News from Detroit
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 11, 2010
BMW has recognized that they simply teed up GM and Nissan to benefit from the MINI E experience. Today they announced officially that MINI E "pioneers" will be able to extend their leases until 2011.
Plugs and Cars
News Related Topics 
Big news: LEAF in the mid- 20s
Plugs and Cars
MARCH 30, 2010
The Nissan LEAF, the first all-electric car to be mass marketed by a major automaker, will come in around $25,000, with help from the federal tax credit of $7500. At 25% of the cost of a Tesla, we're no longer talking about a car for millionaires.
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Not big news: 450,000 gallons of oil spill in Texas
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 23, 2010
Two vessels collided in Port Arthur, Texas. As much as 450,000 gallons of crude oil spilled. Some nearby residents have been evacuated from the area because of hydrogen sulfide that was emanating from the oil. Source: RawStory.com ]
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French CO2 Feebate Plan Good News for Electric Cars
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 7, 2007
The French government's Ministry of Ecology has instituted a CO2 based "feebate" scheme. Low emission vehicles will receive a rebate, high emission cars will be assessed a fee. Mid level emitters, representing about 45% of the cars currently sold, will be unaffected.
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Volvo PHEV in 2012
Plugs and Cars
JUNE 1, 2009
The web is filled with news of Volvo's partnership with Swedish energy company Vattenfall to bring a plug-in hybrid to market in 2012. Big news: it's a diesel plug-in hybrid. Left Lane Jalopnik Wall St Journal (subscription required.).
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Nissan cuts 20,000 jobs, EV plans threatened?
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 9, 2009
Nissan has joined the world's automakers with bad news. In related EV news, GM announced today that Bob Lutz will be retiring a year before the Volt's scheduled release. They'll be cutting 20,000 jobs worldwide. They joined Toyota, posting an annual loss, for the first time in nearly a decade.
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Mitsubishi and Peugeot ink deal
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 7, 2009
on the news on a down day in Tokyo. More Japan/France cooperation on the EV front. Mitsubishi will be supplying electric cars to French automaker Peugeot, as reported in Forbes. Mitsubishi's stock rose 6.5%
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First New Th!nk City Rolls Off Line
Plugs and Cars
NOVEMBER 29, 2007
Good news from Norway. Automotive News (subscription required) reports: Think Global has launched production of an electric minicar for European markets. On Wednesday, the first City minicar rolled off the assembly line at Think’s plant in Aurskog, northeast of Oslo. This project is on time.
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Sit and Spin in a Th!nk City
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 3, 2009
Now it seems only good news is coming in. Electricaid.org was created when Th!nk nk looked to be on the ropes late last year. They are reporting that thousands of charge points will be up and running by summer.
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Transmission Losses:" Military joins oil spill effort
Plugs and Cars
APRIL 29, 2010
The oil rig disaster off Louisiana is the top news item on the NY Times and BBC.com. "The US military has joined efforts to stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico as fears rise about its scale."
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FoxNews called out on misinformation about plug-in cars
Plugs and Cars
SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
In reports on FoxNews.com, America's Newsroom, and Your World, Fox News repeatedly advanced misinformation about Department of Energy loans recently granted to Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors to support development of fuel-efficient vehicles, suggesting that those funds would be ill-spent.
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Hybrid batteries doing fine
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 15, 2008
There's good news in Jim Motavalli's Greentech report in the NY Times about NiMH batteries in hybrids. The batteries have gotten cheaper, and they have proven robust and long-lived. Toyota reports a tiny percentage of replacements - 350 packs out of hundreds of thousands of 2nd generation Priuses.
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100 Nissan's big number: 20,000
Plugs and Cars
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
And they are building to meet expected initial orders for 20,000 cars, according to an Automotive News report picked up by AutoBlogGreen. Nissan will start taking orders for the upcoming all-electric LEAF next Spring.
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GM's Bob Lutz Queried
Plugs and Cars
NOVEMBER 20, 2007
US News and World Report interviews GM's Bob Lutz. So of all the different technologies GM is working on, how would you prioritize them? Advanced hybrid. Plug-in hybrid. Advanced clean diesels. And far out, there's hydrogen.
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More EVs, Faster Charging
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 18, 2010
Source: Detroit News ] Volvo might be getting serious about EVs. The really good news is they have a target price of about $22,000 after the production hike. I may be most interested affordable electric cars, but this makes sense to me. They showed a prototype Electric C30. Production targets have been upped to 8500 units for 2010.
