James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.
July 21st, 2017 | by James Ayre
Hyundai's semi-autonomous “Highway Driving Assist 2” (HDA2) features will be making it to the market sooner than was previously thought, as the company has reportedly sped up its plans owing to the recent actions of various auto industry competitors
July 21st, 2017 | by James Ayre
More than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced by humans since large-scale production began back in the 1950s, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances
July 21st, 2017 | by James Ayre
The search warrant used by prosecutors in Stuttgart, Germany, two months ago when they searched Daimler facilities in the country (following allegations of false advertising and possible exhaust gas treatment systems fraud in some diesel cars) alleged that the company sold over a million cars in Europe and the US with excessive emissions
July 21st, 2017 | by James Ayre
Waymo's self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans have been tested extensively in extreme heat since stress testing began around a year ago, the company has revealed. To be more specific, much of the heat testing has taken place in Death Valley — where temperatures can climb to more than 130° Fahrenheit, roughly hot enough to melt roads
July 21st, 2017 | by James Ayre
Why were many of Audi's diesel models not able to meet the stricter NOx emissions standards that went into effect in the US in 2007 without relying on fraud? Because meeting the new standards would mean reducing the size of the sound system, apparently
July 20th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans being used for testing by Waymo (Google) recently underwent their “first emergency vehicle testing day" — with the Chandler, Arizona Fire & Police Department — according to recent reports
July 20th, 2017 | by James Ayre
Two of Navya's driverless multi-passenger shuttles will be deployed this autumn to ferry students at the University of Michigan from the North Campus Research Complex to the Lurie Engineering Center along a two-mile route, according to recent reports
July 19th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The energy costs of operating the world's largest "super-giant" oil fields can rise dramatically as extraction ("production") rates begin dropping, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change
July 19th, 2017 | by James Ayre
California's current cap-and-trade system will continue running through 2030, after Governor Jerry Brown’s new extension bill just barely made it through the state senate and assembly — that is, by a razor-thin margin
July 19th, 2017 | by James Ayre
Agricultural yields in certain "hot spots" within the US will be severely diminished by 2050 as a result of the impact that climate change will have on water availability and irrigation, according to a new study from
July 18th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The German auto industry association VDA is working, through a plan to reduce the pollution of older diesel cars in use in Germany, against the possible implementation of outright diesel vehicle bans in some cities
July 17th, 2017 | by James Ayre
Nvidia, a giant in the manufacturing of graphics processing chips, is partnering with Volvo Cars and the Swedish auto supplier Autoliv on the development of new self-driving vehicle tech, according to recent reports. The aim, reportedly, is for the tech to be used in vehicles that will hit the marketplace by
July 15th, 2017 | by James Ayre
China's plans for relatively aggressive electric vehicle sales quotas are unnerving some prominent foreign auto manufacturers, going by recent reports
July 15th, 2017 | by James Ayre
A recent opinion poll of 10,000 European Union citizens on the subject of climate change has revealed a number of interesting things. Particularly, it reveals that public awareness of marine climate change issues in Europe is dismal. Not much better than in the US, apparently, despite the assumptions that many people make
July 14th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The much-discussed London Taxi Company has relaunched itself as the London EV Company (LEVC), as part of its general transition towards the emerging electric vehicle fleet market
July 14th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The current head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, was recently quoted as saying that the department would continue to "very aggressively" pursue action against auto manufacturers involved in diesel vehicle emissions testing fraud into the foreseeable future
July 12th, 2017 | by James Ayre
France may shutter as many as 17 nuclear power reactors by the year 2025, going by recent comments made by the country's Environment Minister, Nicolas Hulot
July 11th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The CEO of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, was recently quoted at a conference in Istanbul as saying that the world is likely heading towards an oil supply shortage before too long as a result of falling discoveries of new conventional oil reserves and steep drops in new investment
July 11th, 2017 | by James Ayre
The Canadian credit union association and lender Desjardins is currently considering temporarily suspending lending related to energy pipelines, owing to concerns about the effects that such projects have on the environment, according to recent reports
July 11th, 2017 | by James Ayre
Since we recently reported on GM's aims to be selling around 500,000 "new energy vehicles" (electric vehicles, etc.) a year by 2025, it's probably worth reporting here that Nissan is now expecting that up to 20% of its vehicle sales in Europe will be of zero-emissions models by
