http://www.automotiveblog.info automotive technology, explored Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:28:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/11/the-state-of-things-electric/ ABCNews is running a story today by Lisa Stark and Lindsey Ellerson, "New Technology Successful in Reducing Severity of Car Crashes." Basically it's a run down of technologies (available and in development) to combat driver distraction for collision and accident avoidance. (The article runs to three pages and is well ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/09/abcnews-story-reviews-onboard-safety-tech/ 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/08/bmw-vision-efficientdynamics/ After a brief hiatus, we're glad to be back with a great source to buy used truck & trailer rigs. UsedTruckListings.com is one of the most straightforward sites I've stumbled onto in a long while. When they say "Fast. Free. Easy." -- well, they mean, "Fast. Free. Easy." Visitors to the ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/08/great-site-to-buy-used-truck-trailer-rigs/ 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/05/better-place-swapping-stations/ 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/05/fuel-cells-move-over-electrics-taking-center-stage/ 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/05/laying-the-foundation-for-ev-adoption/ 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 ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/04/environmentally-responsible-porsche-uh-huh/ I read with some interest Roman Mica's two articles on the Top Ten List of Endangered Automotive Trends and Features for the Dallas Examiner. (Read part one here and part two here.) In descending order, the items Mica chose are: - the key (to lock and unlock the car) - a key to ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/04/disappearing-auto-trends-and-form-factors/ GearLog has a nice run down of the top ten green cars at the New York auto show this year. Their picks were: - Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec concept - Fisker S concept - Chevrolet Volt - Honda FCX Clarity Fuel-Cell - BMW X6 Hybrid - GM/Segway PUMA - Chrysler 2000 EV - Toyota Prius - Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - Mercury ... http://www.automotiveblog.info/2009/04/picks-from-the-new-york-auto-show/