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100 Hydrogen Implosion in California
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 10, 2008
The San Jose Mercury News reports on roadblocks appearing on Schwarzenegger's much ballyhooed Hydrogen Highway. This is very good news. Planned stations aren't opening and existing stations are closing. California utility giant PG&E has turned down $1.5 million in state funds to open a retail hydrogen station in San Carlos.
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Nissan, Tesla, expect govt loans for EVs
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 11, 2009
Nissan applied for a loan to upgrade its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to assemble electric cars and build a new facility for battery production, according to an Automotive News report appearing in Autobloggreen.
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Toyota and Tesla make a deal; NUMMI back in business
Plugs and Cars
MAY 20, 2010
Biggest EV news since Carlos Ghosn got religion. This is a big deal. I just watched the press conference where Musk and Toyoda announced an agreement. Toyota's investing in Tesla. Tesla's buying the NUMMI factory. Model S and subsequent vehicles will be made at NUMMI. Tesla won't oppose any union activity.
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Th!nk on the Move
Plugs and Cars
NOVEMBER 16, 2007
Aftenposten TV news clip of the new Th!nk nk City here including shots of the assembly line and interview with CEO Jan Olaf Willums. The report mentions a price for the car and monthly charge for the battery, but more than that I couldn't comprehend. How's your Norwegian?
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GM CEO: FCVs 10X more expensive than electric
Plugs and Cars
OCTOBER 30, 2009
No real news on the Volt, but his comments on Fuel Cell Vehicles should cause a stir. GM CEO Fritz Henderson sat down with reporters and editors from the Washington Post yesterday. Anyone at CARB in Sacramento paying attention? Post: Is GM pulling back on its hydrogen car? Henderson: "Are we putting resources into it? Not as much.
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Build My Dreams, BYD
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 16, 2008
The announcement that BYD, the Chinese battery giant turned automaker, has actually begun selling its plug-in hybrid, is pretty big news. Shares rose about 15% on the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday. Earlier this year Warren Buffet invested over $200 million in the company (10% share).
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Bush's Near Hydrogen Oops Moment
Plugs and Cars
APRIL 8, 2007
The Detroit News Autos Insider reports on Ford CEO Alan Mulally's oops moment about Bush's oops moment. "I I violated all the protocols. I touched the President.This is all off the record, right?".
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100 Inevitable and Invisible: Electricity as "Alternative Fuel"
Plugs and Cars
APRIL 20, 2007
An incredible pair of stories in the Detroit news here and here. In one, electric drive is seen as inevitable. In the other electricity isn't even mentioned. Thanks for the tip to Felix Kramer of CalCars.
WNBC TV Does Plug-in Hybrids Right
Plugs and Cars
MARCH 1, 2007
You've got to see this series of local TV new reports by Chuck Scarborough out of WNBC New York. The best local news report I've seen on the subject. The Defense Hawk Frank Gaffney and Environmental Entrepreneur Felix Kramer are brought together by the logic of plug-in cars.
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100 VW Coming Up PHEV? Why Not UP EV?
Plugs and Cars
OCTOBER 2, 2007
Autoblog and Left Lane News are reporting VW will be showing a PHEV UP at the LA Auto Show. VW's announced "Up Concept" city cars could have a Plug-in Hybrid version. Small enough to be labeled "tiny" in DailyTech.com 's headline. Only 18 inches longer and one inch wider than my beloved 53 mile range Th!nk
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Tesla - Longer Range, Later Delivery
Plugs and Cars
SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
CNet is reporting some good and some not so welcome news about the Tesla Roadster. Seems the batteries are performing better than expected, and range is back up to about 250 mile per charge. But another delivery delay has been announced. Cars will not hit the road until early next year.
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100 Jumpstart Ford Startles Waggoner, Escorted Out
Plugs and Cars
NOVEMBER 29, 2006
Bloomberg News reports: "At the conclusion of Wagoner's speech today, two activists with the environmental group Jumpstart Ford, which lobbies automakers to boost fuel-efficiency, surprised the chief executive on stage by asking him to sign a pledge committing GM to become the most fuel-efficient automaker by 2010.
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100 Senate Strives for Palatable Energy Bill; Plug-in Credits In
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 13, 2007
The Detroit News is reporting on the efforts in the Senate to craft a viable energy bill. As presently consitituted, the Senate bill drops the requirement of electricity generators to achieve 15% renewable sources, but includes higher CAFE standards and major provisions for plug-ins, including conversions.
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100 Th!nk City: Electric Civic for the 21st century?
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 10, 2007
Biggest piece of news: According to [CEO Jan Olaf] Willums, General Electric (GE) is now an investor in Think and the company struck a deal with GE to collaborate on battery technology. Perhaps Andy Grove already had an inkling when he penned his incitement, as mentioned here , to "Think Disruptive."
