Chevy Silverado 1500 / 5.7 / 2 Owner / Only 90k Miles / Reg Cab / Rust Free / on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: EV torque secrets, UC Davis maps future of biofuels

A UC Davis white paper maps out "Three Routes Forward for Biofuels," balancing investment risk with carbon benefits. The first option is "incremental," in which we tinker with the existing biofuel manufacturing infrastructure for small improvements over time. The "transitional" plan suggests integrating cellulosic production and other innovations with existing operations. The third route, called "leapfrogging," would mean building refineries based on new technology such as cellulosic and algae-based biofuels. The paper suggests ways the US could use these three routes together in different areas, and predicts the payoffs in terms of carbon emissions could be significant if the right people are willing to risk the capital. After all, financial advisers are always telling investors to diversify their portfolios to manage risk and rewards in the same way. Read more over at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. The Formula E Long Beach ePrix will offer free admission. The seventh round of the inaugural all-electric race season, which was moved from Los Angeles to the streets of Long Beach, will offer fans free grandstand and general admission. The race, which takes place on April 5, 2015, will use a 1.6-mile portion of IndyCar's Grand Prix of Long Beach. Read more at LA Times. Polaris is now offering its 2015 GEM electric vehicles, including the new street-legal eM1400 LSV. The passenger and utility vehicles come in two- to six-passenger configurations, many of which are street legal on roads with posted speed limits of up to 35 miles per hour. The eM1400 LSV utility vehicle seats two, offers 1,250 pounds of payload, 1,250 pounds of towing capacity, a top speed of 25 mph and a range of up to 45 miles. Its on-board charger plugs into any standard 110-volt outlet. Read more at Hybrid Cars and check out all the different configurations yourself at the Polaris website. In EVs, more torque does not always equal faster. Green Car Reports found this out when driving the Fiat 500e (with 147 pound-feet) against the similarly weighted Chevrolet Spark EV (with 400 pound-feet). The secret is, at least in part, in the gearing. The Fiat has a 9.6:1 reduction gear, making it quicker at lower speeds despite having far less available torque, while the Chevy uses a 3:1 ratio. The trade-off though, is in top speed. Furthermore, Chevy electronically limits the torque delivery at low speeds, as 400 pound-feet is a lot of launch for the little Spark EV to handle.

Rumor: 2016 Chevy Volt gets 53 miles EV range, 40% increase

While we're still waiting for the official word from GM, news is creeping around the Internet that the 2016 Chevy Volt will get a big boost in all-electric range and gas-burning efficiency. According to new rumors out today, the second-gen Volt will be able to go 53 miles on a full charge, have 106 MPGe and be able to get 42 miles per gallon on the official EPA numbers. Compared to the outgoing first-gen Volt (38 miles EV range, 98 MPGe, and 37 mpg) these are all impressive increases. The all-electric range boost of almost 40 percent is the biggest surprise, though. We knew the new Volt would get better numbers than the first-gen model, but when GM debuted the car in Detroit earlier this year, it said it suspected the Volt would get a 50-mile range, 41 mpg and 102 MPGe. We'll be keeping an eye out for official confirmation of all these new numbers. Volt drivers are already making most of their driving miles electric. The number sits at about 80 percent currently, and GM has said it expects this to climb to 90 percent in the new model. GM said in May that the 2016 Volt will start at $33,995, a bit lower than the current Volt's MSRP of $34,170 before any tax breaks. So, for less money you'll be getting much better fuel economy. What's not to like about that? Preorders are already open for interested buyers in some parts of the country. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Chevy Volt View 16 Photos News Source: GM Authority, Autoguide Green Chevrolet Fuel Efficiency mpg ev range

PickupTrucks.com's latest test results in a familiar winner [w/video]

PickupTrucks.com has gone and thrown the latest batch of half-ton pickups into a cage match to see who would come out on top. The site put the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2013 Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan through a battery of tests. Those included 0-60 miles per hour acceleration, 60-0 mph deceleration, fuel economy, a hill climb, and payload and towing. They even threw the rigs on an autocross course to evaluate overall handling. Each truck was given points based on how it scored in each evaluation.
Who came out on top? Somewhat surprisingly, the 2013 Ford F-150 walked away with the gold, though fewer than 50 points separated first and fourth place. Head over to PickupTrucks.com to read the full evaluation and the final results. You may be shocked to see exactly where some of the segment's newest additions placed. You can also watch a video on the test below.