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Scoopful of GM News – May 4, 2009: Saturn sales; Negotiations intensify; Fiat love; Hybrid sales; Equinox MPG; Dealer lawsuits; “Buy American” in Hot water; No love for Chevy Volt; etc..

May 4, 2009 at 5:17 pm

GM Hires Adviser to Help Sell Saturn

General Motors said it is moving ahead with plans to sell its Saturn brand after receiving interest from multiple suitors.
GM Shifts Negotiations Into High Gear
General Motors is expected this week to accelerate talks with the United Auto Workers union and move toward closing about 2,600 dealerships.
GM Evaluating Offers for Saturn; Fiat Eyeing GM Europe in Addition to Chrysler
…GM said it will be reviewing expressions of interest from the potential buyers and will look to secure an agreement with a specific buyer later this year. Separately, Fiat said on Sunday that it was exploring the possibility of merging its auto business and interest in Chrysler with GM Europe to create a large automotive group with more than…from Green Car Congress 
US Hybrid Sales Down 45.5% in April
…GM and Nissan dropped 45.5% year-on-year in April to 21,735, despite full month sales for the new Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion and Milan hybrids. Total LDV sales in the US were down 34.4%. (Earlier post.) The reported sales represented a 2.65% hybrid new vehicle market share (based on Autodata’s total LDV sales figure)—the highest monthl…from Green Car Congress 
2010 Chevy Equinox expected to hit 32 mpg highway
…tests at GM are showing the Equinox hitting 32 mpg on the highway cycle. In the city, the Equinox is expected to get rated at 22 mpg. Those numbers easily top competitors like the Honda CR-V at 20/27 city/highway mpg and the Toyota RAV4 at 22/28 mpg. The Equinox should be in dealer showrooms in June. Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox[Source: Gener…from AutoblogGreen 
GM dealer downsizing could lead to barrage of lawsuits
…GM, Earnings/FinancialsRock, meet hard place. With General Motors handed a directive from the White House to be ultra-aggressive in its restructuring in order to secure more government loans, the automaker is making cuts everywhere and dealers are far from immune. As reported previously, GM‘s plan to shrink its retailers from nearly 6,300 to 3,7…from Autoblog 
At Witz’ End – Range Anxiety Q&A
…theory that GM sold its Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery patents to an oil company (Chevron? Exxon?), and then that evil oil company sued Toyota to prevent it from using NiMH batteries to keep them off the market because they might “threaten their oil business.” Jeeesh!On the first count, I LOVE the smooth, silent, seamless, torquey, petroleu…from AutoblogGreen
eBay Find of the Day: Damaged ZR1 on the cheap
…GM‘s two-day ZR1 driving school first.Gallery: eBay Find: Damaged Corvette ZR1[Source: eBay via CorvetteBlogger]eBay Find of the Day: Damaged ZR1 on the cheap originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 May 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds… from Autoblog
Dealer Association takes issue with Obama’s ‘buy American’ stance
…bankruptcy and GM‘s impending viability deadline, it’s easy to understand why President Obama made the Buy American comment. Purchasing new cars and trucks would help stimulate the economy, and buying American certainly wouldn’t hurt. But what does the old adage mean nowadays? Hit the jump to read the AIADA’s brief press release. [Image Credit: …from Autoblog
In Case Anyone Was Wondering, GM’s Still Trying To Sell Saturn [Carpocalypse]
…GM‘s still trying to sell Saturn — or kill it. Heck, they’ve even put out a press release to make sure you remember. GM to proceed with efforts to sell Saturn DETROIT – General Motors is proceeding to the next step with respect to the sale of Saturn. A number of potential buyers have surfaced and expressed interest in the Saturn brand and r…from Jalopnik 
Fiat CEO in Berlin to Buy GM-Europe, Opel [Carpocalypse]
…talks with GM to acquire GM Europe and its subsidiary, Opel. As we have posted earlier, Opel is in dire straits, needing $4 billion to survive the Carpocalypse. The German state has thus far avoided a bailout, offering instead state support for potential investors. Here is where Fiat enters the fray. The Wall Street Journal’s Stacy Meichtry repo…from Jalopnik 
Fiat considering new company to combine Chrysler and GM Europe
…GM, Opel, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, FIATApparently, Fiat’s alliance with Chrysler is only the beginning. According to a variety of reports coming out of the UK and Germany, the Italian automaker’s expansion plans aren’t limited to its 20% stake in Chrysler – Fiat is also considering acquiring General Motors’ European operations, including Opel, Vaux…from Autoblog
GTO: Pontiac’s Great One, by Darwin Holmstrom [Jalopnik Book Reviews]
…about how GM‘s 40-year downward spiral really got rolling). The story is blessedly free of hypersimplified and/or head-slappingly nostalgic nutshell descriptions of the sociopolitical climate of the 1960s- all too common in car books- and for that alone it deserves praise. We get technical details of Pontiac’s tough-but-flawed Strato-Streak engi…from Jalopnik 
WaPo: GM would be better off without Chevy Volt
…s keeping GM – or at least the spirit of GM – alive as the company falters is the Chevy Volt. Washington Post columnist Charles Lane is not one of them. The Volt is designed to give 80 percent of Americans a car that, while it costs more than a similar, non-electric model, offers a chance to dramatically reduce their gasoline consumption. To Lan…from AutoblogGreen 
Vauxhall sans Opel could reallign with GM Daewoo, Holden
…GM, Holden, Opel, VauxhallChevrolet Aveo, a.k.a Chevrolet Kalos/Daewoo Gentra/Holden Barina/Pontiac Wave – Click above for a high-res image gallery Eyebrows raised at reports that General Motors could hold on to its British subsidiary Vauxhall even if – or, more likely, when – its German counterpart Opel would leave the family. With the model r…from Autoblog 
Camaro Grilles Cracking At High Speed? [Chevy Camaro]
…something that GM can fix by adding more bracing perhaps, or a thicker nose molding. This 2010 SS was a production car, only a week old, so this concerns me. It might not be a good idea to do any high-speed runs in your new Camaro, at least until we understand the problem and how to fix it first. Nevermind the high speed runs, maybe it’d also b…from Jalopnik 
GM and Ford hybrids have a good sales month in April
…At GM, hybrid sales have been holding steady in recent months and are well ahead of April 2008. Last year, GM moved a little over 1,100 hybrid models including the two-mode trucks and the mild hybrid cars and SUVs. Last month that number stood at 1,534 units bringing the 2009 hybrid total to 5,156 vehicles. At Ford, April was the first full sale…from AutoblogGreen 

