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January 15, 2022

BMW, ZF supplier aims to convert diesels into hydrogen-fueled powerplants

Why socially?

The automotive market, particularly in Europe, has created substantial investments in diesel technologies, ranging from the engines to the injection and manage methods and far more. All these investments – and most of the careers connected to diesels – are at chance of extinction if we will go to battery-electrical power only.

What are the greatest technological challenges in changing a diesel to melt away hydrogen?

Hydrogen burns 7 moments speedier than diesel, so you will need to reduce the temperature in the combustion chamber. Water injection is a confirmed technological innovation to do this, but a unfavorable aspect effect is that this creates corrosion. Lubrication is a different opportunity issue for an engine that tends to be extremely dry, so spray lubrication is the only alternative. The motor alone only needs minor variations to the cylinder head. The injection and command techniques also need to have to be reworked to manage hydrogen.

Is it much more challenging to convert a gasoline engine into a hydrogen-burning powertrain?

Not actually. The principal concern is toughness. Modern diesels are built to very last for 350,000 km whilst gasoline engines built to last for about 250,000 km.

Punch Team ideas to begin creating hydrogen-fueled engines by 2024. What will be in the portfolio?

We are doing work on CO2-absolutely free options ranging in power from 80 kilowatt hrs to 400 kWh (109 to 544 hp). At the major of the range, we are presently screening an evolution of the GM Duramax 6.6-liter V-8. (This unit was built by the Turin middle under GM. Punch has the legal rights to sell the hydrogen-powered variant of the engine around the globe, though the diesel edition can be sold everywhere you go except the U.S.) Then we are functioning on a 500 cc combustion chamber that can accommodate numerous displacements, from a 3.-liter V-6 to a 2.-liter I-4. We also have the potential to make a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder, but it is not on our near-phrase options.

Hunting at Punch Group’s historical past, are you already targeting any likely diesel motor factories to include?

I can not say nearly anything distinct, but you can quickly visualize there will shortly be lots of “widow” diesel engine plants all over Europe.

Why do you expect a major down unfold of hydrogen-driven engines?

Mainly due to the fact of the limitation of the recharging infrastructure. By 2023-24, Europe need to start to have in place a major variety of hydrogen stations on major highways. (The EU Eco-friendly Deal proposes there must be hydrogen refueling stations each individual 150 km on Trans-European Transport Network corridors by 2030.) That will be more than enough for heavy trucks. Mild industrial motor vehicles up to the sizing of a Ford Transit will follow.

And what about passenger automobiles?

Here the problem is additional on the package deal than on the engineering. A motor vehicle demands a tank capable of storing about 4 kg of hydrogen. Whilst the weight of the tank is a portion of a battery pack – about 50 kg vs . a number of hundred kilograms for the batteries – the tank demands a space of roughly 100 liters. This is a important packaging problem if you want to residence the tank in the trunk of a sedan. It’s even far more problematic with hatchbacks. For passenger cars and trucks, we assume the a lot more promising resolution is an electrified flywheel, which we contact a Flybrid.

What is a Flybrid?

It is a mechanical flywheel that operates at speeds up to 42,000 rpm and offers kinetic electricity recuperated though braking again to the wheels. The kinetic power is used to minimize the motor load at get started and when accelerating. We have a next application where a generator is related to the flywheel to demand a small battery. Below the saved power is given again to the car or truck employing a motor inserted in the transmission, equivalent to what comes about with entire hybrids. We have been tests this remedy in some taxis in London, exactly where we have seen gas consumption savings of about 34 percent. We have also examined the Flybrid on a Jaguar XF diesel, offering a 22 percent reduction in gasoline intake.

January 14, 2022

Honda exec: High auto prices may drop, but not dramatically

Honda expects its factories to make more motor vehicles this year irrespective of a laptop chip shortage and provide chain troubles

January 13, 2022, 4:10 PM

2 min study

DETROIT — Honda expects its factories to make more automobiles this 12 months regardless of a laptop or computer chip scarcity and source chain problems. But since it really is starting up the year with so several cars at dealers, the corporation expects U.S. revenue to slide underneath final year’s figures.

The company expects U.S. new motor vehicle costs to relieve a bit from the history of a lot more than $46,000 in December as automakers raise production, but Govt Vice President of Countrywide Operations Dave Gardner explained prices will not fall to wherever they had been ahead of the pandemic.

