Diesels: Good MPG, Less So Carbon

I have heard man advocates of small diesels moan that we "just don't get it" here in the U.S. and we need to be more European, and somehow encourage light duty diesels.

What the compression ignition lovers don't realize is that the U.S. policy is very much now based around global warming and carbon reduction, whereas it used to be about reducing oil consumption for geopolitical reasons (OPEC etc.)

So, let's look at carbon emissions:

1 gallon of gasoline when burned will emit approximately 19.64 pounds of CO2.

1 gallon of diesel will emit approximately 22.38 pounds of CO2.

Diesel is about 14% more carbon emitting than gasoline.

But, a diesel engine is about 30% more fuel efficient than a similarly sized gasoline engine. So if we do the math, a similarly sized diesel powered car will emit about 14% less CO2 than a similar diesel car. Not bad, but not huge.

Meanwhile, diesel fuel offers no advantage in the U.S. in cost (it is more expensive than gasoline by about 30%), and the vehicles cost more due to the diesel hardware premium.

Tesla's Extra 0.4 Star

Tesla is trumpeting the Model S' excellent performance in NHTSA's safety tests. Tesla says that the model S has achieved a combined rating of "5.4 stars":

Palo Alto, CA � Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board. NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.

This is very odd publicity, to me. NHTSA awards star ratings as integers, and 5 stars is the most you can get. A 5 star rating means that you have less than a 10% chance of serious injury in a serious accident, according to NHTSA's statistical model.

You can't get more than 5 stars, awarded by NHTSA.

Tesla is just trying too hard, here, I think. A 5-star result is excellent, and they should proudly publicize it.

Here, there and everywhere: Google Keep reminds you at the right time

Notes are a good way to keep track of all you have to do, but most of us need a little nudge now and then. Google Keep can remind you of important tasks and errands at just the right time and place. For example, Keep works with Google Now to remind you of your grocery list when you walk into your favorite grocery store, and nudges you on Thursday night to take out the trash.

To get started, select the �Remind me� button from the bottom of any note and choose the type of reminder you want to add. You can add time-based reminders for a specific date and time, or a more general time of day, like tomorrow morning. Adding a location reminder is incredibly easy too�as soon as you start typing Google Keep suggests places nearby.

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Of course, sometimes plans change. If you get a reminder you�re not ready to deal with, simply snooze it to a time or place that�s better for you.

 

It�s now even easier to get to all of your notes using the new navigation drawer, which includes a way to view all of your upcoming reminders in one place. And for people who want more separation between their home and work lives, the drawer also lets you easily switch between your accounts. 

And finally, we've made it easier to add your existing photos to a Google Keep note on Android. When you tap the camera icon you can choose between taking a new photo or adding one you already have from Gallery.

The new update is gradually rolling out in Google Play, and available now on the web at http://drive.google.com/keep and in the Chrome App.

Posted by Erin Rosenthal, Product Manager

Ford's C-Max Debacle Explained

Ford yesterday announced that it was re-stating the fuel economy label of the C-Max hybrid, from 47 city / 47 highway /47 combined to a still very good but not as impressive 45city / 40highway / 43combined. Note the large decline in the highway number.

So what happened? Did Ford cheat the test? Not really.

What happened was that Ford used the Fusion Hybrid test results to certify the C-Max, which they are allowed to do according to EPA regulations. The EPA regs allow manufacturers to certify vehicles as a group if they are in the same weight class and share powertrains.

Here is the EPA's short report on the matter. An excerpt:

Ford based the 2013 Ford C-Max label on testing of the related Ford Fusion hybrid, which has the same engine, transmission and test weight as allowed under EPA regulations. For the vast majority of vehicles this approach would have yielded an appropriate label value for the car, but these new vehicles are more sensitive to small design differences than conventional vehicles because advanced highly efficient vehicles use so little fuel.

In this case, EPA's evaluation found that the C-Max's aerodynamic characteristics resulted in a significant difference in fuel economy from the Fusion hybrid.

Was this intentional, a case of Ford using the higher number for marketing purposes? Or was it a case of simply not knowing that the C-Max would test out so much differently? I have no idea. But I think in the future, Ford and other carmakers are going to be more careful about publishing fuel economy numbers based on assumptions, after this PR disaster.

Tesla Quality Checking

An interesting insight into Tesla's assembly and delivery process over at Wired, here.

Tesla is testing every car they build with a battery of tests which takes a whopping 5 hours to complete. This compares with the end-of-line testing of a true high volume mass production auto plant, which takes typically several minutes. At the end of the assembly line, the completed car is run on a rolls machine (chassis dyno) which takes the car through an automated test sequence which spot checks the engine, brakes, transmission, and other systems. There are also final visual inspections.

