2012 Fiat 500 Pop Hatchback 2-door 1.4l Runs Great 2000 Miles Manual 5 Speed on 2040-cars

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KSPG testing low-noise EV range extender engine

If you're going to add a gas-burning engine to an electric vehicle, it makes sense to have it be whisper quiet. We haven't heard the engine ourselves, but supplier KSPG AG said during the Detroit Auto Show this week that the range extender it put into a Fiat 500 for test purposes introduced "barely perceptible noise and vibration" levels. The engine, a two-cylinder V-type with something called "FEVcom vibration compensation" that allows the engine to kick on and power the vehicle without the cabin occupants really being able to notice. The whole unit - including a vertical crankshaft, two generators and gear wheel drive - comes in a ready-to-install support frame, KSPG says. Installed in the 500, it certainly looks tiny (click the image above to see what we mean). KSPG says the range extender is "largely universally mountable" and could be made cheaply if it were used in a variety of vehicles. KSPG worked with FEV on the project. Read more in the press release below. Low-noise range extender dispels battery runtime angst January 13, 2014 Together with FEV GmbH, KSPG is currently and successfully testing a range extender developed for electric vehicles. The test vehicle, based on the FIAT 500, has already undergone comprehensive tests at KSPG. Customer response to tests conducted at various OEMs underscore the targets achieved in the development of this extender where emphasis was on barely perceptible noise and vibration from the 2-cylinder V-type engine fitted with FEVcom vibration compensation. Thanks to its dedicated design features including active vibration compensation and convenient mounting location, the system on show performs excellently in the noise- vibration-harshness discipline. As a consequence, the impression of low-noise electric propulsion hardly suffers whenever the extender goes about its work. The range extender allows vast flexibility in the configuration of its operating strategy. Depending on the timing and load conditions for when it starts up, the unit's "operating philosophy" can be very closely adapted to any given conditions. The extender's advantages are to allow a reduction in battery size and cost and in the related weight. Also, the car can maintain its customary travel range without having to stop for lengthy recharging. It dispels "runtime angst," a phenomenon not to be underestimated when introducing electric mobility.

Brand new cars are being sold with defective Takata airbags

If you just bought a 2016 Audi TT, 2017 Audi R8, 2016–17 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, or 2016 Volkswagen CC, we have some unsettling news for you. A report provided to a US Senate committee that oversees the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on by Automotive News claims these vehicles were sold with defective Takata airbags. And it gets worse. Toyota and FCA are called out in the report for continuing to build vehicles that will need to be recalled down the line for the same issue. That's not all. The report also states that of the airbags that have been replaced already in the Takata recall campaign, 2.1 million will need to eventually be replaced again. They don't have the drying agent that prevents the degradation of the ammonium nitrate, which can lead to explosions that can destroy the airbag housing and propel metal fragments at occupants. So these airbags are out there already. We're not done yet. There's also a stockpile of about 580,000 airbags waiting to be installed in cars coming in to have their defective airbags replaced. These 580k airbags also don't have the drying agent. They'll need to be replaced down the road, too. A new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time. If all this has you spinning around in a frustrated, agitated mess, there's a silver lining that is better than it sounds. So take a breath, run your fingers through your hair, and read on. Our best evidence right now demonstrates that defective Takata airbags – those without the drying agent that prevents humidity from degrading the ammonium nitrate propellant – aren't dangerous yet. It takes a long period of time combined with high humidity for them to reach the point where they can rupture their housing and cause serious injury. It's a matter of years, not days. So a new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time – and six years seems to be about as early as the degradation happens in the worst possible scenario. All this is small comfort for the millions of people who just realized their brand-new car has a time bomb installed in the wheel or dashboard, or the owners who waited patiently to have their airbags replaced only to discover that the new airbag is probably defective in the same way (although newer and safer!) as the old one.

2.1 million vehicles recalled again over faulty airbags

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda and Toyota will recall 2.1 million vehicles to fix faulty airbag modules "after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles." These vehicles had all previously been recalled, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the airbags could still potentially malfunction. This recall will cover Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon models made in the early 2000s. NHTSA has reportedly received about 40 reports of airbag deployment in such vehicles, even though the vehicle had not been involved in a crash. Roughly one million of these same vehicles, all from Honda and Toyota, are also subject to recalls due to faulty Takata airbag modules, though this particular recall is for "an electronic component manufactured by TRW" that is separate from the actual airbags from Takata. According to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind: "This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once. But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed. Even though it's a temporary solution until the new remedy is available, they and their families will be safer if they take the time to learn if their vehicle is covered and follow their manufacturers' instructions. A hassle is much better than a family tragedy." If you're the owner of an affected car, expect to hear more from the official automaker and government channels in short order. In the meantime, we'd suggest getting your car checked and fixed at your local dealer. The official statement and recall information can be found below. Previously Recalled Vehicle Remedies Not Working as Designed; NHTSA Announces Follow up Recall of 2.12 Million Cars and SUVs Saturday, January 31, 2015 Contact: Gordon Trowbridge, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced today the recall of more than 2.12 million Acura, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Pontiac, and Toyota vehicles for a defect that may cause airbags to deploy inadvertently. The recalls will provide vehicle owners with a new remedy after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles.