Video Review: Kia's Soul EV, a New Age Car With an Electric Vibe - New York Times

Driven

By TOM VOELK

I believe Timothy Leary would have embraced electric cars, with his mantras to "turn on, tune in, drop out" and to question authority. Perfect for the electric car mind-set.

The new Kia Soul EV fits right in. Introduced this year, it is on the growing list of affordable electric cars, a group that includes the Fiat 500e, Volkswagen e-Golf, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Spark EV and Ford Focus Electric. Although it is available only in California, the car's availability is expected to widen in 2015.

Shaking free of gasoline's grip satisfies the soul. Electric vehicles are clean, quiet, have good zip, and, when mooching power from outlets at work and free public charge stations as I do, cheap to operate.

What's more, the electric car community sticks together. A Leaf owner let me use his account at a Blink charge station once I found it wouldn't take a credit card. I charged much longer than anticipated. Garrett, I owe you a latte.

Stuffing an electric motor and substantial battery into an existing gas-powered car generally obliterates the trunk. But the Soul EV dodges the Frankencar feel by mounting the pack under the cabin floor. The battery cells are encased in protection, stiffening the body structure and actually increasing ground clearance by a half inch over the gas version.

Soul EV packs on an average of 500 pounds, making it one hefty hamster. In corners this mass is felt — generally in a good way — because of a lowered center of gravity. Acceleration is punchy and satisfying in city skirmishes, though over all, Soul EV is not particularly fast. Going from 0 to 60 hovers in the 11-second range. Don't race a Prius. You will lose.

The downer is range. Most affordable electrics are Environmental Protection Agency rated to travel around 82 miles on a charge. Soul EV scores 93. Still, it's like having a four-gallon gas tank, one that takes five hours to fill on a 220-volt current.

Prices start at $33,700 before tax credits. With refined dynamics and a save-the-planet ethos, Soul EV delivers good vibes. No mind-altering substances required.

Source : http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/automobiles/video-review-kias-soul-ev-is-a-new-age-car-with-an-electric-vibe.html

Video: Dash Cam Catches Scary Queens Car Wash Crash - Gothamist

Leaving your car at a garage or parking lot can be a gamble sometimes. And one Lexus owner learned this the hard way recently when a Queens car wash employee accidentally totaled his car—and the whole incident was caught on the vehicle's dashboard camera.

The Daily News reports that the following video, first seen on Jalopnik, was taken at a car wash in Long Island City in November. The employee behind the wheel reportedly accidentally stepped on the gas pedal, shooting through four lanes of traffic after it narrowly missed striking a pedestrian.

You can skip ahead to 2:50 for impact, or sit through the whole video for the full experience.

The car sustained significant damage in the crash, as evidenced by a second video uploaded by the Lexus's owner:

Well, at least it's clean!

Source : http://gothamist.com/2014/12/25/video_dash_cam_catches_car_wash_cra.php

Video Review: Kia's Soul EV, a New Age Car With an Electric Vibe - New York Times

Driven

By TOM VOELK

I believe Timothy Leary would have embraced electric cars, with his mantras to "turn on, tune in, drop out" and to question authority. Perfect for the electric car mind-set.

The new Kia Soul EV fits right in. Introduced this year, it is on the growing list of affordable electric cars, a group that includes the Fiat 500e, Volkswagen e-Golf, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Spark EV and Ford Focus Electric. Although it is available only in California, the car's availability is expected to widen in 2015.

Shaking free of gasoline's grip satisfies the soul. Electric vehicles are clean, quiet, have good zip, and, when mooching power from outlets at work and free public charge stations as I do, cheap to operate.

What's more, the electric car community sticks together. A Leaf owner let me use his account at a Blink charge station once I found it wouldn't take a credit card. I charged much longer than anticipated. Garrett, I owe you a latte.

Stuffing an electric motor and substantial battery into an existing gas-powered car generally obliterates the trunk. But the Soul EV dodges the Frankencar feel by mounting the pack under the cabin floor. The battery cells are encased in protection, stiffening the body structure and actually increasing ground clearance by a half inch over the gas version.

Soul EV packs on an average of 500 pounds, making it one hefty hamster. In corners this mass is felt — generally in a good way — because of a lowered center of gravity. Acceleration is punchy and satisfying in city skirmishes, though over all, Soul EV is not particularly fast. Going from 0 to 60 hovers in the 11-second range. Don't race a Prius. You will lose.

