Author Archives: admin

Tesla Motors Publicly Offered

Posted on by

Tesla Motors Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif. based company, is scheduled to make a public offering to trade at the end of the month in hopes of raising as much as $178 million. The electric car maker, best known for its one and only all electric Roadster model, plans to sell 11.1 million shares at about $15 per share.

At the end of last month the company announced a $50 million investment from Toyota Motor Corp., and that they would be moving into the automobile plant recently closed by Toyota.

Tesla said it lost $25.5 million in the first quarter of 2010, compared to a quarterly loss of $16.0 million a year earlier. For all of 2009, it lost $55.7 million less than the loss in 2008. While electric automobiles are seen as an emerging technology, they are considered an early-stage industry that could take a decade to become more established, making the Tesla offering riskier.

California Lemon Law Specialists

Posted on by

Your choice of representation in a lemon law case is one of the most important decisions that determine the outcome of your case. In the last few years, the auto industry has experienced financial troubles, and as a result, it has affected the outcome of lemon law cases. A company with a flashy lemon law web site may look good, but a firm with personalized service and years of experience will get the job done fast and efficiently.

Delsack & Associates is a law firm specializing in the California lemon laws. For more than 22 years we have satisfactorily represented 1,000’s of lemon law clients, and recovered millions of dollars from all automobile manufacturers, for clients throughout the State of California. We are one of the first law firms to represent and protect California residents statewide under the lemon laws, and we remain one of the very few California law firms dedicated to handling primarily lemon law cases. We successfully resolve nearly 100% of the lemon law cases we accept.

Though we handle “lemon law” cases for clients throughout the entire State of California you may not even need to meet with us because once you fax or mail us your documents, we do it all! You can view our client testimonials HERE and see just how fast and efficient we are. Then take the next step. Call our toll free number 1 888 EX LEMON (1 888 395 3666) today for a FREE consultation or submit our Lemon Law Case Review Form.

If you are in California call our Lemon Law Offices:

Anywhere in California (free call): 1.888.ExLemon (395.3666)

  • California Lemon Law in Los Angeles: 310-475-1700
  • California Lemon Law in San Francisco: 415-285-5366
  • California Lemon Law in San Diego: 619-229-6900
  • California Lemon Law in Orange County: 949-856-4333
  • California Lemon Law in Palm Springs: 760-395-1000
  • California Lemon Law in San Fernando Valley: 818-837-0500

GM Stock Sale Anticipated

Posted on by

GM stocks could be publicly offered as early as October of this year according to the government treasury department. GM said it may sell shares in late 2010 or early 2011, but the timing will be determined by the financial markets and the overall health of the auto industry. This much anticipated stock sale, is expected to be among the largest initial public offerings in U.S. history. The stock offering is a key part of GM’s recovery as it emerges from a government led bankruptcy last year.

“GM must determine that it is, in all relevant respects, ready to become a public company. For those reasons, it is critical that the process of preparing for a potential IPO be managed by GM,” the treasury department said. To pay off its shareholders the stock market would have to value GM at more than $70 billion. That would be nearly double Ford Motor Co.’s market, but far less than the total value of Toyota’s shares.

Networked Charging Stations For California

Posted on by

Coulomb Technologies, a leader in electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, has announced that they will be spending $37 million installing networked charging stations throughout the United States. The program will provide almost 5000 charging stations in Austin, Texas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla., Sacramento, Calif., the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, Wash., and Washington DC.

A wide network of charging stations is expected to help quell fears that future electric car owners won’t be able to drive far beyond their home charging base. In support of the ChargePoint America program, three automakers have committed to deliver electric vehicles in designated US regions. The Chevrolet Volt, the Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Focus Electric through the “Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program”, and the smart for two electric drive will be introduced along with this program.

ChargePoint America will offer both home and public charging stations to individuals and businesses. Charging stations owners can set their own prices for charging through the Flex Billing™ system. The Flex Billing system enables station owners to set pricing as a function of time of day, calendar date, and driver – much like a parking meter. Those same stations can also be configured to provide “free” access to EV drivers.

Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network, is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass™ smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit mychargepoint.net and click “Find Stations”.

