British Airways Introduces New E.V. Bus Technologies at Heathrow

Earlier this year BAA, the company that operates London's Heathrow Airport, began a first-of-its-kind electric pod car service to carry passengers between Terminal 5 and outlying parking lots. This month the 25-seat Solo EV, the first full-size, all-electric bus at a British airport, went into operation to move British Airways personnel between Terminal 5 and the company's head office a few miles away. The bus is projected to cover 50 to 60 miles daily and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 20 tons annually. Solo EV is powered by a 600-volt lithium-phosphate battery system made by Valence Technology, Austin, TX.

 

Hybrid Technology to be Found in All New Cars

Technologies pioneered by the 50-mpg Prius and the Volt, which burns no gasoline at all on most trips under 40 miles, will soon be found in all cars. Virtually every car will be a hybrid with many variations of electric assistance, increasing fuel economy in a variety of ways. Many upcoming vehicles using electrification won't call themselves hybrids but will promise better fuel economy or performance without outlining specifics. Buick will offer the 2012 Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal using an electric system called eAssist to achieve better highway and city driving miles per gallon.

 

Dealers Have Tough Balancing Act Managing Wholesale Inventories

How to plan for used vehicle retail demand is getting tough for dealers in such a volatile market. With dealers managing tighter inventory levels, actual and expected shifts in retail demand are being more quickly and sharply felt in the wholesale market, said Manheim's Tom Webb.

 

U.S. Senator Calls OnStar’s Plan to Track Vehicle Data ‘Brazen Privacy Invasion’

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has called for a government investigation of OnStar for its plan to track data such as mileage, speed, and location of vehicles operated by current and former subscribers and sell that information to third parties. Under revised Terms and Conditions, OnStar confirms its intent to maintain two-way connection to current and previous subscribers' vehicles unless specifically asked not to do so. One reason given for maintaining the link is to alert vehicle occupants about severe weather conditions and provide vehicle owners with updated warranty data or recall issues.

 

GM to Build New Midsize Pickup in U.S.

In a notable strategic gamble, GM has signaled its intent to build a next-generation midsize pickup in the U.S. The midsize truck market has been on a steady decline since 2000 when the full-line domestic automakers began to direct the bulk of their product-development and marketing efforts to fullsize pickups. The next-generation Colorado midsize pickup will be built at the Wentzville, MO, assembly plant. Ford does not plan to offer a 2012 Ranger, and Chrysler ended production of its midsize Dakota in August.