The High Cost of Recharging Our Car Podcast Batteries

Higher gas prices and higher mileage rules are likely to push up new auto prices in coming years, and some folks are crying foul.

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Batteries remain expensive which is why electric and hybrids are much more than gasoline models, but things like carbon fiber may help lower costs.

No, not again! The Mustang II redesign.

Ford is betting big on electric vehicles, even pacing a Nascar race with the Focus Electric. It doesn't need to promote the coming Escape crossover, with about 8,000 pre-orders, but that isn't as many as you'd think.

It costs money to build, buy and own a car, and now Ford is considering using money -- old, recycled cash -- to actually make car interiors. Let's hope that works out better than many Mustang redesigns in the past.

Interiors are hugely important to car buyers, and Ward's ranked the top 10 auto interiors, and it's a diverse list.

A good interior can help a car hold its value, and Edmunds listed the models that hold most of their value. No diesels on the list, but they are gaining popularity.

Telsa and its corporate site SolarCity are teaming up to improve solar electricity retention.

Finally, we are car guys, we have Facebook friends -- more than most -- and apparently so do you, since you are reading or listening to us.

There's an App for Podcasting on a Crumbling Bridge

Car sales are next week, but we are excited because Ford is predicting a strong month for sales.

We talked about OnStar last week and we were split on how terrible their tracking of people's vehicles was. Well, GM listened. To someone, and the company said it will stop tracking vehicles where OnStar has been turned off, and allow drivers to opt-in, rather than opt-out.

Be happy about the economy.

Traffic is an indicator of economic success, according to a new study. So, you should feel comfortable about your job as you sit in traffic.

If you are sitting in traffic on a bridge, you should be worried about the U.S.'s crumbling infrastructure. A bridge linking Indiana and Kentucky has to be closed because is cracked. We're worried that many more bridges and roads are falling apart.

While the infrastructure is getting more dangerous, giant SUVs are getting safer, according to new data.

We have lamented the unpleasant experiences that many folks have at dealers and now a new Spike TV show will follow struggling dealer who need to turn things around in 5 days.

We're testing out a new Facebook app called Car Town. If you play, look us up. Here are some tips to get started.

Finally, the holiday shopping season is coming and a new toy let's kids drive on an iPad. Check out the video:

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This Podcast Will Poke Your Auto Enthusiasm and Tweet Your Funny Bone But Not Hack Your Intelligence

After saving the U.S. auto industry and hammering out a new CAFE deal, auto czar Rob Bloom is leaving the Obama administration.

That is probably not a terrible thing because confidence in the auto industry is high and most analysts see sales holding steady despite the stock market drops.

GM is benefiting from that positive sentiment, and from it's trip through bankruptcy, and posted great profits last week. That doesn't mean the General isn't working to slim down the number of platforms it uses.

V8 engines are old school.

Engines are also important, as Ford is learning that with its F-150. The new V6 models are outselling V8s for the first time in a long time.

The Nissan GT-R has an awesome V6 engine, and one lucky bidder scored a used one on eBay for a good price. Too good for the dealer which initially decided not to honor the deal. But after being shamed they reversed that position.

Facebook was probably used in that shaming, and now Nissan is looking to the future and replacing its phone operators with Facebook operators. Toyota is trying out Twitter to tease it's new Camry.

Crowdsourcing has great potential, and BMW is leveraging apps and drivers to generate a list of Ultimate Drives.

Smartphones are great for that, and apparently for hacking. Some clever guys figured out how to open and start a Subaru Outback. This is something that the DOT is concerned about, especially as cars start to talk to each other so they are developing standards to prevent hacking.

Many hackers move on to be valued members of society, especially in Silicon Valley, and the current tech bubble has many clever folks looking for luxury cars.

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Ford's Facebook Launch May Be More Efficient Than Podcasting With a Glass of Water

GM's Chevrolet is all set to let the cat out of the bag with the pricing for the Volt extended-electric vehicle. We'll update the site with the details as soon as possible.

Mike Rowe and Alan Mulally launch the Ford Explorer

But can they trump the big news from Ford, which virtually pulled the wrapper off it's 2011 Explorer via Facebook this week. And garnered some big coverage and big kudos for trying something new. We're still absorbing the news and critiquing the design, but Mathew may put it on his list.

In looking for ways to get people to improve their fuel economy even more, Toyota has launched a site that encourages drivers to hit the streets as if they had a glass of water on their dashboard. Not a real glass of water, but they do have an iPhone app that we will test out.

We are also going to test out the Nation of Go, a new Web community designed to get drivers to share their favorite routes.

GM may have hit a speed bump with its plan to buy a portion of lender AmeriCredit and get back into the auto-lending business. But one senator is wondering whether GM should have paid back the U.S. Treasury first.

Finally, Audi unveiled its A7 Sportback, a gorgrous new design that slot below the big A8 sedan and has the look of some much higher-end sport sedans from Jaguar and Porsche.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad July 28, 2010.mp3