22nd July 2008

Staying Ahead Of The Game And Saving Money On Gas

Gas is on the rise and it’s expected to continue to climb. Here’s two ways to get around the high costs of fuel and literally drive for cheap:

1. Vegetable Oil. Note: This process will only work with a diesel vehicle (see #2 for gasoline vehicles).

What this consists of is converting your diesel car or truck to run off of free vegetable oil. The conversion can be relatively straight forward and you can buy an already put together kit that you and your buddies can install over a weekend. The other option, which is cheaper, is just getting the same parts as in the kit separately. This can save a bunch of money and the parts are generally just as good.

The free vegetable oil will come from grease bins in the back of fast food or Chinese restaurants. You have to filter out the grease a few times to get it clean, but since it is free this process is definitely worth it. Plus you can now buy filtering pumps that will do all the work for you.

2. Run your Car with Water, saving a ton of money on gas.

Here is a new process that works for gas cars and trucks, (and actually diesels too if you don’t want to do the vegetable oil conversion). You are not running solely on water, rather it consists of running your vehicle by supplementing water with gasoline. This can literally double your gas mileage and obviously save thousands of dollars a year.

This requires a conversion as well, but it is a do it yourself process, and it’s easily reversible so it will not interfere with your car warranty’s, nor will it harm your vehicle. Essentially you are using electricity from you car battery to separate water into a gas that burns smoothly and efficiently.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

22nd July 2008

The Roller Coaster Ride That Gas Prices Took Us On

However, when looking back at the fuel trends in 2007, the prices fluctuations were rather staggering. We all remember looking at the price on the gas station’s sign and cringing at the sight of $3.00 per gallon but a couple of days later feeling the relief when seeing it under $3.00 per gallon- if only to $2.99 per gallon the single penny lessened the blow. to our pocket books.

Prices in 2007

The gas prices in 2007 put a dent in the wallets of many individuals and businesses alike. However, it is the business that really felt a punch. With many large businesses running large fleets of vehicles, they had to develop cost-efficient ways to transport goods despite the rising gas prices. Although these fleet management techniques worked to curb costs, large retailers began offsetting costs by increasing their prices thus creating a vicious circle of rising prices. Whether it was truly necessary, no one knows, but they touted fuel costs as being the reason why.

Just as crude oil rose to astronomical prices per barrel, diesel took a punch as well.

Let’s take a look at the roller coaster ride 2007 took us:

January 1st opened up with gas prices at $2.38 per gallon, which is nothing compared to the prices we are seeing now. With crude oil at $58.85 per barrel, we thought it was the end of the world and even diesel had reached $2.58 per gallon.

Luckily, by February 5th, the price of crude oil had decreased to $58.27 per barrel and gas prices were showing a promising $2.23 per gallon and diesel was down to $2.43.

But by March 5th, we were biting our nails again when crude oil spiked to $60.37 per barrel and the gas prices reached a very uncomfortable $2.55 per gallon. Diesel reached $2.62. Seven days later, crude oil was $59.95 per barrel and gas was $2.60 per gallon with diesel hanging at $2.68 per gallon.

By April 2nd, we witnessed gas prices hit $2.75 per gallon and diesel was only 4 cents more at $2.79 per gallon. Crude oil prices had hit $68.92 per barrel.

But it was on April 30th that the punch was truly felt when the signs at the gas stations read $3.01 per gallon for gasoline and diesel was actually showing a lower price at $2.81 per gallon. Crude oil prices had hit $67.16 per barrel, which was actually less than earlier in the month.

By May 28th we saw gas prices spike at $3.25 per gallon and a crude oil price of $69.20 per barrel. Diesel was still hanging around the $2.81 mark and we were being warned that it would be rare to see gasoline prices go below the $3.00 mark.

However, we did have a little bit of a reprieve in August when gasoline reached $2.82 per gallon and diesel was once again a tad bit higher at $2.84 per gallon. But the crude oil prices were hanging around at $71.51 per barrel.

As for the end of 2007, crude oil prices continued to hang between the $70 range and we didn’t see the prices drop below $3.00 per gallon very often. Prices in the range of $2.92 to $2.96 per gallon were what we saw the most of.

The trends of 2007 definitely took the public for a loop. Despite the rising prices in crude oil, the prices in gasoline did not increase at the same rate, which is good for individuals and businesses trying to operate on a budget. Hopefully 2008 is going to be less of a roller coaster ride.

