New York Times (August 9)
“It’s important that regulators develop security rules for cars, which are becoming computers on wheels.” In the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should “start writing basic security standards that require automakers to test the software and make sure a car’s wireless system cannot be used to control the engine and brakes. The agency’s regulations on airbags, seatbelts and crash testing have helped save countless lives. New rules for software that operate cars could prove just as important.”
Tags: Airbags, Automakers, Cars, NHTSA, Regulators, Seatbelts, Security, Software, U.S., Wireless
Institutional Investor (April 27)
“For decades Washington politicians have evoked the dream of a North American energy alliance that would deliver Mexico’s abundant hydrocarbons to factories and motor vehicles in the U.S.” Today’s reality “is confounding expectations. It’s the booming U.S. energy sector that is powering Mexican factories and cars.”
Tags: Cars, Energy alliance, Factories, Hydrocarbons, Mexico, North America, Politicians, U.S., Washington
LA Times (December 10)
“The emerging sharing economy poses a challenge for government because it doesn’t fit neatly into existing regulatory structures. Individuals put their personal cars, homes and other assets to commercial use on an irregular basis, with the help of companies such as Uber and Airbnb that connect them to customers.”
Tags: Airbnb, Assets, Cars, Challenge, Government, Homes, Regulatory structures, Sharing economy, Uber
Chicago Tribune (February 18, 2014)
“Automakers have outfitted their vehicles with cutting-edge technology that goes way beyond the now-common mapping and music options. New cars these days act like smartphones on wheels.” While some new features improve safety, others create dangerous distraction. “Like so much of the digital world, car-borne technology is changing fast. Government watchdogs and corporate innovators should work together to accelerate progress, while keeping motorists safe.”
Tags: Automakers, Cars, Digital, Distraction, Government, Mapping, Motorists, Music, Progress, Safety, Smartphones, Technology, Vehicles, Watchdogs
New York Times (August 11)
“In a welcome development for the planet, the cars on American streets are becoming much more climate-friendly much sooner than many had expected. Consumers are increasingly buying fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles thanks to breakthrough innovations and supportive government policies…. Increased fuel efficiency helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions from passengers cars by 16 percent from 2005 to 2012.”
Tags: Breakthrough, Cars, Climate-friendly, CO2, Consumers, Emissions, EVs, Fuel efficiency, Fuel-efficient, Government policies, HEVs, Innovations, Planet
The Economist (October 24)
There’s no end in sight to Europe’s “carmaking crisis.” Sales have fallen for 5 straight years in the EU. In September, year-on-year sales were down 11% across the EU, 18% in France, 26% in Italy and 37% in Spain. “Britain was the only significant market to enjoy a small rise.” With production capacity of 17 million cars a year, and current demand around 13 million units, “the overcapacity is glaring.”
Tags: Automakers, Cars, Crisis, EU, France, Italy, Overcapacity, Spain, UK
The Economist (March 24)
In China, “the desperate scramble for parking spots has been added to the problems of chronic congestion, rising petrol prices and choking pollution.” There just aren’t enough spaces. Scuffles and even protests are arising. In Beijing, things are particularly tight. With 5 million cars and only 740,000 parking spaces, the city attempted to deal with the problem by quadrupling parking fees overnight.
In China, “the desperate scramble for parking spots has been added to the problems of chronic congestion, rising petrol prices and choking pollution.” There just aren’t enough spaces. Scuffles and even protests are arising. In Beijing, things are particularly tight. With 5 million cars and only 740,000 parking spaces, the city attempted to deal with the problem by quadrupling parking fees overnight.
LA Times (December 11)
Moving “back to an electric future for cars” may take a decade, but it could again spell the end of smog, which arose with gasoline-powered cars. “In 1900, more battery-powered electric cars ran on the streets of New York City than cars with internal combustion engines…. But the arrival in 1908 of Henry Ford’s Model T turned the gasoline-powered car into an affordable mass-market product and made the electric car a historical curiosity.”
Tags: Cars, Electric, Gas, Henry Ford, Smog
