Over the course of this program, I have said many times that vehicle manufacturing is not for the faint of heart, or light of pocket. Years of upfront investment, the buildout of a dealer network, parts network, marketing department, and being able to build and launch a brand-new manufacturing facility, managing what could be hundreds if not thousands of suppliers is often a daunting task, even for established companies. Two more EV makers have gone broke, but perhaps one may live to see another...
Feb 25, 2025•21 min
The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the aftermath of the financial crisis during the early part of this century to protect consumers from unscrupulous behavior by financial institutions. This not only includes banks, but payday lenders and buy here, pay here car lots to name a few. With little fanfare, the Bureau has been shut down and its website taken offline. What does this mean for you?
Feb 25, 2025•11 min
New car dealerships receive a steady stream of customers and potential customers every day. While most interactions are uneventful, a small few make choices with outsized and sometimes deadly consequences.
Feb 25, 2025•10 min
Dubuque, Iowa has just raised its fees for its electric vehicle charging stations in public parking areas by almost 50 percent. Considering the fact that its Iowa's 11th largest city and that Iowa only has 12,800 EVs statewide as of 2023, is this overkill?
Feb 25, 2025•11 min
After 42 years, the Ford F-150 has been dislodged from 1st place as the best selling vehicle in America. See which vehicle has taken the crown!
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
I review a McKinsey & Company white paper that lays out several use cases for autonomous trucking between now and 2040.
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
It is everything you would expect a modern Volvo to be, safe, Scandi cook and sustainable. Meet the EX30 EV, the automaker's smallest SUV, brimming with safety technology and creature comforts.
Feb 18, 2025•10 min
Cupra, Volkswagen's sporty Spanish brand, is making plans to enter the US market at the end of this decade. Question is, will there be room?
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
Harbinger's CEO is making some pretty boastful claims about its ability to produce an Medium Duty EV commercial truck chassis that will best Ford and Freightliner. Will they succeed?
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
Conventional wisdom says that the more metal around you when you drive, the more likely you will suffer fewer injuries in a crash. That is true, to a point. Today's safety features have mitigated much of a heavier vehicle's advantage.
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
A number of states are investing in V2X technology, designed to make streets, roads, and highways safer for vehicle and pedestrian alike. So where are the nation's automakers with their vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies?
Feb 18, 2025•10 min
Whether its wind, solar or biofuel, farmers have been harvesting power on their land for decades. As technology improves efficiency, more landowners see more potential in it. Solar farms are getting a second look.
Feb 18, 2025•11 min
For just a fraction of what American AI companies are spending, the Chinese upstart known as DeepSeek, has outperformed their best versions currently available, in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost.
Feb 10, 2025•11 min
Its called Rebuild LA Architecture, and its a workspace that has attracted over 350 of Los Angeles' architects, interior designers and contractors to share resources and information about what it takes to design and build in the aftermath of a fire.
Feb 10, 2025•11 min
The Tech Bros of America's Military Industrial Complex wants the Defense Department to change the way they wage war - more tech, less expensive hardware, lower unit costs. What could possibly go wrong?
Feb 10, 2025•10 min
Due to the threat of tariffs, German nameplates Audi and Porsche are considering making vehicles in America for the first time. As part of the larger Volkswagen Group, the iconic nameplates are studying the feasibility of co-locating manufacturing at one of Volkswagen's established American facilities.
Feb 10, 2025•12 min
With the recent exit of General Motors' Cruise Automation subsidiary from robotaxi development and deployment, are there any providers left in this difficult and challenging marketplace? We review.
Feb 04, 2025•11 min
During the first 11 months of 2024, a record 282 ships carrying over 4,000 seamen that had been abandoned at sea. These were crews of an armada of ships that form what the maritime industry refers to as the "shadow fleet", an array of old and poorly serviced vessels used to skirt sanctions on Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil and other cargoes.
Feb 04, 2025•11 min
For over 34 years, the Ford Explorer SUV has been a mainstay of the Ford Motor Company fleet in North America. Now in its sixth generation, see how the midsize SUV continues its winning ways.
Feb 04, 2025•10 min
With a market share that is less than half of what it was before the pandemic, Infiniti, Nissan's upscale market channel, is struggling to survive.
Feb 04, 2025•12 min
How do you extinguish a EV battery fire with no water and minimal damage to things and infrastructure around the vehicle? With an EV fire blanket of course. This simple, common sense methodology is being proved effective in Europe right now!
Feb 04, 2025•11 min
Consumer Reports recently released its rankings of some 32 automotive brands sold in the United States - Subaru beat out BMW, Toyota and Lexus as the best brand and on its list of more reliable, Subaru came out on top again. How did your vehicle rank?
Feb 04, 2025•11 min
A recent whitepaper from McKinsey & Company delves into the definition of AI guardrails and why they are a benefit to an organization and its clients. I discuss.
Feb 04, 2025•10 min
Despite reports to the contrary, automakers continue to invest in EV tech with the goal of increasing range and reducing charging times.
Feb 04, 2025•12 min
Despite what you may have heard, self-driving tech is alive, well and growing in popularity in niche applications that don't necessarily involve a highway or a road.
Jan 28, 2025•11 min
A recent government report released jointly by the Departments of the Interior, Energy, Agriculture, and Defense showed that there is significant potential for further expanding renewable energy production on federal lands. Released by the Energy Department on January 14, 2025, I wonder if this report is considered moot, given today's political climate.
Jan 28, 2025•11 min
I spent a week behind the wheel of the Lexus UX300h hybrid. I can tell you that the experience was a LOT more than an exercise in sustainability and economy!
Jan 28, 2025•10 min
It flew for twenty minutes back in 2021, but the world is just learning the details of that ground-breaking flight now.
Jan 28, 2025•9 min
You think you know all there is to know about wind energy? Guess again!
Jan 28, 2025•11 min
This month, the Big Apple instituted its new plan to reduce traffic in and out of lower Manhattan, after a six month delay. Is this new pricing plan a benefit or a burden? Depends on who you ask.
Jan 28, 2025•11 min
