Not everyone is feeling the pinch
As the price of crude oil escalated, we have all had to
tighten our belts. The increased fuel costs at the pumps
have seen the price of gasoline jump around eight baht a
liter in the past 12 months. The resulting increase in
transport costs has been passed on to the consumer, and
particularly for those on a limited income they are really
feeling the pinch.
However,
as they say, it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Surprise, surprise, the jolly green giant Exxon has just
recorded the largest profit ever for any US company. A cool
$40 billion US. And some of that came from the increase at
the pumps.
Another company that just recorded the highest figures for
any company in the UK also is doing well, thank you. A
paltry $27.6 billion US is sitting nicely with Shell, while
rival BP could only struggle to a $19 billion US profit.
In my book, and in that of many people and organizations
throughout the world, this is not ‘profits’ - this is
profiteering.
On one hand we get fed the ‘end of the world’s oil’
scenario, while we are then ripped off because we are stuck
with gasoline transportation societies.
But we are not really in such a cleft stick if we look
around. There are alternatives. Diesel, hybrid
gasoline/electric and pure electric. Forget hydrogen, trying
to get hydrogen to the service stations is about as silly as
relying on the good graces of Exxon, Shell, BP, OPEC and all
their mates, in bringing the price down.
Out of the possibles, plug-in electric makes the most sense.
The electric power grid is already connected to your house.
Batteries are becoming better, stronger and smaller all the
time. Look at your mobile phone if you don’t believe me and
remember the massive batteries you used to carry around in a
suitcase. You had to go to Thor’s Gym to be strong enough to
carry it, but now the whole shooting match fits in your
shirt pocket.
General Motors is not a small time player in the automotive
scene (even if they have been deposed by Toyota in world
sales), and they are also serious about their electric
challenger, the Volt. According to their press releases, “GM
shows Chevy plug-in concept. Volt runs on electricity, uses
gas engine as back-up generator. The Chevrolet Volt, which
is driven by electricity alone, uses a small three-cylinder
gasoline engine only to recharge its batteries. The
batteries can also be charged by plugging into an ordinary
electrical outlet.” All sounds pretty good to me!
Returning to the technical side, there are, however, many
good reasons to go electric. Electric motors offer more
torque - the pulling power a car needs to accelerate -
relative to their kilowatt (or horsepower) output than
gasoline engines do. Motor racers know that horsepower
figures look good in press releases, but it is torque that
wins races.
The Volt’s electric motor can produce up to 121 kilowatts,
the equivalent of about 161 horsepower. It can produce 320
Newton-meters, or about 236 foot-pounds, of torque. In a
sedan car, those are stunning numbers.
In world terms, GM and Siemens VDO are not small specialist
manufacturers, but they have committed themselves to
following the electric trail. Sell your shares in the oil
business and invest in power grids. That is the way
technology is heading. And at the same time blow the odd
raspberry at friend Exxon who has been capitalizing on your
dependence on gasoline, and reaping (raping?) the highest
profits in history.
Going to the Singapore
Grand Prix?
The first night Grand Prix is going to be held in
Singapore later this year. However, this is not the first
Singapore Grand Prix. Far from it, and in fact, the island
state has been host to motor racing for many years. There
was a race meeting held on the airstrip at Changi in 1957.
The meeting was held in aid of the Soldiers, Sailors Air
Force Association, a charitable body helping ex servicemen.
It was quite an event for post-war Singapore.
Singapore
GP program.
The first Grand Prix in Singapore was held in 1961. It was
called the Malaysian Grand Prix and the name was changed to
the Singapore Grand Prix from 1966 after Singapore attained
its independence in 1965.
The circuit was a road course, just like the 2008 course
will be, and the first Grand Prix in 1961 was won by Ian
Barnwell in an Aston Martin DB3S while the first Singapore
Grand Prix of post independence Singapore (also run to
Formula Libre rules) saw Lee Han Seng win in a Lotus 22
Lotus-Ford, and the final race in the series was won by
Aussie Vern Schuppan in a March-Ford in 1973.
The event was discontinued after 1973 for a variety of
reasons, including an increase in traffic and the consequent
inconvenience of having to close roads for the event, and
fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races were
producing a public outcry.
Singapore
GP map.
Against that background, we now have another Singapore Grand
Prix, this time for the FIA’s F1 circus. The new GP is
scheduled to take place on September 28, 2008. As spelled
out a few months ago, the timing of the night event means it
can be broadcast at a convenient time for European TV
audiences. According to the F1 Singapore Grand Prix website,
the start time of the race will be 8 p.m. local time.
