The green revolution has reached home base! According to this article, the Australian edition of the Hyundai Getz has gotten a makeover, courtesy of Australian innovators Blade Electric Vehicles. The revamped Hyundai Getz has an electric motor driven by a lithium iron phosphate battery that can power the car 100km per single charge.

The folks at Blade have christened their new baby the Blade Electron. How different is that from Hyundai Getz? Other than the fact that it’s electric and has a different name, not much, apparently. The Electron has passed Australian safety standards on its two-speed automatic transmission. According to the article, “the great thing about this car is apart from the drivetrain, everything else is just Getz. The air-conditioner and power steering are driven by an auxiliary motor, so most of the driving experience remains constant and the Getz retains its character. The batteries take up little space and the luggage area is almost unaffected. Only 10cm of this space is taken up by the batteries and related electronics.”

Right now, the Electric Getz Blade Electron sells in India, and apparently, Australia, for our equivalent of – are you ready? – Php2,000,000!! Ouchies! I mean, I love the concept, and it’s terrific that we’re doing something to promote sustainable technology, but greenergy shouldn’t be this expensive. What do you think?

Happy holidays, Getzers! May 2010 be a year of upgrades, lower gas prices, & personal joys for all of you. Thank you for passing by and sticking with Life With Gina!

Today, December 23, I took my Hyundai Getz, Gina, to Hyundai Global City for her 40,000 kilometer tuneup. My service advisor for today was a fellow named Donn, and he was immensely helpful and polite in the absence of the usual SAs, Jay, Romeo, and Boying. After registering my Hyundai Getz in, I checked her in for the full tuneup. According to Donn, the 40,000 kilometer is the second major tuneup for any car in its lifetime. A lot of parts are replaced, usually including brake pads, aircon filter, and a slew of other stuff. (I’ll type it in later; I left the entire list in the Getz.)

Anyway, the point is, the car feels terrific now. The greatest improvement by far is the air-conditioner. It’s strong and cool again; #1 lang, malakas na. Can’t wait to see how my Hyundai Getz will perform at high noon; my gut says it’ll be better than before. I spent more money than I usually do – the price range is normally somewhere between Php9,000 and Php16,000, depending on the parts to be replaced – but it’s totally worth it.

Before going home, I had a conversation with a new friend who also has a Getz. (Shout-out to Randy, woot!) He has his car tuned-up at a different mechanic, which is certainly his right and call. Me, I prefer having mine done at the original casa. I just feel it’s better in the long-term, when people see that no one else’s hands touched the car expect those authorized by Hyundai, and our service passport shows we faithfully had tuneups done at Hyundai, it may be better for the resale value. Randy said, correctly, though, that’s so much more expensive. So pros and cons all around.

Kayo? For tuneups, do you go “original” or “casa/mekaniko/talyer?”

My Hyundai Getz Gina turned two years old in May 2009. Considering that I live so far from work, the fact that I’ve only reached 40,000km now is a bit of a pleasant surprise. I’ll be bringing her in for her 40,000km checkup next week (most likely Wednesday). As usual, please expect an update of how much it’ll cost to have your Hyundai Getz 40,000km checkup, complete with cost breakdown and what things are usually done to your Getz.

Have a great holiday!

Hello! For the next few days, I’m going to experiment with the look of Life With Gina. I’ve had this theme for way too long; it’s time to change the look, methinks. Please bear with me while I update the theme. I hope you enjoy what I come up with.

I’ll be meeting up with a fellow next week who’s pretty proud of his Getz. Are you? If you are, why not email me some photos of you and your Getz, and show me how you’ve pimped it up? I’m sure it’ll be useful for all other Getzers out there looking for ideas on how to make their babies really rock. Send photos and descriptions (prices too, if you’ll share) to ganns at gannsdeen dot com. I’ll be waiting!