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Race Recap: 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans defines 'endurance'

Commenting on the rush of events that rocked beginning and end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans said "the race is about the ability to endure, not just the ability of drivers to do what they do for a long time." The entire race machine, all the way down to the pit boards and radios, has to survive the stress and abuse of the entire day. This was the race to prove those words.
There were two Toyotas, two Porsches and three Audis, five of the seven led the race at some point, six of the seven ran in the top three. Toyota will be hugely disappointed that it didn't win when its car and drivers were so, so strong, but they gave Audi the kind of scare we haven't seen since the best of Peugeot's days, and Toyota did a better job of it even in the loss. Porsche blew away everyone's expectations, falling 3.5 hours short of a fairy tale ending that would have made Disney cry.
But Le Mans doesn't really do fairy tales. Well, not that fairy tale. Audi's Twitter handle during the event was #welcomechallenges. As usual, Le Mans answered for the entire field.

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.

Worker killed at Nissan Tennessee plant

A worker has died at the Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna, TN following an accident. According to The Detroit News, the tragedy happened Thursday and involved a large electric panel that fell while it was being moved. The victim was not a Nissan employee, he was a worker for Michigan-based supplier Complete Automation.
Nissan has not released the name of the deceased, but has vowed to cooperate with the authorities investigating the accident. The Murfreesboro Post notes that this is the second death at the plant in recent years - in 2012, a transport truck driver was killed after his rig rolled forward, crushing him between his cab and trailer.