The following lines describe the Applus IDIADA company , (extracted from FISITA website):

Applus IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry worldwide, supports clients in their product development activities by providing design, engineering, testing and homologation services to fit their needs. Its success in product development is built on the combination of highly experienced and motivated engineers and best-in-class test and development facilities, client focus and the constant drive towards innovation. A large team of engineers drawn from over 25 countries, as well as an international network of subsidiaries and branch offices in 15 countries ensure clients will be given fast and customized services. Applus IDIADA is present in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, India and Brazil.

Testing & Engineering

Applus IDIADA provides an extensive range of engineering and testing services in the fields of passive and active safety, powertrain, comfort, reliability, electronics and materials and processes. Applus IDIADA undertakes complete vehicle development projects applying tailor-made project management solutions based on the requirements of each project. Applus IDIADA’s expertise in both physical and virtual testing means maximum efficiency in cost and time. Its engineering solutions are driven by the ongoing pursuit of excellence and research in the best technology.

Proving ground

Applus IDIADA offers the most comprehensive independent proving ground in Europe and the highest level of customer support combined with first-class test tracks and fully-equipped confidential workshops. Excellent climatic conditions allow for year-round testing.

The allocation of a dedicated customer service representative for each testing team ensures that the testing program runs smoothly and that objectives are achieved on time and within budget.

Homologation

Applus IDIADA has a large team of engineers specializing in the homologation of all types of vehicles and systems, ready to travel worldwide in response to clients’ needs. Its broad experience in homologation management ensures maximum efficiency and short lead times. Applus IDIADA issues official certificates according to EC Directives and ECE Regulations within Europe, and is recognised internationally as an authorised technical service and consultant in regulations. Its fields of competence in the homologation sector include passenger cars & components, commercial vehicles and motorcycles & helmets.

References:

-          http://www.fisita.com/about/honorary?id=20

-          Automotive Testing Technology International, March 2010 issue.

-          http://www.automotivetestingtechnologyinternational.com/latest_issue.php

2005 TED Prize winner Edward Burtynsky has made it his life’s work to document humanity’s impact on the planet. His riveting photographs, as beautiful as they are horrifying, capture views of the Earth altered by mankind.

In stunning large-format photographs, Edward Burtynsky follows the path of oil through modern society, from wellhead to pipeline to car engine — and then beyond to the projected peak-oil endgame. Watch the following video to see some of the images:

This video can be found in this link.

Following text extracted from TED website:

Why you should listen to him:

To describe Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky’s work in a single adjective, you have to speak French: jolie-laide. His images of scarred landscapes — from mountains of tires to rivers of bright orange waste from a nickel mine — are eerily pretty yet ugly at the same time. Burtynsky’s large-format color photographs explore the impact of humanity’s expanding footprint and the substantial ways in which we’re reshaping the surface of the planet. His images powerfully alter the way we think about the world and our place in it.

With his blessing and encouragement, WorldChanging.com and others use his work to inspire ongoing global conversations about sustainable living. Burtynsky’s photographs are included in the collections of many major museums, including Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A large-format book, 2003′s Manufactured Landscapes, collected his work, and in 2007, a documentary based on his photography, also called Manufactured Landscapes, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival before going on to screen at Sundance and elsewhere. It was released on DVD in March 2007.

When Burtynsky accepted his 2005 TED Prize, he made three wishes. One of his wishes: to build a website that will help kids think about going green. Thanks to WGBH and the TED community, the new site, Meet the Greens, debuted at TED2007. His second wish: to begin work on an Imax film — and this work is now ongoing. And his third wish, wider in scope, was simply to encourage “a massive and productive worldwide conversation about sustainable living.” Thanks to his help and the input of the TED community, the site WorldChanging.com got an infusion of energy that has helped it to grow into a leading voice in the sustainability community.

Nürburgring is arguably the most popular most demanding and also longest track for road-car track-days, magazine tests, prototype testing and race events. For car manufacturers , setting a good time in this circuit is vital because it is a benchmark for all the makers.

The fastest lap times in the Nordschleife are the following:

References:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring

- http://www.fastestlaps.com/track2.html

Road vehicles are responsible for a more that 20% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases. As everyone knows, the increasing concentration of those in the atmosphere is leading to climate change. The mainly emitted greenhouse gases by cars are Carbon Dioxide, Monoxide and NOx. The transport sector is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. There have been studies that have proved that there is a link between vehicle pollutants and human ill health. Respiratory and cardio-pulmonary disease and lung cancer are the main illnesses.

European directives have been instrumental in reducing what are known as the regulated emissions. These regulations become more and more stringent year on year. This is one of the reasons why manufacturers are investing constantly in technologies to make their cars greener. Catalytic converters, injection systems, diesel particulate filters (DPFs)… are some of the technologies manufacturers had to start applying some years ago. The change to unleaded petrol played a big role also. In fact, the reduction in emissions by cars is so dramatic that a car manufactured today pollutes 20 times less than a car produced in the 70s. Nowadays technologies like high precision direct injection, start-stop systems, last generation catalytic converters… are helping reduce even more the figures of toxic gases. All helps…

…but it not only about being green!

