FROM CARS DIRECTJANUARY 2012

To buy a classic truck, it is important to ensure that the model is reliable. Classic pickups are great trucks that can still be driven if they are reliable. It is no fun driving a classic pick up that falls apart each time you take it out. To find a classic truck, it is impor-tant to look at the history of the make and model, determine the current condition and the ask-ing price and market value.

Volvo 240This is a pickup but was also

available as a car. This is one of the more affordable and reli-able types of classic vehicles produced in the 1980s. The original engine ran on diesel, but it is possible to get a bio-diesel upgrade.

1956 Ford F100This is truly a vintage ve-

hicle, and even though it does not have the electronics that are found in modern trucks, it still keeps on running. While parts will have to be replaced or fixed, it still runs fantastic even all these years later. The main draw to this truck is style, as it has a nose heavy look, but is ac-

tually considered handsome for a truck. The safety in this truck is quite good for its age and the engine still packs plenty of power, as it is a flat head V8.

1959 Chevrolet FleetsideThis is a jet inspired classic

pick up with truck lid, cat’s eye tail amps and batwing fins. This was designed to rival the Ford Styleside lines. This truck offered good performance and many models were built so parts are much easier to find. This was not overly expensive when it was built and can still be found for very reasonable costs. It also gets pretty good gas mileage.

1957 Dodge D100 SweptsideThis truck is a novel classic

pickup from the 1950s. At the time of its release, it was con-sidered a less expensive version of the Chevy Cameo Carrier pickup. It is very stylish and comfortable to drive and can be found at bargain prices. This car can be hard to find and re-storing it with original parts is very difficult, as most original parts are no longer available.

1958 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier

This is a rare model, as it was the last of the Cameo line pro-duced by Chevrolet. There were only 1,405 built. This is consid-ered a light duty vehicle. The Cameo truck certainly set the new style of trucks, but it origi-nally did not sell well because of the expensive price. This truck has many deluxe features not found in other trucks and is one of the best known light trucks of its era.

1975 Toyota HiluxThese are very reliable trucks

as many are still on the road and going strong. This is quite typical of Toyota trucks from this time period. This model is pre-1983 which makes much more rugged then younger models. This is most likely due to the change from dual row chain tensioner to a single row unit. Dual chain tensioners are known to run forever. The only major drawback is the weight of the truck, though the engine had plenty of kick to get the job done.

THE MINER MAY 29, 2013 | 3B

2013 SPRING CAR CARE

Auto • Furniture • BoatsQuality Craftsmanship

for over 20 years

402 W. 7th, Newport509-447-5433 • 509-671-2554

3 Locations to Serve You300 S. Union Ave., Newport WA • 509-447-4515

5398 Hwy 2, Priest River ID • 208-448-1412514 Larch, Sandpoint ID • 208-263-2171

NAPA

KNOW

HOWRoyal Towing Newport LLC

Towing • Roadside Assistance • 24 Hour ServiceLocal folks serving your large & small vehicle recoveries

“Look for the Lime Green

Towing Machine”

Newport (509) 671-3599

INCCAREY’S AUTOBODY

Hi-Tech Collision Repair

We work with your insurance company to repair

your vehicle to “before-accident” condition

• Computer Estimates

• Color Matched Electronically On-Site

• Semi-Down Draft Bake Spray Booth

• Six Tower Frame Rack

• Unibody Universal Measuring System with Upper Body Measuring

• The Area’s Finest Technicians

• Built by Satisfi ed Customers

509-684-2587Fax: 509-684-3549

1101 S. Main. St., Colville

The best classic trucks to buy today

COURTESY PHOTO|HEMMINGS DAILY

The Volvo 240 came in a sedan model, but also as a truck. It’s one of the less expensive classics.

Steve’sImport Auto Service, Inc.

Maintenance & Repair

Imports & Domestic Vehicles

VW, Audi, Toyota, Honda & Nissan

1111 Michigan Street • Sandpoint, ID 208 -263-4911

Designers imagine cars of the future

COURTESY PHOTO|DRIVE.COM.AU

Design for Audi’s imaginative eOra commuter vehicle incorporates on-board com-puters that allow them to be driven using subtle body movements and gestures.

