The Solar and Wind Expo

2013 Ford Focus Electric Test Drive
Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington
When I heard that Ford was bringing their 2013 Ford Focus Electric to offer test drives at the Maryland Volt/EV Meetup, I was eager to see if the car had improved from when I drove it several years ago when it was still in development. After a spin around FedExField in the new Focus EV, I think Ford has definitely upped their game.

I had test driven a very early pre-production version of the Ford Focus Electric when they brought it to the Newseum in Washington, DC in October, 2010. I didn’t have a very high opinion of the car back then. It was very sluggish and unresponsive to the accelerator. That early vehicle also had bad handling due to the odd weight distribution of the battery pack. The power steering, or lack thereof, made it hard to turn. The performance of the pre-production Focus Electric just didn’t live up to my expectations. EVs should have great acceleration and torque but that early development vehicle just didn’t have it.

Military adding more electric vehicles to fleet
Stars and Stripes
Some of the Micro-Vett Edyone electric vehicles assigned to Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, are plugged in to charge outside of the public works department at the Capodichino Navy base. Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes. By Seth Robson. Stars and ...

Guardian Energy Management Solutions Launches New Green Community ...
Virtual-Strategy Magazine
Created by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), the act was the result of the active and nation-leading sustainability efforts within Massachusetts. Since its initiation in 2008, 103 cities and towns have been designated Green ...

Links:

Putting a price on the rivers and rain diminishes us all Guardian (John L)

Tepco Weighed Using Firearms To Avoid Fukushima Explosion Bloomberg

Nick Skelton: gold medal rider defies age and broken bones Telegraph

Some employers and psychologists say staying away from social media is ‘suspicious’ Daily Mail.

Hospital Chain Inquiry Cited Unnecessary Cardiac Work New York Times

How a charity oversells mammography BMJ

Asia Buyers Snap Up Australian Hotels As Mining Boom Fills Rooms Bloomberg

Are Chinese profit warnings signalling a bottom? MacroBusiness

Picture of Chancellor with hand raised and compares her government to the Nazis Daily Mail

Germany and Italy near blows over euro Telegraph

Spain Proves that Austerity can never “Ensure” a Balanced Budget Bill Black