Thorium Concept Car

Thorium-Fueled Automobile Engine Needs Refueling Once a Century

Thorium Concept Car

There are now over one billion cars traveling roads around the world directly and indirectly costing trillions of dollars in material resources, time and noxious emissions. Imagine all these cars running cleanly for 100 years on just 8 grams of fuel each.

Laser Power Systems (LPS) from Connecticut, USA, is developing a new method of automotive propulsion with one of the most dense materials known in nature: thorium. Because thorium is so dense it has the potential to produce tremendous amounts of heat. The company has been experimenting with small bits of thorium, creating a laser that heats water, produces steam and powers a mini turbine.

Cadillac World Thorium Fuel Concept

Current models of the engine weigh 500 pounds, easily fitting into the engine area of a conventionally-designed vehicle. According to CEO Charles Stevens, just one gram of the substance yields more energy than 7,396 gallons (28,000 L) of gasoline and 8 grams would power the typical car for a century.

The idea of using thorium is not new. In 2009, Loren Kulesus designed the Cadillac World Thorium Fuel Concept Car. LPS is developing the technology so it can be mass-produced.

Wider Implications of Thorium

According to Robert Hargraves, “low or non-CO2 emitting energy sources must be cheaper than coal or will ultimately fail to displace fossil fuels.” The United States uses 20% of the world’s energy today and, according to Hargraves, if it cut its CO2 emissions to zero, 80% produced by other countries would still be a problem. With CO2 emissions climbing seemingly beyond all bounds, pessimism is rampant and bold ideas are needed.

Thorium may also be the answer to the world’s nuclear energy conundrum and Wikipedia provides some of its advantages:

Weapons-grade fissionable material (233U) is harder to retrieve safely and clandestinely from a thorium reactor; this means, for example, Iran could be asked to develop only a thorium based reactor, virtually eliminating the issue of nuclear weapon development.
Thorium produces 10 to 10,000 times less long-lived radioactive waste;
Thorium mining produces a single pure isotope, whereas the mixture of natural uranium isotopes must be enriched to function in most common reactor designs. The same cycle could also use the fissionable U-238 component of the natural uranium, and also contained in the depleted reactor fuel;
Thorium cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction without priming,[29] so fission stops by default in an accelerator driven reactor.

Hargraves sees factories and other industrial concerns using thorium as well. Stay tuned as we track this idea and its development.

The Huracan gets a smooth rear

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Lamborghini Huracan

The Lamborghini Gallardo has been the Italian automaker’s most successful car to date with a total production of 14,002 units in its 10-year life span. When it announced that the Gallardo was being retired, many said that the successor had big shoes to fill and would probably have to just as crazy as the Gallardo was when it was launched. It seems that after all the hype Lamborghini has not disappointed when it launched the Huracan LP 610-4 in April of this year. It is now bringing the car to India and will launch it on September 22.

Exterior

The Huracan has the signature low down Lambo design and has a very similar overall shape as compared to the larger Aventador coupe. It gets a low sweeping bonnet, with angular-shaped projector headlights which look like slits in what is otherwise a very smooth façade. The air intakes extend from the front of the car and are superimposed by the number plate holder. On the side, the roofline stretches downwards in both directions accentuating the image of the car sitting really low off the ground. There are a large amount of aerodynamic lines and thanks to the flared wheel arches as well as the large 18-inch wheels, the Huracan looks as planted as possible.

The Huracan gets a smooth rear end which looks like an evolution of the Gallardo but thanks to the shape of the tail lamps looks more modern. There are four massive oval exhausts and twig shaped LED tail lamps and a massive lip spoiler which has been placed above a mesh cooling duct for the mid-mounted engine.

Interior

The Huracan gets an interior very similar to that of the much larger Aventador but the layout looks a little more organised thanks to the wider size of the instrument cluster. There is a large array of toggle switches on both sides of the steering wheel while the paddles behind the wheel are massive giving the impression of an extremely busy area. If we observe the design, then we can see that the car is all about being driver oriented.

The seats are racing buckets with contrast-coloured stitching and are mostly Alcantara while the rest of the dashboard is covered in leather. It gets all the luxury options including a touch screen infotainment system, climate control, electrically adjustable OVRMs, multiple airbags and to add to the drama, a launch control button with a flip up cover.