GM Recalls Vehicles Due To Fire Hazard

Posted on by

In one of the biggest recalls this year, GM will be recalling almost 1.5 million vehicles for the windshield washer heating mechanism. The system was recalled two years ago due to a short circuit on the circuit board that could overheat the control-circuit ground wire. Dealers at the time installed an in-line fuse in the heated washer module wiring, but there were still reports of overheating incidents, including five fires. GM will remove the problematic device completely and pay the vehicles’ owners $100 because the company that makes the new technology went bankrupt and there is no way to repair it. The vehicles affected are:

  • 2006-09 Buick Lucerne
  • 2008-09 Buick Enclave
  • 2008-09 Cadillac CTS
  • 2006-09 Cadillac DTS
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Avalanche
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Silverado
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Suburban
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Tahoe
  • 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  • 2007-09 GMC Acadia
  • 2007-09 GMC Sierra
  • 2007-09 GMC Yukon
  • 2007-09 GMC Yukon XL
  • 2006-09 Hummer H2
  • 2007-09 Saturn Outlook

GM said customers would begin receiving recall letters this month, but they could contact their dealers now and make an appointment to have the heated washer system removed.

Chrysler Recalls More Vehicles

Posted on by

There have been no reported accidents or injuries, but Chrysler will be recalling almost 700,000 2006-2007 Jeep Wranglers and 2008-2009 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.

The Jeep Wranglers, made from May 15, 2006 to August 9, 2010, may experience a brake fluid leak due to the front inner fender liner rubbing against the brake fluid line. If the line begins to leak, the loss of brake fluid could lead to a loss of brakes.

The Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans, made from February 2007 to September 2007, may have improperly placed wires that can come into contact with the sliding door hinges. If the wire insulation is rubbed through, a potential fire hazard may result.

Chrysler will notify owners and dealers about the repairs, which will be made free of charge. The recall is expected to start later this month.

Chrysler’s Recall For Sticky Gas Pedals

Posted on by

After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received five complaints of sticky gas pedals, Chrysler has been quick to recall about 25,000, 2007 Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass vehicles. The problem started to surface in late April, and is being blamed on the pedal system built by the CTS Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana, the same company that built the accelerator pedal assemblies that were involved in the Toyota recall.

A NHTSA analysis found that the problem resulted because pockets in the pedal assembly that hold bushings, which act as a bearing for the pivot shaft of the accelerator pedal arm, were too large. Chrysler said the vehicles were equipped with an electronic throttle control system that reduced engine power when there was a “disagreement” between the brake and the accelerator signals, adding that the system prevented the pedal problem from causing “an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.”

Only pedals installed in cars manufactured between March 7 and May 19, 2006, are affected. The automaker said its recall was designed to find those faulty pedal assemblies and replace them.

CTS denies that its pedals cause sudden acceleration or that the pedals can even fully stick. It called the issue a “slow return pedal phenomenon,” and said in a statement that it was unaware of any accidents or injuries because of the problem. Regulators have opened a defect investigation into CTS, the first ever taken against the company.

California One Step Closer To High Speed Railway

Posted on by

The $2.25 billion in federal stimulus funds recently awarded to the California high-speed rail project ensures that construction can proceed on a 520-mile route between Anaheim and San Francisco within three years, rail officials said Thursday. Although this project has been in the works for more than a decade, it has been mostly theory. Voters approved a $10 billion bond measure in 2008 and the recent federal stimulus moves the project one step closer to becoming reality.

This stimulus will not only provide much needed jobs for California residence, but promises to reduce the amount of traffic on California roads by getting people to where they need to go, fast and efficiently. The route is also projected to create a profit of $1 billion annually that will initially go back into the high-speed rail system itself for maintenance and further extensions.

But last month a panel of experts in the fields of transportation engineering and city and regional planning urged caution. “It is a complex endeavor and requires a complex understanding of the engineering, economic and environmental issues.” warns Samer Madanat, director of Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies and CEE professor.

There are two proposed routes through the heart of the city, both following an existing railroad track. The plan is for the route to enter Bakersfield from the northwest, stop at a downtown terminal and exit to the east on the way to the Antelope Valley and beyond to Southern California. Because of the speed, both routes deviate a bit from the existing railroad, running through historic areas, causing controversy in the city.

Bakersfield is not the only ones concerned about the path the high speed rail will take. Farmers up and down the San Joaquin Valley are expressing objections. And battles have broken out in the Bay Area and Southern California.

Bringing a high speed rail line through any community will be disruptive, as well as beneficial. Issues of safety and noise will need to be addressed for any route. Rather than deciding that the exact alignment will be, the design engineers and environmental reviewers should be refining a route that would least impact the community. Wherever possible, they need to avoid schools, hospitals, homes, businesses and churches.