Google might be a little too big with its mostly complete monopoly in online search but it appears they are trying to green up their image.

Google and more than 80 other companies are collaborating with the Department of Energy to make it simple for drivers of electric vehicles to find parts and charging sites.

Via a partnership called the GeoEVSE Forum, the organizations are pooling their data to build a definitive database of all available EV charging stations in the U.S. regardless of the manufacturer or network, the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory said yesterday.

The GPS and mapping system database will also include all available electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) stations.

Here is some really strange news about cars and spiders, yes the creepy crawly kind!

A spider that likes the smell of gasoline so much it chooses to build its webs in car emission systems was behind the recall of thousands of Mazda cars in the United States this week.

Mazda Motor Corp said on Thursday it was recalling 52,000 cars after the National Highway Safety Commission said the spider webs may restrict a vent line, which could cause the emissions control system to increase pressure in the fuel tank.

The build-up of webs in the emission systems could lead to fuel tank cracks and possible leaks.

The culprit is the Yellow Sac spider, which makes the Mazda6 model of Mazda cars its home because it is lured inside by the smell of the fuel. The Mazda6 is known as the Atenza in Japan.

“While it’s very rare, this spider’s distinguishing characteristic is that it likes the smell of gasoline, caused by the hydrogen oxide,” said automotive journalist Mitsuhiro Kunisawa.

“Once it smells the gasoline from outside, it will go inside. In the United States, it’s a relatively common type of spider.”

The affected model, the Mazda6, has two pipes coming out from its gas tank, which is extremely rare and means that the smell of gasoline is strong enough to draw the spider in but not strong enough to kill it, Kunisawa said.

He added that there was no similar problem with any other Mazda car.

As part of the recall, dealers will install a spring to prevent spiders such as the Yellow Sac from entering the vent line.

Amazing work at Ford on producing green parts.

OK, when your car is repaired like this it is time to send it to the junk yard!

You have to wonder if they could have done this a lot sooner or if the bean counter figured it was time to cut the potential lawsuit losses?  Toyota Motor Corp. took almost two years to submit Wednesday’s U.S. recall of Lexus models after the automaker’s initial investigation of a potential gasoline leak failed to find defects in the cars’ fuel-line components.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, voluntarily recalled around 245,000 Lexus IS and GS luxury cars in the U.S. to inspect and tighten fuel-pressure sensors.

More than 10,000 Lexus models sold in Europe are also part of the Japanese’s automaker’s global 1.7 million-car recall to fix a variety of fuel system, pressure sensors and spare-tire carriers related problems. The first U.S. report of fuel odor was in March 2009, according to a letter Toyota sent Thursday to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota investigated the case and two more reports in 2009, including one from the U.K., and “no abnormality in parts was found,” said Brian Lyons, a spokesman for the Japanese automaker’s U.S. unit in Torrance, California.

Toyota studied the Lexus issue throughout 2010, and not until reviewing manufacturing processes and an additional defect report could it determine the likely cause was a section of pipe that was tightened improperly, according to the letter. The time needed to uncover the problem isn’t unusual, given how complex vehicles have become, said Ed Kim, director of analysis for industry researcher AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California.

“This is literally forensic analysis,” said Kim, who is a former U.S. product planner for Hyundai Motor Co. “Cars contain hundreds of thousands of pieces of machinery, and when there’s a defect it can be pretty minute.” “In many cases it’s harder than finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.

Toyota’s reputation for reliability has been damaged by record recalls in the past 18 months, largely for problems related to unintended acceleration. The company is under pressure to be as forthcoming as possible with defects, Kim said.

Just goes to show you that a high price tag can still come with some nasty manufacturing mistakes.

That is right, this baby was worth a lot!!

A Mexican man was released without charges after a traffic stop for speeding in Texas Wednesday morning led police to discover more than $180,000 of suspected drug money hidden in the car.

Police stopped the car for speeding on Interstate 35 near Natalia, Texas, a city north of the U.S.-Mexico border outside San Antonio, My SA News reported.

A city officer found $184,275 hidden in compartments inside the front fenders of the Ford Fiesta, the newspaper reported.

The driver, Edgar A. Silva Flores, of Mexico, said he had recently purchased the car and didn’t know anything about the money.

The city and prosecutor’s office will split the suspected drug money, the newspaper reported.

Great article over at www.ctv.ca explaining the green car era that we are embarking on, the more solid green choices consumers have the quicker we can start getting pollution under control!!

The first mass-market electric vehicles are about to go on sale in selected cities, kicking off the beginning of a wave of new green vehicles hitting showrooms over the coming year.

The Chevrolet Volt, from General Motors, and the Leaf, from Nissan, both launching in December, are just the beginning of the electrification trend. At least eight hybrids and 12 plug-in electric cars in every price range are planned for 2011, with another batch of electric vehicles (EVs) expected in 2012.

The rollout of these vehicles will be regional, starting with California and a handful of other states, including New York, Texas, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee, among others. It could be several years before EVs are readily available across America. Each employs different powertrain technologies, so it pays to do your research at sites like www.hybridcars.com or pluginamerica.org.

But here are the basics:

A hybrid, as the name suggests, uses both a gasoline engine and electric motor to power the car, switching back and forth as necessary. A plug-in hybrid is similar, but comes with a larger battery that allows the vehicle to travel solely on electric power for short hops, but not for long stretches. An extended-range electric vehicle, like the Volt, can go up to 40 or so miles on electricity, after which a small gasoline motor kicks in to recharge the battery and keep driving. A pure EV, like the Leaf, runs solely on electricity and needs to be recharged every 100 miles or so.

When it comes to hybrids, Toyota’s Prius is the only one anyone ever really talks about, so it might surprise you that there are 27 other hybrid models already on the market today, including hybrid versions of the BMW 7-series, Mercedes S-class and Lexus LS.

Many more are coming. They include luxury cars like the recently introduced Porsche Cayenne S hybrid SUV, which, at $67,700, sells for about $4,000 more than the gasoline version of Porsche’s bestselling vehicle, and the Lexus CT 200h compact, due in early 2011, which is aimed at a younger, Gen-X crowd, and will likely be priced under $32,000.

Read the full article here.

I was visiting Standard Auto Wreckers down here in Toronto, Ontario and the place was buzzing with activity!  I saw a film production crew grabbing some coffee near a wrecked Mercedes and tried to squeeze some information out of them, but to no avail.  Later on I caught up with them at the junk car crusher and I did recognize one of my favorite (educational) TV hosts, Ziya Tong!

I could not get the whole scoop, but I do know I will be looking out for the Daily Planet over the next few months to see this very cool episode!!

I know I personally have not gotten a traffic ticket in more than eight years!  What are your chances of getting one?

Violations/100,000 miles driven, expressed as percentage of average. For a complete list,
see www.qualityplanning.com.

Now what about cars that are nearly ticket-proof? If you don’t want to send checks to the DMV or the court, get an SUV or minivan. Best, get a Buick Rainier. Average age 61, 71 percent driven by men. Cops pretty much ignore them.

Violations/100,000 miles driven, expressed as percentage of average. For a complete list,
see www.qualityplanning.com.

After last weeks reports that many cities that have banned texting and approved hands-free only use of cell phones have seen an increases in accidents, this was partially expected but likely will never pass.

That’s what U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is weighing, Bloomberg reports. LaHood thinks motorists are so distracted by their cell phones that bans on texting don’t go far enough.

There are already restrictions in 30 states, but LaHood goes much farther. He even has Ford’s Sync in-car communications systems and General Motor’s OnStar in his sights.

read the rest on usatoday.com