APRIL 22, 2020

(Hyundai)
Hyundai has created a "how it works" video for its NEXO Fuel Cell SUV. The NEXO has an EPA-estimated range of 380 miles, yet refuels in five minutes when compared with electric vehicles of similar size and weight. The NEXO fuel cell stack creates electric power on driver demand, rather than storing propulsion energy in heavy battery packs to achieve its range.  Like other fuel cell vehicles, NEXO produces clean H2O Emissions with no negative effects on the environment. Watch a video here.

(Audi of America images)
At its 8,700 rpm limit, each one of the pistons found in the the 90° 5.2-liter Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI®) Audi R8 V10 engine is traveling approximately 88.3 feet every second. Each piston outpaces those found in today’s Formula One cars, according to Audi PR minions. The goal with the engine was to deliver performance aligned with the lofty expectations of a supercar customer while still providing the refinement and smoothness of an Audi. Its FSI® system was honed through development in Audi’s original Le Mans endurance racing cars.
The fuel supply is a dual-injection system in the road-going R8. In the lower partial-load range, only injection into the intake manifold (MPI) takes place. In the intermediate load range, intake manifold and direct injection (FSI) share the work in equal parts, and in full-load operation, the FSI® system takes on roughly 85% of the work. The latest V10 also features cylinder on demand (COD) technology, which also contributes to the engine’s efficiency. Under low to intermediate load conditions – when one of the four upper gears is engaged – it shuts down the cylinders of one bank by deactivating their injection and ignition processes. The driver does not notice the transition; at stronger acceleration the cylinder bank is activated again immediately.
In U.S. tune, the current street-legal R8 V10 Performance is able to make 602HP at 8,100 rpm and 413 lb-ft of torque at a 6,700 rpm. That speed and the firing pattern of the cylinders – 1 – 6 – 5 – 10 – 2 – 7 – 3 – 8 – 4 – 9 – give the Audi R8 a hissing tenor exhaust note that builds to a crescendo. Where in turbocharged engines, a turbocharger can act as a sound muffler in the engine, the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter FSI® V10 wails, with its exhaust baffles opening at higher rpm for full effect. 

(Bugatti)
The latest from the "Fools And Their (Stupid) Money" File comes word that after almost a full year of development, Jacob & Co. has introduced the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, "designed to honor the Bugatti Chiron and its legendary 16-cylinder engine in a timepiece." The case is "inspired by the flowing lines of the Chiron" and the movement, or “engine block,” intended to duplicate the Bugatti engine, is placed under a massive sapphire crystal. Pushing the right-hand crown of the timepiece, the engine comes to life – "the crankshaft turns and the pistons pump up and down, just like a true internal combustion engine." Two “turbochargers” (down from four in the actual Chiron engine) on the side of the engine block spin while the engine runs. The movement is comprised of 578 components, amounting to the highest level of complication for the Jacob development team. The price was not given. Our only comment is WTF? And, Why?

(Cadillac images)
Cadillac has announced that the fourth generation of its V-Series sub-brand, currently spearheaded by the 2020 CT4-V and CT5-V, will eventually include ultra-performance variants that carry the Blackwing name. The future, track-capable vehicles will be called CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing, "representing the apex of Cadillac performance and driver engagement," according to Cadillac PR minions. The V-Series Blackwing models will have limited availability and feature specially tuned chassis, vehicle control technologies and engines. Each model will also be offered with a manual transmission – a feature most luxury brands no longer offer but continues to be a strong desire for many performance driving enthusiasts. The CT4-V Blackwing (shown in Blue, below) and CT5-V Blackwing (shown in Red, below) have been undergoing testing that includes sessions at tracks and road courses around the country. Earlier this year, at Virginia International Raceway, each car set lap times seconds faster than the legendary ATS-V and CTS-V. Information about the current V-Series vehicles, the 2020 CT5-V and CT4-V, can be found on Cadillac.com, and more V-Series Blackwing information will be made available at a later date. 

AE Song Lyrics of the Week:

Oh, oh, oh

I, recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone, yeah
I, recommend walking around naked in your living room, yeah

Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn

I, recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone
I certainly do
I, recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time

Feel free

Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (to the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears

You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn

I, I, oh, oh

Wear it out (the way a three-year-old would do)
Melt it down (you're gonna have to eventually, anyway)
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend

You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn

You grieve you learn, you choke you learn
You laugh you learn, you choose you learn
You pray you learn, you ask you learn
You live you learn

"You Learn" - Writers: Glen Ballard, Alanis Nadine Morissette* - From the album "Jagged Little Pill" - 1995. Watch the video here. 
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

*In this song, Morissette points out that everything in life is a learning experience. It's based on the saying "Live and Learn," which is a common way of dealing with negative events and accepting whatever life brings you. Alanis explained on her VH1 Storytellers appearance: "I wrote it during a time that I was very insulated, and had first just moved to LA. I was prepared for perhaps the first time in my life to focus on things that were negative because I was always encouraged to focus on things that were positive, and that things like confusion and depression and those kinds of things were to be hidden or repressed. Having done that for so many years resulted in an explosion of sorts, so writing Jagged Little Pill was that explosion and a lot of things were very subconscious and that's why everything was relatively urgent."The lyrics, "Swallow it down, what a jagged little pill" provided the album title. This relates to the saying "a hard pill to swallow." Morissette wrote this with Glen Ballard, who produced the album. It was one of the first songs they wrote for Jagged Little Pill. "She had the concept from the first chord: 'Swallow it down, such a jagged little pill,'" Ballard told Spotify. "She was in the zone. It came about very quickly." (Courtesy of songfacts.com)