Last month we told you about the robotic Chevy Tahoe, nicknamed "Boss," that was taking part in the DARPA Urban Challenge, a competition between vehicles that drive themselves in a mock urban environment. Turns out that "Boss" was just that. The Carnegie Mellon University Tartan Racing Team Tahoe earned First Prize (and $2 million) in the Urban Challenge, beating 10 other teams over the 60-mile course. The vehicles were required to operate entirely autonomously, without human intervention, as they obeyed California traffic laws and performed maneuvers such as merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, and avoiding obstacles.
Nine-year-old Cody Day is a cancer survivor whose father, Dave, helped to motivate his recovery with the promise of building a Jeep for a father/son trip on the Rubicon Trail. Cody's cancer is in remission now, and he and his father will take a little detour on their way to the Sierras this summer. They'll use their project Wrangler-built with help from ARB, Jeeps R Us, and others-to deliver wheelchairs and medical supplies to farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico, during Easter. The Jeep is the first Help-Encourage-Rescue-Organize (H.E.R.O.) vehicle program sponsored by the Motive Club, a group of automotive enthusiasts that donates its net profits to charities and other worthy causes. Dave and Cody's trip will be featured in the Motive Club's online magazine at www.motiveclub.com.
Many of you wrote to us wondering where to find the Michelin shoes we mentioned in our October column ("Michelins for your Feet"). According to a Michelin P.R. rep, "The process of breaking through the established brands in this category takes time, and initial projections for securing retail placement and distribution in [2007] were aggressive and optimistic." In other words, they're still working to get them in stores. We'll let you know when that happens.
Many of you also took us to task for reporting in December that Honda was "first to market" with electric power steering (EPS) in its Foreman 500 4x4 ATV ("ATV Power Steering"). Yamaha was, in fact, the first to have EPS at dealerships on its Grizzly ATVs. But a Honda P.R. rep said Honda was the first to announce the innovation, so it laid claim to being the pioneer. Bottom line: We're just glad these companies are making it easier to muscle these big ATVs around.
* Prior To Making A Big splash at the L.A. Auto Show with a new hybrid version, Dodge's Durango was mentioned as one of several Chrysler products that could be axed in the coming years to reduce new-model overlap. Trade journal Automotive News reported that Jeep's Compass and Commander were also "on the bubble." Maybe the hybrid will keep Durango in the model mix for a while longer.
* Gale Banks Continues to make strides in diesel performance. His Duramax-powered Sidewinder Type-D drag-race S-10 recently made an 8.648-second quarter-mile pass at 150.06 mph, setting an NHRA record.
* Reader Robert Johns e-mailed us "with some positive news, for a change," for local Texas/Oklahoma("Texoma") four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. The city of Bridgeport, Texas, has donated 300 acres for use as an ORV and hiking trail park. The park was still under construction when Robert wrote us, but you can check in on its progress at www.torc4x4.org.
* The 9th u.s. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the fuel economy standards for '08-'11 light trucks need to be rewritten, as they aren't tough enough on carbon dioxide emissions. While the court is looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (and their effect on global warming), the automakers countered that changing the rules at this point could just delay progress on the emissions front, since their product planning-and efforts to meet the tightening fuel economy standards-is already well underway. We haven't heard the end of this
* Sema Informed Us That members of the House Natural Resources Committee met to consider legislation that would set aside an unprecedented 24 million acres of public lands in the Northern Rockies. This land would be designated as "wilderness" and by definition, motorized recreation would be strictly prohibited in these areas. While the bill has bipartisan support, the sponsors of the measure and a vast majority of the cosponsors are from eastern states. The breadth and magnitude of lands affected by this bill has turned this into an east-west debate. During the hearing, Congressional members representing the affected states expressed their vehement opposition to the bill. In addition, representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management testified on the administration's opposition to the measure. While it is safe to assume that the bill, as written, will not become law under the current administration, this could change in the future depending on which party controls Congress and the White House.