Electric Cars Coming To A Government Near You

It’s no secret that the current administration had planned to replace aging fleet vehicles with electric ones, since President Obama is a big proponent of electrifying the federal fleet. Reports of a 100-unit electric vehicle purchase have been circulating for the better part of a year, and we now know what those vehicles will be, where they’re going and what the government hopes to learn by rolling them out.

The General Services Administration will be buying 101 Chevrolet Volts, 10 Nissan Leafs and 5 Think City EV models, with delivery not taking place until 2012. This gives the GSA time to get a charging infrastructure in place, and gives both Chevrolet and Nissan time to catch up on consumer demand for their electric vehicles.

The vehicles will go to 20 government agencies in five cities, including Detroit, Washington, D.C., San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Agencies getting the electric vehicles include all branches of the armed forces, the Veterans Administration and the Energy Department. In support of the rollout, the government is expected to install some 100 charging stations at federal buildings in California, Washington, D.C., and Michigan.

The purchase decision was made after reviewing a wide range of electric vehicle choices. The administration specified that the vehicles had to be built in America, and all three will qualify by the time of delivery. Chevrolet currently builds the Volt at their Hamtramck plant in Michigan, while the Think City EV is built in Elkhart, Indiana. Nissan Leaf models are currently imported from Japan, but Nissan is scheduled to begin production of the Leaf in Tennessee next year.

The electric car purchase is part of the administration’s plan to cut dependence on foreign oil. Hybrid vehicle purchases for the federal fleet have doubled in the past two years, and the president has stated that all federal vehicles purchased by 2015 would use fuel-saving “advanced technology." An executive order even calls for the federal government to reduce gasoline consumption by 30 percent among federal fleet vehicles by 2020.

[The Detroit News]

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Report: Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch coming in 2012

Thursday, Mar 31st, 2011 @ 7:45 a.m.

When Leftlane first posted pictures of an intercooled, body kit-equipped three-door Fiesta testing on Michigan public roads in March 2010, Ford was quick to dismiss the car as a one-off aftermarket specialty car.

But Leftlane knew better than to buy that story, and even brought more photos of a similar car across the pond testing in Germany, making the odds of it being a “one-off specialty car” close to nil. Fast-forward a few months without any news on a possible Fiesta ST, and now Autocar is reporting that a hopped-up ST Fiesta is indeed confirmed for 2012.

As Leftlane had suggested all along based on inside sources privy to such matters, the Fiesta ST is expected to use a turbocharged – or EcoBoosted as Ford would prefer we say – version of the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder than churns out 120 horsepower when it isn’t being force-fed air. Autocar believes that the Fiesta ST will boast about 180 horsepower, but don’t rule out power figures as high as 200.

Although not confirmed, expect a six-speed manual to finally make its way onto the Fiesta for this application, while the six-speed dual-clutch automatic Ford offers in the standard car may or may not be available.

This hot little hatchback was sporting a revised front fascia, and an all-new split dual-exhaust design poking out from the rear bumper. Up front, an intercooler appears to be visible through the mesh grille work of the Fiesta’s air dam.

In Europe, this Fiesta ST will be set to do battle with the Renault Clio 200 and Seat Ibizia Cupra, but thanks to Ford’s new “One Ford” global development program, U.S. customers should benefit from Europe’s small hot-hatch wars.

What we’ve seen in testing
The Fiesta prototype we have previously spied has a handful of tasteful black-out bits and a subtle body kit that appeared at the time to have been lifted from the options list of European Fiesta’s, as well as elements of Europe’s titanium trim. But with Ford’s recent announcement of new sport packages, it appears that the testing prototype was sporting a few tidbits that will also be available on the naturally aspirated unit.

The prototype’s new rear diffuser is also similar to one of the Euro add-ons, but it has been tweaked to integrate the new dual exhaust tips for a nicely finished and certainly sporty look. Fetching carbon-grey Speedline wheels complete the package.

Custom interior to match the exterior
Although the door panels and dash appear to be stock in both prototypes we have spied, our latest images confirm racing-style Recaro seats with bright yellow stitching. We expect minor interior changes, possibly in the form of additional boost and diagnostic gauges, as well as unique ST badging to arrive in time for the production model.

More than one EcoBoost Fiesta in the future?
Although far from confirmed, Leftlane has also learned that Ford is hard at work testing a smaller, 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder EcoBoost offering for the Fiesta. This engine, according to inside sources, will yield a fuel economy bump into the low to mid-40s, while yielding power essentially identical to the larger, naturally-aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder.

Depending on packaging, a second, smaller and eco-minded EcoBoost Fiesta could prove to be a great alternative to a hybrid with a faster return on investment, along with the fun that boosted vehicles are known for.

References
1.’New Fiesta ST…’ view

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Pagani Huayra Roadster variant coming, new coupe footage revealed [Video]

Friday, Mar 25th, 2011 @ 4:28 a.m.

Italian exotic supercar builder Pagani made a name for itself with its now well-known Zonda and its many unique variants. But as with most things, time brings progression, and in this case time brought us a replacement car for the Zonda in the form of the new Huayra.

At launch, Pagani only discussed and showcased its production form coupe model, but already there is confirmation from Pagani’s CEO that a roadster variant is coming, thanks to Autoblog.com.ar.

The Huayra Roadster is expected to arrive in about three years, according to the brand’s chief, but no further details on the car were discussed. So while we may not have a Huayra Roadster for three years, we can at least enjoy footage of the coupe until then.

(More after video)

Interestingly, Horacio Pagani did also reveal that his personal choice for the Huayra’s name was actually “Da Vinci,” a name that obviously didn’t make it to the production model, but certainly would have made pronunciation much easier.

References
1.’Entrevista exclusiva…’ view
2.’Horacio Pagani says…’ view

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