A shortage of new autos brought on by the world chip lack has forced Honda and other automakers to reduce manufacturing unit production at a time when demand is potent. That has crimped the provide of new vehicles, in some cases driving price ranges greater than the window sticker.

Honda, with its Acura luxurious brand name, expects to provide somewhere all around 1.4 million automobiles in the U.S. this 12 months, which would be brief of previous year’s 1.47 million. Last 12 months, the automaker began with 300,000 motor vehicles in its U.S. stock. These days it has only about 20,000, Gardner stated.

“I assume we are expecting that we’re going to be able to construct much more than we had been final 12 months, but the pipeline has been emptied to this kind of a diploma,” he instructed reporters Wednesday.

Edmunds Govt Analyst Jessica Caldwell states Honda’s scenario is standard of the rest of the U.S. market. She expects output boosts, but claims automakers have 75{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} much less vehicles on dealer a lot than in a usual 12 months. And numerous of those people presently have been marketed.

As a final result, folks at this time are having to pay an normal of $700 in excess of the sticker value for an average of $46,426. “I think that overage that we’re seeing is in all probability likely to appear down,” she explained.

Gardner stated Honda carries on to see shortages of chips, and that ports are continue to clogged, slowing the move of parts to the level that Honda has at instances had to pay out additional for air freight shipments. The omicron variant of the novel coronavirus also is starting off to hit factory personnel, impacting manufacturing, he claimed.

Honda also declared Wednesday that it will roll out an all-new HR-V subcompact SUV this 12 months, adopted by an all-new CR-V compact SUV, and a new Pilot greater SUV.

January 13, 2022

Cango Haoche’s Display Function Drives Auto Sales

SHANGHAI, Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) (“Cango” or the “Firm”), a major automotive transaction company platform in China, currently announced that “Cango Haoche,” its B2B WeChat mini system delivering auto dealers with a person-stop transaction, logistics, finance, and insurance coverage companies, is getting traction with dealers and driving profits thanks to its new automobile screen functionality. Cango Haoche is the cornerstone of Cango’s automobile trading transaction organization, an vital expansion engine for the Company as it evolves into a in depth automotive transaction company platform.

Cango Haoche’s new auto display screen services gives sellers a broad wide variety of display automobiles at very low selling prices with totally free delivery to support them improve product sales quantity, enhance effectiveness and improved entice and keep customers. Due to the fact the new function’s start, Cango Haoche has obtained programs from a whole of 350 dealers, virtually 100 of which are by now displaying their automobiles on the platform. As of currently, Cango Haoche has a overall of 6,000-moreover dealer partners covering 283 metropolitan areas in 31 provinces, featuring 74 self-operated car or truck styles from 12 manufacturers and 27 car or truck series. Cango Haoche has amassed around 2 million clicks since its debut in May 2021, and the proportion of energetic car or truck sellers has arrived at 20{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, noticeably boosting Cango’s reputation as an automotive buying and selling transaction companies platform.

Mr. Qin from Kunming Yunchejie Auto Gross sales Companies Co., Ltd., Cango’s long-time vendor partner, is 1 of Cango Haoche’s initial registered end users. He routinely utilizes Cango Haoche’s car or truck look for and screen functions to gain useful current market insights and diversify his vehicle shows.

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, customer visits to Mr. Qin’s offline automobile display screen rooms dwindled due to lessened local demand from customers. Simply because offline interaction was no more time possible, final April Mr. Qin commenced endeavours to connect people to his offline suppliers making use of on the internet instruments.

Mr. Qin introduced limited-type video and reside streaming in his on line interactions with purchasers, but soon realized that display motor vehicles from a solitary brand were not enough to fulfill his audience’s numerous requires. He gathered opinions from his reside streaming viewers about brand names and types of curiosity and tried to exhibit them one by one particular. Nevertheless, he was plagued by a string of difficulties, these kinds of as confined facts sources, enormous financial investment requirements and sophisticated methods.

Cango Haoche’s new auto exhibit perform was the excellent remedy for Mr. Qin. He merely submitted an software for show autos online, which was promptly processed by Cango’s professionals online and offline. The exhibit vehicles he requested have been immediately shipped to his retailers inside of two days.

Mr. Qin was impressed by the performance of the assistance. “Reduced rate is just one portion of the equation,” he stated. “Cango Haoche’s platform gives these types of a wide array of motor vehicle types that I can simply obtain people I want to fulfill community car or truck buyers’ needs at the proper selling price and have them shipped right to my merchants. It’s an extremely economical and hassle-free support.”

