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Recharge Wrap-up: Fiat 500X EV spotted? Senators request biodiesel increase

A group of 32 senators is asking the EPA to approve increased biodiesel volumes in the Renewable Fuel Standard. Delays in approving the RFS for 2014 forward is causing problems for the fuel produces affected by the law. "EPA's delays are endangering our industry," says Imperium Renewables CEO John Plaza. "Biofuel facilities around the nation are sitting idle, workers are being laid off, and some producers have been forced out of business entirely." Producers feel the EPA is underestimating domestic biodiesel production, and are concerned about importing fuel from Argentina. Read more in the press release below. Fiat Chrysler will help Israel develop a natural gas vehicle. The automaker, along with Iveco and Magneti Marelli, signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel's Prime Minister's Office as part of the Israel Fuel Choices Initiative. They are also considering extended research and development relationship with Israeli companies for alternative fuels and smart mobility. Israel seeks to become a hub for alternative fuel technology. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Spy photos suggest Fiat might build an electric 500X as a compliance car for California. The photos, sent by a reader to Green Car Reports, show a camouflaged Fiat 500X that appears to lack a tailpipe, suggesting it could be an EV. It was photographed on its way to Chrysler's SRT Engineering Center, which builds specialized, low-volume vehicles. The gas-powered 500X debuted in North America at the Los Angeles Auto Show last fall, so camouflage seems a bit unusual at this point if it's just a standard powertrain. It's possible the car could be sold mainly in California to comply with the state's zero-emissions requirements for automakers. Read more and see the photos at Green Car Reports. 32 U.S. Senators urge EPA to approve increased biodiesel volumes Imperium Renewables applauds Senators' action SEATTLE, Feb. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A bipartisan group of 32 U.S. senators, including Washington state's Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to move quickly in approving strong biodiesel volumes under the nation's Renewable Fuel Standards. The senators expressed concern about the agency's delays in implementing the RFS standards for 2014, 2015 and 2016, noting that the delays have created tremendous uncertainty for the U.S.

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.

The company formerly known as Chrysler is now Stellantis

Introducing Stellantis. Talk to your doctor before using Stellantis as side effects may include model redundancy, the overwhelming urge to apply Dodge badges to Peugeot crossovers, and weak stream. Honestly, how can you not poke just a little fun at the name chosen for the new multi-national corporation that will result once the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (Groupe PSA) is completed in the first quarter of 2021. According to the press release, "Stellantis is rooted in the Latin verb 'stello' meaning 'to brighten with stars' ... The name's Latin origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirt of optimism, energy and renewal driving this industry-changing merger." The "Latin origins" of the French company Peugeot and the Italian Fiat are obvious. Chrysler, on the other hand, was founded by a man born in Kansas whose father was a Canadian-American of German and Dutch ancestry (thanks Wikipedia). His mother was also of German ancestry. So yeah, the name Stellantis is really only related to the Peugeot and Fiat bits. The Americans are just along for the ride with their Jeeps and Hellcats.  And it should be noted that we will henceforth never write "Stellantis" in ALL CAPS as the corporation does because it's silly and we don't do it for Hummer, Mini, etc. Admittedly, Fiat could go either way since it's literally an acronym, but Fiat doesn't even bother doing that any more.   The name Stellantis will only be applied at the corporate level, so effectively in place where you previously would've said Fiat-Chrysler or FCA. There won't be a Stellantis Challenger.  We produced a list last year of all the cars that are currently made by the brands within Stellantis. Here's also a list of all the names that the company we generically know as "Chrysler" has gone through over the years. Chrysler Corporation (1925-1998) DaimlerChrysler (1998-2007) Chrysler LLC (2007-2009) Chrysler Group (2009-2014) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (2014-2021) Stellantis  There have also been secondary corporate entities. There was Diamond Star Motors from 1985 to 2015, a manufacturing joint venture between Mitsubishi and whatever Chrysler was called at the time. It resulted in the Plymouth Laser, a randomly selected example pictured above, amongst other automotive diamonds.