June hybrid sales suggest that hybrids are recovering more quickly than the overall car market—just as they defied the economic downturn several months after overall car sales started to decline in 2008. June marks the sixth consecutive month of higher hybrid sales.
.jpg "Fisker Tries To Create Distance from Tesla")
It’s not surprising that Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors—two California-based makers of high-end electric-drive sports cars—are viewed as similar companies. Fisker makes an $87,000 plug-in hybrid and Tesla produces a $109,000 all-electric roadster. But Henrik Fisker, founder of the Southern California-based company that bears his name, was in Northern California where Tesla is based, to explain how and why the two companies are different.
When the Honda Insight was introduced in early 2009, reviewers gushed with praise. Reviewers claimed that the Insight is more compelling and fun to drive than the quintessential gas-electric car, the Toyota Prius, which is bigger, faster, and uses a more sophisticated third-generation of hybrid technology. But in the past few weeks, a number of critics have found it quite easy to find faults with the Insight—harshly criticizing the car for the very traits that have allowed Honda to keep down the price.
Wishing upon a star or throwing a coin in a well might make dreams come true, but when it comes to fuel cell vehicles, auto industry executives are hoping that chanting in unison will turn hopes into reality. The mantra from execs: “Fuel cell cars for sale by 2015.”
When former President Bush signed Executive Order 13423 in January 2007, he required federal fleet managers to buy plug-in vehicles as soon as possible. The exact language of the directive was as soon as plug-in cars “become commercially available and can be purchased at a cost reasonably comparable to conventional vehicles based on life-cycle costs.” But getting clarity on that cost comparison has proven to be tricky business.
.jpg "First Drive/Mileage Loop: 2009 Nissan Cube")
The Nissan Cube, the original little mass-market boxy car, has been running around Japan for 10 years. While it has stubbornly stayed put on its home soil, competitors with a similar “hip to be square” design philosophy—like the Scion xB, Honda Element, and Kia Soul—have carved out a sizeable US market. The Cube, now in its third generation, has finally reached American shores.
Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford, pledged yesterday to form an alliance with the Edison Electric Institute to work on plug-in cars. Speaking at EEI’s annual convention in San Francisco on Thursday, Mulallly outlined his company’s path toward high fuel-efficiency, which included—but by no means was limited to—electric vehicle technology.
President Barack Obama yesterday signed into law the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program, or "Cash for Clunkers." Its detractors are labeling it a classic waste of government money, and many supporters are wondering what went wrong.
.jpg "$8 Billion in Loans Goes to Ford, Nissan & Tesla")
Department of Energy Secretary Chu announced the first round of $8 billion in low-cost loans from its $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The loans are going to Ford, Nissan and Tesla. This funding was set aside not by President Obama as a bailout to keep auto companies afloat—but in September 2008 by former President Bush in order to retool plants to build more advanced technology vehicles.
.jpg "How to Cash Your Clunker")
After weeks of debate and legislative gamesmanship, "Cash For Clunkers" is finally one step away from becoming law. Officially called the "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program," the law made its way to President Obama's desk, backed by $1 billion in funding that is designed to stimulate the sale of 250,000 new cars and trucks in the next year.