As of the finish of the 3rd quarter, we experienced cooperated with infrastructure assistance suppliers to set up a complete of 108 warehouses masking 89 metropolitan areas across the region, which considerably shortens Cango’s logistics radius in lower-tier marketplaces. Cango’s standardized back again-close perform product also permits an effective evaluate approach, facilitating quickly delivery of display screen versions.

Mr. Qin has acquired out two exhibit cars given that his adoption of the display screen functionality and renewed his car or truck displays a few moments. He has seasoned considerable performance advancements in buyer retention from his are living streaming classes, a wider variety of personal facts left by opportunity prospects and a noteworthy boost in the number of orders put. Mr. Qin’s story is not unique – Cango has gained overwhelmingly optimistic vendor responses on Cango Haoche’s car or truck display purpose and expects the feature’s level of popularity to continue to boost supplier adoption and stickiness.

Cango has been devoted to the lower-tier automotive marketplace for more than a 10 years. Its expansive channel community features nationwide protection and deep roots in decreased-tier marketplaces, benefiting a total of 50,000 medium- and smaller-sized dealers. Cango Haoche is a essential device for helping reduced-tier market place sellers stand out from the competitiveness. By forging a link in between data, trading, logistics, finance and insurance coverage, Cango Haoche drives sales and elevates dealers’ efficiency and support high quality, empowering them to establish an fantastic brand name name.

About Cango Inc.

Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) is a leading automotive transaction service system in China connecting dealers, economical institutions, car or truck customers, and other business members. Established in 2010 by a group of pioneers in China’s automotive finance marketplace, the Company is headquartered in Shanghai and engages vehicle purchasers as a result of a nationwide supplier network. The Firm’s companies largely consist of automotive funding facilitation, car or truck investing transactions, and just after-sector providers facilitation. By making use of its competitive advantages in know-how, data insights, and cloud-based infrastructure, Cango is equipped to connect its platform members though bringing them a premium user expertise. Cango’s platform product puts it in a one of a kind placement to insert value for its system participants and business companions as the automotive and mobility markets in China continue to mature and evolve. For more information, please take a look at: www.cangoonline.com.

Media Call:

Juliet Ye
Cango Inc.
Tel: +86 21 3183 5088 ext.5581
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cango_Group

Source Cango Inc.

January 12, 2022

U.S. Attorney Announces The Arrest Of 13 Individuals For $100 Million Healthcare Fraud, Money Laundering, And Bribery Scheme | USAO-SDNY

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Miriam E. Rocah, the Westchester County District Attorney, Kevin P. Bruen, Superintendent of the New York State Police (“NYSP”), and Keechant Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of two indictments charging 13 individuals – including an NYPD police officer, licensed physicians, an attorney, and others – in connection with a $100 million automobile insurance fraud scheme.

Of the 13 defendants, eight are charged in an indictment detailing conspiracies to commit healthcare fraud, money laundering, bribery, and obstruction, making false statements to federal authorities, and aggravated identity theft. The charges are set forth in United States v. Alexander Gulkarov, et al., 22 Cr. 20 (the “Gulkarov Indictment”), which has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Failla. Five additional defendants are separately charged in United States v. Bradley Pierre, et al., 22 Cr. 19 (the “Pierre Indictment”), which has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Torres.

Of those defendants, ten were arrested this morning in New York and New Jersey and are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Barbara Moses in Manhattan federal court later today. An eleventh defendant, Alexander Gulkarov, was arrested in Miami, Florida, and is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Florida later today.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The thirteen defendants charged in today’s indictments are alleged to have collectively perpetrated one of the largest no-fault insurance frauds in history. In carrying out their massive scheme, among other methods, they allegedly bribed 911 operators, hospital employees, and others for confidential motor vehicle accident victim information. With this information, they then endangered victims by subjecting them to unnecessary and often painful medical procedures, in order to fraudulently overbill insurance companies. Schemes exploiting no-fault insurance laws – which ironically exist to make insurance more affordable – also result in higher costs, and unfairly burden all consumers in the auto insurance market.”

FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “No-fault accident schemes, like the one alleged today, can cost insurance companies millions of dollars in payouts to doctors and clinics who provide phony or unnecessary services to unwitting accident victims. This cost is almost always passed to consumers of private insurance or subsidized programs established to help those in need. This is a dangerous game in which the penalties include federal criminal charges.”

