Toyota Camry - CNG Plus Hybrid Power Equals Wow

By Matthew Keegan

Of all of the hundreds of vehicles on display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, one of the most intriguing to me was the compressed natural gas powered Toyota Camry Hybrid concept. Toyota, which had a press conference for their luxury Lexus brand during the press days which I attended (but not for Toyota or Scion) still managed to display the hybrid Camry, a car not like any other one at the show. But, the concept Camry could one day prove to be a very popular model if certain energy initiatives come to pass. Please read on to learn about the natural gas powered Camry and how this car could revolutionize the way that we drive.

Toyota is a leader when it comes to hybrid technology, producing the gas-electric Prius and other models including the Camry. But, a natural gas-electric hybrid Camry is a new idea, one that hasn't been considered for production until now.

According to Toyota, compressed natural gas produces lower particulate emissions, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and non-methane organic gases and less CO2 per unit of energy when compared to gasoline. It can also run at higher compression ratio and is quickly dispersed into the atmosphere should a leak occur.

Best of all, natural gas is one resource in abundant supply in the US and costs as much as 40% less than gasoline. So, why aren't natural gas cars being produced?

That's easy: the infrastructure for natural gas is currently not in place, with fewer than 1000 refueling stations nationwide. Under half of those stations aren't open to the public, making refueling difficult if not impossible in some areas of the country.

If the federal government commits to expanding our natural gas infrastructure then the chances of the Toyota CNG hybrid going into production improves. This is something the next Administration will want to tackle as natural gas burns cleaner and reduces our dependency on foreign sources of oil, especially oil purchased from countries who are openly hostile to our way of life.

The displayed Camry concept is powered by the standard 2.4L, 4-cylinder engine found in base model Camry's today. With Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive, the gasoline fuel system is replaced with a compressed natural gas system, the main difference between the two hybrid Camry models.

Producing 170 horsepower, the CNG Camry Hybrid would get nearly identical fuel economy to the gas electric Hybrid, 33 combined fuel economy. Two compressed natural gas fuel tanks are stored in the spare tire well area of the car, safely removing the tanks from view. To make up for a lack of a spare tire, Toyota outfitted the Camry with Bridgestone run flat tires, but I could see a spare tire holder fitted into the trunk lid which would be a smart as well as attractive touch for the CNG hybrid Camry.

Alas, the CNG hybrid Camry will not go into production anytime soon, other than perhaps for regional availability in markets such as Southern California which can support these types of vehicles. With gas prices being so low again, a compressed natural gas car isn't ideal right now but it could be when gas prices start climbing again next Spring. By then, the Obama Administration may have a new energy policy in place, one that embraces alternative fuel sources including compressed natural gas.

Copyright 2008-2012 -- Matthew C. Keegan is the owner of a successful writing and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several websites and is a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport, a retailer of quality body kits and other fine aftermarket parts.

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Toyota Hybrid Sports Car

By Anton Rowd

Every loyal customer to Toyota and the people behind the company itself are looking forward to 2008. Why? Because that is the slated release for the much-awaited Toyota hybrid sports car dubbed the Volta. Toyota has always been known to set itself apart from all other car manufacturers, releasing some of the most outrageous designs that seem to grow onto society once the cars establish themselves as bestsellers.

Japan Goes Italian

Toyota's hybrid sports car can only be a real head turner. This is what's expected when you have an elite group of designers to give the new concept car a new, nice Italian twist. Pictures of the concept car have emerged from the company itself and the first thing that may come to mind is the Lamborghini Diablo; only the Volta is eco-friendly.

Toyota believes that hybrid technology can also be used in high-performance vehicles such as the Toyota Volta. After all, it is rumored to go from 0-60 in 4 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph; not as fast as the Diablo or any Ferrari but the important thing is how much gas this vehicle doesn't use.

The Name Game

The 2008 new Toyota Volta will be paying homage to Alessandro Volta, the man who came up with the electric battery in 1800. It is only very apt considering that this vehicle does run on a type of battery. The Volta runs a V6 engine and there's an electric motor on each axle.

The electric motor will be used to operate several things at the same time such as, for example, a computer that operates the movement of the wheels, activation of brakes, etc.; basically something known as drive by wire, a technology that is fitted into modern fighter jets, so you can imagine how much time in design was spent on this near-future release. This technology also allows for an awkward feature that can have the passengers reposition the steering wheel and pedals in front of them.

Economy

Two centuries after the invention of the electric battery after which the new hybrid is named, Toyota aims to have the Volta out and running by 2008. It is expected to have a tank that holds only 13.7 gallons that will allow it to go 435 miles when filled up. Plus, if 408 horsepower isn't enough, you will just have to weight for later versions of the Volta because this is the top speed estimated for the initial release.

