Fuel

Grand Cherokee's diesel delivers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
Jeep will begin selling the re-engineered 2014 Grand Cherokee in the United States this spring with an optional 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine that delivers 240 hp and 420 pounds-feet of torque.... Read More »

 

Alt-fuel trust is new approach to energy r&d

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
The White House has a new idea to encourage electric vehicles: a government trust fund that would support r&d for alternatives to oil.... Read More »

 

Chrysler plans diesel version of 2014 Ram half-ton pickup

10:09 am U.S. ET | Feb. 14, 2013
Chrysler Group's Ram brand plans to sell a half-ton pickup later this year with a diesel engine -- its first such offering since 1978.... Read More »

 

A123 says unsecured creditors to get 65% of claims

2:28 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013
Unsecured creditors of A123 Systems, a bankrupt maker of batteries for electric cars that had federal government backing, will likely collect around 65 cents for each dollar they are owed, according to court documents.... Read More »

 

U.S. new car gas mileage at record high, study says

2:01 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 5, 2013
New cars and trucks sold in the United States in January will average 24.5 mpg, a record high, researchers at the University of Michigan said on Tuesday.... Read More »

 

Fired up for fuel cells

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 4, 2013
A fresh wave of enthusiasm for fuel cell vehicles among automakers is running up against an old problem. It's a Catch-22. Carmakers are reluctant to build fuel cell vehicles in significant volume without stations to refuel them. But fuel producers don't want to build stations without fleets of vehicles to use them.... Read More »

 

BorgWarner, Manganello donate $2 million to UM for endowed chair in mechanical engineering

4:07 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 31, 2013
BorgWarner Chairman Tim Manganello and the company's charitable foundation are donating $2 million to the University of Michigan College of Engineering for an endowment to fund research and teaching.... Read More »

 

New-vehicle shoppers look at more models before buying, study says

2:55 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 29, 2013
New-vehicle shoppers are considering more models before buying, and fuel economy remains the most influential factor in a purchase decision, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study. New-vehicle shoppers consider an average of 3.3 vehicles, J.D. Power’s 2013 Avoider Study says, up from 3.1 in last year’s study and 2.9 in 2010.... Read More »

 

Battery supplier to Boeing, Honda and Mitsubishi cleared in airliner review

2:33 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 29, 2013
GS Yuasa, the supplier of lithium ion batteries used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles made by Honda and Mitsubishi, has been cleared of responsibility for the fires that have plagued batteries in the airplane.... Read More »

 

Tesla's Musk extends a hand to get Boeing Dreamliner flying again

9:50 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
Elon Musk has long considered Tesla Motors the bold, nimble answer to the auto industry's cautious culture. Now the electric-car maker's top executive has extended his help to another industrial giant: Boeing.... Read More »

 

Daimler, Ford and Nissan sign deal on fuel cell cars

Jan. 28, 2013 12:25 CET
Daimler, Ford and Nissan joined forces today to develop a line of affordable fuel cell cars for sale starting in 2017 in what could be the first major advance for the promising zero-emission technology.... Read More »

 

Daimler, Ford and Nissan sign deal on fuel-cell cars

6:25 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
Daimler, Ford and Nissan joined forces today to develop a line of affordable fuel-cell cars for sale starting in 2017 in what could be the first major advance for the promising zero-emission technology.... Read More »

 

Daimler said to be in talks with Ford, Renault-Nissan to share fuel cell technology

Jan. 25, 2013 10:53 CET
Daimler has delayed plans to launch a fuel-cell powered variant of its B-class compact and is now in talks with possible partners Renault-Nissan and Ford on sharing the technology and reducing costs.... Read More »

 

Kia Motors earmarks $187 million in costs on false U.S. mileage claims

8:06 am U.S. ET | Jan. 25, 2013
Kia Motors has set aside provisions of about 200 billion Korean won ($187.13 million) to compensate drivers in North America for its overstated fuel-economy claims, Joo Woo-jeong, a director at the automaker, said today.... Read More »

 

