headunit, please see Fitment Guide

Well thanks for coming by today! We always love bringing you whats hot on the market to modify your Car/Truck/SUV/Limo/Boat whatever ya got that it will work with lol This Head unit I would have to say is the end all be all in single din’s, I mean c’mon… DVD video, Nav, Sat radio, hook up your ipod to it, hook it up to your steering wheel to work with existing stereo controls too and more features as well? Seriously, end all be all Do understand though for the features like the ipod, sat radio steering wheel hookup will need extra parts, but the JVC website for this unit will give you all the answers you need and tell you the things you need to know as well.

Its been real! See you monday in the automotive corner!!

Welcome To The Automotive Corner, Aston Martin And The One-77.

2008-08-12T00:44:00Z

Ok so, it seems that Aston Martin has finally taken their gloves off and they are stepping their game up. They are giving us a teaser and just a little information regarding their flagship super car titled the One-77.

Now the details on this beast are scarce, but the One-77 will be powered by a hand-built 7L V12 inside an aluminum and carbon fiber chassis. They had to add the CF didnt they? 0-60 times are estimated at 3.5-seconds, with a top speed cresting 200 mph!!! mmmmm Beefy lol.

The reason why this vehicle is being called the One-77 is because these cars are being built one at a time and only 77 will be made! Customers will be able to customize the bespoke supercar to meet their individual tastes. The One-77 will be revealed later this year and will go on sale afterwards,hopefully not to long after its debut as im sure they hype on this car will be huge so those with swollen bank accounts will want one ASAP.

This will be the first all-new vehicle from Aston Martin produced after the brand was sold by Ford to TATA. We’re also curious to know if the One-77 will play a part in Project Alligator. Alligator? What a name for the rumored collaboration between Aston Martin and The Silver Arrow(Benz). All details will be revealed in due time im sure, lets hope its soon!

Well thats all, like I said in the mustang video post, there was very little on this right now so this is all I could bring!

Thanks for coming by and enjoying what we like to do, Bring you all whats good in the world today in the automotive, technology, luxory, gaming realm’s!

Stay tuned as a new segment might debut in shortly in the future..

See ya thursday on The Mod Shop!!

Alittle Something For All You Car Guys/Gals out There Before The Corner Today…

2008-08-12T00:12:11Z

Hey everyone, this is VizX and I found this recently, and it just seems epic to me, Its a simple ford mustang burnout video but what makes it special is the slow-motion magic with Smashing Pumpkins song “The Beginning is the end is the beginning”. Im posting this today not just because I wanted too, but because I will say I found something interesting for The Automotive Corner today but there is VERY little on it for now because its so fresh!

As a car guy, this gets 5 Stars in my eyes. The owner claims its in the 10 second range as well in the 1/4 mi. Clean mustang+raised rear/lowered nose = Perfection

Comments?

Save Craigsfindr.com

2008-08-11T00:22:44Z

Hello everyone.

You might remember that I did a post last week on a site called craigsfindr.com.

The site allowed you to search multiple areas on craigslist.org all at once.

I found this a very useful service, but apparently craigslist.com did not.

If you liked this service you need to shoot over to savecraigsfindr.com and there is a list of contacts at craigslist. Send them an email letting them know that this service was useful and you want it back.

Thanks everyone.

Blu-Ray Statistics!

2008-08-07T23:45:32Z

If you have a blu-ray player and are into high def movies, or any movies for that matter than this site is for you.

Blu-raystats.com

This site has a ton of information on blu-ray movies including the studio, release date, box office totals, and many more.

Check it out, its a movie buffs paradise!!

August 7th, And Today is The Mod Shop! Spotlight: More-Japan.com

2008-08-07T21:52:39Z

Today we are heading to more-japan.com to make sure that when you are hitting the apex’s on a road course that you dont move in your seat! One of the top racing seat brands in the world currently is

The product from Bride im covering is the Stradia. The Stradia is Bride’s newest and best racing seat! A hybrid combination of a full racing bucket yet for comfort its reclinable! The FRP STRADIA and GIAS are the ultimate seats available. In black outer, with black hyper fabric inner, with shorter side bolsters for easy entry and exit. NEW Andromeda backing by Maziora. It uses the LOW MAX seating system, which allows the driver sit farther back into the seat, for the best holding position.

STRADIA is similar to GIAS, with the exception that it uses shorter side bolsters, for a very comfortable ride, and ease in entering and exiting the vehicle. STRADIA is a true full bucket race seat, but it’s reclinable options offer levels of comfort standard buckets cannot allow. The frame and mounting areas are fully reinforced steel, while the FRP construction keeps the weight of this seat low. When STRADIA was recently released in Japan, it quickly sold out and is now Bride’s most successful, and most sought after seat of all time.

This is why I VizX is bringing it to you here on flytoyz, because I have found that you can get yourself one of these seats on more-japan.com priced at $1875.00 HERE

One of their suggested products is a seat rail just incase this one doesnt fit properly to yours that comes with your vehicle, to see that product stop by HERE

To visit their main page to look around at everything they offer, please click here http://www.more-japan.com/

Well thats all for The Mod Shop today, I hope this helps you find your perfect seat for your ride! If your have these in your car, send us a photo and ill put it up on the website in this post!

Thanks for coming by! Ill see you monday on The Automotive Corner!

The Automotive Corner is Here and Coming At You Now!

2008-08-05T00:16:36Z

Ladies and Gent’s…Automotive fan’s everywhere. Does this bother you as much as it bothers me?

