Over the past decade, road trips have become much less painful for backseat passengers due to all of the handheld technology (Gameboys, iPhones, DVD players, etc.) we now have, but according to GM, psychological studies have indicated that car passengers often feel disconnected from their environment.
In response to these studies, the GM Research and Development department challenged researchers and students from the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel to conceptualize new ways to help rear seat passengers, particularly children, have a richer experience on the road. Thus, the Windows of Opportunity (WOO) Project was born. And believe me, Texas Chevrolet owners, you’re going to be blown away with what they came up with… interactive car window displays.
In a GM press release, Tom Seder, GM R&D lab group manager for human-machine interface said, “Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers. Advanced windows that are capable of responding to vehicle speed and location could augment real world views with interactive enhancements to provide entertainment and educational value.”
Before you get too excited, I must tell you that GM currently doesn’t have any plans to put this into production. The Bezalel students were given free reign to create applications for this interactive window without having to worry about whether it could be mass produced or not. So it’s uncertain whether this idea will ever come to light. Still, the design and idea is pretty incredible.
The apps the Bezalel students developed include:
Otto, an animated character projected over passing scenery that responds to real-time car performance, weather and landscape. With Otto, passengers can learn about their environment in fun, playful ways.
Foofu, an app that allows passengers to create, explore and discover through finger drawing on window steam.
Spindow, an app that provides its users a peek into other users’ windows around the globe in real time.
Pond, an app that allows passengers to stream and share music with other cars on the road, download favorite tracks, and share messages with other passengers on the road.
GM released this awesome video detailing the project and showing us how the students simulated a vehicle environment. Check it out, Dallas Ft Worth Chevy lovers.
There’s no denying that this rain was much needed in the Dallas Ft Worth metroplex, but man oh man. When it rains in Texas, it pours. Driving in the rain can be stressful enough, but driving to work after it’s been raining non stop since the night before is just plain miserable. Especially when you’re carefully driving along in your new or used Chevy and the vehicle next to you happens to fly by, hitting a huge patch of water that engulfs your entire vehicle causing you to lose visibility for a few seconds. Anyone out there know what I’m talking about?
It’s been said that flash floods are the number one weather-related killer in the U.S. because people think they can drive through deep water or don’t pay enough attention. As I mentioned above, hitting a huge patch of water at any speed over 15mph will not only throw water onto the vehicle next to you, it’ll also jerk your Chevrolet and splash water onto your windshield skewing your visibility. If that’s ever happened to you, you know it’s beyond stomach-dropping. Especially if it happens on one our crowded DFW highways.
Since the weather man tells me that we are aren’t expecting any clear skies until at least tomorrow, I thought it might be a good idea to share some tips on how to drive in these conditions. Hopefully, this will make your drive home this evening and tomorrow morning a little less nerve-racking.
First and foremost, if you see a barricade, DO NOT drive through it. This may seem like a no-brainier, but watch the news tonight and see how many people thought they could make it through. Second, avoid driving through standing water on the road and in parking lots if at all possible. According to Progressive.com, the average automobile can be swept off the road in 12 inches of moving water, and roads covered by water are prone to collapse. Not to mention that driving through deep water can potentially stall your engine and even cause irreparable damage.
Last year, a friend and I were driving to Lubbock, Texas, during a horrible storm. The brunt of the storm hit in a small town name Seymour which only has one road out. Thinking that it would be better to get out before the flooding got worse, we decided to drive through. Horrible, horrible mistake. Before we knew it, water was up over her headlights and her engine began acting funny. After we finally pulled through, she had a difficult time accelerating. Three months later, she needed a new transmission. Moral of the story? Don’t guess at the depth of a flooded road or parking lot. Take another route if you can. Replacing the transmission on a Chevrolet or any other vehicle is not cheap.
In the event that an alternate route does not exist and you have no other reasonable alternative but to drive through standing water, Progressive.com suggests the following:
Do your best to estimate the depth of the water (if other cars are driving through, take note of how deep the water is).
Drive slowly and steadily through the water.
Avoid driving in water that downed electrical or power lines have fallen in — electric current passes through water easily.
Watch for items traveling downstream — they can trap or crush you if you’re in their path.
If you have driven through water up to the wheel rims or higher, test your brakes on a clear patch of road at low speed. If they are wet and not stopping the vehicle as they should, dry them by pressing gently on the brake pedal with your left foot while maintaining speed with your right foot.
Stay off the telephone unless you must report severe injuries.
If your vehicle stalls in the deep water, you may need to restart the engine to make it to safety. Keep in mind that restarting may cause irreparable damage to the engine.
If you can’t restart your vehicle and you become trapped in rising water, immediately abandon it for higher ground. Try to open the door or roll down the window to get out of the vehicle. If you are unable to get out safely, call 911 or get the attention of a passerby or someone standing on higher ground so that they may call for help.
Don’t become a victim of these dangerous flash floods, Dallas Ft Worth Chevroletowners. Following these precautions and save your beloved Chevrolet and your life from injury.
Even if you aren’t an automobile guru, you’ve probably heard the terms “torque” and “horsepower” before. You may even have some sort of idea of which numbers are considered to be high and low for each. The question is… do you understand what they are? If not, don’t worry. You’re not alone. The next time you hear someone talking about how much horsepower the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1has, ask them to explain exactly what that means and you’ll probably have a 50/50 chance that they won’t know. And after reading this, you’ll even be able to call them out on it!
Horsepower is the amount of work done over a period of time, and torque on the other hand is a measure of force, rotational force, or how “hard” something twists. Think of it this way: horsepower is the actual speed potential of a vehicle and torque is how hard the car pushes you back into your seat when accelerating. Torque is also what allows a Chevrolet truck or car to tow.
Different cars will have different balances of horsepower and torque. I found a great example from MindOverMotor.com comparing a 2012 BMW M3 and a VW Diesel Touareg . The Touareg makes 240 horsepower and 406 ft/lbs of torque. This means that you’ll feel a really good push into your seat when you hit the gas, but when you look down you will be going 40mph instead of the 60mph you thought it’d be. On the other hand, the M3 has 414 horsepower and 295ft/lbs of torque. It won’t seem to pull that hard when you gas it, but when you look at the speedometer it will read 120mph when you thought you were at 90mph.
Now let’s look at the 2012 Camaro ZL1. This muscle machine makes 580 horsepower and 556lb-ft of torque. So when you gas it, you’ll definitely going to feel the “get up and go” and when you look down at your speedometer, you’ll probably be significantly speeding.
In conclusion, it’s torque that makes a car feel fun when you hit the gas, but it’s the horsepower that makes a car fast. So what type of balance are you looking for, DFW? I’m betting the 2012 Camaro ZL1 (available in Spring 2012) is ranking pretty high right now in your list of fun and fast cars to drive.
Thanks to Cassidy Schafer for contributing.
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Hi, I'm Hagen Durant, General Manager of Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, TX - I am a huge car and truck enthusiast and love talking cars. I'm a cyclist, health nut, father, geek, and drummer. I look forward to giving you great information about cars and trucks, driving tips, maintenance and so much more.
If you have any questions or would like to make suggestions feel free to email them to me at hagen@classicchevytexas.com
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