Q: When will this car be available at dealerships?
A: It will be on the road in some markets (CA, OR, WA, AZ, TN, NC) in 2010, with more states to follow.

Q: Will there be multiple options on how/where to charge up?

A: Absolutely. You'll be able to charge at home, at work and at stations along your route.


This is gonna be pretty sweet. Now that the Nissan North American headquarters has moved out here to Franklin (specifically, the next exit past my office), I'd say it's a virtual guarantee that there will already be electric charging stations in the area by the first day these go on sale.

Plus, take into account the tax credits that go into effect on January 1, 2010, and this car will probably be one of the most affordable vehicles on the road inclusive of traditional internal combustion vehicles.

Plus, PLUS, since Middle Tennessee's electric power is hydroelectric, we'll be one of a select few places where this car truly produces zero-emissions.

Now, if they can only make it a little... better looking :)



Nissan Leaf Electric Car | Nissan USA Official Site

"Launched just three and a half days go, the program provides up to $4,500 in incentives towards the purchase of a more efficient new car...

"[T]he government will probably exceed the $950 million it had budgeted... by tomorrow morning"

“Cash for Clunkers” program out of money; to be suspended?

This to me is an interesting example of how impossible it can be to accurately predict human behavior. Due to its relatively restrictive rules, most people didn't actually think that this program would see much participation. Obviously, we were all proved wrong. Consider me intrigued.

What the heck does this guy mean? It makes no sense to me.

QUOTE:
2 1/2 inches is not 2.5" dude. There are 12" in a foot so 2 and 1/2 = 2.6".

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Ever since the first concept Chevy Volt was unveiled the promises have been dwindling. The styling has gotten more and more bland with every new set of promotional images, or as GM words it, the design has been "completely revamped." The pricing has climbed about 33% higher than GM ever wanted. The scheduled production quantity has been decreased by over 80%. People are getting bored with the car already, and there's at least another year left before it goes on sale.

The Honda CR-Z concept that has been teasing us for almost two years is now officially slated for production. This car is gorgeous, and as long as Honda doesn't genericize the look of it as happens with 95% of concepts that make it to production, this is a car that I would definitely consider purchasing. It's going to be a hybrid, too - which would typically be a turn off for most true car fans - but this car is a descendant of the long-respected CR-X. It's made for winding roads and great cornering and impressive handling. At least it seems that's what Honda wants us to believe with so much CR-X name dropping.

It sounds like the power plant will be minimal compared to Honda's other sport-oriented models such as the S2000 or even the Civic Si. But take into account Honda's Fit. It boasts the exterior design appeal of an office filing cabinet matched with around 120hp if we're being generous, yet it is surprisingly zippy enough to raise the eyebrows of many S2000 owners who are used to a car half the size with twice the horsepower. So we know that Honda is more than capable of delivering an enjoyable driving experience with less power than you might think possible.

Theoretically, styling is where the CR-Z has a leg up on any of Honda's other small cars like the Insight, Civic, or the afore-mentioned Fit. This car actually looks like an RX8 and a CR-X had a baby. And I'm guessing that with an existing model named the CR-V, they decided that CR-Y was a name that just begged people to tease them. Good move there.

Hopefully Honda will have great success with this model. I look forward to a test drive.

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For as far back as I can remember, I've always said that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were my favorite band and that Michael Jackson was the greatest artist of all time.

I'm still having trouble processing this news. I don't think it has fully sunk in yet.

And to think that I missed any chance to ever see him live.

Oh dude, I think either of the decades in Back to the Future Part 1 or Part 2. Like the 1950's or the fictional 20teens. I love those movies.

I got to come home for the weekend from Indy. This is good, because everyone knows that Indy is kinda gross. I have to go back tomorrow, but it'll be ok. I have plenty to keep me busy for the week.

I got back in town yesterday afternoon, and I was pretty hyped up on NOS and wanted to go out and do something. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone else who felt the same way, so I ended up going for a run and then watching some more of the third Harry Potter film. This was stage three of that particular film. Tonight will be the fourth and final stage I believe. (I can never finish a movie that long all at once because I have a tendency to fall asleep.)

