EV drivers have multiple resources to tap into to help alleviate range anxiety and find the best charging resources out on the market. Recargo, coming from Dictionary.com founder Brian Kariger, offers a searchable database of the world's charging stations with government data and user-supplied reports along with Google Street View images of more than 1,000 charging stations.
NHTSA Chief David Strickland was willing to make jabbing comments to people in the audience at Telematics Detroit 2011. While it?s become a big profit center for automaker and technology suppliers, infotainment and other mobile apps are being heavily criticized. Federal regulators and several state and municipal governments say that even more needs to be done to improve safety and reduce driver distraction.
Even though biofuels have been controversial in the U.S., investors see them as a possible alternative fuel that's better than petroleum and will have increased demands. Solazyme makes biofuels from a variety of feedstocks that include microalgae, sugarcane, corn, and cellulosic. Another California-based biofuels company, CoolPlanetBioFuels, also received prominent investor support recently.
Battery maker A123 Systems will be supplying batteries for Smith Electric Vehicles' commercial vehicles with A123's Nanophosphote Lithium Ion Battery Systems. Smith's Newton truck is the first recipient of A123 battery technology and 7.5-ton powerhouse. Smith Electric Vehicles provides electric freight transport trucks for Coca-Cola, Staples, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Demand for many late-model used vehicles is way up, which is also driving up trade-in prices for savvy shoppers. Small cars are especially booming, thanks to inventory shortages by some automakers following the Japan earthquake.