2023 Volvo Xc40 Recharge Pure Electric Twin Ultimate on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Formula E car swap video, Lyft adds carpooling, new Tesla book

Curious to see how the Formula E car swap goes down? During each hour-long race (or ePrix, as the series calls them), drivers have to make a pit stop to switch cars as the battery runs down. Of course, they want to do it as quickly as possible. It's kind of a tricky dance extricating oneself from the cockpit of one car and slipping into the seat of another facing the opposite direction. See the maneuver in the video below and read more at Jalopnik. A new report forecasts that the CNG and LPG vehicle market will be worth nearly $5.2 billion by 2019. The report cites fluctuating gasoline and diesel prices, and the relatively low prices of these alternative fuels, for their growing popularity. The report also breaks down the popularity of natural gas and propane vehicles in different parts up the world. In the Asia-Pacific region, China is the largest consumer. In Europe, CNG thrives in Italy, while LPG is most popular in Turkey and Poland. Meanwhile, CNG remains a tough sell in America, while South America has a healthy market. Learn more in the press release below or at Markets and Markets. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are testing trucks connected to overhead electric wires to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The eHighway, as the project is called, will cost $13.5 million and will use battery electric and hybrid trucks to move cargo around the ports along a one-mile stretch of wires. The trucks, made by Siemens and Volvo, also have the ability to disconnect from the wires and drive under their own power. See more in the video below or read more at ABC7. Lyft is introducing its own carpooling feature to its car-hailing app. Yesterday, we reported that its competitor Uber is testing UberPool, and Lyft is now doing something similar to encourage people to share rides. Lyft Line offers discounted rides, and matches passengers who are going to nearby destinations around the same time. Lyft Line offers passengers a guaranteed price before they accept the ride. Lyft is launching the carpooling service in San Francisco, and hopes to expand it from there. Read the in-depth article at The New York Times. A new book is available called Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution. Written by Charles Morris, senior editor of Charged, it chronicles the history of the famed electric automaker, its achievements in business and technology and the people responsible for Tesla's success.

2014 Volvo XC60 scooped before launch

A Chinese automotive site has snagged the first spy shots of the updated Volvo XC60, completely uncovered. While the overall profile of the vehicle remains intact, the headlights are heavily revised. Gone are the two-piece units, which featured the separate light strip between the main cluster and the grille. In place now are larger lenses, somewhat reminiscent of those found on the S60 sedan. Also updated is the grille, which gets a little wider to meet the new headlights. The grille receives more chrome, while the lower front fascia has been revised with wider openings. A pair of LED fog lights are pushed way out to the corners.
Out back, the license plate holder gets a bold chrome strip above it, and the recessed exhaust is replaced with chromed, dual exhaust outlets that have been integrated into the bottom of the rear bumper.
Inside, the instrument panel has been revised, with a large, centrally mounted speedo, featuring a digital display in the center. According to reports, this is a similar setup to that of the new V40. As such, it appears that the changes are thoughtful efforts to move the XC60 forward by incorporating the most current Volvo design elements.

Volvo buyers have best credit scores among all auto shoppers

Experian, the US credit reporting agency, recently concluded a study into the financing and credit scores of US car buyers. One of the prime findings was that Volvo buyers enjoy the strongest credit scores among new car shoppers from all brands (nota bene, these are Experian's own numbers and can differ from other agencies). Unlike the Forbes report on the same story, though, we don't find that surprising at all, nor do we think it necessarily helps Volvo's upscale brand aspirations. The Gothenburg-based carmaker has sold its wares on tank-like safety for decades, so it seems natural that its buyers would be just as safe with and attentive to their credit scores as they are with their choice of vehicle.
Audi was ranked fourth by consumer credit score, Porsche seventh and Mercedes-Benz ninth, yet the fact that Volvo outranks them in this metric is probably a plus to its bottom line but not necessarily its image. It's not unfair to say more people desire those other luxury brands - Volvo itself has admitted as much - and people in the throes of desire have been known to be a little more let-it-ride about things like credit scores. The differences aren't huge, though: compared to Volvo's 818, Audi shoppers scored at 813, Mercedes shoppers 802. Lexus and Acura intenders took the other two steps on the top-credit-scores podium.
Mitsubishi took the honors at the other end of the charts, Experian finding that its potential customers, with an average of 604, had the lowest scores. Mitsubishi was followed by Suzuki and Dodge. On the other side of the financing table, Toyota led the way in how many of its vehicles were bought with bank assistance, followed closely by Ford, Chevrolet taking third place. Also of note, and for whatever it's worth, not one automaker made both the 'top ten by financing' and 'top ten by credit score' lists, but four made both the financing and 'bottom ten by credit score' lists: Chevrolet, Nissan, Kia and Dodge.