Category Archives: auto news

General Motors Buys Israeli Battery Software Startup

The move  comes at a time of considerable turmoil and violence in Israel.  There is also the pending UAW contract negotiations where non-union EV partnerships and joint ventures are large, contentious issues. Continue reading

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US 2023 National Export Strategy – Jobs Through Exports

The 2023 NES was released during the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaugural meeting of the President’s Export Council (PEC), a body that serves as the major national advisory committee on international trade. The PEC is comprised of more than two dozen leaders from the private sector, labor, and academia who provide recommendations to the President on policies and programs that affect US trade performance. It is a decidedly awakened approach in stark contrast to the job losing export killing trade war polices of the previous Administration that voters dumped four years ago. Continue reading

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Toyota Motor North America EV Executive Shuffle

Toyota now directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who design, engineer, and assemble what totals ~45 million cars and trucks at 13 non-unionized manufacturing plants. The Research & Development, Manufacturing and Product Support changes are effective 3 July 2023. Continue reading

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Electrify America to add Tesla’s NACS EV Charging Connector

Electrify America said today it will add the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector to Electrify America and Electrify Canada’s fast charging networks to broaden charging s for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. NACS was previously known as the Tesla connector introduced more than a decade ago with its unique pin or plug design that can use both a/c and d/c charging. Electrify America will continue to provide the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) connector throughout its network as it transitions to also support automakers adding NACS charging ports. Continue reading

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Cox Automotive Study – EV Consideration at Record High

“Education for both consumers and dealers remains a critical factor in driving widespread confidence and adoption of electric vehicles,” said Kayla Reynolds, Manager of Research & Market Intelligence, Cox Automotive Mobility. “For dealers specifically, preparation is paramount, and our findings emphasize the urgency of equipping dealers with EV sales and servicing capabilities to meet the needs and demands of EV buyers.” Continue reading

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IIHS – Small Crew Cab Pickups Flunk Crash Tests

Most small pickups fall short when it comes to protecting passengers seated in the rear, according to the latest crash test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released today. None of the five small crew cab pickups IIHS evaluated has a good rating. The Nissan Frontier is rated acceptable. The Ford Ranger earns a marginal rating, and the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma are all rated poor. The ratings only apply to the crew cab versions. Continue reading

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BMW Motorrad Links Rent A Ride and Fuel For Life

BMW Motorrad said in Munich this morning that it is combining its Rent A Ride motorcycle program with Fuel For Life. Simply put this offers one-stop shopping for motorcycling enthusiasts looking for experiences globally. Rent A Ride is not just … Continue reading

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GM to Use Ultium for Department of Defense Energy Storage

GM Defense will use GM’s advanced electric vehicle propulsion architecture, the Ultium Platform, to deliver  what it claims will be a scalable and adaptable energy storage unit that supports the tactical energy requirements of war. The prototype will provide uninterruptible and sustainable power for mission critical equipment, such as command and control, communications, radar and weapons systems in remote areas or where a stable power grid is absent. Continue reading

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US EV Market Growing – Problems Growing Too

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation today released its analysis of the US electric vehicle (EV) market for Q1 2023. More than 305,000 EVs sold in U.S. During  Q1, an increase of 56% compared to Q1 2022. This means that EVs represent 8.6% of new light-duty vehicle sales in Q1 2023, up slightly from 8.5% in Q4 2022 and 5.9% in Q1 2022. While this is relatively good news, supply constraints still hinder growth. This might not be as bad as it sounds for consumers since Q1 2023 public charging data show that the installation of US public chargers is not keeping up with current and – above all – projected EV sales. Continue reading

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EV Battery Gold Rush – GM and Element 25

General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Element 25 (ASX: E25) announced today in Detroit and Perth, Australia an agreement for Element 25 to supply up to 32,500 metric tons of manganese sulfate annually to support the annual production of more than … Continue reading

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Toyota, Mitsubishi to Debut Biogas Hydrogen Equipment

Toyota Motor, Toyota Tsusho and Mitsubishi Kakoki will introduce biogas-derived hydrogen production equipment for the first time in Thailand. The hydrogen production equipment to be introduced will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Kakoki and installed in Thailand in November 2023 to produce hydrogen from biogas derived from local chicken manure and food waste.  It’s the latest step announce by awakened companies to move, ultimately, to a carbon-neutral society. Continue reading

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Electrify America Expands Lyft Discounts

“Upfront costs and access to affordable charging continue to be two of the biggest challenges drivers face when transitioning to electric vehicles. By becoming the first rideshare company to team up with Electrify America, we’re further attacking those barriers head on.” Continue reading

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EV Politics – Biden versus the UAW

AutoInformed notes that this is a UAW contract year and an election year. Biden’s endorsement by the UAW is by no means assured, although we understand trade offs are unappetizing, but not as bad as endorsing a Republican candidates? Ford Motor is also opening a $3.5 billion manufacturing plant in 2026 in Marshall, Michigan, using technology licensed from Chinese CATL. Continue reading

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June US New-Vehicle Sales Forecast Up Again

“The 2023 theme of strong sales growth, enabled by increased vehicle production and pent-up demand, is continuing in June. On a volume basis, June year-to-date total sales will be just more than 7.6 million units – an increase of 13.6% – but still below pre-pandemic sales levels which were north of 8 million, said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, which is part of GlobalData. Continue reading

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Fasten Your Safety Belt – Quality Problems at Record High

New vehicles are becoming more problematic with the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) rising to a record 30 PP100 during the past two years, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) released today. Power … Continue reading

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