Volkswagen Investing $10M in EV Charging

Volkswagen Investing $10M in EV Charging
2015 Buick Encore, Chevy Trax Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick
I Drove Across the Country by Mistake
2016 Cadillac ATS-V Starts at $61,460
Acura NSX Type-R Rendered
Special Edition Colorado Pushes ‘GearOn’ Accessories

Posted:

Volkswagen is investing some big cash into electric vehicle infrastructure.

The automaker has announced a $10 million investment into EV charging infrastructure by 2016. One piece of this investment is the previously announced tie-up with Chargepoint that is aiming to install about 100 DC fast chargers on both the east and west coasts, no more than 50 miles apart. Further money will go into installing charging stations at dealerships.

SEE ALSO: Volkswagen e-Golf Review

While VW is investing money into this technology, the company is also calling on the government to support EVs. "In addition to the investment we and other companies and industries are making, we would like to see Federal financing support for establishing fast charging networks in urban areas and interstate corridors," said Jörg Sommer, vice president, product marketing and strategy, Volkswagen of America.

"We'd like to see more state and federal organizations commit to cleaner fleets by purchasing EVs and PHEVs. This should be a U.S. Government priority, and federal purchasing guidelines should reflect that by giving fleet purchasers the flexibility they need," said Sommer.

Volkswagen of America is also trying to adopt a more eco-friendly way of building its cars. Through a partnership with 3Degrees, VW says that it is offsetting the carbon emissions produced by production, distribution and charging of its first all-electric vehicle in North America, the e-Golf.

Discuss this story at our Volkswagen Forum

Loading, please wait...

2015 Buick Encore, Chevy Trax Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick

Posted:

Two small crossovers from GM have earned top safety honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Buick Encore and its sister vehicle the Chevy Trax have both been named IIHS Top Safety Picks. A major improvement in the small overlap test made it possible.

When it was last tested, the 2013-14 Buick Encore rated 'poor' in the small overlap test while the current model managed a 'good' rating thanks to a redesigned structure. The Encore and Trax both scored 'good' ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests.

The Encore earns a 'basic' rating for its forward collision warning while the Trax offers no front crash prevention system.

Discuss this story at our Buick Encore Forum

Loading, please wait...

I Drove Across the Country by Mistake

Posted:

One of my greatest fears and worst nightmares as a professional came true last month.

I woke up at 5 a.m. on a Wednesday for an early flight to San Diego, Calif. and realized my passport was missing. I didn't know it at the time, but lost travel documents would soon be the least of my problems.

I always pack the night before traveling and nothing was unusual about this morning that regard, but something compelled me to check the front pocket of my suitcase. Minutes melted as I tore through my tidy bedroom, leaving piles of strewn clothes, paper and bed covers on the parquet floor in my wake.

Flying without a passport is stupid.

Feeling defeated, my air travel triage instincts kicked in and I decided to make a beeline for the airport sans passport. It seemed like a long shot, but I hoped they might let me travel without it.

The ticketing agent I spoke with smiled, chuckled a little and said he didn't have a problem giving me a boarding pass, but that I would never clear customs. He probably never should have given me that piece of paper, but I explained myself to the border guard and by some sick miracle, he gave me a stamp of approval.

2015 Volkswagen Golf R Review

After that, I was off to San Diego to drive the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R under the naïve assumption that the same "smile, wink and say please" routine would work twice. Only 36 hours later, I stood in the San Diego Airport staring at an unsympathetic United Airlines supervisor who clearly didn't think my story was funny and sure as hell wasn't about to print me a boarding pass for an international flight. It didn't matter that my Canadian Permanent Resident Card (similar to a green card) is enough to cross back into Canada. I was finally in a situation I couldn't chat my way out of.

Arguing with ticket agents is stupid.

On the other hand, he said someone at LAX might be more willing to let me through if I could find a way to Los Angeles before my next flight left. One of VW's shuttle drivers agreed to take me there.

As a last resort, I asked VW PR guru Mark Gillies if he would be willing to lend me a car that I could drive to Detroit. From there, I figured crossing the border to take a flight home would be a cinch. I didn't give it much thought because I never really believed it would happen.

