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NRG eVgo ready for 'No Charge to Charge' in Atlanta

That loop of highways circumnavigating the city of Atlanta is about to get some fast chargers. And, for those driving newer Nissan Leaf electric vehicles, some free chargers as well, for the next couple of years. It's the new taste of southern hospitality. NRG Energy, which has been expanding its NRG Evgo fast-charging networks across the country, is now going into the Atlanta metro area. The stations, which can fully charge an electric vehicle in as few as 30 minutes, will be located "along major thoroughfares in retail locations." This makes sense, since Atlanta has emerged as a major plug-in vehicle market this year. Additionally, the "No Charge to Charge" program that NRG eVgo helps administer will apply in NRG eVgo's Atlanta network. That means that Georgians who either buy or lease Leaf EVs will be allowed to charge their cars at the eVgo stations for free for the first two years. Other eVgo programs are up and running in Texas, Phoenix, Nashville, Washington, D.C. and the Pacific Northwest. Last month, the NRG eVgo program took over a proposed fast-charging network in Chicago, where charging-station deployments had stalled. Take a look at the NRG eVgo press release for Atlanta below. NRG eVgo Announces Electric Vehicle Charging Network in Atlanta ATLANTA, December 09, 2014 – NRG eVgo, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), is expanding its comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure designed to support EV drivers whenever and wherever they choose to charge - at single family or apartment residences, at work, on the road, or even at the airport to the Atlanta metro area. The new network will give Atlanta EV drivers unprecedented access to cutting-edge fast charging technology and bring much-needed EV infrastructure to the region. "We are pleased that NRG has chosen to expand its eVgo charging network in the City of Atlanta," said Mayor Kasim Reed. "Establishing a robust fast-charging network is essential to even broader adoption of electric vehicle use, both here in Atlanta and across the country." Recently, according to IHS Automotive, Atlanta emerged as the second major metropolitan market for EV sales, following San Francisco. Atlanta is geographically large, meaning most people commute to work, and have a need for a sustainable, reliable charging infrastructure.

Nine cars we wish were convertibles

The snow has melted, the sun is shining, and the days are getting longer. At the Autoblog Detroit office we feel like our winter hibernation is finally over. And with warmer temperatures come visions of opening up a convertible roof and cruising. You know, just turn up the bass and let the Alpine blast. There are plenty of droptops on sale in the US, and more on the way (like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata). That said, we always want more. More! More! More! In that spirit, we cooked up a list of nine cars aren't currently sold as convertible, but ought to be. Check out our picks, below. Summer's just around the corner. Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S In some parallel universe, this car actually happened. Toyota showed us a FT 86 Convertible concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, and we immediately started licking our chops over the thought of a rear-wheel-drive convertible based on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S twins. These days, the MX-5 Miata is our only option for affordable roadster fun. A competitor to the Mazda seems like a no-brainer to us, especially since we have naught but good to say about the BRZ/FR-S as-is. Unfortunately in our present timeline, this car is as likely for production as a BRZ STI. Which is to say, not very. Dang. Lexus RC F Unlike the FR-S, a convertible from Toyota's luxury division might actually see the light of day. The current IS convertible is about to be phased out, and the Lexus LF-C2 concept from the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is really a thinly veiled look at a possible RC convertible. A droptop RC would be plenty good, but let's reach for the starts. What we really want is to run topless in an RC F, complete with that powerful, loud, 5.0-liter V8 engine. Lexus says the RC F is a true competitor to the BMW M4. If that's true, it only makes sense for Lexus to mimic the Germans and offer its performance coupe in a folding hardtop form. Maybach Landaulet Maybach is bach back, recast as an upper crust trim level for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is seriously awesome, and more luxurious than a trip to the spa. But why not go a step into the truly ridiculous levels of extravagence and bring back that open-top Landaulet? We think your local princess will love this idea, and with better S-Class bones underneath, Jeeves will have a pretty enjoyable ship to steer, too. Besides, with that slick new Mercedes design language, a Landaulet redux wouldn't be nearly as hideous as the old model, pictured here.

Nissan Leaf hits 3,000 sales in July, Chevy Volt climbs over 2,000

It was a good sales month for both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, with the two 'elder statesman' plug-in vehicles reaching numerical milestones in July. The Leaf sold 3,019 units and the Volt crossed the 2,000 sales level for the first time in 2014, hitting 2,020 sales. With Tesla also announcing it is delivering around 2,500 Model S EVs a month (but that's globally, compared to the US-only numbers for the Volt and Leaf we're talking about here) and Ford's plug-in vehicles selling well, we are certainly in a golden moment for EV sales. The Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. For the Volt, the 2,020 units sold represents a 13 percent increase from July of 2013 even thought year-to-date sales are down 8.7 percent this year compared to last year. Overall, total Chevrolet deliveries for July 2014 were up eight percent compared to 2013, so the Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. On the Leaf front, this is only the second time that the EV has sold more than 3,000 units in a month (the other being in May of this year). The year-over-year increase for the Leaf was 62 percent in July and represents the 17th straight month of record sales, as Nissan is more than happy to report each month. Overall, Leaf sales are up 34.6 percent, year-to-date, and Nissan's director of Leaf sales and infrastructure, Brendan Jones, said in a statement that a free public charging incentive was responsible. "Since we launched the No Charge to Charge promotion in the first 10 markets, we've seen a surge in Leaf sales in those areas. Leaf sales in the northeastern US are also picking up with new tax incentives for Massachusetts and Maryland residents." With No Charge To Charge set to expand to 25 markets over the next year, we expect Leaf sales to continue to grow. We will have our monthly look at all green car sales available soon, so stay tuned. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric PHEV ev sales