A BP executive who oversaw the company’s Gulf of Mexico operations testified Tuesday that he he led a push to improve safety when he started the job more than two years before an April 2010 rig explosion killed 11 workers and led to the nation’s worst offshore oil spill. Neil Shaw, a witness for BP […]
Automotive/Transportation
‘Big Three’ U.S. Automakers Not Participating in Tokyo Motor Show
TOKYO, April 9 (Kyodo) — The “Big Three” U.S. automakers will not participate in the Tokyo Motor Show in November, Japanese auto industry officials said Tuesday, amid growing complaints that the “closed” Japanese market is holding back sales of U.S. cars. But their decision not to present their products to consumers in Japan may draw […]
Ford: Focus is Best-Selling Car in the World
Ford Motor Co. says its Focus small car was the best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world last year, with just over 1 million sold. More than a quarter of all Focuses were sold in China, its largest market. The U.S. was the car’s second-largest market. It was the second year in a row the Focus […]
ABB Launches Cost-Effective 20 kW DC Fast Charger
New charger offers seamless integration with Level 2 stations, and an ideal charging solution for workplaces and commercial sites. ABB has launched the Terra SmartConnect, a breakthrough product that will significantly improve the business case for installing electric-vehicle (EV) fast chargers throughout North America. The Terra SC will be available for delivery in the Americas […]
Race to Build Driverless Cars Is in Full Throttle
To call Tim Sylvester a road builder misses the point. The streets he intends to build are embedded with electronic sensors that may keep cars of the future from speeding, veering and crashing. A few blocks from Sylvester’s Integrated Roadways office in Kansas City, doctoral candidate Amol Khedkar is toiling on his own prototype […]
Race to build driverless cars is in full throttle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — To call Tim Sylvester a road builder misses the point. The streets he intends to build are embedded with electronic sensors that may keep cars of the future from speeding, veering and crashing. A few blocks from Sylvester’s Integrated Roadways office in Kansas City, doctoral candidate Amol Khedkar is toiling […]
Toyota Taking on Rivals with Cost Efficiency, New Designs
NAGOYA, April 6 (Kyodo) — Having drawn lessons from a series of predicaments since the 2008 global economic downturn, Toyota Motor Corp. is focusing on lowering its production costs worldwide and improving its competitiveness in product design as it faces intense competition from overseas rivals. “We are finally getting out of a long tunnel after […]
Japan Experts Say New Nuclear Safety Plan too Lax
Experts who investigated Japan’s nuclear crisis said Monday that a watchdog’s oversight of the crippled plant’s operator is still too lax, amid renewed public fear over a recent spate of safety problems. The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has been plagued with glitches. A blackout last month, caused by a rat that short-circuited a switchboard, left the […]
Toyota to Pay $16M Settlement
A $16 million settlement over the safety recall of Toyota vehicles that were at risk for unintended acceleration and braking issues was announced Friday by Orange County prosecutors and Toyota Motor Corp. The suit was one of a flood of cases brought against the automaker after more than 14 million vehicles were recalled in 2009 […]
Honda, Toyota Shares Boosted by Japan Stimulus
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. shares of Toyota, Honda and Nissan soared Thursday as investors anticipated that a weaker yen will allow them to sell cars more cheaply in the critical U.S. market. The Bank of Japan plans to increase the amount of cash in circulation, a move that will depress the value of the yen […]