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Category Archives: environment
Michigan Governor Whitmer Offers Sensible Tariff Fixes
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer today delivered her “Build, America, Build” speech in Washington D.C. Simply put, it was a plan to show both parties and federal officials how to build America’s manufacturing might, increase jobs, invest in people and protect our national defense. It was based on Whitmer’s proven approach – work with friends and compete against adversaries.
“Before we dig in to my proposals today, I need to acknowledge what’s going on with tariffs. I’m not going to sugarcoat it… these last few days have been tough for Michigan. 20% of our economy is tied to the auto industry, which depends on a steady flow of goods from our largest and closest trading partners. We’re home to THE busiest international border crossing in North America. More than 10,000 vehicles carrying parts and materials cross the bridge between Detroit and Windsor every weekday. Continue reading
Posted in AutoInformed Editorial, economy, engineering, environment, labor issues, manufacturing, news, news analysis, people, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, aviation techs, Chinese government, Commercial Aircraft Corporation, D-RAM chips, detroit grand prix, Ken Zino, Operation Warp Speed, President Trump, Republicans and Democrats in Congress, Rosie the Riveters, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, SHIPS for America Act, Vice President Vance, X @KenAutoinformed
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Honda R&D to Test Life-Support Systems in Space
Honda today announced plans to test its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system at the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with space and technology companies Sierra Space and Tec-Masters.
“The project is part of Honda’s vision for a regenerative fuel cell system that could provide advanced energy storage capable of supporting human life on the lunar surface,” Honda said. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, electronics, engineering, environment, global warming, milestones, mobility company, news analysis, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, circulative renewable energy system, International Space Station Testing, Ken Zino, Sierra Space, Sierra Space Dream Chaser® spaceplane, Tec-Masters, U.S. Honda Space Development Division, X @KenAutoinformed
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Toyota 2025 Mirai Fuel-Cell Sedan Due in Spring
“Mirai has an EPA-Estimated Driving Range Rating of 402 Miles running on hydrogen from onboard tanks and oxygen from the outside air to generate power for the vehicle,” Toyota said. “In essence, the Mirai is a ‘plug-less’ electric vehicle. A Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) generates its own electricity onboard from hydrogen, with water as the only tailpipe emission. The fuel cell system combines stored hydrogen, along with oxygen from the air, and then a chemical reaction produces electric current and water, which drops out of a vent pipe beneath the car.
“Instead of having to charge a large battery pack like in a battery–electric vehicle, which can take several hours, the Mirai’s driver fills the vehicle’s tanks with hydrogen. With an FCEV, the fuel is non-toxic, compressed hydrogen gas rather than liquid gasoline,” Toyota said. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, marketing, news analysis
Tagged 2025 Mirai Fuel-Cell, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, complimentary hydrogen fuel, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Ken Zino, Proactive Driving Assist, Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Cars, Toyota. NYSE: TM, X @KenAutoinformed
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April Fool’s Day – Trump Tariffs Hurting Economy
The U.S. economy is at a turning point with the erratic actions of what AutoInformed* observes is the Trump mis-administration threatening the economic health of the nation. We are looking at a global trade war leading to a recession or if past Republican economic policies are any indication – a depression. The latest Cox Automotive Industry Forecast** conducted this morning reinforces that view. Brother can you spare a dime?
“We are at an interesting crossroads here in late Q one 2025,” said Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at Cox. “at the end of last year my wish for you all was that the economy and the auto market would perform to the upside. Today we will be talking about sides, but downward forecasts and darker downsides. The economy and auto market have been relatively strong over the last 6 months. The problem which we will be getting into is that a substantial change in trade through massive increases in tariffs will be highly disruptive to North American vehicle production and could lead to a full scale global trade war and a much weaker the economy. We’re not there yet but we’re a week away from moves that make the dark side more likely,” Smoke said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, economy, electric vehicles, environment, financial results, fools 'n frauds, fuel economy or emissions, manufacturing, news analysis, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cox Automotive Industry Forecast, Jonathan Smoke, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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Electric Vehicle Sales Outpacing Public Chargers
Electric vehicles sold in the US during Q4 of 2024 comprised ~11% of all light duty vehicle sales. This is the highest quarter on record.* This also represents a 0.3% percentage-point market share increase from the 3rd quarter of 2024, according to an analysis released today by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade and lobbying group for automakers. There were about 433,843 EV sales from 144 different electric vehicle models sold in the 4th quarter alone of last year. Battery electric vehicles make up the majority of those, but plug-in electric as well as hybrid vehicle sales have been growing as well. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, global warming, news analysis, public health, sales
Tagged Alliance for Automotive Innovation, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, public EV charging ports, X @KenAutoinformed
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Genesis Offers Free NACS Adapters
Genesis today announced that current U.S. EV owners who purchased their vehicle on or before 31 January 2025 will begin receiving emails inviting them to redeem their complimentary North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapters starting the week of 7 April. This Genesis authorized adapter gives Combined Charging System (CCS1) port GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80 owners access to an additional 20,000 NACS DC fast chargers in the U.S. at the Tesla Supercharger Network. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, global warming, marketing, milestones, news analysis, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, NACS adapters, North American Charging Standard adapters, Tedros Mengiste, Tesla Supercharger network, X @KenAutoinformed
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CARB Using Methane Leak Satellite Data
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today announced that the state is moving forward with an innovative effort to reduce planet-warming methane emissions using satellite technology. The project is made possible by a $100 million state budget investment to purchase methane plume data collected by satellites. Methane is a climate pollutant that warms the atmosphere at least 25 times more than carbon dioxide.
