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Chevy Spark EV will go on sale in Maryland

The single-charge range of a Chevrolet Spark electric vehicle may not blow away anyone who's used to driving on a topped off tank of gas. But a full charge will actually get a Spark EV about halfway across the state of Maryland. Which is good because that state will be the first on the East Coast to sell the battery-electric model. General Motors said this week that Chevy Spark EV sales will start in Maryland this spring, and that federal and Maryland tax credits will get the out-of-pocket price of the Spark EV below the $18,000 threshold. GM took the opportunity to tout the Spark EV's 119 miles per gallon equivalent rating and says Maryland has sufficient charging infrastructure for drivers to welcome the EV without too much trouble. Last June, Spark EV distribution was reported to be ready to extend beyond the Pacific Coast. Specifically, Ohio was thought to be next in line to get Spark electric vehicles after four state car dealerships listed the model on their websites. GM's Randy Fox, however, quashed that real quick, saying only California and Oregon had sufficient infrastructure to support the Spark EV. GM first announced the Spark EV for public (or at least American) consumption back in 2011. Last year, the General sold 1,145 Spark EVs, up 87 percent from 2013. For more on the Maryland expansion, take a look at GM's press release below. Chevrolet Spark EV Plugs into Maryland Customer demand drives addition of East Coast; features locally sourced drive unit 2015-01-22 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chevrolet will start selling the Spark EV in Maryland this spring, expanding the pure electric mini-car's "range" to the East Coast. The Spark EV is the most efficient U.S. retail electric vehicle on the market, delivering an EPA-estimated combined city/highway 119 MPGe fuel economy equivalent and 82 miles of EPA-estimated combined city/highway range. It is priced as low as $17,845, after federal and Maryland tax credits – and it features a locally sourced electric motor and drive unit, manufactured at General Motors' Baltimore Operations facility in White Marsh, Md. "The Spark EV has been one of the most well-received electric vehicles in the industry and customer demand helped make the decision to expand its availability to Maryland," said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet director of car marketing.

Ford Police Interceptors dominate Michigan State Police testing

Once again, Ford Motor Company builds the fastest police vehicles. The Blue Oval touted the news in an official release following Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department testing. Ford did very well. Except for one acceleration metric – zero to 10 miles per hour – the Blue Oval's Taurus and Explorer-based cop cars were the quickest, with particular praise coming for the EcoBoost-powered models, which bested Chevrolet and Dodge's V8-powered variants. Dearborn's products also posted the fastest average times around MSP's vehicle dynamics course. But it wasn't all positive for Ford. The only four-cylinder in the contest, the 2.0-liter, EcoBoost Ford SSP Sedan, had both the lowest top speed, 120 mph, and the slowest acceleration figures. It was also the slowest in track testing. Ford's products also failed to match the braking and top speeds of its rivals from Detroit and Auburn Hills – the rear-drive Charger Pursuit posted the best braking stats of the entire test, while the V8-powered Chevrolet Caprice hit the highest top speed, at 155 mph. Ford did score a top speed award, among SUVs, but at 132 mph, the naturally aspirated Police Interceptor Utility had to share its award with the equally fast, rear-drive Chevrolet Tahoe. The LA County Sheriff's timing isn't publicly available, but according to Ford, the EcoBoost-powered police cars put on a similarly impressive show for cops on the West Coast. We've assembled a spreadsheet on Google Docs that offers an easy to browse comparison of the different stats assembled by the Michigan State Police, and divided the vehicles between standard V6-powered sedans, high-performance sedans (EcoBoost and V8 models), and SUVs. You can check it out here. Related Video:

GM says over 40% of new China launches in next five years will be EVs

SHANGHAI — General Motors is planning an electric car offensive in China with more than 40% of its new launches in the country over the next five years set to be electric vehicles (EVs), the U.S. carmaker said on Wednesday. GM's electric vehicles, many of which will be all-electric battery cars, will be manufactured in China with almost all parts coming from local suppliers, the company said in a statement released at its Tech Day event in Shanghai. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that GM was planning to overhaul its Chinese line-up to stem a slide of sales after more than two decades of growth in a country that contributes nearly a fifth of its profit. GM's new China boss Julian Blissett told Reuters that new technologies, such as EVs and cars with near hands-free driving for highways, would play a key role in GM's China initiatives, which are part of a push to get annual sales in the country back to the 4 million peak it hit in 2017. GM did not say in its statement how many new or significantly redesigned models it was planning to launch in China over the next five years. "China will play a crucial role in making our vision a reality," GM CEO Mary Barra said in the statement, referring to its initiative to create what it describes as a future of "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion" through electrification and smart-driving technologies. GM has said it plans to invest more than $20 billion in electric and automated vehicles globally by 2025. It was not clear how much of that investment will be spent in China. (Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Shanghai; Editing by David Clarke) Related Video: Green Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM Electric China