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Photo, left: Enduro Racer, world's first electric off-road racing vehicle
By Nadin Abbott
Photos Tom and Nadin Abbott
January 1, 2014 (San Diego) --The San Diego Auto Show opened this morning in San Diego. With it came a slew of new and old offerings from multiple manufacturers. We talked safety, future tech and new releases with people who are in the industry.
The first surprise, at least for this reporter, was the Enduro Racer, the EV 1.1 that sat with the hybrid and electric vehicles. The obvious question is, what is an off road racing vehicle doing in the middle of this green technology?
We took photos and as we looked into the back of the vehicle, where a beefy gasoline engine sits, to my surprise we found an electrical engine. So we talked to Alex Plewniak, a member of the team that took this car down to Baja, about it. Plewniak told ECM that “to our knowledge this is the first, and to our knowledge the only 100% electric off road racer in the world.”
According to Plewniak, it was built as a challenge from an Army general, who approached the racing community. “General Pillsbury came to the Baja 1000 in 2010 and said that we are paying over four $400 for every gallon of fuel that we deliver to in-theater forces and that this is unsustainable.” In many ways this vehicle is a proof of concept. It did finish the Nora Mexican 1000 Race from Mexicali to Cabo San Lucas.
According to Plewniak it also has other advantages, that will mean in the future electric vehicles should be seen more often in races. There is less maintenance and the power from the throttle is transmitted 100% to torque. There are also less mechanical pieces, therefore it has faster acceleration than a gasoline engine.
After the race there is also no need to rebuild the engine, which is something that rally racers need to do. While this is a proof of concept, and they did this with only one battery pack, the reality is that this is very much the future of vehicle technology. It should also be noted that new technologies are first tested to the limit by the racing community.
From the point of view of the armed forces, these vehicles will be quiet. An electric engine also reduces crew fatigue in racing vehicles since it does not have to deal with the noise of the engine. This apparently proves to be a problem for sports photographers who are not expecting this vehicle, however, and by the time they see it, it’s passed them.
ECM also talked with Carolyn Duchene, Director of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. This is slated to open in San Diego in 2014 and will teach teen drivers how to think behind the wheel. According to Duchene, “The goal of the driving academy is to create safer and more responsible drivers out of our teens.” She added, “Crashes are the number one killer of teens. And 90 percent of those crashes are due to human error.”
While the company prides itself in making some of the safest vehicles on the road today, in order to make a real impact Duchene said, “We should be looking the most at risk group of drivers, which is teen drivers.”
The Academy focuses on teaching young drivers not just how to operate a vehicle, but how to think behind the wheel. It is also a DMV certified program, and one that has replaced many of the programs that once were offered at schools. It is more expensive that some of their competitors, but the goal is not just how to operate the vehicle, but how to do it safely.
One feature of the full program is that teens are exposed to a distracted driving course. This first has teens drive a simple course with no distractions. Then distractions are added to show to the teen driver that indeed, even having music on the radio can be a distraction. We joked that maybe adults should undergo the same course, since we have seen plenty of distracted driving on the roads.
We also were able to talk to the RAM truck people. Nick Cappa explained to us the latest in RAM trucks (photo, right). What caught our ear was that he admitted that while they are becoming increasingly expensive, trucks are also gaining increasing creature comforts. He added, “The truck market is fiercely competitive.” He also said that the brand RAM is now separate from Chrysler. So when you go to a RAM dealership, you can get your truck there. It’s not just your tradesman truck, for work, or your personal truck. You can also get delivery trucks.
As to unique technology, the RAM 1500 comes with an EcoDiesel engine that extends its range and gives you 25 mph on the highway, which is impressive for a truck—we know this as former truck owners.
The 3500 comes with a HEMI engine under the hood, allowing them to tow four elephants. (That’s 30,000 pounds.)
For those who own horse trailers, you would like to know that this vehicle is capable of towing a fifth wheel. They come ready, with holes pre-installed. These trucks also come with a guarantee of five years or 100,000 miles.
While not at the show, they also highlighted the Pro Master delivery trucks, that were designed with the needs of both the fleet owner, and the driver. These are front wheel units that have a spacious cargo capacity, with good fuel economy. So if you need to buy a truck, or a delivery truck, it is a one stop shop.
Finally we did go on the Jeep Camp and this year they brought out the Grand Cherokee. That vehicle is a mobile hot spot, with Uconnect Access. Among other things, it has blue tooth for your telephone, true GPS navigation and wifi.
It is a Jeep, so it can go almost anywhere and it is trail rated. They used that vehicle to demonstrate its capabilities at the Jeep Camp, back again this year. It was a pretty smooth ride, and comfy--the vehicle has heated seats.
It also has an EcoDiesel V-6 engine, with 30 miles per gallon and a range of over 730 miles. It has an eight speed automatic transmission and you can tell it what kind of terrain you intend to drive; the electronics will help to make that ride better. Of course it has four wheel drive and hill assist. Both of these features help when venturing off-road.
This is the video taken during our ride (photo, left) on the Cherokee Trail Hawk edition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKM1aSqPOV0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
We also took a couple of photos of a van at the mobility zone that might be of interest to our disabled vets, or anybody else confined to a wheel chair.
For those of you thinking of an electric vehicle, San Diego Gas and Electric will be at the show on Friday to answer all your questions at the Eco Blue Center.
Oh and for fans of Paul Walker and the Need for Speed movie series, there are a couple vehicles used in the movies as a memorial, and a few pictures.
This is the schedule of the show:
SHOW DATES
01/01/14 Wednesday
01/02/14 Thursday
01/03/14 Friday
01/04/14 Saturday
01/05/14 Sunday
SHOW TIMES
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 7 pm
Prices are as follows:
2014 Ticket Prices:
Adults (13+): $12.00
Military (w/ID): $9.00
Seniors (62+): $9.00
Children (7-12): $8.00**
Children (1-6): Free
For more information
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