We all have the impression that the automotive industry is dedicated only to men, and women wouldn't fit into the car manufacturers' world. Well, this is not actually true, and this seems to have tried Chevrolet to prove by hosting the web chat from March 22 between four women with important positions in the automotive field and involved in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of the Chevrolet Volt, the world's first electric vehicle with extended-range capability.

The guests of Chevrolet's chat were: Pam Fletcher (Chief Engineer for Volt and Plug-In Hybrid Propulsion Systems), Teri Quigley (Plant Manager at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly), Britta Gross (Director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure Commercialization) and Cristi Landy (Product Marketing Manager, Chevrolet Volt). During this meeting, they have answered to some interesting questions about career, family and about how they succeed in blending them, about what made them choose the engineering and the automotive industry as a career and which are the challenges / opportunities of this filed for a woman. Definitely, those questions will help us make a sketch about what it means to be female engineers in today's fast-paced environment and about how the diversity of perspectives brings technology breakthroughs like the Volt to market.

What do you think: does a regular woman have a chance to succeed into this industry?

[Source: Press Release Volt Women Web Chat Advisory]

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About Being a Female Engineer in the Automotive Industry

For this week's top 10 we figured out to show you some of the coolest police cars ever made. From Lamborghinis to Hummers, law enforcement agencies have them all.

Lamborghini Gallardo Police Car

Let's kick things off with the sexiest car in this top, a Lamborghini Gallardo. Italy's State Police can affirm that they have by far the coolest cop car after Lamborghini gave them a Gallardo LP560-4, a car that can do 203 mph. It has a 560-hp engine, which should be enough to catch the bad guys who are trying to evade. This isn't a show car, as it has been fitted with the latest equipment of a modern police vehicle. Inside the cabin there is a GPS, video & radio hardware, a gun holster, as well as the traditional traffic directing "paletta" carried by Italian traffic officers. The car also has a refrigerated compartment in the front luggage area that allows the swift delivery of donor organs.

Brabus CLS V12 S Rocket

The German police isn't far behind as they have this Brabus CLS V12 S Rocket, a car or better said, supercar that can do 225 mph. It was unveiled at the Essen Motor Show in Germany a few years ago and it is now used on the fastest stretches of the famous autobahn.

Carbon Motors E7

From the United States, we find the Carbon Motors E7, a rear-wheel drive car that packs more than 250 hp and has a torque of 400+ lb.-ft. Featuring a perfect weight distribution (50:50), it is able to do the 0-60 mph sprint in 6.5 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 150+ mph. According to the automaker, it was designed to meet 250.000-miles durability specifications and its cockpit features fully-integrated factory fitted law enforcement equipment.

GeigerCars Hummer H2

Although I'm not a fan of the Hummer, the GeigerCars' variant of the H2 looks pretty cool. This car was fitted with a massive V8 7.0-liter engine that develops 700 hp (515 kW) @ 5,500 rpm and 904 Nm @ 4,260 rpm. Despite the fact that it has a curb weight of 3.1 tons, the car can reach 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h, making it probably the fastest Hummer in the world.

Dodge Charger Police Car

I guess that this Dodge Charger belonging to the Lake County Police won't be doing any undercover work anytime soon. Anyway, funny how the U.S. government is spending precious tax dollars, isn't it?

1988 Ford Mustang D.A.R.E. Unit

This 1988 Ford Mustang belongs to the Ohio Police and it is one of the few convertible police cars I've ever seen. Probably, it is just a show car, but still cool in my opinion, despite the fact that it is showing its age.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti HGTS

From Italy again, we find the elegant Ferrari 612 Scaglietti HGTS, a car capable of hitting a top speed of 192 mph. This four-seat V12 supercar was donated by Ferrari to run in the United Kingdom. This 200,000-pounds car was used to promote the government-sponsored road safety campaign. I would have used a Volvo, but I guess Ferraris have a bigger impact.

Electric Smart Police Car

Back in 2008 the London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) received this electric Smart Police Car which is now used in central London and at the Heathrow Airport. It has a top speed of 60 mph and a 70 miles range between charges. I think that this is the perfect car for in-town police duties as it is small and agile.

Porsche 911 Carrera Police Car

This is a Porsche 911 Carrera that has been tuned by TechArt and belongs to the Germany police force. It packs a 6-cylinder engine that develops 500 hp and can do the 0-60 mph sprint in 4.6 seconds, before reaching a top speed of over 186 mph.

Spyker C8 Spyder Police Car

Last but certainly not least, from Holland we find this exquisite Spyker C8 Spyder, a V8 406-hp car that can hit a top speed of 186 mph. Yeah, and it has Lamborghini doors too…

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Top 10 Cool Police Cars

With all this hype about electric cars, we had to turn our attention to reports regarding the development of new electricity sources. Similar to wind mills and wind turbines that are able to generate power and electricity from the wind, scientists are now developing a technology that will use the power of the sea to generate power. This new development will use Wing waves in a very efficient way to generate electricity and power from the sea.

Stephen Wood is an assistant professor of marine and environmental systems at the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Engineering and he is working on this technology for its advance and proper use. He said that approximately 200,000 houses can be powered with the help of one square miles of wings that produce about 1000 units of electric power. This power is generated by changing elliptical motion wave into mechanical energy after trapping it 30-60 ft. below the sea.

According to Terence Bolden, the Chief Executive of Clean and Green Enterprises Inc., stated that the wings sway 30 degrees from side to side and they take 8-10 seconds to complete every arc. During this process, they produce valuable electricity.

The main advantages of these Wing waves are:

a)      A "green" way of generating electric power;

b)      Protects the sea as the Wings waves are very environmentally friendly as they don't cause any danger to the turtles and attract fish;

c)       The generated power can be used on land by transferring the electricity from sea to land through cables;

d)      They help in desalinizing sea water

If you want to know more about this technology, head on to alternative-energy-news.info for a more in depth analysis of Wing waves.

Source: alternative-energy-news.info

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Producing Electricity From Wing Waves