I would have already missed my flight by the time we arrived were it not for the fact that it was significantly delayed; the crew didn't show up. Unfortunately I faced the same response from the Air Canada ticketing agent, but the person I dealt with told me I should walk to the United desk across the airport because there was a chance they would see things differently.

I reached the United desk and tried one more time to explain the situation, but it was all for nothing. By then it was well past midnight and I finally gave up in favor of sleeping at a Best Western in Inglewood. The next morning I got a call from Volkswagen. They couldn't lend me a press car from the L.A. fleet, but they had booked a car through Avis and would reimburse me for a rental car if I were willing to front the cost. At this point I was well beyond my comfort zone in accepting automaker hospitality, but the reality is that I'm also poor.

I took off form the hotel in a taxi, signed some paperwork and found myself standing in front of a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta a few minutes later.

Driving cross-country alone in January is really stupid. I did that, too.

It didn't have leather seats. It didn't have a touchscreen. It had few – if any – of the extra-cost bells and whistles most of the vehicles allocated for press evaluation usually do. It didn't matter.

Armed with a Garmin navigation unit on top of the dashboard and an active satellite radio subscription, I settled in naively for a marathon.

Leg one of three took me along Route 40 out of California, through Arizona and into New Mexico where I would pick up I-25 and head north to my home town: Colorado Springs.

I rationalized the choice by reminding myself that it meant seeing my mom and skipping one night of hotel costs. There still wasn't any getting around the fact that my route called for roughly 17 hours of time on the road alone.

The drive along Route 40 is an easy one. With cruise control set around 80 MPH, I only saw a couple of police officers and managed to avoid being pulled over. Then again I was only five miles per hour above the limit.

Things didn't get dicey until after I merged onto I-25 and passed through Santa Fe. By then, light snow was starting to cover the road and I foolishly glanced at the gas meter, which indicated a third of a tank remaining.

Don't skip gas stations if you don't know the road.

Gas stations seemed to be everywhere at that point and I decided to press on. That was stupid.

It was about an hour before I looked at the meter again. That was doubly stupid. To make things even worse, I was driving through snow flurries at this point with poor visibility and virtually no blacktop showing.

My gut wrenched and I stabbed at the Garmin with my finger, but there wasn't good news in store. I didn't have enough fuel to turn around and reach Santa Fe, but there wasn't anything closer on the GPS.

"Can that be right," I wondered? At this point it was well past midnight and there weren't many other cars on the road. I pulled over and searched for "gas" on my iPhone where I saw a Shell station in Pecos, a blip on the map that was just within reach.

So I found a place to turn around, drove gently and hoped that it would still be open. You see, I only carry Canadian credit cards and if the pump asks for a zip code, my plastic is useless without a clerk so there was a good chance I would spend my last squirt of fuel only to be stranded in a snowstorm. Not good.

If you have ever been to Pecos, you'd know that it isn't a big city. It has a population of roughly 1,300 people and sits a few miles off of I-25. Gas stations don't stay open all night in Pecos.

Biting my lip, I pushed the card in and held my breath. It worked. I pumped until the car was full and then I pumped a little more. Only a smidgen. Just in case.

And to be fair, the trip computer reported an average 32 MPG at an average speed of 75 MPH. That's below the officially advertised fuel economy, but the same calculator showed better mileage more in line with the EPA-estimated 37 MPG highway rating at points when I wasn't driving so quickly.

Saved

With new-found courage and energy, I returned to the journey and by 4:45 a.m. I pulled into my mother's driveway.

It's worth mentioning at this point that I really am impressed with the Jetta. The new 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder feels downright powerful with plenty of passing ability and even in rental trim, the interior is well made. But the most impressive part to me is that my back never hurt. Even at the end of my trip when many other parts of my body were in pain, I never got tired of the seat design or position.

I thought the rest of the trip would be easy, but I was wrong.

After a few hours, I surfaced and had brunch with my mother before spending the day driving from Colorado Springs to Saint Louis on I-70. That might be one of the most boring stretches of road America has to offer.

Shortly after I crossed into Kansas, someone in a Prius blew past me at what must have been at least 100 MPH. Bless the stars, I got the rare satisfaction of seeing the same car pulled over by the highway patrol less than a mile after that.

But apart from a little bit of instant karma, there is nothing – I repeat, nothing – to look at on that stretch of intensely boring asphalt. I stayed at a Days Inn for the night and prepared myself for another thrilling day driving through the mid-west.

