Filed under: Government/Legal California commuters will either celebrate or curse SB 535, a new law that extends hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles’ usage of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in the Golden State. Introduced by Sen. Leland Yee and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the new law expands the ability for hybrid, electric and natural-gas powered vehicles fitted with the ubiquitous yellow bumper stickers to drive solo in the carpool lanes during designated hours. Additionally, it increases the…

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Topics: california, 2011 chevrolet volt, 2011 nissan leaf, entry, leaf

Filed under: Etc. , Government/Legal , Canada Police in Windsor, Ontario are attempting to determine the type of vehicle involved in a fatal hit and run recently. Kyle Peters, a 15-year-old, was struck while riding his bicycle on Country Road 34. After being admitted to the hospital in critical condition, Peters died from his injuries the following morning. According to The Toronto Star , Peters was hit somewhere between roads 21 and 37 and was struck…

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Topics: hit and run, kylepeters, police

Filed under: Hybrid , Sedan , Government/Legal , Hatchback , Chevrolet , Nissan , Electric Prospective owners of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf shouldn’t get too excited about driving in California carpool lanes as soon as they take delivery. Late Tuesday night California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 535 into law, extending access to the high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes to certain very low and zero emissions vehicles. This new class of vehicles known as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (enh-ATPZEVs) and includes …

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Topics: enhancedatpzev, technology, entry, hovlanes, general-motors

Some big questions are being asked of the Chevrolet Cruze compact, which is just about hit the market. First, will its conservative styling draw showroom traffic? Will GM’s new marketing minds–namely new marketing Vice President Joel Ewanick and his hand-picked Chevrolet marketing chief Chris Perry, both Hyundai veterans–come up with a way to get consumers interested in this car and the Chevy brand. And will consumers, who are accustomed to shopping Chevy for a…

David Welch

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Topics: president, chevy, cruze, chevrolet

Filed under: Government/Legal EPA Fuel Economy Sample Grades - Click above to view entire list Twenty years ago, the federal government made it mandatory for most food products to carry nutrition information based on a 2,000 calorie diet in the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Information Act. In doing so, the feds simultaneously ensured that graphic designers the world over would run into the headache of squeezing the now-familiar Nutrition Facts chart onto food packages and that the public at large would have at least some …

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Topics: nutrition-facts, sample, entry, epa, nutrition

Filed under: Motorsports , Government/Legal , Australia The scales of Australian justice are heavier by $500 Aussie dollars ($444 U.S.) thanks to Lewis Hamilton. That’s the amount Hamilton was fined for getting busted for hooning in Melbourne just before the Australian GP in March. He was charged with intentionally losing control of a vehicle, a comical offense to levy upon a Formula 1 World Champion doing a burnout in a civilian car, but …

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Topics: image, lewis hamilton, australia

Filed under: SUV , Government/Legal , Safety , Jeep The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees over concerns that their rear-mounted gas tank may be prone to rupture in the event of an accident. The agency has recorded 44 instances where a ruptured fuel tank may have contributed to a total of 55 deaths resulting from fire. The Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, requested the NHTSA …

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Topics: review, entry, nhtsa, grand cherokee, traffic

Filed under: Government/Legal This is the text of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Here’s the quiz: if police attach a GPS device to …

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Topics: entry, persons, quiz, police, fourthamendment

Filed under: Coupe , Government/Legal , Lotus , UK , Electric Lotus Evora 414E - Click above for high-res image gallery How many prototypes Lotus builds of the Evora 414E will depend on whether it gets money from the British government’s Technology Strategy Board. The TSB funds and supports forays into a broad range of initiatives, including working with Peugeot on fuel cells and Ford on electric vehicles. Lotus, in partnership with three other companies, created the 47-horsepower…

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Topics: technologystrategyboard, technology, lotus evora 414e, lotus-evora

Filed under: Government/Legal , Earnings/Financials , Tesla , Electric Sometimes, technology moves faster than rules and regulations. For instance, in some parts of Kansas, shops must provide water troughs for horses . A more recently inanity is the requirement that electric vehicles receive an emissions ” Certificate of Conformity ” from the EPA to comply with the “Clean Air Act.” And, while Kansan storekeepers have long been excused from abiding by the obviously obsolete ordinance, such is…

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Topics: kansas, tesla, epa