Category Archives: news

Ford India Shelves EV Manufacturing Export Plans

In an official response as Ford’s Annual Meeting was underway in the US, Ford India’s spokesperson confirmed and said, “After careful review, we have decided to no longer pursue EV manufacturing for exports from any Indian plant.” At the Annual Meeting Bill Ford and Jim Farley fielded tough questions about its EV strategy, splitting the company into two arms and ongoing supply chain and perennial guilty problems. Ford shares are down ~40% this year. (AutoInformed: Ford Motor Blues – Q1 Loss of $3.1 Billion; Ford Motor Structure Threatens Viability. Vast Reorg Coming) Continue reading

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Volta Trucks Says it Has a US Market Strategy

Volta Trucks will initially introduce a Pilot Fleet of 100 Class 7 trucks in mid-2023 that will be evaluated by US customers, starting in Los Angeles in mid-2023, with additional cities to follow, ahead of a promised roll out of production vehicles in 2024.

However, thus far  Volta Trucks has built only 24 road-going ‘Design Verification’ prototypes which are currently undergoing testing in Europe. Ahead of the introduction in North America, the company expects to have already built more than 1,500 full-electric Class 7 trucks for European customers. Continue reading

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Toyota Annual Results Show Profitability Struggle Goes On

So in Toyota’s view its profitability struggle goes on. Akio Toyoda said consolidated vehicle sales for the period were 8.230 million units, which was 107.6% of consolidated vehicle sales for the same period of the previous 2021 fiscal year. The year-end dividend will be 28 yen per share. Thus, Toyota finds itself pretty much in the same place as all other major automakers. Continue reading

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Driverless Cars – People Less Positive Than You Might Assume

If you’re like most auto enthusiasts, likely you are comfortable with the progress of technology from manual chokes to feed-back carburetors to port and then direct fuel-injection. When looked at through the windshield of a sports car, electronic shifting and … Continue reading

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California Clean Fuel Incentives Reward 250,000 EV Buyers

CARB and car dealers wanted a program to help support the sale of plug-in cars that involved making funds immediately available at the dealership, as opposed to other incentive programs that required applications and a waiting period to receive them. Continue reading

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Renault Group, Plug Power to be at HyVolution Tradeshow

HYVIA is preparing a portfolio of three hydrogen powered light commercial vehicles: a van, a chassis cab and a city bus, with a range of up to 500 km, as well as a complete ecosystem of H2 stations, H2 production and associated services. The first vehicles are expected to be on the road from mid-2022. With a payload of up to 1000 kg, Master Chassis Cab H2-TECH is equipped with a 30-kW fuel cell, a 33-kWh battery and tanks containing 3 kg of hydrogen (2 tanks of 1.5 kg) at 700 bars. Continue reading

Posted in alternative fuels, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Transportation Unemployment Rate Below Pre-Pandemic Level

The April 2022 rate fell 3.9 percentage points from 7.5% in April 2021 and decreased close to the pre-pandemic April level of 3.7% in April 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May and July 2020 under the policies of the voted-out Trump mis-administration. Continue reading

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CARB Fines PPG for Products Exceeding Air Quality Rules

“CARB is committed to enforcing consumer product rules to improve the air we all breathe and to help California meet federal ozone standards that protect public health,” CARB head of enforcement Todd Sax said. “Manufacturers such as PPG carry the greatest responsibility of supplying Californians with consumer products that comply with emissions standards. Their attention to the legal requirements related to the manufacture, importation and distribution of products significantly impacts California’s air quality.” Continue reading

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GMC Brand Extension – 2023 Yukon Denali Ultimate

The 2023 Yukon Denali Ultimate trim “elevates” the GMC sub-brand it’s claimed. “Distinguished with exterior and interior details, next-level materials, innovative available (optional, bring money- Autocrat) technologies and impressive capability, the new 2023 Yukon Denali Ultimate is the most premium Yukon ever offered.” AutoInformed guesstimates the elevated price will be just under ~$100,000. Continue reading

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Tesla Recalls 48,184 Model 3s and 1, Yes 1, Model X

In yet another safety recall, Tesla is buying back one 2022 Model X vehicle. A body structure reinforcement bracket was not installed at the second-row seat. As such, this vehicle fails to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 207, “Seating Systems” and 210, “Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages.” Tesla will replace the vehicle, free of charge. An owner notification letter is expected to be mailed June 6, 2022. Continue reading

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Auto Loan, Lease Total at Record $1.3 Trillion during 2021

“Auto finance growth in 2021 was largely driven by strong – and expensive – used cars, which bolstered originations,” said Marcie Belles, author of the report… “many financiers recorded lower ratios of new cars in their portfolios. Still, origination volume has been nearly restored to pre-COVID levels, and it continues to climb.” Continue reading

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Mazda North America April Sales Down -3.3%

With 27 selling days in April, compared to 26 the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 6.9% on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis. Certified Pre-owned sales totaled 5,274 vehicles in April, a decrease of 23% compared to April 2021. Continue reading

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Electrify America: 2021 EV Charging up 54 Times cf 2020

Electrify America has 800 EV charging stations and about 3,500 individual chargers open or with construction completed. The largest, open ultra-fast DC charging network features up to 150 kilowatts (kW) and 350 kW chargers, some of the fastest speeds available today. Electrify America expects to have more than 1,800 total charging stations with over 10,000 chargers in the United States and Canada by 2026. Expansions plans are helped by the potential to use the chargers as advertising displays. Continue reading

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Computer Bugs – Ford Launches New Certified Glass Network

Ford has apparently discovered the latest bugs in computerized vehicles. They are not the ones that smear your windshield. Continue reading

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NLRB – National Labor Relations Act Protects Immigrants

Today, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo released a new protocol to advance immigrant worker protections to freely exercise rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and safely participate in NLRB investigations. Continue reading

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