Standard Motor Products Jh196 Distributor Cap on 2040-parts.com

BMW Concept X5 eDrive (2013) plug-in hybrid at Frankfurt motor show

Sharing the stage with the BMW i3 at the Frankfurt motor show is the BMW Concept X5 eDrive. The plug-in hybrid X5 is set to re-write the SUV rulebook with its four-cylinder petrol-electric drivetrain producing claimed figures of less than 90g/km of CO2 and a tree-hugging 74.3mpg, smashing the Lexus RX450h which produces 145g/km and 44.8mpg. What’s more, it’s better than the most efficient 3-series currently on sale, and far more frugal than the V8-powered BMW X6 Active Hybrid that was axed in late 2011.

U.S. Transportation Department opens probe of 2010 Toyota Prius brakes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is opening a formal investigation of the 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid to determine whether the vehicle suffers momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over bumpy surfaces. NHTSA, an agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has received 124 consumer complaints, including four reports of crashes.

Electric-car guru Tom Gage steps down from AC Propulsion

Electric-car innovator Tom Gage resigned the morning of Oct. 5 from California company AC Propulsion, Autoweek has learned. Gage, the now-former CEO, joined the company in 1996, several years after its founding, and has become its public face and a widely used resource on electric cars.