Category Archives: Dashboard News

Coda Sedan Incorporated Into AEP Ohio Fleet

By Philippe Crowe

coda-sedan-driving

Coda Automotive, manufacturer of the all-electric Coda, delivered its first fleet vehicle yesterday.

The sale of the first fleet-destined Coda sedan was made to AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power. The utility, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million people in 11 states, is incorporating the 2012 Coda into its fleet as a part of a demonstration project to learn more about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

read more

FedEx Reducing Fuel Consumption Faster Than Anticipated

By Philippe Crowe

FedExALT-energy-vehicles

FedEx Express’ fleet is closing-in quicker than expected on its 2020 fuel usage reduction goal.

FedEx Express vehicle fleet is now 16.6 percent more fuel efficient through FY2011 than it was in 2005; well on its way to reach early the company’s goal to make its vehicle fleet 20-percent more fuel efficient by 2020.

read more

Is Slavery Still Part of America’s Automotive Steel Supply Chain?

By Jeff Cobb

Activists at Pig Iron cargo ship

Greenpeace protestors prepare to camp on the anchor chain of the Clipper Hope cargo ship in San Luis, Brazil bound for New Orleans, La.

This week Greenpeace has been amplifying the public relations volume against General Motors, Ford, BMW, Nissan, and other U.S. based automakers in a repeat of allegations that Brazilian slave labor is tainting their respective steel product supply chains.

Allegations also are that illegal logging and related fraud continue largely unabated in Brazil despite automakers having previously acknowledged said issues, and having shown themselves to have taken steps to remove slave-supplied labor from any tier of their raw materials supply.

read more

Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce

Filed under: , , , ,

Martin Scorcese

This could be interesting: Oscar-winners Martin Scorsese and Richard Attenborogh are teaming up to make a film called Silver Ghost, based, in part, on the lives of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The screenplay was written by Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye) and playwright Sharman Macdonald, who also happens to be actress Kiera Knightley’s mom.

According to Top Gear, the biopic will be set at the dawn of the 20th Century, during the seminal days of the auto industry. But the report says the real hero of the story will be one Lord John Douglas-Scott Montagu, the Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and a member of British Parliament who used his position in British society to champion motoring.

While we’re not quite sure what all that Barons and Lords stuff is about, reading that in 1899 Montagu drove the first car to enter the yard of the House of Commons made us think he must have been a decent enough chap. According to the report, he even launched a monthly car magazine. And like any good period-film protagonist, he was romantically linked to another key figure in the story, Eleanor Thornton, the woman who inspired the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot that became a defining feature of the marque.

The film is still a long way from the screen, although Scorcese’s involvement can’t hurt its chances of getting made. Neither would casting Knightley as Thornton, if you ask us.

Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kia Optima Hybrid: Independence at Forty

By Huw Evans

Kia Optima Hybrid in the Florida Keys

Does life begin at 40? Well, if you’re referring to automotive life and 40 as in miles per gallon, until recently that probably wasn’t the case. Cars designed for sipping fuel were generally about as exciting as hanging wallpaper.

But, as automakers feel increasing pressure to deliver more fuel-thrifty cars – ones that don’t sacrifice driving excitement – the notion of Fun at 40 is something that’s becoming more and more a reality.

And in an effort to find out just how fun it could be, this April we found ourselves trading glum North Eastern skies for the sunny, balmy climes of South Florida on a road trip from Miami to the southernmost point in the Lower 48, namely Key West.

In order to get there we needed a car and although we could have opted for a flashy convertible, this being HybridCars.com; a more appropriate mode of transportation was Kia’s Optima Hybrid sedan.

read more

The Legacy of Carroll Shelby

Bullz-Eye.com discusses the life and legacy of Carroll Shelby, the father of the Cobra. On May 11, 2012, the automotive world lost one of its last cowboys. Carroll Shelby, father of the Cobra, passed away due to complications from pneumonia. He was 89 years old. Over his five decades in the automotive community, this chicken [...]

KPIT Cummins Develops Innovative Bolt-On, Plug-in Hybrid System

By Jeff Cobb

Revolo3

A Revolo-converted Suzuki Alto.

While some U.S.-based aftermarket startups are offering high-five-figure hybrid powertrain retrofits, an Indian original-equipment (OE) automotive supply firm is preparing to launch a simple $1,300-$3,500 bolt-on plug-in parallel hybrid system for the masses.

Having proven its effectiveness in testing so far, the prototype system called “Revolo” is being developed by KPIT Cummins as a gas- or diesel-engine add-on, first for the Indian market, but North American, European and Asian automakers have also already expressed interest in the system.

read more

Rolls and Dough Delivery Electrified

By Philippe Crowe

LaBreaEtruck

La Brea Bakery announced yesterday it will be rolling out four new electric trucks in Los Angeles to deliver the bakery’s fresh baked loaves, rolls and baguettes.

The trucks, designed by Smith Electric Vehicles Corp., have a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge. The model chosen is Smith’s Newton model, in box configuration, powered by a 134 kilowatt-hour (180bhp), 480 pound-feet of torque, brushless permanent magnet motor. Specifications for the Newton can be accessed here.

read more