Everyone agrees that reducing emissions is extremely important. We only have one world, and we want to make it last. Then, does this mean that we need to end up driving extremely efficient but boring cars? I am sorry but I don’t agree. And neither do some car companies.

Almost all brands achieve lower consumptions through the same means: engine downsizing, increasing the fuel efficiency, decreasing the weight and minifying the air drag and road resistance. In some companies like Smart, Seat, Ford and Volkswagen this means poor acceleration times and low top speed and therefore a boring driving experience. Other brands like BMW, Audi or Mercedes go further, they achieve amazingly low consumption figures but their cars still have a lively feel, proper acceleration times and high top speeds.

This is because they invest in new technologies, and then apply these in the production cars. They don not limit themselves to reducing power output and weight. They achievements are admirable! Some of the technologies they apply are: deeply engineered, tuned and refined engines; electric power steering, only consumes power when used; brake energy regeneration; lighter body construction…

Take for instance the BMW 320d with efficient dynamics package. It produces 163hp and 380Nm of torque. It consumes only 4.1 l/100km and emits 109 grCO2/100km. It accelerates from stand still to 60km/h in 8.2 seconds and has a max speed of 220Km/h. AMAZING!!! Just amazing!

I have no words, the figures speak for themselves… I have to finish saying that if BMW, for instance, achieves that with a 1500Kg car what other brands are doing is nothing. They seriously need to catch up…

A table comparing the various cars could have been done. I recommend you visiting the various manufacturers websites and reading these previous posts:

BMW Efficient Dynamics

Audi Driving Efficiently

MERCEDES Blue Efficiency

VOLKSWAGEN BlueMotion

Driving Efficiently

Note: On these article, only IC engines have been taken into discussion. Other technologies like hydrogen, hybrids, fuel cells and fully electrics may be treated in future posts.

References

http://www.whatgreencar.com/index.php

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/BMW-3-Series-320d-EfficientDynamics/242759/

The various car manufacturers websites

The smell of petrol likes to lots of people, there is something that gives its distinctive odour that some of us love. However, don’t spend too much time sniffing petrol since it is  highly toxic. It is composed of benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, toluene and other hydrocarbons. All those chemicals are hazardous for your health. Intoxicating yourself through the inhalation of petrol can cause severe physical, cognitive, and psychological impairment, particularly due to the role it plays in the selective degeneration of deep white matter and cerebellar structures.

Going back to the question, so why some people love the smell of petrol?

After having done some research I haven’t found any consistent fact. The only thing that can be said is that is a matter of taste. Some people love it, some people hate it. And the same happens with other things like cauliflower, broccoli… If any of you have a better conclusion, don’t hesitate to contact me, we’ll post it here.

An interesting fact: Men prefer smell of bacon to babies, according to the Telegraph.

Information from:

Yahoo answers

Ask metafilter

The Telegraph

The influence of hunger on perception of the smell of petrol

www.petrolsmell.com wants to be a technical but at the same time interesting automotive blog. We will not be covering the news in the automotive world, there are plenty of other bloggers who do that. Our challenge is to learn, yes LEARN.

This blog was developed by Marc Espolet with the aim of learning through reading, finding more information and then posting it. We we’ll feel proud of www.petrolsmell.com if you, the reader, also learns. We will put all our effort to make quality posts, trying not to fall in the same market as other blogs are in. Our car blog has a big and clear categories bar in the main page, that is to make easier for the user to find older but still interesting posts. In a future there is a plan to make a forum adjoined to this automotive blog. Some of the categories of this blog include car manufacturers, industry, the things that happen behind the scenes, technology reviews, some news, motorshows, motorsport, funny, challenges, makers, office, reviews and test drives, simulators, historical cars, green technology, future…

We are people that like getting deeper knowledge of the automobile world, if you share this love, and ever would like to write in this blogger community (It could be from once to weekly… you decide) feel free to contact us and show us true love and passion for the auto propelled motor world.

As a usual blog reader I really hate when the owners of other blogs put a massive amount of adverts, and even more when they put them in the middle of the posts, so annoys me when reading. In petrolsmell.com we have placed some ads, but we tried to put them in places where they don’t disturb your reading. We don’t make that much money through ads as other blogs do, never mind. As said before, this is not an ordinary blog. If you feel willing to help keeping this blog alive, there is the possibility to make a donation. Don’t feel forced to do it, but every single donation helps, for small that it is.

Thanks for visiting this blog, we hope you enjoyed.

