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High-school students with licenses who are looking for driving gigs, rejoice! There could be more valet-parking jobs opening up – and ones that aren't just at expensive restaurants and private parties. Here's what Forbes contributor Jeff McMahon is suggesting, though we're not sure if he's being totally earnest.

After speaking with ComEd's Mike McMahan, McMahon wrote that a jump in electric-vehicle sales could create EV-valet jobs. The idea is that many EV owners leave their cars parked and recharging all day at charging stations near work or at train stations, when in fact the vehicle may only need a couple of hours to "fill up."

In the real world, this situation has already led to some altercations from EV owners who unplug other people's cars to get their electron fix – sometimes this becomes quite public. To solving the problem, in come the EV valets. These would be people who would be able to swap out fully-charged EVs for those waiting in line without the owners being there. No word on whether such a job would require a red bow tie and a black vest.

If this isn't just a solution looking for a problem, the EV valet scenario is likely years away, given the current the rate of EV sales in the U.S. September sales numbers just came out, and while plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Prius Plug-in each moved about 3,000 units last month. Even though it had the highest sales totals in 12 months, the Nissan Leaf – and other pure electric vehicles – are not selling in record high numbers.

Despite current low lease rates, Nissan is ready to limbo the price of the Nissan Leaf lower, lower, lower.

According to Automotive News, Nissan is preparing to build a budget version of America's most popular electric vehicle in Tennessee when the company's plant in Smyrna begins to build the Leaf there. This is scheduled to begin in December for deliveries starting in March. AN says the new entry-level Leaf will be part of the car's 2013 model year facelift and could lose some features in the nav system and LED headlights.

We have long heard that domestic production would lower the cost of the Leaf – especially since the battery will be made nearby – but so far, Nissan is not talking about what, exactly, the new, budget-level price might be. Previous rumors – and they are just rumors – pegged the pre-incentive price at something between $26,600 and $31,500. Whatever the new price is, Nissan has previously said that it expects Leaf sales to double once Smryna production comes online.

Last month, Nissan sold 984 Leafs, an improvement from the 685 sold in August. So far, in 2012, Nissan has sold 5,212 Leafs, fewer than the 7,199 it had sold in 2011 by the end of September. The current entry price for the Leaf is $35,200, plus destination and without the federal tax credit worth up to $7,500.

Nothing like dollars and cents to drive some good ol' patriotism, even if it's from overseas.

Honda will re-start production of the Accord Hybrid from Japan next year and may move the manufacturing of the model to U.S. by 2015 in order to cut costs, Automotive News reports, citing an interview with Honda chief engineer Chitoshi Yokota in the Japanese business daily Nikkei Nangyo.

The relatively expensive yen makes the prospect of producing the Accord Hybrid in the U.S. a cheaper one than in Japan. Yokota said the model needs all the help in can get because hybrids that are sold as variants of conventional models – like the Accord and Civic Hybrids – are harder to market than standalone hybrid models like, say, the Toyota Prius.

Honda will start delivering an Accord Plug-In Hybrid, which will have an all-electric range of as many as 15 miles, early next year. The conventional Accord Hybrid will debut later in 2013. The Japanese automaker hopes the variants will spur hybrid sales, which have been lagging this year. Through September, Honda sold 14,204 hybrids and EVs, down 47 percent from a year earlier. Honda discontinued the Accord Hybrid in 2008 after four years of production.

Earlier this week, we reviewed the 2014 Accord Plug-In Hybrid, and you can find our First Drive impressions are here.

The basics of supply and demand, even in a market as curated as global petroleum is, are fairly easy to understand. Today's example: southern California, where some stations are beginning to run out of gas due to "refinery supply problems" at both Chevron and Mobil, reports USA Today. The result? Prices could hit $5-a-gallon soon. AAA says that the average in California today is $4.486 a gallon, well above the national average of $3.789 and making a run on the $4.61 record from June 2008.

Since some gas stations are no longer buying wholesale fuel, the tanks are running dry. USA Today notes that a Costco in Simi Valley started selling premium (which was available) at regular prices (since that fuel was not available). Another station owner told Bloomberg, "I can get gas, but it's going to cost me $4.90 a gallon, and I can't sell it here for $5. ... My market is open, but no gas." He can't sell it for $5 today, but with California prices jumping 20 cents overnight and 40 cents for the week, that could change soon. In fact, a station in Calabasas was selling gas for $5.69 yesterday, along with signs that said: "We are sorry, it is not our fault."

Hitting at least 40 miles per gallon is practically a necessity to compete in the compact car segment these days, and the 2013 Dodge Dart has hit this mark with the all-new Aero package. The Dart Aero is Dodge's fuel economy package for the car that starts at $19,295 (not including the $795 destination charge), and while Hyundai has been saving the asterisks since 2010, many other automakers use a similar method to get that magic 40-mpg rating onto the Monroney label.

