Quick Battery Boosts for EVs, Hybrids
Overcoming the limitation of a short driving range is vital to achieving acceptance by consumers who want to be gasoline-free by purchasing electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Charging the car's battery pack at home, at the office or shopping mall will work for most drivers, but trips beyond the range of a single battery charge may be more challenging. Level 1 charging works for overnight and at-work refills, but pure electrics need something stronger. Level 2 charging uses a 240-volt circuit and will be the type used in parking lots. In the future commercial chargers will incorporate both Level 2 and D.C. fast chargers that will charge a Leaf's battery to 80 percent capacity in half an hour.
VW Defends Brand Against IQS Rating
J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study said Volkswagen owners reported an average 131 problems per 100 cars and tied with Mini at 29th among 32 brands. Marc Trahan, VW's executive VP in charge of quality, acknowledged some problems with the IQS survey but pointed to its many models rated as "top safety pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which crash-tests cars to judge how well they would protect occupants. A different Power study called APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) gives VW an above average grade, ranking 14 out of 32 brands. VW's warranty costs have been dropping by about 10% for several years.
Fixing the Motor-Fuels Tax Shortfall
Although intended to support U.S. highways and mass transit, revenue on a per-gallon tax on motor fuels, imposed at refineries and passed on to consumers, is insufficient to sustain the U.S. transportation network. One view is that Congress should not only renew the tax levy that is set to retire September 30 but should also overhaul the method for collecting it to ensure adequate revenue is raised for the future. Americans have been buying fewer gallons of gas since 2008 and paying less in taxes. Increasing the tax in stages will cushion the effect on consumers. Rather than being tied to the number of gallons purchased, it should be levied as a percentage of the value of the gasoline purchased.
Kelley Blue Book Enhancing Analytics through SAS Alliance
Kelley Blue Book has turned to SAS and its analytics software to help support KBB?s business and reporting, including such tasks as delivering leads to dealers and determining vehicle values. KBB is pushing growth through the partnership for back-end analytics to augment the company?s reporting capabilities.
Fleet Sales Could Fill the VoidAverage Value of a 1 to-3-Year-Old Vehicle in July 2011
As retail new vehicle sales are expected to slow down in the next few months, automakers and dealers can turn to fleet sales to meet their goals. Fleet managers could find themselves in a stronger negotiating position for next year?s purchases, says Edmunds.com chief economist Lacey Plache.
