1967 Cadillac Eldorado, Stored Over 30 Years, No Rust Out on 2040-cars

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The syrupy sweet tale of the Pink Cadillac Margarita

In our last installment of the irregular and irreverent series on drinks loosely connected to – or named after – automobiles, we sipped a Taxi cocktail, which in its original form tasted a bit like a margarita infused with Blackjack chewing gum , except worse. This time, we explore mythos behind a drink so pink it usually doesn't make you stop and think. But that's what we're going to do. And, as always, enjoy cocktails (and reading about them) while you're not behind the wheel. Our brother lives in Detroit, where old American cars go to not die. On the streets of the Motor City, you will see all manner of holey-mufflered, salt-rotted, spring-sagging Big Three iron plowing along shoddily. Our brother's next-door neighbor is a connoisseur of such vehicles, and thus populates his driveway with a cache of Malaise Era Cadillacs. (His dog lives in one.) His latest addition, which our brother texted us a photo of recently while we were eating fish tacos in Los Angeles, is a Desert Rose 1977 Coupe DeVille (seen below). Since we're always thinking about cars or drinking (or both), and we were eating Mexican, this put us in mind of a cocktail our cousin's trashy bridesmaid made us try at her wedding in Charleston: the Pink Cadillac Margarita. Suddenly, we were thirsty. The Pink Cadillac Margarita is, quite obviously, a pink drink – a somewhat cloying, if deliciously chuggable concoction colored with a spritz of Ocean Spray, or Chambord liqueur if you're classy. Pink drinks get a bum rap. Blame it on the Cosmopolitan, and everyday misogyny, but many people find pink drinks frivolous. As expert drinkers, and drink experts, we would counter that the consumption of alcohol is, at its essence, about being frivolous. Never mind that the chemical is a depressive; Consuming it is about putting on your rose (or rose) colored glasses, and getting ready to make some mistakes. The Pink Cadillac is apparently so named not just because of its signature color and the irresistible musical connection between Cadillacs and pinkness (see: Aretha, Springstein, Natalie Cole). The moniker also derives from the quality of the ingredients – drawing on the historical expression "The Cadillac of..." to signify something top-shelf. "It's difficult to know quite how that name was derived," says Melody Lee, Cadillac's director of brand strategy.

GM, Pilot will build EVgo fast chargers at 500 truck stops across U.S.

All of our maps showing electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. are going to need an update. Today, General Motors, Pilot and EVgo announced plans to work together on a nationwide DC fast charging network. The plan calls for 2,000 charging stalls that can deliver up to 350 kW to be installed at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers in the U.S. The goal is to have DC fast chargers available in 50-mile intervals across the country. The new charging stations will feature GM's "Ultium Charge 360" branding and "Pilot Flying J" logos but will not be limited to drivers of GM EVs. The plugs will use CCS connectors and be available to anyone. GM EV owners can take advantage of benefits, including the ability to make exclusive reservations, get discounts on charging costs and streamline the charging process with Plug and Charge and in-vehicle apps that can provide real-time charger availability. The first installation phase will take place in 2023, and "the bulk of the installations" should be completed by 2025, EVgo CEO Kathy Zoi said during a conference call with reporters announcing the plan. "We're gonna get going immediately and commence all of that engineering and planning stuff," she said. "We've got a pretty orderly plan." Pilot CEO Shameek Konar said the company expects the new EV charging stations to coexist with the current fuel infrastructure. "An average Pilot Flying J location is about 10 acres," Konar said. "This will be in addition to all of our gas pumps. The way I think about it is, this is a new source of energy that is going to coexist with gas for quite some time. We can debate how long, but we need to serve both groups of customers." Installing DC fast chargers at hundreds of Pilot's travel centers — aka truck stops — means there should be food, drinks, restrooms, WiFi and even showers available while you wait for an EV to charge. Pilot recently announced its “New Horizons” plan that will invest $1 billion in upgrading Pilot travel centers with more premium amenities, including expanded seating and lounge areas. While the exact amount of time it will take to charge an EV using these new stations will vary on the EV and its current state of charge, most EVs can refill from a low state of charge to around 80 percent in 20-30 minutes on a fast charger. The new stations are future-proofed to deliver up to 350 kW, a charge rate that few EVs today can handle.

Recharge Wrap-up: Cadillac CT6 Plug-In on sale in China, Oregon utilities spur EV adoption

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In is now available in China. The luxury plug-in hybrid sedan uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine plus two electric motors, which give the car a 0-62 mph time of 5.4 seconds. Its liquid-cooled 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack gives the car an all-electric range of 50 miles, with a total range of 581 miles. Cadillac offers a 200V charger with the CT6 Plug-In, which provides a full charge in less than five hours. Owners can check charging status remotely using OnStar or the MyCadillac app. The CT6 Plug-In is offered in two variants, priced at about $80,400 and $94,800. Read more from GM. Two Oregon utilities are launching a program to increase EV adoption. Portland General Electric (PGE) will build six charging locations, each with up to four dual-standard fast chargers. PGE will also build and operate charging sites for electric buses, freeing up money for Portland's TriMet transit agency to spend on the actual buses. Pacific Power will also build public EV chargers, and lower some electricity rates for operators. Both companies will also work to inform the public about the benefits of electric mobility. Oregon utilities are required to stop using coal by 2030, and use 50 percent renewable energy by 2040, which will make EVs even cleaner. Read more at Green Car Reports. Continental says a shift to EVs will cost its company jobs. The automotive parts supplier's CEO, Elmar Degenhart, says that while the company will need to cut production jobs, those will be offset at least in part by the creation of new positions related to electric mobility. "There is enough time to design the process such that the blow is softened and major pain can be avoided," says Degenhart. Some 30,000 jobs at Continental are tied to combustion engines. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Featured Gallery 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid View 15 Photos News Source: GM, Green Car Reports, Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Cadillac Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Cadillac GM Green Culture Electric Luxury recharge wrapup