Toyota nears final deal to license fuel-cell technology to BMW, report says

Jan. 23, 2013 06:01 CET
Toyota is nearing a final agreement to license its fuel-cell vehicle technology to BMW, the Nikkei reported. Under the agreement, to be made official as early as Thursday, Toyota will provide the world's largest premium carmaker with drivetrain and hydrogen storage technology, the business daily said.... Read More »

 

Toyota near final deal to license fuel-cell technology to BMW, report says

1:31 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 22, 2013
Toyota is nearing a final agreement to license its fuel-cell vehicle technology to BMW, the Nikkei reported today. Under the agreement, to be made official as early as Thursday, Toyota will provide the world's largest premium carmaker with drivetrain and hydrogen storage technology, the business daily said.... Read More »

 

NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

JCI gets deal to produce 48-volt batteries

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
Supplier Johnson Controls Inc. is developing a 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers. The higher voltage is needed to handle a growing number of electrical systems that save fuel but need more volts, such as stop-start, electric power steering, regenerative brakes and other energy-efficient electrical systems.... Read More »

 

2013 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

Honda's Mendel chides automakers for inaccurate fuel-economy claims

11:40 am U.S. ET | Jan. 16, 2013
American Honda's top sales executive chided automakers caught by federal regulators for overstating their fuel economy numbers. “Aggressive fuel-economy claims that turned out to be not so accurate puts pressure on all of us,” John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said today at the Automotive News World Congress.... Read More »

 

2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

JCI develops 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers

12:20 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Supplier Johnson Controls is developing a 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers. The higher voltage is needed to handle a growing number of electrical systems that save fuel but need more volts, such as stop-start, electric power steering, regenerative brakes and other energy-efficient electrical systems.... Read More »

 

2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

Suppliers look to fuel future

8:46 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Cars will do what cars do at the North American International Auto Show -- draw crowds and cameras. But at several exhibits, rapid advancements in new fuel-saving products will have supplier executives and politicians using the Detroit event as a showcase for new technology and a platform to talk about the future.... Read More »

 

GE backs off plan to buy 25,000 EVs, plug-in hybrids

12:06 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013
General Electric's commitment to buy 25,000 electric autos, promoted as the largest ever when it was announced more than two years ago, is taking a detour. The obstacle: Customers of GE's corporate fleet-services unit wanted more options. So GE has included natural gas-powered pickups and propane-fueled vehicles among about 11,000 autos -- mostly plug-in hybrids and electric cars -- already acquired from makers including Ford and GM.... Read More »

 

2012 fuel economy rises to 23.8 mpg, researchers say

2:34 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 4, 2013
The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in 2012 rose to 23.8 mpg, University of Michigan researchers said today, up from 22.5 mpg in 2011 and the highest since the researchers began tracking full-year data in 2008.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

I'm not the only C-Max driver disappointed with its mpg

7:53 am U.S. ET | Dec. 27, 2012
Apparently, it wasn't just me. A lawsuit seeking class-action status has been filed against Ford for what the suit alleges are inflated mileage claims for the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The suit, filed this month in California, is on behalf of consumers who -- like a growing list of automotive media testers including Consumer Reports -- have been unable to get anything close to the C-Max Hybrid's promised fuel economy.... Read More »

 

Nissan sweetens Leaf warranty in answer to critics

5:57 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 27, 2012
Nissan plans to bolster the warranty of the battery modules in its electric Leafs to reassure consumers of their durability. The company intends to notify current owners and dealers early next year that it will make the warranty retroactive to cover all existing Leafs, offering to repair or replace the car’s lithium-ion battery if it loses more than 30 percent of its ability to hold a charge after five years or 60,000 miles.... Read More »

 

Auto, oil execs open Round 2 of sulfur spat

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 17, 2012
By calling for cleaner gasoline to help reduce tailpipe emissions, automakers again have put themselves on a collision course with the oil industry. Automakers say they are willing to follow California rules across the United States. But to meet California standards nationwide, automakers say the sulfur content of gasoline must drop. Refiners balk at the cost and say proponents of the change haven't made their case.... Read More »