Have a nice day,

Petrol Smell

Front engine, front wheel drive

Engine, clutch, gearbox and final drive build together to form a single integral assembly. Normally transversal engine arrangement is used. Longitudinal-mounted engine is the other possible layout. Weight distribution tends to be more than 50% in the front axle

Advantages: Having engine, clutch, gearbox and final-drive in the front makes the front heavy and this helps acceleration (If compared with a rear engine , front wheel drive. Which does not exist). More passenger room since the propeller shaft is eliminated. Tend to understeer, which makes them safer than oversteer (supposing an average driver and no traction-stability control, understeer is easier to notice and correct). It is the cheapest, lightest and more compact arrangement.

Disadvantages: Traction is penalized when hill-climbing, weight moves backwards. Not efficient braking, when braking hard is easy to block the back wheels, it is like only having two wheels to brake with, even though these have a lot of grip due to weight transfer to the front. Steering radius is reduced because drive shafts. The front wheels have to do almost all the work (accelerate, brake, steering).

What cars use this layout: The vast majority of car manufacturers, to say some examples: Ford, Audi, Seat, VW, Toyota…

Front engine, rear wheel drive

Normally longitudinal engine. Clutch and gearbox can be attached to the engine or placed in the back with the differential (the very last one improves weight distribution).

Advantages: Improves weight distribution, if it has a 50-50 weight distribution the car handles more neutrally compared with layouts that have more weight on one axel. Good traction when accelerating and braking. Safer in a front crash, less systems in the front mean less risk on intrusion. When going up a steep slope, the weight transfer to the back improves traction. Easier to design the linkages in the propulsion system. Because there is less stuff under the bonnet, bigger engines can be fitted. Maintenance is also easier since is more accessible. Steer and drive are done by different axels, so the wear is more equal between the wheels in each axel.

Disadvantages: Reduces back seats leg room space,  a tunnel is needed for the propeller shaft. Reduces boot space. Heavier and more expensive. If stuck in mud or snow it is harder to drive away than in a front wheel drive car.

What cars use this layout: BMW, Mercedes…

Front engine, all wheel drive

Similar characteristics as the front engine, rear wheel drive. Plus:

Advantages: Better handling. Better acceleration.

Disadvantages: Increases weight and production costs in comparison of other front engine layouts. Lose of some space in the back seats legs room.

What cars use this layout: Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer,…

Rear engine, rear wheel drive

This layout consists of placing the engine, clutch and gearbox in the back. So taking the space of the boot. In these type of layout more than 50% of the weight is on the rear axle.

Advantages: Lot of weight at the back improves acceleration and braking, rear wheels and disc brakes can be designed to take a bigger amount of breaking due to the weight distribution to the rear end.

Disadvantages: Lose of the boot (the under bonnet is small due to aerodynamic design). Lose back passenger occupancy. Relatively high proportions of weight at the rear axle will make the car unstable at speed. Car tends to oversteer. Difficulties with the arrangement of the engine cooling system. Compact engine, clutch and gearbox makes servicing more difficult. The petrol tank is usually placed at the front, which is a safety hazard in a collision. If accelerating full throttle standstill in a powerful car, steering is almost lost (In a Porsche 911 the 85-95%of the weight goes to rear axle), the same happens at speed (know as a “light front”, or heavy back).

What cars use this layout: Porsche 911,…

Rear engine, all wheel drive

Similar characteristics as rear engine, rear wheel drive. Plus:

Advantages: Better weight distribution. More neutral reactions. Better traction on bends and slippery surfaces.

Disadvantages: Heavier. More expensive and difficult to design and build.

What cars use this layout: Porsche Carrera 4S,…

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive

This type of engine layout places the engine between the two axles and the rear wheels are driven. Normally 50-50 weight distribution.

Advantages: Good acceleration due to back weight transfer. Good braking. Neutral handling.

Disadvantages: When accelerating some steering is lost. Takes a lot of space. No back seats. Difficulties with the cooling system.

What cars use this layout:  Ferrari F430, Porsche Cayman

Mid-engine, all wheel drive

This type of engine layout places the engine between the two axles and all wheels are driven. Normally 50-50 weight distribution.

Advantages: The best weight distribution in all the layout types, good for sport performance. Good acceleration, good braking, neutral handling. The front of the car can be aerodynamically optimized because there is no engine there.

Disadvantages: Takes a lot of space. No back seats. Expensive to design and engineer.

What cars use this layout: Buggati Veyron, Lamborgini Murcielago.

Conclusion

This analysis makes us more aware of the differences between the various layouts. Now is easy to understand why the vast majority of the car manufacturers use front engine, front wheel drive layout. It is important to notice that other manufactures go for the front engine, rear wheel drive distribution because of its advantages. As we have seen the rear engine placement is quite used by a particular brand, however its few advantages and huge drawbacks. The mid-engine layout is only used in the highest ranges of manufacturers and sport applications.

I hope this post made you, as it made me, more aware of the huge differences between each of the layouts. Thanks for reading.

References:

-Vehicle Engine and Technology. HeinzHeisler. 2^nd edition, Elsevier.

-Chassis construction. TTA207 Vehicle systems and design notes. Scot Layton. Loughborough University.