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said: “This case is a perfect example of federal, state and local law enforcement working in partnership to investigate and take down two criminal organizations that allegedly defrauded insurance companies and exploited vulnerable individuals by subjecting them to unnecessary, harmful, and sometimes painful, medical treatments for the sake of greed and profit. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who manipulate the insurance system on which so many people depend, especially when the alleged perpetrators are professionals who allegedly violated the oaths they took to serve and protect.”

State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said: “These indictments are the result of years of investigative work and could not have succeeded without the collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement. Our investigation uncovered a large-scale, complex scheme that resulted in millions of dollars of fraudulent insurance claims. This type of fraud impacts the entire system and results in higher costs for companies and policyholders. I commend our members and our law enforcement partners for their work on this case, and we are sending a clear message that we will not tolerate fraud on any level.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said: “Today’s indictments reflect schemes to profit by exploiting victims’ through fraud. I commend the NYPD detectives, FBI agents and prosecutors of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for their long-term efforts and cooperation in this investigation into alleged healthcare fraud, money laundering and bribery. Together, we will continue to be relentless in fighting crime that impacts the people we serve wherever, and however, it occurs.”

According to allegations contained in the Indictments[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

Background of the Investigation

Since 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office have been investigating several criminal organizations involved in a widespread healthcare fraud and bribery scheme that utilized the New York and New Jersey no-fault automobile insurance regime to earn millions of dollars in illegal profits.

New York and New Jersey no-fault insurance laws require a driver’s automobile insurance company to pay automobile insurance claims automatically for certain types of motor vehicle accidents, provided that the claim is legitimate, and is below a particular monetary threshold (the “No-Fault Laws”). Pursuant to these requirements, insurance companies will often pay medical service providers directly for the treatment they provide to automobile accident victims, without the need to bill the victims themselves. This process resolves automobile claims without apportioning blame or fault for the accident, thereby avoiding protracted disputes, and the costs associated with an extended investigation of the accident.

The Gulkarov Indictment

The Gulkarov Indictment charges eight individuals (the “Gulkarov Conspirators”) with participating in a scheme to exploit the No-Fault Laws. As part of the scheme, the Gulkarov Conspirators fraudulently owned and controlled more than a dozen medical professional corporations – including medical, acupuncture, and chiropractic practices – by paying licensed medical professionals to use their licenses to incorporate the professional corporations (collectively, the “Gulkarov Clinics”). The Gulkarov Conspirators further defrauded automobile insurance companies by billing insurance companies for unnecessary, harmful, and excessive medical treatments and lying under oath to insurance company representatives.

The Gulkarov Conspirators promoted the scheme through bribery. The Gulkarov Conspirators paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to co-conspirators (the “Runners”), who used this money to bribe 911 operators, hospital employees, and others for confidential motor vehicle accident victim information. The Runners then used this information to contact automobile accident victims, lie to them, and induce them to seek medical treatment at, among other places, the Gulkarov Clinics.

The Gulkarov Conspirators laundered the proceeds of the fraud scheme through law firms, check-cashing entities, and shell companies, and used the money to pay for luxury cars, watches, and vacations. Then, when certain members of the conspiracy learned that they were under federal criminal investigation, they obstructed justice by fabricating documents, lying to law enforcement, and committing perjury before a federal grand jury.

As alleged, the leaders of the Gulkarov Conspirators are non-physicians, including ALEXANDER GULKAROV, a/k/a “Little Alex,” ROMAN ISRAILOV, a/k/a “Roman Matatov,” PETER KHAIMOV, a/k/a “Peter Khaim,” and ANTHONY DIPIETRO. ROLANDO CHUMACEIRO, a/k/a “Chuma,” and MARCELO QUIROGA are licensed medical practitioners who incorporated medical practices as part of the scheme, prescribed unnecessary and excessive medical treatments, and overbilled insurance companies under the No-Fault Laws.

The Gulkarov Indictment also includes charges against an attorney, ROBERT WISNICKI, Esq., who is the founding partner of two New York-based law firms. As alleged, WISNICKI laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars of illicit proceeds for the leaders of the Gulkarov Conspiracy and concealed these transfers by fabricating retainer agreements, lying to law enforcement, and committing perjury before a federal grand jury.

