Carbusters » Car Cult Review

GM Blunders onto Campus

carbusters — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:55:20 +0000

If you are a student looking to add tens of thousands of dollars of long term debt, care little about the environment, and want to lump two tons of steel around campus while paying through the nose for insurance, gas, and parking…General Motors has got a perfect deal for you. Bonus: it’ll make you fat and unhealthy! All you have to do is give up that dorky bicycle that’s easy to use, practically free, gets you some exercise and is actually fun to ride.

In one of the more remarkably ill-conceived car ad campaigns of all time, good corporate citizen GM is heading to campus to actively stop you from riding a bike by trying to make it look like it sucks. Obviously it’s been a while since GM execs and their creative teams set foot on campus. Anyway, I’m sure the campus facilities people will love having to add thousands of extra car parking spaces on campus at $30,000 a pop (who needs more buildings to learn in anyway, lets fill campus with parking structures); and University Presidents will have a little bit of explaining to do when it comes to those end of year climate and greenhouse gas targets… Maybe it’ll generate more business in the gym where students can drive in to go and ride on stationary bikes. Hope there’s enough parking.

In case you were wondering, GM has a fine-sounding corporate responsibility statement – carefully crafted by the best in the business, I’m sure. One sample quote: “As a responsible corporate citizen, General Motors is dedicated to protecting human health, natural resources and the global environment.” http://www.gm.com/vision/our_vision.html

And if you wanted to send a quick note to Chevrolet or GMC, there are instructions on how to do that.

(10.11.11.)

UPDATE (10.12.11)

Clearly GM has heard from a lot of cycling folks, including BikePortland who first alerted GM through twitter that all hell was breaking lose about these ads. According to the LA Times and from the GM Twitter feed, hey have been very busy responding to all the messages they got via facebook and twitter – and have basically apologized and said they are going to change the campaign and drop the ads, which is good.

— Please find the original article on the website of the League of American Bicyclists:

http://www.bikeleague.org/news/gm_blunders.php

Weird Ways of Running a Car

carbusters — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:33:20 +0000

Cars have proven to be a very efficient way to burn oil in a very short time while heavily polluting earth and water for its extraction, and the air by combustion. Now that oil extraction is peaking (or about to peak, according to sources), car addicts look desperately for new ways to power their iron monsters. Here are the oddest examples listed by Netcars. Absurdity still has many long days ahead with its festival of bio fuels, green motorways, eco-friendly oil spills…

Bio

If you’ve ever worked in a power station, you’ll be familiar with biomass. It’s a new way of powering turbines and it’s very much an of-the-moment fuel. For those who aren’t employed at an electric-making station, it’s basically a mix of wood chippings, sawdust and other weird bits, and if used properly, it can be utilised as a fuel for your car.

Polystyrene

One of the most disliked materials on the planet can, despite the unlikeliness of it, be used as an additive to a biodiesel engine. Another scientist type at the University of Massachusetts has said that, if it’s mixed properly, it could be used as an additive. Don’t get too excited, though, as according to the same intelligent person, if the mixture is done wrongly, it can have catastrophic effects on emissions. This is a real no-no in today’s green environment.

Methane

Methane, aka that stuff that comes out of a cow’s rear end, is a proper environment terrorist. Despite its stinky smell, O-Zone layer destruction and environment ruining properties, methane can be made to power our cars. If your car runs on a natural gas conversion, it’s can also run off methane. Okay, so producing the stuff is a bit difficult; you need a refinery and lots of Daisies (cows). But if you’re passionate about saving money, you’ll find a way to own and run a farm.

Nappy power

If you’re American, they’re called diapers, if you’re British, they’re called nappies, but for all of us, they stink. So what do you do? How do you get rid of them in a feasible way? Land fill is an option but David Cameron would rather you didn’t. Burning them is also a good idea but who burns poo in this day and age? So, here’s the answer: you listen to a Canadian company named AMEC and put them in your petrol tank. According to the Canadians, they’ve been producing diesel from nappies since 2009 and it is a feasible form of power. Basically the fibres and plastics from the nappies are taken to a ‘let’s change you and turn you into diesel’ facility, and in just a matter of hours, you’ve got lovely diesel.

Chocolate

It’s one of our few pleasures, but chocolate is actually a great form of propulsion. Sure it can add pounds to your hips, but in the right hands it can put pounds in your wallet – probably. The boffins at the University of Warwick managed to design a Formula Three racing car that runs on 30 per cent biodiesel – from none other than chocolate. It seems, then, that Double Deckers (UK chocolate bar)aren’t just tasty, they’re helpful, too.

Solar paint

Paint – something you don’t necessarily associate with cars. You can paint a lovely picture of a car with some paint, but putting the stuff in your tank would probably result in a pretty but destructive failure. Don’t fret, though, as a team at Swansea University have managed to create a unique solar paint that captures energy from that big yellow thing in the sky and can, in a very boring way, subsequently power cars. Probably won’t work in Britain, though, as we get the same amount of sun as Pluto.

— This article was produced on behalf of Netcars used car search engine. We thank them for their open mindedness allowing us to publish this article from Carbusters point of view.

