Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey are pushing for a complete recall of Takata airbags as the NHTSA open an investigation into an airbag rupture involving a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan in Missouri. Previously, the problem has occurred in older vehicles in areas of high humidity, but the most recent exploding airbag did not occur in one of the regions originally designated as high humidity and involved a newer vehicle, not currently subject to the recall. Continue reading

According to a study done by the National Research Council (NRC), if electric and plug in hybrid vehicles are to be adopted by consumers, the Federal government must continue to provide incentives for buyers. Currently, vehicle cost, battery technology, and lack of consumer knowledge are some areas that the federal government need to address. Developing less expensive, better performing batteries to reduce cost, and a market strategy, is needed to create awareness and overcome customer uncertainty. Continue reading

General Motors will be notifying certain 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt owners about a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety. According to reports, it is possible that drivers could exit their vehicle while inadvertently leaving them “On”. After a period of time, the vehicle’s battery could drain and the vehicle’s gas engine will automatically start to run to recharge it. If the gas engine runs for long periods of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up potentially causing injury. Continue reading

As the use of electric and hybrid vehicles increase, and the fuel efficiency of newer vehicles becomes better, states are finding that the per-gallon fuel tax is no longer generating enough income to fund road maintenance and operations. In response to the declining revenue, late last year California legislature approved a Bill to examine the implementation of a road usage charge.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be unveiling new regulations on Monday, that will force oil refineries to remove sulfur from all gasoline sold in the United States. The new rule will require oil refiners to install new equipment to remove the sulfur and will force automobile manufacturers to install new, cleaner burning engine technology. EPA officials say that removing the smog forming pollutant will reduce the rates of diseases associated with those pollutants and will only slightly raise the price of gasoline and cars. They estimate that the new regulation will raise the cost of gasoline by about two-thirds of 1 cent per gallon and add approximately $75 to the sticker price of cars. Continue reading

The Government has taken steps to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles sold in America by establishing some of the toughest fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles in U.S. history. These standards are expected to save consumers $1.7 trillion at the pump and reduce carbon pollution by six billion metric tons. As part of the program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) developed a window sticker for new vehicles which allows consumers to compare conventional cars, hybrids and all electric vehicles by giving information on greenhouse gas ratings, emissions, smog ratings, and fuel costs. The new label came into effect for all 2013 model vehicles. Continue reading

According to CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Oregon, there are approximately 415,000 used electric vehicles (EV) on the market right now, and like regular used vehicles they are cheaper than buying new and can save you money on insurance. If you are thinking of purchasing a used vehicle and you would like to buy a hybrid, there are certain factors to take into consideration when shopping for this type of vehicle. Continue reading