Finally, the Gulkarov Indictment includes a charge against an NYPD police officer, ALBERT ARONOV. As alleged, as part of the scheme, ARONOV logged into NYPD computers during off-hours and searched for confidential motor vehicle accident reports on the NYPD’s servers. ARONOV then took photos of the reports using a pre-paid “burner” phone and transmitted the photos to the leaders of the Gulkarov Conspiracy using an encrypted messaging application. The leaders then used the confidential information contained in these reports to contact the motor vehicle accident victims, lie to them, and steer them to the Gulkarov Clinics for medical treatment. When later questioned by federal agents, ARONOV lied about his involvement in accessing and disseminating the confidential motor vehicle accident reports.

All told, the Gulkarov Conspirators billed insurance companies for more than $30 million in fraudulent medical treatments.

The Pierre Indictment

The Pierre Indictment separately charges five additional individuals (the “Pierre Conspirators”) with participating in a second criminal scheme to exploit the No-Fault Laws. The Pierre Conspirators fraudulently owned and controlled five medical services corporations – including medical clinics and a magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) center – by paying licensed medical professionals to use their licenses to incorporate the professional corporations (collectively, the “Pierre Clinics”). The Pierre Conspirators further defrauded automobile insurance companies by billing insurance companies for unnecessary, harmful, and excessive medical treatments, falsifying clinical injuries in reports, and lying under oath to insurance company representatives.

The Pierre Conspirators promoted the scheme through bribery. Like the Gulkarov Conspirators, the Pierre Conspirators also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Runners, who used this money to pay bribes for confidential motor vehicle accident victim information. The Runners then used this information to induce victims to seek medical treatment at, among other places, the Pierre Clinics.

The Pierre Conspirators laundered the proceeds of the fraud scheme through phony loan arrangements and shell companies.

As alleged, the leader of the Pierre Conspiracy is BRADLEY PIERRE, who is not a physician. PIERRE conducted much of the No-Fault Scheme from his physical office located in a law firm owned by a family member (“Law Firm-2”), where, among other things, he monitored the Pierre Clinics using closed circuit TV cameras, communicated with co-conspirators using Law Firm-2’s email domain, and met with doctors in Law Firm-2’s offices. PIERRE further openly communicated with Law Firm-2 about the scheme, for instance telling his family member, “I’m going to make sure you ALWAYS make your quota.” Law Firm-2 paid PIERRE over $4 million in connection with the No-Fault Scheme – typically from Law Firm-2’s Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (“IOLA Accounts”) – while maintaining no documentation or ledgers identifying the purpose of these payments.

The Pierre Indictment further charges two licensed medical practitioners with participating in the scheme. MARVIN MOY is a medical doctor who incorporated a medical practice as part of the scheme and agreed with PIERRE to conduct unnecessary and painful electrodiagnostic testing on patients. WILLIAM WEINER is a doctor of osteopathic medicine who incorporated a medical imaging facility as part of the scheme and agreed with PIERRE to falsify findings of clinical injuries in MRIs in order to boost patient referrals.

Finally, the Pierre Indictment charges two individuals for conspiring with PIERRE to pay bribes in order to facilitate the scheme. ARTHUR BOGORAZ is a paralegal and manager at a New York-based personal injury law firm (“Law Firm-1”). Among other things, BOGORAZ and PIERRE agreed to jointly pay bribes for patient and client referrals to the Pierre Clinics and Law Firm-1. ANDREW PRIME is a Runner who bribed 911 operators and operated an additional call center as part of the scheme.

All told, the Pierre Conspirators billed insurance companies for more than $70 million in fraudulent medical treatments.

* * *

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the work of the FBI, the New York State Police, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Department of Financial Services, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Mr. Williams noted that the investigation is ongoing.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, and the White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Mathew Andrews and Louis A. Pellegrino are in charge of the prosecution.

22-007 ###

Gulkarov Indictment

Defendant	Age	Hometown	Charges (Potential Maximum Term of Imprisonment)
ALEXANDER GULKAROV, a/k/a “Little Alex”			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy, obstruction conspiracy, aggravated identity theft (42 years)
ROMAN ISRAILOV			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy, aggravated identity theft (37 years)
PETER KHAIMOV, a/k/a “Peter Khaim”			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy, aggravated identity theft (37 years)
ANTHONY DIPIETRO			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy; obstruction conspiracy (40 years)
ROLANDO CHUMACEIRO, a/k/a “Chuma”			Healthcare fraud conspiracy (10 years)
MARCELO QUIROGA			Healthcare fraud conspiracy (10 years)
ROBERT WISNICKI			Money laundering conspiracy, obstruction conspiracy (25 years)
ALBERT ARONOV			False statements (5 years)

Pierre Indictment

BRADLEY PIERRE			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy, aggravated identity theft (37 years)
MARVIN MOY			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy (30 years)
WILLIAM WEINER			Healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy (30 years)
ARTHUR BOGORAZ			Travel Act Conspiracy (5 years)
ANDREW PRIME			Travel Act Conspiracy (5 years)

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the descriptions of the Indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

January 11, 2022

Tesla’s top Black executive steps down as head of HR

Tesla Inc.’s head of human means and a single of its highest-ranking Black leaders, Valerie Capers Workman, is departing for a new task, leaving the corporation without having a key defender soon after various racism controversies in current a long time.