I can understand the concept of an “Eco Pedal” and it trying to save you alittle $ in your gas tank, but I would find the idea of a gas pedal that pushes back when it thinks your driving alittle aggresive highly annoying!!!

Details below:

“Nissan’s revealed plans to install what it’s calling the “ECO Pedal” system in models next year. The technology makes the gas pedal press upward when it senses motorists are speeding up too quickly. Although Nissan says the system can help drivers improve fuel efficiency 5 to 10 percent, we say it’s the ultimate nanny technology that should never see life.

The “ECO Pedal” calculates the most efficient rate of acceleration in a vehicle based on how fast fuel is being burned combined with other factors. The system causes the gas pedal to push back to alert overzealous drivers when it deems you’re pushing the pedal too fast.

The pedal technology is Nissan’s newest addition to the vehicle technology tine of their three-pronged approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions: improvements in vehicle technologies, driving behaviour and traffic conditions. We liked the last idea of equipping all new cars with a fuel consumption indicator, which indicates the optimal level for fuel-efficient driving by displaying a green, flashing or amber light.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: This may be one of the worst ideas we’ve yet heard of. Although you’ll be able to turn the system off, this type of technology is yet another example of an unnecessary feature designed to nanny drivers too stupid to realize they’re supposed to reduce their speed and speed fluctuation to maintain high fuel economy. Frankly, we’re more concerned what will happen when a driver needs to overtake another vehicle at high speed on a highway or just as scary — crossing a dotted middle line to pass a truck. How much would it suck to be in the oncoming lane? This feature needs to die before it even hits the streets.”

Im just glad to know that you can turn it off, because frankly it would never be turned on in my car. I already drive a 4cyl vehicle, though modified.. still a 4 cyl and I get mid 20 mpg’s in the city and high 20’s-30 mpg on the highway.. im happy where im at! Jalopnik states the idea of having a colored light indicate your fuel consumption, Its a good idea but my car comes equipped with a little arrow that lights up telling me when to shift for best fuel economy.

What are your thoughs of this? Good idea…Bad Idea… Asinine Idea? lol

Source

Well this is the automotive corner, If you have anything you would like us to cover please feel free to drop us a line! Write nissan, tell them DO NOT DO THIS if you are against it! lol

Thanks for coming by today, Keep checking back or subscribe to us via email/rss to stay IN THE KNOW!

See ya thusday in The Mod Shop!

Want To Get Your Ride Dynoed? Got An iPhone?(evil grin)

2008-08-04T23:01:52Z

I found this on autoblog, and just wow… Another reason to enjoy your iPhone!

“The world has gone iPhone crazy since Apple released v2.0 of its sleek mobile device, and while GPS and 3G have been big draws, the multitude of available software apps in the new App Store has been the real wild card. One app that has us really psyched is a new automotive performance meter called Dynolicious from BunsenTech. It uses the accelerometer inside the iPhone to let you record 0-10 through 0-100 times, quarter mile and trap speed, Lateral Gs, horsepower and more. Results are also displayed in real-time on the phone itself with graphs and a speedometer. You can also configure the tool with updates to your car, weight, before and after performance measurements, and keep a complete history of all your runs. The kicker is that you don’t even have to plug in your iPhone anywhere, just set it in the cup holder and drive. The folks at Dynolicious promise 0-60 accuracy to within .08 seconds and a quarter mile speed to within 1.5 mph. The performance meter software should also work with the iPod Touch.

The Dynolicious performance meter is now available on iTunes for $12.99 despite its own website saying that it’s coming soon. The app has an average rating of four stars out of five so far with 11 user reviews and counting. We’re going to purchase the software ASAP and take it for a spin, so we’ll let you know soon if it delivers on its lofty promises. Check out more screen shots of Dynolicious in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Fooman!”

Source

Screen Shot’s Of The Applications Features

Ok so with it being that accurate that should tickle your automotive funny bone! I know it does me!! I only wish I had one!!!

Anybody have the dynolicious application on their iPhone?? Drop us a line and let us know about this app and what you think about it!

Welcome to a late Mod Shop today! Spotlight: Options Auto Salon!

2008-08-02T14:30:47Z

Welcome everybody to the final mod shop of July, I am ya boy VizX bringing you whats hot in keeping your ride up on the best modification in the world today.

is who I am covering today and its about their line of JDM tails for the 07-08 Honda Fit. JDM = Japanese Domestic Market, and usually a JDM part is one of the hottest modifications a honda/acura/nissan/lexus/toyota/subaru etc owner can apply to their car.

Todays JDM modification for the Fit is the taillights, and there are three kinds. Type 1, 2 and 3. The difference’s are all visual.

Type 1:

= All Smoked Lens with Red LED Brake Light Design.

Type 2:

= Smoked Signal Lens Light with Red LED Brake Light Lens Design.

Type 3:

Clear Signal Light Lens with Red LED Brake Light Lens Design.

These tail’s originally listed for $470.00, but Options auto salon has them listed now for $423.00 which is a $47.00 savings. You can get these tails and the other Fit JDM parts on their website Here

To check out their website from their start page and navigate your way to your ride’s parts, go Here

Well like most Mod shops, they are short and sweet. If you have a modified honda fit drop us a line with a photo or two and ill throw it in this post!

Thanks for coming back to flytoyz, the #1 spot for keeping you in the know on whats hot with gadgets, computer toyz, games,auto’s etc etc.. If its a Fly Toy, Its HERE!

See you monday in the Auto’ Corner!