plus 4, 3rd electric vehicle maker eyes Elkhart - Lafayette Journal and Courier

3rd electric vehicle maker eyes Elkhart - Lafayette Journal and Courier
Automobiles : TRUCKS - Frederick News-Post
Erratic Fresno Co. patrol car found - Fresno Bee
Chrysler to Show Electric Fiat 500 Concept - U.S. News Rankings & Reviews
Gas stations say storm causing fuel shortages - Washington Examiner

3rd electric vehicle maker eyes Elkhart - Lafayette Journal and Courier

Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:07 AM PST

GOSHEN - Job-hungry Elkhart County could become home to three electric vehicle manufacturers if a Norwegian company chooses northern Indiana as the site of a new factory.

The Elkhart County Council gave preliminary approval this week to a 10-year property tax break intended to lure Think North America to the Middlebury area. The company said it also is considering sites in Oregon and Michigan for its first U.S. plant.

Parent company Think Global makes compact, two-door electric passenger cars at a plant in Finland. The company plans for the new factory to produce 2,500 autos per year initially and employ 415 people by 2013.

"It is really one of the first highway-ready, fully functioning electric vehicles," said Tom Kemeny, Think North America's chief financial officer. "There is no tailpipe. There are no emissions."

The Think City is made with recyclable plastic body panels and can travel more than 100 miles per charge.

"It's an urban vehicle," Kemeny said. "This isn't to get from Detroit down to here."

He didn't specify what the car's estimated retail price would be but said maintenance and operation costs would be 75 percent lower than those of a gas-powered vehicle.

Wakarusa already is home to two electric vehicle operations.

Navistar International Corp. plans to build all-electric delivery trucks starting next year with help from a $39 million federal grant. Startup Electric Motors Corp. intends to make electric-hybrid drive trains to be installed in various vehicles, starting with a joint venture with Gulf Stream that would make light-duty electric trucks.

Council President John Letherman said that type of development would "put people back to work, put us on the cutting edge of electric car manufacturing."

Elkhart County's unemployment rate, driven by job cuts at recreational vehicle manufacturers in the reputed RV capital of the world, spiked in March at 18.9 percent but has fallen steadily since, hitting 14.5 percent in November.

According to paperwork filed for the tax abatement, Think would open a plant at a vacant building north of Middlebury. It would invest $24.76 million in new machinery through 2013 and the 415 workers would earn an average of $33,253.

Think would save about 50 percent on property taxes over 10 years, or about $500,000. Kemeny said Think also is pursuing state and federal incentives.

"I think we are further along with Indiana than we are with other states," said Brendan Prebow, a spokesman for Think North America.

"Elkhart County and Middlebury offer a lot in terms of manufacturing," he said. "There is a well-established automotive supply base already. There is a well-established, trained work force and it is centrally located to the U.S."

Privately owned Think was recapitalized last summer, according to The New York Times, and Indianapolis-based battery maker Ener1 now owns a 31 percent share. Prebo said that funding already has been earmarked for the planned U.S. plant.

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Automobiles : TRUCKS - Frederick News-Post

Posted: 23 Dec 2009 07:31 AM PST

Carjackers at large; one fired at Fresno Co. deputy

Two carjackers remained at large Monday night, after one fired at a Fresno County sheriff's deputy, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The deputy, who was pursuing the stolen car near San Joaquin, was not injured and did not return fire.

The spokesman said the confrontation began before dawn Monday on the 22000 block of California Avenue when a man preparing to get into his car was approached by two men. One of them was armed. They demanded cash, but the man said he did not have any and told the bandits to take his car.

Driver praised for ramming patrol car in Utah

A Utah driver rammed a sheriff's patrol car on purpose and officers aren't even upset. West Valley City police say a man posted an ad asking for a massage. When he showed up at the appointed meeting place, instead of finding a woman police said a 21-year-old man hopped into the truck, flashed a gun and told the victim to drive.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Jason Johnson said the driver tried to stay calm but saw an opportunity to escape when he pulled up next to a sheriff's deputy.

Johnson said the man hit the patrol car, jumped out of the truck and started yelling.

Gang member nabbed in Tulare Co. chase

A Norteño gang member was arrested Thursday after a high-speed chase that began in Earlimart, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department reported.

