President Trump has made it known that his administration intends to oblige the auto industry’s request to roll-back longterm standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency in most new vehicles. However, some states say they will go to court to fight carmakers’ attempts to undo these guidelines. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Blind Woman “Humiliated” After American Airlines Removes Her & Guide Dog From Flight
By 3.15.17
A blind woman who says she’s never had an issue flying with her guide dog in 30 years claims she was “humiliated and traumatized” after American Airlines kicked her and her guide dog off a flight recently. [More]
White House To Rescind EPA Mileage, Greenhouse Gas Standards
By 3.15.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Following a request by auto industry lobbyists for new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to rescind the agency’s longterm fuel-economy and emissions standards, President Trump is expected to announce that his administration will indeed undo the guidance locked in during the last days of the Obama White House. [More]
Volkswagen Not Yet Saying No To Idea Of Chrysler Merger
By 3.14.17
While poor Fiat Chrysler is busy hopelessly playing the Duckie to General Motors’ Andie Walsh (What — you’re not Pretty In Pink fans? Monsters), there might be another potential prom date in FCA’s future: Volkswagen. [More]
Austin’s First SXSW Without Uber And Lyft Not Going Well
By 3.13.17
Ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft exited Austin last May, meaning hundreds of thousands of attendees at the currently running South By Southwest festival are seeking new ways to get around the Texas capital. Unfortunately, some say the companies trying to fill the Uber/Lyft void are not ready for the big time. [More]
Thousands Of Flights Cancelled Today And Tomorrow Because Of Massive Winter Storm
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If you were planning to travel to the Northeast this week, you’ll probably need to change your itinerary, as more than 1,000 flights have already been canceled in advance of a massive snowstorm.. [More]
California DMV Releases Proposed Rules For Driverless Vehicles
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
After a high-profile spat with Uber of self-driving cars that were operating in San Francisco without proper permission, the state of California has proposed new rules that would make it easier for companies to test truly autonomous cars — no one behind the wheel at all — on the state’s roads. [More]
VW Pleads Guilty To Criminal Charges In ‘Dieselgate’ Scandal
By 3.10.17
We knew it was coming, but now it’s official: Volkswagen, as part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, pleaded guilty Friday to three felony counts related to its “Dieselgate” scandal. [More]
BMW Recalls 121K SUVs Over Defect That Could Render Vehicle Useless
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Just like a pathogen can infect a tiny cut in your skin and end up wreaking real havoc on your body, if a bit of water starts getting into the wrong place on your car it could set off a chain of events that leaves you with a car that won’t move. [More]
Daylight Saving Time Costs Money And Frustration
By 3.10.17
It’s almost that time of year again. The time of year when Daylight Saving Time hits and you’re stuck changing clocks on everything from your bedroom alarm to your car to your microwave. While you’re changing those clocks, keep this in mind: Daylight Saving Time actually leads to more automobile crashes, slumping sales in stores, and reduced productivity for everyone. [More]
Lawmakers Try Yet Again To Create Minimum Seat Size Requirement On Planes
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If at first you don’t succeed, just keep proposing legislation: A group of lawmakers Thursday introduced a pair of bills that would create a seat-size standard for commercial airlines, as well as a minimum distance between rows of seats. [More]
Uber Promises To Stop Using No-Longer-Secret Tool To Avoid The Law
By 3.9.17
After being outed for using a tool, dubbed “Greyball,” to avoid being caught by police and taxi regulators in cities where it wasn’t authorized to operate, Uber has promised to put an end to the controversial practice. [More]
DMV Glitch Mistakenly Adds Inches To Thousands Of Drivers’ Heights
By 3.8.17
In what sounds like a dream come true for anyone who has ever fudged their height on an online dating profile and needs paperwork to prove that they are much taller than they seem, the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles says a mixup accidentally added extra inches of height to thousands of drivers’ licenses recently. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Still Pining Away For A Merger Marriage With GM
By 3.8.17
Fiat Chrysler’s one-sided love affair with General Motors goes back nearly two years, when CEO Sergio Marchionne declared he wanted to hug the rival carmaker so hard they just became one. Despite this, GM has resisted any notion of a merger deal, and no matter how many times GM swipes left on FCA’s Tinder profile, FCA keeps holding out hope for wedded bliss. [More]
Brooklyn Garage Offering Parking Spot For Bargain Price Of $300K
By 3.7.17
In a city where people live in teeny tiny apartments that cost thousands of dollars a month, it’s no surprise that parking in New York City can get also get expensive. But one Brooklyn garage is upping the ante on pricey perks, offering a prime parking spot for just $300,000. [More]
No, Improved Gas Mileage Doesn’t Put Car Ownership Out Of Reach For Low-Income Americans
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Automakers are currently asking the Trump administration to rescind federal fuel economy standards, claiming that these rules make cars more expensive and put car ownership out of reach for low-income Americans. However, a new report contends that the data doesn’t support this argument. [More]
Uber Used Secret Tool To Avoid Regulators & Law Enforcement Worldwide
By 3.3.17
Uber has had this habit of deploying its app and drivers cities where, strictly speaking, using Uber may not yet be legal. You’d think it would be easy for law enforcement in those cities to nab rogue Ubers: Just use the app to hail a car and arrest or cite whoever shows up. However, it looks like Uber figured out how to sidestep these snares. [More]
Mercedes Recalls 354K Vehicles Over Fire Risk
By 3.3.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: You don’t want your vehicle to catch on fire. For that reason, Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 354,000 vehicles. [More]
