Vintage Military Us Army Vehicle Antenna Mount on 2040-parts.com

SAE approves new fast-charging standard for EVs, plug-ins

SAE International said it has approved a new technical standard that will dramatically reduce charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. The global engineering group said the new charging standard, developed with the cooperation of more than 190 automakers, utilities and equipment builders, will allow charging times to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes. Automakers want DC direct charging to take less than 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline.The goal is to accommodate currents as high as 500 volts distributed from public charging stations.

Car buying, minus the dealership

“Test drives delivered” is the motto of Tred, a Seattle-based startup that's taking the car dealership out of the car-buying process -- at least from the shopper's perspective. Wired.com reported Thursday that by accessing Tred via the Web or an iPad app, shoppers will be able to select the cars they want to test-drive and have them delivered to the location of their choice. Each car is then delivered by a Tred staffer rather than a dealership salesperson.

Spring Mountain opens Cadillac V-Series Academy

While half the country is slogging through snow this time of year, some of you -- like Cadillac -- are prepping for the racetrack. The Cadillac V-Series Academy at Nevada’s Spring Mountain Resort and Country Club is now open to the public. The resort, just outside Las Vegas, has four miles of racetrack and 125 feet of elevation change.