1972 Ford Bronco Fresh Built 302, 3 Speed, Soft Top on 2040-cars

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Ford EV Chief: 150 kW fast charging could be the norm

Ford's electrified-vehicle sales aren't exactly at the top of the charts this year, but that hasn't stopped Mike Tinskey, the automaker's global director of electrification and infrastructure, from being rather enthusiastic about advancements in various forms of more environmentally sustainable mobility. Tinskey, in an interview with The Verge, spoke of a world with really fast plug-in vehicle chargers. And of vehicles that can be re-parked using a remote driver. How fun. Tinskey, who touts SAE/combo fast-charging charging specification as the most likely to take the global leadership position, said a 150-kilowatt charger could be on the market "very soon." That'd mean an electric vehicle could be 80-percent recharged in just 20 minutes. Today's quickest units, the Tesla Supercharger, can crank out up to 120 kW. Some companies are touting 100-kW charging times, despite the lack of compatible chargers. Tinskey also spoke about Ford studies of a so-called "Remote Repositioning" feature, which would allow cars to be re-parked at night using a remote driver over a cellular network as spaces empty up, cutting down traffic, needless driving and pollution as a result. We're sure ready for such a thing. Through the first quarter of this year, sales of Ford's hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are down 28 percent from a year earlier to about 15,000 units. Sounds like those improvements Tinskey speaks of can't come soon enough. Featured Gallery 2012 Ford Focus Electric: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: The Verge Green Ford

2014 Ford Mustang GT

I was more than a year removed from my last experience with the Mustang GT and its delicious 5.0 V8 when this new 2014 example rolled up to my driveway recently. Good weather and a planned road trip across the state meant that I would get plenty of seat time in this conservatively specified example, too. In total, I logged about 400 miles in a week of driving - not a lot for some of you super commuters out there, but quite a lot for this work-from-home journalist.
The basic formula of the 5.0 has stayed the same for 2014. The 2013 model year saw a number of updates to keep the Mustang fresh until it's replaced with an all-new generation for 2015. So, for its bon voyage tour, the fifth-generation Pony Car has seen only a few modifications: a couple of new paint colors (Oxford White and Ruby Read Metallic), trim and wheel revisions and, sadly, the deletion of the Boss 302 from the Ford lineup. However, while the limited-edition Boss is likely to reappear sometime after the gen-six Mustang makes its debut in 2015, the GT Track Package cars like the one I tested provide at least a partial solution for those looking for hot laps.
Driving Notes

Ford and GM link bonus checks to quality scores

The poor first quarter earnings of Ford and General Motors are having an effect all the way up the food chain. Both automakers struggled with recalls in the first three months of the year, and, according to The Detroit News, they have responded by increasing the percentage of bonuses tied to vehicle quality for salaried workers, including top executives.
GM announced that 25 percent of bonuses (up from 10 percent) for all salaried workers would be tied to its vehicle quality standards. The automaker revealed in its financial report that it spent $1.3 billion on recall-related repairs in the first quarter, and net income was down 86 percent.
Ford also increased the quality proportion of bonuses for about 26,000 salaried workers all the way up to CEO Alan Mulally from 10 percent to 20 percent. The company announced in its report that the amount paid out in warranty and recall claims was about $400 million higher than expected in the first quarter. Its net income fell 39 percent from the previous year. "The change reflects how critical quality is to our overall business," said spokesperson Todd Nissen speaking to Autoblog.