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- April 2026 Light Vehicle Production Forecast Drops Globally!
- First Look – Mercedes-Benz 2027 C‑Class EV
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- Bosch Group Plans Sales, EBIT Growth after a So-So 2025
- Stellantis Q1 2026 Shipments Up 12% at 1.4 Million
- Light-Duty Fuel Cell Trucks – Isuzu, Toyota Collaboration!
- Airbag Malware – Honda Recalls ~440,000 Odyssey Vans
- Trumped – Used Car Prices Spike after Hitting 12-Month Low
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- Council on Foreign Relations on Iran and Strait of Hormuz on AAA – Pump Gasoline Prices Still Soaring
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- Michigan Governor Whitmer on Pew – Confidence in Trump Dips, Fewer Support His Policies
- Porsche Motorsport Daytona Victory on Daytona 24 Hours – Old and New Stars Getting Ready to Run
- UAW Ford Department Director VP Laura Dickerson on Trump's Ford Plant Visit on Whitmer Stands in Stark Contrast to Trump at Detroit Auto Show
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Category Archives: energy
GM Invests in NanoSteel, Claims New Class of Light Weight Materials
General Motors has invested an undisclosed amount in The NanoSteel Company because it claims the firm is a leader in light weight steel materials design. Through the development of patented alloys, NanoSteel has created a new class of steel that in theory allows automotive engineers and designers to reduce weight with thinner, higher strength gauges while maintaining the structural integrity needed for safety. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, engineering, fuel economy or emissions
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cafe, GM, Ken Zino
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OSHA and NIOSH Say Fracking Hurts Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today issued a ‘hazard alert’ to employers conducting hydraulic fracking operations. OSHA wants steps to protect workers from silica exposure in the controversial technique used to extract oil and natural gas. The hazard alert follows a study by NIOSH and industry that identified overexposure to silica as a health hazard to workers during hydraulic fracking. No data on the effect of residents of these areas were released. Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, news, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, fracking, Ken Zino, niosh, osha, silicosis
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EPA Regulates Diesel Fuel Injected Underground for Fracking
The law is controversial because in pay-to-play Washington, Congress exempted most fracking fluids from the regulation of fluids injected into the ground required under the Safe Drinking Water Act. In environmental circles, this became known as the Halliburton loophole. Then U.S. vice-president Richard Cheney ran Halliburton – the biggest fracking services company in the country – before he was elected, of course. Continue reading
Former BP Engineer Arrested for Obstruction of Justice in Ongoing Deepwater Horizon Criminal Investigation
It was the first of what could become many criminal charges to be filed because of the environmental destruction caused by a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP said “We will not comment on the Government’s case against former BP employee Kurt Mix and we will continue cooperating in the Department of Justice’s investigation.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, environment, litigation, news, people, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bp, deepwater horizon, Ken Zino, Macondo well blowout, oil spills
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EPA Issues Tougher Rules for Oil and Natural Gas Production
EPA – sensitive, if not given over to election year politics and high energy prices – also said the standards would enable companies to collect additional natural gas that can be sold. The updated EPA standards include the first federal clean air rules for natural gas wells that are hydraulically fractured, specifically requiring operators of new fractured natural gas wells to use what it says are cost-effective technologies and practices to capture natural gas that might otherwise escape the well. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, economy, energy, environment, news, news analysis, transportation
Tagged air pollution, api, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, clean air act, energy production, epa, fracturing, Ken Zino, natural gas, oil
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DOE Gives EV Supplier UQM More Time on ARRAS Grant
The politically contentious American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contained billions upon billions in taxpayer funding to businesses though a number of Recovery Act and related programs, including loans, loan guarantees, grants, contracts and tax incentives, in partnership with the Department of Treasury. In total, CBO estimates that the legislation will increase budget deficits by about $831 billion over the 2009–2019 period. Continue reading
Energy Research to be Coordinated by Three Federal Agencies
In a public relations move that clearly has political value during an election year with skyrocketing energy prices, the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Interior are supposed to work together “to ensure that continued expansion of natural gas and oil production happens safely and responsibly.” Continue reading
U.S. Fuel Consumption Drops in Q1 as High Prices Hurt
Total U.S. liquid fuels consumption fell by an estimated 850,000 bbl/d (4.5%) in the first quarter of 2012 from the same period last year, the Energy Information Agency announced this afternoon. However, hard-pressed consumers did not see that drop in demand reflected in the price of fuel since the energy markets do not always follow academic economic theory.
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Have Gasoline Prices Peaked in the U.S.?
With the official short-term energy outlook due tomorrow from the federal government, some are predicting that gasoline prices in the U.S. have already peaked and will be heading back down again. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, news, prices
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, crude oil, gasoline prices, Ken Zino
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EPA First as Marathon Agrees on Flare Gas Controls
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Company would install the latest controls on combustion devices known as flares. This is an oil industry first. The settlement is part of EPA’s national effort to reduce air pollution from refinery, petrochemical and chemical flares. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, environment, manufacturing, news, results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, clean air act, epa, flares, Ken Zino, marathon petroleum, refinery pollution
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Will Rising Gasoline Prices Hurt New or Used Car Sales?
What this means for the recovering U.S. vehicle market is unclear. New vehicle sales have been slowly rising but are still far below pre-Great Recession rates. What is clear is that this is bad news for drivers and energy consumers, is that global liquid fuels consumption is at historically high levels. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, news, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, gasoline prices, Ken Zino, nada, new car sales, oil prices, used car prices
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Buick Drops Base Regal Model in 2013. E-Assist Now Standard
Starting with 2013 models this fall, E-Assist will be standard on the mid-size Buick Regal with the discontinuation of the 2.4-liter base model. It is the second mild-hybrid to join the Buick lineup as standard equipment following the full size … Continue reading
UK Starts Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Project with Automakers, Utilities and Gas Suppliers – Cars on Road Promised by 2014
The allure of fuel cells remains efficiency, roughly 50-60% compared to an internal combustion engine’s ~20%. Emissions are also attractive – no pollutants at the tailpipe and some studies indicate a drastically reduced overall well-to-wheel emissions when compared with today’s fossil fuel engines. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, fuel economy or emissions
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, daimler ag, fuel cell ukh2mobility, fuel cells, hyundai motor company, johnson matthey, Ken Zino, nissan motor manufacturing (uk), sa air products, the boc group, UK H2 Mobility
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Federal Appeals Court blocks Enforcement of EPA Cross State Rule until Dozens of Power Company Lawsuits are Resolved
The rule requires reduction in emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which the auto industry successfully undertook decades ago. The Appeals court will consider the legality of the rule sometime next year. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, energy, environment, fuel economy or emissions, litigation, news, news analysis
Tagged air pollution, alternate fuels, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, co2, coal, coal powerplants, cross state pollution, epa, EVs, Ken Zino, so2
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EPA Finally Decides 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards
This ongoing Congressional debacle started when EISA established annual renewable fuel volume targets, reaching an overall level of 36 billion gallons annually in 2022, including 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels; 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels; 4 billion gallons of advanced biofuels; and 1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel. EISA further specifies that 21 billion U.S. gallons of the 2022 total must be derived from non-cornstarch products such as sugar or cellulose. Continue reading
