Obama’s Electric Car Money Grab
The president Obama can avoid Congress by using fines on private companies like Volkswagen to fund his pet projects.
A
federal judge last week approved a $14.7 billion settlement to
partially resolve the legal fallout over Volkswagen’s installation of
“defeat devices” designed to cheat air quality rules in more than
500,000 vehicles sold in the U.S.
(The Wall Street Journal)
Twice as many electric cars charging stations to open in a year in New Zealand

Two of New Zealand's biggest power
companies have teamed up to double the number of electric car charging stations.
It's hope the initiative will boost uptake of electric vehicles
"We know from our experience as EV drivers that you
only want to know one thing - where is a charger if you need one?" says
Mercury Energy chief executive Fraser Whineray.
To help electrical cars along, Mercury and Contact have joined
forces with North American company PlugShare to launch the Electric
Highway network.
PlugShare is an app which tells electrical cars drivers where they can find electric charging stations - no matter who owns it.
There are already websites that tell drivers where charging stations are, but they only show their own stations.
"The Electric Highway is a universal and inclusive
solution that brings everything together in one place, a free app that's
the single source of the truth," says Mr Whineray.
"We already have more than 500 charging points registered in New Zealand and growing."
Other organisations building charging stations can add theirs to the Electric Highway via the website.
Henrik Fisker teases more images of Emotion luxury electric vehicle
Is Henrik Fisker's new electric car ready for its close-up?
Fisker, whose new company is
working on a model called the EMotion, has done away with his
back-lit teaser photos, and has posted a couple clear images
highlighting the electric vehicle's lines and features.
Mr. Fisker's tweets
reveal a side view of a model that appears to be a less-swoopy version
of the Karma, the extended-range plug-in that was produced by his former
company.
Nissan e-Power will use gas to charge the battery, not turn the wheels
Its new e-Power drive train is a hybrid system
Nissan revealed a new drivetrain, combining a gasoline
engine with an electric propulsion system.
Although hybrid drivetrains are now common among automakers, the new
Nissan system, called e-Power, only uses the gasoline engine to charge
the battery pack, not to drive the wheels.
Two of New Zealand's biggest power
companies have teamed up to double the number of electric car charging stations.
It's hope the initiative will boost uptake of electric vehicles
"We know from our experience as EV drivers that you
only want to know one thing - where is a charger if you need one?" says
Mercury Energy chief executive Fraser Whineray.
To help electrical cars along, Mercury and Contact have joined
forces with North American company PlugShare to launch the Electric
Highway network.
PlugShare is an app which tells electrical cars drivers where they can find electric charging stations - no matter who owns it.
There are already websites that tell drivers where charging stations are, but they only show their own stations.
"The Electric Highway is a universal and inclusive
solution that brings everything together in one place, a free app that's
the single source of the truth," says Mr Whineray.
"We already have more than 500 charging points registered in New Zealand and growing."

Is Henrik Fisker's new electric car ready for its close-up?
Fisker, whose new company is
working on a model called the EMotion, has done away with his
back-lit teaser photos, and has posted a couple clear images
highlighting the electric vehicle's lines and features.
Mr. Fisker's tweets reveal a side view of a model that appears to be a less-swoopy version of the Karma, the extended-range plug-in that was produced by his former company.
Mr. Fisker's tweets reveal a side view of a model that appears to be a less-swoopy version of the Karma, the extended-range plug-in that was produced by his former company.
Nissan e-Power will use gas to charge the battery, not turn the wheels
Its new e-Power drive train is a hybrid system

Nissan revealed a new drivetrain, combining a gasoline
engine with an electric propulsion system.
Although hybrid drivetrains are now common among automakers, the new
Nissan system, called e-Power, only uses the gasoline engine to charge
the battery pack, not to drive the wheels.