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21st July 2008

Future Vehicles And Auto Enthusiast Discussions And Conclusions

Imagine For A Moment That Your Car Drives Smoothly, Has Two Doors That Open Vertically, 180º View From A Jetson’s Like Cock Pit.  Oh, did I mention this car also gets 300 mile to the gallon?Welcome to the Aptera RevolutionWhen I first read about the Aptera, I couldn’t believe it was true. The idea is more than just innovative—its revolutionary. Most alternatively propelled vehicles and schemes revolve around incorporating alternative propulsion technology with existing auto designs. Aptera broke ranks with this conventional method and decided to rebuild “the car” from the ground up in order to increase the viability and efficiency of the alternative fuel being used. From this “recasting”of the die Aptera has completely redrawn how we as a society view the automobile. With the first set of cars ready to be bought in the next year, the only remaining question is if Aptera’s revolution will be everyone’s or end up being “the Aptera fad.”What’s in an Aptera?From first glance the Aptera Typ-1 seems something more fitting for a sci-fi movie than our generation, but that is precisely Aptera’s point. We as a society need a new way to think if we are going to put together the type of alternatively propelled car everyone keeps talking about. The Aptera is a three wheeled in-house designed vehicle with original suspension systems and an efficiency design using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). On top of all of this, the Aptera’s propulsion system is electricity powered with a range of 150 miles and in prototypes being released soon Aptera has introduced a hybrid propulsion system, giving the car a range of 600 miles.Yet with all the hype over the Aptera’s alternative fuel propulsion, the Aptera is so much more than just another stab at a “green car.” The Aptera really is another world. It’s entire interior is made of recycled material. It has a touch screen to regulate temperature, music, and other standard car functions. The interior is roomy and thanks to the solar paneling on the Aptera’s roof (energizing the car’s internal atmospheric computer system while the owner is outside), the interior’s air is kept at a normal temperature. With it’s smooth handling and power, revolutionary design, there is really nothing like the Aptera.Is The World Ready?The question many people are asking themselves is not whether the people at Aptera have something incredible, every knows that, rather the real question: Is the world ready for Aptera? With it’s unconventional design and thought behind the entire vehicle, Aptera challenges the notion of the traditional sedan. Any owner of an Aptera must be ready to break societal stereotypes wrapped up in car ownership. The real debate for any potential Aptera buyer is whether the revolutionary and futuristic feel of the Aptera outweighs the break in conventionalism.The Revolution Has Already BegunWhether or not Aptera as a company is successful in the future is not the important part of Aptera’s existence. The point has been made in future car circles and auto enthusiast discussions that the very existence and successful development of the Aptera Typ-1 has already opened the door and broken down the barrier of conventionalism. This maybe the greatest gift the Aptera company has given to the world of transportation.

posted in Future Fuels | 0 Comments

21st July 2008

Study Carefully Your Options. A Car Loan Is A Serious Investment …

Acquiring a car loan is, for a number of people, a major investment and as such should be carefully studied to assure you get the best car loan and make sure you don’t get an auto loan scam.In getting a car loan, there are lots of things that you need to consider. These things are significant in the sense that they are guide points to make your auto loan a worry-free one.Let’s start with the APR or the annual percentage rate. The law makes it mandatory that all companies engaging in car loan or car financing business to disclose all things included in the APR. APR is basically the group of fees and expenses paid annually. The APR is necessary when you wish to acquire a car loan. Essentially, this is the most important thing that you need to consider in terms of comparing one auto loan from another since it involves all the fees relative to the acquisition of an auto loan.Next, at the time of car purchase, you need to pay a downpayment which is a sum of money you initially pay a car dealer upon securing a car loan. You have to make sure that your downpayment is credited in terms of how much sum of money you pay per amortization.Next thing is the interest rate. Though not too much important as the APR is with reference to the buyer, you should also give due consideration on the interest rate of the loan. The interest is the percentage of the car loan that determines how much gain a company makes out of the transaction.
The loan term on the other hand is the length of the car loan.The longer the loan term is the smaller the monthly amortization but this does not mean you should get a long loan term because when you add them all up, you actually lose much money in a longer loan term as when you get a shorter one. The key is to get the least APR. Keep that in mind.
The principal is actually the base of the car loan without any add-ons in it. This is the actual sales price of the car.These are the major factors that you need to bear in mind when you decide to get a car loan. Giving them closer attention will enable you to become more educated in terms of getting things in proper perspective.Although car loan companies are in general reputable, there is increasing number of car loan scams. These loan scams promise you heaven and earth but the moment you give your trust to them that’s the start of your nightmare.They can really give you bunch of headaches and can get your money like winds blowing the sand in your hand. So, it is better to study offers of small or big companies when you plan to get a car loan. Give the company’s reputation due attention so that you will have a feel if what it offers is real or real scam.It’s always advisable to do your own research about the standing of car loan companies. You just don’t have to rely on their sales talks because what they would tell you are all good for their own benefits.

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