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FCA US to deliver thousands of Chrysler Pacifica plug-in Hybrid Minivans to Waymo’s self-driving service

Green Car Congress

FCA US LLC announced an agreement to supply “thousands” of Chrysler Pacifica plug-in Hybrid minivans ( earlier post ) to Waymo to support the launch of its driverless ride-hailing service. FCA previously delivered 100 Pacifica Hybrid minivans, adapted for self-driving, to Waymo during the second half of 2016 and an additional 500 in 2017.

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ORNL study quantifies fuel economy costs of common driver practices and vehicle alterations

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have quantified the fuel economy effects of some common driver practices and vehicle accessories or alterations—including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. They presented their results in a paper at SAE 2014 World Congress in Detroit.

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ORNL researchers quantify the effect of increasing highway speed on fuel economy

Green Car Congress

This website, jointly maintained by the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides information such as official EPA “window label” fuel economy estimates for city, highway, and combined driving for all U.S.-legal drop in fuel economy due to traveling 80 mph rather than 70 mph.

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Chrysler introduces Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivan; 80 mpge city, 30-mile AER

Green Car Congress

Chrysler unveiled the all-new 2017 Pacifica minivan in both conventional and plug-in hybrid versions at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The PHEV is the minivan segment’s first. The Pacifica Hybrid will deliver an estimated all-electric range of 30 miles from a 16-kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.

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Junkyard Find: 1986 Dodge Aries SE Four-Door Sedan

The Truth About Cars

After a decade of fuel shortages and general malaise , Detroit (and Kenosha) knew that American car buyers still loved soft-riding, roomy sedans with comfy bench seats but needed them to be more efficient. Today, we'll look at a K sedan that survived 36 years before being retired in California. Look at that interior!

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Consumer Reports: Tesla and other domestic brands take big steps backwards in reliability rankings

Green Car Congress

Consumer Reports’ survey also reveals that some automakers—striving for improved fuel economy—are clearly making more reliable turbocharged engines than others. But reliability for some key models from Detroit has risen over the past year, allowing CR to “Recommend” them. —Jake Fisher.

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On the Horizon

Plug In Partners

by ’10 By BILL VLASIC Published: May 13, 2008 DETROIT — The Nissan Motor Company plans to sell an electric car in the United States and Japan by 2010, raising the stakes in the race to develop environmentally friendly vehicles. GM's crosstown rival is pushing its Eco Boost engines, which generate plenty of power and better fuel economy.

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