Workman is signing up for job-network organization Handshake future week as main authorized officer, she verified in an email. Her LinkedIn profile displays that her position as Tesla’s vice president of persons concludes this month.

Workman has been a well known voice from inside of the corporation on concerns of race and has also played a crucial role primary Tesla’s response to Covid-19 dangers. The departure is amongst the most substantial modifications at the top in modern months. Tesla struggled with a raft of govt departures in 2018, but the turnover has largely settled down as the company’s inventory has soared.

Tesla’s shares climbed 50 percent final 12 months, including to a 743 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} surge in 2020. The organization, which tends not to disclose significantly about its executive moves, did not reply to ask for for more aspects.

“I am proud of all that I was able to attain at Tesla with the aid of definitely superb colleagues, specially the Men and women and Lawful teams,” Workman explained in an email. Citing her substantial college practical experience in keep track of and field in which she necessary to “pass off the baton in a much better spot than when I received it,” Workman wrote that she was “confident that I have accomplished this at Tesla with the implementation of so many important plans for employees around the globe.”

Workman, an attorney who begun in Tesla’s legal department in 2018, was elevated to the vice president of individuals position in July 2020 and described right to CEO Elon Musk. Through her tenure, Tesla battled discrimination lawsuits, navigated pandemic surges, released its to start with Diversity, Fairness and Inclusion report, and advised staff members that they could use one of their paid out time off times to celebrate Juneteenth.

Workman is highlighted in the firm DEI report as an example of an individual who rose quickly by means of the ranks, transferring from affiliate basic counsel to the head of human assets for several locations and in the long run her most-new govt purpose.

“My promotions are illustrative of just one of the issues I adore most about Tesla here you are never ever typecast into performing just one particular matter,” Workman mentioned in the December 2020 report.

Black and African-American employees characterize 10 p.c of Tesla’s U.S. workforce, but just 4 per cent of professionals at the stage of director and over, according to the report.

In latest a long time, Tesla has faced a number of substantial-profile lawsuits in excess of its procedure of Black staff members and subcontracted staff at the company’s vehicle plant in Fremont, Calif. In October, a former contract worker at the factory was awarded $137 million in damages right after a jury discovered that Tesla dismissed racial taunts and offensive graffiti. Tesla is attractive.

In an inside e mail that Tesla printed as a web site write-up the night of the verdict, Workman wrote that she “heard the testimony of every single witness” and attended each individual working day of the trial, sitting down at the defense desk for Tesla. “The Tesla of 2015 and 2016 (when Mr. Diaz worked in the Fremont manufacturing unit) is not the similar as the Tesla of today,” wrote Workman in the put up.

Workman drew on her practical experience as a Black female in the U.S. when reflecting on the May perhaps 2020 murder of George Floyd.

“When I was coming into operate all through Shelter In Place, I clipped my do the job badge to my seatbelt so I would not have to reach for it in scenario I was pulled around and had to describe why I was on the street,” she wrote in a information to staff members at the time. “Fearing for the lives of my husband and sons is a consistent nagging undercurrent that I suppress so that I can go about my day.”

‘Why variety matters’

Workman’s message explained actions she had taken like asking the company’s gains workforce to offer an overview of mental well being methods and reminding its protection head “to guarantee that stability groups are aware of their job to help employees and recognize the stresses they are working with.” She extra, “This is just one of the factors why diversity issues.”

Tesla’s 2020 DEI report also noted that Workman led the groups that developed Tesla’s “employee-focused programs” responding to Covid-19.

A couple months following Musk defied a area wellbeing purchase by trying to keep the Fremont manufacturing unit open, Workman defended the company’s managing of the pandemic at a conference of the city council in Austin, Texas, where Tesla has since moved its headquarters and is developing its up coming manufacturing unit.