Engine and gearbox

The Huracan is powered by a 5.2-litre V10 that produces 610bhp, 560Nm of torque and sends power to all four-wheels via a four-wheel-drive system and seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. The car can sprint to 100 kmph from standstill in 3.2 seconds and the 0 to 200kmph run can be done in 9.9 seconds with a claimed top-speed of 325kmph. The Huracan features stop-start technology as standard and has CO2 emissions as low as 290 g/km.

Price and competition

We expect that the Huracan will priced in the range of Rs 1.8 crore to Rs 2.5 crore and will compete with the Audi R8, BMW M6 Gran Coupe and the Porsche 911.

Lamborghini Huracan in News

Latest Lamborghini Huracan news from CarWale.

Lamborghini Huracan India launch tomorrow
Lamborghini is set to launch the new Huracan supercar in India tomorrow. The much talked about Gallardo replacement will get be unveiled with proper fanfare in Mumbai [...] 21 Sep 2014
Lamborghini Huracán added to Italian police fleet
Lamborghini donated its latest hypercar, the Huracán, to the Italian State Police force recently. The car’s keys were handed over to Prefect Alessandro [...] 23 May 2014
Lamborghini might launch the Huracan in India, in September
The much-hyped Lamborghini Huracan made its international debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. A couple of weeks after the unveiling, Lamborghini India [...] 19 May 2014
Lamborghini Huracan racks up 1,500 bookings; Aventador LP700-4 Nazionale unveiled at Beijing
Times have been good for Lamborghini as it has managed to rack up 1,500 orders for its latest offering, the Huracan LP610-4. This was revealed by the Italian [...] 24 Apr 2014
Lamborghini targets the fairer sex with Huracan
Lamborghini Huracan was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show and ever since the car has been showcased across the world. The response to the car has been positive and [...] 27 Mar 2014

First of the new vehicles from the Pune-based automake

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Tata Zest

Tata Zest Review

The Tata Zest compact sedan is the first of the new vehicles from the Pune-based automaker. It was first shown just ahead of the Auto Expo, and was launched in the middle of 2014 in five diesel and four petrol variants.

It features a very similar design to that of the hatchback but includes a noticeable but quite decent looking boot. It makes use of the same engine, underpinnings, interior design as well as feature list from the hatchback.

The variant nomenclature is new to this family of vehicles and runs across both petrol and diesel engine options- XE, XM, XMS, XT and XMA , the last of which is specific to the diesel range and has been mated to the five-speed AMT.

Exterior

The Tata Zest follows the same principle as that of the Bolt hatchback in terms of design and overall appearance. The side profile remains the same up to the C-Pillar but thanks to the boot has a different appearance. At the back, the lights have a similar design to that of the hatchback with a stubby boot lid. All variants are being offered with alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers and chrome inserts on the outside, the final being added for premium appeal.

Above the base XE variant, projector head lamps, chrome weather strips on windows and OVRMs with LED indicators are standard. The top-spec XT variant also gets chrome garnish on the fog lamps, LED daytime running lights and LED guide rings on the head lamps.

Interior

The interiors are exactly the same as the hatchback including the overall layout, features and upholstery. The list includes Harman touch screen music system, gauges behind the steering wheel and two-tone upholstery across all variants.

The feature list is exhaustive with the top-spec XT (petrol and diesel) getting a touch screen infotainment system developed by Harman for Tata, climate control, power windows, electrically adjustable OVRMs, rear parking sensors, dual-tone interiors, door-coordinated cabin lights and day night adjustable rear-view mirror.

Engine and gearbox

In terms of engines, Tata will offer this compact sedan with the 1.2-litre Revotron engine which is petrol powered and produces 84bhp/140Nm. The diesel engine on the other hand is the 1.3-litre Quadrajet diesel. Transmission options include the five-speed manual as well as an AMT which is a first for Tata especially in this segment.

Competition

The Tata Zest competes with other sub-four metre sedans like the Honda Amaze, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and the Hyundai Xcent.

Specifications Summary

Engines

1193 cc, Petrol, 89 bhp @ 5000 RPM power

1248 cc, Diesel, 74 bhp @ 4000 RPM power

1248 cc, Diesel, 89 bhp @ 4000 RPM power

Gearboxes

5-speed, Automatic, FWD

5-speed, Manual, FWD

Seating Capacity

5 seater

Steering

Power steering

Tata Zest Colours

Tata Zest is sold in the following colours in India.

Buzz Blue
Pristine White
Platinum Silver
Sky Grey
Venetion Red
Dune Beige

Tata Zest in News

Latest Tata Zest news from CarWale.

