Raymarine E125 / E127 Sun Weather Cover on 2040-parts.com

Plug-In 2013 conference plugs along

Every now and then, the electric car industry comes together in a sort of Woodstock-of-the-Watt-Hour to take stock of itself and to exchange ideas, sign contracts and maybe have a beer. The most recent parliament of the plug-in was last week in San Diego at an annual industry event known as Plug-In 2013, although obviously they change the year in the title as necessary. Why keep gathering?

NHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs

Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed on Monday. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.

New Mercedes ML (2012) Revealed

The Mercedes ML grows up for 2012 The imminent demise of the big SUV has been predicted by the hair-shirt-wearing, green halo brigade for years, but cars like the new 2012 Mercedes ML are like every successful creation – they evolve to survive. So the news that’s come with the first photos of the 2012 ML that we will see the big Mercedes SUV sporting a lowly four-pot is much less of a shock than it would have been a few years ago. But it’s much less of a shock because four-pot turbos have evolved to give us more than a six-pot would have done just a few years before, which makes a 4-pot in a Mercedes ML almost appealing.