1926 Model T Ford Tudor on 2040-cars

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Would you pay $17 a month to give your older Ford connectivity?

When it was first introduced in 2007, there was nothing like the original Ford Sync system, since it allowed car owners to connect and use a portable device better than anything that came before it. And because it was a brought-in/tethered and software-based system, Sync leveraged a device's connectivity and was easily updated. It took competitors awhile to catch up: Toyota Entune wasn't available until 2011, and Chevy MyLink didn't roll out until 2012. But now Ford is the one playing catchup since it stuck with the brought-in strategy while most other automakers were quicker to add connectivity via an embedded cellular modem. Ford initially installed 2G/3G modems in its small fleet of electric and plug-in electric vehicles starting in 2012 so that owners could keep tabs on charging. Embedded connectivity came to Lincoln in 2014, and Ford began adding onboard 4G LTE via Sync Connect to select cars starting with the Escape in 2015. To get more cars connected more quickly, last week the automaker rolled out its FordPass SmartLink solution that plugs into the OBD port of 2010 to 2017 model year vehicles. This lets owners retroactively get onboard Wi-Fi, set up a "geo-fence" to keep tabs on a car's location, receive vehicle health reports and allows remote engine starting and door locking/unlocking using a smartphone app, among other features. But to connect older Ford vehicles will cost owners $16.99 a month for two years, not including installation. Ford throws in 1 GB of data or a 30-day trial, whichever comes first, after which owners have to add the vehicle to their Verizon shared data plan, which supplies connectivity for SmartLink, or establish a new account. (Disclosure: Autoblog is owned by Verizon.) By comparison, GM's 4G LTE data plans start at $10 a month for 200 MB and goes up to $30 for 3 GB, and owners can also add a car to an AT&T shared-data plan. But OnStar doesn't have a separate monthly subscription for the embedded modem or an installation charge, and standard features via the RemoteLink Mobile App are free for the first five years of ownership. FCA's Uconnect Access service also uses an embedded modem to provide similar telematics features for $20 per month following a free one-year trial, while a la carte in-car Wi-Fi is offered for $10 per day, $20 per week or $35 per month.

Toyota sells six of 10 of hybrids in California

In an apparent shot back at Ford's increasing market share of electrified vehicles and claim that it accepts more Prius trade-ins for its own hybrids than any other car, Toyota has flexed a muscle and played the numbers game to put the Blue Oval in its place.
Leaning on its hybrid market dominance in California, the Japanese automaker stated that six out of 10 hybrids sold in the Golden State are Toyota models. And it keeps coming: Year-to-date through May 2013, Toyota sold five times more hybrids than Ford. One of every two hybrids in California is a Prius model. In addition, Toyota notes that it has sold 1.5 million Prius vehicles in the US, 90-percent of which are still on the road today.
Want more? We'll let Bill Fay, Toyota's group vice president and general manager of sales lay the smack down:

Recharge Wrap-up: Ford 1.0L EcoBoost a hit in Europe; Build a tiny inverter, win $1 million

In Europe, Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is the best-selling turbocharged gasoline engine. The three-cylinder motor powers 20 percent of new Fords sold in Europe. Earlier this year, it won its third International Engine of the Year award, and between January and June, it was sold in about 120,000 cars. So far this year, 38 percent of Fords sold in the Netherlands, 35 percent in Denmark and 32 percent in Switzerland have been powered by the 1.0-liter EcoBoost. The engine's turbocharger spins at 248,000 rpm, and provides 24 psi of pressure. The engine produces up to 138 horsepower, depending on the version. Read more in the press release below. When lithium-ion battery packs are retired from the road, remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling are worthwhile options, according to a study by Mineta Transportation Institute. The study included a cost-benefit analysis of those three options, and found remanufacturing to be the best route. To get the most out of them, batteries should be tested and have their damaged cells replaced then put back to use. Repurposing is the second best option, using the remaining available charge for something besides cars. Recycling on its own isn't profitable, but it could make economic sense with "increased technological breakthroughs." Learn more at Recycling International or download the report here. A smaller inverter for EVs can win you $1 million. The Little Box Challenge is an open competition to build a power inverter with a density of at least 50 watts per cubic inch. Google and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are offering the hefty prize to the team that builds the inverter with the highest power density within an enclosed volume of 40 cubic inches. Teams must register by September 30. Read more at Green Car Congress or learn more at the Little Box Challenge website.