26" Inch Wheels Tires Rims Lexani Lss-10 6x139.7 Suburban 2006 2007 2008 2009 on 2040-parts.com

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Electric cars can become electricity banks

Ever try to store electricity? It won't stay in a bottle, and you can't keep it in your sock drawer. So when you have a lot of it--say, when it's windy and your wind turbines are really spinning, or when it's sunny and your gallium arsenide photovoltaics are lighting up, or at night when the utility's generators can run unhindered--you have to store it somewhere.

Join CAR’s Twitter group for up-to-the-minute news

CAR twitter By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 18 March 2009 10:45 Join CAR’s Twitter feed for instant chat, comment and rumination from the CAR team. We’re experimenting with the new social media tool and using it to newscast breaking news, thoughts and ideas from our team of journalists 24/7. You can follow our Tweets by clicking here – just click on follow CARmagazinetim to access our feed.