So you're ready to be your own 2011 Ford Fiesta agent, but you'll actually be paying for yours instead of the company giving you one to drive for free. If you want one that's got all the doodads, this is what you need to do: bring money. A base Fiesta sedan starts at $13,320, but go for the pricier hatch and check a few boxes and you'll hopscotch your way past the $23,000 line -- and there will still be options left.

Ford doesn't see this car as just a small American hatchback for people who want a smaller footprint but all the style and utility. The base and lower end models fit the bill for that, but on the other end, Ford officials tell Automotive News that it sees the Fiesta as an aspirational, high tech hatch that can command attention and commensurately elevated prices. Said Ford's Jim Farley, "Americans have shown us if we bring out aspirational products, not only will they pay the base price, but go up."

We played with the Fiesta configurator and wound up at $22,970. Yes, it's easy to do, but that does give you just about everything -- we skipped the graphics packages, the smoker's kit, and a couple of other accessories. But of that $9,650 difference between the sedan's base and our wishlist hatch, about half of the cost is loaded on the front end: the SES starts at $17,120 before you do anything to it, and that goes to $18,190 if you go for the automatic. Ford's getting premium prices in Australia for the Fiesta, and it believes it can do the same here. If you think so – or don't – let us know in comments.



[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

When Fisker signed an agreement in late October to build the Nina project car plug-in hybrid sports car at a Wilmington, Delaware assembly plant that formerly belonged to GM, we mentioned that United Auto Workers Local 435 president was on hand, hinting that the plant would remain unionized. This is not typical for a startup auto plant, but Fisker's entry into the Diamond State was a real lifesaver for the UAW members, who "looked like goners" earlier in the summer.

That phrase comes from a report on Delaware Online about Fisker's investment in the plant and how it could create 5,000 jobs in the U.S. (including 3,000 at suppliers). It's looking like about 2,500 jobs will be at or near the plant. Fisker and the UAW hope to have a deal by March.



[Source: Delaware Online]

During the recently-concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (it was a failure! It was a success!), one of the many non-gasoline-powered vehicles present was a hydrogen-powered Ford Transit developed by Revolve Technologies (formerly known as Roush Technologies). The van burns hydrogen in a conventional 2.3-litre 4-cylinder internal combustion petrol engine, a method that Revolve business development manager Bill Waddell called "a stepping stone in the route to use hydrogen as an alternative fuel." The bi-fuel system also allows standard petrol to be burned. The Royal Mail in the UK plans on using two of these converted vans in operator trials soon.

The medium-sized Transit van can carry 4.5 kg of H₂ in three tanks under the floor. This gives the van a hydrogen-only range of 95 miles in the city and 135 on the highway. More information on the van here. Thanks to Roy B. for the tip!

[Source: Logistics Manager, Eco-Rally]

When the first second-generation Smart Eds were handed over to customers in Berlin last week, Daimler and German utility
RWE also announced a few details about how the all-electric ForTwos can interact with with the Internet. Smart Ed drivers are assigned a personal contract code that can be used online and with cell phones to share information (e.g., billing and charge status) and can also pre-heat or pre-cool the car if it's plugged in. In the future, the Internet connection should also be able to be used to assign charging times to mesh with the utility's lowest rates. RWE is also offering a home charging station and free green electricity for 18 months. RWE's public stations has charging capacities of 44 kW, while the home chargers are 22 kW. It takes 12 kWh to move the Smart Ed 100 kilometers (62 miles).

Daimler and RWE have been working together on the Smart Ed "e-mobility Berlin" project since late 2008. RWE is also working with Brabus on their Tesla Roadster upgrade package to provide a year's worth of free electricity to buyers.



[Source: Daimler]

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The LA Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning auto critic, Dan Neil, had a chance to sample the Audi e-tron while the electric R8 (R8e?) was down in So. Cal. for the LA Auto Show, and he's suitably impressed with the nine-month-old prototype that -- unlike your average concept -- is actually functional.

Not only does it go, stop and turn, the e-tron has a fully functional climate control system, power windows, MMI system and a host of other gadgets on board, making it a rarity in the world of one-off concepts. Granted, it's still just an overly-stylized mule (thankfully, the million-spoke wheels were dispatched in favor of the R8 V10's hoops), but this is less about the driving experience (although Neil raves about the dynamics and power delivery) and more about the world's largest automakers getting into the electric vehicle game.

