Yahoo Autos The Fight Over Emissions Regulations
Welcome to The Grid, R&T's quick roundup of the auto industry and motorsports news you should know this morning.
The Emissions Fight
If you thought that the Trump Administration's attempt to change the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations would go over easy with states, you were very wrong. California, which has it's own, extremely stringent emissions regulations, was not going to be happy about the attempt to get rid of the 50 mpg CAFE goal that is set to go into effect.
Now, California is suing to keep them in place, along with 16 other states. According to the Detroit News, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has banded together with his counterparts in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia to attempt to force the regulations to stay the same. The division is that the states don't want to give automakers a pass, while automakers are finding these regs tougher to meet, especially now that gas prices are fairly low and demand for SUVs and CUVs has taken off. The 50 mpg average was put in place when gas prices were skyrockets and small car demand was high. But now it'll be tough to get states to acquiesce.
Indy's Rookie Test
Yesterday was rookie orientation and refreshers for long absent drivers ahead of the Indy 500. Danica Patrick got out and turned laps in an IndyCar for the first time in seven years before her final race with Ed Carpenter Racing. Rookies Robert Wickens, Matheus Leist, and Kyle Kaiser all passed their rookie tests with ease.
Tesla Sued
Another day, another Tesla story. This time, Tesla is being sued by Nikola. No, a first name is not suing a last name. But Nikola, the maker of a hydrogen semi truck, is suing Tesla, claiming "substantial" similarities in design. Nikola is claiming infringement on its patents which have cost it nearly $2 billion in harm.
Tesla says there is no merit to the lawsuit.
You Might Also Like
