Smart is Best in 2010 Roll-Over Testing

This video was found on Dailymotion dot com and is well worth sharing. The Smart Fortwo has the strongest roof and the Chevrolet Aveo has the weakest among 2009 micro and minicars recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Smart earns the highest rating of good compared with acceptable for the Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mini Cooper, and Toyota Yaris. The Aveo is rated marginal. The rating system is based on Institute research showing that occupants in rollover crashes benefit from stronger roofs. Vehicles rated good must have roofs that are more than twice as strong as the current minimum federal safety standard requires. The ratings, products of the Institute's new roof strength testing program, add to consumer information tests that rate vehicles for front, side, and rear crashworthiness. The roof test is designed to help consumers pick vehicles that will help protect them in rollover crashes.


http://youtu.be/nSaffWbNmV8

Stone Age Bug!

I don't know where this is, but it would be fun to visit!

To Do LIst

I need a bath...

Original Smart Car?

What a Smart might have looked like in 1910!

Lunch with the Chicken

Today we had lunch after church at the big chicken--otherwise known as Tommy's. Actually John & Rae had lunch while I had to wait outside.

Look at that chicken! He's lots bigger than me!

Family Reunion

We've been having a family reunion this past week...such a busy time! It seems I'm always on the go! Here I am between two of my big brothers who live on the farm.

I also have a big brother Outlook that lives in New Mexico, but I didn't get a picture beside him or my other big brother that lives in West Virginia--he is an Aspen.

Doughnuts!

Today is National Doughnut Day! Guess where I'm going?

Gas price today: $3.80

Woo Hoo! Gas prices are going down! I actually saw a sign for $3.80 this morning! Granted, I don’t use too much gas, and it only takes 9 gallons for fill me up—but, I still get concerned about prices, too.

In fact, I’ve made 2 trips from Nebraska to California (and back) this year already. In January John & Rae spent $300 for the round trip, and just two months later in April, the same trip cost $50 more.

Does anyone remember when gas was 99¢? I’m too young to remember that, but Rae talks about it sometimes….

Traveling around California

Rae and I drove into San Luis Obispo yesterday (that’s the town that Oprah featured a couple of months ago because it is the friendliest in the country) to do some errands. On the way we stopped to visit the100-year-old Octagon Barn. There are only 2 others in California. The local people have started a campaign to restore it.

In Utah

I've been driving cross country going to the beach in California, Right now I'm in Vegas (no fun for me: I'm stuck in the Hotel guest parking garage)because Rae is attending the eBay Convention. But here are a pictures of me at two different rest stops in Utah yesterday.

Another Road Trip!

I'm so excited! Rae took me through the car wash today. And then she announced we are going on another road trip! I'm going to Las Vegas! I just love traveling and seeing new places! And after 2 days in Vegas we get to go back out to California. I'm so excited that I am shaking with anticipation! Wow--can you imagine me in Vegas? I'll get packed up tomorrow afternoon, and then we leave early Monday morning.

Kobe Bryant Catches a Thief in a Smart Car

This is a good demonstration of how a taller person (6 1/2 foot tall Kobe Bryant) can fit into a little Smart Car! The ad was made in China.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Since it's March 17, there's no other color for a Smart Car!

Japanese Water Powered Car

Three years ago a Japanese company named Genepax debuted a prototype vehicle that runs entirely on water and air. Their new "Water Energy System (WES)," generates power by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes using a proprietary technology called the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). The secret behind MEA is a special material that is capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction.

Not surprisingly, Genenpax kept the exact details of their technology under wraps, but they did say that their new process, while based on existing technology, is expected to produce hydrogen from water for longer time than any method currently available. Furthermore, WES does not require a hydrogen reformer, a high-pressure hydrogen tank, or any special catalysts to get the job done.

During the initial news conference, Genepax unveiled a fuel cell stack with a rated output of 120W and a fuel cell system with a rated output of 300W—and explained that there are plans for a 1kw-class generation system for use in both electric vehicles and houses sometime in the future. At this point, the cost of production on the water-powered vehicle engine itself is around about ¥2,000,000 (US$18,522), but they hope to drop the price to ¥500,000 (US$4600) or less if they succeed in bringing it into mass production.

I wonder what happened?

A Dog?

I just heard that Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) made a Fan Page for his new puppy. He is cute—looks a bit like one of the dogs that live at my house.

Isn’t Social Media fun?

My Big Brothers

Look at me—I’m between two of my big brothers. Jake is on the left and Noah is the red truck on the right.

smart fortwo - A big idea for two.

Pismo Beach

We have been going to the Pismo Pier a lot this week. I have to stay in the parking lot--they don't allow cars on the pier.

In Santa Barbara

I went south to Santa Barbara for my yearly check-up. It's so neat that I only have to change oil every 10,000 miles! It's closer for me to drive to Santa Barbara out here than it would be to drive to the dealership in Omaha. It's only about 90 miles south here in California.

Look at this gorgeous weather--keep in mind it's still mid-January out here!

Santa Barbara is in the foothills--and look at those palm trees! They're everywhere!

My California Home

I've been having so much fun here in the good weather that I haven't posted much. Here I am at my California house. Not many Smart Cars can say they have a home in Nebraska and one in California!

In California

We made it to California--I've been having so much fun I haven't updated the blog! The weather here is so much better than it is in Nebraska right now. I hear they have 12 inches of snow!


Here I am along side a new friend...his name is Greens. We ate lunch at a Pizza Parlor just down the street and noticed him sitting out here all alone, so I came over to say hello. May-be we'll go back down to the beach later today....

In New Mexico

We are in New Mexico, just north of Santa Fe, visiting Rae & John's daughter Erin. Their house is built in a traditional southwest-style. Here I am parked in front of their front door.

I will be going to Albuquerque tomorrow--we will catch Interstate 40 there and go west across Arizona.