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Pell Bridge may get E-ZPass system

Rhode Island may soon join much of the rest of the Eastern Seaboard in allowing motorists to pay tolls Claiborne Pell Bridge to Newport through the E-ZPass system, according the Providence Journal.

Posted by   at 11:56 AM to On the road | Permalink | Comments 0

How Ford Brought Power to the People

Three decades before the heyday of the muscle car, Henry Ford inadvertently invented the hot rod by bolting a 65-horsepower V-8 engine into a light, attractive body, according to the New York Times.

His breakthrough Ford Model 18 V-8 cost $460 in its most basic form, a two-door roadster, only $50 more than the same car powered by a four-cylinder engine. Ford figured that even in the depths of the Depression, this was within reach of the working class.

Six million Americans flocked to Ford dealerships on the announcement day.

Posted by   at 10:52 AM to Ford , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

On Paying for Cars With Cash

No dealer will turn away a cash-paying customer, but all things considered, they are less welcome than buyers who want to lease or finance their cars, according to the New York Times.

That's because buyers who pay cash, whether they write a check or borrow the money elsewhere and bring it to the showroom, provide car dealers with fewer opportunities to make money on a car deal.

That ranges from the cut dealers get from arranging a lease or loan, to options like extended warranties or antirust coating that buyers are more likely to choose if they can fold it into the amount they borrow. In some cases, those extras account for up to 75 percent of a showroom’s profits.

Posted by   at 10:35 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

E-Dragsters Go for Gas-Powered Records

Straddling a 619-pound motorcycle, Scotty Pollacheck tucks in his knees and lowers his head as he waits for the green light. When he revs the engine, there's no roar. The bike moves so fast that within seconds all that's visible is a faint red taillight melting in the distance.

Pollacheck crosses the quarter-mile marker doing 156 mph; he's traveled 1,320 feet in 8.22 seconds, faster than any of the gas-powered cars, trucks or motorcycles that have raced in the drag sprints on this weekend at Portland International Raceway.

It's particularly impressive given Pollacheck is riding a vehicle that uses no gasoline and is powered entirely by lithium-ion batteries, according to the Associated Press.

Posted by   at 10:28 AM to Alternative fuels , Design , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0