Baseball is Back! Wear a Mask, Get a Shot, Play Patriot Ball

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on our current coaches – who are starkly warning that Covid Ain’t Over ‘til it’s OverWhile many governors of a certain QOP – aka GOP – persuasion are determined to continue the ruinous and seditious policies of the last losing administration, Opening Day tomorrow once again provides the promise of renewal across our land.

But we will only make the playoffs, if we follow the coaching and read the signs of our current Administration – who are starkly warning that Covid Ain’t Over ‘til it’s Over. So please, please follow the guidelines; ignore heeding dangerous hecklers now on the sidelines, and get a shot or two before the late innings. Bask in the sun of our dawn’s early light and enjoy the athleticism of our fellow immigrants as they take us out to the ball game – safely… Continue reading

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Voltswagen is New Name for Volkswagen After Dieselgate

AutoInformed.com on the older New Look for The Volkswagen Logo

This new, now old logo in the future will be used on Gasoline powered VWs.

Volkswagen Group of America said today it will change its U.S. brand name from Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America. The announcement was moved from April because of a web faux pas yesterday that was reported by the Associated Press after USA Today noted the erroneously posted release before it was taken down. The rebranding includes a revised name, brand guidelines and VW.com design. It was supposed to be announced one month from now.

VW claims that “More than a name change, Voltswagen is a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility. By definition, Volts are the derived units for electric potential between two points. The new name and branding symbolize the highly-charged forward momentum Voltswagen has put in motion, pursuing a goal of moving all people point-to-point with EVs.” Continue reading

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Wheels Falling Off New Nissan Rogues

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Wheels Falling Off of New Nissan Rogues

The all-new Rogue has a claimed “most standard safety technologies in its class.” It is the latest model to have Nissan Safety Shield 360 standard across the entire lineup.

In a NHTSA filing just released, Nissan North America is recalling 2021 Nissan Rogue vehicles. The incorrect wheel nuts may have been installed and may loosen causing wheel vibration. The wheel vibration may break the wheel studs and cause the wheel to separate from the Rogue. The customer can experience excess tire and wheel.

Nissan said that based on production records, this safety defect is unique to a small number of Model Year 2021 Nissan Rogue vehicles. Continue reading

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Hummer EV Edition 1 Raises $2.5 Million at Auction for Charity

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hummer EV Edition 1 Raises $2.5 Million for Charity

Zero emissions – if you ignore how the power is produced

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation* will receive $2.5 million from the sale of the first retail production unit of the Hummer EV Edition 1 at an auction on Saturday. Established to honor the memory of Sept. 11 first-responder Stephen Siller, the foundation builds mortgage-free, accessible smart homes for catastrophically-injured veterans and provides free homes for Gold Star families and families of first responders killed on duty. Continue reading

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US Household Pulse – 32% Face Eviction or Foreclosure

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on the Presendiatla Covid health and economic disasters

GOP demigods kill and were voted out. Click to enlarge.

The latest household pulse survey data from the US Census continues to affirm the bleak economic conditions American face as the corona virus pandemic infects on.

Only 34.2% of adults have received a Covid19 Vaccine. Worse, only 51.4% “definitely” will get vaccinated when available.

Roughly 20% of adults expect someone in their household to experience a loss in employment income in the next 4 weeks, based on responses collected March 3 to March 15. Crueler, 31.5% report eviction or foreclosure in the next two months is “somewhat or very likely.” Continue reading

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US Should Cautiously Track Solar GeoEngineering Research to Mitigate Climate Change – National Academies of Sciences

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Solar Geoengineering Research

Click to Enlarge.

The US should conduct a research program for Solar GeoEngineering in coordination with other nations, subject to governance, and alongside a strong portfolio of climate mitigation and adaptation policies, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. There currently is no coordinated national effort for solar GeoEngineering research. (UN on Global Warming: Rapid, Far-Reaching Unprecedented Changes in All Aspects of Society Needed; and SEC Starts Task Force on Climate Change Investment Risks)

The report emphasizes that solar geoengineering is not a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Solar GeoEngineering discusses strategies designed to cool Earth either by adding small reflective particles to the upper atmosphere, by increasing reflective cloud cover in the lower atmosphere, or by thinning high-altitude clouds that can absorb heat. Continue reading

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Meg Whitman and Mark Tatum Join GM’s Board of Directors

Meg Whitman, former head of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the National Basketball Association, are joining the Board of Directors of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) effective today, the company said.

With the election of Whitman, 64, and Tatum, 51, GM has 13 directors. Seven GM directors are now women. The company’s 12 independent directors have leadership and board experience in information technology, digital commerce, retail, higher education, investment management, international affairs, defense, transportation, cybersecurity, and pharmaceuticals, among others, GM said. Continue reading

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Census Survey – Stimulus Payments Eased Financial Suffering

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stimulus Payments Eased Financial Suffering

Vote Democratic to decrease working people suffering and end welfare for the rich?

By now the unnecessarily severe negative effects are well-documented from the previous Administration’s denials that Covid was a threat to public health and the American economy. Americans are about to receive a third round of stimulus checks through the new American Rescue Plan Act that the Biden Administration pushed past the do-nothing Republican congressional non-representatives of the people – none of them voted for it – in spite of overwhelming public approval polling ranging from 60% to 85% of the items therein.

Data from the US Census Bureau clearly support the need and positive effects of stimulus payments, unlike the failed Republican tax cuts for the rich that did not result in increased investments in the US economy because the off-shore holdings were largely fictional tax dodges not real investments in overseas businesses. There were no large amounts of capital that would return home and be invested in the US economy, although plenty of rich people including foreigners supped at the welfare for the rich GOP table.  Continue reading

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Isuzu, Hino, Toyota to Quicken Carbon Neutrality with Commercial Vehicle JV

Isuzu Motors, Hino Motors and Toyota Motor announced today that they have agreed on a new partnership in commercial vehicles. The three companies intend to combine Toyota’s CASE* technologies with the commercial vehicle foundations cultivated by Isuzu and Hino. Through this collaboration, they will try to hasten societal implementation and distribution of CASE technologies and services, and to help address various difficulties facing the transportation industry as well as help achieve a carbon-neutral society. Continue reading

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Nissan Recalls 80,376 Sentra Cars for Failed Brake Lights

Nissan is recalling 807,376 Sentra Cars for failed brake light and starting problems. In the required NHTSA filing, Nissan said this safety defect is unique to model year 2016-2019 Sentra vehicles because a clevis pin grease that uses a high concentration of silicon, and a bulb system that uses a high current switch are close to one another. No other Nissan or Infiniti vehicles share this specific combination of factors and are unaffected by the issue, Nissan claims. Continue reading

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Hyundai, Shell to Expand Cooperation on Clean Energy

Hyundai Motor Company in Goyang, Korea has signed a five-year global business cooperation agreement with Royal Dutch Shell to increase clean energy projects. The deal, which runs through 2026, marks the fourth extension of the partnership that began in 2006, but this time with a different “focus on clean energy and carbon reduction in response to market changes.” Continue reading

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All-Electric BMW i4 Shown

At this week’s BMW Group Annual Conference the upcoming BMW i4 was teased. The fully electric 4 door Gran Coupé will go on sale later in 2021, including a BMW M Performance model. The i4 model line will be available in different versions covering ranges of up to 590km (WLTP) and up to 300 miles* (EPA). With a power output of up to 390kW / 530HP the BMW i4 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in around 4 seconds. Continue reading

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Billion Dollar Oops – Ford F-150s, Edges Without Electronics

Ken Zino on semiconductor supply collapse

All-new F-150 Limited. Too bad about the missing control modules.

The global semiconductor supply collapse has its teeth into Ford Motor, which is now building F-150 trucks and Edge SUVs in North America without some parts. These include electronic modules that contain scarce semiconductors.

Ford will build and hold them for a number of weeks, then ship them to dealers once the modules are available and quality checks are complete. Continue reading

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Covid Curse – EU Sales Drop 19% in February, -22% YTD

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on February 2021 new passenger car sales in the European Union

Click to Enlarge.

During February 2021, new passenger car registrations in the European Union dropped by 19.3%, as COVID containment actions, a botched vaccination program and overall uncertainty continue to negatively affect demand of a key industry.

With 771,486 units registered across the EU region, according to ACEA, this marked the lowest February total on record since 2013. All four major EU markets recorded losses last month. Italy posted the smallest drop (-12.3%), while the other markets faced stronger deterioration: Germany (-19.0%), France (-20.9%) and Spain (-38.4%). Continue reading

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California Law – 100% Clean Electricity by 2045. Here’s the Plan

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Carbon Free Electricity in California

Space technology at space exploration costs?

The California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) have released the first joint agency report and a summary document examining how the state’s electricity system can become carbon free by 2045.

The report is the initial analysis called for in Senate Bill 100 (SB 100, De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018), the state’s policy requiring that renewable and zero-carbon energy resources supply 100% of electric retail sales to customers by 2045. The bill was signed into law in 2018 and calls for these resources to replace fossil fuels for generating electricity in the state. Continue reading

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