Mazda Gets Loopy With New Capacitor-Based KERS

Mazda has laid claim to developing the first capacitor-based regenerative braking system for a passenger vehicle, dubbed i-ELOOP - intelligent Energy Loop.
The technology has shown up in racing cars before (see Toyota's Supra HV-R), but Mazda's project marks its first appearance in a regular passenger car.
The system works like a regular regenerative braking system, but the energy is stored in a capacitor rather than the more common battery arrangement.
The i-ELOOP system is made up of a 12-24V variable voltage alternator, a low-resistance electric double-layer capacitor and a DC/DC converter.
Like most systems, i-ELOOP recovers kinetic energy as the vehicle is decelerating, which the alternator uses to generate electricity that is then sent to the capacitor.
The stored energy is used to power the vehicle's climate control, audio system and other electrical features. The system will also charge the vehicle's battery when necessary.

Mazda says the advantage to using a capacitor its ability to be charged and discharged rapidly, and, compared to batteries, a stronger resistance to deterioration.
The big win for the driver however is that because the system does not use a dedicated motor or battery to operate and is therefore using less power, the vehicle's fuel economy is improved by "approximately" 10 percent.
The system is designed to work alongside Mazda's i-stop idle-stop technology, allowing the engine to remain switched off for longer periods.
Mazda has yet to announce production plans for the technology, but expect i-ELOOP to appear in the next-generation Mazda6 or Mazda3.

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Ford Australia Archive Opens In Melbourne

Ford Australia has opened a new document archive at its Melbourne headquarters this week, marking the carmaker's fourth such facility in the world. The other three are in the US, Germany and the UK.
The local archive hosts documents, photos and brochures from the company's 86 year history in Australia. Many of the documents were collected by the late Adrian Ryan, the Public Affairs worker to whom the centre is dedicated.
Described as a passionate car man, Ryan worked in Ford Australia's Public Affairs office for 15 years, coming from roles with Repco and the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce.
After 40 years in the Australian car industry, Ryan passed away in 2009.
Speaking at the opening of the Ford Australia Archive, President and CEO Bob Graziano said that Ryan could often be found rummaging through dumpsters to recover items tossed away by the carmaker's staff.

“Adrian was instrumental in ensuring that not only did we collect the material but that we stored it appropriately too. He did his absolute best to keep the pressure on Ford, right until his last months, to find a proper location to store the archives," Graziano said.
“We believe he would be quite chuffed to see the archives treated with the respect they deserve.”

Graziano also gave a nod to employee Les Drayton, responsible for putting together many of the Archive's precious items.

"Les not only collected photos, documents and books, he was also instrumental in ensuring we did not lose some of our unique vehicles, which are now on display at the Ford Discovery Centre in Geelong,” Graziano said.

The Archive will function as a centralised historical information centre for the carmaker's local operations, and while it will not be open to the general public, a few lucky outsiders will get to take a peek from time to time.

"As resources permit, the archives team will also be able to serve individuals outside the company who have an interest in our history, including vehicle enthusiasts, the media, authors, video/film producers and a wide range of researchers, scholars and students,” Graziano said.

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Jaguar XF Sportbrake Wagon Spied

Jaguar's rumoured XF wagon is a rumour no longer, as these first photos of the carmaker's upcoming 'Sportbrake' reveal.
Whether the final model will wear the Sportbrake name is unclear, but its intentions are clear: combine the sleek lines of the traditional 'shooting brake' style with the familiar tapered roof of most 'sportwagons', and you've got yourself a Sportbrake.
The combination means that while the Sportbrake will help to maintain the XF's sports-focused styling, the car will also offer the practicality and capacious rear space of a proper wagon.
Although this is the first time the XF wagon has been spied on public roads, the minimal camouflage and production-ready rear-end suggests that the car's unveiling is not far away. March's Geneva Motor Show is a likely candidate.
The introduction of the Sportbrake will give the XF a much-needed rival for the wagon variants of its competitors, including the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
The wagon will be especially welcome in Australia, where the XF's 441 sales so far in 2011 trail the E-Class (1177), the 5 Series (1109) and the A6 (590).

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