Toyota France expects to release this to the European market in 2008. However, Germany might be happy to know that the car will be for sale there by December of 2007. Experts are speculating that prices for the Toyota hybrid sports car will range from $72,000 to $165,000 in the US market once it hits North American shores.

Whether or not the market is ready for this sports car, Toyota itself is ready to prove that hybrid technology does belong in the automobile industry and will suit any purpose and application.

Thinking about driving your own Toyota Hybrid sports car? Then find your best links to hybrid car deals now!

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Wireless Access Points

By Eric Meyer

Wireless LAN Switches: The Best Solution

There are two types of wireless access points Intelligent (Fat) and Thin wireless Access points. A fat wireless access point has everything it needs to handle wireless clients. A Thin wireless access point is basically a radio and antenna that is controlled by a wireless switch. If you deploy several Fat wireless access points they need to be configured individually. With thin wireless access points the entire configuration takes place at the switch saving you time and money.

Wireless LAN Switches provide many benefits:

Wireless Mobility - Intelligent access aren't managed in a central location which means there is no third party monitoring the movement of a user. If a user moves to another work area traditional wireless access points have a hard time passing off the user to the new access point. Thin wireless access points are controlled be the wireless LAN switch who will manage the users movement.

Security- Using the wireless LAN switch the administrator can check logs, configure is security settings, make group polices for wireless users all in one spot. Also built in to many wireless LAN switches are RADIUS servers which will give another layer of security on top of your encryption policies. In enterprise wireless networks the administrators biggest fear is rogue wireless access points. Wireless LAN switches can detect when a new wireless access point comes into the area and decide if it is a trusted or non-trusted device.

Placement - Power over Ethernet is another great feature of wireless LAN Switches. Power over Ethernet eliminates the need for an power outlet to be near the wireless access point. This saves your company money by not having to install new power outlets. Also this improves security by not having the wireless access points within easy reach of passerby's.

If you are deploying a wireless LAN for a company I would be scared if you don't utilize wireless LAN switches and wireless thin access points. The upfront costs of these products are more but your total cost of ownership will be less than having to administer each wireless access point separately. To sum it up home owners should stick with Fat access points and businesses should use thin.

Simple and secure wireless networking is the name of the game an http://www.wirelessninja.com We will save you money and prevent you from getting a wireless administrator's headache.

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Anti Spam Guide 101

By Mansi Aggarwal

One thing that has plagued more or less all the Internet users is Spam. Thus, the biggest ask of todays Internet age is Anti Spam tools.

As the usage of internet is multiplying day after day, e-mail has become the most powerful and desirable means of communication. But some people are trying to annihilate its great reputation by introducing the spam into it. Spam is nothing but unsolicited, unwanted, irrelevant or inappropriate e-mail. They are also known as junk mails. Spam mails are basically aimed at wasting the time and as a result, money of the individuals who are at the receiving end. Many people get annoyed when they see their inboxes full of junk mails, which are hidden between the legitimate ones. This situation may lead to chaos as these people may inadvertently delete the legitimate e-mails while deleting the spam. Also, the spam mails can cause unnecessary burden over the servers by uploading lots of redundant data over them. Moreover, they may even contain viruses, spyware and trojans which can damage the whole system of the receiver.

Hence, people who are acquainted with these ill effects of the spam mails are on the constant look out for better and more advanced Anti Spam solutions to get rid of this menace. Therefore big software companies are continuously trying to develop Anti Spam solutions, spam blockers and e-mail spam filters. Anti Spam solutions are basically designed to check the sender's name and address and filter the spam e-mails according to a black list of spammers they own. They may also check the recipients' names and addresses and filter the spam mails according to certain parameters decided by them. Some Anti Spam solutions also use content filtering or Bayesian Logic. They can scan the e-mails and search for certain words or phrases which are common in most spam mails like 'viagra' or 'click here' and filter the spam e-mails accordingly.

However, these Anti Spam solutions are not infallible. If the software companies are trying to develop more and more advanced ways to block and filter spam, the spammers are also not sitting idle. They are also constantly inventing new ways to hoodwink these Anti Spam programs and cause havoc in the world of internet. Moreover, most of these Anti Spam solutions are not reliable as they may delete some very necessary e-mail taking them as spam. This might happen if a legitimate sender makes use of some of the terms which favorites among the spammers or use an IP address that has been used by spammers in the past. Thus, a reliable Anti Spam solution is one, which minimizes these false positives by adopting a comprehensive anti spam approach by examining both the message content as well as the history of the sender. Moreover, an effective anti spam software is one, which learns the user preferences by analyzing his behavior towards some particular messages. For instance, most of us may delete the messages containing the word 'viagra' but some medical organizations may not do so.

Thus, while no Anti Spam software is perfect, still we should use them to reduce the risk of getting plagued by the menace of spam mails.

Mansi Aggarwal recommends that you visit Anti Spam for more information.

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