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Recharge Wrap-up: BYD electric buses at Special Olympics, hybrids perform better than rated

A new study finds that real-world fuel economy of hybrids could be significantly higher than EPA ratings. Researchers at the University of Vermont, with the help of their own "total on-board tailpipe emissions measurement system," found the fuel savings of Toyota Camry Hybrid over a standard Camry to exceed its sticker values by 18 percent on the highway and 33 percent in the city. The results of this study suggest that the projections of the fuel and emissions benefits of hybrids could be adjusted to reflect more these more positive real world values. The study's authors, Britt A. Holmen and Karen M. Sentoff, say more research is warranted based on these findings, and that "similar studies can be used to develop robust models of all types of HEV platforms under actual driving conditions and improve quantitative estimates of the future fleet contributions to the US CO2 emissions inventory and petroleum consumption." Read more at Green Car Congress. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt made an appearance at the 2015 Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chevy displayed the silver Volt alongside a Camaro and Malibu of the same color and model year. The Volt also recently made an appearance at the premier of Tomorrowland with George Clooney behind the wheel. Read more at The News Wheel. BYD electric buses provided transportation at the Special Olympics 2015 World Games in Long Beach, CA. Shuttling 6,500 athletes required the help of multiple charter companies, including local buses from the Chinese automaker. "BYD stepped up majorly as one of our key supporters and their tremendous efforts made our athletes feel welcomed," says Long Beach Community Foundation President and CEO, and 2015 Host Town Transportation Coordinator Marcelle Epley. "We depended on them, and they came through 100 percent." Both Los Angeles and Long Beach have recently decided to purchase electric buses from BYD. Read more in the press release below. BYD Zero-Emission Buses Used to Transport Athletes at 2015 World Games LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This week the largest Special Olympics ever was hosted in the City of Long Beach – thousands of athletes, coaches, dignitaries and families descended upon Los Angeles for what was a spectacular week of uplifting camaraderie, sportsmanship and competition.

GM recalls 740,000 vehicles over daytime running light issue

General Motors is recalling over 740,000 vehicles due to a daytime running light issue that causes all of the affected cars to run afoul of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Vehicles affected by this recall are spread across many of GM’s brands. Models include the 2020-2023 Cadillac CT4 and CT5, 2021-2023 Buick Envision, 2022-2023 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, 2022-2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe and 2022-2023 GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL. GM says that the daytime running lights may remain on in these cars when the headlights are activated. This is a problem, because FMVSS rules require that the daytime running lights deactivate once the headlights turn on. If the DRLs remain on, GM says that could result in additional glare, thereby increasing the risk of an accident. The cause of this failure to deactivate the DRLs comes from body control module software that “under a combination of certain pre-conditions, could fail to deactivate the DRLs,” according to GM. Other GM vehicles were tested, but due to a difference in software or hardware, they remain unaffected. If this is reminding you of another recent GM recall, youÂ’d be right, as GM recalled another 340,000 vehicles for the same issue last month. After that original issue was found within GM, the company began looking into its other cars to determine if the population was larger than originally thought. GM found the additional vehicles included in todayÂ’s recall have the problem. The fix will either be via an over-the-air update or it will require you to bring the vehicle into a dealer for a software update, depending on which vehicle you have. Owner notification letters letting folks know what is necessary are currently scheduled to go out on January 23, 2023. Related video: Cadillac Escalade Infotainment Review

GM announces 3 new recalls affecting 1.7M vehicles in North America [w/video]

Still embroiled in the ongoing ignition switch recall, General Motors announced today three more discrete recalls, affecting a grand total of 1,546,900 vehicles in the US. The Detroit News reports that some 1.7 million vehicles are affected overall in North America. The first and largest of the trio of new recalls concerns some 1.18-million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from 2009-2013 (pictured above) and Saturn Outlook vehicles from 2008-2010. All of the crossover utilities may have an issue with the wiring harness for their seat-mounted side airbags. Apparently, the vehicles are equipped with a Service Air Bag warning light that, if ignored, "will eventually result in the non-deployment of the side impact restraints." Those restraints include the side airbags, a front-center airbag if the vehicle is so equipped and seatbelt pretensioners. Dealers of affected vehicles will be instructed to remove driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness connectors, and then "splice and solder the wires together." The second recall affects 303,000 Chevrolet Express (pictured right) and GMC Savana vans from model years 2009-2014, and with gross vehicle weights under 10,000 pounds. Said vehicles do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants, and will need a reworking of the instrument panel material to be sent back on the road. It doesn't sound as though there's a quick fix for this one, as the GM press release states: "Unsold vehicles have been placed on a stop delivery until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available." Finally, the third recall affects 63,900 Cadillac XTS luxury sedans from model years 2013 and 2014. A brake booster pump may be susceptible to corrosion by way of the relay, potentially causing and electrical short, overheating, melting of plastic components and even engine fires. GM says it is aware of two engine fires in unsold XTS models and two cases of melted parts. Repairs for the issues affecting the XTS have not not mentioned by GM in the release. The Detroit News is also reporting that along with news of the triple-recall, GM is taking a $300-million credit to help pay for the repair costs, and to deal with the ongoing costs associated with the ignition switch recall. In an attempt to explain just what GM has been doing in the face of these very serious issues, newly minted CEO Mary Barra has addressed the issues in a new video.