When Volkswagen introduced their Mercedes pretender the Phaeton here in the US a few years ago it landed with a resounding thud. For some reason the idea of an $80,000+ VW went over so poorly that VW of America dropped it after barely two years on…
Category: Autoblog
Jeep launches the Grand Cherokee CRD at $38,475
Today at the Washington DC Auto Show, Chrysler finally announced the pricing and availability of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD. Their first “full sized” diesel will go on sale in March and range from $38,475 for the 4×2 Limited model to $45,395 for…
Panasonic to build home use lithium ion battery in 2011
With the various tax incentives available, there is an increasing interest among homeowners in incorporating some sort of renewable energy system to help get partially or completely off the grid. The problem is that unless you live adjacent to a hot…
Volkswagen announces power-train roadmap toward oil free future
Volkswagen has published their power-train roadmap for the coming decade with the goal of moving to a petroleum-free future. Clearly in the near term, fossil fuels are still the primary fuel so they need to be used as sparingly as possible. To that…
Elektrobay charging stations will power EVs at Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is taking place this weekend in the UK and electric vehicles will again be represented. Last year, a Tesla Roadster made its debut in the hillclimb race and this year there will be 13 electrics on hand. Elektromotive…
Royal Academy of Engineering: Coal-powered electric vehicles not enough to cut CO2
As much as plug-in advocates would like to believe otherwise, mass adoption of battery electric vehicles ( EVs) will not be the silver bullet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EVs are only one piece of the puzzle. In fact, cars of all kinds only…
European CO2 regulations bring suppliers and carmakers together
With some form of mandatory limits on carbon dioxide sure to come to the European Union in the not too distant future, relations between car makers and suppliers may actually benefit. Over the past two decades, many car-makers have strained…
From show to go: VW brings new TSI engine, along with 7-speed DSG
A little over a year ago Volkswagen introduced their TSI engine range in 138 hp and 168 hp flavors. Those two engines both had displacements of 1.4L with the output of something considerably larger. They achieved this by combining gasoline direct…
What will Ken Livingstone's defeat mean for London Congestion charge?
The man who brought the congestion charge to London England has lost his bid for re-election as Mayor of England's capital. Ken Livingstone has always been a controversial figure in British politics but his tenure as mayor of London brought that…
Mythbusters take on electric vehicle misconceptions
One of the most popular shows on the Discovery Channel is Mythbusters and recently Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman and the rest of the team have been taking a look at gas vs electric vehicles for an upcoming episode. Right now Hyneman has an article on…