Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[NHTSA looking for power to fast-track 'noncontroversial' auto laws]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/31/nhtsa-looking-for-power-to-fast-track-noncontroversial-auto-la/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/31/nhtsa-looking-for-power-to-fast-track-noncontroversial-auto-la/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/31/nhtsa-looking-for-power-to-fast-track-noncontroversial-auto-la/#commentsFiled under:

David StricklandWhen it comes to any new regulation that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deems "not controversial and therefore unlikely to receive adverse comment," it would like the power to implement the regulation without the standard period of public comment. It seeks the change in order to be able to clear and finalize "routine" rules in a matter of days. If NHTSA is granted the power it seeks, people could still comment on such regulations and request changes, but the agency could ignore the feedback and the requests.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has questioned the proposal, which would expedite the "direct final rule" process, citing the decrease in transparency it could entail and the ambiguous definition of "controversy" - what NHTSA thinks is a routine regulation, others could consider anything but.

The notice was posted on the NHTSA site on Tuesday, but NHTSA hasn't commented on the proposal, it's chief saying he would let it speak for itself.

NHTSA looking for power to fast-track 'noncontroversial' auto laws originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alliance of Automobile Manufacturersdavid stricklanddirect final rulegovernmentNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationnhtsaregulationSun, 31 Mar 2013 10:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20523352/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/03/31/nhtsa-looking-for-power-to-fast-track-noncontroversial-auto-la/20523352/article-detail.xml 20523352 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/strickland-2012_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/strickland-2012.jpg <![CDATA[Indonesian province bans women from straddling motorbikes behind male riders]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/06/indonesian-province-bans-women-from-straddling-motorbikes-behind/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/06/indonesian-province-bans-women-from-straddling-motorbikes-behind/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/06/indonesian-province-bans-women-from-straddling-motorbikes-behind/#commentsFiled under: ,

Aceh sidesaddle

Aceh, a province of Indonesia, is the only one of the island nation's areas to have adopted Sharia law. Over the past few years the region of 4.5 million has passed laws to bring its populace, native and otherwise, more into line with its interpretation of Sharia, opening a Sharia court and instituting a Sharia police force, passing a law to stone adulterers, banning tight pants and re-educating "punks."

The BBC reports that Aceh authorities have taken another step, instituting a regulation that bans women from straddling motorbikes when they ride behind men. Anyone who's been to Asia knows the ubiquity of motorbikes and how often pillion riders, male and female, can be seen riding astride or sidesaddle. The mayor of one Aceh city says that women straddling a bike behind a male rider is contrary to Islamic values, a risk to "people's 'morals and behaviors,'" and that a woman who rides sidesaddle "looks like a woman," which is preferred.

The regulation will be tested for a month, after which it could become law, but other Muslims have spoken out against it. One commenter wrote that none of the religion's important texts have anything to say about how motorbikes are ridden, adding that, "In a democratic country, what is claimed to be Sharia must be assessed by the public's common sense if the government aims to turn the regulation into law."

Indonesian province bans women from straddling motorbikes behind male riders originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acehindonesialawmotorcyclesmuslimregulationsharia lawsidesaddlewomenSun, 06 Jan 2013 17:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20417996/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/06/indonesian-province-bans-women-from-straddling-motorbikes-behind/20417996/article-detail.xml 20417996 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/aceh-sidesaddle_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/aceh-sidesaddle.jpg <![CDATA[Ironic legislation: CARB ruling to kill aftermarket plug-in hybrids?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/20/ironic-legislation-carb-ruling-to-kill-aftermarket-plug-in-hybr/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/20/ironic-legislation-carb-ruling-to-kill-aftermarket-plug-in-hybr/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/20/ironic-legislation-carb-ruling-to-kill-aftermarket-plug-in-hybr/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The uncertain future of the alternative-powered and alternative-fueled vehicle is being decided by a confluence of old and new technology, big business and start-ups, marketing, vested interests, and public perception. It is no surprise, then, that when it comes to government regulation, we are bound to end up with some conflicting decisions. A company in California that converts regular hybrids to plug-in hybrids has found itself smack in the middle of one of those conflicts.

Last year, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) cut its mandated amount of electric vehicle sales in California by 70%. Some thought that might leave an exploitable opening for plug-in hybrids to gain serious market share. A number of start-ups have been established that install additional batteries into cars like the Toyota Prius, rendering them all electric below 34 mph, and allowing them to be recharged in 4 hours from a standard 3-prong outlet. The retrofit turns the 40+ mpg Prius into a 100+ mpg dromedary.

A new CARB proposal would require those start-ups to put their cars through smog tests that run about $25,000 per car, and to warranty their conversions for 10 years or 150,000 miles. The smog test issue has to do with a pollutant buildup issue in the catalytic converter and the gas vapor canister on cars that do a lot of cold starts and that might not use their internal combustion engines for more than three days. The warranty terms are the same as those mandated for any company that sells hybrids in California.