Tata Bolt spied testing in Lavasa
Tata recently launched the new Zest sedan; however, they continue to test the Bolt hatchback. Our spy photographers spotted a test mule on the windy roads of Lavasa. 15 Sep 2014
Tata Zest gets over 10,000 bookings
Tata’s big ticket launch, the Zest sedan, has stacked up more than 10,000 bookings. The car was launched on August 12, however bookings opened up on July 19 about [...] 02 Sep 2014
Tata Zest diesel automatic's waiting period extends to 2-3months
Tata launched the Zest, this month, in a bid to regain some of the lost momentum, including market share that the company had lost in the last few years. Now this [...] 25 Aug 2014
Tata Motors global sales decline by eight per cent
Global sales of Tata Motors fell by eight per cent as it managed to sell 80,151 vehicles in July as compared to 87,566 vehicles it sold in the same period, last year. [...] 17 Aug 2014
Tata Motors to launch two new cars every year till 2020
Tata Motors has laid out a definitive plan under which it will launch two new cars every year till 2020, with the aim of revamping its product line-up in India. This was [...] 17 Aug 2014

The Skoda Octavia is back in India in its third iteration

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Skoda Octavia

The Skoda Octavia is back in India in its third iteration. The D segment sedan holds a lot of promise with a complete overhaul to both the exteriors and interiors based on the Vision D concept. The new car from Czech carmaker has a seeming resemblance to the 2013 European Skoda Rapid, but is premium of the two and also a brand in itself.

Skoda has moved towards softer lines and more rounded edges to give the new Octavia a classier, premium and more modern feel. It gets LED DRLs and front grille with vertical stats that make the front look aggressive. The all-new Octavia is also substantially longer and wider compared to the Laura, which also means that it has more cabin space for the passengers. The tailgate has the two diagonal lines that we first saw on the Rapid along with C-shaped tail lamps and reversing lamps and turn-blinkers in the middle.

The interiors have significantly improved with faux wood trim and beige theme, but the overall design is standard and like any other VW group car. The top-end variant gets touchscreen music system, front and rear parking sensors, six airbags, ABS-EBD, ESP, traction control, steering mounted audio controls, power seat for the driver with memory function, rear AC vents and rear sunblind. The rear row gets better leg room; however, like before the under thigh support is not optimum. There are ample cubby holes that double-up as bottle holders at the front, while the space in the rear armrest can be adjusted to fit any size of bottle or even cup. We are glad that Skoda has retained the feature that lets you access boot space from inside the car, hopefully few more cars in India get this feature.

The Skoda Octavia is available in three trims– Active Ambition and Elegance. The 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel TDI producing 141bhp and 320Nm of torque is available across all trim levels. The Elegance version with an oil burner gets a six-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox as a standard fitment, while it is an optional extra for the Ambition trim. The Active and Ambition petrol are powered by 1.4-litre TSI unit that has a power rating of 138bhp and 250Nm coupled with six-speed manual transmission. The Elegance petrol on the other hand gets a 1.8-litre TSI that is good to churn out 177bhp and 250Nm through seven-speed DSG transmission.

The Elegance petrol is also the only variant to get the independent rear suspension, which drastically improve the ride and handling of the car. The rest of the lineup get two torsion beams at the rear that are actually sufficient in most situations. The decision to use independent suspension on the Elegance petrol hints that Skoda plans to bring the vRS Octavia to India soon, as it uses the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder mill.

Skoda has ditched the hydraulic steering from its predecessor for a new electrically assisted one – it is light and precise but the feedback is not that great. The ride is tuned for comfort, so there is a certain amount of body-roll at high speeds but the Octavia takes care of undulations and small potholes with ease. The ground clearance of the luxury sedan is also decent to manage mountainous speed-breakers and jumbo-sized potholes, but entry has to be slow to avoid the bumper hitting the ground.

The handling of the Octavia is positive; you can push this car through the corners really hard. It grips through the corners at high speed and there is minimal under steer, despite this being a heavy front-wheel-drive car. The only issue is that the body-roll will make rest of the occupants a little uncomfortable. Overall, the Skoda Octavia is a competent product which offers European quality and technology, but with a slightly premium price tag – especially for the top-end variants.

Skoda has strategically launched the car before the start of the festive season with a competitive starting price. It competes with the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla Altis, Chevrolet Cruze, Renault Fluence, Volkswagen Jetta and others in the D-Segment. Also the new car will have to face competition from SUVs and MUVs like the XUV500 and Toyota Innova that are slotted in same segment.