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Video: Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing?

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Towing a Nissan Leaf with a Toyota Tundra

Towing a Nissan Leaf to charge it – Click above to watch video after the jump

When you have a Nissan Leaf with an empty battery, desperately need to get somewhere and there’s no charging station around, your options are pretty limited. For the moment at least, Nissan will gladly tow your EV at no cost, though something tells us the driver may have an issue with being your personal chauffeur. But there may be another alternative to help you get where you’re going. As one enterprising Leaf driver recently found out, towing the vehicle using a tow bar actually quickly charges the batteries thanks to the vehicle’s regenerative braking.

Now, as you can tell from the video after the break, this may not be the best thing for the Leaf’s powertrain. The owner’s manual specifically warns against towing in this manner unless it’s a dire emergency, and the Leaf’s computer seems all kinds of out of sorts after a brief tow session behind a Toyota Tundra. We wouldn’t be surprised if this even led to warranty issues down the line, too. The bottom line is that while the stunt makes for compelling internet entertainment, it’s not something we’d recommend trying at home. Be warned that the video may be a little NSFW due to some brief foul language (the audio is in Dutch, but there are English subtitles). Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing?

Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Turbine-powered golf cart is the quickest way to the clubhouse

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Videos, Humor

Jet-powered golf cart

Jet-powered golf cart – Click above to watch video after the jump

There are plenty of fine reasons to play golf. Everyone needs an excuse to get outside and stretch their legs, and smacking the life out of a little white ball is a socially acceptable way to relieve stress with a club. But for many of us, the only reason to get on the green is to get behind the wheel of a golf cart. Our short game may be the living definition of embarrassing, but we’d like to imagine we could execute a fine handbrake turn behind the wheel of an electric rental.

If that’s not entertaining enough to wet your whistle, you can always add the thrill of a turbine engine to the mix. We’re not exactly sure where the gentleman in the video after the jump got the idea to strap a small jet engine to the back of his custom golf cart, but we like where his head’s at. Odds are the other players may have a small problem with the racket that his contraption makes, but that’s their problem, right?. Hit the jump to check it out.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Turbine-powered golf cart is the quickest way to the clubhouse

Video: Turbine-powered golf cart is the quickest way to the clubhouse originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 arrives as quickest Jeep ever made

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Performance, SUV, Crossover, Jeep

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 will make its official debut on the floor of the 2011 New York Auto Show today and, according to Chrysler, it’s the fastest Jeep ever built. How does 0-60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds on its way to a governed 155-mph top speed sound? For those of you who live your lives a quarter mile at a time, the big Jeep will down the strip in the mid-13-second range.

Even with performance numbers knocking on supercar territory, not to mention a 465-horsepower 6.4-liter Hemi V8, Jeep claims the new SRT8 gets 13-percent better fuel economy than its predecessor. To keep the gas mileage respectable, Jeep has employed a new active exhaust system that lets Chrysler’s cylinder-deactivating Fuel Saver Technology operate over a wider RPM band. The fuel economy numbers are so good that the SUV can now travel up to 450 miles on a single tank before needing another drink of dinosaur juice.

Straight-line numbers and (relatively) impressive MPGs aren’t this big SUV’s only trick. Thanks in part to Jeep’s new Selec-Track system with five distinct drive modes (including Sport), Chrysler says the new Grand Cherokee SRT8 will also hold on for a .90-g skid pad performance. Even better, it can haul itself down from 60 mph in an abrupt 116 feet.

Inside there’s a list of standard features as long as your arm, including SIRIUS satellite radio, a DVD and MP3-capable stereo and new steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Options include a 19-speaker, 825-watt Harmann-Kardon stereo complete with a 10-inch subwoofer, a dual-pane tinted sunroof and a power liftgate.

Look for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to hit dealerships this summer, and stay tuned for live shots of the new SRT8 direct from the 2011 New York Auto Show floor later today. In the meantime, there’s more details in Jeep’s lengthy press release after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 arrives as quickest Jeep ever made

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 arrives as quickest Jeep ever made originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford delivers 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet racers, lays claim to quickest production car [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Videos, Ford

2012 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet

2012 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We’re all for an event that culminates with the serving of cake, especially when the sweet stuff is delivered in tandem with supercharged Mustang coupes built especially for drag racing. Ford recently threw a party at the Auto Alliance Mustang factory in Flat Rock, MI to celebrate the official delivery of its new 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet, a vehicle that the company proudly maintains is quickest accelerating production vehicle ever made. When pressed, Ford tells us the CJ will do a 60-foot launch in 1.3 seconds and the quarter-mile in under 10 seconds. We asked about a 0-60 mph time, but we were reminded that measurement is pretty meaningless in drag racing.

Cobra Jet buyers from all over came from as far away as Calgary, Alberta and Puerto Rico to participate in the ceremony and take delivery of their new racecars, and we’re betting they would have made the trek even without the sheet cake. All attendees signed a 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet hood that will later be placed on the walls of the production facility.

Continue reading Ford delivers 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet racers, lays claim to quickest production car [w/video]…

Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Delivery

Continue reading Ford delivers 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet racers, lays claim to quickest production car [w/video]

Ford delivers 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet racers, lays claim to quickest production car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official MSP Numbers: Chevy Caprice is quickest, fastest police car… barely

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GM, Police/Emergency

2011 Chevrolet Caprice police car

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV — Click above for high-res image gallery

The numbers are in, folks. This year’s Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation pitted Ford’s Jurassic Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (the new Taurus-based Police Interceptor was reportedly on hand, but its numbers won’t be included until next year), Chrysler’s 2011 Dodge Charger Police Pursuit model and General Motors’ Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle against each other in a no-holds-barred fight to the finish. And let’s just say the results are closer than you might think.

For instance, as pointed out by the proud parents at Chevrolet, the Caprice did, in fact, manage to set the best acceleration times to 60 miles per hour and 100 mph. But… and there’s always a but… the 2011 Charger was pretty much neck-and-neck with the Caprice. In fact, the Charger was quicker to 20, 40, 50, 70 and 80 mph. So, which one is really quicker? Pretty much a photo finish, if you ask us.

Also, top speeds between the two competitors were within spitting distance: 148 mph for the Caprice and 146 for the Hemi-powered Charger. There’s plenty more intriguing data as well, such as the fact that the new Pentastar V6-powered Charger was, on average, almost exactly as fast around the race track as its more powerful V8-powered sibling, and both were about a second behind the Caprice in the lap time derby.

And what of the old stalwart? Ford’s age-old Crown Victoria did its best, but was still over two seconds behind at 60 mph and a woeful 10 seconds afield by 100. Top speed for the Vic was 129 (with a 3.27 rear end, which was even slower in acceleration tests than its 3.55-equipped brother), and its lap times were well behind that of the Caprice and Charger.

Braking tests also favored the new Caprice and Charger. Chevy’s entry posted a projected 60-0 stopping distance of 128.3 feet and the Charger managed to come to a halt in 133.9 feet (133.2 with the V6). For comparison, the Crown Vic needs 141.6 feet to haul itself down from speed.

One final note: If acceleration is really what an officer is into, perhaps he should consider a switch to two wheels. Kawasaki’s Concours 14 ABS Police bike hit 100 mph in under 10 seconds and the BMW R1200 RTP did the deed in under 12. See the complete preliminary testing results here at the link below.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

[Source: Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation]

Official MSP Numbers: Chevy Caprice is quickest, fastest police car… barely originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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