Friday, November 19, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Houston Gets $10 Million Private EV Charging Network

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 04:24 PM PST

A common argument against electric cars is the lack infrastructure to support them. All those gas stations didn't pop up overnight though. Houston, Texas is taking the first steps to installing its own network of public and private charging stations.

The network is being installed by a private firm, NRG Energy. By the end of 2011, they hope to have between 50 and 150 public charging stations installed. This is just in time for the scheduled rollout of the Ford Focus Electric. The charging stations will be placed in business districts, supermarkets, by condos and apartments, and in other conspicuous locations. Many of the charging stations will be of the Stage 2 and 3 variety. That is enough juice to charge most electric vehicles in just a half hour.

This isn't just a free service though. NRG Energy is setting up an online system called evGo. For a three-year contract and $89 a month, you get unlimited home charging (electricity included) as well as unlimited access to all the public charging stations. This also supposedly includes the cost of the home charging station. That is about the cost of three fill-ups, depending on what and how you drive. Good news for the electric car front, and in the heart of domestic oil country too!

Source: Inhabitat

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Nissan Underestimates Demand for Leaf, Cuts Dealer Demos

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 02:03 PM PST

As the first mass-market, affordable aelectric car to hit the market, the Nissan Leaf has garnered a lot of popularity already. So much so, that Nissan has to cut the number of dealer demo cars in half to free up supplies.

Nissan had initially signaled that it would provide dealerships in select launch areas with two demo cars. These cars are used to get people in and driving the Leaf, not for general retail. However, a surge in demand in the homeland has meant that Nissan is already cutting the initial delivery of Leafs in America, from 10,000 to just 3,300. Nissan has about 1,000 dealerships in America, and initial reports suggested that just five Leafs, one per state it is being sold in, will actually make it to their owners by December. Maybe by freeing up these dealer demo cars, Nissan can get these electric cars into the hands of their anxious soon-to-be-owners.

Alas, supplies of the in-demand Leaf will be scare all the way through 2011, or at least until Nissan gets its new Tennessee battery plant up and running. When that happens, Nissan will be able to crank these cars out to the tune of 150,000 a year. With demand what it is already, Nissan will probably be playing catch-up with demand for while. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though.

Source: Automotive News via Autoblog

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

EPA Says U.S. Fuel Economy Hits Record High

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 07:16 AM PST

Last year, amidst the recession and bankruptcies of two American automakers, the average fuel economy of cars sold in 2009 actually jumped. It went from 21 mpg up to 22.4 mpg, a new record.

This is the average fleetwide fuel economy for all cars sold in 2009, which had an average weight of 3,917 pounds and an average horsepower of 208. Both numbers are down from highs in 2008, when the average car weighed over 4,000 pounds and average horsepower was around 218. Lucky for me though, horsepower is set to grow to 220 next year, though the EPA predicts the average fuel economy will actually go up incrementally to 22.5 mpg.

I'm not sure if this includes trucks as well (which would make more sense) or just vehicles classified as cars. But whatever the case, fuel economy is in a substantial upswing, and these are the highest mpg levels on record since the EPA started keeping track back in 1975. Things are looking up folks.

Source: The Detroit News | Image: U.S. National Archives

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
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