cars

Robocars could gobble up downtown parking

Imagine a scene from the near-future: You get dropped off downtown by a driverless car. You slam the door and head into your office or appointment. But then where does the autonomous vehicle go? It’s a question that cities would be wise to consider now. Self-driving cars may be on the roads within the next decade or two. Automakers and specialized startups alike are aggressively…


Samsung Escondido battery array — world’s largest — goes online next month

After racing for months, engineers here in California have brought three energy-storage sites close to completion to begin serving the Southern California electric grid within the next month. They are made up of thousands of oversize versions of the lithium-ion batteries now widely used in smartphones, laptop computers and other digital devices. One of the installations, a 30-mehawatt facility at a San Diego Gas &…


Cruising Grand, Escondido and other antique car tales from Menifee

Antique cars, hot rods, luxury sedans and eyefuls of chrome as far as the lens can see. ESCONDIDO, CA. — “Filming at Menifee’s Motte Historical Museum was like filming at Knott’s Berry Farm because it looked very western.  Mr and Mrs. Motte were very lovely people,” Sara explained. “They let me film at the museum and they were very kind to me.” “It was very hot that day…


Planes, trains and automobiles…yoga

Several weeks ago as I was driving north on Interstate 5 from Oceanside, in Southern California, I was not pleased that, like all the other times I reluctantly have driven that route, cars were not moving. Fortunately, this time I wasn’t racing to teach a class or see a client. I was driving to meet my daughter and her beau in Laguna Beach, to celebrate my 65th…


Auto body fumes a frequent complaint

From Escondido to Chula Vista, Oceanside to National City, complaints about fumes emanating from car painting operations are among the most frequent reported to air authorities. An analysis of records by inewsource shows more than 10 percent of air complaints in San Diego County cite auto and truck painting, with 224 of some 2,100 complaints made between January 2013 and April 2016. The Environmental Health Coalition, one of…


Cruisin’ Grand car show returns for 2016

Escondido’s Cruisin’ Grand car show never truly ends. Like the day after Christmas or Mardi Gras for some, planning immediately began for Cruisin’ Grand 2016 after the 2015 version ended on Oct. 2. That 2016 event, the 17th incarnation of the annual rite of spring and summer, begins anew Friday, April 1. Swaying with the rhythms of spring and summer, almost in sync with the…


Hiking Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail

Escondido is quickly becoming my go-to hiking destination with dozens of easily accessible trails that offer sweeping views of mountain peaks, lakes, and rivers. Bernardo Mountain Summit is an easily accessible trail in Escondido that hovers above the calm waters of Lake Hodges. The peak and lake are the main attraction in this 7.2-mile roundtrip trek, which also features views of the eastern half of the county…


Escondido’s Cruisin’ Grand drags to finish with nitro blasts from the past

Escondido’s Cruisin’ Grand car show never truly ends. Like the day after Christmas or Mardi Gras for some, planning immediately began for Cruisin’ Grand 2016 after the 2015 version ended on Oct. 2. That 2016 event will be the 17th incarnation of the annual rite of spring and summer. Swaying with the rhythms of spring and summer, almost in sync with the Major League Baseball…