Gas 2.0

Detroit Captures Market Share of Dumped Clunkers
Aerovironment Unveils 800kW EV Charger
Zero DS: A More Aggressive Electric Motorcycle

Detroit Captures Market Share of Dumped Clunkers

Posted: 04 Aug 2009 03:19 PM PDT

Washington’s hugely popular cash for clunkers program has boosted all auto sales 16 percent from June to July as desperate and grateful Americans unloaded the gas guzzling behemoths they had been lured into buying with huge SUV tax credits by the Bush administration. (Small business owners like doctors, lawyers, and real estate agents had been able to use fossil friendly incentives to deduct more than $100,000 of the cost of an SUV from their taxes.) Now that they have the chance, Americans are unloading those gas guzzlers.

Ford sales under Cash for Clunkers have been especially good:

Ford sales rose from 160,990 vehicles in July 2008 to 164,795 last month — an increase of 2.4 percent. as its share of the market jumped from 14.2 percent to 16.5 percent. Ford posted the first monthly sales increase of any full-line manufacturer this year as customers traded in old Fords for new ones.

But Ford trucks and SUVs also top the most dumped clunkers list.

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Zero DS: A More Aggressive Electric Motorcycle

Posted: 04 Aug 2009 07:09 AM PDT

A lot of electric vehicles suffer from performance anxiety. That is to say, they are green and clean, but not very mean, the Tesla Roadster being a notable exception. Sometimes though, you just want to go fast. I had my first hybrid experience the other day, and while the Honda Insight I drove wasn’t the worst ride I’ve ever had, I could see myself getting very bored, very quickly with such an underpowered car (in my opinion, of course).

But I doubt I would get bored with the Zero DS, the latest electric motorcycle to be unveiled by Zero Motorcycles. Built from the ground up and utilizing the latest techniques and technology, this durable dirtbike promises off-road performance with streetwise manners. And it had better for the asking price $9,950.