48 VOLTS? (YET AGAIN? OR DIFFERENT?)
AUTOMOBILES WITH 48-volt electrical systems are being seen in some markets as a near-term necessity. In other markets, the unsettled U.S., for example, it’s anyone’s guess. Automobiles with 48-volt electrical … Continue reading
EV UPDATE: BUT WILL IT MATTER IN THE U.S.?
GLOBAL EV SALES are trending upward by significant percentages. Not that the overall numbers are large, mind. What’s more, the U.S. situation is at best unsettled. It’s a good time … Continue reading
WELL OILED
WHAT WITH CONFLICTING and often misleading news and opinions about the U.S. oil business, it’s helpful to consult a reliable source now and then. The U.S. Energy Information Administration offers … Continue reading
THE AUTOMAKERS’ DILEMMA
“MAY YOU LIVE IN interesting times.” This classic Chinese saying was intended as a curse, not a blessing. And so it would seem for automakers today. Reading the weekly Automotive … Continue reading
A RESET FOR MOTOR SPORTS
TO MANY, THE NAME John Glenn hearkens back to early days of the U.S. space program. And, to many, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would seem an odd place for … Continue reading
AUDI: VORSPRUNG DURCH SKULDUGGERY
I’VE LONG ADMIRED German automaker Audi’s slogan, Vorsprung Durch Technik, Advancement Through Technology. Back in the mid-1970s, for example, Audi was one of the first automakers to promote the safety … Continue reading
BEV LOVE OR BEV MEH?
WITH GASOLINE AS cheap as it is, battery electric vehicles in the U.S. aren’t exactly selling like hotcakes–or full-size pickup trucks either. Yet, automakers are covering their electric bets in … Continue reading
54.5 OR WHAT?
PITY THE HARD-WORKING automotive engineer. Or, should we decry the shortsightedness of people buying new vehicles? Or what about blaming government regulation for the current and approaching conundrums? Since 2012, … Continue reading
RIFFS FROM BECK AND LUTZ
JEFF BECK, rock guitarist of Yardbirds fame, and Bob Lutz, auto executive extraordinaire, have more in common than I might have thought. Both are elder statesmen: Beck, 72; Lutz, 84. … Continue reading
REDI- (SET) GO
WIFE DOTTIE ONCE said of a car that was cheap in all ways, “No one should have to take poverty this seriously.” On the other hand, if one’s family of … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 