Volt: The 5-pound iPod | themichiganview.com | The Michigan View

Volt: The 5-pound iPod | themichiganview.com | The Michigan View: "Chevy Volt, on the other hand, is the hypothetical five pound iPod - an unnecessary, unappealing, step backward. It fulfills an agenda, not consumer demand. If the green-happy, big government ideologues that have championed the Volt seriously believe it can succeed at its current price, with its current set of 'features,' they understand nothing of market forces.

They're in for a very rude awakening."

Hippies rejoice! VW unveils new microbus - Business - Autos - msnbc.com

Hippies rejoice! VW unveils new microbus - Business - Autos - msnbc.com: "Volkswagen AG is resurrecting its iconic microbus, which debuted in 1950 and became a favorite of hippies for its unique styling and copious space for travelers.

Volkswagen is showing a concept version of the van — known by its German nickname, the Bulli — at the Geneva Auto Show this week. Among the six-seater's modern twists: It's powered by an electric motor and uses an iPad to control the entertainment system, climate control and other functions."

Consumer Reports says GM Volt falls short on range - Yahoo! Finance

Consumer Reports says GM Volt falls short on range - Yahoo! Finance: "General Motors Co's (NYSE:GM - News) mostly electric Chevy Volt turned in a lackluster performance for efficiency in its first series of road tests by product raters at Consumer Reports.

'We would have really liked to have loved it,' David Champion, director of Consumer Reports auto test center told Reuters on Monday after announcing the organization's top picks for 2011."

Revenge ON the EV - Oregon Wants to Tax the Ride : TreeHugger

Revenge ON the EV - Oregon Wants to Tax the Ride : TreeHugger: "Discovering EVs was, for many of us interested in sustainable transportation, like falling in love with the wrong person. First that honeymoon period when the new love could do no wrong - no fossil fuels! reduced carbon footprint! energy independence! - then the uncertainty and doubt - EVs will make us build more coal plants? - and finally the realization that this new electric vehicle love wasn't perfect.

The same remorse and disappointment some of us experienced when the EV honeymoon ended is spreading to the regulatory world, as cash-poor states begin to grok that electric vehicles don't participate in the road-repair revenue gathering known as the gas tax."

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: Oregon's Plug-in Vehicle Activities and Processes

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: Oregon's Plug-in Vehicle Activities and Processes: "Oregon is coordinating many activities and developing processes to facilitate successful, widespread deployment of plug-in vehicles and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) infrastructure.
Oregon's Plug-in Vehicle Evolution

Oregon has supported alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) since 1991, when it established AFV tax credits, and recently began focusing on plug-in vehicles as part of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction efforts."

Oregon EV Study

SOLAR TODAY: Exclusive: Plug-In Electric Vehicles: How Ready Is Your City?

SOLAR TODAY: Exclusive: Plug-In Electric Vehicles: How Ready Is Your City?: "Portland, Ore.: An Early Adopter, Progressive Leader. Portland, a city with a strong clean-technology foundation, is an example of an early, proactive and progressive PEV leader. Last year, Portland developed a strategic plan with ambitious targets to prepare for electric vehicles. Their plan proposes that 10 percent of vehicle miles traveled should be in PEVs by 2020. This aggressive planning, when combined with a favorable set of regulations, utility partnerships and a consumer base inclined toward “green transportation,” has made Portland one of the readiest cities in the United States.

Start-Stop Boom Coming

It has everything we look for in an emerging trend.
Its benefits significantly outweigh its costs to users.
It’s already proven. It works and the technology has already established a beachhead in some rapidly recovering market.
It’s not controlled by a start-up which has to have a lot of stars align to work out. The big industry leaders have already deemed it the future."
http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1297443600.php

Einstein and car batteries: A spark of genius | The Economist

Einstein and car batteries: A spark of genius | The Economist: "ALBERT EINSTEIN never learned to drive. He thought it too complicated and in any case he preferred walking. What he did not know—indeed, what no one knew until now—is that most cars would not work without the intervention of one of his most famous discoveries, the special theory of relativity."

It's Time for America to Run With an Idea Popular in 1905 -- The Electric Car - FoxNews.com

It's Time for America to Run With an Idea Popular in 1905 -- The Electric Car - FoxNews.com: "America must continue to lead, and today the need is to lead in the development and production of a clean and affordable energy and products.

The goal of clean and affordable energy is not partisan, it is American.

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown University."

First LEAF Owner, Olivier Chalouhi, Gives Updates on Vehicle’s Performance

First LEAF Owner, Olivier Chalouhi, Gives Updates on Vehicle’s Performance: "After receiving his LEAF this past weekend, Olivier Chalouhi has been actively answering questions and posting his various ventures/experiences with the car on MyNissanLeaf.com. After riding around in the car and testing it out, Chalouhi believes that Carlos Ghosn was right when he said “once you buy one EV, you won’t go back to ICE.” Being that Olivier is not on Nissan’s payroll, it’s refreshing to get his view on things. Here’s a rundown of some of the interesting findings the new owner has made so far."