TVS Apache 160

TVS Motor Company Indonesia (TVSMCI) is really exploiting the large Indonesian motorcycle market. Following the previously launched TVS Neo (‘cub’ class motorcycle), TVS has launched the TVS Apache which positioned as a sporty class motorcycle. The launching ceremony has taken place at Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran on Wednesday, 19 March 2007. It was attended by reporters from various media and also by the TVSMCI board of directors.
RTR Technology
TVS called the Apache as a masterpiece of 160 cc motorcycle. The reason was that beside its ergonomic design, the engine has been perfected by RTR (Racing Throttle Response) technology. This technology combined racing technology with a 15.2 Bhp, resulting in optimum acceleration. On the factory test, Apache could reach 60 km/hour in 4.8 second

Apache is also equipped with Rotal Petal Disc Brake with 270 mm of diameter, one of the largest in its class. This gives a very precise braking performance because the rapid cooling of the disc brake. For comfort, Apache uses the Poly Shock Absorber and the adjustable handle bar that could be adjusted from normal position into a more sporty racing position.

You can also test the TVS Apache by visiting the nearest dealers. TVSMCI wants you to experience the awesome bike for yourself. Currently, TVSMCI has 26 dealers in Java, North Sumatera, and Riau. For provide the best after-sales services, TVSMCI has a network of 71 workshop partners. So what you are waiting for? Get ready to ride TVS Apache!

Source: TVS Motor Indonesia

Honda FCX Clarity, a New Zero-emission Car

MSNBC reporting that Honda’s new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to Southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.
The picture above is 'HOnda FCX Clarity’ which presented to the media in Tokyo last May.

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

Japan’s third biggest automaker expects to lease out a “few dozen” units this year and about 200 units within three years. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.

The FCX Clarity is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, introduced in 2002.

A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, which is the unit that powers the car’s motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda said.

The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker.

The 3,600-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour.

John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said at a morning ceremony it was “an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars.”

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity’s release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its Web site but could only consider those living near stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.

Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.

source :MSNBC

Runs Biofuel, Hummer Go Green !

ZDNet reports that a biodiesel conversion specialist, Jonathan Goodwin, has retrofitted a Hummer to run on ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel or natural gas. The car gets the equivalent to 40 miles per gallon. Goodwin's company is an alternative energy start-up, SAE Energy. The company is filling an unlikely niche in the clean tech market: making muscle cars green. He's already converted about 60 H2 Hummers from gas to diesel and about 100 H1 hummers, including a Hummer that can burn the whole menu of clean fuels.

A gas-to-diesel conversion boosts a Hummer's mileage from about 10 miles a gallon to between 22 and 24 miles a gallon. Additionally, the horsepower jumps from about 325 in the regular Hummer to 650, giving the car more power.
Goodwin, who's based in Wichita, Kan., doesn't advertise or push the services through Web sites much because it generates too many inquiries. "I really get pounded with a lot of requests when I do," he said. "But it doesn't look like I will be able to hide much longer."

Gas-to-diesel conversions are the automotive equivalent of a heart transplant. The gas-burning engine and original transmission are removed and replaced with a Duramax diesel engine, typically inserted in Chevy trucks, and an Allison transmission.

With a Hummer, little retrofitting is required. With the Impala, the center divider in the car had to be widened. In the end, though, the car still accommodated four or more passengers, unlike the two-seater Lamborghini.

The performance increase comes in part from the inherent properties of diesel engines. Overall, a diesel can deliver more torque–the rotational force applied to an object, in this case the car's crankshaft–than a gas engine. A 500 horsepower gas engine might put out 600 foot-pounds of torque. A similar diesel might put out 800 to 900 foot-pounds of torque.

The engine inserted into the 1965 Impala cranks 850 horsepower and 1200 foot-pounds of torque. The Impala was chosen because it has a stronger frame than most other mid-1960s muscle cars.

"Torque is the key," Goodwin said.

Source : zdnet.

Honda Beat

After releasing a new type of sport bike named Honda CS1 (City Sport) about 2 monts ago, Honda plan to release a new type of automatic bike. The name of this newest automatic variant which sold in Indonesia is Honda Beat. It seems not so different compared to the former type, Vario. There still many characteristic features of Vario which sill implemented with this new type, such Side Stand Switch and Parking Brake Lock. In Thailand, this variant named with Icon.

Physically, the appearance is almost the same with Honda Icon. It also used 108 CC 4 stroke engine with CVT transmision. The available colours choice are Fusion Blue, Hip Hip Orange, Pop Pink, Hard Rock Black, Techno White, and Electro Red.

source : www.otocontest.com