Author: Tabitha
On frosty mornings, many people go searching for a cheap plastic ice scraper or use the edge of a credit card on their windshields. A more effective and elegant choice would be to pick up an Eva Solo scraper. This Danish-design device folds up when not needed so it easily stores in your car’s glove compartment, door pocket or console. The Eva Solo has a stainless-steel handle with a hard plastic scraper on one side and a soft rubber squeegee on the other side for wiping away assorted grime. The Eva Solo retails for $35 through online resellers including www.amazon.com.
It’s easy to accidentally let the handle of floor jack (or a rake or garden shovel) fall against a vehicle, resulting in a nasty body ding or gash. That problem could be reduced or eliminated with Gaither’s Handle Protector. Slipping one of these non-slip synthetic rubber shields over tool handles is an inexpensive way to prevent another incident. The Handle Protector is especially important in a commercial garage environment when working on, or around, customer vehicles. Order for $13 from a number of auto supply retailers, including www.uniquetruck.com/p-23234-gaithers-handle-protector.aspx.
Four Tesla Model X electric cars have been leased by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) system, which serves the Tampa, Fla., metro area, for a new ride-sharing service. The acquisition was funded through donations from local businesses in the University of South Florida area, where the service will be offered, reports Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine. The Teslas will join the HART Hyper-Link program that connects riders with bus stops in the university area. The service can be ordered through a smartphone app. EV news site Elektrek, which tracks the transition to electric transportation from fossil fuel, says the cars…
Nissan and electric-vehicle-charging company EVgo have joined forces to connect Boston, Mass., and Washington, D.C., with a network of fast-charging sites. Construction of the ‘I-95 Fast Charge ARC’ is under way now and should be finished by fall in time for the launch of the all-new Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. Once complete, there will be 50 charging points. A convenient fast-charge infrastructure along high-traffic routes is ‘imperative’ for the mass adoption of electric vehicles, said Nissan Senior Manager JeSean Hopkins. He added that the project will provide ‘the best public charging experience in the United States to drivers in one…
Volvo Cars will build its first fully electric car in China, the company announced at April’s Auto Shanghai in China. The decision to build in China ‘highlights the central role’ that country will play in Volvo’s electrified future, ‘and underlines China’s growing sophistication as a manufacturing center for the automotive industry.’ The company fully supports the Chinese government’s call for cleaner air as outlined in the latest five-year plan, said CEO Hakan Samuelsson. ‘We believe that electrification is the answer to sustainable mobility.’ Volvo has committed to selling one million electrified cars (including battery-electric cars and hybrids) by 2025. The…
Volkswagen has released some initial details of its $2-billion, 10-year plan to ‘Electrify America.’ The automaker agreed to a project to spread zero-emission-vehicle-charging infrastructure throughout the country as a condition to making settlements in the diesel-engine emission scandal. In the first of four phases, the Electrify America project will install more than 450 non-proprietary EV charging stations in 11 metropolitan areas, and along major highways over 30 months. That will cost $500 million, and be split $200 million for California and $300 million for the rest of the country. Each of the 450 sites will have between four and 10…
The Sleuth is picking up lots of buzz after Buick announced that it was replacing the Regal sedan for 2018 with a Regal hatchback and a Regal ‘Sportback TourX’ wagon. Coupled with the demise of the compact Verano sedan earlier this year, that leaves only the full-size LaCrosse as the sole Buick with a trunk. Meanwhile, the Avenir (the French term for future) brand that was applied to a 2015 Buick concept sedan, will be used to identify a premium trim level on the new 2018 Enclave tall wagon. Included will be a unique mesh grille, 20-inch wheels, a luxuriously…
On occasion, The Sleuth likes to enjoy a night on the town. When that happens, he either sticks to soda water, or enjoys a cold one and then leaves his vehicle parked overnight. But, if The Sleuth owned a 2018 Lincoln Navigator, he would simply order a chauffeur by phone/text for a specific departure time to the party and then back home when it’s over. It’s all part of Lincoln’s go-the-extra-mile plan to lure customers to its showrooms. As far as The Spy Guy knows, not even Rolls-Royce, Bentley or other high-roller automakers go that far. Mind you, buyers of…
Parents use child seats to protect their offspring, but over time the seats can damage the vehicle’s seat. The Prince Lionheart company has a ready-made solution. The 2 Stage Seatsaver is compatible with rear-facing baby carriers and forward facing chairs for older youngsters. The product is made with high-density foam that prevents spills, tears, scuffs and indentations from forming on the vehicle’s seat fabric. The Seatsaver also serves as a stable platform for attaching child or baby seats to the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) systems. They’re available in black, beige or gray for $25 from www.princelionheart.com.
There have been numerous books and one documentary that focus on the life and tragic death in 1994 of Formula One ace Ayrton Senna. Now comes a 1:8 scale version of the car that Senna drove to his first of three championships in 1988. The highly detailed McLaren MP4/4 model is made up of hundreds of parts that, when assembled, result in an authentic reproduction that can be displayed as a single unit, or with the engine and body removed. De Agostini of Italy sells the kit for the equivalent of about US $900. Watch the video and purchase at:…