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In line with the national trend, high gas prices drive changes in California fuel consumption

May 4, 2009 at 3:08 pm

(Source & Image: LA Times)

Drivers are turning to alternative fuels and cutting consumption.
 
Dick Messer is paying a pretty good price these days to fuel his drive from Riverside to work: the equivalent of about $1.35 a gallon. But Messer, who has collected, restored and raced gasoline-powered cars for more than 50 years, isn’t commuting on gasoline anymore to his job running the Petersen Automotive Museum in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles.
Messer still owns such classic rides as a 1963 Lincoln Continental, a 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood and a Saleen Mustang. Yet the only car Messer wants to talk about is the $24,000 Honda Civic GX that runs on compressed natural gas, which he bought in February 2008 as gasoline prices rose toward a July peak above $4 a gallon.
“I can get to the museum from my home in Riverside and back on one tank easily,” driving alone in the carpool lane, Messer said. “I pay $1.35 a gallon to fill it up, and the price is capped at $1.99 a gallon. I’ll never have to pay more than that. No matter what happens to the price of gasoline.”
Messer is hardly alone in his aversion to steep gas prices. California drivers appear to believe that gasoline shouldn’t cost more than $2 a gallon, and they have been proving it for nearly three years. 

Gasoline consumption in California began falling in April 2006, and for 11 straight calendar quarters dropped below gas use in the year-earlier period even though the state added 790,000 new licensed drivers. First-quarter gasoline use hasn’t yet been released by the California State Board of Equalization, which on Thursday said Californians consumed 1.21 billion gallons of gasoline in January, down 22 million gallons, or 1.8%, from the previous January. 

Agency statistics show the pattern began between January and September 2005, when the average gas price climbed from $1.96 to $3.06. 

That was California’s first brush with $3-a-gallon gas. It lasted just two weeks in 2005, according to the Energy Department’s weekly survey of filling stations, but it was long enough to trigger behavior changes.

For all of 2005, gasoline consumption rose by just 30 million gallons to 15.95 billion gallons, according to the state equalization board, which gathers the numbers from taxes paid by fuel distributors. The pace was well off the boom years from 2000 to 2004, when gas use grew by an average of 343 million gallons a year.

