Hydrogen is Safe, Despite Refueling Station Explosion
A hydrogen-refueling station exploded outside Oslo, Norway, last week, prompting a temporary shutdown of the nation's few hydrogen stations and an investigation.
No one was hurt.
This doesn't mean hydrogen can't be handled safely. It continues to be a viable fuel for automakers and heavy industries seeking to reduce emissions and comply with regulations that are limiting usage of fossil fuels.
Any fuel, regardless of its storage and chemistry, has inherent risks of flammability, and explosions.
Read the article at MSN.
Hybrids Bring Immediate-Term Options for Major CO2 Reduction, Says Emissions Analytics
By Natalie Middleton
Governments and cities are being warned not to focus solely on the eco benefits of electric vehicles as latest research finds hybrids could provide the most effective means of reducing CO2 in the immediate term.
According to Emissions Analytics, a focus on battery electric vehicles is crowding out a more effective program of mass hybridization based on available resources.
“Put another way, given the urgency of the need to reduce CO2, paradoxically BEVs may not be the best way to achieve it with their supply chain, production capacity, infrastructure and customer acceptance challenge,” the firm says.
Read the article at International Fleet World
Lease Finance Rates May Go Lower this Year, Says TD Equipment Finance Executive
By Mark Boada, Executive Editor
Anthony Sasso, head of TD Equipment finance, said there’s a chance that lease finance rates will fall further by the end of this year, driven by concerns over a possible slowdown in the U.S. economy.
Sasso said for the most credit-worthy lease customers, equipment financing rates are generally linked to the ICE Swap Rate, a financial index that coincides with movements in interest rates on U.S. Treasurys.
Low-Mileage Off-Lease Vehicles Hitting Used Car Lots
The replacement vehicles that buyers are after, will most likely be found on used car lots as a deluge of lightly used, lower-mileage vehicles come off lease.
These used vehicles are not that old, they comprise the styles, i.e. sport-utilities, crossovers and trucks. They also have many of the technology features that buyers want.
“Limited sales during the recession mean that older cars are scarcer, and thanks to record sales and leasing during the recovery, the typical used vehicle is looking more like a late model-year SUV with low mileage and lots of great features,” said Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ senior manager of industry analysis.
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
Analyst Predicts Auto Industry Heading For Plunge in Sales
The U.S. auto industry is heading toward a nearly 30% decrease in sales by 2022, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst predicts.
Softening vehicle sales since 2016 will continue as cyclical demand softens.
Automakers must resist temptations to lower prices as they had during the economic downturn in 2007, 2008 and 2009, said John Murphy, a senior auto analyst. Keeping vehicles at profitable margins will help investments in new autonomous, connected and electric future technology.
Following declining sales through 2022 is the industry is expected to have a strong recovery, Murphy added.
Read the article at The Detroit News.
