Tax Incentives

Is $1 billion for a 100 mpg gasoline sedan an evil Republican plot?

Are we closer to 100 mpg gasoline cars than we think?

Couldn’t it also be a hybrid?

The other day I read a piece on AutoWeek slamming an idea from a Republican Congressman that I’ve never heard of that is apparently part of an evil plan by the entire Republican Party — even those few that actually helped make plug-in tax credits a reality — to crush the whole idea of increased fuel economy. $1 billion for an automaker to develop a 100 mpg gasoline sedan.

“It’s all pretend,” claimed author Davey G. Johnson.

Davey, Davey, Davey. So why then does Utah Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dan Adams disagree? Read more…

Trickle down economics: Fisker’s fantastic designs not enough

No doubt, Fisker can design beautiful cars, but is that enough?

The Aston Martin of plug-in vehicles didn’t deserve fed backed loans

I still remember the first time I saw the Fisker Karma. Even though I’m not much of a car guy, I was moved. However, as I tried to interact with the arrogant stuff, some of my enthusiasm was lost. This is a car, as well as a car company, for snobs, but at least slightly green snobs.

But is fantastically designed packaging built for green snobs enough to make Fisker, particularly with the help of government support? Read more…

OnStar creates stellar Chevy Volt charging opportunity

Using OnStar to plug into renewables

Charge your Volt with renewable energy now says OnStar

I’ve had the opportunity to visit GM’s OnStar facilities a few times over the years and have always been impressed with OnStar’s capabilities and its future potential. And in terms of plug-ins such as the Chevy Volt, a bit more of OnStar’s potential is about to be tapped.

Thanks to OnStar’s partnership with PJM Interconnection, Volt drivers might soon be able to use OnStar’s Smart Grid Solutions to recharge their Volts with renewable energy. Read more…

Crashing a hybrid car into the American dream

Killing the American dream one drop of foreign oil at a time.

What does America stand for anymore?

America. The grand experiment of the Founding Fathers. Democracy. Freedom. Equality. Has it worked?

Does driving a gas guzzler that requires massive military protection and intervention of foreign oil supplies, puppet governments, and causes massive pollution prove that America succeeded? That Americans have the freedom to be as careless and irresponsible as we want? Our manifest destiny?

Perhaps more interesting, if cheap oil is so great for Americans, why has the income game gap between the rich and the poor expanded for decades, ironically, as has American foreign oil consumption? Is cheap oil really driving forward the American dream, or is it causing an American nightmare? Read more…

Why the DrudgeReport is wrong about the Volt and plug-ins

The Chevy Volt is bigger than Obama

Time to take a little hype out of the plug-in movement — good and bad

Did plug-ins fail in 2011? Is 2012 a make or break year for plug-ins? Should automakers pull the plug on plug-ins if they don’t sell in 2012? Is a Volt failure synonymous with an Obama failure?

No. No. No. And No. Read more…

CAFE is a step, but still an inept approach to auto energy efficiency

Disruptive technologies: The cotton gin

Innovation and technology moves faster than politicians and regulators

Back in college I was a huge fan of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Robert Pirsig. What struck me as most profound about Pirsig is his idea that society has become its own evolving entity.

Recently, I started reading Kevin Kelly’s What Technology Wants and was surprised to learn that he has the same idea, except about technology or the technium. It isn’t just life, humans and societies that are evolving, relatively independently, but technology as well.

And that’s what I find so annoying about politicians, automakers, regulators and CAFE. This idea that the future can be controlled and predicted when it’s so obvious such an idea is futile. Read more…

Hypocrites: 1/4 of all car consumers ready to buy a Prius

Almost a 1/4 of all car consumers ready to buy a Prius.

Good intentions, little action

Almost every American — 93 percent — supports higher fuel economy requirements and 81 percent are even willing to pay a premium for a more fuel efficient vehicle according a recent Consumer Reports study. Even better, 56 percent are ready to buy a hybrid or plug-in vehicle today.

So, why are just 2 percent of consumers actually following through on their good intentions, at least in terms of hybrids and plug-ins? Read more…

EVs a “fad” and an unrealistic “silver bullet” – Ex Dem DoT Sec and Congressman

Even after a $7500 tax credit, most Americans aren't interested

Calls for level playing field for clean diesel and advanced ICE engines

Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, a Democratic Congressman from California whom worked under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, has joined with the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars in calls for a level playing field between clean diesel vehicles, advanced ICE vehicles and electric cars.

Instead of being overly supportive of EVs, Mineta claims the government should be more technologically neutral, even suggesting that EV tax credits were “increasingly difficult” to justify in today’s economy. Read more…

1,907: A troubling number in the hybrid and plug-in segment

Just 49 Silverado hybrid sales in October

More hybrid and plug-in models, less sales

In October, Ford sold more hybrids and plug-ins than any other automaker except Toyota. Unfortunately, Ford only sold 1,907 alternative powertrain vehicles.

Is the hybrid and plug-in segment stuck between a revolutionary new battery and a hard place? Read more…

When Chevy Volt battery costs are cut in half, what happens?

A Chevy Volt battery pack

Is the Volt a $30,000 car with a $10,000 battery?

Last I heard, GM is selling the Chevy Volt plug-in at cost. Likewise, GM has suggested that its battery pack costs about $8,000 per Volt, however, soon the Volt should be able to utilize new chemistries and materials to cut the cost of the Volt battery in half.

So, would Volt sales shoot through the roof? Read more…