2003 Volkswagen Passat Glx 4 Motion Wagon 4-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Ecotricity offering 1,000 free EV miles to new customers

Ecotricity is offering electric vehicle drivers in the United Kingdom an lengthy incentive for using green energy: 1,000 miles of free fast charging per year. Called "Green Electricity + Car," the program will power customers' homes with renewable power allow them to charge their cars through Ecotricity's national network of fast chargers, which the company has named the Electric Highway. It makes complete sense for Ecotricity. "To get the greatest environmental benefit from an electric car, it needs to be charged using 100 percent green electricity from the wind and the sun – otherwise you're still powering it from dirty fossil fuels," wrote Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity. Ecotricity, a UK-based producer of green energy, wants to bring fast charging to 90 percent of highway service stations around the UK in the near future and four fast chargers are installed per week under the Electric Highway campaign, the company says. Users can fast charge their EVs in 20-to-30 minutes. Ecotricity recently instituted a price freeze for all gas and electricity customers until April 1, reducing energy costs below what's being billed by the country's "Big Six" energy companies. Green Electricity + Car coincides with Volkswagen bringing its electric e-Up! to the British market. Volkswagen Group (UK) Limited imports VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda brand vehicles and has signed a deal with Ecotricity as its official green energy supplier. Volkswagen Group customers purchasing an EV through one of its brands can take advantage of a new, reduced-cost Ecotricity tariff and a free smart meter installation. 08 February 2014 Green Electricity + Car Drivers of electric cars will receive 1,000 free miles every year with a new electricity tariff being launched by green energy company Ecotricity. Green Electricity + Car – will not only power customers homes with green energy but also their cars (either 100% electric or plug-in hybrids), plus they'll get free access to Ecotricity's national network of fast chargers[1] – the Electric Highway. This latest move comes after Ecotricity announced a price freeze for all gas and electricity customers until the end of winter (April 1st), making them cheaper[2] than the standard tariff of the Big Six energy companies.

Volkswagen formally introduces super-efficient XL1

Lightweight and low drag are hallmarks of great sportscar design. But when paired with a super-efficient, hybrid powertrain, you have the Volkswagen's XL1 that has been formally introduced in Geneva today.
When the 1,700-lb, carbon-fiber-bodied two-seater hits the road, its claimed 261 miles per gallon will make it the world's most-fuel-efficient production car. Though "production car" might be a stretch since VW said in a February press release that the XL1 would be built using "handcrafting-like production methods." We translate that to mean you won't be seeing many of these cars on the road. Though no one at VW has mentioned pricing yet, early rumors suggested a six-figure price tag.
That's supercar budget for a vehicle that has a 47-horsepower, two-cylinder diesel engine and a 27hp electric motor. With numbers like that, owners can expect 0-62 mph times of 12.7 seconds and top speed near 100 mph.

Volkswagen Diesels: Buy, sell, or hold?

Everyone who owns or has remotely considered a Volkswagen diesel over the past 45 days has tried to figure out the right formula. Is it worth buying after the recall? If I own one, should I sell it? How will it perform if I want to keep it? Questions create doubts, and doubts create a stunning lack of activity when it comes to the new and used car market. I seriously doubt Volkswagen will be rolling out its 2016 TDI models anytime soon. The company already failed to create a fix nearly a year ago and has spent an unusually long amount of time trying to get the formula right. There's also the fact that it rescinded its EPA application for 2016 models. I can't provide the ultimate oracle's guide on whether any recalled Volkswagen diesel will fall under the "good value" perceptions of car buyers. But I do believe four factors in particular will be largely independent of the outcome of that recall, and they're what you should pay particular attention to if you plan on buying any Volkswagen diesel – new or used. 1. Demand Creating Bad Supply There are a large number of car buyers who believe that they can zig while the marketplace tells them to zag. Unfortunately, those are the ones that get sent to the slaughter once articles like the one linked above proclaim, "resale values are down 13 percent." These heavily biased write-ups ignore the fact both the supply and demand of new and used recalled Volkswagen diesels are no longer operating in that free market. The supply side is obvious since the EPA has put a stop-sale on all Volkswagen diesels. However, on the demand side, those Volkswagen dealers who have exclusive access to off-lease vehicles and certified pre-owned programs for 2012 and newer VW diesels are now sitting on the sidelines with all those cars. When your best players no longer play, consumers don't come to the ballpark. What exists right now is a lot like a professional sports strike where the talent sits out until a collective agreement is reached. When your best players no longer play, consumers don't come to the ballpark. The marketplace only offers scabs that can play an inferior game. In the wholesale car business, the scabs are salvage vehicles that are wrecked or flood damaged, vehicles that can't be put under a CPO program due to frame damage and lemon law requirements, and the wholesale repossession market. All of these substandard vehicles make up the new supply, the collective underbelly of low-end quality in the used car marketplace.