2014 Fiat 500c Abarth on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video:    

Automakers not currently promoting EVs are probably doomed

Okay, let's be honest. The sky isn't falling – gas prices are. In fact, some experts say that prices at the pump will remain depressed for the next decade. Consumers have flocked to SUVs and CUVs, reversing the upward trend in US fuel economy seen over the last several years. A sudden push into electric vehicles seems ridiculous when gas guzzlers are selling so well. Make hay while the sun shines, right? A quick glance at some facts and figures provides evidence that the automakers currently doubling down on internal combustion probably have some rocky years ahead of them. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is a prime example of a volume manufacturer devoted to incremental gains for existing powertrains. Though FCA will kill off some of its more fuel-efficient models, part of its business plan involves replacing four- and five-speed transmissions with eight- and nine-speed units, yielding a fuel efficiency boost in the vicinity of ten percent over the next few years. Recent developments by battery startups have led some to suggest that efficiency and capacity could increase by over 100 percent in the same time. Research and development budgets paint a grim picture for old guard companies like Fiat Chrysler: In 2014, FCA spent about $1,026 per car sold on R&D, compared with about $24,783 per car sold for Tesla. To be fair, FCA can't be expected to match Tesla's efforts when its entry-level cars list for little more than half that much. But even more so than R&D, the area in which newcomers like Tesla have the industry licked is infrastructure. We often forget that our vehicles are mostly useless metal boxes without access to the network of fueling stations that keep them rolling. While EVs can always be plugged in at home, their proliferation depends on a similar network of charging stations that can allow for prolonged travel. Tesla already has 597 of its 480-volt Superchargers installed worldwide, and that figure will continue to rise. Porsche has also proposed a new 800-volt "Turbo Charging Station" to support the production version of its Mission E concept, and perhaps other VW Auto Group vehicles. As EVs grow in popularity, investment in these proprietary networks will pay off — who would buy a Chevy if the gas stations served only Ford owners? If anyone missed the importance of infrastructure, it's Toyota.

Recharge Wrap-up: Fiat 500e on sale in Oregon, Germany to offer EVs free parking

The 2015 Fiat 500e is now available in Oregon. The new 500e features an updated center console, as well as two new exterior colors: Luce Blu (which Fiat describes as light blue with a pearl finish) and Celeste (light blue). The 2015 500e is available for lease in California and Oregon for $199 a month for 36 months, plus $999 down. Fiat offers 500e owners and lessees 12 days of free rental per year through Enterprise in the first three years of ownership for days when the driver needs something with greater range or capacity than their small EV. Read more in the press release below. Germany moves to offer free parking to EVs in an attempt to encourage their adoption. The German cabinet has backed the bill, set to begin in spring 2015, which would also include certain hybrids in the free parking scheme. The eligible cars will get some sort of special label to make them more recognizable. Germany has a target of 1 million EVs on its roads by 2020. Read more at Bloomberg. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have determined that the best automotive use of natural gas is to provide electricity for EVs. In a well-to-wheels analysis, using the natural gas to power efficient turbines to produce electricity uses less energy and produces fewer emissions than other fuels, including on-board CNG. The research also concludes that CNG cars are a viable option, particularly if the fuel could be integrated into hybrid vehicles. The study digs into other future technologies, and what they might mean for overall energy use compared to using natural gas as a stationary power source for EVs. Read more over at Green Car Congress. Scientists have created a new device to generate electricity from wind. Wind passing through the device causes gold-plated "tongues" to rub against PTFE tape, generating electricity using the triboelectric effect. Researchers created a triboelectric generator prototype that fit on top of a car in order to test it out. While mounting it on a vehicle may not necessarily be an ideal way to generate electricity for practical purposes, the test showed that the device works to produce a certain amount of energy at a specific windspeed, It could certainly be useful in stationary applications at the least, and might have further-reaching implications for generating electricity through wind or friction. Read more at Gizmodo.