The downer is range. Most affordable electrics are Environmental Protection Agency rated to travel around 82 miles on a charge. Soul EV scores 93. Still, it's like having a four-gallon gas tank, one that takes five hours to fill on a 220-volt current.

Prices start at $33,700 before tax credits. With refined dynamics and a save-the-planet ethos, Soul EV delivers good vibes. No mind-altering substances required.

Source : http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/automobiles/video-review-kias-soul-ev-is-a-new-age-car-with-an-electric-vibe.html

Sports car driver critically injured in Rancho Santa Fe crash - U-T San Diego

RANCHO SANTA FE — A 21-year-old Rancho Santa Fe man was critically injured and his passenger also suffered major injuries when a speeding sports car, a rare Ariel Atom, went out of control on a curve on Christmas Eve and struck an SUV head-on, California Highway Patrol officers said.

A 62-year-old San Diego man and a woman in the Ford Expedition were transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla with minor to moderate injuries from the Rancho Santa Fe crash, California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt said.

They appeared to be on their way to a Christmas Eve function, and a holiday cake from the SUV was on the road, CHP Officer Chris Parent said.

The driver of the Ariel Atom, considered one of the fastest street-legal cars in the world, was westbound on La Orilla, near El Camino Real, at a high rate of speed when he lost control on the winding two-lane road shortly after 2 p.m., Parent said. He spun into the eastbound lane and hit the SUV.

An Ariel Atom automobile. Courtesy arielmotor.co.uk

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An Ariel Atom automobile. Courtesy arielmotor.co.uk

Both the driver and passenger, a 21-year-old Mira Mesa man, were wearing helmets. They were unconscious when paramedics and firefighters arrived, CHP Officer Robert Catano said.

A fire in the SUV's engine was quickly extinguished, said Julie Taber, spokeswoman for the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District. Firefighters from Solana Beach assisted.

The driver of the sports car was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, and his passenger was flown by medical helicopter to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Parent said. The driver's injuries are life-threatening, Bettencourt said.

Parent said it was not yet determined how fast the driver was going or if he had been racing at the time. The posted speed limit in the area is 40 mph, he said.

Such crashes are particularly difficult at holidays, when families "aren't supposed to be spending time in hospitals," Parent said. A relative of the driver's came to the collision scene, he said.

Bettencourt said it was not yet determined if either drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

Parent said that in his 16 years in the CHP, it was the first time he had seen an Ariel Atom.

The car was designed in 1996 and was first constructed in the United States in 2006. About 80 Ariel Atoms have been made in the United States since then; TMI Auto Tech has produced them since 2008. Most sell for about $80,000.

The tubular skeleton is on the outside of the car with no side panels or roof; the car's listed weight is 1,350 pounds and it is 11 feet long.

The car can go from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and is used to race in Autocrosses, with a special RaceAtom series based in Virginia.

Source : http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/dec/24/race-car-crash-rancho-santa-fe-ariel-atom/

Diver describes finding 4 dead in submerged car - WKMG Orlando

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -

Kissimmee police released the names on Wednesday of the two adults and two children found dead in a car submerged in a retention pond.

[AUDIO: 911 released in crash ]

The victims in the vehicle were identified as Ulysses G. Montero, 25, of Miami; Julie M Lopez-Elias, 24; Julissa M. Montero, 4; and newborn Dlias D. Montero, all of Kissimmee.

Police said the car was found in a pond in front of Valencia College on U.S. 192 at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Over here, one car ... he go to the water on John Dunn and 192," the caller told 911 dispatchers in the call released Wednesday. "Please it's an emergency." 

The caller then tells dispatchers in Spanish that it appeared that the car launched over the sidewalk into the lake and drove in. He said he had never seen anything like it and that it appeared like it's something the male driver wanted to do.

Thomas Sergent is an experienced diver and was the first person to find the four-door sedan submerged at the bottom of the retention pond with four people inside. He said Kissimmee police came to his shop, Scuba Dive Addiction, because he was less than two miles from the crash scene and they needed a diver.

"An officer came in with a sense of urgency on his face and says he could use a diver and some gear," Sergent said.

He told Local 6 when got to the scene he immediately got in the water. Guided above the surface by first responders, he went under the murky water in search of the car. He said after 10 minutes of searching he felt metal.

Sergent said he went down searching with hope, but knew instantly the four people inside, a man, woman and two children he described as an infant and toddler, had not survived.

"The side windows were intact and then I saw children's toys floating on the inside and saw the windshield had been broken," Sergent said. "Seeing the toys -- it was traumatic. I wasn't prepared for it."