The new street circuit is 5.067 kilometers long running
through the Marina Bay area. The design proposal includes
powerful lighting systems that will replicate daylight
conditions and the most stringent safety protocols will be
applied to ensure driver and spectator safety. Testing has
already been carried out, and apparently the floodlighting
will be much stronger that that used to light night cricket,
for example.
Grandstand seating and hospitality areas lining the track
will be able to accommodate more than 80,000 spectators,
while a permanent pit area with deluxe paddock facilities
will be built adjacent to the existing Singapore Flyer
complex. A new 1.2 km road that forms the eastern section of
the circuit will also be constructed alongside the pit
building. Organizers hope that this will be the Monaco of
Asia - and at night!
It is expected that the F1 cars will get up to around 300
kph on the straights and along Raffles Boulevard, where
there is another prime overtaking opportunity, before
braking hard through Turns 7 and 8 and heading towards the
historic and cultural landmarks along St Andrew’s Road and
Fullerton Road. Turn 14 will undoubtedly see some of the
most exciting action as the cars race across the 97 year old
Anderson Bridge and braking to an expected minimum corner
speed of 80 km per hour.
So a new era will be coming to the Singapore Grand Prix, as
well as night racing for the fans. Having competed at night
myself, it definitely adds a new dimension to motor sport,
and there will be a new name on top of Vern Schuppan after
September 28.
Previous winners of the Singapore Grand Prix
1973 Vern Schuppan March 722-Hart
1972 Max Stewart Mildren Waggott
1971 Graeme Lawrence Brabham BT29
1970 Graeme Lawrence Ferrari Dino 246
1969 Graeme Lawrence McLaren M4A
1968 Garrie Cooper Elfin 600-Ford
1967 Rodney Seow Merlyn
1966 Lee Han Seng Lotus 22
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I wrote that the first Autobahn in Germany
went from Frankfurt to Darmstadt and was opened in May 1935,
but it was not the first modern motorway, which was opened
in 1924. I asked what country, and where did it go from? The
correct answer was a 21 km autostrada from Milan to Varese
in Italy. The first British motorway was the Preston Bypass
opened in 1958!
So to this week. And an easy one. Dr. Porsche’s peoples car
was one of the success stories of the automotive world,
though it was not the Germans who made it so successful. I
want to know what was the car’s original name?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Big investment for AAT
The Auto Alliance Thailand (AAT), the 50/50 joint
venture between Ford and Mazda is moving ahead with the
plant expansion necessary for the forthcoming B-Car
production to be based here. Over one billion dollars was
used in the initial start-up for the AAT plant and the
expansion will see another $500 million investment for the
partners.
Mazda
2
Up till now, the AAT production has been mainly Ford and
Mazda pick-ups, of which 80 percent has been for export. The
Thai-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) has stimulated
exports to Down-under, and much of the export production has
been going to Ford in Australia.
The B-Car is not to be confused with the on again - off
again - on again ‘ecocar’ production, of which Toyota and
Nissan are front runners, already having suitable platforms
in Japan.
Word is already out that the new Mazda 2 (already released
in Japan and Australia) will be the Mazda production car to
be produced at the AAT. The new (yet to be named) Ford
variant on the Mazda 2 platform will also be produced at the
AAT facility. The platform is a Mazda design, but the body
units will be quite separate between the Ford and Mazda
B-Cars. Most scribes are forecasting that the Ford variant
will be based on the Ford Verve, a small car concept shown
at the Detroit auto show this year.
The dedicated assembly lines for the new B-Cars will be
finished this year, and production will roll out at the end
of 2009 (Mazda 2) and the beginning of 2010 (Ford). The
Mazda 2 has been getting rave reviews in the international
motoring press and there will be many waiting for the first
models to roll out. The engine choices will be both gasoline
(and expect them to be E20 compliant) and diesel (Ford
Euro-diesels being the most popular engine in Europe), while
the body styles will be both four and five doors.
Unfortunately the racy little two door will not be produced
here.
The ultimate boy’s toy
is here
BMW Thailand has announced that they are bringing
in the ultimate boy-racer’s dream. This is the new BMW M3,
complete with V8 up front and everything that the boy-racer
could ever want, including three different suspension
set-ups at the touch of a button - Fast, Very Fast and
Demoniacally Fast. All those with 9.9 million baht in their
back pocket are accepted.
Me? The ‘works’ Daihatsu looks more practical at this stage.
