Hello and welcome to Overdrive a program that plays around a bit with cars and transport
• $2m funding to an Australian Electric veh company (1:32)
• 140 countries pledged to eliminate traffic deaths. (2:22)
• Mitsubishi ASX (3:32)
• Stubborn, angry men are more likely to own luxury cars (4:31)
• Diesel Brothers hit with big fine (5:37)
• Motoring Minute – Audi A5 (6:41)
• Hyundai’s new Elantra has a big launch in NY (8:13)
• Motoring Minute – Peugeot 508 (16:54)
• Motoring Minute – Mazda 3 (17:65)
• Quirky news – bicycle shop owner who opposes bicycle priority measures. (19:26)
• Motoring Minute – (25:20)
Driverless electric vehicle to be powered with solar rooftop
An Australian startup is developing an autonomous electric vehicle that will utilise a solar roof and lithium ion battery system.
Applied Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd (AEV) is being supported by government to the tune of a $2million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
AEV’s vehicle will generate up to 60 per cent of its energy requirements from the sun. The use of a smaller battery pack means easier charging from a common 240V wall socket.
The $7.65 million project is in partnership with Japanese company Teijin Limited who is helping to develop the vehicle’s lightweight materials and
140 countries pledged to eliminate traffic deaths – The U.S. did not
Transportation leaders from 140 countries have agreed on an ambitious global target to completely eliminate traffic deaths.
This Stockholm Declaration, aims to reduce traffic fatalities by at least 50 percent over the next ten years, with the goal of eradicating roadway deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
All the countries in attendance endorsed the declaration except the U.S.
In a statement the US dissociate themselves from certain paragraphs that they say “muddle our focus and detract attention from data driven scientific policies and programs that have successfully reduced fatalities on roadways”.
The U.S.’s per-capita road fatality rate is higher than any other member of the OECD and US pedestrian deaths are currently the highest since 1988.
Mitsubishi ASX
So far this year sales of the Mitsubishi ASX small SUV are down from a stellar 2019 growth but they still lead the segment.
The ASX is Mitsubishi’s second bestselling car behind the Triton ute. Like the previous Lancer sedan, this is a relatively quiet achiever.
Base and middle models get a 2.0 litre engine while top spec GSR and Exceed get a 2.4 litre.
The entry-level has a manual and all others have a CVT gearbox.
This new model gets LED headlights, Daylight running lights and fog lights. It looks good although nearly too busy at the front.
Priced between $24,000 and a bit over $33,000 plus on road costs
Self-centered, stubborn and argumentative men are more likely to own luxury cars, says study – Overdrive
Jan-Erik Lönnqvist, professor of social psychology, at the University of Helsinki says that previous research has confirmed that drivers of expensive cars are more likely to break traffic regulations.
But Prof Lönnqvist approached the question from a different angle by asking whether specific types of people are drawn to high-status cars
The answers were unambiguous: self-centred men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car
It is this conclusion that made the headlines. But we don’t want to stop good people buying cars that may have well-developed safety features.
One of the more unexpected results was that another personality type is also drawn to high-status cars: the conscientious.
You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on iTunes or Spotify. OR our
Diesel Brothers hit with big fine for tampering with truck emissions – Overdrive
Henry “Heavy D” Sparks and “Diesel Dave” Kiley, better known as the Diesel Brothers through their Discovery Channel program, have been ordered to pay a fine equivalent of more that 1.3 million Australian dollars for illegally modifying the emissions control systems of diesel pickups
The law suit was brought by the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment who say that the modifications performed on the trucks increase their emissions by 10–30 times.
The diesel brothers claimed their efforts reduce the cost of maintenance and improve fuel economy.
There is extensive research about the harmful effect of diesel fumes including the Hasselt University in Belgium, which found that diesel fumes start to harm children in pregnant mothers.
You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on iTunes or Spotify. OR our Facebook site OverdriveCity
Originally broadcast 21 March 2020 across Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) and Torque Radio affiliated commercial radio channels.
