Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Plug In to This Reliable Podcast (Electric Cars, Bikes and Conversation)

We are back after a week off and looking to get more reliable, just as Consumer Reports sent out its annual reliability survey. Scion came out on top as did Porsche. But GM also did pretty well. Chrysler and Audi didn't.

Ford models also were reliable, as were the auto maker's third-quarter earnings of $1.7 billion. It was a great report with Ford gaining share, cutting debt and selling vehicles for more money.

Brammo's Enertia Plus
The reviews are rolling in for Nissan's Leaf and Chevrolet's Volt. We discuss our surprise at how normal these cars appear to be on the road. The NY Times has the most interesting comparison so far.

David is excited about the Brammo Enertia Plus electric motorcycle that goes further and costs less than the original version that came out last year.

Those improvements came thanks to battery refinement, but that might not continue. A great WSJ article looks at why battery prices won't come down over the next few year due to a host of reasons.

Finally, Kelley Blue Book was purchased by AutoTrader.com, perhaps the first move in a consolidation of the growing number of car buying and price information sites.


Thursday, October 14, 2010

This Is a 100% Electric-Powered Podcast and We Don't Lie About It

Who cares whether the gas-engine powers the wheels or the electric motors if you get 127 miles per gallon. The controversy about the Volt powertrain has put Chevrolet in the hot seat this week, but it probably won't hurt GM's stock price next month. Still, it's nice to inject some truthiness into your marketing.

Will GM's bad marketing doom the Volt?
Best Buy is betting on electric vehicles and planning to install charging stations at some of its stores. Probably a good way to kill some time in the store while getting some juice in the batteries. But remember the eitiquette rules of the charger that All Cars Electric has composed for would-be electric car owners.

More corn is coming to your gas tank. The EPA is getting ready to allow more E15 fuel (up from 10% ethanol to 15%) to reach consumers.

It used to be that the design or style of vehicle you bought was determined by what you did with the vehicle. The increase in alternative fuel powerplants means drivers need to know how they drive to determine the right engine, writers Joe White.

Ford has worked with Ideo to come up with design principles around dashboard and interfaces to ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Need an electronic babysitter to stop from texting in the car? A new app will pay you to keep your hands off the smartphone while you drive.

I care about the color of my car and silver is the right color. I'm not alone. According to PPG, 31% of new cars in the U.S. and Canada are silver or some shade of grey or charcoal.



Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Vehicular Incongruity in This Photo

I spotted this driving in my neighborhood. It's a $60,000+ Mercedes-Benz ML500 jumbo SUV with a peace sign covering the trailer hitch and a Grateful Dead license plate surround.

I first thought it was oxymoronic, then a bit hypocritical, but those were far too harsh.

I settled on incongruous. Yep. That's the right word.

Vehicular Incongruity

Of Course The Crash Test Dummies Get Stuck in My Head After the Last Podcast




I played this for Dave while we were posting the podcast tonight and now its stuck in both of our heads. This song is stupidly catchy.

This Is a Safelier, 5-Star Podcast, Even With the New Ratings

The U.S. government is taking steps to make cars safer, and the 5-star ratings that so many vehicles have been getting. The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday formally launched a more rigorous system for grading car safety. The new system for the first time gives vehicles one overall safety rating, as well as various subratings, with one star for the worst and five stars for the best.

Hopefully, drunk drivers will be safer as well, even in the 20 cities where there are more convictions for DUI offenses.

One more safety update: Toyota announced it has resolved issues with over five million vehicles involved in the three main recalls of the company's products this year.

Car sales were safely above last year's numbers in September. It wasn't a surprise that the weak numbers from the Cash for Clunkers hangover provided a positive comparison. Lexus isn't getting a good comparison in the luxury sales race, with Mercedes-Benz taking the lead for now. Perhaps Mercedes is benefiting from all of the older people -- over 50 years old -- that make up the large majority (more than 60%) of car buyers in the U.S.

Mathew isn't that old, but he did join the car buying elite recently when he said goodbye to the Vibe. More on his new wheels to come.

He got such a good deal, there might be a chance he can also afford one of the electric scooters that BMW's Mini and Daimler's Smart showed at the Paris auto show.

But he probably won't be able to afford the airfare to Abu Dhabi for the opening of Ferrari World later this month.

Would you spring for a trip to see the Prancing Horse theme park. Email us.