She advised the council customers that she was there to “really convey to you the genuine tale about Tesla as opposed to the matters that you hear in the media,” in accordance to a transcript posted on the city’s internet site. “We have been way in advance of the curve, and it’s type of unfortunate that the media has not captured that.”

Tesla has normally been opaque about its executive organizational chart, preferring the emphasis to be on the company’s merchandise instead than men and women. Tesla has just three named government officers in its regulatory filings: Musk, CFO Zachary Kirkhorn and Drew Baglino, the senior vice president of powertrain and strength engineering.

January 10, 2022

Nutson’s Auto News Weekly Wrap-up

AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO – January 9, 2022; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, compile The Auto Channel’s “take” on this past week’s automotive news, condensed into easy to digest news Nuggets.

LEARN MORE: Full versions of today’s news nuggets along with thousands of pages of relevant news and opinions, information stored in a million page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel during the past 25 years. Complete information can be found by copying a bold headline and then inserting into any Site Search Box.

Nutson’s Automotive News Wrap-up – Week Ending January 8, 2022; Below are the past week’s important, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as
expertly crafted easy-to-digest news nuggets.

* General Motors has been the top-selling automaker in the United States since 1931. Toyota now holds the No. 1 spot in the U.S. market for 2021, selling 2.3 million vehicles to GM’s 2.2 million. This is largely due to the supply chain issues that crippled GM production for much of the year. But it’s more than that, as Reuters points out. GM has been diminishing itself by choice. The company largely abandoned the compact car segment, and cut production of midsize Malibu sedans to favor trucks during the worst of the chip shortage. Result: Toyota sold more than 729,000 passenger cars in the United States during 2021. GM sold about 162,000 cars. Toyota’s lead in cars overcame its deficit to GM in U.S. truck sales.

* Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia all had sales declines in December. GM slid 43{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in Q4. 2021 closed on a down note with total sales just over 15 million vehicles, up 3.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from 2020, the year the pandemic took hold in the U.S.

* Tesla global sales is evidence of the rapidly rising acceptance of electric cars, especially in China. Tesla Inc. delivered 308,600 vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter, smashing the previous record for the electric-car maker and setting a capstone on a year in which the company joined the exclusive $1 trillion market valuation club. The better-than-expected results pushed Tesla’s total sales for the year to more than 936,000, up about 87{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} over 2020’s deliveries of just under half a million vehicles.

* More than 2200 exhibitors were planning to be at CES 2022 this week. However, overall, the show got scaled down due to concerns over the Covid Omnicon variant. In the automotive space, General Motors, BMW, Stellantis and Mercedes all canceled their physical presence. Fisker, BrightDrop, and Blink Charging still were at the show. The Chevrolet Silverado EV, Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept and the 2023 BMW iX M60 were unveiled through online events during CES.

* At CES 2022, the Chrysler brand revealed the Chrysler Airflow Concept, giving a glimpse at the leading-edge drive-system technology, fully connected customer experiences and advanced mobility features, wrapped in inspiring, dynamic design, which will fuel the Chrysler brand’s future. Chrysler plans to be an all-electric producer by 2028.

* Sony revealed plans at CES to get into the auto business with a new business unit, Sony Mobility Inc. And, Sony showed another new concept vehicle: Vision-S 02. This is follows along from two years ago at CES when Sony showed a functional electric vehicle concept. The Vision-S 01 has been under testing in Europe for the past year.

* At CES 2022 a new player, the Vietnamese auto startup VinFast introduced three new battery-electric vehicles. This follows the debut of two other all-electric models at the Los Angeles Auto Show just two months ago. They expect to be selling in the U.S. later in 2022.

* Joe White writing for Reuters commented regarding CES: ‘once again the auto industry has proven you don’t need to gather hundreds of reporters in a convention hall to make news. Though it is fitting, given the huge wagers auto and tech companies are making, that the biggest U.S. auto show is now nominally taking place in Las Vegas.”

* In a new study GasBuddy forecasts the nationwide average price for gas will be $3.41 in 2022. The current price nationwide averages about $3.29. GasBuddy thinks prices could near $4 a gallon by June as drivers take to the roads for the summer. California is seen as primed for more gas price inflation in 2022. GasBuddy thinks gas prices could approach $6 a gallon in San Francisco, while hovering around $5.50 in Los Angelos and Sacramento. The average price for gas in California is currently $4.65, per data from AAA. In total, the average U.S. household may spend $2,341 next year on gas, compared to $1,977 in 2021. It would be the most spent on gas by households since 2014, according to GasBuddy.