And that's it. In a modern plant, the quality checks and reliability are built into the assembly process and design itself. Most cars fire up at the end of the line and are ready for a consumer to drive them 150,000 miles.

If Toyota, for example, took 5 hours to test and quality check each Lexus they built, they would not be able to produce many cars, and the plant would not make money.

Is Tesla's extensive end-of-line testing due to a lack of confidence in upstream processes and parts?

If Tesla hopes to be a major player, they will need to increase throughput and reduce in-plant time. They won't be able to check each car for 5 hours.

Get ready for college with textbooks on Google Play

Heading to college? Be prepared for the typical rites of passage: decorating your dorm room, choosing your classes and buying textbooks. And when it comes to buying textbooks from the campus store, some things never change like long lines, limited supplies and heavy backpacks. Or do they?

Rolling out this week, you can now rent or purchase digital textbooks from the Books section on Google Play. We have a long list of publishing partners, and we�re launching with a comprehensive selection of higher education titles from science and mathematics to history and English, and everything in between.

All your textbooks, anywhere you go 
With digital textbooks, there�s no need to worry about which ones you have with you and which ones you left in your dorm room. Because your library is stored in the cloud, you have instant access to the titles you need�when you need them�on your Android tablet, phone, iOS device and on the web. Now an overstuffed backpack is a thing of the past with all your textbooks weighing as much as the device you�re reading them on.

Take great notes, stay organized 
With the Google Play Books app, you have convenient tools at hand to make studying simpler and faster. You can instantly search within a textbook for a particular word or phrase, bookmark chapters and pages, highlight and annotate key passages and get quick access to dictionaries, translation tools, Wikipedia and Google search.

Rent and save 
Need your textbooks for just a semester or two? You can rent any textbook on Google Play for six months and save up to 80% as compared to buying print textbooks.

Shop for textbooks today on Google Play, and learn more at our Google in Education site.

Posted by Scott Dougall, Director, Product Management

The Chicken Tax--Bad and Good

There is an interesting piece in the Detroit News today about the possible impact of the "Chicken Tax", the 25% import duty on foreign built (exa-NAFTA) pickup trucks. According to "analysts", pickup trucks in the U.S. may have a several thousand dollar premium compared to what they would cost without the protectionist tariff.

The average selling price of full-size pickups has grown at more than twice the rate of the overall industry � cars and trucks combined � since 2005. The average truck sells for more than $40,000, nearly $9,000 more than the average vehicle, according to automotive research firmEdmunds.com. Automakers in recent years have added more luxury items to pickup trucks � and cars, too � so it's difficult to pinpoint how much an uncompetitive market can be attributed to price.

But Jesse Toprak, an analyst for vehicle pricing website TrueCar.com, said in a telephone interview that weak competition in the truck segment results in a "couple-thousand-dollar premium" paid by consumers.

The Chicken Tax, like any other protection tariff, has both bad and good effects.

Bad Effects

• Less consumer choice--
  We can't have the globally built small/midsized pickups that are sold overseas because with a 25% tariff no one would buy them.
• Higher prices--
  local production is done in part by UAW labor, which is more expensive than overseas labor.
  
• Foreign retaliation

Good Effects

• Local production means more jobs, and more business in U.S (and NAFTA region). If you add up direct and indirect jobs, thousands of Americans (and Mexicans and Canadians) are employed because of local truck production. Some are unionized but many are not.
• Higher quality pickup trucks. Due to the high cost of entry, only large established players like Toyota and Nissan have the means to set up a local plant to build trucks--so they have to bring high quality, high margin products. Cheap junk won't fly. Marginal brands like Mahindra or Great Wall have a hard time making a business case for low cost products, due to the high barriers of local labor costs and the regulatory environment.
  

Judging by the sales numbers (number one selling vehicle is F150, followed by Chevrolet Silverado) the higher prices do not seem to hurt pickup truck sales. Trucks have become a luxury good, as much as a work tool, and people are willing to pay $40,000 for a loaded pickup truck.

Find your lost phone with Android Device Manager

Have you ever lost your phone in between the couch cushions or forgot it in a restaurant? Or maybe searching for your phone before you rush out the door is part of your morning routine? Let the new Android Device Manager help you out! It's one of a few simple features you can use to keep your device�and the data you store inside�safe and secure.

Locate and ring your misplaced device 
If you ended up dropping your phone between those couch cushions, Android Device Manager lets you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it, even if it's been silenced. And in the event that your phone or tablet is out of earshot (say, at that restaurant you left it at last night), you can locate it on a map in real time.

You can also remotely add a screen lock to your device through the Android Device Manager. Whether you�re on a phone or a tablet, a screen lock is an important security step to protect the information stored on your device, in case it accidentally gets into the wrong hands. Being able to do this through the Android Device Manager means that even after you lose your phone, you�ll still be able to add a lock (or change an existing lock) to your device.

