August 2009
Tesla Decision on Model S Factory Site Close; EV Maker Names 3 More Executives
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2009The factory where Tesla Motors will make its all-electric, zero-emissions Model S sedan will be located in the Southern California cities of Long Beach or Downey, with a decision possibll as early as next week. The plant, which is expected to bring 1,000 to 1,200 engineering and assembly jobs to the recession-plagued state, is scheduled to open in 2011. California has a 12.1 percent unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In an interview with the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said both cities were finalists for the plant. Musk said the possible locations more
Speculation: Porsche Cayenne, Green and Not-So, May Be Axed When Cycle Ends
By John O'Dell August 31, 2009The End Would Come Around 2016 If VW Decided To Limit Porsche to Sports Cars No sooner do we write up a piece on the hybrid and diesel Porshe Cayenne models than our colleagues at AutoObserver post a piece speculating that the Cayenne is likely to bite the dust as Volkswagen completes its takeover of Porsche and begins implementing its own product planning ideas. ---------- Aufedersein? ---------- Bill Visnic's musings make sense, and if the Cayenne - in all versions, green and black - does fade away at the end of the present model cycle in 2016 or so, more
BMW to Unveil Diesel-Electric Hybrid Sport Car Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2009BMW, which is repositioning itself as a green-car company after years of branding itself as a maker of high-performance cars, announced today that it will unveil its ''Vision EfficientDynamics'' diesel-electric hybrid sport car concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The 3-series-size concept is a showcase for BMW's lightweight body construction, hybrid-drive technology, and new packaging and aerodynamic ideas. It features gullwing doors and is powered by a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine that's slated for production in 2011. That engine works with two electric motors, mounted front and rear. The rear motor is said to generate 34 horsepower more
Calif. Gives eTec $8 Million for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for San Diego
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2009Arizona-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. today announced receipt of $8 million from the government of California to aid in development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure for San Diego. The same company earlier this month landed a $99.8 million grant from the Obama administration to join Nissan in the biggest deployment of EVs - and creation of the largest charging infrastructure - ever undertaken. The $8 million from the California Energy Commission is among the roughly $15 million in funds the agency is in the process of awarding to EV projects that received federal funds from the U.S. Department of more
Porsche's Off-Message Models Axed in VW Takeover
By Michelle Krebs August 31, 2009Get a good look at the Porsche Cayenne SUV. In the wake of the bizarre German corporate soap opera whose end will soon see the absorption of Porsche AG into the mighty Volkswagen Group, the controversial Cayenne -- and even more astoundingly, the just-released Panamera four-door sport sedan -- has no future after VW takes over. Such is the report from Britain's Car magazine, which says a "massive U-turn in Porsche's product plan" resulting from the bitter VW boardroom triumph means Porsche will be forced to discontinue the Cayenne and Panamera after their product cycles are complete around seven more
Fiat-Chrysler Signaling Early Strategy Moves
By Michelle Krebs August 31, 2009Led by new CEO Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler Group LLC management reportedly will report next month to its newly appointed board of directors about how managing owner Fiat S.p.A. plans to begin meshing the two companies' operations to move Chrysler forward in the U.S. market. Marchionne is expected to lead a briefing of the 9-member Chrysler board that has individuals appointed by Fiat, the U.S. Department of Treasury (because of Chrysler's acceptance of billions in loans from the government's Troubled Assets Relief Program) and the United Auto Workers union (which has a minority ownership in Chrysler), according to Bloomberg News more
Porsche's Green Peppers: Diesel and Hybrid Cayenne Models Spice Things Up
By John O'Dell August 28, 2009Porsche promises V8 performance and 4-cylinder fuel economy with 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid. By John O'Dell, Senior Editor Hmm. A Porsche Cayenne hybrid, or the diesel? Spend $70,000 or so for a superpowerful, hybrid gas-sipper (27 mpg versus 18 mpg for the V6-equipped standard Cayenne), or around $52,000 for a powerful diesel that delivers about 24 mpg? (The price tags are our best guesses. Porsche hasn't said anything official.) Diesel? Or Hybrid? Oops, the diesel isn't a choice, yet. You can only get it in Europe, South Africa and Australia right now - although Porsche is trying to find out if more
Saab Unveils New Flagship
By Bill Visnic August 28, 2009It's leaving the General Motors Co. empire by the end of this year, but GM nonetheless issued the press material detailing Saab's next-generation 9-5 flagship, a car that goes on sale next year after Saab effectively is no longer under GM management. The car will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show next month. Although there are well-executed Saab-esque design details, including a feint at the Saab-signature wraparound windshield and an angular sideglass/C-pillar junction reminiscent of the 900 Series, the bodysides betray a hint of Buickness that shouldn't surprise: the all-new 9-5 is built around the GM global midsize more
Mercedes-Benz Begins Production of B-Class Fuel Cell Cars for U.S., Europe
By John O'Dell August 28, 2009Mercedes' new B-Class fuel cell car at Stuttgart airport hydrogen filling station. Mercedes-Benz, as promised earlier this year, is launching a small fleet of its new B-Class F-Cell, or fuel cell, cars for real-world testing in the U.S. and Europe. The cars use an on-board fuel cell stack to convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity that powers an electric drive system. Mercedes didn't say how much hydrogen is stored in the cars' 10,000 psi (70 bar) tanks, but did say the new F-Cell will deliver a range of up to 250 miles with a top speed of 105 mph more
As Hybrid Cars and Electric Vehicles Gobble Rare Metals, Global Shortage Looms
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2009The Toyota Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods. ..........Neodymium: A key component of EV motors........... That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells, Reuters news agency reported today. Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed more