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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.

BMW, Hyundai score big in JD Power's first Tech Experience Index

While automakers are quick to brag about winning a JD Power Initial Quality Study award, the reality, as we've pointed out before, is that these ratings are somewhat misleading, since IQS doesn't necessarily distinguish genuine quality issues. JD Power's new Tech Experience Index aims to solve that problem. The new metric takes the same 90-day approach as IQS but focuses exclusively on technology – collision protection, comfort and convenience, driving assistance, entertainment and connectivity, navigation, and smartphone mirroring. It splits the industry up into just seven segments, based loosely on size, which is why the Chevrolet Camaro is in the same division (mid-size) as Kia Sorento and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class is in the same segment as the Hyundai Genesis (mid-size premium). It makes for some screwy bedfellows, to be sure. Still, splitting tech experience away from initial quality should allow customers to make more informed and intelligent decisions when buying new vehicles. In the inaugural study, respondents listed BMW and Hyundai as the big winners, with two segment awards – the 2 Series for small premium and the 4 Series for compact premium, and the Genesis for mid-size premium and Tucson for small segment. The Chevrolet Camaro (midsize), Kia Forte (compact), and Nissan Maxima (large) scored individual wins. Ford also had a surprising hit with the Lincoln MKC, which ranked third in the compact premium segment behind the 4 Series and Lexus IS. This is a coup for the Blue Oval, whose woeful MyFord Touch systems made the brand a victim of the IQS' flaws in the early 2010s. But Ford and other automakers might not want to celebrate just yet. According to JD Power, there's still a lot of room for improvement – navigation systems were the lowest-rated piece of tech in the study. Instead, customers repeatedly saluted collision-avoidance and safety systems, giving the category the best marks of the study and listing blind-spot monitoring and backup cameras as two must-have features – 96 percent of respondents said they wanted those two systems in their next vehicle. But this isn't really a surprise. Implementation of safety systems from brand to brand is similar, and they don't require any input from users, unlike navigation and infotainment systems which are frustratingly deep.

10 best new car deals of November 2021

Sales of new cars, trucks and SUVs were drastically affected in 2020 due to the (still) ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The market started to show signs of recovery toward the end of last year before really coming on strong in the early months of 2021. Of course, then pandemic-related parts and worker shortages along with global shipping constraints started running amok and causing a great deal of pricing fluctuation and a limited supply of certain vehicles. Those problems (among other things) have led to record-high new-car transaction prices in the United States. The good news is that there are still plenty of great deals on new cars. Using data provided by TrueCar, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best automotive deals for November 2021. WeÂ’ve noted the original MSRP, the average transaction price, and the total savings in both dollars and as a percentage of the original sticker price. Basically, weÂ’ve done all the hard work for you! So now, all you need to do is compare deals, go on a few test drives, and maybe drive away in a great car (and an even better bargain).