President Biden has backed substantial subsidies for electric vehicles, including vehicles made by unionized employees, but those measures have languished in the Senate and their prospects are uncertain. In the meantime, much of the job growth tied to electric vehicles has occurred at nonunion facilities owned by newer automakers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid, or… Continue reading Ford Plans 6,000 New Union Jobs in Three Midwestern States
Author: New York Times Online News
Judge John Hodgman on Driving Stick
Sarah writes: My husband and I will be traveling to Portugal in a month with our two kids. Renting an automatic-transmission car costs nearly two times the price of a manual! My husband thinks I should learn to drive stick. But is it worth the stress? (Note: My husband is blind, so he can’t do… Continue reading Judge John Hodgman on Driving Stick
G.M.’s Profits Fell 3% in the First Quarter
General Motors said on Tuesday that its profits dipped in the first three months of the year. But the company said it expected to grow rapidly as it started selling a wider range of electric cars and trucks. Although it has sold only a small number of electric vehicles this year, G.M. has several new… Continue reading G.M.’s Profits Fell 3% in the First Quarter
Stellantis and Samsung to Spend $2.5 Billion on an EV Battery Plant in Indiana
Stellantis — the company that owns Jeep and Ram — and Samsung plan to spend $2.5 billion to build a battery factory in Kokomo, Ind., that is expected to create 1,400 jobs. The joint venture is expected to start production by 2025 and is intended to supply battery packs for Jeeps, Ram trucks and other… Continue reading Stellantis and Samsung to Spend $2.5 Billion on an EV Battery Plant in Indiana
Interested in Solar Panels? Here Is Some Advice.
Thanks to technological and manufacturing advances, costs for solar panels have tumbled in the last decade, making solar energy more popular for homeowners. But figuring out how to add a solar energy system to your roof can be daunting. Workers installed a solar and battery system this winter at my home in a New York… Continue reading Interested in Solar Panels? Here Is Some Advice.
A Woman Alone in Oman: Three Weeks Along the Arabian Coast
I could barely tell where the salt ended and the sky began. I was on my way to Masirah, Oman’s largest island, when the surrounding terrain turned into a massive salt flat. At its edge, near the road, two Bangladeshi workers were up to their ankles in the mixture of liquid and minerals, pushing the… Continue reading A Woman Alone in Oman: Three Weeks Along the Arabian Coast
Judge Reduces $137 Million Penalty Against Tesla in Racism Case
A federal judge has significantly reduced a $137 million damages award against Tesla in a lawsuit by a worker who said he had encountered racism on the job in the electric-car maker’s assembly plant. The jury’s award, delivered in October, was pared to $15 million on Wednesday by Judge William H. Orrick of the U.S.… Continue reading Judge Reduces $137 Million Penalty Against Tesla in Racism Case
Ford and Stellantis say car sales fell at the start of the year.
Ford Motor said on Monday that its new-vehicle sales in the United States fell 17 percent in the first three months of the year, in line with other automakers that are struggling to keep their factories running amid a global shortage of computer chips. Ford said it had sold 429,174 cars and light trucks in… Continue reading Ford and Stellantis say car sales fell at the start of the year.
Tesla, Unlike Other Carmakers, Reports Big Sales Increase
Tesla, the world’s leading electric car company, on Saturday reported a steep increase in worldwide sales in the first three months of the year as it overcame supply chain problems and moved closer to production levels on a par with established luxury carmakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Tesla said it delivered 310,000 vehicles from January… Continue reading Tesla, Unlike Other Carmakers, Reports Big Sales Increase
Biden Invokes Defense Production Act to Boost Critical Mineral Supply
The United States imported more than half its supply of at least 46 minerals in 2020, and all of its supply of 17 of them, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Many of the materials come from China, which leads the world in lithium ion battery manufacturing and has been known to shut off exports… Continue reading Biden Invokes Defense Production Act to Boost Critical Mineral Supply