Wisdom from The Action Wisdom In Action

Automotive News is a unique info source for car biz coverage. I resent that my paid subscription is running out and I have to decide whether to come up with more or lose my access. In the meantime, here are four stories from the weekly issue that really stood out:

Fisker Automotive Inc. plans to use its recently acquired, former GM, plant in Delaware in part to build vehicles for other automakers. Fisker plans to use only one-third of an installed 300,000 units of capacity at the plant in Wilmington, Del., for its vehicles, which will be built there in late 2012.

The Chevrolet Volt turned in a lackluster performance for efficiency in its first series of cold-weather road tests, according to Consumer Reports. Fun to drive, ride is good, but doesn’t make financial sense, according to the magazine’s auto test center director. The Volt fell short of its maximum range potential under battery power. People seeking value and fuel efficiency are better off with hybrids like the Prius and Ford Fusion.

Toyota aims to slash the cost of hydrogen fuel cell technology before it starts selling its fuel cell sedan in 2015. The company plans to tackle costs several ways, including using less platinum in the fuel stack, fewer components, and simplifying the design.

Rolls-Royce, of all companies, has built an electric vehicle. The Phantom EE, unveiled at the Geneva auto show, is a concept. And the company is quick to say that it's nowhere near production. It will have the largest battery pack ever fitted to a passenger car, the company said.

So plug-in hybrid vehicles, aka extended range, are very appealing to a lot of people. There aren't too many on the market, the Chevy Volt being the symbol, and many are in the works. Here's why people are looking forward to it:

1. Much of the time you're on battery power, freeing you up from OPEC-controlled, smog spitting, ridiculously expensive, gasoline.

2. When the battery runs out, the gas engine kicks in, reducing your range anxiety and giving you a lot more miles to cover before charging up your battery again.

So what if there were a way to move beyond battery and gasoline in a PHEV? Wouldn't that be the coolest thing? Here's a few thoughts on that subject...

1. The Algeus is being driven around by "Fuel" director/star Josh Tickell, a big believer in biofuels and freedom from oil. It's a Toyota Prius converted aftermarket into a plug-in hybrid version, and its gas engine has been taken over by algae biofuel. Very cool! The problem is there's only one of them out there now, and algae biofuel has some big stumbling blocks to surmount before making it to your nearest gas station.

2. Peugeot finally took the wraps off the look-awaited 3008 Hybrid4, the first diesel-electric vehicle in the world. This model will be available in a limited edition of 300 units, which will be ready to hit the market in the fall. According to the Detroit News, the 3008 Hybrid4 is equipped with a 163 horsepower 2.0-liter HDi diesel engine driving the front wheels. Not a plug-in hybrid vehicle - a regular hybrid running on diesel instead of gasoline, but a step in the right direction.

Green cars did well in Kiplinger's annual rankings (most recent one in 65 years) "One thing we saw a lot of this year, the vehicles that were green … hybrids, diesels, did well in the rankings," said Jessica L. Anderson, an associate editor at Kiplinger's. Kiplinger's tested nearly 1,300 vehicles beginning in October.

Only about 40% of the people who plunked down a $99 deposit to reserve a space in the Leaf queue are actually following up and placing orders with their local Nissan dealers. Not bad - industry watchers says that a 40% fulfillment rate is about right when there is no penalty for canceling a reservation - but it means Nissan likely will build and sell fewer than 10,000 Leafs in the first wave of U.S. sales.

Ford Motor Co. released a three-minute educational video highlighting the company's family of electric-drive vehicles and explaining the differences between hybrid, plug-in-hybrid and battery-electric automobiles. The video does a good job of explaining the differences between Ford's Focus Electric 5-door hatchback, C-Max Hybrid compact MPV, Fusion Hybrid gasoline-electric 4-door sedan, Transit Connect Electric van, and C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid 5-passenger compact MPV

Future versions of the Chevy Volt will be outfitted with the new OnStar feature that allows drivers the ability to continually manage their energy usage. Available to owners that opt in is access to current time of use rates that get downloaded into the vehicle's computer. This lets the driver make an informed, possibly money saving, decision when scheduling the Volt's charging time.