The Dart Aero receives Fiat's 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo I4 and numerous other changes to hit up to 41 mpg highway with the manual transmission which is an improvement of 2 mpg alone over Chrysler's initial estimates for the car. Opting for the new dual dry clutch transmission will drop the highway number to an even 40 mpg – cars with either transmission are rated at 28 mpg city and 32 mpg combined. These are significant gains over initial Dart models with the 2.0-liter engine that were rated at up to 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway/29 mpg combined. This new engine also delivers the same 160 horsepower as the base engine, but it adds an extra 36 pound-feet of torque rated at 184 lb-ft.

Other than the new engine and the advanced DDCT gearbox, the Dart Aero was able to deliver such an improvement in fuel economy courtesy of a lower profile, active grille shutters, underbody aero kit and low-rolling resistance tires.

Compared to the base 2013 Dart, the Aero package is a $3,300 premium, but cars like the Focus SFE, Civic HF, Cruze Eco, Mazda3 Skyactiv and Jetta TDI all charge a premium for playing in the 40-mpg sandbox. Included in this higher price, the Dart Aero comes standard with some of the Dart's unique features like the 8.4-inch media center, the Dart's seven-inch TFT gauge cluster and one of the car's most stylish elements, the LED "racetrack" taillights.

It isn't clear when the Dart Aero will be on sale, but Chrysler says that the car went into production over the summer. Scroll down to read the full press release on this car.

In case there was ever any doubt, the Emerg-E extended-range plug-in supercar from Infiniti won't really, uh, emerge.

The new head of the Nissan luxury badge says the Emerg-E won't be built as a production vehicle, UK publication Autocar reports, citing Infiniti chief Johan de Nysschen's presentation at the recent Paris Motor Show. Instead, aspects of the concept car will be used in the powertrain and design of other models. De Nysschen specifically said the Emerg-E would offer "strong cues" in the G-series. The wireless-charging-capable Infiniti LE is still due for a launch in 2014.

Infiniti released pictures of the Emerg-E in February and a month later showed off the concept car at the Geneva Motor Show. The automaker said the Emerg-E had a 300-mile range from battery and gas tank and could go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in four seconds.

A biker in Hong Kong shot video for 20 minutes riding an electric Brammo Enertia. Here's a few observations from viewing it, which you can do below:

• The Enertia doesn't have a mild humming electric motor, like the Nissan Leaf. It's a piercing noise that cranks up while driving uphill and when picking up speed.
• Hong Kong is not nearly as crowded as I expected, with the bike traveling smoothly from Kowloon Bay to Central Hong Kong. I expected jam-packed traffic in a country that's sold a lot of new cars to a workforce that's moved from countryside into the big cities. Of course, this video could have been filmed during downtime, perhaps on a Sunday afternoon.
• This bike can travel about 80 miles on a charge with this type of freeway driving. After the 20-minute ride at between 55 and 75 miles per hour, it had 75 percent of the battery left. That's better than some of the other e-bikes on the market are getting.
• The Enertia is different than the Brammo Empulse. It has no gears, and the engine rpm kept getting higher and higher. Not having to shift could come in handy when stuck in dense traffic and needing a smoother ride.
• There's supposed to be ton of e-bikes on Chinese streets, but not many of them show up in this video.

Notice anything else?

Tuesday was a good day for the Chevrolet Volt.

First, parent company General Motors reported the highest-ever monthly sales for the extended-range plug-in. Then, the model won an award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) for one of its print ads, according to The Detroit Bureau.

GLAAD, which held its awards ceremony Tuesday night in New York City, feted Chevy for its ad that showed a Volt sitting between two conventional GM vehicles with the tagline: "Mom, Dad. I'm electric." Included in the ad is the line, "Whatever revs your engine, we support you 100%." Since appearing in a local Michigan newspaper during the Motor City Pride event – at a reported cost of just $750 – the Volt ad has garnered millions of views and plenty of attention from all over. As we mentioned when the add first *ahem* came out, GM has a long history supporting GLBT causes. It's not the only automaker to do so. For the recent award, GLAAD also nominated a print ad from Toyota's Lexus badge that celebrated the 45th anniversary of The Advocate.

GM said Tuesday that the Volt sold 2,851 units in September, marking both an all-time monthly record and almost a fourfold jump from September 2011. Year-to-date Volt sales have actually more than quadrupled to 16,348.

Electric bicycles are a great piece of the transportation puzzle but there is one area where they tend to fall flat: styling. Now, Voltage Cycles is nicely addressing this shortcoming with a range of power-assisted pedelers based around a beautifully crafted low-slung frame. By simply swapping out handlebars, forks, fenders, seats and tires, the company creates a nice variety of custom looks.

The electric drivetrain – a 600-watt brushless geared hub motor invisibly wired to a neatly integrated 48-volt, 13-Ah battery pack – remains constant throughout the line and provides for speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. The AllCell Technologies-sourced battery should handle at least 1,500 charges and is said to be good for 34 miles at a go, though we imagine that includes some cycling effort on behalf of the rider.

This rolling bit of electro-chic isn't exactly cheap (the price of one configuration hits $3,450), but if you consider that it looks like a million bucks, it might be considered a bargain. Scroll down to check out video featuring several builds in action.

Drama, suspense, romance, horror – just about everything you might want from a great big-budget flick has been packed into this minute-long masterpiece from Smart (or its ad agency, anyway).

