Solar Trees with 3D Leaf-Shaped Photovoltaics?

Posted on 6 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Solar Trees with 3D Leaf-Shaped Photovoltaics?

Click to Enlarge.

SolarBotanic Trees today in London said it has an “aesthetically pleasing and sustainable energy Tree” that uses new Photovoltaic leaf-shaped nano-technology to channel solar energy for charging and energy storage.

It claims that this first-generation Tree will eventually generate a family of products primarily aimed at the rapid Electric Vehicle charging market for homes, businesses and commercial car parks, where solar power can be captured and stored for charging points.  Continue reading →

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Parked: August US Light Vehicle Sales Still at 1.1M

Posted on 2 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Parked: September US Light Vehicle Sales Still at 1.1M

Click to Enlarge.

Thanks to an accounting quirk, US Light Vehicle sales were up by 4% YoY compared to August 2021. This positive number comes from a weak 2021 base and an extra selling day, instead of a real recovery of the market, according to an analysis by LMC Automotive* just released. However, actual volumes in the last three months have been flat at ~1.13 million units.

Perhaps in an inadvertent nod to the ongoing Biden Administration recovery, LMC observed that “the sales ranking resembled normal times, with General Motors, Toyota and the Ford F-150 leading the sales charts by OEM, brand and model, respectively. This was Kia’s best-ever August, and the brand moved into the fourth position in terms of sales volume last month. Trucks accounted for 79% of sales.”
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Ford Fires: 200k Expeditions and Navigators Recalled

Posted on 1 September 2022 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company’s (NYSE: F) runaway quality meltdowns were confirmed once again today as it recalled ~200,000 model year 2015-17 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators for blower motor fires. In the required NHTSA filing just made public, Ford said “if the customer experiences blower motor symptoms (inoperative, intermittent, excessive noise, burning smell, etc.) prior to the availability of the remedy blower motor, the dealer will install a new blower motor service part of the current design.”

No cause of the Expedition and Navigator fires has been identified to date. Ford “believes they originate in the blower motor, which is located on the passenger side interior behind the glovebox.” Ford was alerted by NHTSA of the potential fire problem during October of 2020 because of consumer complaints to the Federal safety Agency. Mailing of owner notification letters is expected to begin September 12, 2022 and is expected to be completed by September 16, 2022. The supplier of the defective part is the ironically named Detroit Thermal Systems of Romulus Michigan.
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More EV Tires Added to Goodyear Replacement Line

Posted on 1 September 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on More EV Tires Added to Goodyear Replacement LineThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company said today it has launched the all-new Goodyear ElectricDrive™ all-season tire along with two new sizes for its claimed ultra-high-performance tire, the Goodyear ElectricDrive™ GT.

With the addition of four new sizes to its EV tire lineup, Goodyear said ElectricDrive now fits 44% more battery electric vehicles operating in the U.S. today.* Goodyear also launched two new sizes for its ElectricDrive™ GT  performance tire originally introduced in December 2021. (AutoInformed.com on: Goodyear’s Aftermarket EV Tire. Web Ordering Skips Stores) Continue reading →

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CARB: Small E-Fleet Project Spurs Shift to Electric Trucks

Posted on 31 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Death of the Diesel - CARB Approves Truck and Bus Smog Checks

There are more electric trucks coming.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today announced the opening of the Innovative Small E-Fleet (ISEF) $25 million set-aside within the state’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). ISEF is intended to encourage small fleets to make the transition to zero-emission trucks.

Privately owned and nonprofit trucking fleets of 20 or fewer vehicles and with an annual revenue of less than $15 million are eligible. They will have access to funding that can cover costs related to the purchase and operation of zero-emission trucks, aka ZETs. ISEF is administered by CALSTART, a national clean transportation non-profit consortium. Continue reading →

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Night Testing Scores of Pedestrian Automatic Braking Poor

Posted on 30 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Night Testing Scores of Pedestrian Automatic Braking Poor

Automated eyes have trouble seeing too.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, (IIHS) is starting a night time test of pedestrian automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to address the high percentage of pedestrian crashes that occur on dark roads. IIHS introduced the daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation in 2019 and made an advanced or superior rating a requirement for a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award in 2020.

However, since reaching a low point in 2009, federal estimates for 2021 show pedestrian crash deaths have risen ~80%. The ~7300 pedestrians killed in 2021 accounted for almost a fifth of all traffic fatalities. Three-quarters of those fatalities occur at night, when research shows most pedestrian AEB systems are less effective. Continue reading →

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New 2022 Jeep Gladiators Recalled for Rollaways

Posted on 30 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on New 2022 Jeep Gladiators Recalled for Rollaways

Don’t want it rolling away here…

Chrysler (FCA US) is recalling 2022 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. The transmission parking wheel from ZF may not properly engage with the parking mechanism. An improperly crimped parking wheel could become loose and move towards the rear of the transmission housing and potentially compromise the engagement with the parking pawl. Compromised engagement of the parking wheel to the parking pawl could result in a loss of park position which may result in inadvertent vehicle movement, which could cause a vehicle crash without prior warning.

FCA US will notify dealers and begin notifying owners on or about 14 October 2022. Dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge as required by law. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 14, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA’s number for this recall is Z84. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov. Continue reading →

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Air Travel Consumer Complaints Up 2.7X Pre-Pandemic levels

Posted on 29 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Air Travel Consumer Complaints Up 2.7X Pre-Pandemic Levels

Number One in June cancellations!

The  latest US Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of June and for the second quarter of 2022 shows a 35% increase in air travel service complaints from May to June. Complaints are up nearly 270% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

DOT uses the data from the ATCR, consumer complaints, and other information it secures from the airlines to inform its enforcement activities and the adequacy of existing rules. Judging by DOT’s own data, clearly its so-called rules from its Office of Aviation Consumer Protection are ineffective to laughable in AutoInformed’s view. However if you are in the automobile business, it’s an incentive to use vehicles for your transportation needs. Free marketing from the Airline industry and the US Government.
 Continue reading →

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LG Energy Solution, Honda to Form US EV Battery Production

Posted on 29 August 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on LG Energy Solution, Honda to Form US EV Battery ProductionLG Energy Solution* (LGES: KRX 373220) and Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) today announced they will form a joint venture (JV) company to produce lithium-ion batteries in the U.S. to power Honda and Acura EV models for the North American market. With this agreement, LGES and Honda claim they will invest a total of $4.4 billion and establish a new JV plant in the US. The pouch-type batteries made at the new plant will be supplied exclusively to Honda factories in North America.

The two companies want to begin construction in early 2023 with the start of mass production of advanced lithium-ion battery cells by the end of 2025. The plant will have an annual production capacity of ~40GWh but the location has not yet been established. Let the taxpayer-financed bidding war on incentives among the states begin.
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CARB Shows Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program

Posted on 29 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on CARB Shows Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program

Implement to breath cleaner.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has previewed its Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program (HD I/M), which is due to begin phasing in on 1 Jan. 2023, at an enforcement truck event held at the Port of Los Angeles. More than 1200 trucks were screened, to help make owners and operators aware of the new ‘smog check’ requirements for heavy-duty vehicles and the phase-in timeline.

The progressive public health program is the first in the nation of its kind and will ensure that emissions control systems on heavy-duty vehicles operate effectively for the life of the vehicle, improving air quality and protecting public health. The HD I/M program will apply to all heavy-duty trucks, buses, agricultural equipment and personal motor-homes with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of more than 14,000 pounds traveling in the state regardless of whether they are registered in California. (AutoInformed.com on: Death of the Diesel – CARB Approves Truck, Bus Smog Checks; CARB – New Diesel Regs Cost Effective, Lobbyists Wrong; CARB OK’s Record $1.5B for Clean Vehicles, Mobility Options) Continue reading →

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Pro Consumer Milestones: California Mandates 100% Zero Emissions Vehicles by 2035. More States Certain to Follow

Posted on 25 August 2022 by Ken Zino

The California Air Resources Board today approved the Advanced Clean Cars II rule that sets California as the first US state to embrace a path to require zero-emission vehicles with concurrent massive reductions in climate-warming pollution.

The rule establishes a year-by-year roadmap so that by 2035 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This is a huge gain for clean air  as well as the climate benefits the regulation delivers in the nation’s largest vehicle market. CARB’s analysis says that battery-electric vehicles are likely to reach cost parity with conventional vehicles by 2030. Continue reading →

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DOJ Thwarts Chinese Takeover of Shipping Containers

Posted on 25 August 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on DOJ Thwarts Chinese Takeover of Shipping ContainersChina International Marine Containers Group Co. Ltd. (CIMC) confirmed today that it has abandoned its intended acquisition of Maersk Container Industry A/S and Maersk Container Industry Qingdao Ltd for~$987 million (collectively, MCI) after a Justice Department Antitrust Division’s meticulous investigation conducted under the Biden Administration. The German Bundeskartellamt, aka Federal Cartel Office, cooperated with DOJ during the course of their respective investigations. The Bundeskartellamt said last December it had opened an investigation into the effects the takeover of Maersk Container Industry (MCI)* by CIMC could have on markets.

The acquisition would have combined two of the four suppliers of insulated container boxes and refrigerated shipping containers in the world  thereby increasing anti-consumer consolidation in the global supply chain. It would also have combined control of more than 90% of insulated container box and refrigerated shipping container production worldwide in Chinese state-owned or state-controlled entities. China International Marine Containers and Maersk Container Industry in a joint statement that they have discarded a merger plan because of  significant regulatory challenges. Patrick Jany CFO at A.P. Moller – Maersk was cited fof MCI.

Continue reading →

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US Retail New Vehicle Sales to Decline in July. Prices Up

Posted on 24 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on More of Same US Retail New Vehicle Sales to Decline in July. Prices Up.

An affordability crisis is stalking the industry.  Click to Enlarge.

New-vehicle retail sales for August 2022 are forecast to decline when compared with August 2021, according to a joint release today from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive*. Retail sales of new vehicles August are expected to reach 980,400 units, a 2.6% decrease compared with August 2021 when adjusted for selling days. August 2022 has one additional selling day compared with August 2021. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 1.3% from 2021.

Higher prices along with a rising interest rates are leading to monthly loan payments reaching new all-time highs. After breaking $700 for the first time ever in July, the average monthly finance payment in August is forecast to hit a record $716, up $78 from August 2021. That translates to a 12.2% increase in monthly payments from a year ago, which is above the 11.5% increase in transaction prices. Continue reading →

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CJPT expels Hino over Emission Data Certification Fraud

Posted on 24 August 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on CJPT expels Hino over Emission Data Certification FraudCommercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) said today in Japan that it is expelling Hino Motors “in light of Hino’s misconduct concerning certification testing.”

In a move that appears to be an attempt to isolate Hino’s owner Toyota from ongoing legal and other liabilities in the emissions data fraud scandal that now goes back as far as 2003, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation “suggested that the misconduct committed by Hino is incompatible with CJPT’s * aspirations and goals and that the continued inclusion of Hino in activities will not gain the understanding of its customers and the public.” Continue reading →

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Fires! Park 2020-22 Hyundai Palisades, Kia Tellurides Outside

Posted on 24 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Fires! Park 2020-22 Hyundai Palisades, Kia Tellurides Outside

A good place to park… Click to Enlarge.

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America are telling owners of some Model Year 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles park their cars outside and away from homes or other structures until their vehicles have been repaired, due to new recalls for the risk of fire. More than 280,000 SUVs are potentially involved.

An accessory tow hitch made and installed in Korea or sold through dealerships may allow moisture into the harness module, causing a short circuit. In some cases, an electrical short can cause a vehicle fire while driving or while parked and turned off. As a temporary repair, Hyundai dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, as necessary. A short-term repair is not available for Kia vehicles, which are apparently without a fuse in some cases.  Continue reading →

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