“Decades of progress to protect public health is on the line with these EPA rollbacks. California isn’t having it. Thanks to our state investment, we’re using satellite technology to detect methane leaks as they happen. With this new data, we’ll be able to move faster to cut harmful methane pollution – protecting Californians and the clean air we’ve fought so hard for,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. Continue reading
Posted in environment, global warming, milestones, news, news analysis, public health, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, California Energy Commission, climate harming pollutants, co2, Governor Gavin Newsom, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ken Zino, methane leaks, satellite methane monitoring and reduction programs, X @KenAutoinformed
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Hino Motors Fined $1.6B for Emissions Fraud
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have announced that U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith for the Eastern District of Michigan has accepted Hino Motors, Ltd.’s guilty plea to a one-count criminal information charging it with having engaged in a multi-year criminal conspiracy to defraud both the United States government and American consumers and illicitly smuggle goods into the country. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news analysis, results, transportation
Tagged Adam Gustafson, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, FBI Detroit Field Office, Jeffrey Hall, Julie Beck, Justice Department Environment and Natural Resources Division, Ken Zino, U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith, X @KenAutoinformed
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American Honda – Tesla Supercharger Network Coming
Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX owners will gain access to more than 20,000 selected Tesla Superchargers across the United States starting in June 2025, American Honda said today. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, global warming, marketing, news analysis
Tagged acura zdx, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Honda Prologue, HondaLink® and Acura EV apps, Ken Zino, NACS-CCS EV charging adapters, Ryan Harty, Tesla Supercharger network, X @KenAutoinformed
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Global Warming – Rising Weather and Climate Impacts!
There are clear signs that human-induced climate change reached new heights in 2024, with some of the consequences being irreversible over hundreds if not thousands of years, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which also underlined the massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather.
“Our planet is issuing more distress signals – but this report shows that limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible. Leaders must step up to make it happen — seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies with new National climate plans due this year, ” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Continue reading
Posted in environment, global warming, milestones, news, news analysis, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Celeste Saulo, economic and social upheavals from extreme weather, Ken Zino, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterre, World Meteorological Organization, X @KenAutoinformed
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Nissan and SK On Reveal EV Battery Deal
Nissan (7201T and NSANY ADR) and SK On said today that SK On will supply ~100GWh of U.S.-made batteries from 2028 to 2033. This is Korean SK On first partnership with a Japanese automaker.
“This agreement with SK On is a significant milestone for Nissan’s electrification journey and supports further investment in U.S. manufacturing,” said Christian Meunier, chairman, Nissan Americas. “Through this smart partnership with SK On, we can leverage their growing U.S. production capacity to deliver innovative, high-quality electric vehicles that meet the needs of our customers.” Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, electric vehicles, energy, environment, global warming, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, public health, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Canton Assembly Plant, christian meunier, Ken Zino, nissan americas, Seok-hee Lee, sk on, X @KenAutoinformed
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CFC Reduction Induces Ozone Layer Fixing
A new MIT-led study confirms that the Antarctic ozone layer is healing as a direct result of global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs. This is significant because scientists have observed signs of ozone recovery in the past. However, the new study is the first to show, with high statistical confidence, that this recovery is due primarily to the reduction of ozone-depleting substances, instead of other influences such as natural weather variability or increased greenhouse gas emissions to the stratosphere.
“There’s been a lot of qualitative evidence showing that the Antarctic ozone hole is getting better. This is really the first study that has quantified confidence in the recovery of the ozone hole,” says study author Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry. “The conclusion is, with 95% confidence, it is recovering. Which is awesome. And it shows we can actually solve environmental problems.” Continue reading
Posted in environment, global warming, milestones, news analysis, public health, results, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, El Niño, Kane Stone, Ken Zino, Klaus Hasselmann, La Niña, massachusetts institute of technology, mit, nasa, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nobel Prize in Physics, Peidong Wang, Susan Solomon, the Montreal Protocol, the National Science Foundation, the polar vortex, X @KenAutoinformed
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ZEV Truck Adoption Stalled by Costs
Cutting the total cost of ownership could boost the transition to zero-emission truck fleets. A new study released by the respected McKinsey & Company counsultancy observes that the total cost of ownership (TCO) for ZEVs remains significantly higher than that of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The TCO gap ranges between 30% and 50% compared to ICE vehicles running on dirtier diesel fuel. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, electric vehicles, energy, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, news analysis, public health, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cross Pagano, Dilip Bhattacharjee, Disha Mendhekar, Ken Zino, long-haul full truckload networks, McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company Fleet Decarbonization recommendations, Moritz Rittstieg, Neeraj Gole, Nick Inchaustegui, Saral Chauhan, X @KenAutoinformed, zero-emission truck adoption, zero-emission truck costs
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Kill The Cuts National Day of Action Against Trump Administration
Researchers and educators who have had their funding cut spoke today at 37 separate demonstrations about the effects this Trump Administration assault on publicly-funded research is having at their institutions and across the country. Senator Ed Markey and Representatives Jayapal and Simon were at the DC rally. President Trump has issued Executive Orders attacking the NIH, NSF, while dismantling the Department of Education.
“Thousands of people across the country came together today for Kill the Cuts, a national Day of Action to raise awareness and fight back against the Trump administration’s devastating attacks on research, health, and higher education. The events (see the full list here) were sponsored by a coalition of education, labor and health advocates, including UAW, SEIU, AFSCME, UE, NEA, AFT, CWA, AAUP, HELU, Labor for Higher Education, the Debt Collective,” the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW),” said. Continue reading →