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Category Archives: transportation
2024 BMW CE 02 – A Two Wheel EV
BMW Motorrad USA today announced the new 2024 BMW CE 02 – an electric two-wheeler something or other. BMW said (marketing babble alert> “it’s electric, designed to appeal to young people and it’s neither an e-motorbike nor an e-scooter. It’s an eParkourer (sic), created for the urban environment. Nimble, practical, tough, and reduced to the essentials in terms of design. Large wheels meet the demand for robustness and at the same time ensure riding fun on many differing terrains.” Whatever it is, when it rolls into the US, the MSRP will be $7599 plus destination, plus accessories, plus taxes. CE 02 has a top speed of 59 mph, and a range of ~56 miles. Continue reading
Posted in electric vehicles, marketing, motorcycles, new vehicle
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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
What Does American Made Mean?
The website Cars.com released its 2023 American-Made Index® today at a time of intense discussion about whether the term means anything. The standards for the American-Made Index include location of final assembly; percentage of US. and Canadian parts; country of origin for available engines; country of origin for available transmissions; US manufacturing employees relative to the automaker’s footprint. Continue reading
Cleared for Takeoff – Archer Aviation and Stellantis
Stellantis previously said it will provide up to $150 million in equity capital for potential draw by Archer at its discretion in 2023 and 2024, subject to achievement of certain business milestones which Archer predicted will occur during 2023. If AutoInformed’s math is right, manufacturing aircraft at the forecast volumes would make Covington the world’s leading aircraft manufacturing facility. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, electric vehicles, environment, manufacturing, mobility company, shows and events
Tagged Archer Aviation, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Covington Georgia, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, European Debut of Midnight eVTOL Aircraft, kcvc, Ken Zino, le bourget France, Paris Air Show, Stellantis, Stellantis and Archer
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IIHS – NHTSA Misjudges Value of Truck Side-Underride Guards
“Requiring side underride guards could save more than 10 times as many lives as NHTSA projects,” said IIHS Senior Research Engineer Matthew Brumbelow. In 2021, there were 488 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in crashes involving the side of a tractor-trailer. Continue reading
Paris Air Show – Stellantis and Archer to Debut eVTOL Aircraft
Archer’s Midnight aircraft will be the featured eVTOL aircraft at the Paris Air Show, positioned in the center of the Air Mobility event, which is located in Hall 5 at Le Bourget Airport. Devoted to the latest innovations and emerging technologies in eVTOL, the Paris Air Show’s Air Mobility event will bring together key participants of the emerging sector with three days of discussions on the maturation of advanced air mobility and its impact on the future of aerospace. Continue reading
Penske Automotive Group Buys Transolutions Truck Centers
“We are thrilled to expand our North American presence with the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Bus brands. For more than 30 years, Transolutions Truck Centers has built a strong legacy of providing quality service to customers across Manitoba,” said Premier Truck Group President Ron Long. Continue reading
Ford Next with Uber to Offer Drivers Mustang Mach-Es
“We understand uptime and ease of use are critical to every rideshare driver. As more of them make the switch to electric vehicles, we’re building the Ford Drive program around their unique needs,” claimed Bill Knapp, who heads Ford Drive. Continue reading
Heavy Duty – Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors to Merge
How this works under various anti-trust laws and regulations is unclear to AutoInformed. Details on the scope and nature of the collaboration including the name, location, shareholding ratio and corporate structure of the new holding company will be decided during the next ~18 months. The parties predict signing of definitive agreements in the first quarter of 2024. They aim to close the transaction by the end of 2024. Once all parties involved reach an agreement, they will move forward based on the approval of the relevant boards of directors, shareholders, and authorities. Continue reading
US Dot – Airline Cancellations Below 2%
However, DOT is currently investigating several domestic airlines to ensure that they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights. Gaming the system is possible, perhaps likely, because last year, DOT issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office, thereby helping hundreds of thousands of air travelers get hundreds of millions of dollars back. Since 2021, DOT says it has helped return more than $1 billion in refunds to travelers. Continue reading
Semiconductor Talent and Automotive Research MOU with Global Aspirations Announced in Antwerp
The partnership was announced by KLA CEO Rick Wallace during his keynote at imec’s (sic) ITF World event focused on semiconductor advances and technology that is taking place this week in Antwerp, Belgium. Continue reading
Mandatory Compensation for Delayed Airline Passengers
The US. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced plans to launch new rule-making that is aimed at requiring airlines to provide compensation and cover expenses for amenities such as meals, hotels, and rebooking when airlines are responsible for stranding passengers. … Continue reading
Department of Transportation Wants Tougher Pipeline Regs
At its heart, the proposed rule will update decades-old federal leak detection and repair standards that rely solely on human senses in favor of new requirements that add an additional layer of safety by deploying commercially available, advanced technologies to find and fix leaks of methane and other flammable, toxic, and corrosive gases. These health and safety improvements will advance environmental justice in communities where gas pipeline infrastructure is disproportionately sited. Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, public health, safety, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Biden-Harris Administration, Environmental Justice, Ken Zino, PHMSA, PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown, PIPES Act of 2020, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
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April US Transportation Sector Unemployment Up Slightly
The April 2023 rate was above the April 2022 rate of 3.6%. This was just above the pre-pandemic April level of 3.7% in 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020 during the Trump administration. Continue reading
Toyota Konpon Research Institute Debuts
The Genesis Research Institute since its beginning in 1996 has used disciplines such as natural science and the humanities to “further the development of energy and environmental technologies.” It was established on 11 June 1996 the birthday of the late Kiichiro Toyoda with joint funding from 12 Toyota Group companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation.
Today Toyota said that the Genesis Research Institute is renamed Toyota Konpon Research Institute. “Twenty-seven years on, society finds itself in an era of great transformation, with the rise of AI and advances in various other fields of science and technology. Continue reading →