Whether you have a gas-powered car, an electric or a hybrid car, your battery can suffer in cold winter weather. Lauren Fix, The Car Coach® provides tips on how to protect your car's battery and improve your fuel economy in the cold temperatures.

China is the largest automotive market in the world. Plug in hybrids are important for their culture, and also the environment. Plug in vehicles are not only popular in the United States, but also across the world. Learn more about going electric, autonomous vehicles and world wide car tech trends with The Car Coach®, Lauren Fix.

The national average price of gas continues to decline as U.S. oil production increases. Today’s average price of $2.31 per gallon represents a decrease of three cents per gallon on the week, four cents per gallon on the month, and prices have moved lower for 14 of the past 15 days. Despite this recent trend lower, retail averages are up by 46 cents per gallon as compared to one year ago.

Quick Stats
The nation’s top five least expensive markets are: South Carolina ($2.07), Tennessee ($2.11), Alabama ($2.11), Mississippi ($2.11) and Indiana ($2.12).

The states with the largest weekly decreases in gas prices include: Ohio (-13 cents), Michigan (-12 cents), Indiana (-8 cents), Illinois (-8 cents) and Kentucky (-6 cents).

New AAA survey reveals that 35 percent of Americans will travel as a family this year

ORLANDO, Fla. (February 7, 2017) – Now is the time when millions of families across the country are starting to plan getaways for spring break, summer vacation and long holiday weekends throughout the year. According to a recent AAA survey, more than one-third of Americans (35 percent) are planning to take a vacation of 50 miles or more away from home involving two or more immediate family members this year. The overall volume of travelers remains unchanged from last year, indicating that Americans continue to prioritize traveling as a family.

While most family travelers (70 percent) are planning to take one or two vacations, there is a significant increase this year in the number of Americans who say they are planning to take three or more vacations. The 28 percent of family travelers who will take three or more trips this year is 13 percentage points higher than in 2016.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has designated 10 proving ground pilot sites to encourage testing and information sharing around automated vehicle technologies. These proving ground designations will foster  innovations that can safely transform personal and commercial mobility, expand capacity, and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities. These designations are a logical next step in the Department’s effort to advance the safe deployment of automated technology. 

“The designated proving grounds will collectively form a Community of Practice around safe testing and deployment,” said Secretary Foxx.  “This group will openly share best practices for the safe conduct of testing and operations as they are developed, enabling the participants and the general public to learn at a faster rate and accelerating the pace of safe deployment.” 

The proving grounds will also provide critical insights into optimal big data usage through automated vehicle testing and will serve as a foundation for building a community of practice around automated vehicle research.