Trump Administration to Freeze Fuel-efficiency Requirements
The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to freeze fuel-efficiency requirements for the nation’s cars and trucks through 2026 — a massive regulatory rollback likely to spur a legal battle with California and other states, as well as create potential upheaval in the nation’s automotive market.
“By 2030, the pollution equivalent of this rollback will be like firing up 30 coal power plants,” Paul Cort, an attorney at the advocacy group Earthjustice, said in a statement. “It’s a boon for big oil that ordinary Americans will pay for with their health and their wallets.”
Read the article at The Washington Post
Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars Are Near: This Teen Rides One Every Day
For the past year, Kyla Jackson has been one of the only teenagers in the world who gets a ride to high school from a robot.
Using the Waymo app on her phone, Kyla summons a self-driving car. Five minutes later a Chrysler Pacifica stops at her home. She slides open the door, fastens her seat belt, and hits a blue button above her head to set the car in motion. It’s a minivan covered in goofy-looking sensors, but it’s the coolest ride at her school.
Read the article at Bloomberg.
Not a False Alarm: Bmmpr Launches Real-Time Smartphone Linked Car Security Solution
Utilizing technology and cellular connectivity, Bmmpr offers an intelligent vehicle security system that brings car alarms into the 21st century, delivering car owners active security and peace of mind.
A new company, Bmmpr, pronounced “bumper,” is making major waves by bringing car security into the modern age with a launch of a security solution that provides consumers a bevy of metadata and real-time protection, conveniently accessed from their smartphones. Think of it as a car security system that is actually useful.
The Hertz Corporation and Aptiv Partner to Advance Mobility
Hertz to provide management and operational services for autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas
ESTERO, Fla., July 31, 2018 Today, The Hertz Corporation and its fleet management subsidiary, Donlen, announced a new strategic partnership with, a global technology company enabling the future of mobility.
The two companies will execute a phased approach to develop standard operating procedures for mobility-related AV fleets. The initial program, scheduled to launch this fall, will further enhance and guide the implementation of similar programs in future markets.
Disruptive Battlefronts
We are excited to feature John Wysseier’s second blog in his Disruptive Leadership series: The Internet of Things: One of Today’s Disruptive Battlefronts. He warns: “Like all battlefronts, it presents both opportunities and challenges for virtually every industry, and only those who win the battle to integrate with it successfully are likely to survive and thrive.”
We are pleased to introduce our new UK-based editor Andrew Boada. Name sound familiar? He is the talented son of FMW’s executive editor Mark Boada. In his debut piece, he asks: Do Tesla’s Troubles Mean There’s No Future for BEVs?
A great read for the week: Nathaniel Rich’s comprehensive, yet sometimes agonizing article from The New York Times: Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change. “Why did we do this to ourselves,” he asks.
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