After telling police, they gave Sergent a steel hook to put on the car to it pull out.

While investigators work to figure out how the car ended up in this pond, Sergent, a father to four kids of his own, said he'll never forget what he saw.

"It's sad anytime, but with the holidays and stuff, when you're thinking about families, it's heartbreaking."

A memorial was forming at the crash site on Wednesday.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident can contact the Kissimmee Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at 407-846-3333. 

Source : http://www.clickorlando.com/news/2-adults-2-kids-found-dead-in-car-submerged-in-pond-kissimmee-police-say/30372682

Jeep tops 'Consumer Reports' list of worst car values - USA TODAY

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Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was named the worst value overall by Consumer Reports.(Photo: Jeep)

When it comes to overall value, one of America's most iconic vehicles – the very symbol of rugged individualism – should be avoided by any wise car buyer, says Consumer Reports magazine.

It's the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, which Consumer Reports says is the worst car value among any model. It leads a worst-value list that includes a wide range of models by category – from the hapless Fiat 500C among subcompacts to the hulking Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec for luxury large SUVs.

The Jeep, however, is among the nation's most beloved vehicles, especially by its owners. Nevertheless, Consumer Reports calls it "hard-riding, ponderous, uncomfortable, and unreliable." It costs 77 cents a mile to operate, compared with 52 cents for the top-rated Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The value index rates cars based on road tests, predicted reliability and five-year ownership costs.

USA TODAY

Toyota tops 'Consumer Reports' list of best car values

"The worst values were a mix of underperformers, expensive, unreliable German luxury sedans and big SUVs with voracious fuel appetites," says Mark Rechtin, Consumer Reports' automotive editor in a statement.

The four-door version of the Wrangler wasn't the only Jeep singled out by the magazine. The Jeep Cherokee Latitude also came up with a low score due to its "higher operating cost, poor reliability, unimpressive test score and higher price."

Here are the worst vehicles by category:

•Subcompact: Fiat 500C Pop (MT)

•Compact: Fiat 500L Easy

•Luxury Compact Car: Mercedes-Benz CLA250

•Luxury Midsized/Large Car: Mercedes-Benz S550 (AWD)

•Large Car: Ford Taurus Limited (3.5, V-6)

•Sports Cars/Convertible: Infiniti Q60 convertible

(base)

•Midsized Car: Nissan Altima 3.5 SL (V-6)

•Wagons (AWD): Honda Crosstour EX-L (V-6)

•Small SUV: Jeep Cherokee Latitude (4-cyl.)

•Midsized SUV: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

•Large SUVs: GMC Yukon SLT

•Luxury Compact SUV: Cadillac SRX Luxury

•Luxury Midsized/Large SUV: Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec

•Pickup Truck: Toyota Tacoma (V-6)

•Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country Touring L

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/16QfwpY

Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/12/24/jeep-consumer-reports-worst-car-value/20837951/

Here's What Google's First Custom-Built Self-Driving Car Looks Like Now - TechCrunch

Google has been working on self-driving cars for a few years now — but up until recently, they were mostly modifying the heck out of existing cars, not building a vehicle from the ground up.

Back in May, they released a mockup of what they expected their first built-in-house vehicle to look like. Today, they've released a photo of the real deal.

Here was its original early mockup, from May:

Here's the finalized prototype, shown today:

As you might notice, the final product ended up looking pretty darn similar to the early shots. While the vehicle still looks a bit like something out of a Richard Scarry book, some tweaks have been made. For example:

• It has headlights now, which is a good thing. Even if a self-driving car can see other cars without headlights (thanks, RADAR!), that doesn't mean other (non-self driving) cars can see you.
• They've tweaked the front grill a bit, adding reflector dots and generally making it look a bit less like this emoticon: .
• The hardware on top of the car (a camera/radar rig that spins at a few thousand RPMs and plays a huge part in giving the car its vision) has been slimmed down and packed into a fun little bubble (albeit one that looks a bit like a 70s police car siren)

Remember, we're still a ways out from any mere mortals being able to walk in and buy a self-driving car. While things like self-parking and lane-maintenance are somewhat straight forward, a car that can navigate public city streets on its own still has a few huge obstacles to steer around. Things like rain, a dependance on incredibly detailed 3D scans of streets, and the mountain of legislation that'll have to be worked out as these things grow in popularity.

Google says its custom semi-sentient whip should be hitting its private test tracks over the holiday break and might start popping up around Northern Californian streets in 2015.

Source : http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/22/heres-what-googles-first-custom-built-self-driving-car-looks-like-now/