Connected Cars Assisting in Driver Safety
Automakers are increasingly adding connected car technology for tracking and driver safety. A modified version of Wi-Fi called dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), sends signals that alert other drivers of things like dangerous road conditions or risky drivers. This assists drivers — or cars — react to things even before a sensor can detect them.
GM and Honda in Alliance to Advance Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
General Motors and Honda have forged an alliance to co-develop next generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies. The two global automakers see 2020 as the benchmark year for meeting these objectives. Along with developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technologies, part of the strategy in the agreement is to work toward a hydrogen fueling […]
Westport Makes Acquisition Deal with Clean Energy
Westport Innovations Inc. has acquired BAF Technologies, Inc. (BAF) and its subsidiary, ServoTech Engineering, Inc. (ServoTech), subsidiaries of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. for $25 million in Westport stock. Westport and Clean Energy also announced a $5 million joint marketing and sales program. Westport says it will create the largest product portfolio and market presence in […]
Ford Focusing on Prototype Parts Development
Ford engineers are using part of a $7-million federal grant to further advance new ways to manufacture prototype parts in the pursuit to develop vehicles more rapidly and more cost-efficiently. Developing new vehicles can take years and millions of dollars, making it difficult to respond quickly to changing consumer preferences.
Domestic Brands Still Strongest in Midwest
Some states are more patriotic than others when it comes to buying vehicles from domestic automakers.Not surprisingly, the strongest sales for the Big 3—General Motors, Ford or Chrysler—come in the Midwest where American-made models have long dominated the road. “Even as the line defining what is or isn’t domestic has blurred, perception, attitudes and buying […]
