2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Ltz on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: EV torque secrets, UC Davis maps future of biofuels

A UC Davis white paper maps out "Three Routes Forward for Biofuels," balancing investment risk with carbon benefits. The first option is "incremental," in which we tinker with the existing biofuel manufacturing infrastructure for small improvements over time. The "transitional" plan suggests integrating cellulosic production and other innovations with existing operations. The third route, called "leapfrogging," would mean building refineries based on new technology such as cellulosic and algae-based biofuels. The paper suggests ways the US could use these three routes together in different areas, and predicts the payoffs in terms of carbon emissions could be significant if the right people are willing to risk the capital. After all, financial advisers are always telling investors to diversify their portfolios to manage risk and rewards in the same way. Read more over at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. The Formula E Long Beach ePrix will offer free admission. The seventh round of the inaugural all-electric race season, which was moved from Los Angeles to the streets of Long Beach, will offer fans free grandstand and general admission. The race, which takes place on April 5, 2015, will use a 1.6-mile portion of IndyCar's Grand Prix of Long Beach. Read more at LA Times. Polaris is now offering its 2015 GEM electric vehicles, including the new street-legal eM1400 LSV. The passenger and utility vehicles come in two- to six-passenger configurations, many of which are street legal on roads with posted speed limits of up to 35 miles per hour. The eM1400 LSV utility vehicle seats two, offers 1,250 pounds of payload, 1,250 pounds of towing capacity, a top speed of 25 mph and a range of up to 45 miles. Its on-board charger plugs into any standard 110-volt outlet. Read more at Hybrid Cars and check out all the different configurations yourself at the Polaris website. In EVs, more torque does not always equal faster. Green Car Reports found this out when driving the Fiat 500e (with 147 pound-feet) against the similarly weighted Chevrolet Spark EV (with 400 pound-feet). The secret is, at least in part, in the gearing. The Fiat has a 9.6:1 reduction gear, making it quicker at lower speeds despite having far less available torque, while the Chevy uses a 3:1 ratio. The trade-off though, is in top speed. Furthermore, Chevy electronically limits the torque delivery at low speeds, as 400 pound-feet is a lot of launch for the little Spark EV to handle.

Chevy rolls out Silverado HD High Country

It's been a good week for heavy-duty truck buyers. First, Ram revealed the Black Package for its HD trucks, then it rolled out its new Power Wagon, and now Chevy's getting in on the action with its Silverado High Country HD. Okay, so it may not pack quite the attitude of Ram's latest 2500-series offerings, but the High Country HD will come as a welcome addition to the Chevy Trucks range to those looking to pull their horse, boat or other trailer without skimping on creature comforts.
Rolled out a little under a year ago, the High Country trim is Chevy's answer to the likes of the GMC Denali, Ford King Ranch and Ram Longhorn. It has until now only been offered on the light duty, 1500-series Silverado, but now extends to the 2500 and 3500-series HD models, as well.
So what sets a High Country pickup apart from lesser Chevy trucks? You'll be able to pick it out based on its chrome horizontal grille, body-color bumpers, 6-inch tubular side steps, 20-inch chrome wheels (18-inch on the 3500 and 17-inch on the dualie) and, of course, plenty of special badging. But it's inside where the High Country makes its mark, with a cabin decked out in saddle brown perforated leather, seats that are both heated and cooled, eight-inch touchscreen with full MyLink suite, Bose audio and park assist functions front and rear to keep those color-keyed bumpers looking fresh. (Though Chevy hasn't yet showed us the interior of the HD model, it'll presumably look mostly the same as the cab in the 1500 High Country in the gallery below.)

Chevy Blazer and Easter Jeeps | Autoblog Podcast #576

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. They do a rundown of the latest news, including rumors of the Toyota Tundra and Tacoma sharing a platform, Jeep's insane Easter Safari concepts and an upcoming "entry level" performance Ford Mustang. Then they talk about driving the new Chevrolet Blazer and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, and compare driving the Genesis G70 to the Kia Stinger. Finally, they take to Reddit to spend someone's money on a new crossover. Autoblog Podcast #576 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Toyota Tacoma and Tundra to share a platform? Jeep Easter Safari concepts "Entry level" performance Mustang? Cars we're driving: 2019 Chevy Blazer 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 2019 Genesis G70 Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: