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Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Argo AI, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based automated driving company majority owned by Ford and Volkswagen has just begun its first driverless testing on public roads in Miami and Austin. This milestone comes about five and a half years after the company was founded and six months after it first began carrying members of the public in Miami Beach. The two driverless test sites are currently using modified versions of the Ford Escape hybrid. The on-road driverless operations in Florida and Texas are currently focused on using Argo’s in-house developed ride hailing app to transport employees around the two cities. This approach is similar to that used by Waymo and Cruise for the past several years in the Phoenix and San Francisco areas. Argo has also been carrying members of the public through its partnership with Lyft LYFT in Miami Beach since late December, 2021 but those rides still have safety operators on board. Argo … [Read more...] about Argo AI Begins Driverless Testing In Austin And Miami

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I ran into an old acquaintance at the 2022 ACT Expo in Long Beach last week. Terry O’Day has been involved with electric vehicles for over 25 years, and our paths have crossed, indirectly or maybe directly, here and there, over the years. O’Day is currently the Chief Operating Officer of InCharge Energy , and we talked about how InCharge fits into the fleet charging environment in 2022, how thinking through total cost of ownership convinces fleet managers and how cheap solar panels can show us a way to get more EVs to more people . But first, a bit of history . Terry O’Day : I’ve been in the EV charging business since 1996, it was my first job in my career and this is my fifth EV startup. My wife worked on the EV1 marketing and we were in the movie [2006’s Who Killed The Electric Car? ]. Sebastian Blanco : [ Disclaimer: I briefly appear in the sequel, Revenge of the Electric Car , released … [Read more...] about InCharge COO Terry O’Day: Fleet Charging EVs Is About To Get Real

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Motional, the automated driving joint-venture owned by supplier Aptiv APTV and Hyundai has finally moved into the delivery market. Beginning this week, Hyundai Ioniq 5s using Motional’s automated driving system will begin meal deliveries in Santa Monica, California on the Uber UBER Eats network. Until now, Motional and its precursor companies nuTonomy, Delphi and Aptiv have focused their efforts on carrying passengers. Aptiv began operating a robotaxi service with safety drivers on the Lyft LYFT network in Las Vegas in mid-2018 and before that both nuTonomy and Delphi have been involved in pilot first-mile/last-mile programs in Singapore. Motional also recently launched robotaxi operations with a second partner in Las Vegas, Via. This new pilot marks the first automated delivery program with Uber Eats. Interestingly, Uber Eats never partnered with Uber’s former Advanced Technology Group which was sold off to … [Read more...] about Motional Begins Automated Deliveries With Uber Eats In California

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Monthly auto loan payments are at historic highs, transaction prices continue to climb and sticker prices are losing their relevance as car shoppers' wallets are being walloped by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic including thin inventories, rising inflation and interest rates. Those conditions are dampening overall auto sales, but especially adoption of electric vehicles. It's not all bad news. Trade-ins are fetching lucrative payouts from dealers desperate for anything to sell, especially in-demand late model pickup trucks and SUVs. On the credit side, consumer load shows no sign of retreat. According to the Q1 2022 TransUnion TRU Credit Industry Insights Report released last week the average balance of new auto loans reached $28,415 in the first quarter of this year. That's a year-over-year increase of 15.2%. “This has pushed the average monthly payment of vehicle purchases (including both new and used … [Read more...] about Rising Credit Costs, Transaction Prices Slamming Auto Affordability, EV Adoption

(CNN) The US Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it is making it easier to import certain infant formulas as it works to address a nationwide shortage . The US ordinarily produces 98% of the infant formula it uses, with imported formula primarily coming from Mexico, Ireland and the Netherlands, the agency said in a statement. But because of the shortage, the FDA is outlining a process by which it "would not object to the importation of certain infant formula products intended for a foreign market," as well as the US distribution of products that were made domestically for export to other countries. "Companies seeking to take advantage of these flexibilities should submit information for the FDA to quickly evaluate whether the product can be used safely and whether it provides adequate nutrition," the agency said. "For example, labeling, information on nutritional adequacy and safety testing, and information about facility inspection history." The … [Read more...] about FDA announces it will make it easier to import some baby formulas to ease shortage

(CNN) The baby formula manufacturer at the heart of a nationwide formula recall said Monday that it has reached an agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration to enter into a consent decree, a legally binding agreement that would require the company to take certain steps in response to violations found at its Sturgis, Michigan, facility. If a court approves the agreement, the company says , it could restart the site within two weeks. It would first resume the production of its specialty metabolic formulas EleCare and Alimentum, followed by Similac and other formulas. After Abbott restarts the site, it will take six to eight weeks for the products to reach store shelves, it said. The Justice Department said Monday that it had filed the proposed consent decree in federal court. These families buy about half of infant formula nationwide. Here's how the Biden administration is trying to help them Abbott said it … [Read more...] about Abbott agrees to consent decree with FDA, could restart plant within 2 weeks, pending court approval

“Whilst Thailand is often nicknamed the ‘land of a thousand 7-elevens’, with a convenience store on just about every corner, there are very few of these in Vietnam, for now.” With the Thai Baht on a high at the moment, along with stricter enforcement of visa rules, some expats say they’ve had enough and are heading to Vietnam, or some other south east Asian country, where they might improve their personal situation. For example, an expat pensioner, on a fixed income, from a country where the Thai baht has risen against your currency, Thailand has become a more expensive option – perhaps impossible to make ends meet anymore with your old pension. The British pound, as just one currency, has gone from around 55 baht to the pound four years ago, to now around 39 baht, a big loss in value. Meanwhile the cost of living in Thailand has risen over the last decade. But Vietnam has its own challenges and, whilst being an amazing place to explore as a tourist, may not be to everyone’s … [Read more...] about So you want to move to Vietnam?

New York (CNN Business) Nestlé is rushing baby formula into the United States via airfreight in a bid to ease a nationwide shortage that is unnerving parents around the country. In a statement to CNN on Tuesday, Nestlé said it is flying in some baby formula produced outside the United States, including Gerber Good Start Extensive HA from the Netherlands and Alfamino from Switzerland. Nestlé said it prioritized those products because they serve a "critical medical purpose" as they are intended for babies with cow's milk protein allergies. The company had already been importing both of these formulas, but Nestlé said it is now expediting shipments to America. "We moved shipments up and rushed via air to help fill immediate needs," the company said in the statement. News of the decision to fly formula into the United States was first reported by Reuters . Read More Nestlé said that Gerber is a "small player" in the infant formula … [Read more...] about Nestlé is flying baby formula into America as shortage continues

They are both beautiful countries and stand out amongst their south east asian counterparts for their food, culture and scenery. But which one is your choice for travelling or living in? Here are some introductory thoughts… Influences Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the former king, King Bhumibol, was greatly loved and respected. His son, King Maha Vachiralongkorn, now maintains the customs and traditions of the Thai monarchy. His coronation was an elaborate ceremony in May 2019 celebrated by all Thais. The main religion in Thailand is Theravada Buddhism. Monks retain high status and are a big part of daily life, from festivals to daily blessings. Young Thai men become novice monks for a period – usually 1-3 weeks – to earn “merit” for their families. Thailand is a hodge podge of old culture and traditions fused with modern western influences – often at the same time. Thais celebrate everything and are reasonably tolerant to all cultures. Thai people always try … [Read more...] about Vietnam versus Thailand – which is the best for travel or living?

PETALING JAYA: The Rail Transit System (RTS) Link and the High Speed Rail (HSR) projects were among the topics discussed between Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and his Singapore counterpart S. Iswaran. Dr Wee said both of them had met ahead of the Changi Aviation Summit (CAS) 2022 in Singapore which opens today. “We spoke for 90 minutes in a hotel in Singapore, where our delegation also held bilateral talks with other government officials attending CAS 2022. “Among other matters, Mr Iswaran and I also discussed the progress of the Rail Transit System (RTS) Link, the way forward for High Speed Rail (HSR) project and Flight Information Region (FIR),” said Dr Wee in a Facebook post yesterday. He said Malaysia and Singapore had taken a major step forward when both countries agreed to reopen their borders recently. “With transportation between Malaysia and Singapore being of vital economic and social importance for our people, we have both leveraged our strong … [Read more...] about Wee and Iswaran meet ahead of summit