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Volvo and Other Automakers Scale Back Electric Vehicle Ambitions Amid Profitability Concerns

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Volvo made headlines as the first car manufacturer to pledge an all-electric lineup by 2030, a bold move signaling a shift towards a more sustainable automotive future. However, like many of its industry peers, Volvo is now reevaluating that plan. Chief Commercial Officer Bjorn Annwall recently admitted that the company needs to “adjust to reality,” as fully electric vehicles (EVs) must also be profitable. This statement highlights the growing tension between environmental goals and financial sustainability.

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GM reveals Ultra Cruise ‘hands-free’ system that covers ‘95 percent’ of driving scenarios

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, General Motors has unveiled its next-generation ‘hands-free’ driver-assist technology, Ultra Cruise. Ultra Cruise can be used in 95 percent of driving scenarios. A light bar will communicate to the driver when they need to take control. Ultra Cruise will be available in a handful of premium vehicles in 2023. GM’s driver-assist systems have been praised as safer and more capable than Tesla’s Autopilot thanks to its camera-based driver monitoring system that ensures drivers keep their eyes on the road. Ultra Cruise is a Level 2 system, which means that a human is required to be ready to take control in the driver’s seat at any time.

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Trump Administration Closing Gap on Ventilators

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MIT Researchers Publish Design for $100 Ventilator

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , hospitals across the United States, and around the world, face the prospect of a shortage of life-saving ventilators in the coming days or weeks, if they are not already affected. The US government recently invoked the Defense Production Act in an effort to speed production and delivery of ventilator units by General Motors, but a number of other companies and organizations are actively pursuing alternative sources and products to mitigate the shortfall. Elon Musk announced yesterday that his company Tesla purchased 1,200 surplus ventilators from China, which will be distributed free of charge to hospitals in need. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revived a project from several years ago to develop a makeshift ventilator using “ambu” resuscitation bags, widely available at hospitals around the world. The team intends to share its design instructions free of charge, which will allow others to construct their own unit, using US$400-500 in supplies. The units are not currently FDA-approved, but the team hopes to obtain approval in the future. Employees at 2 General Electric facilities in Massachusetts reportedly staged protests to demand that they be able to manufacture ventilators. The facilities, originally designed to produce aircraft jet engines, are currently sitting idle, and the workers want those facilities to be converted to manufacture ventilators. The protests follow an announcement by GE that it will lay off 10% of its “domestic aviation workforce” as well as “temporary” layoffs for maintenance personnel in an attempt to save the company money. Additionally, several other companies announced that they would begin producing a “simplified version of GE Healthcare’s” ventilators.

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