Once again at the beginning of 2025 AutoInformed notes – matter-of-factly – that its vision is 20-20 on the consequences of long past occurrences. However, in the here and now our perception is cloudy. We do not have the advantages of historians re-assessing events years later with help from other news outlets, blogs, letters, memoirs, magazines and whatever new forms of expressed thought emerge. Thus far the most valued revisions and nuanced interpretations appear in books and essays after more documents and perspectives surface from the players or perpetrators engaged in them. These are not yet available, and under Trump 2.0 they would likely be banned anyway.
Nonetheless, AutoInformed still attempts to bring insights into events of the time and how they affect Automobility. When we get it right, a richer perspective emerges that observes that the past is a partial but sometimes significant influence on the events or chaos of the present. With these in mind, here’s our take on the last annum of automobility, from electrified vehicles to global warming, to trade and tariffs and, alas, to the return of American fascism and the re-establishment of an American plutocracy. Continue reading
First Look – EPA AirNow Mobile App
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has updated the AirNow mobile app to allow optional so-called push notifications of the local Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasts for the next day. Exposure to ground-level ozone can cause respiratory issues, aggravate asthma and other lung diseases, and may lead to missed days of work or school, emergency room visits, and premature deaths. These costly public health impacts can be especially harmful to children and older adults, disproportionately affecting people of color, families with low-incomes, and other vulnerable populations. (AutoInformed:EPA Reviewing Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards)
“State and local air agencies issue AQI forecasts as a public service to help people plan their outdoor activities. The agencies provide them to EPA, which shares them on the AirNow app and Airnow.gov website. Until now, AirNow users had to remember to check the app or website to see their forecasts; with the updates to the AirNow mobile app, people can opt to be notified when the daily forecast reaches an AQI category of their choosing,” EPA said. Continue reading →