The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning automobile manufacturers that they will begin monitoring fuel economy ratings more closely after complaints of overstated mileage claims. An investigation last November into inaccurate vehicle mileages Continue reading
Category Archives: Electric Cars
Bankrupt Battery Maker A123 Systems Sold
Bankrupt American battery maker, A123 Systems, has been auctioned off to Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group, for $256 million. The sale includes A123’s automotive and commercial operations including three factories in the United States. Continue reading
Green Car Of The Year – 2013 Ford Fusion
Ford’s all new 2013 Ford Fusion has been named Green Car of the Year at this years Los Angeles Auto Show. The winner is selected by an eleven member panel comprised of automotive and environmental experts who’s mission is to promote environmentally friendly and more fuel efficient transportation. Continue reading
LA Auto Show Debuts Latest Technologies And Greenest Cars
As the first major North American auto show of the season, the 2012 LA Auto Show will host some of the industry’s most important new vehicle debuts setting the tone for the rest of the year. Continue reading
Lemon Problems Affect Toyota Prius Steering And Cooling
Toyota has announced that they will be conducting two safety recalls involving certain 2004-2009 Prius vehicles.
The first involves approximately 670,000 vehicles in the U.S. to inspect the steering intermediate extension shaft. Continue reading
Wireless Charging For Your Electric Vehicle
Wireless company Evatran will soon be offering Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf owners an option to have wireless charging installed in their vehicles. The company is expected to announce a partnership with SPX Service Solutions, early next year, making them the official charging supplier for the Chevrolet Volt.
Chevy Volt Software Glitch Stalls Engines
General Motors (GM) has announced a customer satisfaction campaign affecting approximately four thousand 2013 Chevrolet Volt electric cars. A software glitch in the delayed charging function could cause the vehicle to unexpectedly stall. Drivers will still have steering and brakes, but in order to restart the engine, they must stop the vehicle, turn it off, and wait five minutes before restarting.
According to GM spokeswoman, Michelle Malcho, the glitch only affects the small number of owners that have used the delayed charging option. All drivers are recommended to switch to immediate instead of delayed time charging until the problem can be fixed. GM has already sent letters by Federal Express explaining to customers that the repair requires the vehicle’s control system software to be re-flashed. The repair is expected to take less than an hour.
Nissan Leaf Lemon Law Buyback
Two recent lemon law buybacks of Nissan Leaf vehicles in Arizona have Leaf owners in California questioning whether their vehicles can be repaired, replaced, or bought back under the California lemon law.
Approximately 400 Nissan leaf owners in Arizona are claiming that after only a year of driving in warmer than normal temperatures have contributed to a significant loss of driving range in their electric vehicles (EV). One owner said that after only 15 months, his vehicle lost almost 30% of battery capacity giving him a maximum of only 42 miles on a single charge.
In a statement released by David Reuter, Nissan’s vice president of corporate communications, the problems are limited to “a small handful” of Leaf owners, and the vehicles in question were impacted by extreme heat, high speeds, high mileage, and charging method and frequency. He added that there is no defect in the Leaf, but in the interest of customer satisfaction, Nissan bought the cars back. According to Reuter, there have been over 38,000 Leafs sold around the world and the majority customers are very satisfied owners.