So now I'm sitting on my back porch enjoying the beautiful June dusk, watching lightning bugs and listening to Buddy Greene bluegrass gospel. It's a perfect ending to the day. I wish I had someone to share it with.

I cannot tell you how much I agree with this...


see more Funny Graphs

OH, MAN!

I totally dusted off some of my old high school mp3s and have been ROCKING OUT to some *N SYNC this week.

Here's a car I would consider - basically any Cadillac CTS under $10k and 100k mi. I've had one as a rental car before, and it's one of the best sedans I've ever driven. Also, they apparently drop in value pretty significantly, so a used one can be relatively affordable.



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My grandma just asked me if I would nominate her for 'Pimp My Ride'.

I told her I don't think they even make that show anymore.

So, my car is pretty much fixed now. After a couple of rough incidents involving various animals and concrete walls, it's basically like new - new rear bumper, new exhaust, new convertible top, new tail lights, new stereo, new tires, new wheels, shaved side emblems, fresh paint all around, etc. I'll post pics soon.

And now that I've done almost everything to it that I really wanted to do... it's time to start looking for a new car. Sounds crazy, right? It's weird how that works. I spent all this time, money and energy into creating my ideal car, and now I'm ready to get rid of it.

That's not exactly how it is, though. There are still a couple of things that I want to do it. I want to replace and tint the front windshield, change out the front and rear emblems, add racing stripes, replace and/or powdercoat the calipers, change out the amp and sub, replace the top bolts, tint the taillights, clear the side markers, restore the headlights, add a front lip, add a rear spoiler, add a CAI, change out the exhaust, etc. Ok, so maybe I'm not as close to done as I thought.

But if nothing else, I'm ready to start looking for another car. And maybe it won't be a replacement car but rather a second car. I want something that's a bit more practical when I need to carry around more than one person and a small backpack. And I'll definitely need something bigger now that I have Aubree to soon start carting around to various places. And hopefully I'll have a kid of my very own in the not too terribly far future, so I need to prepare for that, too.

So this will be the beginning of a series on which vehicles qualify for my buying consideration. It will include new and used cars of great variety. Stay tuned if that kind of stuff interests you.

I found a shirt that I want to get from the Christian bookstore, so today I looked up their phone number on my iPhone in Google maps and called to see what time they close.

When I tapped the phone number and dialed, my phone told me that I was calling 'Miranda'.

There's really no point to this story. Miranda is a girl from a high school across town from mine who I took to prom one year. I had the bookstore phone number stored under her name because she used to work there. It was just a strange and unexpected reminder of a fond memory. Those are fun. :)

Senator John McCain made a statement that I hadn't yet heard in favor of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. "We have to have an assessment on recruitment, on retention, and all the other aspects of the impact on our military if we change the policy."

I, too, would be very interested to see a study of the potential impact to military recruitment and retention. I wonder how many people would quit or not sign up for military service if gays were allowed to serve openly. I wonder how those numbers would compare to the over 12,000 who have been discharged for "homosexual conduct". Do you think it would be more or less?

Thanks to my super cool and awesome buddy Cory as well as that mega crazy gang of horses, my car has now been in the shop for a month. I have three car events planned for late this week. Hopefully it's ready and back to me by then. I'm pretty sick of being without it.

It's been raining for three days already, and it looks like it's gonna rain for nine more.

I am so sick of rain.

Right now, I have two seemingly conflicting paths in mind for my future. I would love to figure out a way to reconcile them, but it just seems unlikely. If that's not possible, I just want to pick one and go for it.

I have a bad habit of inaction due to indecision. I am trying to overcome this.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/100-green-uses-for-common-everyday-products.php#ch04

"Aunt Jemima Waffle Syrup- Makes a great hair conditioner"

Has anyone actually tried this?  I cannot imagine intentionally pouring syrup in my own hair.

Hmmm... not too bad.

The rims are a bit gaudy, though, and it still looks a lot like a station wagon. I'd easily pick the X5 over this, and maybe even the X6 (as much as I didn't like it at first). But I'm sure this will be priced lower than either of those.




[watch the video]

I saw "Fast & Furious" last weekend, and it was a very long, action-packed NOS commercial.

This looks like "Fast & Furious" meets "Brokeback Mountain".

SNL presents, "The Fast & The Bi-Curious"...