Feds back EV charging network over 25K miles of highways : Electric vehicles are getting a boost from federal transportation officials with the establishment of 48 national EV charging corridors. It will mean that drivers of electric cars and trucks won’t have to worry about finding a charging station along 25,000 miles of highway in 35 states.
Ford deal is a huge win for BlackBerry : Investors with a penchant for investing in turnarounds will embrace the news that BlackBerry has signed a deal with Ford to provide software for auto maker’s connected cars. BlackBerry’s QNX software is already part of the entertainment system in Ford vehicles. With this latest agreement, BlackBerry is now in a position to leverage its current relationship in a deeper way to embed its technology in Ford products. This is a positive for the company after years of negative headlines.
Fuel Efficiency in the U.S. Reaches a New Record : The fuel efficiency of new U.S. vehicles hit a record high in 2015 even as more Americans bought larger trucks and SUVs instead of cars, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Wednesday.
Honda profits up on cost-cutting, lifts forecasts : Tokyo (AFP) – Japanese automaker Honda said Monday its cost-cutting efforts boosted profits even as overall revenue slumped, allowing it to upgrade annual profit forecasts in the face of a higher yen. Sales dropped on-year for the six months to September owing to the stronger Japanese currency, the company said. But an increase in global vehicle sales and savings from cost-cutting, including accounting changes to its pension programme, helped stem the impact. Tokyo-based Honda said it now expects a net profit of 415 billion yen ($3.96 billion) for the full year to March 2017, up from an earlier estimate of 390 billion yen.
