Björn Eismann
Apr 15, 2020; 0:jcs.245043v1-jcs.245043
TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Autonomous vehicles (AV) took center stage at the Chair’s Luncheon of the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting today.

Traffic on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles in 2018. The Trump administration is weakening auto pollution standards, rolling back a key Obama-era policy that sought to curb climate change.; Credit: Damian Dovarganes/AP

The Trump administration has finalized its rollback of a major Obama-era climate policy, weakening auto emissions standards in a move it says will mean cheaper cars for consumers.

"By making newer, safer, and cleaner vehicles more accessible for American families, more lives will be saved and more jobs will be created," U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.

But consumer watchdog organizations, environmental groups and even the Environmental Protection Agency's own scientific advisory board have raised concerns about that rationale, saying the weakened standards will lead to dirtier air and cost consumers at the gas pump long-term.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler called the new rule a move to "correct" greenhouse gas emissions standards that were costly for automakers to comply with.

"Our final rule...strikes the right regulatory balance that protects our environment, and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry," Wheeler said in a statement.

The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule will toughen carbon dioxide emissions standards by 1.5% a year through model year 2026, compared to about 5% a year under the Obama policy.

The Trump administration originally proposed freezing the standards altogether without any increase. It modified the rule after push back from not only environmental groups but also some automakers, who worried they will be out of step in a global marketplace increasingly geared toward lower emission cars and trucks.

Still, critics say the new rule will lead to nearly a billion additional metric tons of climate warming CO2 in the atmosphere, and that consumers will end up losing money by buying about 80 billion more gallons of gas.

"This rule will lead to dirtier air at a time when our country is working around the clock to respond to a respiratory pandemic whose effects may be exacerbated by air pollution," said U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) in a statement. He's the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The Trump administration asserts the new rule will save lives because Americans will buy newer, safer vehicles. But Carper points out that its own analysis finds there would be even more premature deaths from increased air pollution.

For that reason and others, the new standards are sure to face legal challenges. In fact, even the Trump administration's own science advisers have said "there are significant weaknesses in the scientific analysis of the proposed rule."

"The rollback of the vehicle emissions standards is based on analysis that is shoddy even by the shockingly unprofessional standards of Trump-era deregulation," said Richard Revesz of the Institute for Policy Integrity and Dean Emeritus at New York University School of Law.

California and other states are also likely to file suit against the rule. They've asserted their long-standing right to set their own, stricter emissions standards, something the Trump administration has also challenged.

A worst case scenario for automakers would be different standards in different states. The new policy may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the uncertainty waiting for that would exact its own toll on an industry that must plan years ahead.

Thomas Pyle, President of the American Energy Alliance, welcomed the new standards. In a statement, he said the Obama-era mandate was "impossible to achieve without dramatically altering the automobile market or making the cost of vehicles out of reach for most American families. This new... rule will make cars more affordable for consumers at a time when they need it most."

The Trump administration has been pushing ahead with a number of environmental rollbacks, aiming to finalize them well ahead of November's election. That would make it harder for a Democratic president, if one were elected, to reverse them again.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

As 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), begins to replace conventional manufacturing, the environmental impacts of its implementation must be assessed. This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate the environmental and resource implications of using AM to manufacture the metal parts of an engine in a light distribution truck. In the LCA, the impacts of both present and possible future states of AM technology were compared with current conventional manufacturing. The results suggest that there are potential environmental and resource benefits1 to AM technologies, but that these benefits rely on the achievement of a clean energy source and further technological development.

As biscuit maker Parle continues operating with half the worker strength, a strong case for automation is emerging that may go beyond just the factory floor.

Automation failures have been the cause of such widely reported disasters as the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009, with most of the focus placed on deficiencies in the automated system. Although automation does help in avoiding human error in completing tasks, people are still needed to monitor how well the automated system is operating.

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In the country, autonomous mobility will probably mean robotic tractors rather than robotic cars, and if tractor maker Escorts has its way, they could get here sooner than thought.

Auto Contact, our range of self-service solutions, can help free up agents to handle more complex and revenue-generating calls –and at the same time improve the overall customer experience whilst reducing costs.

In the automobile industry, the development and manufacture of increasingly complex technological components — catalytic converters, LEDs, electric motors, batteries — requires increasingly complex and diverse raw materials with specific qualities. The technological and economic importance of these materials, combined with their vulnerability to supply shortages and likelihood of supply interruptions, indicates their ‘criticality’. This study uses a new methodology to explore the criticality of 27 key metals used in the automotive industry and other sectors, and highlights six that are especially vulnerable: rhodium, dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, europium and praseodymium. The researchers found there was limited recycling and substitution of these metals and a high possibility of restrictions to their supply.

Machines can protect systems in a way humans just can’t and, for that reason, advanced automation is going to be the way forward as companies look to protect their estates in a battle-ridden landscape.

Bharti Airtel is doubling down on growing its Internet of Things (IoT) business in India and is now specifically targeting the country’s auto the sector to drive growth and partnerships.

The company said it will utilise the capital to work with manufacturers to build IoT products for the consumer segment that can be plugged into its platform.

India has been recording unprecedented growth in data and this requires that service providers, like Airtel, increase the number of data centers, the telecom gear maker said.

Today I am happy to welcome Shwetha Bhadravathi Patil to talk about AUTOSAR.... read more >>

The LA Auto Show, which kicks off next week, is shaping up as very environmentally friendly this year, with a range of EV introductions and first-drive opportun

Even the big cars are fuel misers these days, as buyers with cash in their pockets cast a wary eye on $4 gas. Did GM really roll out a 35-mpg Chevrolet Impala?

The Union of Concerned Scientists has some good news: All 8 of the top automakers have cut their climate emissions.

New research supports the hypothesis that parasites could have a role in preventing certain diseases.

Which form of travel gives off the fewest emissions? Let's just say it pays to carpool.

Exciting new hybrids from Mitsubishi, Kia and Volvo are the talk of the Windy City.

The Detroit and New York auto shows may have the new car introductions, but Washington has the politicians.

In its magnificent mini-epic 10-part series, "Moving Beyond the Automobile," Streetfilms has created a handy, eye-catching primer to the most important transfor

The nine lives of an auto journalist. I was nearly a goner on several continents. Believe me, these stories weren't as amusing then as they are now.

Ford announces that its new, faster-charging plug-in hybrid Ford Fusion will get 100+ MPGe. Oh, and it's cute, too.

The North American International Auto Show is re-energized, and here are some of the high-voltage highlights.

BMW is fielding an all-new 3-Series, and with it an ActiveHybrid 3 that offers both zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds and about 37 mpg. Up a notch, there's the ActiveHy

Am I the only one who finds the interior design of cars just as compelling as the exterior?

The show opens up today for members of the media.

Despite $2 a gallon gas, automakers are still going green, and the popularity of the gas-electric range extender format is just one example.

The all-new Niro is joined by revamped versions of the Optima.

2013 new york auto show was full of news about BMW, Nissan, Mercedes and Ford.

Crossovers are in, but they're dropping weight, pushing fuel economy and adding hybrid drives.

The LA show, opening this week, features some intriguing green concept cars...headed for production. Are you ready for a compact hybrid Lexus, a 170-mpg VW and

Automakers are finally rolling out the high-tech zero-emission vehicles they've been working on for 30 years.

One way to make life a little easier is to focus first on the door of the coop. Here's how.

Although a proposed universal speed limit on Germany's national highway system could curb emissions, many politicians are quick to dismiss the idea.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look at the leaders, racers and innovators in the world of cars.

See how the machines are making work safer at one Georgia-Pacific plant in Crossett, Ark.

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