“The tipping point is $2,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, senior energy analyst at Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy in Houston. “People start to respond to fuel prices and make changes at $2 a gallon. At $3 a gallon, it becomes noticeable. It really gains in momentum. The longer the price stays higher than $3, the deeper and more lasting the structural changes.”

In 2007, with gasoline prices above $3 a gallon for 34 weeks, California consumption fell 270 million gallons below 2005 levels. In 2008, with gasoline topping $4.58 a gallon in July and the depth of the nation’s economic crisis beginning to sink in, Californians used 910 million fewer gallons than they did in 2005.

Messer turned to a different fuel. Stephen Stone of Norwalk bought an all-electric Zap Xebra. Robert Cruz of Oxnard went back to a 1970 Volkswagen because it got better mileage than anything else he’s driven. Alan Thomas of Oxnard adds a few gallons of transmission fluid to his tank to cut fuel costs.

“Sometimes I just used to go out and take a drive,” Thomas said. “When was the last time you heard anyone say, ‘I’m going out for a drive’? I don’t drive any more than I have to now.”

Millions of other Americans also are parking more. A 2008 Brookings Institution report called “The Road . . . Less Traveled” found that “consistent annual growth” in vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. leveled off in 2004. By 2007, miles driven declined for the first time since 1980 and at the fastest rate since the end of World War II, said Robert Puentes, senior fellow at Brookings’ metropolitan policy program and a co-author of the report.

“Americans have simply been driving less. . . . At the same time driving has declined, transit use is at its highest level since the 1950s, and Amtrak ridership just set an annual ridership record in 2008,” Puentes wrote.

Some experts say Americans are far less likely to accept high fuel prices than their European counterparts.

In the U.S., “we have always had cheap gasoline for the most part and most Americans don’t feel like they have that much of an alternative,” said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “The higher prices go here, the more people feel like they are being taken for a ride.”

Another factor in changed driving behavior is anger, said Suzanne Shu, an assistant professor of marketing at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Price surges in other consumer items, such as milk, tend to get lost in larger grocery bills. But buying gas is often a trip of its own, and the price is “in your face, almost every block,” Shu said.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Investment Bank Declares: The World Is Running Out of Oil. Soon.

May 4, 2009 at 2:33 pm

(Source: The Infrastructurist)

emptyThe so-called peak oil debate has taken many twists and turns over the years. After long being an oddball survivalist preoccupation, the debate gathered mainstream momentum a few years ago as oil prices began a long ascent from around $30 per barrel to $147, where they topped out last summer. By the time a barrel of West Texas crude was rising eight bucks a day, scarcity seemed like the best and only explanation–that no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t pump enough oil to meet demand.  OPEC cut production, inventories rose, and it seemed like, in fact, we had plenty of oil for the foreseeable future and the whole thing had just been hedge fund shenanigans.

Maybe not, Raymond James now cautions. “We believe that the oil market has already crossed over to the downward sloping side” of all-time total production, say analysts at the financial services company. While cautioning that nobody but historians can be sure, they believe production peaked in 2007 for non-OPEC countries (Russia, Norway, Mexico, etc.) and last year for OPEC (Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran, etc.). “It is entirely intuitive to conclude that if both OPEC and non-OPEC production posted declines against the backdrop of $100/bbl oil–when the obvious economic incentive was to pump at full blast–those declines had to have come for involuntary reasons such as the inherent geological limits of oil fields.” In other words, we had a perfect environment for testing the peak oil hypothesis, and the results are in. We’ve peaked.

My reponse? Yawn. We’re all unemployed Prius drivers anyway these days. Oil is an anachronism.

The biggest immediate crisis would be in transporation, because that’s where most of our oil goes. When gas hit $4 per gallon last spring, the financial strain was hitting the breaking point for many households–particularly outer suburban households. The arrangement of many American cities started to look insane: Working class people commuting 50 miles by car each way to their jobs?

But, honestly, that’s only what stupid, short-sighted people like me say. Eventually demand will recover and/or supply will continue to fall, and we’ll get back to a place where oil costs $147 a barrel. But, if these Raymond James analysts are right, this time it will just keep going up. Then it will go up more. And so on, forever.

The answers in this scenario would have to be rapid. No 30-year development plans. Instead: find cheap and efficient ways of getting lots of people around, and find them pronto. As a start, that would mean making it much easier for people to ride bikes, take trains, and form van pools.

Peak oil has always been an eye-roller in the establishment debate. It’s not clear that Obama has ever even been *asked* about it.

Click here to read the entire article.
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WashPost’s Dr. Gridlock: Train Fight Highlights Flaw In Call-Button Setup

May 4, 2009 at 2:12 pm

(Source: Washington Post)

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I was on a packed Red Line train shortly after 6 p.m. [Monday] when a fight broke out between two passengers as the train was moving between Farragut North and Metro Center. As the two passengers fought near the forward end of the car, several passengers tried to find the emergency call button to call the train conductor.

 Apparently, the button was at the rear of the train car, but the train was so crowded it took some time for word to get to the passengers within reach of the call button. In the meantime, passengers in the center of the car, desperate to do something to get the attention of the train operator, opened the emergency box, which only has an emergency brake lever that stops the train, but no call button. A passenger pulled the lever, which stopped the train.A few moments later, the train operator, as if unaware of why the train stopped, asked passengers to stop leaning on the doors. About five tense minutes later — during which time a couple of good Samaritans kept the two combatants separated — two Metro police officers boarded the train and got it moving (after some struggle with the now-extended brake lever) to Metro Center.

No passengers were harmed, but the fact that there were no call buttons at the center of the train — where there was an emergency box — led to some unnecessary anxiety, delays as the train was stopped between stations, and may have further endangered passengers if the fight had continued while the train and passengers were trapped inside the tunnel.

— Isaiah J. Poole, Washington

Passengers can easily get confused about the purpose of the red boxes on either side of the central doors. They don’t control the brakes. Pulling the lever releases the central door so passengers can evacuate the car. Open that box only in an emergency, and on the instructions of the train operator after the train has stopped. Leaping from a moving train into a darkened tunnel is not an option.

The emergency door boxes are not a substitute for the intercoms. But on a crowded train, the intercoms are hard to get to at the ends of the cars, and sometimes — as we saw when train operators were inadvertently stopping with some rear cars still in tunnels — passengers don’t think about using them in time.

There’s a better setup on the newest cars: Call buttons and intercoms are in the middle of the cars as well as at the ends. And the boxes with the emergency door levers are colored beige, rather than red. The lettering says “Emergency Door Release.”

When the Red Line train’s lever was pulled by a rider in the fifth car on Monday, the train operator up front got an indication that there was a door problem. At the same time, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, the train’s fail-safe system was bringing it to a stop. Transit police responded to the incident, located the fighters and removed them from the train at Metro Center, Taubenkibel said. They declined to press charges against each other.

A Word of Advise from TransportGooru:

1).  Dear Fight Club Members, it is already a painful experience commuting by DC’s Metro rail during the peak hours.  And you people make it worse by getting into such silly fights without knowing that we are all terribly inconvenienced by your immature behavior.  If you really feel like duking it out, wait till you get to your stop and start jumping at each other.  

2). Dear Dr. Gridlock,  for your kind attention the suggestion to dial 9-1-1 or to use a cellphone to call out from a DC metro tunnel is “INVALID”.  The metro system didn’t realize the concept of “security” when it leased out the licenses only to Verizon, which means cellphone users with other carrers like AT&T, Sprint, etc are sitting ducks until they resurface from the tunnel to an above ground station or section of the track.  Talking about Social Equity and DC Metro makes me mad!  All damn tax payers paid for the system and how come Metro decided to lease out the lines only to the previleged Verzion customers?  This is a DUMB policy and only validates eagerness to remain out of touch and incredibly partial & discreminatory!

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After conquering the land, Google sets sight on the oceans; Envisions future of floating, blue-green data centers

May 4, 2009 at 12:56 pm

(Source: Ars Technica) & TeamSilverback)

Google has been granted its patent for a data center that floats on the ocean. Though the patent mostly describes how such a thing would work, it also addresses the use of wave and tidal power, as well as water cooling to even land-based data centers that are nearby.

The future of data centers appears to be a move from the land to the sea, with power coming from the movement of the water and cooling coming directly from the ocean. Google was granted a patent for a floating data center this week, allowing it to license out the technology to third parties if it should so choose.
Google’s application for a “Water-based data center” patent was filed in February of 2007 and published late last year. It describes “a floating platform-mounted computer data center comprising a plurality of computing units, a sea-based electrical generator in electrical connection with the plurality of computing units, and one or more sea-water cooling units for providing cooling to the plurality of computing units.” 

The majority of the patent deals with the logistics of ship-based data centers, though it also examines the use of wave power, tidal power, and seawater for providing electricity and cooling to land-based data centers that are close enough to water.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop Google from deploying a floating data center powered by conventional fuel sources, but such a vessel would be more limited by range or fuel capacity. Not only would it have to carry enough fuel to power itself, it would also have to make sure to power the systems it carries. Using a water-based generator would not only be more practical and efficient, it’s also a significantly greener solution.

Despite the patent, however, Google may not be the first company to send its data centers out to sea. A Silicon Valley startup called International Data Security (IDS) announced in January of 2008 its intent to set up a fleet of data-serving cargo ships. These ships would not only come with standard storage services, but also with amenities such as private offices, overnight accommodations, and galley services. The first ship was scheduled to set sail (or rather, hang out in San Francisco’s Pier 50) in April of 2008, but according to a blog post by IDS partner Silverback Migration Solutions, that plan got pushed to third quarter 2008 and we were unable to find any further information on the project.

The Silverback blog alos outlines a few interetsing points.  The value proposition for ship based datacenters is very similar to that of land based datacenters, with a few noteable exceptions:

–Current market demand for data center space continues to outpace
supply, and using ships as data centers can reduce time to market by as
much as 65%.

–Cap-Ex costs to bring a ship into data center operation is
approximately 2/3 that of a land-based facility.

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Haunted by bankruptcy fears, GM Shifts Negotiations Into High Gear

May 4, 2009 at 12:31 pm

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

General Motors Corp. is expected this week to accelerate talks with the United Auto Workers union and move toward closing about 2,600 dealerships.

 The giant auto maker also is likely this month to approach banks holding secured debt, hoping to work out terms to ease the company’s debt burden.

Reaching agreement on these fronts is critical if GM is to restructure outside of bankruptcy court.

The company has new leverage as it re-engages in talks, thanks to the bankruptcy filing last week by Chrysler LLC. But differences between the two auto makers mean that leverage can take GM only so far.

“The move with Chrysler signals to the GM creditors that bankruptcy is a viable option,” said Lewis Rosenbloom, a bankruptcy lawyer with Dewey & LeBoeuf. Mr. Rosenbloom’s firm does extensive work for GM and Chrysler. “The government is not just going to throw money at this without getting a consensual accord, so I think this is a harbinger of things to come.”

The Treasury Department has given GM until June to work out a restructuring plan and has indicated it may push the company into bankruptcy if the necessary deals don’t materialize.

GM’s hopes of staying out of court hinge on its ability to convince thousands of unsecured bondholders, owed $27 billion, to accept a small equity stake in the company in exchange for forgiving most of the debt. Several bondholders have said the equity exchange will fail if the terms aren’t sweetened.

GM isn’t just slimming down U.S. operations.

Last Monday, GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said the company may sell its entire stake in Opel, which is the heart of GM Europe’s operations.

Beyond shedding business units, GM has yet to ink a deal with the UAW on labor-cost reductions and retooling retiree health-care obligations. Those talks are expected to take all month. GM is offering its union a 39% stake and about $10 billion in cash in exchange for the $20 billion the company owes a UAW trust fund responsible for paying health benefits.  UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said the union will turn up the heat on GM talks after it gets squared away with the Chrysler bankruptcy.

Click here to read the entire article.
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Virgin Galactic’s Test Flight – Exclusive Video

May 4, 2009 at 12:10 pm

 Here is the Scaled Composites’ annoucement about the test:

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Fiat woos German ministers in attempt to take control of Opel

May 3, 2009 at 9:53 pm

(Source: Timesonline, UK)

Fiat last night set out its blueprint to reshape the global car industry, outlining plans to spin off a new company that will include General Motors’ European business and Chrysler.

 The Italian car manufacturer meets German ministers today to set out a plan that would bring GM’s Vauxhall, Saab and Opel into a company with Fiat’s core car marques, including Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari.

The company said last night that the possible new company, which would be floated, would have revenues of €80 billion (£71 billion) and an output of between six million and seven millon vehicles a year, which Fiat believes will give it the necessary scale to weather the crisis besetting the automotive industry. The proposed company would be the second largest car group in the world.

In Britain, unions have hinted that a Fiat takeover of Vauxhall would put at risk 5,000 jobs at Luton and in Cheshire. GM employs 300,000 workers worldwide.

GM has struggled to find a buyer for its non-core businesses as it seeks to avoid following Chrysler into bankruptcy. But Fiat faces some German opposition over its ownership of Opel, GM’s German subsidiary.

Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Fiat, will today meet the Economy Minister and the Foreign Minister of Germany. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the Economy Minister, warned that the German Government required a long-term strategy.

In an interview with a German newspaper, he said: “We will not enter into any financial adventure with taxpayer money. The concept must clearly show that Opel plants in Europe that are to be kept open will be secured over the long term.”

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has suggested the German Government could offer loan gaurantees to help safeguard jobs at Opel.

Fiat wants to acquire Opel after its eleventh-hour deal last Thursday to buy an initial 20 per cent of Chrysler. The company believes that it needs a partner to reach the scale of production necessary to weather the crisis besetting the motor industry.

Fiat’s overtures to Opel quickly follow its agreement to enter a partnership with Chrysler after it emerges from bankruptcy. Fiat will share its fuel-efficient technology in return for gaining a stake that will eventually turn into a majority holding in the company. Chrysler filed for bankruptcy after creditors refused to accept a restructuring deal.

In its desperation to avoid following Chrysler into administration, GM has been attempting to offload its unprofitable, non-core assets.

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Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter – May 1, 2009

May 3, 2009 at 7:12 pm

Friday, May 1, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

AVIATION

1) Make Reporting of Bird Strike Data Mandatory

Link to editorial in Newsday:

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpfaa0112705871apr30,0,6873146.story

CAMERAS

2) Privacy, Cameras and Roadways

Link to story on Drivers .com:

http://www.drivers.com/article/1074/

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) GPS Evidence Too Unreliable for Legal Purposes

Link to story in InformationWeek:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/gps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217201050

4) US Department of Transportation Releases Civil Monitoring Performance Document

Link to story in GPS World:

http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/System+Design+and+Test+News/Department-of-Transportation-Releases-Civil-Monito/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/596189?contextCategoryId=33831

OTHER

5) Cloud Computing Could Help Agencies Track Stimulus Funds

Link to story on Nextgov:

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090430_4418.php

6) Delaware DOT’s Diversity Coaching Backfires

Newsletter lists slurs, insults and stereotypes that shouldn’t be used in workplace.

Link to story in The News Journal:

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090501/NEWS02/905010383/1007/DelDOT+s+diversity+coaching+backfires

ROADWAYS

7) Coordinating, Planning and Managing the Effects of Roadway Construction with Technology

Link to information from US DOT:

http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2009/road_construction_tech.htm

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) South Dakota Drivers Sign Up for Sobriety Alerts

Link to story in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2009-04-30-policetexting_N.htm

Link to Act Civilized:  http://www.actcivilized.com/

TRANSIT

9) New Direction for San Diego-Area Transit System

Compass cards replacing paper passes with plastic.

Link to story in The San Diego Union-Tribune:

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/01/1m1compass213423-new-direction-transit-system/?metro&zIndex=91827

10) King County Metro Transit Develops New Tools to Keep You in the Loop

Link to story in the Auburn Reporter:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/community/44166027.html

VEHICLES

11) New Generation of Cars are ‘Mobile High-Tech Platforms’

Link to story in Engineering News:

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/auto-technology-2009-04-24

News Releases

1) Operation Lifesaver (Canada) Launches Web Site for Kids

2) South Florida Commuter Services Launches Public Transit Promotion to Feature Carpool Video on CNN

3) E-Railsafe Program Helps Union Pacific Ensure Railroad Safety and Security Awareness

Upcoming Events

ACI-NA Small Airports Conference – July 16-17 – St. Louis

http://www.aci-na.org/conferences/detail?eventId=136

Friday Bonus

Don’t expect to see these cars in the mall parking lot anytime soon.

http://www.myride.com/snacker-vehicle_category/2009_geneva_auto_show_15_hot_weird_and_wild_cars_youll_probably_never_drive-726-page1.html?id=30986

Today in Transportation History

1999 **10th anniversary** – Liberty Bell 7, the space capsule flown by Gus Grissom in 1961, was found on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9907/20/grissom.capsule.01/

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.   

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

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Running on thin air! India’s Air Bike Could be a Solution to Pollution

May 1, 2009 at 3:15 pm

A group of Indian engineering students from Ludhiana successfully build a pollution-free motorbike designed to run on air pressure rather than petrol. Video courtesy of Reuters.

 (Source: Wall Street Journal)

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