The start-ups say the pollutant issue has already been tested and solved by battery provider A123 systems, and it was approved in Massachusetts, a state that follows the same emissions standards as California. As for the warranty, the start-ups say they aren't altering the Prius, they are adding aftermarket batteries, so it doesn't make sense to force them to match the Prius' warranty. Besides that, the batteries they install are not expected to last ten years, so the warranty would be pointless anyway. The new regulations are expected to come into force next week anyway. Hat tip to reader Daniel

[Source: East Bay Express]

Ironic legislation: CARB ruling to kill aftermarket plug-in hybrids? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3prong power3prongPowera123 systemsA123Systemsalternativecaliforniacalifornia air resources boardCaliforniaAirResourcesBoardcarbgovernmentgreenhybridhybrid batteriesHybridBatterieslegalpriusregulationtechTue, 20 Jan 2009 19:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1434089/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/01/20/ironic-legislation-carb-ruling-to-kill-aftermarket-plug-in-hybr/1434089/article-detail.xml 1434089 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/carb_pluginhyb_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/carb_pluginhyb.jpg <![CDATA['Splain Yourself: Senator invites EPA chief to California]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/27/splain-yourself-senator-invites-epa-chief-to-california/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/27/splain-yourself-senator-invites-epa-chief-to-california/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/27/splain-yourself-senator-invites-epa-chief-to-california/#commentsFiled under: ,



Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson (shown above) has found himself with few friends after denying California's request for a waiver to regulate its own emissions. The denial was issued shortly after President Bush signed the new energy bill into law, leaving some to wonder if the auto industry struck a deal with the White House - we'll give you your energy bill if you give us one national emissions standard to follow, i.e. don't allow California to set its own set of stricter emissions standards. How did the White House get involved? A few newspapers have reported that Vice President Dick Cheney met with each of the Big 3 domestic automakers in the months leading up to the energy bill's passage. Did Cheney order EPA chief Johnson to deny California's request against the unanimous counsel of his advisors? Who knows, but the appearance of impropriety is there.

Johnson, however, is the one who has to back up the decision to deny California the ability to set its own emissions standards. As such, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has invited him to the Golden State to explain his decision to an eager audience that includes Edmund G. Brown Jr. (Attorney General of California), Mary Nichols (Chairperson of the California Air Resources Board), Fran Pavley (Senior Advisor, Natural Resources Defense Council), and Carl Pope (Executive Director of the Sierra Club) - a truly hostile crowd if ever there was one. There will no doubt be other curious senators in attendance for this field briefing, scheduled for January 10th. Since it's just an invitation, we're fairly certain that Johnson doesn't have to go, but for his own safety he better not show up with the automakers' interests as his only justification for the controversial decision.

[Source: Senate.gov via AutoblogGreen, Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty]

'Splain Yourself: Senator invites EPA chief to California originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dick cheneyDickCheneyemissionsenergy billEnergyBillepaepa california waiverepa denies californiaEpaCaliforniaWaiverEpaDeniesCaliforniaregulationstephen johnsonStephenJohnsonThu, 27 Dec 2007 14:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1071926/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/12/27/splain-yourself-senator-invites-epa-chief-to-california/1071926/article-detail.xml 1071926 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/12/stephenjohnsonsweat_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/12/stephenjohnsonsweat_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Nader returns to the automotive fold]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/29/nader-returns-to-the-automotive-fold/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/29/nader-returns-to-the-automotive-fold/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/29/nader-returns-to-the-automotive-fold/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

He's back and with a vengeance.

Consumer advocate and former presidential contender Ralph Nader is refocusing on the automotive industry, a move that brought him critical acclaim back in the Sixties. According to the Boston Herald, Nader accuses the U.S. government of acting as a "consulting firm" to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), insurance agencies of failing to promote greater safety and government agencies of continuing to use substandard vehicles. (See here for the Autoblog post and link to the report.) And he wants to establish an office in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., to monitor the automakers.

The NHTSA has already fired back, pointing to all-time low fatality rates and the high rate of seatbelt use by vehicle occupants. Automakers are also defending themselves, noting that side air bags can be found in about seventy-five percent of today's vehicles and are set to be standard by 2009. According to automakers it's the public, not the government, who is demanding these features. We think what they're trying to say Ralph is, "See? The free-market economy does work on its own sometimes."

[Source: Associated Press via the Boston Herald]

Nader returns to the automotive fold originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Mar 2006 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fuel EfficiencyNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNHTSARalph NaderRegulationSafetyWed, 29 Mar 2006 10:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/603637/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/03/29/nader-returns-to-the-automotive-fold/603637/article-detail.xml 603637 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/unsafe-at-any-speed_thumbnail.jpg http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/unsafe-at-any-speed.jpg -1 2