Category Archives: transportation

Significant 2021 Automotive Stories and Trends

With that in mind, here’s our perspective on the last annum, from autonomous vehicles to global warming, to driving high disasters, to trade and tariffs and to the rise of fascism. We do this with a humble awareness that AutoInformed conducts its education in public. We begin with our take on significant automotive stories as we enter another year of plagues – covid, political, social or otherwise. Continue reading

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FAA Warns Broadband Could Pose Safety Threat to Airlines

Broadband deployment is currently underway but there is scarce data on it’s actually safety effects on flying. In short, your smartphone or someone else’s or the Verizon and AT&T cellphone towers (they own the frequencies that appears to be the most problematic with potential overlap interference) could kill you if it affects airline navigation, particularly in the safety critical instrument-approach-to-landing phase of flying. The device does not have to be in use on the plane. “There have not yet been proven reports of harmful interference due to wireless broadband operations internationally, although this issue is continuing to be studied,” said the FAA. Broadband is also being proposed by some automakers and suppliers as a way to wirelessly recharge electric vehicles. Continue reading

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Building Back – FAA First-Year Airport Funding $2.89B

Many of these enhancements are crucial for automakers, suppliers and millions of workers as just in time delivery practices have collided with the non-vaccinated covid resurgence and the semiconductor shortage. The money will come from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program, one of three new aviation programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law provides $15 billion over five years. The FAA estimates the backlog of airport modernization and safety projects totals $43.6 billion. Continue reading

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Penske Automotive Group Buys Another BMW Store

This is the Group’s 48th BMW dealership world-wide. The acquired dealership is expected to generate approximately $100 million in annualized revenue. Continue reading

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Death of the Diesel – CARB Approves Truck, Bus Smog Checks

These heavy-duty vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds consist of only 3% of all vehicles on California roads. However, they are responsible for more than 50% of nitrogen oxides and fine particle diesel pollution from all mobile sources in the state. Continue reading

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Don’t Aim Holiday Laser-Light Displays at the Sky

“If we become aware that your laser-light display affects pilots, we’ll ask you to adjust them or turn them off. If your laser-light display continues to affect pilots, despite our warnings, you could face a civil penalty,” said the FAA. The FAA works with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to pursue civil and criminal penalties against individuals who purposely aim a laser at an aircraft. It can impose civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. Civil penalties of up to $30,800 have been imposed by the FAA against individuals for multiple laser incidents. Continue reading

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Renault and TheArsenale Unveil AIR4. What?

The original Renault 4 was a simple, efficient and versatile vehicle built between 1961 and 1992. A “blue jeans” car, as the former head of Renault Group, Pierre Dreyfus, used to describe it. It transported families, businesses and the likes of the gendarmerie and La Poste, as well as helping several generations of young motorists just getting behind the wheel. Now there’s a 4L designed to drive along above our heads. AIR4 claims the air as the new road of the future, according to Renault. Continue reading

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Daimler Truck Moves Past MB Commercial Vehicles to Wörth

With Daimler splitting into two independent companies* on 1 December 2021, Daimler Truck has transferred the first batch of historic Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles and parts of its truck and bus archive to a location in Wörth. Daimler Truck’s collection contains around 130 vehicles. About 30 were previously located in Stuttgart and the surrounding area. Continue reading

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Daimler Buses Sells Minibus Plant to AEQUITA

AEQUITA takes over the minibus company with around 240 employees, thereby safeguarding the Dortmund site for the near future. The companies signed a purchase agreement on November 22, 2021. The transaction will be completed on January 01, 2022. The production of Mercedes-Benz brand minibuses at the Dortmund plant will continue. “There will be a continued close partnership between Daimler Buses and AEQUITA in the areas of sales and aftersales,” Daimler claimed. Continue reading

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FAA Fines Passengers for Alcohol-Related Unruly Behavior

Some of the cases have been referred to the Department of Justice for criminal action. Federal law prohibits passengers from consuming alcohol aboard a flight that is not served by a flight attendant. In August, the FAA administrator sent a letter to airports requesting that they work to prevent passengers from bringing “to-go” cups of alcohol aboard the aircraft. Continue reading

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CARB OK’s Record $1.5B for Clean Vehicles, Mobility Options

The CARB approval came the same week as the Biden Administration passed its forward looking, far reaching enlightened infrastructure bill will also move the U.S. toward a cleaner*, job creating society for all that not only builds back better, but posies the U.S. for successful leadership in dealing with extreme climate and life-killing global warming. Continue reading

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Production Starts on Prototype Volta Electric Truck

When completed in January, the fleet will start a testing scheme. This will involve Volta Trucks engineers replicating a wide range of customer usage and delivery cycles, as well as taking the Volta Zero to the extremes of cold weather environments in the Arctic, hot weather in equatorial conditions, and crash testing,. This according to Volta will validate the safety, durability, and reliability of the vehicle. Continue reading

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COP26 – CARB’s Liane Randolph New Chair of Transportation Decarbonisation Alliance

Under Governor Newsom, California has made the rapid shift to zero-emission transportation a top priority. The recent $3.9 billion Zero Emission Vehicle package advanced by the Governor in partnership with the Legislature will support the Governor’s Executive Order to ensure 100% ZEV sales for cars and medium trucks by 2035, and a 100% zero emission fleet of heavy-duty trucks and related equipment everywhere feasible by 2045. Virtually all Republicans in California and Nationally led by Senator majority leader Mitch McConnell oppose infrastructure improvements or actions on Global Warming. See Mark Ruffalo and Jonathan Scott on Electile Dysfunction the cure for Limp Democracy. Continue reading

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FAA, Finally Five Years After Deadly Accident, Wants a Medical Certificate for Commercial Hot-Air Balloon Pilots

“Balloon pilots are responsible for the safety of their passengers,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “This proposed rule would ensure that balloon pilots meet the same medical requirements as pilots of other commercial aircraft.” The rule in AutoInformed’s view is more than five years too late because of regulatory capture by the industry, a common problem at the FAA as recently exhibited with the Boeing 737 Max fiasco. Continue reading

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Three Military Airports Eligible for Funds for Civilian Operations

The Military Airport Program (MAP) provides funding as a set aside of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to help increase civilian aviation capacity at current or former military airports by funding projects such as surface parking lots, fuel farms, hangars, utility systems, access roads, cargo buildings, and other airfield-related infrastructure. Continue reading

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