The 33-year-old man, driving a stolen car, tried to elude California Highway Patrol officers but collided with a CHP car at Deitz Road and Avenue 56, the CHP said.

He reportedly ran into a nearby vineyard but was arrested after a Porterville police dog found him.

Reedley man held on theft, drug counts

A 33-year-old Reedley man was booked on auto theft and drug counts Thursday, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department said.

The arrest took place after deputies went to a residence near Road 120 and Avenue 432, northwest of Orosi, where a car had been stolen. The victim gave deputies the address of a man that he said was responsible for the theft.

Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers went to the suspect's home, where they found six stolen vehicles and a number of marijuana plants, a sheriff's spokesman said.

News briefs

Police

Child, teens arrested in Fresno vehicle theft

Four boys and one girl, ranging from 12 to 17 years of age, were arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of vehicle theft after they were stopped in a stolen car in central Fresno, police said.

A Fresno County sheriff's patrol car crashed at the top of a Fresno highway offramp after witnesses reported it weaving erratically along several Valley roads.

A sheriff's deputy who was driving the patrol car was taken to Community Regional Medical Center. Fresno police Lt. Burke Farrah said the deputy will be evaluated to see if he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The patrol car jumped a curb and stopped about 8:10 a.m. at the Bullard Avenue offramp of northbound Highway 41. It was being followed by California Highway Patrol, sheriff's and Fresno police vehicles.

Earlier, witnesses contacted authorities to report a sheriff's patrol car weaving erratically near Highway 168 and Temperance Avenue. A short time later came similar reports of a patrol car on northbound Highway 99 near Selma.

The car shifted from Highway 99 to northbound Highway 41, followed by numerous law enforcement cars. At Bullard Avenue, it took the offramp, went over a curb on the avenue, and stopped.

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Chrysler to Show Electric Fiat 500 Concept - U.S. News Rankings & Reviews

Posted: 23 Dec 2009 06:55 AM PST

Maybe the Chrysler-Fiat merger is going better than expected.

Automotive News reports, "Chrysler Group will show off two vehicles at next month's Detroit auto show hinting at future collaborations under Italy's Fiat S.p.A, according to two sources familiar with the plans."

One of the concepts is, according to Automotive News, "A Lancia Delta mid-size hatchback with a Chrysler grille." It's the other one that's generating a lot of chatter. And some voltage.

According to reports, Chrysler is intending to show an electric Fiat 500. The 500 is a popular car in the European market, and Chrysler and Fiat hope it can take on the Mini Cooper here. Autoblog says, " We've heard that the automaker's erstwhile ENVI group was disbanded and assimilated into the rest of the company's product development workforce, so we're curious to see the integration of a battery-powered drivetrain into the little urban runabout. Will it be a fully-functional vehicle or just a mock-up of what could potentially be possible?"

Bloomberg reports, "Chrysler's decision on whether to put the car into production is unknown, said the people, who declined to be identified because the details aren't public. Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said last month the company plans to produce about 56,000 electric vehicles annually by 2014, and Chrysler may base its initial model on the Fiat Doblo van."

With the electric Fiat 500, Chrysler and Fiat may have more than just the gas-powered Mini in their sights. Bloomberg says, "An electric Fiat 500 gives Chrysler a competitor to Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's Mini-E electric car. BMW began leasing a limited run of Mini Cooper plug-in electric cars this year."

With its small size and light weight, an electric subcompact like the Fiat 500 or Mini-E could make sense for a lot of urban dwellers. However, with Chrysler keeping quiet on when or if the electric 500 could be produced, and most areas lacking the infrastructure required to charge the cars, most consumers will likely have to wait a little longer before taking advantage of the technology.

Check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.

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Gas stations say storm causing fuel shortages - Washington Examiner

Posted: 23 Dec 2009 07:17 AM PST

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FREDERICK, MD. — Some gas station operators in Frederick are blaming the weekend snow storm for shortages at the pump.

The Frederick News-Post reports that at least two of the city's gas stations ran out of fuel Monday. One of them ran short again Tuesday after a Monday delivery was depleted.

One station manager says fuel trucks couldn't make deliveries due to the weather.

Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers Association spokesman Michael Fox says the shortages reflect a combination of factors.

Fox says that when wholesale fuel prices are falling, dealers tend to keep inventories low. He says any supply disruption or panic buying by consumers can lead to shortages at the pump.

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Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com