A thrill I would rather not repeat

If only it was that simple. I didn't know it at the time, but I was about to spend roughly 12 hours driving directly underneath the sort of blizzard that most people pass by sitting at home beneath a big blanket. It wasn't until later that I learned this was the worst snow Detroit had seen in decades.

But I pushed through and the Jetta performed admirably, especially considering its wheels were shod in all-season tires. Half expecting to be turned away, I drove through the Windsor tunnel into Canada and explained myself to the border guard, who let me into the country without hesitating.

Normally the drive from Detroit to Toronto takes about four hours, or quicker than that if you're a scofflaw. This time it took more than six and I rarely crested 60 MPH. Most of the time I just hunkered down at 40 behind a tractor trailer and hoped for the best. Without a light to follow, it was almost impossible to see more than a few feet past the car let alone where the road was going.

I stopped counting how many abandoned cars there were in the median ditch after number five, but there were many more. At that point I felt exhausted, impatient and afraid.

Determined not to become one of them, I soldiered on at painfully slow speeds and noticed a groaning noise above about 2,300 RPM. But I pressed on and finally pulled into the Toronto airport to drop the car off at 4 a.m. By that point, the groaning noise was impossible to ignore and the check engine light was on, but I didn't care.

My wrists were on fire from keeping a white-knuckle grip on the wheel for hours and I desperately wanted sleep. I gathered my things from the car, walked to the airport cab line and willingly let someone else take over for the last few miles and caught my breath.

Loading, please wait...

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Starts at $61,460

Posted:

Those who want a new Cadillac ATS-V can now place their order for the car, which starts at $61,460 in sedan form.

Opting for a coupe will set you back $63,660. That puts the ATS-V directly in line to fight with the BMW M3 and M4 which are priced at right around $62,000 and $64,200. All pricing in this story excludes tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment.

The hot new Cadillac pushes 455 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels thanks to a twin-turbo V6. Buyers can opt for a six-speed manual, which brings along no-lift shifts, rev matching and launch control, or an eight-speed automatic transmission. The car can run from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 189 mph.

Other performance upgrades include Brembo brakes, magnetic ride control, a carbon fiber hood and upgraded aerodynamics.

The car will be built at the Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan and will begin arriving in late summer.

Discuss this story at our Cadillac ATS forum

Loading, please wait...

Acura NSX Type-R Rendered

Posted:

When the 2016 Acura NSX debuted last month during the Detroit Auto Show, its chief engineer confirmed that the company is planning more powerful models.

Acura said the longitudinally-mounted engine mated to three electric motors will make "more than 550 hp" in its normal form. One of those electric motors is mounted between the engine and transmission while the other two sit ahead of the cockpit to power the front axle.

Acura plans to limit the number of units it produces each year, but once the car it showed in Detroit has a chance to stretch its legs, a hard-core version will emerge, likely with a Type-R badge. The Rendered images you see here offer a first glimpse at what a version of hte NSX with a fixed rear wing and more aggressive aerodynamic pieces could look like once Acura builds its meaner model.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

  GALLERY: 2016 Acura NSX Live Photos
  
  GALLERY: 2016 Acura NSX Official Photos
   
  Discuss this story at our luxury lifestyle forum

Loading, please wait...

Special Edition Colorado Pushes ‘GearOn’ Accessories

Posted:

Chevrolet announced today that it will bring a special edition of the Colorado mid-size pickup truck to the Chicago Auto Show this week.

The Colorado GearOn Edition showcases the GearOn accessories GM offers for customers who might frequently want to mount bicycles, kayaks or stand-up paddle boards to their trucks. Chevrolet says it will charge $31,250 for the truck in its active lifestyle guise, which includes a GearOn bars package, cargo tie-down rings and the divider package. Apart from bundling optional equipment, the truck will also come with light cosmetic modifications including 18-inch black aluminum wheels, a body color grille, side steps, fog lamps, a remote starter and a rear window defogger.

It will be availble starting in the spring on LT trim trucks in both the extended and crew cab configurations with either the long or the short bed.

Discuss this story at our Chevrolet Colorado forum

Loading, please wait...

Car Reviews

Tuesday, 10 February 2015