VW presentation in ’06 showed how to foil emissions tests
A PowerPoint presentation was prepared by a top technology executive at Volkswagen in 2006, laying out in detail how the automaker could cheat on emissions tests in the United States.
Archive for year: 2016
How natural gas can increase the sources of octane
Natural gas normally gets a great deal of attention as a feedstock for power generation: As the U.S. makes the gradual transition from coal, natural gas has taken center stage in the spotlight because it burns more cleanly than coal. Read more →
Automakers beating fuel economy expectations despite an upswing in truck/SUV sales
SUVs and pickups, while still lagging the leaders with regard to fuel economy, are holding their own. Models rated at less than 16 mpg are down to just 4% of the nation’s new-vehicle fleet, compared to nearly a third of the market in 2008.
Carmakers continue to meet rising CAFE goals, just as expected
The 54.5 mpg standard, which equates to about 40 mpg on new-vehicle window stickers, is the backbone of U.S. policy to reduce carbon emissions from cars and trucks. It has also been seen as a daunting technical challenge for carmakers—but one, it turns out, that they’re largely meeting.
An electric car talent shortage is making for a frenzied hiring spree
If you are Ford, the future—at least for electric cars—is coming only slowly, and is nothing to get in a lather over. Tesla, Apple, and a knot of Chinese financiers seem to see just the opposite: They are furiously grabbing each other’s talent in the hopes of ushering us all toward a rapidly developing electric, autonomous-driving boom.
Volkswagen diesel emissions settlement high on promise, short on details
It’s been a long seven months for Volkswagen diesel owners, and they now know a little bit more about how the company plans to compensate them for the emissions problems of its vehicles. But there are still plenty of unknowns.
Exxon Mobil loses top credit rating for first time since 1930
Exxon Mobil Corp. was demoted from the top credit rating by Standard & Poor’s for the first time since the Great Depression as the collapse of the biggest oil-market rally in history strangled cash flows.
Cash-strapped ISIS offers $50 a month to fighters — but more if they own sex slaves
Low wages proffered are another reflection of the challenges faced by a terrorist group that has seen steep drops in revenue from oil sales as well as the physical destruction of some of its cash holdings.
Fiat joins the diesel emissions cheating club
The diesel emissions cheating club is getting larger all the time. It started with Volkswagen last September, but the list of companies who decided to play fast and loose with government regulations is getting longer every day. Now we can add Fiat to that list.
Saudi Arabia approves economic reform program
Saudi Arabia, crimped by low crude prices, approved Monday a long-term blueprint for the kingdom’s economic transformation aimed at reducing its dependence on oil.
