2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 Base Cutaway Van 6.0l on 2040-cars

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GM natural gas-powered vans recalled due to possible leak

General Motors is recalling almost 3,200 of its compressed-natural-gas powered utility vans because of possible leaks. GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a notice last week saying that 3,196 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana CNG vans are on recall, though no accidents have been reported due to the possible issue. The recall is specifically for vans for model years ranging from 2011 to 2014. The recall stems from a potential leak from the compressed natural gas high-pressure regulator, and such a leak could cause a fire or explosion. GM will replace the vehicles' high-pressure regulator in order to fix the problem, will do it free of charge and is instructing owners to contact Chevrolet or GMC customer service to arrange for the parts replacement. Utility vehicle makers like General Motors have pushed for fleet sales of CNG-powered vans and trucks for the past few years and have touted them for their cheaper refueling costs relative to standard gasoline, not to mention the fact that natural gas can be readily sourced from throughout North America (thanks, fracking). According to CNGPrices.com, compressed natural gas sells for about $2.22 a gallon, on average, while the AAA is pegging the average price of gas at $3.34 a gallon. NHTSA has posted information on the recall here. Featured Gallery News Source: NHTSA via Reuters Green Chevrolet GM GMC Natural Gas Vehicles CNG gmc savana

The 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan is for drivers who value performance above all else

The car you see above is the 2014 Chevrolet SS, and it's important both because it is the first rear-wheel-drive performance sedan from Chevy in 17 years, and because it will be the nameplate the brand uses on NASCAR tracks all across the country starting this year.
Though it wears a name as American as baseball and apple pie, the machine was actually designed and built in Australia, sharing most of its parts with the brand-new VF-model Holden Commodore. That said, the basic chassis bits are shared with other Chevrolet models like the Camaro and Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle.
While Chevrolet is happy to sell a Malibu or Impala to anyone looking for a mainstream family sedan, but the SS is reserved for buyers interested first and foremost in performance. Most sedans sold these days are front-wheel drive, which is great for everyday driving and when the weather goes bad, but the SS is instead a rear-wheel-drive vehicle aimed at enthusiasts who love to drive and who prefer speed and performance above all else.

Plug In 2014: VIA makes the case for 'free' plug-in hybrid work vans, trucks

If you're a fleet manager who's been waiting anxiously for the chance to buy a plug-in hybrid van from Via Motors, your wait is almost over. If you work for the right fleet, anyway. David West, the chief marketing efficer for VIA Motors, took AutoblogGreen for a ride around the San Jose Convention Center in a Via van sporting an Electric Blue paint job as part of the Plug In 2014 Conference this week and gave us an update on how things are coming along. The big news is that the Via PHEV van production is going to start by the end of September. Via can currently build two vans an hour at its production plant in Mexico, or about 16 a day and could easily double that. "That would get us to 20,000 a year with two full lines running," West said. "We have the capacity." "There is no way gas can compete with electric." – David West, Via Motors But they can't sell that many quite yet. By the end of December, around 350 Vans will be made, mostly for a $20-million program from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District that will see the vehicles used by fleets that will report energy data to the Idaho National Lab. Via is also finishing up CARB certification for both the van and the company's plug-in hybrid pick-up truck. About 50 percent of Via's technology in the truck will not need to be tested again, since it's the same as what's in the van, but things like crash tests will need to be done twice. Despite the progress, this is not where Via hoped it would be today. The bankruptcy of battery supplier A123, "took about a year off our timeline," West said. "It's been getting a little slow getting it to market, there have been some challenges, particuarly since we had the country's worst recession right in the middle of this wrap up, but it's inevitable in my mind. There is no way gas can compete with electric." Maybe that's why FedEx has expressed an interest in buying around 5,000 units, West said. FedEx already has some pilot vehicles, just like Verizon does, and PG&E wants to replace all of their gas trucks with electric vehicles, which would be another 3,000 sales, he said. Besides the fuel savings, vehicles like these, with easy on-site power generation, could also work wonders in post-disaster situations, he said, since they could replace the need for generators.