Smart has been pushing its 2013 ForTwo fairly aggressively over recent weeks, debuting new series of commercials aimed at changing minds about the diminutive two-seater. This spot for the upcoming ForTwo Electric Drive is no different, but it may just be the best of the bunch.

Watch all the way through – it's worth it.

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is a promising, small family vehicle, but Car and Driver is reporting that the new B-Class is only coming to the U.S. as the zero-emission Electric Drive model. It would appear that if Mercedes does proceed with this plan, it will likely be positioned as a premium alternative to dedicated green family vehicles like Toyota Prius v and Ford C-Max.

While Mercedes won't be the first luxury automaker to venture into the B-segment, it will likely be the first to bring an all-electric vehicle to this market. Using a Tesla-sourced lithium-ion battery pack, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive is expected to be able to travel up to 124 miles at a go, with a top speed of 93 miles per hour.

Mercedes-Benz will be applying the Electric Drive moniker to all of its future electric vehicles, and it definitely had a strong EV presence at the 2012 Paris Motor Show with B-Class Electric Drive and SLS AMG Electric Drive both on display; the the new Smart ForTwo Electric Drive is going on sale next year.

A new blog post by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk shows a bit of attitude, reacting to the way the company's stock and reputation took a bit of a hit last week (despite its supercharger announcement) after downsizing its 2012 production and resulting revenue estimates. Tesla also announced a follow on stock offering, which had some pessimists pouring themselves some long tall glasses of haterade.

Elon's response? Well, he makes it clear that things are going pretty well, actually. Tesla, he says, is doing another funding round as a means of risk reduction, not out of necessity. Wham! Further, the automaker will likely be cash flow positive by the end of next month. Bop! Also, despite being a few weeks behind in production – due, in part, to flood damage at a supplier – the company has built 500 vehicle bodies, finished 359 Model S sedans and placed over 250 in the hands of customers. Pow!

He also goes on to state that Tesla has never suggested postponing its DOE loan repayment. Yes, it did renegotiate some terms that weren't part of the original arrangement, but the federal agency is still confident in the company's ability to pay up and is, in fact, bullish about Tesla's future. Finally, he reiterates once again that the company fully intends to pay back the DOE "at the earliest opportunity." There has even been talk of early repayment. You can read Elon's words here.

Just like automakers have started invading the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the same trend might be starting at the CEATEC show in Japan. Last week, we showed you a rendering of the Toyota Smart INSECT, but now we're getting our first live look at the single-seat electric vehicle.

Although its design is very bug-like, the Smart INSECT's name is actually an acronym that stands for "Information Network Social Electric City Transporter," and it is a smart vehicle in that it allows users to stay connected in the same manner they can with a smartphone. That isn't to say this car doesn't look the part of its INSECT name with a bug-eyed face and wing-like doors, but this concept is all about showing of the technology.

Some of the tech gadgetry found inside the car includes motion sensors, voice recognition and even Toyota's cloud-based "Smart Center." Using Microsoft Kinect, the car can recognize when the driver is approaching the vehicle and open the corresponding door depending on which side of the car they are on. Once inside, the driver can connect to a virtual operator to control systems like navigation and audio, and it can also connect to the driver's home via a smartphone to control systems like door locks and air conditioning.

In what seems to be more of an exercise of what kind of connectivity can be delivered in cars rather than showing off an actual car, Toyota says it has no plans to make production version of the Smart INSECT.

Madoka Isojima of Autoblog Japan contributed to this story.

In the midst of economic turmoil in Europe, more Italians are turning to bikes as their preferred mode of transportation. Such is the bicycle's popularity in Italy that purchases of the pedal-powered two wheelers have eclipsed automobile sales for the first time since World War II.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, last year 1.75 million bikes were sold in Italy, compared to 1.748 million motor vehicles. Contributing to this trend are rising fuel prices and hefty costs associated with keeping a car on the road. Gas prices recently hit €2 a liter ($9.50 a gallon), and the average cost of ownership is estimated at around €7,0000 ($9,000) a year.

There is also the sheer congestion associated with driving in many parts of Italy. Narrow roads and a high level of automobile ownership (6 in 10 own cars, one of the highest rates in the world), have made for cramped streets in many Italian cities. The author of the report notes that a several-mile journey in the heart of Rome is quicker by bike than taxi.

Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is among those feeling the heat from this trend, admitting "Anyone operating in the automotive sector in Europe today is experiencing varying degrees of unhappiness. The European car market is a disaster." Fiat released industry figures that showed September auto sales down 25 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

Antonio Della Venezia, president of the Italian Federation of Bike Lovers told Italian paper La Republica, "People who have only ever driven cars are changing their thinking. I don't think Italy will go back to the levels of car sales that we saw before 2008."

He may be right. Many families are downsizing to just one car, participating in carpool groups, and purchasing bicycles as alternatives to the rising costs of automobile ownership. It is estimated that around 200,000 old bikes have been restored for regular use. The inexpensive and convenient mode of transportation has once again caught on in Italy – just ask Monica Bellucci.