December 2012

2013 Chevrolet Spark review

December 30, 2012
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No… not the EV We attended both the Los Angeles Auto Show and the San Diego International Auto Show in an attempt to drive the new 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV. No such luck – although we pretty much new that going in. So we did the next best thing at the San Diego show. We […]

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Nissan offers LEAF battery capacity warranty

December 28, 2012
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Notification provided on LEAF forum In an interesting move, Nissan announced the availability of a new LEAF battery capacity warranty via the online forum MyNissanLEAF.com rather than through their typical press release format. We see this as an indication by Nissan that the voice of the owner via these types of avenues is being listened to, […]

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Toyota Settlement tops $1 Billion

December 27, 2012
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Unintended acceleration suit results pending approval With a horrific crash in 2009 near San Diego Toyota and Lexus came under intense scrutiny to understand what went wrong, and more importantly, why. Toyota’s announcement of an agreement to this settlement, if approved, will put an end to the financial cloud hovering over the company while this […]

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California buys 10 Nissan LEAFs for its fleet

December 26, 2012
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State also makes public charging stations available In January of 2011 California Governor Jerry Brown signed an Executive Order mandating reduction of unneeded state owned fleet vehicles, and eliminating the purchase of new vehicles, with the exception of those needed for critical services, health, safety or security of the public. By July of that year, […]

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December 25, 2012
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New Smyrna battery plant online

December 16, 2012
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Ultimately capable of building 200,000 packs annually When Nissan moved into the Southeast and started production in Smyrna, Tennessee in 1983, not many probably looked ahead 30 years. If they did, they would see that first conventional gasoline vehicle plant grow to accomodate the production of electric vehicles (EVs). With additional plants added for powertrain assembly in nearby […]

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The Second Amendment, when read as written, guarantees a well regulated Militia (not the right to bear…

December 16, 2012

The Second Amendment, when read as written, guarantees a well regulated Militia (not the right to bear arms as most believe). The Second Amendment reads as follows when read properly, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not […]

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RAV4 EV or LEAF?

December 12, 2012
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Is the extra $12,000 worth it? As with most things, comparing two similar but not identical items is challenging. Different needs drive the decision, along with the elusive desires that are oftentimes difficult to quantify. We got a chance to get behind the wheel of the RAV4 EV recently at the Los Angeles Auto Show. In our […]

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2014 Honda Accord Plug In Hybrid review

December 6, 2012
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Honda did this one right Having owned a couple Hondas over the years (a first generation Accord sedan (this is the ninth) and a first generation CR-X si pocket rocket), we must say that we do have respect for the brand. Honda was a driving force in changing the way the domestic manufacturers thought about building cars. […]

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From one extreme to the other

December 1, 2012
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From $25,000 Smart EV to $100,000 plus hybrid Fisker Karma If what you’re after is more style, more power, more luxury… well, more everything, then the Fisker Karma may be what you’re looking for more than the Smart Electric Drive. Then again, you could buy four Smarts for the price of one Karma, and still […]

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