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General Motors said today that dealers in all 50 states can take orders for the 2012 Chevy Volt, which will come in a model priced just below $40,000.

The plug-in hybrid Volt is now available in six different models, rather than three, with the lowest listed at $39,995, or about $1,000 less than the 2011 price. The high-end model with leather, backup camera, navigation system, and other features is $46,265. Prices include the destination fee but not other taxes and fees.

Buyers can benefit from a federal tax credit of $7,500 for plug-in vehicles with … Read more

Count this as another perk of working for Google: free fuel for your electric car.

Google today said that it counts itself as the largest electric-vehicle charging station operator with about 200 chargers installed and another 250 ordered. The company's goal is to have 5 percent of its parking spaces equipped with electric-vehicle chargers, made available for free to Googlers.

"Our expanded charging system has already helped several Googlers decide to buy new EVs of their own, and we hope others will, too," wrote Rolf Schreiber, technical program manager for electric transportation at Google, in a company blog. … Read more

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced today that German auto manufacturers Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, and Volkswagen have agreed to support HomePlug's Green PHY standard for electric-vehicle charging technology.

HomePlug is a technology that turns electrical wiring into data cable, hence eliminating the need for a separate set of wires for networking. Currently the most popular application of the power-line technology is in HomePlug AV-based devices used for home power-line networking, such as the WD Livewire, or the Linksys PLK300.

According to the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, the power-line standard that the five German car manufacturers--"after intense case studies … Read more

Given the choice between full electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, consumers prefer a battery-powered car that comes with a built-in backup plan, according to Accenture.

The consulting group conducted a survey of 7,000 people in 13 countries to gauge consumer readiness for the new clean automotive technologies coming to market. Accenture found that 58 percent of drivers were in favor of battery-powered vehicles replacing conventional gasoline-powered cars, but they weren't ready to give up gasoline all together. If they had to choose between a a plug-in hybrid or a pure electric vehicle, 71 percent of the responders favored … Read more

General Motors said yesterday that it will make 60,000 Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera plug-in hybrids in 2012, up from its previously announced 45,000 production outlook.

GM also said that its Volt and Ampera production will be 16,000 in 2011, up from a previous forecast of 15,000.

The plant in Detroit that makes the two plug-in hybrids will shut for four weeks starting in early June, which will crimp already tight supplies, GM said.

Volt, the poster car for GM's effort to tilt its model lineup toward fuel-efficiency from gas-guzzling, will experience delays in dealer deliveries this summer as gasoline prices could soar over $4 per gallon, GM said.

"Already in tight supply, the number of Volts available for delivery to retail customers will be further restricted over the next three months before production resumes and the Volt and the Opel Ampera begin being exported to Europe and China," GM said in a statement.

Volt sales are to be especially reduced in June and July, GM said.

In April, Volt U.S. sales were 493, and for the first fourth months of this year sales were 1,703. It debuted late last year. … Read more

Stranded on the road? There's an app for that. Google will tell future Ford cars how to drive. Will you buy your next car at Best Buy? And we drive the Hyundai Equus, well actually, we get driven in it.

• CNET drives the 2011 Hyundai Equus

• Google to give Ford cars a crystal ball

• Pioneer has an Android announcement for the dash

• Jaguar will produce the CX-75 hybird supercar

• VW will offer a plug-in hybrid by 2013

• CNET's LOLCars gallery!… Read more

To take the guesswork out of efficient driving, Ford may employ Google's Prediction API to do the energy-saving calculations for commuters.

Google's Predictive API is already used by Web sites to recommend products to users and by mail programs to decide which missives are spam. But Ford is also exploring ways the pattern-matching program could be used to program vehicles to run more efficiently based on driving patterns and styles, according to an article in PC World.

At the Google I/O conference yesterday, Ford presented a use case for the predictive engine that analyzed previous trips to … Read more

Volkswagen jumped on the plug-in bandwagon and will produce a range of plug-in hybrid vehicles starting in 2013. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn made the announcement at the Vienna Motor Symposium this week, but he didn't specify which vehicles will get the plug-in power-train.

"The plug-in hybrid offers precisely what many customers expect: unlimited internal combustion engine performance combined with attractive electric mobility ranges in everyday driving," Winterkorn said. The company acknowledges that electric vehicles will play a large role in the automotive future, but finds plug-ins to be a happy medium until infrastructure, technology, and consumers make … Read more

One of the first questions that comes up whenever we're discussing electric vehicles is, "Where am I going to charge the darn thing?" The new PlugShare app for iPhone (along with the network of users behind it) aims to help EV owners to charge in some pretty unorthodox places--for example, other people's driveways.

After downloading and installing the PlugShare app, you are presented with a Google Map filled with icons indicating user-submitted locations where EV drivers can plug in. There are separate categories for basic household plugs, privately owned J1772 charging stations, and public and commercial charging points.

You can elect to share your own outlet or charging point with PlugShare's other users, expanding the charging network. However, sharing an outlet is not a required condition for accessing PlugShare's network via the app. And you don't need to be an EV owner to try it out and, if you're feeling generous, to start sharing your electricity with your friendly neighborhood electric vehicle owners.

PlugShare is a free download in the Apple App Store. An Android version is said to be coming soon. … Read more