Road Rage Miss

carbusters — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:46:04 +0000

A woman from Essen, Germany became so furious after an argument with her husband, that she left her house armed with a hammer, in order to smash his car. After breaking the windshield, headlights and mirrors of the car, she realised she made a mistake by confusing the vehicle of her husband, a blue Ford Fiesta, with the Opel Corsa of the same colour belonging to his neighbour. Damage was estimated at about 1,000€. We all know it, anger makes us blind.

www.caradisiac.com

Car Cult

carbusters — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:13:34 +0000

As we all know, the car is a strong cultural feature of our industrial societies. Many citizens all over the world devote an amazing amount of time to their car – talking about it, working for it, enjoying a car trip to rest, cleaning their car to relax. Everyday new adepts cross novel limits, tuning up their car, spending more money, or even praying for their car. Some could think that facing death, adepts of car cult would change their minds and start considering other ways of life. But this is an insult to the adepts’ faithfulness, following their cult beyond death. This was last illustrated this May in eastern London, UK, where a 51-year-old man decided to get buried in a tomb in the shape of a BMW. According to a spokesman for the cemetery, “it looks rather magnificent.” Carbusters finds it hard to consider such a “feat” magnificent, but rather grotesque and alarming. We guess it is a question of beliefs…

www.metro.co.uk

Black Gold

carbusters — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:51:27 +0000

Everyday an unimaginable amount of oil – a precious resource! – is consumed without any vision for a future after Peak Oil. Not even the latest massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affects the irresponsibility of oil companies like British Petroleum. According to Barack Obama, “we are dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” We are not sure how to receive these words, since it seems that there are precedents everyday of an incredible spill and waste of oil, costing a lot to the environment. Obama said BP was “responsible” for the spill and as a result “will be paying the bill.”

What bill will they pay? To whom? And how about all those costs oil companies are so keen to externalise? Have we ever seen an oil company taking its responsibility, in the United States or anywhere in the world? If you have information about such a thing, please let us know!

www.Everywhere in the news!

Berlin’s Latest (road) Rage

carbusters — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:04:20 +0000

Don’t have a car of your own, yet want to enjoy the incredible sensation of drive-in theatres? Well, those lucky enough to live in Berlin had the chance last March to visit the free “art” exhibit entitled “Auto Kino”, which offered the chance to go to an indoor USA-in-the-60’s style drive-in movie theatre, and sit in a car provided for you, inside an exhibition hall with a big cinema screen. Before the (mostly bad) short films started, the screen encouraged people to “make themselves comfortable, put the seat back, relax.” Then, immediately, viewers became part of the joke: “Trust yourself. HONK! NOW!” It was unclear why exactly they wanted people, after relaxing, to then feel the full effects of road rage angst within the small enclosed environment.

www.kunsthalle-berlin.com

Don’t Disturb the Traffic

carbusters — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:27:39 +0000

Last year, government officials from Guanzhu, China had to face a rise of suicides on a particular bridge in the city. They were of course not preoccupied with this social issue, but rather with the traffic jams created by the disturbance. According to government spokesman Shiu Liang, they tried everything: “We tried employing guards at both ends, but that didn’t work – and we put up special fences and notices asking people not to commit suicide here. None of this worked – so now we have put butter over the bridge and it has worked very well. Nobody can get up there and anybody who tries either falls (or..?)” Clever, isn’t it?

www.metro.co.uk

Parking on the Edge

carbusters — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:43:41 +0000

Last month in Tusla, United States, a car broke through an outside wall on the 6th floor of a parking garage and was hanging over the edge. The 67-year-old driver told the police that he somehow got his foot stuck under the gas pedal. There were no injuries in the accident; only a few parked cars where hit. In spite of this apparent lack of control over his car, the driver did not get any warning, nor even a ticket for this accident. Let us hope there will always be a wall to prevent him from flying on our heads.

www.newson6.com

A New Friend of the Earth

carbusters — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:15:18 +0000

“As part of our risk management framework, we systematically assess and manage the risks inherent in our operations, such as those arising from technical integrity failure and loss of containment of hydrocarbons and other hazardous materials, or the risks that arise to the personal safety of our workforce or members of the public. Our systems of risk management provide a response through the establishment of standards and controls.”

“Technology applied throughout our operations helps minimise the environmental impact of finding and producing energy.”

“We track our greenhouse gas emissions at a group-wide level. Other environmental aspects – such as air emissions, waste and water, and access to protected areas – are reported on locally, where the management of the issue occurs.”

“We have a record of conducting operations worldwide in a way that benefits local communities – from Indonesia to Trinidad and Angola to Azerbaijan. We will be following the same principles in Alberta, where consultation is also a matter of regulation.”

www.bp.com

Trapped by his Car

carbusters — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:33:31 +0000

Last month, a driver living close to Nice, France had a new experience of what it is like to be trapped by technology. On his way home, he was going up a small hill in his car, a Citroën C4, when its electronic system broke down. As all functions were dependent on electronics, the driver could neither start his car nor use its hand brake. He was therefore trapped for more than one hour in his car, unable to release his brakes or leave his car. Driving is freedom.

www.france-info.com