Last fall, Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin spent some time lovin' Gale Banks and his land speed record diesel trucks. Boing Boing TV has released a few more episodes of XJ in the Banks garage, this time talking about the technology, economy and ecology of diesel fuel. The most recent episode (focusing on diesel and DIY) is available above; another on Car Hacking with Gale Banks is available after the jump. Car hacking is about more than making your Prius a sweet PHEV. Banks explains how encryption and 3D visualization software help his team design the powerful (and, considering, economical) racing engines. As XJ wrote to AutoblogGreen: "Good times. :)" Indeed.

Related:

• Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin falls hard for Gale Banks' diesel speed trucks

[Source: Boing Boing and XJ]

The "NASCAR dads" (one of the silly names the U.S. media has given to a supposed voting block) aren't known for their environmentalism, but that may change. Not too long ago, we wrote about the possibility that NASCAR will shift to ethanol and how Toyota was showing the Prius to the NASCAR crowd. The green message is now coming from the legendary NASCAR driver Robert Yates.

At the MIA's Energy Efficient Motorsport Seminar in Orlando earlier this month, Yates said that "it is time to get rid of the carburettor," which, as the MIA's press release put is, means "it is time American motorsport became more energy efficient."

And why not? There are plenty of ways to go fast without burning gasoline. Diesel trucks modified by Gale Banks, for example, break speed records, and Banks joined Yates in asking NASCAR to think green. You can read more in the MIA release after the break, but getting NASCAR dads to get turned on to the green car message is not going to be an easy task. Having Yates and Banks do the talking is one way to get it heard.

[Source: The MIA]

Sooner or later, everyone in the auto industry comes into contact with Gale Banks. And, if you're just looking for a prime tune-up, check out this post from May where we mentioned how Banks is offering to convert any type of diesel vehicles to a high-performance monster. Banks seems to be on a quest to reshape the image of diesels as dirty oil burners. Banks is the man behind the absolutely insane diesel-powered Sidewinder Dodge Dakota that, in 2002, went over 222 mph at Bonneville and set a world record speed for a production-based pickup truck. Today, Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin started a video series about her visit with Banks and, in an episode coming soon, going for a ride with him.

As you can see in the video above, Banks' vehicles go fast. What you don't see (but is easy to discover) is that Banks is also concerned with the impact vehicles have on the environment. Banks is an advisor to the Automotive X Prize and has been working on emissions, aerodynamics and other efficiency issues for decades. Xeni will have more videos up soon that cover at trip to Banks' garage and other details, so stay tuned.

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• LA Auto Show: Quick test drive in BMW 535d (2006 post)

[Source: Boing Boing TV]