Ford Mustang Gt Convertible 5.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Ford Transit Connect Taxi hopes to fare thee well

New York City may have selected its taxi of tomorrow, but there are still plenty of municipalities across the US with citizens that depend on yellow livery cars to get them across town in a jiffy. That's why Ford is going ahead with this, the new Transit Connect Taxi.
Based on the 2014 Transit Connect, the TC Taxi boasts a number of features designed to make the compact van appeal to discerning taxi drivers and their fares, with the most notable upgrade being a standardized prep package to convert the 2.5-liter four to run on liquefied petroleum or compressed natural gas. The clean-burning fuel options will allow operators to save on fuel costs and cut down on pollution without sacrificing performance.
A lower load floor and a new twist-beam rear suspension are meant to improve the riding experience for passengers, while the longer 2014 Transit Connect sports extra cargo space as well. In addition to the CNG/LPG conversion, the Transit Connect Taxi can also be easily modified for wheelchair access. Drivers, meanwhile, will have access to optional goodies like Sync with MyFord Touch and a rear-view camera.

Ford cuts F-150 fuel use through CNG-capable fleet sales, EcoBoost

The possibility of $1-a-gallon fuel would make a lot of US governmental entities sit up and take notice. The state of Oklahoma and the city of Dallas are making that happen. Those two entities are buying up a bunch of Ford F-150 pickups retrofitted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), all in the name of cost savings and emissions reduction. Oklahoma is buying 256 of the F-150s, while Dallas is buying another 65. The trucks, which cost between $6,000 and $9,500 to retrofit (on top of the original price), can run on either CNG or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). And while that's a substantial hit, conversion costs are typically paid back in three years thanks to lower refueling costs. CNG prices are as low as $1.07 a gallon in parts of Oklahoma. How much lower? The national average price for CNG is about a buck and a half less than the $3.67 average per-gallon cost of gasoline. And CNG prices are as low as $1.07 a gallon in parts of Oklahoma, where CNG is plentiful. CNG also cuts tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions by about 20 percent compared with gasoline, while the retrofitted trucks can go as far as 450 miles from their CNG tanks in addition to the 300-mile range from their conventional tanks. That's useful in a bit state like Texas. This week, the US Energy Department trumpeted a $5.9-billion loan program that Ford accessed to upgrade its factories for production of its EcoBoost engines, noting that Ford has sold a half-million F-150 trucks with EcoBoost engines. Those trucks have collectively cut fuel use by almost 57 million gallons of gas during the past three-plus years. Check out Ford's press release on the F-150 purchases below and the Energy Department's statement about its loan program here. OKLAHOMA, DALLAS ORDER 300-PLUS CNG-CAPABLE FORD F-150 PICKUPS AS DEMAND GROWS FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL OPTION The state of Oklahoma and its agencies to buy 256 Ford F-150 trucks prepped to run on compressed natural gas; Dallas orders 65 for its fleet 2014 F-150 available with gaseous-fuel prep option on 3.7-liter V6 engine; can run on CNG or liquefied petroleum gas (also called propane autogas) By summer, Ford will offer eight vehicles that can run on clean-burning, affordable CNG; the company is on track to sell more than 15,000 such vehicles in 2014 The state of Oklahoma, its agencies and the city of Dallas have ordered a total of 321 Ford F-150 pickups that can run on compressed natural gas.

Recharge Wrap-up: Ford announces e-bike project, Honda Accord Hybrid availability catches up

Supplies of the Honda Accord Hybrid have apparently caught up with demand. Honda originally launched the Accord Hybrid for the 2014 model year, but lack of availability plagued interested customers and eager dealers alike. Honda cited "component supply constraints" - likely batteries, electric motors and the like - for the lack of available vehicles. Now, "The supply of Accord Hybrids in general is in line with the supply of the regular Accord sedan," according to Honda's Angie Nucci. Read more at Green Car Reports. Apple is seeking a resolution to a lawsuit accusing the company of poaching employees from lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems. A123 has requested a court order stopping a former employer from breaking an employment agreement, as well as keeping Apple from encouraging the person to do so. Apple has requested more time to respond to that court order. A123 has also filed a suit accusing five employees of breaking nondisclosure agreements and going or trying to go to work for Apple. Insiders say that Apple is developing an electric car that could go into production as early as 2020. Read more at Automotive News. South Dakota's Ethanol Infrastructure Incentive Program is helping retailers fund ethanol storage. The state government has set aside $300,000 as part of the program to fund ethanol storage tanks at gas stations. The program, which originally set out to reimburse retailers for building ethanol flex-pumps, is now helping them expand their ethanol capacities. Retailers can apply for funds for pumps and storage through June 30. Read more at Argus Leader. Ford is expanding its Global Mobility Plan with the Handle on Mobility electric bike experiment. The foldable MoDe:Me e-bike is for personal use and commuting, while the MoDe:Pro is built for commercial duty, with both powered by a 200-watt motor and 9-amp-hour battery. The bikes use an iPhone app called MoDe:Link, which provides various information and controls important bike functions. Through the app, the bikes offer navigation (with traffic data, available public transportation and charging locations included), with handlebar vibrations letting the rider know when and where to turn and automatically activating turn signals. The bike can sense and alert the rider to other vehicles on the roadway. Pedal assist is based on heart rate, allowing the rider to arrive at their destination comfortably. See the bikes in the video above, and read more from Ford.