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Economical and Affordable Green Automotive Technology

Although hybrid cars are the rage, andviolent downshift, which also
there are all kinds of alternativecontributes to its superior
energy sources on the horizon, hybridsacceleration.
are cost prohibitive, usually rangingYou may be wondering why this isn't in
$3000 to $7000 more than the gas onlyevery car if it is so great. Well,
version of that model. However, insteadevery year, more vehicles in the
of changing fuel sources, someAmerican market add CVTs as an option,
automotive companies have been using athough it has happened quietly, as many
new type of transmission to improve fuelpeople are leery of new technology,
economy, lower emissions, and actuallyespecially in cars.
make vehicles faster without adding toThe CVT is actually quite old although
the sticker price.it is new to American automobiles. The
These companies are using a continuouslyconcept was developed by Leonardo
variable transmission (CVT) and insteadDaVinci and was first patented in the
of having set gear ratios (or gears), itlate 1800's for industrial applications.
constantly varies the gear ratios, asThe CVT has been used in Asian and
well as engine performance, so that theyEuropean vehicles since the 1950's, but
both operate at their most efficientuntil recently CVTs could not handle the
level in any driving scenario.power that American drivers demand from
Because these key components of thetheir cars. However, CVTs have seen
power train are at their peakwidespread use in snowmobiles and
performance at all times, fuel economyFormula 500 racing where they have a
is improved by 6-8% and carbon dioxidereputation for extending engine life and
emissions are reduced by 10%.being much easier to rebuild than either
Although these figures may not sounda manual or automatic step transmission.
impressive, the gas savings increase theSo where can you test drive a
highway mileage of most vehicles by 4 toCVT-equipped vehicle? Well you can go
6 mpg, which adds up pretty quickly atto dealerships selling Ford, Dodge,
$3/gallon.Audi, or Mini-Cooper, to name a few,
The CVT's potential for reducingalthough a Nissan dealership may be the
emissions is also significant. Asbest place to go. In order to hit their
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motorgoal of one million CVT sales in 2007,
Company, said, achieving his goal ofthey have installed CVTs in nearly every
selling one million CVT equippedsedan in their lineup, including the
vehicles by the end of 2007 will havebest selling Altima, Maxima, and
"the same effect in terms of reducingeconomical Versa (as a side note, Nissan
CO2 emissions as selling 200,000 hybridhas also made side curtain airbags
electric vehicles."standard in these models, improving
Since there is no shifting between fixedsafety and reducing insurance costs).
gears, there is no 'shift shock' orAlthough you may not have the budget for
jerking sensation, which makes thema hybrid vehicle or cannot wait for that
exceptionally smooth to drive. CVTsmiracle fuel to hit the market, you can
also do well in hilly terrain sincetake it easy on the environment, as well
there is no 'gear hunting' or boggingas your checkbook, by checking out a few
down on a hill, followed by a loud,cars with a CVT.



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