Drew Dowdell

Welcome back! We've been getting the band back together.... and congrats on your big win there!

The problem is that you can see those same, or close to the same MPG numbers for thousands less. The only way the hybrid Accord makes financial sense is in a vacuum.

Like.

That's ok. At least you still have the other Buick.

and... it sounds like any 4-cylinder out there... it's not like they're developing their own engine technology.... completely rumor, but supposedly that is a Fiat engine under the hood.

It's being funded mostly by the Chinese.

As collectible as a VW Beetle with a Rolls grille.

October 10, 2013 Drew Dowdell Managing Editor - CheersandGears.com It is October 10th, a bit too early for Halloween, and yet here is a zombie starting to show signs of being undead. National Electric Vehicles Sweden (NEVS) has confirmed that they have most of the agreements in place with parts suppliers to restart production of the 9-3 in Trollhättan, Sweden within a few months. NEVS is focusing primarily on suppliers in or close to Sweden to allow for shorter lead times, lower cost, and to bring greater benefit to the local economy. NEVS Purchasing Manager, Per Svantesson says, "We have 400 supplier agreements in place with only a few dozen left to complete in the next six to eight weeks." Production is set to start before the end of 2013. NEVS has recently completed 15 pre-production SAAB 9-3s as test run of the Trollhättan assembly line. In spite of the "Electric" in the name, these initial cars still have traditional gasoline engines. The exact engine has not been specified, but it is unlikely to be the familiar GM based Ecotec units found in earlier SAAB 9-3s. NEVS plans to add an electric model 9-3 later next year. Following that will be a launch of an all new car built on the still-born SAAB PhoeniX platform. Those of you in the U.S. can put your checkbooks away however, NEVS initial marketing push will be in China. Happy early Halloween, Zombie lovers! Source: Radio P4West (in Swedish) via SaabsUnited Also Via SaabsUnited.com - The first pre-production Saab 9-3 rolling off the production line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCd_VsK9MvY Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter as @cheersngears View full article

This is the month to save the tatas

We found the same thing actually. When we went to add the Encore to our policy, the net result was going to be $2400 a year. That is too much for a 31 year old car, a 10 year old paid off crossover, and a new crossover. It was his policy and he had been with them for 9 years... I switched us to Allstate, who our house and rental properties are insured through, and cut that down to $1100 a year. We pay the 6-month bill in full for an additional discount, but less than $100 a month to cover 3 cars was fine with me.

Well yes.. but AD capable isn't the only requirement. There were others as well... fuel economy is one of them and I think most/all of the V6 mini-vans were eliminated from the running for that reason. Does Toyota still make a 4-cylinder Sienna? edit: Nope, they dropped it after 2012

But are you also following how the "fill it, regular" mentality doesn't apply to EVs? This may become a whole separate article.

The new taxi requirements will preclude using the Prius... they need to be more handicapped accessible. That's why the NV and Transit Connect were in the running.

You wrote that almost a year ago. You should start contacting the responsible entities and ask why those charging stations are still bagged over.

Are you considering dropping a car?

yeah, the ingress and egress of the Lacrosse leaves much to be desired. I'm 5'10" but it still is an issue for me. I'm not even sure it is a roof height issue, there are lower cars out there that I don't have the same trouble getting into and out of.... Maybe it is how steep the windshield rake is compared to the location of the seat.

A big reason for the new taxi design was to better accommodate handicapped people. That said, there should be no reason the Ford Transit Connect or any other entry should be categorically eliminated from consideration. The NV is an excellent entry... just not the only entry.

At the garage that I park in when I drive to work rather than bus it, there are only 2 chargers, but they have recently designated 5 spaces nearby as spill over for EVs that are waiting to charge or are done charging and owners move them. The status of the charger is available on the internet (Free/Busy) so that when the charger frees up you can walk over and hook up your car. I'm guessing that they just did this because it will take a while for additional chargers to be installed. There are 3 Leafs and 2 Volts that I see there regularly.

I think you are projecting your own observations from that park-n-ride a bit too much. Around here we're getting level 2 charging stations in malls, downtown parking garages, hospital parking, and hotels. EV charging takes a substantial shift in driving mentality. EVs don't need to fill from empty to full each time you plug them in, you only need to charge it enough to get you to your next charge. Basically, you don't have to wait until the battery is full if a 35% charge is more than enough to get you home. It is a different way of thinking. So while a Level 2 charger may take 4 hours to charge your Leaf from Empty to Full, you'll probably pull up with a 25% charge and only need a 35% charge to get you home. This cuts the charge time down substantially to where the effective time spent charging is still only about 30 minutes.

Interesting side question: are insurance rates killing car ownership rates?

As I was saying yesterday, the steps to self driving cars will be incremental - Ford Debuts Obstacle Avoidance Technology Cruze Eco has a 12.6 gallon tank - reduced from conventional Cruze tank of 15.6 gallons to save weight. Thus giving a theoretical range of 529.2 miles based on EPA highway estimates for stick. bah... well ANY OTHER PLATFORM then! VW doesn't decrease the size of the tanks on the TDI models

October 9th, 2013 Drew Dowdell Managing Editor - CheersandGears.com Ford of Europe demonstrated a new safety technology this week at their test facility in Lommel, Belgium. Dubbed "Obstacle Avoidance", the system will swerve around a stopped or slow moving object if it decides the driver hasn't taken evasive action soon enough to avoid a collision. Barb Samardzich, vice president Product Development, Ford of Europe says, “The future for Ford means developing innovative products and technologies – including Fully Assisted Parking Aid and Obstacle Avoidance – that help deliver a safer, more convenient, more desirable, more personalized and greener driving and ownership experience" Along with Obstacle Avoidance, Ford also demonstrated fully assisted parking that can be activated inside the vehicle or outside using a remote on the key. Both technologies are years away from actual deployment in production vehicles, but show where the future of automated cars is heading next. Ford Press Release is on Page 2 Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter as @cheersngears FORD REVEALS TEST CARS THAT CAN PARK AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON AND AVOID COLLISIONS WITH VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS Ford reveals test cars with Fully Assisted Parking Aid and Obstacle Avoidance prototype technologies at Ford Futures – a showcase of Ford’s forthcoming vehicles, features and research Ford is developing Fully Assisted Parking Aid to enable drivers to park at the touch of a button from inside or outside their car. Obstacle Avoidance technology uses automatic steering and braking to avoid collisions with vehicles and pedestrians Ford also shows S-MAX Concept, the company’s vision for a future sport activity vehicle. All-new Mondeo Vignale Concept provides a first look at the upscale Vignale experience with unique design touches, premium craftsmanship, exclusive specification and technologies Focus Electric, C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and Mondeo Hybrid will offer Ford customers a full range of electrified vehicles by 2014 Ford SYNC with AppLink will offer voice-activated apps including Spotify, TomTom and Hotels.com LOMMEL, Belgium, Oct. 8, 2013 – Ford Motor Company today revealed for the first time technology developed to enable drivers to park at the touch of a button from inside or outside their car; and also a prototype system that uses automatic steering and braking to avoid collisions with vehicles or pedestrians. Experts from Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering organisation have harnessed advances made in existing Ford technologies Active Park Assist and Ford Powershift to deliver a Ford Focus test car equipped with prototype Fully Assisted Parking Aid system. The next-generation parking technology controls steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion to facilitate push-button parking that can even be operated by remote control. Ford has also revealed Obstacle Avoidance technology developed as part of a Ford-led and European-funded research project. Ford’s Obstacle Avoidance-equipped Focus test vehicle issues warnings first if it detects slow-moving objects, stationary obstacles or pedestrians in the same lane ahead. If the driver fails to steer or brake following those warnings the system will then automatically steer and brake to avoid a collision. Both technologies were today demonstrated for the first time at Ford’s test facilities in Lommel, Belgium. “The future for Ford means developing innovative products and technologies – including Fully Assisted Parking Aid and Obstacle Avoidance – that help deliver a safer, more convenient, more desirable, more personalised and greener driving and ownership experience,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president Product Development, Ford of Europe. “Ford is focussed on making sure the vehicles, technologies and features we develop better meet changing customer expectations and values.” Ford revealed the two new research technologies alongside forthcoming vehicles and features including: Ford S-MAX Concept which builds upon the current S-MAX’s style-without-compromise ethos with sleek design, premium craftsmanship, smart technologies and a more flexible interior; also features connectivity and wellness technology including the Ford ECG Heart Rate Monitoring Seat All-new Ford Mondeo Vignale Concept which provides a first glimpse of Ford’s vision for the unique upscale Vignale experience that is scheduled for launch in early 2015. Offers unique design touches, high quality craftsmanship, exclusive specification, advanced technologies and an exclusive purchase and ownership experience. Focus Electric, C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and Mondeo Hybrid cars that will, by the end of 2014, offer customers a full range of electrified vehicles Ford SYNC with AppLink. Spotify, TomTom navigation and Hotels.com are among voice-activated apps which will enable drivers to stay connected on the move, and keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel Ford’s futuring experts have identified an increasing consumer demand worldwide for “Sanity Savers” – technology and features which make life easier, and also a greater customer focus on “Ethical Consumption” as purchases tend more to reflect personal values. “Car-buyers are placing a growing emphasis on the ownership experience, on purchases that keep them connected on the move and that also reflect their beliefs – trends that will have a profound effect on the vehicles, features and services they will choose in the future,” said Sheryl Connelly, manager, Ford Global Trends and Futuring. “Ford Futures sends a clear signal that Ford is moving in harmony with these global trends.” Further Ford technologies on show at Ford Futures, that takes place as Ford celebrates the 100th anniversary of its moving assembly line, include: MyKey technology, which enables parents to place restrictions on younger drivers to promote safety Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, which can alert local emergency services operators to an accident in 26 languages, spoken in 40 European regions New techniques for the volume production of lightweight carbon fibre car components “Ford Motor Company has always been one of the world’s leading pioneers and forward-thinkers,” added Samardzich. “From the introduction of a whole new way of mass producing cars 100 years ago to the advanced safety and convenience features unveiled today, we continue to set the template and define the future for drivers and the automotive environment.” View full article

Yes, but the Volt is a more technologically advanced vehicle with a more expensive battery system, it will remain more expensive than the Prius plug-in for that reason alone. The prius plug-in is only a hair under $30k, so that doesn't leave GM any room to maneuver.