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DETROIT--The nearly 200 students in Wayne State University's electric vehicle engineering master's program may have taken different routes to get here, but they have the same goal: capitalize on the auto industry's growing need for EV engineers.

About half are returning to school. Alan Dry, 63, for instance, was laid off from his job as an engineering supervisor at parts supplier International Automotive Components Group. Dry wants to rejoin the industry in the EV sector.

Chrysler engineer Kevin Snyder, 40, was transferred to the automaker's electrified hybrid power-train group in May. Snyder said the Wayne State … Read more

General Motors and grid equipment supplier ABB this week showed an early version of an energy storage system using battery packs from the Chevy Volt electric car.

The two companies are partnering to build a prototype which they say can be used either for large-scale grid storage or backup power for consumers. They estimate that 33 repurposed Volt battery packs could supply 50 U.S. homes for four hours during an outage or brownout.

Batteries lose their storage capacity over time, but used car batteries are still viable for grid storage. GM estimates that once used car batteries have 70 … Read more

The FBI rolls out a massive raid across the United States in connection with the "Anonymous" hacking investigation. Google's Eric Schmidt will defend HTC at all costs and if you can't wait for the inevitable Mac OS X Lion release, it's already out on the internet. Because that won't get you in trouble at all.

By-the-numbers MBAs are not always a good fit for U.S. companies. Particularly those in the business of product innovation. Just imagine a bean-counting mathematical-model-driven MBA running Apple.

Instead of the iPad, we might have an Apple Netbook. Instead of the iPhone, a Rokr. In short, products that are low risk, devoid of inspiration, and easy on the balance sheet.

MBA-as-CEO is a point eloquently made by Bob Lutz, the former Vice Chairman of General Motors. While MBAs have a role to play, the by-the-numbers, post-1970s variety sitting at the top of the corporate chain of command can be devastating … Read more

Saab's all-new 9-4X crossover debuted last year at the L.A. Auto Show, and now it is rolling into U.S. showrooms.

Developed with former owner General Motors, the 9-4X crossover was just awarded Top Safety Pick by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Saab, now owned by the Dutch sports car maker Spyker, said that the first 9-4X was purchased last weekend at Saab North Olmstead in Cleveland, Ohio.

"Before even driving it off the lot, I put my butt into the seat, looked around and bought it on the spot," Martin Reuben, Ohio resident, and … Read more

Law enforcement officers in Forsyth County, Ga., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are keeping the peace in the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice police patrol vehicle (PPV), General Motors said in a press release.

"With its emphasis on the ergonomically designed seats for officer comfort, and enhanced safety features, the Caprice is a vehicle that is made for police work," said Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton, who chose the Caprice PPV as a replacement vehicle to older fleet cruisers. "We've had our vehicles for a month, and we're sold. This will be a worthwhile investment," Paxton added.… Read more

In addition to airbags, satellite radio, and OnStar, some new GM vehicles will also come with free auto insurance for one year.

GM vehicle sales increased dramatically this year, but they're still sluggish in Washington and Oregon. To give sales in the Pacific Northwest a boost, the auto manufacturer is offering a year's worth of free auto insurance from MetLife Auto & Home as an incentive to car buyers in Washington and Oregon.

The new offer will apply to any new 2010, 2011, or 2012 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac car, truck, or crossover purchased or leased between … Read more

The 2012 Chevy Cruze won't be out for months yet, but Cars.com already gleaned an option sheet from GM that shows the available navigation in the 2LT trim version going from the current hard-drive-based system to one with maps stored in flash memory, specifically an SD card. As such, the price of this option drops to $995.

The navigation change suggests the possibility of the 2012 Cruze getting Chevy's new MyLink system, which combines voice command with Bluetooth phone and MP3 player integration, and adds app integration for Pandora and Stitcher. MyLink has so far only been … Read more

Cadillac will reveal a new infotainment system, and it's not just IntelliLink rebadged with a couple of cosmetic changes, according to automotive blog GMAuthority.

Chevrolet and Buick are starting to implement their new infotainment platforms in vehicles, but Cadillac's future communications system is still tightly under wraps. But not for long. The performance brand will soon introduce its new technology offering for its 2013 models, according to the blog's news source.

To date, the technology Cadillac is best known for is found under the hood--not on the dash. BMW, Mercedes, and Audi are rapidly integrating more technology … Read more