* A new NBC sitcom “American Auto” will bring you inside the corporate headquarters of a Detroit auto maker. “American Auto,” which aired two episodes in December as a sneak peek, officially premiered this week in its regular time slot at 8 pm Tuesday. Set in Detroit, but filmed in the former Toyota headquarters building in Los Angeles, the comedy explores the day-to-day ongoings of Payne Motors, a fictional 100-year-old car company that’s struggling at a time when the future of the entire industry is up for grabs. Tune in.

* Electric pickups are hot. In September, due to huge demand for the F150 Lightning, Ford doubled its production plan from 40,000 to 80,000 trucks per year. The demand keeps growing, so Ford is doubling it again and now plans to produce 150,000 annually. Of note, nearly half of those ordering the new F150 Lightning do not own a Ford now.

* Joe White writing for Reuters points out that automakers and many Americans really like big trucks and SUVs, as sales figures and pricing data from the last couple of years prove. But keep an eye on criticism that big trucks pose an outsized safety risk, particularly to pedestrians. The Detroit Three have had a nearly decade-long vacation from significant challenges from safety advocates to the large, heavy vehicles that pay the bills. Climate concerns and rising traffic deaths could change that.

* Reuters reports Robo-semi company TuSimple said one of its trucks drove 80 miles on public highways in Arizona with no human driver on board and no human intervention. The Dec. 29 announcement appears to be a first for the nascent robo-trucking industry. Other robo-truck companies – including Gatik – are targeting 2022 to take out drivers and start scaling up automated, commercial goods delivery.

* A panel of world-renowned car designers, engineers, auto industry titans, motorsport legends, specialist journalists, broadcasters and media professionals voted for their Best Cars of the Year 2021/2022. The Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 tied for first place and were declared joint winners in this, the first-ever judging verdict from a new, revolutionary evaluation process. The 10 models voted for by those judges into this year’s Best COTY Top 10 are from 10 separate brands, based in six countries spread across the world’s Top 3 car-producing continents – Asia, Europe and North America. Vehicles will be displayed at the Best Cars of the Year stand at the British Motor Show this coming August, when the selection, evaluation, test driving and voting process for the Best Cars of the Year 2022/23 project will begin.

* Axalta, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, released its 69th annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report revealing most cars on today’s roads are white (35{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}), black (19{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}) and gray (19{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}). White vehicles have been found in the most abundance on the roads since 2011 worldwide, with Asia leading in white vehicle builds. Overall, the popularity of white hit a long-term high of 39{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in 2017. For the third year in a row, Europe is the only major region to report gray as the most popular color at 27{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}. Silver is most popular in South America as it ranks second place with 23{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} usage. Black is most found in Europe at 22{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} and continues to lead in the luxury segment. North America has the most amount of new red cars on the road at 8{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

* A good bellwether of the eventual three NACTOY “vehicles of the year” is the Detroit Free Press winners as chosen by Auto Editor and NACTOY juror Mark Phelan. The Free Press Car, Truck and SUV of the year are the Honda Civic, Ford Maverick and Ford Bronco, respectively. NACTOY winners will be announced on January 11.

* VW CEO Herbert Diess on Twitter sketched out the contours of the new design retro-microbus EV which draws on the lines of the original model. March 9 is the date set for it to be unveiled.

* American Amy Lerner is underway for her second Dakar, piloting her 1982 Porsche 911 SC through the prologue and the first stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia. She and co-pilot Sara Bossaert of Spain, joined 409 teams from around the globe taking the official start on Jan 2. It is the third time the rally has been held in KSA and the second year for the “Classic” class that is open to vehicles of the same type that have competed in any pre-2000 Dakar race. Last year saw 24 entries in the class for vintage models while there are 142 competitors this year. Hearty vehicles, experienced off-road drivers and talented navigators are required to succeed in the 14-day rally that covers more than 6,000 kilometers of terrain with a substantial amount of sand, dunes and rocky tracks. The Dakar Rally is the longest and most grueling off road competition in the world.

* The 100th anniversary of famed Route 66 will be celebrated in 2026. A new exhibition honoring one of the original highways in the United States is in the works at the Illinois State Museum. The museum has received contributions from the estate of Bob Waldmire, an artist and cartographer known for his Route 66 art pieces. Throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, Waldmire drove Route 66 and stopped win towns along the way to create and se his art. The museum is seeking items from anyone who lived, worked and travel Route 66.

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