Car2go solidifies Austin car-sharing program, will start in Washington, DC soon

Filed under: Transportation Alternatives, SMART, Daimler

Daimler’s open-ended Car2go car-sharing program has its deepest U.S. roots in the city of Austin, TX. That’s where the first North American Car2go program was established and where a two-year pilot program just concluded. The trial’s end doesn’t mean the free-range Smart cars will go away, though. Instead, Daimler and [...]

Report: Washington to require that ‘quiet’ cars get alert sounds

Filed under: Concept Cars, Government/Legal, Technology, Electric

Brabus High Voltage EV concept – click above for high-res image gallery

Hands down, one of the few pleasures of driving a hybrid is cruising around in all-electric mode. There’s just something that’s undeniably cool about silently whisking along, but if a new auto safety bill makes its way into [...]

Mr. Toyoda comes to Washington

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

The second day of Congressional hearings on the “Response by Toyota and NHTSA to Incidents of Sudden Unintended Acceleration” has been underway since 11 am this morning, with an animated NHTSA Secretary Ray LaHood juking and jiving around Congress’ questions. But the big showing today is Toyota President Akio Toyoda, [...]

Tesla CEO Musk used private jet 12 times to lobby Washington for DOE loans

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

When the CEOs of the three Detroit based automakers used corporate jets to fly to Washington in late 2008, they were eviscerated by the national media and grandstanding politicians. Within weeks, all three companies had canceled the leases on those aircraft and all future travel by Detroit executives would be happening [...]

Toyota President Akio Toyoda pens op-ed piece for Washington Post

Filed under: Japan, Recalls, Toyota

Oh, what a terrible feeling it must have been when Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, had to sit down and write out this here mea culpa, mia maxima culpa for today’s Washington Post. As the bad news continues to fall upon Toyota’s bruised crown, we imagine that Mr. Toyoda realized that his [...]