Green Wheels - WCCT

Green Wheels: The Slow Road to an Electric Future

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:15:00 EDT

WASHINGTON, DC — I am in our capital city this week to speak at a conference of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, which has been fighting the good fight for EVs since 1989. That's only 24 years, but it's measured like dog years — we were in the distant past then, with no production plug-ins, and even the General Motors EV-1 still a concept.

Green Wheels: Taking in the Auctions in Westport and Greenwich

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EDT

A CT classic weekend

It was a classic car weekend. On Friday, I went to the second annual Dragone Classic Motorcars auction in Westport. It was a special one for me, because a couple of weeks before I'd actually driven one of the cars on offer, a supercharged Continental Touring Berline from 1934.

Green Wheels: Commuting in Connecticut is Life in the Slow Lane

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 5 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EDT

BRIDGEPORT — I'm in the midst of that great American institution, waiting for jury duty, which is unparalleled not only in creating boredom but in giving you time to think. And what I'm thinking about is the state of public transportation in Connecticut.

Green Wheels: A Peek Into Westport's Dragone Auction

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 29 May 2013 12:10:00 EDT

WESTPORT— A few weeks ago, I saw a very cool 1907 Columbia Electric Park Surrey on display at the EV Road Rally in Westport. Now, that car is for sale as part of the epic Dragone Classic Motorcars auction May 31, with 65 cars destined to find new owners.

Green Wheels: The Manual Transmission Disappears

By Jim Motavalli — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT

On Chrysler Corporation's new 2013 Ram 1500 SLT, you switch gears by twisting a small plastic knob on the dashboard. The Lincoln MKZ uses pushbuttons (just like the Edsel). The Tesla Model S has a tiny shifter on the right side of the steering column.

Green Wheels: Our Fuel-Cell Future

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:05:00 EDT

Clean tech and more in Bridgeport

I do a radio show on WPKN (listener-supported, 89.5) Radio in Bridgeport, and I'm celebrating my 40th anniversary on the air this year. In that time I've had frequent occasion to talk to the Connecticut public during call-in shows, and I think I've gotten a pretty good sense of where people are at in regards to the cars they drive.

Green Wheels: Start Your (Electric) Motors

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 8 May 2013 12:40:00 EDT

Spreading the word with an EV rally

If electric cars are to succeed, they need to be more visible. Only approximately 50,000 were sold nationwide last year, and that means that, everywhere but California, they're still pretty much under the radar. I've long believed that car buyers are motivated by emotions and what their neighbors do, so it would be nice if the Jones' next door were driving electric.

Young Connecticut Farmers Look For New Solutions and New Crops

By Gregory B. Hladky — Tue, 7 May 2013 16:35:00 EDT

A new age of farming in CT

According to U.S. Census data, there are nearly 5,000 farms in little old Connecticut. That sounds pretty good. Except the demographics suck.

Green Wheels: The Fisker Fiasco

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 1 May 2013 10:05:00 EDT

As the end nears, a look at what happened

What was the government thinking? President Obama's Energy Department handed out a $529 million loan to Fisker Automotive, a sexy startup headed by a dashing Dane that sought to put a $104,000 plug-in hybrid car on the market. It looked too good to be true, and it was.

Green Wheels: Automakers vs. California's Zero Emission Rules

By Jim Motavalli — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:05:00 EDT

A showdown is brewing over electric cars. In March, the two main trade organizations representing international automakers filed a petition with the EPA complaining about California's zero emission vehicle mandates. The rules are indeed tough. They require sales of 1.4 million battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles by 2025, and that doesn't include conventional hybrids such as the popular (especially in California) Toyota Prius, which has now sold more than five million worldwide.