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8 automakers, 15 utilities collaborate on open smart-charging for EVs

We're going to lead with General Motors here. GM is one of eight automakers working with 15 utilities and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) at developing a "smart" plug-in vehicle charging system. Why did we start with GM? Because it's the first automaker whose press release we read that mentioned the other seven automakers. Points for sharing. For the record, the collaboration also includes BMW, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Ford. The utilities include DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric. The idea is to develop a so-called "demand charging" system in which an integrated system lets the plug-ins and utilities communicate with each other so that vehicle charging is cut back at peak hours, when energy is most expensive, and ramped up when the rates drop. Such entities say there's a sense of urgency to develop such a system because the number of plug-in vehicles on US roads totals more than 225,000 today and is climbing steadily. There's a lot of technology involved, obviously, but the goal is to have an open platform that's compatible with virtually any automaker's plug-in vehicle. No timeframe was disclosed for when such a system could go live but you can find a press release from EPRI below. EPRI, Utilities, Auto Manufacturers to Create an Open Grid Integration Platform for Plug-in Electric Vehicles PALO ALTO, Calif. (July 29, 2014) – The Electric Power Research Institute, 8 automakers and 15 utilities are working to develop and demonstrate an open platform that would integrate plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) with smart grid technologies enabling utilities to support PEV charging regardless of location. The platform will allow manufacturers to offer a customer-friendly interface through which PEV drivers can more easily participate in utility PEV programs, such as rates for off-peak or nighttime charging. The portal for the system would be a utility's communications system and an electric vehicle's telematics system. As the electric grid evolves with smarter functionality, electric vehicles can serve as a distributed energy resource to support grid reliability, stability and efficiency. With more than 225,000 plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads -- and their numbers growing -- they are likely to play a significant role in electricity demand side management.

Sergio: Two-tier wage structure eliminated in FCA deal with UAW [w/video]

The two-tiered wage structure that governs the way domestic car companies pay their unionized employees – and rankles many of them in the process – could soon be a thing of the past. In a tentative deal seen as a bellwether for other ongoing negotiations, the United Auto Works and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract that would disband the two-tier structure, in which some workers earn higher hourly wages for performing the same job, over time. Officials who announced the tentative agreement late Tuesday in Detroit were short on details of its contents and union members still must ratify it. But FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said the two-tiered structure will disband by the end of the contract. "The team has crafted together a very thoughtful process, where the issue will go away, go away over time," he said. Further details weren't divulged. Union negotiations with Ford and General Motors are ongoing, so hammering together a deal that sheds the two-tier structure with Chrysler first could set a precedent followed by the other members of Detroit's Big Three automakers. Other key issues that emerged in negotiations with FCA included escalating health-care costs and rewarding workers for the health of the auto industry. But dealing with the two-tier structure, born as GM and Chrysler circled bankruptcy during the Great Recession, was something the UAW wanted to confront. "The UAW has a philosophy about the economic balance of this country and the inequality, and our mission is to bridge the gap in this country," UAW president Dennis Williams said. "It's gotten out of whack. ... We don't want to share anything, and I truly believe that corporations that have that set of mind have lost their way." The UAW's executive board was expected to review the tentative agreement this morning before a union membership vote is scheduled. For Marchionne, who skipped the Frankfurt Motor Show to shepherd the negotiations during their final hours, the tentative agreement means he can shift his concern back toward pushing an FCA merger with General Motors or another company and touting the idea of industry consolidation in general. "The other side of this is capital usage in this business, which is something that remains unsolved," he said. "It makes the labor side sort of pale in comparison, given the magnitude of the potential synergies and benefits we'd be deriving from an intelligent approach.

Junkyard Gem: 1977 Chrysler Cordoba with Corinthian Leather

The Chrysler Cordoba has become emblematic of an era full of underpowered, overdecorated Detroit land yachts, stuffed with plasticky heraldic crests and allusions to classy European vacation destinations. In fact, the 1975-1979 Cordoba was a pretty decent car by the standards of Malaise Era America, based on the same well-proven (if increasingly antiquated) platform used by the '69 Charger and the Plymouth Superbird, and it sold like crazy. Of course, what we remember these days is the name of the optional leather upholstery used in the Cordoba. Yes, soft ( not rich) Corinthian leather, which was a brilliant marketing name given to a cheap grade of leather from Newark, NJ. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Naturally, we must now watch the 1975 TV commercial that started it all. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Corinthian Leather jokes began quite soon after the Cordoba went on sale, as we can see in this 1980s Ricardo Montalban interview. This car, which I photographed a couple of weeks ago in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service wrecking yard is completely used up, and it shows signs of having spent a good decade or two abandoned in a field somewhere. Still, from the purple paint to the once-snazzy "leather" landau roof (note the molded-in stitches) to the "golden" (plastic, in fact) Cordoba medallions on the taillights, door panels, and steering wheel, the Cordoba was the closest thing to the "Super Fly" Cadillac you could buy new from Detroit. This one has the LA-series 360-cubic-inch V8 engine, which made 155 horsepower. That's 23 fewer horses than the weakest engine you can get in the US-market 2017 Toyota Camry... but try getting a Camry with soft Corinthian Leather! Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1977 Chrysler Cordoba View 32 Photos Auto News Chrysler Automotive History question of the day malaise era chrysler cordoba