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100 Tesla to build new EV plant in New Mexico!
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 21, 2007
AP via the Detroit News Link Albuquerque, N.M., to be site for electric car production "New Mexico's biggest city will be home to an automobile assembly facility for Tesla Motors' all-electric, four-door, five-passenger sedan that will sell for at least $50,000." "The And GM keeps telling us the batteries aren't ready.
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Ballard wants out of fuel cells for cars; investors smile
Plugs and Cars
NOVEMBER 6, 2007
on the news. Once viewed as a business worth billions, soon, it will be interesting to see what Daimler and Ford might be willing to pay. Investors have spoken. Ballard shares are up 10.5% Autobloggreen and After Gutenberg have more to say about it.
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Automaker Plug-in Hybrid PR Flurry
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 20, 2007
Nancy Goia of Ford got some ink for comments at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. Nancy Gioia, speaking to the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, said, "The biggest barrier [to such technology] is the battery.". The buzz about the Volt has generated automaker PR reactions. One big corporate "ME TOO!"
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First Production Tesla Roadster on its Way to US
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 24, 2008
Tesla has sent a letter to those who have ordered one of its Roadsters with some good news. The first Roadster is on its way. All necessary EPA, DOT and NHTSA approvals have been received. And series production begins in March, beginning at the rate of one per week.
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CARB: Sawyer v Governator
Plugs and Cars
JULY 1, 2007
If the governor fired Sawyer over requiring reflective auto paint, it's hard to believe he would have allowed a reinvigorated ZEV mandate that could bring plug-in hybrids and electric cars to market. who sabotaged his efforts to make those first global warming regulations stronger and more expansive.
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Workplace Charging 101: Level 1
Plugs and Cars
JULY 3, 2012
The big EV news of the month was the first Tesla S deliveries. For luxury car buyers, the ground has shifted. Buying the best car now means buying the electric car. And given the range, workplace charging won’t be a big concern of Tesla S owners. But what about the rest of us?
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100 Plug-in Hybrid Bills in Congress Scare Auto Makers
Plugs and Cars
JULY 12, 2007
The Detroit News Autos Insider column today is reporting on Congressional efforts to promote plug-in hybrids and the backlash from the automakers. Toyota made the car, the Prius, that made plug-in conversions possible, and now they are trying to rein in the desires unleashed.
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Bush and Begley Sitting in a Tree; Prez to Look Over Ed's Electric Pickup & A123 Plug-in Hybrid
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
The Detroit News reports that an all-electric pickup and a plug-in hybrid will pay a visit to the White House today. How Phoenix Motor Cars , which has been making the altfuel circuit with its AltairNano powered pickup, found itself on Bush's radar isn't clear.
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100 CARB Races to Rescue Faltering Hydrogen Highway
Plugs and Cars
JANUARY 11, 2008
As reported in the San Jose Mercury News today , Friday, January 11, "We are getting strong expressions of support from them to increase their level of commitments, including financially," said Mary Nichols, who chairs the Air Resources Board, talking about the energy companies.
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100 Iran's Oil Woes; An Arab Electric Car?
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 20, 2007
Khalid Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, Chairman of Baynuna , told Gulf News in an interview that the group has signed a deal with a French company to export 10,000 electric cars. "We A report out of tiny Abu Dhabi suggests some of the oil rich may be looking considering alternatives to oil for cars.
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100 Schwarzenegger's Green Cred Fading with CARB Caos
Plugs and Cars
JULY 3, 2007
From the San Jose Mercury News : The executive director of the California Air Resources Board resigned Monday, saying the governor's office had made it impossible for her to do her job by interfering with the implementation of the state's landmark global warming law. But he seems to have a sense of what's happening on "I" Street.
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100 What up with GM's Plug-in hybrid Volt?
Plugs and Cars
MARCH 23, 2007
But there it is in a Detroit News Autos Insider piece today. "GM tries to unplug Volt hype" is not the headline I've been hoping to see out of Motor City this spring. Just weeks after announcing production, perhaps, in 2010, the industry's hometown paper lets us know this is no done deal.
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Everybody Happy: Bush to Sign Do-little Energy Bill
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 18, 2007
The opening line of the Detroit News story says all you need to know: The House approved a stripped-down energy bill Tuesday and sent it to President George Bush, who is expected to sign the legislation. The headline is a 35mpg CAFE standard for cars produced 13 years from now.
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How Ford got back in the EV game
Plugs and Cars
FEBRUARY 2, 2009
The surprise appearance at the Detroit Auto Show last month of an electric Focus may be evidence of a new day (again) at Ford. Of course Ford needed some plan to deal with last year's high gas prices.
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