Electricity

SACRAMENTO -- California electricity ratepayers could get rebates of up to $1.6 billion from more than a dozen power wholesalers that allegedly manipulated the market during the energy crisis of 2000, the state Public Utilities Commission announced. The commission in a statement released late Tuesday praised an "initial decision" issued Friday by a federal administrative law judge that ruled in favor of the state in a complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Tesla Motors Inc. reported another good-not-great quarter, renewing concerns about its ability to quickly churn out enough electric vehicles to sustain the company for the long term. The company plans to ramp up the introduction of Tesla Model S cars to consumers worldwide, saying it was "on a journey" this year to expand the line and turn profitable, Chairman Elon Musk and Chief Financial Officer Deepak Ahuja wrote in a letter to shareholders Wednesday. "Our intention is not to make customers wait six months for a car," Musk said in a call with analysts.

Supporters of green-car technology like hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars say they were happy to hear that automakers like Ford and Honda are expanding the number of dealerships who can sell those cars. Honda's 2013 Honda Fit EV, launched in California and Oregon in July, will be added to dealerships in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Ford Motor Co. is accelerating dealership certification for its plug-in electrified vehicles from 200 to 900 dealers.

The Tesla Model S may be a silent car, but other automakers will no doubt hear it coming. In its first crack at a premium sedan, the Silicon Valley electric-car maker has matched or beaten the likes of the Audi A7 or Mercedes-Benz CLS - products of a century of German engineering. Similarly packaged as a sleek four-door coupe, the Model S delivers the performance and polish implied by its $89,770 price. All that's missing is the roar of internal combustion. Ask the folks at Tesla Motors Inc. how they pulled this off and they'll say Tesla isn't a car company.

You might think that a $1 increase in gasoline prices would result in a big boost for the sale of hybrids and electric vehicles. Not so, according to a new report by Experian Automotive. The Schaumberg, Ill., group says sales of small gas-powered cars would climb quickest, while sales of some hybrids would actually fall during such an increase. Experian said the results were gleaned in part from a study on the effect of rising fuel prices on various vehicle segments over a five-year period.

Mitsubishi Motors North America is recalling certain model year 2012 i-MiEV electric vehicles that were manufactured from Dec. 2, 2011, through Sept. 7, 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . The brake system vacuum pump on those vehicles may fail, rendering the vacuum pump inoperable. If the vacuum pump system fails, the recall notice says, it will reduce available brake power, which would result in lengthened stopping distances and could increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

SAO PAULO, Brazil--Brazilians usually have little time for the U.S. version of football, but they can't stop talking about this year's Super Bowl. Subjected for years to questions about whether Brazil is prepared to effectively host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, there was more than a little glee as the world's richest country messed up its most important sporting event. The 34-minute blackout that marred the second half of the game became the subject of ridicule on social networks and in the local media.

Miles Davis had a raw, multi-syllable name for his group from 1969, and it wasn't one we can print in this newspaper. Known in various jazz-obsessive circles as the Lost Band, the powerful quintet of all stars Davis assembled between the release of plate-shifting albums "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew" included keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Though the group famously was never documented in the studio, its legacy is enhanced with "Live in Europe 1969," a four disc set that marks the second volume in Columbia/Legacy's Bootleg Series.

Federal regulators have grounded all U.S. Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jets, a potentially devastating setback for the company's troubled new flagship airliner. The move Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration left airlines reeling, seeking ways to accommodate delayed passengers. Boeing Co. stock fell on the news in after-hours trading. The order came Wednesday after a 787 operated by a Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airways, made an emergency landing in southwestern Japan.

Electric vehicles and hybrids are quiet - a little too quiet for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The agency on Monday announced proposals for minimum sound requirements on hybrid and electric vehicles. Without an internal combustion engine running, many vehicles can operate under full or partial electric power with little to no sound to warn pedestrians or cyclists, particularly the visually impaired. “This proposal will help keep everyone using our nation's streets and roadways safe, whether they are motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.