LOS ANGELES – Remember the time-travelling DeLorean DMC-12 that featured in the “Back to the Future” movies?

Well, imagine it’s just pulled up in your driveway and the film’s wild-haired scientist, Emmett Brown, has offered to take you on a trip 21 years into the future.

You step inside and with a snap of the gullwing doors and a surge of the flux capacitor you arrive in the year 2030. What do the streets and cars look like? What are young people now driving?

Some of the world’s top automo-tive designers have tried to an-swer those very questions (with-out the use of a time machine) and have come up with some seriously out-there answers.

The LA Auto Show, which each winter, features an annual design challenge in which leading brands are asked to submit visions for how the vehicles of the future will look.

At the auto show in 2009, the American design divisions of com-panies including General Motors, Toyota and Nissan were given the

theme Youthmobile and asked to create renderings of vehicles that young people would be driving 21 years from now.

At the outset they were re-minded of the key role cars played in young people’s lives today and were likely to play in 2030. Vehicles provide freedom and the ability to socialize and they’re also an important means of self-expression.

The designers were asked to consider the impact growing up with mobile phones, online com-munities and webcams would have on consumers two decades from now.

“Automotive designers have always been fascinated with the next generation of drivers,” the director of the Design Los Angeles segment of the motor show, Chuck Pelly, says.

“This year’s design challenge has provided them with the op-portunity to use their creative talents to revisit the concept of ‘the car’ with new eyes, using

SEE FUTURE, 6B

4B | MAY 29, 2013 2 0 1 3 S P R I N G C A R C A R E THE MINER

Pend Oreille County Solid Waste www.pendoreilleco.org

Do you have any household

Bring Auto Batteries and 5 Gal. max/Day:• Motor Oil • Antifreeze • Oil Based Paints • Stains

Solvents, Thinners and Other Hazardous Products from your Home to the County Transfer Stations.

No business or farm waste. Latex Paint Questions Call 509-671-6147-or 509-447-4513

MotorOil

Don’t Pollute!

HAZARDOUS WASTE?

Oil based Paints

Open 8 am to 4 pm It’s FREE!!

Electric car companies meet messy demiseBY BILL VLASICOF THE NEW YORK TIMES

DETROIT – No one answers the phones these days at Fisker Auto-motive. Its visionary founder has quit; its employees have been laid off or put on furlough without pay. Production of its sleek plug-in hybrid car, the Karma, ended months ago.

Veering on the edge of bank-ruptcy, without a buyer in sight, Fisker has become – to lawmak-ers and others – the Solyndra of the electric car industry. Not only private backers but millions of dollars in government loans gave life to a company, some would argue, that was a shaky invest-ment from the start.

No electric vehicle initiative backed by Washington seems more of a debacle than Fisker, which was given a $529 million federal loan in 2009 to advance the project. Two years later, after Fisker repeatedly missed produc-tion targets and other deadlines, the Energy Department suspend-ed the loans.

The all-but-closed company skipped a large loan payment that was due on Monday, lead-ing the federal government to take the unusually aggressive step of seizing $21 million from the company’s cash reserves to begin recouping the $192 million in taxpayer dollars spent on the company’s flawed strategy.

Fisker, with its technical problems, management turmoil and mounting losses, offers a cautionary tale in the fiercely competitive arena of alternative-fuel vehicles and of government subsidies for start-up businesses.

The company’s messy demise fell under the glaring spotlight of a Congressional hearing in April that was titled “Examining the Department of Energy’s Bad Bet on Fisker Automotive.” Some of Fisker’s top executives involved in the Karma’s development are expected to testify, as well as

agency officials involved in the loan program.

“The government is playing in a space where they have to recog-nize their limitations,” said Van Conway, a corporate restructur-ing executive in Detroit. “What-ever they spent on Fisker was just not going to be enough.”

Others, including members of the Senate and the House, com-plain that standards for award-ing federal loans were overlooked in the rush to promote green technology. “How did the Energy Department determine Fisker’s potential before writing a check?” asked Senator Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa. “Was there due diligence, or instead a blind hope that Fisker would produce something useful?”

An Energy Department spokes-woman, Aoife McCarthy, said the loan to Fisker was one of only a handful of 33 clean-energy loans that did not prove successful. She asserted that its problems should not be considered representa-tive of the Obama administra-tion’s broader efforts to promote cleaner cars.

“There will always be an ele-ment of risk with investments in the most innovative companies,” she said. Major automakers like Ford and Nissan received billions of dollars in federal loans to produce electric cars and, so far,

have succeeded. A smaller manu-facturer, Tesla, has also been able to meet the conditions of its government loans while produc-ing an electric model.

But Fisker never realized its early promise as a tiny start-up manufacturer in an industry dominated by automotive giants.

On the surface, Fisker had all the trappings of a potential player in the emerging electric car industry. The brainchild of the Danish car designer Henrik Fisker, the company was based in Southern California and staffed by experienced executives from Ford and other auto companies. A big Silicon Valley venture firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was among its earliest investors.

Its first product, the low-slung Karma sedan, drew atten-tion both for its looks and its $104,000 sticker price. One of a new breed of plug-in hybrids, the Karma could travel an estimated 50 miles on battery power before a gasoline engine kicked in to generate additional electricity.

While it resembled the Chevro-let Volt made by General Motors, the Karma lacked the Detroit au-tomaker’s enormous marketing muscle and technical expertise. Fisker did not even have its own production facility. It used a con-tract manufacturer in Finland to build its first model.

Serious problems emerged almost as soon as the car hit the market. Some batteries from the supplier A123 Systems were defective, and others caught fire. A test drive by the influential magazine Consumer Reports ended abruptly when the Karma broke down and had to be hauled away on a flatbed truck.

Even the weather turned on the company when more than 200 new Karmas were submerged in a storage center flooded by Hur-ricane Sandy at Port Newark, N.J.

At times Fisker simply ran short of money, forcing it to suspend work at its gleaming headquarters in Anaheim, Calif. “Every time something went wrong, we trusted that manage-ment would find a way to keep us going,” said Sven Etzelsberger, a former top engineer.

The company scrambled con-stantly to prop up its image. After the embarrassing Consumer Reports episode, Fisker hired Tom LaSorda, a former chief executive of Chrysler, to address quality issues and control the damage. A few months later, he was replaced by Tony Posawatz, a retired G.M. executive who had worked on the Chevy Volt.

At last year’s New York auto show, Fisker grandly unveiled a concept version of a smaller, less expensive model it hoped to build in an abandoned G.M. plant in Delaware. About the same time, it closed on $392 million in new financing from private investors.

But additional financing and shuffling of executives could not change the fact that American consumers were just not buy-ing many electric vehicles. Last year, consumers bought 48,000 all-electric and plug-in models — a fraction of the 14.5 million vehicles sold in the United States, according to the auto research site Edmunds.com. Less than 900 of those sold were Fisker Karmas, Edmunds calculated.

SEE ELECTRIC, 6B

Share the road this summer

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille River Valley and Priest Lake area is home to five bike tours this summer, and drivers should be aware of cyclists on the road.

Whether you find yourself reaching for your car keys or a bike helmet, AAA and the Bicycle Alli-ance of Washing-ton encourage all roadway users to show mutual respect for one another.

“When it comes to safety, education is key for all roadway users,” said Jennifer Cook, senior manager of Corporate Communications, AAA Washington. “We need to rein-force the message that people who drive, bike and walk have a joint responsibility to share the road with each other.”

To help us all get to our destina-tions safely, AAA and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington offer the following tips:

• Follow the Rules of the Road: Whether driving a car, riding a

bike or walking, make sure your actions are legal, predictable, visible and courteous to others on the road. Follow signals and signs.

• Plan Ahead: Always be aware of traf-fic around you and leave enough room between you and others on the road to respond safely.

• Be Atten-tive: Avoid all distractions while riding or driving, including us-ing your cell phone.

For links to Washington state laws on bicycling, trail and bike maps, and other statewide bicycling resources, visit bicycle-alliance.org/growing-bicycling/resources/.

Founded in 1987, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington is Wash-ington’s statewide bicycle advo-cacy organization and has led ef-forts for passage of the majority of bike legislation adopted in the past 25 years.

WHAT’S NEXT:AUG. 4-10: RIDE Idaho - Coeur

d’Alene to Sandpoint and beyond

AUG. 24: PRIEST Lake Triathlon - Hill’s Resort

SEPT. 1: GREAT Northwest Bike Tour - Newport City Park

SEPT. 14: MOUNTAIN Bike Endurance Race - Inn at Priest Lake, Coolin

SEPT. 17-21: WACANID Bike Ride - Selkirk Loop

THE MINER 2 0 1 3 S P R I N G C A R C A R E MAY 29, 2013 | 5B

EMERALD AUTOMOTIVETune-ups • General Repair

Foreign/DomesticGas or Diesel

208-263-3483

Call for all your automotive needs

900 Bonner Mall WayPonderay, Idaho

(Next to Ponderay Yamaha)

STEVE WILSONILEA WILSON

4025 E. Mount Spokane Park Dr.Mead, WA • 509-467-8998

www.MountSpokaneIns.com

We offer you:More Choices

Personalized Insuranceand

The Best Service with a smile from LOCAL agents who have been Pend Oreille County residents for over 20 years!

Ed Bryan Insurance Agency IncEd Bryan, Agent • www.edbryan.com

Deer Park, WA • 509-276-87141-800-869-8714 (Toll Free) statefarm.com®

See me today and get the discountsand service you deserve.

DISCOUNTS.

+ =

H & D DIESEL, INC.Over 25 YearsRoadside Service CAT Dealer ExperienceLicensed • Insured

877-447-4699ROD HILDEN9381 Coyote Trail Phone (509) 447-4699 Newport, WA

Cost of cars risesIncrease in maintenance, insurance and fuel drive up average cost for sedans to $9,122 yearly, 60.8 cents per mile

BELLEVUE – AAA released the results of its annual “Your Driv-ing Costs” study, revealing a 1.96 percent increase in the cost to own and operate a sedan in the U.S. The average cost rose 1.17 cents to 60.8 cents per mile, or a total of $9,122 per year, based upon 15,000 miles of annual driving.

“Many factors go into the cost calculation of owning and operating a vehicle,” said John Nielsen, AAA Director of Auto-motive Engineering and Repair. “This year, changes in mainte-nance, fuel and insurance costs resulted in the increase to just beyond 60 cents a mile.”

Nielsen continued, “Before you make any vehicle purchase, it is important to determine owner-ship and operational costs and compare them to your current and future financial situation.”

Maintenance costs

up 11.26 percent

The costs associated with main-taining a vehicle had the single largest percentage increase from 2012 to 2013, growing by 11.26 percent to 4.97 cents per mile on average for sedan owners.

AAA’s estimates are based upon the cost to maintain a vehicle and perform needed repairs for five years and 75,000 miles includ-ing labor expenses, replacement part prices and the purchase of an extended warranty policy.

Driving the increase in mainte-nance costs is significant in-creases in labor and part costs for some models and a major increase in the price of extended warranty policies due to high loss ratios by underwriters.

Fuel costs up 1.93 percentGasoline prices were relatively

stable compared to the prior year, leading to a minimal fuel cost increase of 1.93 percent to 14.45 cents per mile on average for sedan owners.

The average cost of regular grade fuel (used by most of the study vehicles) actually rose 3.84 percent, from $3.357 to $3.486 per gallon. However, several vehicles in the Your Driving Costs study had small improvements in their fuel econ-omy ratings which partially offset the fuel cost increase.

Fuel costs in the 2013 study were calculated using the national average price for regular, unleaded gasoline during the fourth quarter of 2012.

Insurance costs

up 2.76 percent

Average insurance costs for sedans rose 2.76 percent (or $28) to $1029 annually. Insurance rates vary widely by driver and driv-ing record, issuing company and geographical region. AAA insur-ance cost estimates are based on a low-risk driver with a clean driving record.

Quotes from five AAA clubs and insurance companies represent-ing seven states showed across-the-board modest increases for all sedan sizes, with large cars having less of an increase than small- and medium-size sedans.

Depreciation costs

rise 0.78 percent

After seeing a drop in 2012, depreciation costs were up slightly in 2013, increasing 0.78 percent to

$3,571 a year. This change may be a consequence of recovering new vehicle sales, resulting in more used cars available in the marketplace and thus the softening of the resale value of clean older models.

Tire costs remain unchanged The cost of tires did not change

from 2012 to 2013, remaining at one cent per mile on average for sedan owners. The stable price is attributed to a leveling off of past increased costs for raw materials, energy and transportation from factories to distributors across the country. 

 

Driving study for 63rd yearAAA has published Your Driving

Costs since 1950. That year, driving a car 10,000 miles per year cost 9 cents per mile, and gasoline sold for 27 cents per gallon.

The study employs a proprietary AAA methodology to analyze the cost to own and operate a vehicle in the United States. Variable operat-ing costs considered in the study include fuel, maintenance and repair and tires.

Fixed ownership costs factored into the results include insurance, license and registration fees, taxes, depreciation and finance charges. Ownership costs are calculated based on the purchase of a new vehicle that is driven over five years and 75,000 miles. Your actual operating costs may vary.

In-depth findings of this year’s study, including a breakdown of specific costs by category of vehicle and various annual mileages, are contained in the ‘Your Driving Costs’ brochure which is available at select local AAA branch offices or may be downloaded at the AAA Newsroom.

COURTESY TABLE|AAA

Sunshine and tragedyFirst sunny weekends seem to bring more motorcycle crashes

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Patrol is gearing up for the first sunny spring weekends of 2013, and the unfortunate motor-cycle crashes that always seem to follow.

In a typical year, one or two riders die that first nice weekend, and several more are injured. The reasons are predictable: speeding or driving under the influence.

Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste hates it when his smart phone buzzes with word of yet another fatal collision.

“It’s painful to hear that another family has lost a loved one in a completely preventable motorcycle crash,” Batiste said. “For them, a sunny spring day will always be a reminder of their loss.”

Batiste urged riders to get out and enjoy the (eventual) good weather, but to ride sober and keep the speeds down. The most com-mon scenario is a rider who enters a curve going way too fast, and loses control.

“If a trooper stops you for speed-ing, there’s a chance you might get a warning. The laws of physics are much more unforgiving.”

The good news is that Washing-ton drivers are moving in the right direction when it comes to motor-cycle safety. More motorcycle rid-ers are endorsed than ever before. In 2012, there were 83 motorcycle fatalities and the majority of those were caused by the rider and not another vehicle. This is a similar trend law enforcement has seen over the past several years where the majority of motorcycle colli-sions were caused by rider error.

Even though most motorcycle fatalities are caused by the rider, drivers still need to be alert and aware of motorcycles around them. By taking the extra time to check your blind spots prior to making a lane change, allow-ing for extra following distance,

and being aware of approaching motorcycles, drivers will be able to avoid potential collisions.

“Folks driving SUVs, passenger cars and trucks need to be extra attentive and make sure they ‘share the road’ with motorcy-clists,” said Batiste.

Tips motorcyclists and motorists can use to stay safe on our roadways.

The biggest causes of motorcycle fatali-ties in Washington are excessive speed, inattention, and inex-perience, i.e. drivers exceeding their skill level. Speed reduces reaction time and increases the serious-ness of injuries.

The two groups that have the most trouble are young riders on high

powered bikes, and older riders who lack the appropriate train-ing. The young kids are riding at speeds way above their skill level, and the older riders are taking up the hobby without investing in safety classes.

All riders would benefit from ap-proved motorcycle safety classes.

They teach you how to recognize a collision developing while there is still time to avoid it.

The safety of motorcycle riders re-mains overwhelm-ingly in the hands of riders themselves.

Automobile drivers still need to share the road. Drivers need to be alert and aware of

motorcyclists around them.

“Folks driving SUVs, passenger cars and trucks need to be extra attentive and make sure they ‘share the road’ with motorcyclists.”

Chief John R. BatisteWashington State Patrol

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED• RV FRIENDLY •

10MINUTE

OIL CHANGE!

447-0120 Hwy. 2 Newport

10MINUTE

OIL CHANGE!

SPIFFYSPIFFY LUBELUBE

MOST MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

(509) 684-3581

We Employ Technicians Certifi ed By The National Institute For Automotive Service ExcellenceMon-Fri: 7:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. • 505 S. Main • Colville

AUTOMOTIVE & TRUCK FOREIGN-DOMESTIC

CUSTOM EXHAUST SYSTEMS & CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

ALL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS • BRAKES/ ALIGNMENTSTRANSMISSIONS • COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS

TUNE-UPS/ EXHAUST

NaNNNNNNNNN tio

EXIDE BATTERIESBatteries for Cars, Trucks, RV’s, Boats, ATVs, PWCs

East End of the Oldtown Bridge • 208-437-5669“YOUR HOMETOWN DIFFERENCE”

Ready to use$11.99 GAL.

GET READY FOR SUMMER DRIVING NOW! We Stock the

Full Line ofAmsoil Products!

Long Life 50/50$11.99 GAL.

Antifreeze & Coolant

Green$14.99 GAL.

311 W. Walnut Newport, WA

(509) 447-3933

Locally Owned & Operated

333333333133N

(50ted

A Proud Member of Your Local Newport Grizzlies Maws and Paws Booster Club“We support our local students in all their endeavors.”

Certifi ed Master Tech on duty to serve you!

Get ready for Summer!Time to let us check your

Oil • Coolant • AC • Alignment • Brakes • Shocks

at the

National Spring Savings EventNow thru June 30, 2013 • See Store for Details

6B | MAY 29, 2013 2 0 1 3 S P R I N G C A R C A R E THE MINER

489-38501-800-735-2376

Daily Worldwide Shipping

Dealing Exclusively In Import Cars & Import Trucks

We Also Locate Hard To Find PartsAll Major Cards Accepted

Open: Mon. - Fri., 8:00 - 6:004330 E. Francis Avenue, Spokane

www. whiteyswrecking.com

Whitey’sWrecking

CASH REWARDTOP PRICES

PAID

ACTION Recycling/Phoenix Metals, Inc.E. 911 Marietta (East of Hamilton) • (509) 483-4094

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• ALUMINUM• STAINLESS STEEL

• BRASS • COPPER • LEAD• GOLD • SILVER

Car Batteries • Radiators • All Metals

1000 Triangle DriveSandpoint

208-263-2584

We’ll pick up your junk car

Pay Up To $200Need Titles

Pa

PAYING CASH!**In accordance with WA State Law.

We also recycle Cardboard • Iron

Newspaper

N 6404 Perry • Spokane, WA (509) 489-6482One block north of Francis, 14 blocks east of Division

DU-MOR RECYCLING

Copper • Brass • Aluminum Stainless • Aluminum CansBatteries • Radiators

Hanson’s Powerstroke Repair Mobile Service

Specializing in Ford Repair• Powerstroke Specialist

• Diesel • Gasoline • Reasonable Rates• Computer Diagnostics

Oldtown, ID • (360) 770-1180

Gopher’s Diesel RepairServing the

Tri-County for Over 10 Years

97-A Buena Vista Dr • Colville • 509-684-6637

buy local... with confidenceClass 8 Trucks, Local Independent Dealer

WE Can Help You With Your Truck & Trailer Needs

(509) 534-9088521 N. Eastern, Spokane

www.class8trucksales.com

You Name It... We have it... or, We’ll Look for it!!

class8trucks@aol.com

RiversideAutomotive

Service and Repair

Foreign & Domestic Repair

34612 N. Newport Hwy 2 Chattaroy, WA

(509) 292-8979

• Tune-ups • Diagnostic Service

• Brakes • Clutches • Electrical

• Engine •Air Conditioning

Please call for Appointment

Snyder RidgeTire & Lube

Get Your Vehicle

Ready for

Summer Driving

Tue-Fri 8 am-4:00 pm • Sat 9 am-2 pm4372 Highway 31, Ione

509-442-5050

the hottest technologies to both explore and fulfill the needs of young people.”

The submissions from the brands varied widely, although there were common themes. Elec-tric vehicles, cars that were able to morph their shape and cars that leant themselves to clever youth marketing were recurrent motifs.

So too were vehicles that al-lowed connectivity to social networking sites. A winner will be picked by a panel of experts during the show and while it’s unlikely any will ever go into pro-duction, they at least show where designers believe we’re heading.

So what did the individual companies pitch? Honda sees in-creased interaction between cars and humans in 2030.

“Emerging technologies, such as genetic integration and advanced adaptive polymers, will shatter the current paradigm of what is now considered ‘personally’ unique,” it says in its pitch.

The company proposes shape-shifting vehicles that could modify their size and wheelbase depending on the constraints of the environment around them.

Nissan sees a rosy 2030 in which electricity has replaced petrol as the main propellant for cars and US highways have been electrified to create an ultra-effi-cient, high-speed network called the GRID.

The company’s electric offering is the crab-like V2G and it sug-gests consumers would be able to buy access to the electricity grid

in the same way they subscribe to mobile phone plans.

General Motors sees a blurring of the lines between gaming, learning to drive and driving. It proposes cars that could drive themselves to destinations when a passenger puts an address into the on-board sat-nav device.

Young passengers would be encouraged to compete with the sat-nav on a driving simulator. When their skills developed they would be allowed control of some features. Advanced drivers would be able to modify vehicles for increased power.

Mazda envisions a 2030 where personalization and customiza-tion of cars is all-important.

It sees young people designing their own vehicles online based around a platform called Souga, with the company then fulfilling these requirements.

It paints a future where it costs young people just $2,000 to buy the physical car.

Digital communication and in-formation devices, it predicts, will be integrated into fashion apparel, eliminating the need to include these systems in cars.

Toyota’s offering for 2030 takes into account that education levels are rising in the U.S. and young consumers are increasingly well educated and proactive.

It proposes LINK, “an afford-able, customizable, mass-transit vehicle for students with high social-networking demands and continuously evolving prefer-ences.”

These small personal vehicles would be kept at central hubs.

They would allow users to tap into social networking sites, trade mu-sic and compare class schedules.

Finally, Audi went beyond the brief and created two concept cars – a performance vehicle and an affordable, entry-level car. Both blend lightweight metals and composite materials and feature wheels without hubs.

The company says its low-profiled eSpira would be a “technological tour-de-force” performance car. An advanced logic system would allow driv-ers to steer the vehicle with body movements and gestures, making motoring a more organic experi-ence.

Perhaps a more realistic option for (typically impoverished) young motorists is the company’s eOra, which it envisages would share the logic control system with the eSpira but be more of a city car with a small footprint and good agility.

Nissan envisages a 2030 in which national highways are electrified (like a dodgem track) to provide power to electric cars. Young consumers would buy ac-

cess to the system in the way they buy mobile phone credits today.

General Motors’s is a selectively self-driving car that allows new drivers to assume full control only after they have proved themselves on on-board driving simulators. As driving skill increases, so do power options.

Honda proposes vehicles that can morph to suit their environ-ment. In built-up city areas the vehicle has a small footprint, whereas on the open road it has a larger, more stable platform capable of high speed.

In Mazda’s model, young people are able to design their dream cars online and have them built on the Souga platform.

Toyota proposes a network of small motorized vehicles, which would be kept at central hubs and personalized by young users. Access to social networking sites is a given.

With the eOra commuter ve-hicle and eSpira performance car, Audi’s cars both incorporate on-board computers that allow them to be driven using subtle body movements and gestures.

FUTURE | INTERACTION BETWEEN CARS, HUMANSFROM PAGE 3B

Mon-Fri 8am-5pm • 40 High St. • Priest River, ID • 208-448-0112

• Brakes• Air Conditioning• Oil Changes & Inspections• Engine Repair

• Transmission & Differentials• Tune-Ups• Engine Performance

• Electronics & Diagnostics• Computers & Programming• Steering & Suspension• Exhaust Service

Wolf says. . We Offerall theseServices

Service for All Makes and Models

Mention this ad get 10% off services

www.proautomotivepr.comLike us on Facebook

In recent months, Fisker un-successfully negotiated with two Chinese carmakers to sell the company. The last-ditch efforts coincided with the departure of Henrik Fisker, who resigned from the company on March 13. He left “because of major disagreements” on business strategy, Mr. Fisker said in an email.

Bankruptcy now appears un-avoidable, and a political reck-oning is coming. Mr. Posawatz and Mr. Fisker are among the witnesses expected to testify at Wednesday’s hearing by the House Oversight and Govern-ment Reform subcommittee.

Some environmental activists worry about the potential ramifi-cations of a Fisker bankruptcy.

“We can’t get to where we need to be in electric vehicles with-out government help,” said Dan Becker, head of the Safe Climate Campaign, an advocacy group in Washington.

Yet Fisker’s legacy will be its record of failure rather than its advances in fuel efficiency. It could not meet loan benchmarks like other automakers, and it never created the jobs it promised at the old G.M. plant. Even its troubled battery supplier, A123, also a recipient of federal funds, man-aged to attract a Chinese buyer after going bankrupt. But no one

is bidding to buy Fisker. It is a tough lesson for Karma

owners like David Cohen, a 57-year-old New Jersey resident, who said he loves driving the car but wonders whether there will be a company to service it down the road.

“If I was aware of the company’s dire financial situation, I would not have purchased the vehicle,” said Mr. Cohen. “But it is what it is.”

Fisker’s former employees find its downfall hard to accept. Mr. Etzelsberger recalled the heady days in 2009 when employees worked nights and weekends to deliver the first working version of the Karma.

At that point, Fisker was desper-ately seeking private capital and loans from the federal government to move forward. Management’s message to workers was blunt. “These cars are the future of the company,” Mr. Etzelsberger re-called being told. “Without them, no one will have a job soon.”

This month, Mr. Etzelsberger was one of 160 Fisker employees suddenly laid off without sever-ance benefits. He is now the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against his former company and another in a long line of disillusioned believers.

“I don’t really feel betrayed,” he said. “It’s more disappoint-ment than anything.”

ELECTRIC | CAN’T GET ELECTRIC CARS GOINGFROM PAGE 4B

Sports fans can show support, benefit kidsRENTON, Wash. – Gov. Jay

Inslee summarized the state’s new Sounders and Seahawks license plate offer this way, “Buy a license plate, give a kid a great future.”

The Seahawks and Sounders FC license plates were revealed in May following the official bill signing ceremony with Inslee. The preliminary Seahawks plate is dominated by a 12 flag high-lighted by a fading blue backdrop while the Sounders FC plate features the team’s signature rave green color with an iconic team scarf held by a fan. Both plates

feature the individual team logos. The plates will be available to order by registered car/vehicle owners in January 2014.

The bulk of the proceeds from Sounders FC plate sales will ben-efit Washington State Mentors, a public/private partnership based in Issaquah that provides grants and assistance to youth organiza-tions across the state. Many of the children served by DSHS receive mentoring from Washington State Mentors.

Net proceeds from Seahawks plate sales will go to InvestED, a Seattle-based non-profit that

partners with schools statewide to help students from low-income families pay for clothes, shoes, school activity cards, testing fees and other student needs.

A third non-profit, the Asso-ciation of Washington Generals will receive a smaller portion of the Sounders FC plate sales. The AWG recognizes outstanding in-dividuals and promotes a variety of civic and veterans causes.

The preliminary license plate designs were submitted utilizing templates provided by the Depart-ment of Licensing. DOL will work with law enforcement to ensure

readability. The designs will be finalized sometime this summer or early fall.

“The license plates are a distinctive way Seahawks and Sounders FC fans can display their passion and support local non-profits,” said Seahawks and Sounders FC president Peter McLoughlin.

The non-profit groups are de-veloping promotional programs to increase fan awareness of the license plate program, including an event to auction off the first 25 team plate numbers. Program de-tails will be announced this fall.

MinerTHE

OnlineMiner subscribers have free access all the time.

(509) 447-2433www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

No matter where you are on the globe, your community goes with you.

• MT - Snowmobile Licenses

(509) 464-2294 • 10208 N. Division Suite 109, Spokane • North of the “Y” at Hawthorne

• ID - Boat, ORV, Snowmobile Licenses, Invasive Species Sticker

Auto, Vessel, RV, Cycle, Trailer, Fleet

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

North Spokane Auto Licensing

• WA - Hunting & Fishing Licenses and Discover Passes