automotive

commentary People are still trying to figure out if electric vehicles will be the Netbooks or the iPads of the auto industry--a flash in the pan or an enduring hit.

There has been a spate of recent articles predicting a glut of batteries because demand for plug-in vehicles won't be strong enough to match supply. The Washington Post yesterday pointed out that many battery companies that received federal aid could hit the brakes or run off the road entirely in the near future.

There are already signs of trouble. Lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems had to lay off … Read more

High-tech air filtration systems and HEPA filters are becoming standard fare in luxury vehicles these days, but what are you going to do about that funny smell in your 2004 Chevy Aveo? There's only so much that a pine tree air freshener can do.

Perhaps you should check out the newly announced Philips GoPure Automotive Clean Air System.

The GoPure was the odd bird in Philips' booth at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas, which was otherwise filled with the manufacturer's line of automotive lighting products. This portable air filtration system is aimed at motorists with allergies, drivers with small children who may be sensitive to airborne germs and particles, and people who want to remove bad smells from the air in their car.… Read more

Using post-consumer materials and finding more energy-efficient ways to produce vehicles are just part of Ford Motor Co.'s strategy to reduce the company's global carbon footprint.

Ford is looking at the energy use and carbon emissions of 128 global suppliers. These suppliers account for nearly 60 percent of the company's $65 billion in annual purchases.

In 2010, the automaker surveyed 35 top suppliers that make seats, steering systems, tires, and metal components. What Ford discovered was how much the companies varied in their readiness to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the 2010 survey results, … Read more

DETROIT (Bloomberg)--General Electric and Nissan Motor said they signed a two-year research and development agreement to speed infrastructure improvements and spur electric car sales.

GE and Nissan, which has sold more than 7,000 of its Leaf electric vehicles this year, will focus research on how recharging such vehicles affects home and workplace electrical systems and utility power grids.

"Together we'll make a better world possible for the use of electric vehicles," Mark Little, GE's director of global research, said at a press briefing today at Nissan's Farmington Hills, Mich., facility.

The companies agreed … Read more

From 1989 to 2001, a company called Used Rubber USA operated a retail store, offering cool gear to city-dwelling hipsters, on the corner of Fillmore and Haight streets in San Francisco. The company still turns old tires into book bags, wallets or belts and other merchandise--now online only.

Recycling used tires isn't a new idea, and now a study shows that most auto repair shops recycle tires rather than send them off to a landfill.

The organization Car Care Council has been urging auto repair shops to recycle more vehicle parts and engine fluids, in a consumer education campaign … Read more

STOCKHOLM (Bloomberg)--Volvo Car and Siemens said they plan a partnership to develop electric vehicles and aim to start testing the autos by the end of this year.

Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, will develop electric motors and charging systems with Volvo, of Gothenburg, Sweden. Siemens will try out as many as 200 Volvo electric cars under real-life conditions by late 2012 following test-track studies in coming months, the manufacturers said in separate statements.

"We are moving ahead quickly in this area," Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby said in the carmaker's statement. ''Our aim is to be … Read more

This week, we look at VW integration with a Droid X, figure out how to add iPod integration to a Lexus, and find out what you can plug into your OBD2 port.

• LOLcars (photos)

Mazda Motor Corp. has canceled production of its RX-8 rotary engine sports car, citing falling sales and stringent global emissions standards.

Production in Hiroshima, Japan, ended in early July and global sales of the car will conclude later this year.

The RX-8 and the three generations of the RX-7 that preceded it have long been the foundation the brand's fun-to-drive aura. The car's high-revving 1.3-liter, twin-rotor rotary engine produces 232 hp at 8,500 rpm -- a big punch in a relatively small package.

But Mazda sold just 1,134 RX-8s last year, a 49 percent decline … Read more

A planned community best known for golf-cart commuting could become the testing ground for connected cars. Panasonic Automotive and AT&T have teamed up to turn Peachtree City, Georgia, into a "model connected community" that they and other companies will use to develop and test new car communication products.

The announcement made earlier this month is an effort to formalize the relationship between the two companies. To develop the connected model community, Atlanta-based AT&T will provide the 4G mobile broadband infrastructure, and Panasonic Automotive, which is headquartered in the suburb, will supply the hardware and … Read more