1964 Chevy C-10 Long Bed Fully Restored on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Official USPS Muscle Cars stamps coming to a mailbox near you

As much as our digital lives have cut down on our trips to the post office, there are still times that sending "snail mail" is necessary. With us car lovers in mind and philately in their hearts, the good folks at the United States Postal Service will introduce a new stamp design called "Muscle Cars" starting on February 22.
Designed by artist Tom Fritz, the new collection of stamps consist of five classic muscle cars: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1966 Pontiac GTO and 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. In addition to just the stamps, the USPS is also commemorating the new series with plenty of collectable memorabilia. Previous car-related stamps include 50s Sporty Cars from 2005 and 50s Fins and Chrome from 2008.

Recharge Wrap-up: U of M wins Solar Challenge, family attempts record-breaking e-bike ride

The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has won the 2014 American Solar Challenge. It is the team's eighth national championship, its fifth in a row, and its first using Siemens' product lifecycle management (PLM) software. The race took place over 1,722 miles and seven days traveling across eight states. The team's car, called "Quantum," outpaced the nearest competitor by four hours. Looking forward, Michigan Solar Car Project Manager Pavan Naik says, "The switch to Siemens tools will give us the ability to model and simulate everything and truly allow us to optimize the performance of our new vehicle. As we start on our quest to win the World Solar Challenge in 2015, we'll be leveraging a full complement of PLM solutions." Read more in the press release below. The EcoCar3 competition, in which teams will convert Chevrolet Camaros into hybrid electric cars, begins in September. The various college teams will have four years to lessen the car's environmental impact as much as possible while maintaining performance and, of course, that cool Camaro design. EcoCar3, which is put on by the US Department of Energy and General Motors, kicks off with a workshop in Novi, Michigan from September 16 - 18. Read more at the DOE website at the dedicated EcoCar3 site or watch the announcement video at our previous post. Zap and Jonway Auto are shifting to a high rate of EV production. Zap already has two lines creating the Urbee EV to met demand, and is switching over a third to make electric minivans and SUVs. The company aims to produce 30,000 EVs by 2015 for the Chinese market. Zap says it has a backlog of 25,000 Urbee orders. Read more in the press release below. A family of four hopes to make a world record-breaking, 6,000-mile electric bike journey this fall. The family, which recently drove from Argentina to Montana in a pickup with a camper, will ride from Montana to Maine, then down the East Coast to Florida in an attempt to break the record for longest electric bicycle ride. They'll use two bikes. The Father, Thomas, will ride one of the bikes carrying one of the children, while the rest of the family rides in a support vehicle, with the mother, Dylan, riding the second bike when they can find others to drive. They have started a crowdfunding campaign for some of the equipment needed to document the trip. See the video below or read more at Treehugger.

New recall issued in 2019 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra brake software saga

General Motors (GM) has issued a new recall for select 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks that aims to resolve a faulty fix for a previous recall. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) campaign No. 20V055000, a software update for the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) could cause the electronic brake assist to be disabled.  The NHTSA first launched a recall for 463,995 Silverados, Sierras, and Cadillac CT6es on December 12, 2019 due to a software issue in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) that could disable the electronic stability control (ESC) and anti-lock braking system (ABS). As a response and resolution to that recall, GM began to reprogram the software in affected vehicles. GM later learned that the fix was creating a different problem. The installed software had its own error that was disabling the electronic brake assist. If customers see “Service Brake Assist” or “Service ECS" diagnostic warnings, they should park the vehicle and have it towed to a dealership, GM warns. While GM was going through the process of testing, pinpointing the issue, determining action and working with the NHTSA, safety experts have criticized Chevrolet and GMC for not reacting promptly and appropriately.  According to the recall, 148,055 are now affected, all of which do not meet the standards of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems." To fix the braking issue, GM will once again reprogram the software. GM began notifying owners of the recall on February 10, 2020. Related Video: