This might be only the second full week of August, but already it is the month of hybrid and electric cars. Earlier this week, we told you about new technology out of Middle Tennessee State University that will transform normal vehicles into fuel-efficient hybrid cars. Yesterday, GM continued the trend by making a major announcement about the future of electric cars.
GM CEO Dan Akerson announced at an employee meeting Thursday that there has been a breakthrough in the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. Right now, the Chevrolet Volt can go for about 35 miles per electric charge with a gas motor that kicks in if the battery power runs out. Akerson announced that the new batteries would be able to travel 100 miles per charge, nearly three times its current power, and he teased that the batteries would soon be able to travel up to 200 miles per charge. He called the increased battery power a “game changer” in the industry.
Even with this great news, though, GM is still being cautious and keeping their business in mind while exploring hybrids and electric cars. If it turns out that they can’t make 200-mile batteries, they are also working on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and natural gas vehicles. Akerson compared focusing solely on electric cars to putting “all of our chips on one bet” and assured GM employees and the public that GM would explore all of their options.
If GM came out with electric cars that could go 200 miles on one charge, would you take one for a test drive? Leave a comment below, and tell us what you think!
GM’s new high-powered electric cars are still a ways off, but Approved Loan Store wants to help you get into a new or used car today. Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we want to help you! Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and keep up with the latest auto news by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!
Since the start of Craigslist, there have been horror stories of scam artists taking advantage of consumers looking for a good deal on an apartment, a stroller, or a car. It is impossible to know exactly what to expect when responding to a Craigslist ad. Sometimes, the poster is a perfectly normal human being who doesn’t want to pay to advertise their used furniture on another website. Other times, the poster is a predator looking for their next victim. Even with these warnings, though, people still use Craigslist in hopes of finding that one great deal, even when it comes to a major purchase like a car. If you needed another reason to stay away from Craigslist’s car ads, 
New green technology is becoming more of a necessity as every year goes by, and though hybrid cars are starting to become more popular, Americans have been slow to adapt to this new technology. 
Back when I was in high school, I bought my first car. It wasn’t flashy or really anything special on the outside. In fact, I bought it used from my grandma, earning it the nickname of “The Grannymobile” in my family. On the outside, it was an unremarkable silver-grey sedan, and inside, the entertainment center didn’t even have a CD player. Instead, I had to hit up discount and vintage stores and buy cassette tapes, and I ended up with a very strange music collection including Prince’s “Love Machine” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame.” While it wasn’t exactly a teenager’s dream car, the Grannymobile was reliable, and I grew to love all of its quirks. I finally had to retire the Grannymobile after a rough road trip to Florida (and a rainstorm/mini-hurricane) left the bottom rusting through. It was a bittersweet goodbye. After all, this car had seen me through my high school and college years. It wasn’t just a way to get around. The Grannymobile was like an old friend who had seen me through good times and bad, and many of my best memories of those years wouldn’t have been the same without it.
Recent numbers from the U.S. auto industry show that while sales are struggling internationally, auto sales here at home are still booming.
A recent study released by J.D. Power and Associates had some interesting findings about car trade-ins and how people view a vehicle downsize as a trade up.
At the
Summer vacation holds a lot of great memories for me. I remember running around the neighborhood, playing baseball in someone’s backyard, or piling in the car for a trip to the local pool. Sometimes in the midst of vacation, though, my parents would rope my sisters and me into doing, heaven forbid, some chores. We spent many afternoons standing on a hot driveway with the garden hose and a couple of sponges, scrubbing down the family car.
No one expects to be the target of a car thief, but in 2010, 
According to a