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Oil jumps $2 on supply concerns

NEW YORK - Oil rose $2 to over $81 a barrel on Tuesday on concerns about consumer-nation supplies ahead of the coming Northern Hemisphere winter, according to Reuters.

European oil product inventories fell in September, industry monitor Euroilstock reported, while the U.S. government said heating demand will be higher this year than last due to forecasts for cooler weather.

The reports helped push U.S. crude futures up $2.04 to $81.06 a barrel by 12:28 p.m. EDT, reversing Monday's big sell-off. London Brent crude gained $1.18 to $77.76.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:54 PM to Crude oil market | Permalink | Comments 0

At Least the Cars Sit Still

APART from babies, pets and maybe newlyweds, probably nothing is more photographed, and photographed badly, than the family car, according to the New York Times.
Enter Winston Goodfellow, a professional automobile photographer who knows how to shoot a car and is willing to share some of his best tricks. Mr. Goodfellow, whose automotive prints sell on his Web site (www.rollingsculpture.com), has written a short manual of tips, “Take Your Best Shot.” It was published by Hagerty, an insurer specializing in classic cars.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:30 PM to Fun | Permalink | Comments 0

Rhode Island Drivers, This Spud’s for You

Here's a New York Times story that will make you proud to be a Rhode Islander. Not.

There are a few things synonymous with Rhode Island: stuffed clams, Narragansett beer, and, of course, Mr. Potato Head, reports the NYT.

The toy was created by Hasbro, which is based in Pawtucket, 55 years ago. The state is so proud to be the home of Mr. Potato Head that he has become the state’s unofficial ambassador. He turns up in parades, participates in antismoking campaigns, and greets children at playgrounds.

And since 2002, the toy has hit the road. Rhode Island drivers who feel a need for a Mr. Potato Head presence on their cars, can order a license plate that has his smiling face.

Crikey!

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:23 PM to Fun | Permalink | Comments 0

Device can remotely halt auto chases

Police will be able to remotely halt high-speed pursuits with technology that aims to cut chase-related deaths, according to USA Today.

General Motors plans to equip 1.7 million of its 2009 model vehicles with the system that allows pursuing officers to request that engines of stolen cars be remotely switched off through the OnStar mobile communications system.

Because of a built-in global-tracking device, OnStar already allows police to find stolen vehicles. Now, with permission of the owner, they'll have the ability to have the engine turned off.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:11 PM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Auto components lighten up to improve mileage

Automakers are putting cars on a diet in a bid for better gas mileage, according to USA Today.
They are finding ways to shave pounds from car bodies — from the hood to the back bumper — often by substituting plastic, composites and aluminum for steel.

When they use steel, it is often a higher-quality grade that delivers more strength and less weight.

Every 120-pound reduction can yield a 1% gain in gas mileage, says Bill Grabowski, director of body core engineering for Chrysler. Best of all, if engineers can make the body lighter, other components, such as brakes, suspension and the engine, can be lighter, too. And the vehicle won't need as much gas-guzzling horsepower to push it around.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:24 AM to Design , Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil eases below $79

LONDON - Oil extended its losses to ease below $79 a barrel on Tuesday, after a nearly 3 percent slump in the previous session amid a wider slide in commodities tied to a rebound in the U.S. dollar, according to Reuters.

U.S. crude futures lost 38 cents to $78.64 a barrel by 8 a.m. EDT. London Brent crude was 70 cents down at $75.88.

Analysts said fundamentals factors, including weak demand from U.S. refiners in the midst of seasonal maintenance as well as weakness in product demand with the end of the summer gasoline season, were weighing on oil.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:22 AM to Crude oil market | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler, UAW talks intensify as strike deadline looms

DETROIT - With just over a day remaining until a strike deadline, representatives of the United Auto Workers union and Chrysler LLC bargained into Tuesday morning in a bid to reach a new contract for some 49,000 U.S. factory workers, according to Reuters.

The union has given Chrysler a deadline of 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday and threatened to call the second national strike against a U.S. automaker in less than a month if a new deal on wages and benefits is not reached by then.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:10 AM to Chrysler , Unions | Permalink | Comments 0