Protecting your personal information and data
While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can�t be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device.

Availability and getting started 
This service is now available on devices running Android 2.2 or above; to use it, you also will need to be signed into your Google Account. There will also be an Android app to allow you to easily find and manage your devices. Stay tuned!

Posted by Benjamin Poiesz, Product Manager, Android

Updated August 7 to reflect availability of Android Device Manager. Access it at www.android.com/devicemanager.

 Updated September 24 to reflect ability to remotely add screen lock through Android Device Manager.

Tesla's Hungry Doorhandles

Edmunds discovered that the Tesla S motorized door handles will not detect your fingers if you have them in the way when they want to close--they will pinch your hand.

Tesla, you might want to fix that. Some little kid is going to try it and get hurt.

Top 20 Vehicles June 2013

Here is a list of the top 20 best selling vehicles in the U.S. through JUne, 2013. Data table courtesy of Good Car Bad Car.

Rank	Vehicle	June 2013 YTD	% Change	June 2013	% Change
#1	Ford F-Series	367,486	+ 22.0%	68,009	+ 23.6%
#2	Chevrolet Silverado	242,586	+ 24.7%	43,259	+ 28.9%
#3	Toyota Camry	207,626	- 2.9%	35,870	+ 11.7%
#4	Honda Accord	186,860	+ 20.4%	31,677	+ 9.5%
#5	Dodge Ram	170,319	+ 22.9%	29,644	+ 23.8%
#6	Nissan Altima	167,787	+ 6.8%	26,904	+ 23.3%
#7	Ford Fusion	161,146	+ 17.8%	24,313	- 0.5%
#8	Toyota Corolla/Matrix	158,972	+ 4.8%	26,458	- 0.7%
#9	Honda Civic	158,704	- 2.4%	29,724	+ 8.1%
#10	Ford Escape	156,626	+ 23.2%	28,694	+ 0.7%
#11	Honda CR-V	145,763	- 0.6%	26,572	+ 14.1%
#12	Ford Focus	134,785	+ 2.6%	23,144	+ 9.2%
#13	Chevrolet Cruze	133,689	+ 17.4%	32,871	+ 73.2%
#14	Chevrolet Equinox	126,397	+ 14.0%	23,645	+ 13.7%
#15	Hyundai Elantra	126,244	+ 29.1%	22,163	+ 25.5%
#16	Chevrolet Malibu	111,100	- 21.4%	21,288	- 32.2%
#17	Hyundai Sonata	103,010	- 12.3%	19,454	- 7.1%
#18	Toyota RAV4	101,274	+ 13.2%	20,540	+ 35.8%
#19	Ford Explorer	101,243	+ 30.0%	16,597	+ 13.5%
#19.1	Ford Explorer	95,302	+ 25.9%	15,588	+ 11.2%
#19.2	Ford Explorer Police Interceptor	5941	+ 173%	1009	+ 67.3%
#20	GMC Sierra	87,633	+ 20.1%	16,568	+ 32.8%

Some interesting things going on here.

Full size trucks are still king -- Ford F-series, Chevrolet Silverado, and Dodge Ram are all in the top 5.

Camry, Accord and Altima are the beset selling sedans, but Camry sales are slowing, while Accord and Fusion are accelerating. Could Fusion overtake Altima and break into the top 3 sedans? Malibu is slipping badly, down 21% YTD.

The Ford Escape is charging up the chart, with a 23% YTD gain in sales, and has beat the CR-V, Equinox, and RAV4, the latter by a large margin.

In small cars, Corolla is still king, and Honda Civic seems to be wilting a little. Ford Focus is hanging on, but the big story is the Cruze, with a huge 17% increase.

Another impressive achievement for Ford, the Explorer has cracked the top 20 list (once upon a time it was one of the most popular nameplates in the country), racking up 95,000 retail sales YTD. The Explorer is the only larger SUV in the top 20.

Brands of the top 20: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, GMC. Notable in its absence is Chrysler, which can't seem to crack the big-volume game.

Corporate prizes in the top 20:

• Ford: 5 vehicles (F-series, Fusion, Escape, Focus, Explorer)
• GM: 5 vehicles (Silverado, Cruze, Equinox, Malibu, Sierra)
• Toyota: 3 (Camry, Corolla, RAv4)
• Honda: 3 (Accord, Civic, CRV)
• Hyundai: 2 (Elantra, Sonata)
• Nissan: 1 (Altima)
• Dodge: 1 (Ram)

Conclusions: Ford and GM are doing great. Toyota is showing some weakness in sales numbers. Chrysler is MIA.