In the midst of the reorganization of General Motors and Chrysler, it’s disappointing to learn that Chrysler is bailing out of the electric vehicle game, jettisoning a plan to have 500,000 Chrysler EVs on the road by 2013 and shuttering its “Envi” division. (Even more disappointing since the company took $70 million from the Department [...]
BMW will be showing off a Vision EfficientDynamics concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show set to open on September 14. This is one of those instances when pictures speek much louder than words. Here’s the video BMW has posted on YouTube and thanks to TreeHugger.com for pointing us toward the info.
For some time now I’ve been harping on the problem of infrastructure as the central difficulty in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Better Place, a company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has come up with an innovative approach to solving that very problem – swapping stations to change out spent car batteries with fresh [...]
The nails in the coffin of W.’s legacy just keep getting hammered faster and with more fury. On Thursday, May 7, President Barack Obama cut the Bush era plan — all $1.2 billion worth of it — to develop hydrogen fuel cell cars. Not only does it save taxpayers $100 million a year, but it [...]
I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’m not a fan of the Tesla Roadster, which I see as uber-expensive, rich-guy toy. My eye is more on the introduction of the Chevy Volt and the plug-in Prius scheduled for 2011. Those are the vehicles that will pioneer the use of electrics by the rest [...]
Now that the Obama administration has acknowledged that global warming is real and bad and Americans have had a taste of $4 a gallon gasoline, going green is no longer just a fashion statement. But driving a Porsche? Honestly people, when is that not a fashion statement?
Can the two be reconciled? According to Porsche sales [...]
Okay, I confess, for as much as I lust over a Smart car, I also nurse an ill-concealed desire for a Segway. When I actually saw one on the streets of Fort Worth, I almost drove off the road rubber necking. Now, General Motors has announced a partnership with Segway to produce a two-passenger, two-wheeled [...]
The week got off to a roller coaster start with President Obama politely showing GM’s Rick Wagoner the gate and giving the once great automaker 60 days to get its ducks in a row. Chrysler has just as a month to line up a merger with Fiat or cease to exist. Finding good automotive news [...]
Toyota has the third-generation Prius coming up soon, a long-awaited update to its six-year old dominant hybrid offering. The expected base price has been set at $22,000. But here’s the rub. Honda just introduced a hybrid Insight going for $20,000. Yes, the race for hybrid king of the heap is still on.
Toyota has already come [...]
Ann Arbor could be the future home of Mercedes-Benz Hybrid LLC’s planned 65,000 square foot center for hybrid electric vehicle and advanced propulsion research and development. (One would hope they have a catchier name in mind for the building.) If Mercedes-Benz goes with Ann Arbor they’ll be bringing 223 jobs to the area.
As an inducement, [...]