If the Californians have a “Hydrogen Highway“, which includes self-service hydrogen pumps, and if hydrogen internal combusion engines are possible, what are we waiting for and why are we talking about fuel cells? Wikipedia refers to claims of 20% extra power… And surely the conversion effort would more or less […]
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Advanced driver coaching: relax, focus, flow
During a good session coaching advanced driving this Saturday, I was reminded how useful driving can be in developing a different approach to doing anything well. We concentrated on personal state management, which ties in with Don Palmers’ Driving Handbook: At the core level you manage your personal state – […]
Read MoreThe Mazda 3 diesel – surprisingly satisfactory
The Saab is in for a service and Hughes, being also a Mazda dealer, loaned me this diesel Mazda 3. It’s really quite good. Mazda 3 courtesy car in the snow, originally uploaded by stevenjbaker. The 1.6 litre engine is astonishing. Matched to a six-speed gearbox, it can pull fourth […]
Read MoreDriving and personal responsibility
Two road safety initiatives struck me today: Drivers will have to declare every 10 years whether they are medically able to get behind the wheel, according to proposals to be set out early in the new year. via Drivers to have 10-year health checks under driver licence reforms and: Automatic […]
Read MoreChevy Volt: the first worthwhile electric car?
Thanks to the IAM magazine, I discovered the Chevrolet Volt: Chevy Volt is designed to move more than 75 percent of America’s daily commuters without a single drop of gas. That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce […]
Read MoreA free 20% improvement in fuel economy
I am pleased to report a sustained 20% improvement in average fuel economy for my Saab through the simple expedient of returning to driving for economy at the expense of lively throttle response. The speed limits are still reached briskly enough and of course, they are limits: my journey times […]
Read MoreTimes Online – Drivers will have no escape from new speed cameras
From the Times: Clusters of speed cameras that will monitor drivers’ average speed on all routes across a wide area are to be deployed on hundreds of roads next year. It will be impossible to evade detection because the digital cameras will cover every entry and exit point and, unlike […]
Read MoreOh yes: driving
It’s also been quite a week for driving. Masterclass on Saturday 7th: highly tuned VW Bora TDi plus the BMW 528i auto that I drove sub-optimally last year. The Bora kept grounding, lowered as it was by about 50 mm: too much. It rewarded a high gear, which made it […]
Read MoreClubDriving mentoring
Yesterday, I delivered my first ClubDriving mentoring session in advanced driving. I’m listed as the Club’s Buckinghamsire mentor, but as my fellow members of the High Performance Club know, I have some work to do before I can claim true driving mastery. It’s a testament to the minimum standard required […]
Read MoreThe Nissan Murano: actually quite good
Beth hired a 4×4 for Utah: we were allocated a Murano: It’s really rather good. The steering is typically lifeless, but it’s still worth handling with finesse. The CVT gearbox is smooth and responsive, matching the throttle action, and the transmission includes both sport and low settings. The active all-wheel […]
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