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Recharge Wrap-up: U of M wins Solar Challenge, family attempts record-breaking e-bike ride

The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has won the 2014 American Solar Challenge. It is the team's eighth national championship, its fifth in a row, and its first using Siemens' product lifecycle management (PLM) software. The race took place over 1,722 miles and seven days traveling across eight states. The team's car, called "Quantum," outpaced the nearest competitor by four hours. Looking forward, Michigan Solar Car Project Manager Pavan Naik says, "The switch to Siemens tools will give us the ability to model and simulate everything and truly allow us to optimize the performance of our new vehicle. As we start on our quest to win the World Solar Challenge in 2015, we'll be leveraging a full complement of PLM solutions." Read more in the press release below. The EcoCar3 competition, in which teams will convert Chevrolet Camaros into hybrid electric cars, begins in September. The various college teams will have four years to lessen the car's environmental impact as much as possible while maintaining performance and, of course, that cool Camaro design. EcoCar3, which is put on by the US Department of Energy and General Motors, kicks off with a workshop in Novi, Michigan from September 16 - 18. Read more at the DOE website at the dedicated EcoCar3 site or watch the announcement video at our previous post. Zap and Jonway Auto are shifting to a high rate of EV production. Zap already has two lines creating the Urbee EV to met demand, and is switching over a third to make electric minivans and SUVs. The company aims to produce 30,000 EVs by 2015 for the Chinese market. Zap says it has a backlog of 25,000 Urbee orders. Read more in the press release below. A family of four hopes to make a world record-breaking, 6,000-mile electric bike journey this fall. The family, which recently drove from Argentina to Montana in a pickup with a camper, will ride from Montana to Maine, then down the East Coast to Florida in an attempt to break the record for longest electric bicycle ride. They'll use two bikes. The Father, Thomas, will ride one of the bikes carrying one of the children, while the rest of the family rides in a support vehicle, with the mother, Dylan, riding the second bike when they can find others to drive. They have started a crowdfunding campaign for some of the equipment needed to document the trip. See the video below or read more at Treehugger.

Corvette owner finds stolen car, but can't get it back [w/video]

It's not too uncommon to hear about owners being reunited with their stolen cars decades after reporting them missing. The story of Terry Dietrich in Georgia starts that way with police finding her lost 1972 Chevrolet Corvette after over 40 years. However, this case takes a different turn because unless she wants to bid on it, Dietrich's likely not getting the 'Vette back. Just six months after purchasing it in 1972, Dietrich's blue Corvette was stolen in Georgia, and in 1975 the sports car found its way to a man in North Carolina. He kept the car right up until his death just a few months ago, and that's when restorer Gary Green bought the 'Vette from his widow, according to Yahoo Autos. Unfortunately, after acquiring the Corvette, Green found some major discrepancies. For one thing, the listed VIN pointed to a '69 convertible, and there was a different serial number on the frame. Green reported the problem to the local police, and they figured out it was the 'Vette Dietrich lost over four decades ago. Consequently, the cops impounded it. The issue now arises that while Dietrich is the victim of the theft, she isn't technically the car's last legal owner. After the Corvette was stolen, she reported the crime to her insurance company, and it paid on the claim, which essentially forfeited her ownership. To make matters slightly more confusing the company can't find the title on the 'Vette either, according to Yahoo Autos. That leaves the well preserved 'Vette sitting in a police impound lot. It will likely go to auction.

GM recalling 426,000 sedans over faulty transmission shift cable

General Motors is recalling some 426,240 sedans that may have a faulty transmission shift cable, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report this morning. The recall concerns a fault within four-speed automatic transmissions equipped on 2007-2010 Saturn Aura models, and 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 models.
The report specifies that tabs on the transmission shift cable may fracture and separate. Such a fault could cause a discrepancy between the actual position of the transmission and the apparent position of the shift lever.
GM is currently working to notify owners of the vehicles in question, and dealers will check and replace shift cables free of charge. Scroll down to read the complete NHTSA report.