2013 Ford F-150 gets Limited model, changes

The Ford F-150 pickup gets a handful of upgrades for the 2013 model year. The key changes include a redesigned center stack, the availability of high-intensity discharge headlamps and the addition of a new range-topping Limited trim. The changes come as rival General Motors prepares to launch redesigned versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.

DoE releases charging station and alterative fuel locator mobile app

Whether you drive a Tesla Model S, a Nissan Leaf, or a CNG-powered Ford F-150, there is now an app that drivers of all electric and alternative fuels will find useful. The Department of Energy has just released a mobile app version of its Alternative Fueling Statin Locator, available for download at the iTunes store, that will allow users to find public and private electric charging stations and alternative-fuel station all across the nation. The app displays different types of refueling stations, including biodiesel, CNG, electric, ethanol, hydrogen, LNG, and propane.

House narrowly passes scaled-back 'cash-for-clunkers' bill

The U.S. House on Tuesday narrowly passed a scaled-back version of a bill that would give consumers cash vouchers of between $3,500 and $4,500 if they trade in their cars for newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The $1 billion cash-for-guzzlers proposal, modeled after successful programs in Germany and other European countries, is part of a $106 billion supplemental spending measure designed mostly to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.