Neil's primary point is that while Tesla and Fisker are laying the foundation for EV proliferation, automakers like Audi, Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen all have electric whips in the works. Neil contends that the standards set by the major OEMs are what's going to drive EVs into the mainstream and if the e-tron (and the forthcoming electric Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) are any indication, enthusiasts can have their cake and eat it too. Check out the full write-up and hit the jump for Dan's video review.



[Source: LA Times]

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While Better Place has made no secret of its partnership with Renault, the company has always put an emphasis on the cheap cost-per-mile aspect of their business model instead of on the cars themselves. Better Place founder and CEO Shai Agassi is now slightly refining the message to emphasize the cheaper up-front cost of the EVs, including the Renault Fluence, instead of the running costs. Perhaps he's learned a lesson from Nissan head Carlos Ghosn. The "we're selling miles" message isn't gone, it's just taking a back seat to the "cheap EV" message. To wit, a new interview with Agassi in Automotive News (subs req'd), which is all about how the cost-per-mile, swappable battery plan means a cheaper electric car. How cheap? Agassi says it'll be under $20,000, and that's before any tax incentives. Better Place's first battery swap station will be installed in Tokyo next month, and the cars could come to the U.S. (starting in Hawaii and San Francisco) in 2012.



[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

Will the real torque figure of the Audi e-tron concept please stand up? While the German automaker continues to claim its all-electric concept sportscar manages a stout, locomotive-like 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque, the sleuthing boys at Automobile Magazine weren't buying it, instead coming up with a much more mundane rating of 252 lb-ft of torque after performing some back-of-a-paper-napkin calculations.

It would seem that the real torque figure lies somewhere in between those two estimates, though significantly closer to the lower, unadvertised number: 501.5 lb-ft. That's the total combined output of the four individual electric motors, says Audi (via Green Car Advisor). The astronomical 3,319 is the torque as measured at the wheels after being geared down and multiplied. So, why the disparity between the actual torque of the motors and the figure espoused by Audi to the motoring press?

Well, besides the obvious answer that 3,319 lb-ft at the wheels sounds much more impressive, Audi's engineers apparently thought the larger number was more indicative of the actual feeling of all the push generated by the four electric motors when accelerating from a dead stop, as the maximum torque figure is achieved right from zero RPM.

Regardless, using the still-impressive rating of 501.5 lb-ft is, in our opinion, much more accurate and easier to compare with the rest of the automotive field than the seemingly disingenuous 3,319 figure, and it's the number we plan to use when describing the car from this point forward.



[Source: Green Car Advisor]

Honda has announced plans to unveil a new small car concept at the 10th Auto Expo automobile show in New Delhi on January 5. Just last week, Toyota made almost the exact same announcement, and both Japanese automakers are staying mum on any actual details.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Honda's entry in the hotly-contested market of India is being referred to internally as the "New Small Concept," and, while intended primarily for emerging markets, the vehicle is being engineered so that it could be sold in other parts of the world.

In addition to the NSC, Honda will also use the Delhi Motor Show to show off its CR-Z Concept 2009, which we first saw at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier this year.



[Source: Wall Street Journal - Sub. Req'd]

There has been talk of free neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) before, but Drive Electric is turning up the promotional hype. The company is selling golf carts for the sale price of $6,496.53. Why that amount? Because there is a federal tax credit available for these EVs worth, look at that, $6,496.53. The credit runs out at the end of the year.

The golf carts that Drive Electric sells are classified as NEVs, and so are street legal on roads with speed limits under 35 mph. Other companies will sell similarly qualified vehicles, but might not be pricing their vehicles to match the value of the tax credit. We'll repeat Drive Electric's statement that nothing here should be considered to be tax advice and we recommend people should talk with their tax advisor before trying to get a car for free. As for the political value of a deal like this, well, that's what the comments are for. Thanks to Marke J. for the tip!

[Source: Free Electric Car]

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We haven't heard much from A123 Systems in recent months, other than the battery maker's public stock offering. Its best shot at a major automotive battery program seemed to be with Chrysler, until we found out that all those plug-in vehicles we saw in Detroit last January had been pretty much killed. With Chrysler uninterested for now, GM going with LG Chem and Ford opting for Johnson Controls-Saft, the fate of A123's plans for a Michigan battery plant are unknown.

For now, A123 seems to be looking to China. Last week, A123 announced a new joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industries Company (SAIC) to produce complete battery packs in China. The packs will be targeted at both plug-in hybrid and pure battery electric vehicles. The new venture will be 51 percent owned by SAIC with A123 holding the rest. SAIC has been planning hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of its Roewe 750 and 550 models and the new venture could potentially supply those

[Source: Reuters]