Italian environment minister Corrado Clini has called out Fiat for failing to jump…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged electric electricvehicles Google+ rechargingthecar on by (updated 5197 days ago)

Italian environment minister Corrado Clini has called out Fiat for failing to jump on the electric vehicle bandwagon but I think this unwarranted.

However, given the general state of the Italian economy, what Fiat has done actually looks like a very reasonable business decision. While most consumers love to say "sure I'd like to buy an EV," that statement is usually followed by a caveat "as long as it doesn't cost more than $X,000 more."

The problem is that the cost differential between an EV and conventional equivalent is usually several times what people are willing to pay. We're still very early in the plug-in vehicle era and it remains to be seen just how truly successful these vehicles will be in the market. The people buying the Volt and Leaf still largely fall into the early-adopter crowd. Sales of both cars were in the 600+ range in January.

Rather than create a whole line of dedicated plug-in vehicles, Ford has gone a different route by designing new platforms with the flexibility to accommodate multiple powertrain configurations. http://fordfusionstory.com/mpg/

Given the need to re-engineer the entire Chrysler lineup in the wake of bankruptcy, Fiat clearly made a strategic decision that is now paying off with rising sales. Those same vehicles are coming to market with better fuel efficiency than the models they replace and this is a trend that will continue with other models as Chrysler aims to meet new CAFE standards.

Once it finishes addressing its near-term product needs, I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see Chrysler follow a similar path to Ford by incorporated new flexibility into future vehicles. That will give them the ability to quickly respond to shifting consumer demand. Ford is obviously in a better position today because both its compact (Focus) and new mid-size (Fusion) platforms already have this capability.

#rechargingthecar #electric #electricvehicles

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Italy Environment Minister:Fiat Missed Electric Car Opportunity – WSJ.com
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OK, that is kind of funny, particularly the ending 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 5197 days ago)

OK, that is kind of funny, particularly the ending

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Chevy Uses Barry Manilow, Twinkies and the Apocolypse to Poke Fun At Ford
Chevy unveils it's new Super Bowl ad, which highlights its Silverado pickup, and pokes fun at the competition.

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Neat video of a red-tailed hawk although I have to wonder if it was injured

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 5197 days ago)

Pretty rare for one to stay on the ground that long with people around unless it was already eating some prey.

Reshared post from +Lance Ulanoff

Why interview a tech exec when you can try and get out sound-bite out of a hawk?

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Sometimes out of curiosity I like to browse around on the satellite images on Google… 2

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 5198 days ago)

Sometimes out of curiosity I like to browse around on the satellite images on Google maps. I was taking a look at Paine Field in Everett WA, which is where Boeing has its main assembly plants for commercial aircraft including the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787.

With all the delays to the 787 test program, there are currently 40-some examples in various stages of rework to incorporate changes that came out during testing. Those planes are parked all over the airfield along with a couple of dozen 747-8s. Sitting near one of the 787s is an old B52 bomber.

In and of itself the presence of a B52 at the factory where it was built back in the 1950s was no big surprise. What was surprising was how small it was. Seeing photos of the 8-engined B52 in isolation gives the impression that it is enormous. In fact, it's smaller than the mid-sized widebody 787.

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It looks like Toyota won't be the only automaker running a hybrid drive race…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged audi Google+ hybrid lemans on by (updated 5198 days ago)

It looks like Toyota won't be the only automaker running a hybrid drive race car at Le Mans this year. Audi has just announced that two of the four R18 TDIs will also feature a hybrid drive system.

Audi hasn't announced any technical details yet but there at least a couple of options open to the ten-time winners. They could go with either a battery system like that used in some of their newest production vehicles or get more radical.

At the Petit Le Mans a couple of years ago I asked Audi Motorsport boss Dr Wolfgang Ulrich if they would use the flywheel based system that has been proven so effective by corporate cousins Porsche in the 911 GT3R Hybrid. Dr Ulrich was non-committal but didn't rule out the flywheel system either. We should know more at the end of the month when Audi unveils the new car. http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/hybrids/porsche-911-gt3r-hybrid-flywheel

#audi #lemans #hybrid

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A couple of years ago, while I was driving the Acura ZDX for a review http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/29/2010-acura-zdx-review/… 3

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged cars Google+ on by (updated 5197 days ago)

A couple of years ago, while I was driving the Acura ZDX for a review http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/29/2010-acura-zdx-review/ a product development executive from another automaker that I was talking to labeled the odd crossover-coupe as "Sales-Proof"

Based on the January sales figures released yesterday it appears he was right as a mere 54 customers drove off Acura lots with one. Although I liked the shape of the ZDX and some aspects of driving it, the overall packaging just never made any sense.

Despite the lackluster sales of both the ZDX and BMW X6, Audi and Mercedes-Benz both seem to be intent on creating similar vehicles of their own. Is there something that they know that customers don't?
#cars

In album Acura ZDX (17 photos)

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Sadly, the best satire is always grounded in truth

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Sadly, the best satire is always grounded in truth

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'Huffington Post' Employee Sucked Into Aggregation Turbine
NEW YORK—Shocked and saddened witnesses at the Huffington Post's news-aggregation facility have confirmed that employee Henry Evers, 25, died Wednesday …

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Way back in mid-2007, I interviewed John True after he first filed what would eventually… 3

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Way back in mid-2007, I interviewed John True after he first filed what would eventually become a class action lawsuit against Honda alleging that they misrepresented the fuel economy of the Civic Hybrid. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/07/07/autobloggreen-qanda-civic-hybrid-owner-john-true-hes-the-guy-su/

Like many (although not all by any means) drivers of hybrid cars he didn't come anywhere close to matching the EPA estimates published on the window sticker. That lawsuit eventually resulted in a settlement that awarded owners a discount worth $50-100 off a new Honda. No doubt the lawyers involved were much more handsomely rewarded.

Heather Peters decided a measly $100 didn't come close to a reasonable settlement. Instead of signing the claim form for the settlement, she opted to sue Honda on her own in California small claims court and remarkably today she won her case.

If other Civic Hybrid owners follow Ms Peters' lead, Honda could end up losing a lot of money on this. It will be interesting to see if this ruling has any impact on the class action settlement.

#honda #hybrid

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Civic Hybrid Owner Wins $9,867 In Small Claims Case Against Honda
Heather Peters was successful in her small claims case against Honda, in which she alleged that the car wasn't getting anywhere near the 50 MPG she says the company advertised her car would get.

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Now that the Saab brand is probably down forever, Rick Kranz of Automotive News ponders… 4

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Now that the Saab brand is probably down forever, Rick Kranz of Automotive News ponders whether the 9-4x crossover could be rebadged and sold under one of General Motors brands.

I'd say the answer to this question is almost certainly no. The 9-4x was developed while GM still owned the Swedish brand and was briefly built at the same Mexican factory that builds the mechanically identical Cadillac SRX and formerly built the very similar Saturn Vue (and now the fleet-only Chevy Captiva).

Kranz posits that with a new fascia, the 9-4x could become an overseas Chevy or Opel crossover. That would be a great idea if GM didn't already have Chevy and Opel crossovers of the same size that are sold elsewhere. The Opel Antara is a re-badged version of the defunct Vue and the Captiva fills Chevy showrooms. While it's a shame to discard the Saab body and interior tooling, it really doesn't seem like there is a viable option.

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Could GM resurrect the Saab 9-4X under a different badge?
DETROIT — General Motors has a perfectly good crossover that's waiting to be produced. Actually it was produced — several hundred were assembled before production was halted. I'm talking abo…

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