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An early gas-electric hybrid was developed by...Exxon?

We're not sure which aspect of Exxon's 1970s-era efforts to develop advanced and electrified powertrains is the most ironic. There's Exxon, that of the Valdez oil spill infamy, being on the leading edge of hybrids and electric vehicles. There's a boat-like Chrysler Cordova getting 27 miles per gallon. And there's the central role a Volkswagen diesel engine plays in that hybrid development. It's all outlined in an article (linked above) by Inside Climate News, and it's an amusing read. Flush with cash and fearing what it thought was peak oil production in the 1970s, Exxon funded a host of new ventures divisions geared to find alternatives to gas-powered powertrains. In the early 1970s, Exxon lured chemist M. Stanley Whittingham to develop what would become a prototype of a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Then, in the late 1970s, Exxon pioneered the concept of using an alternating-current (AC) motor as part of a gas-electric hybrid vehicle. The company retrofitted a Chrysler Cordova (yes, that's the model Ricardo Montalban used to hawk) with a powertrain that combined 10 Sears Die-Hard car batteries, an alternating current synthesizer (ACS), a 100-horsepower AC motor, and, yes, a four-cylinder 50-horsepower Volkswagen diesel engine. The result was a rather large two-door sedan that got an impressive 27 mpg. And while US automakers didn't see the potential in the early concept, in 1980 Exxon and Toyota began collaborating on a project that would involve retrofitting a Toyota Cressida with a hybrid engine. That car was completed in 1981, and may have been one of the seeds that eventually helped sprout the concept of the Toyota Prius. Soon after rebuilding the Cressida, Exxon would get out of the advanced-powertrain-development business, as oil prices began to fall in the early 1980s, spurring cost-cutting measures. Cry no tears for the Exxon, though, as what's now known as ExxonMobil is the largest US oil company. Related Video: News Source: Inside Climate NewsImage Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Green Read This Chrysler Toyota Electric Hybrid battery

NHTSA investigating Harman Kardon for software vulnerabilities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating infotainment units from Harman Kardon, which produces FCA's Uconnect, to determine if Harman Kardon systems used by other companies are also vulnerable to hackings. Researchers discovered a hole in the cellular connection to the Uconnect infotainment in a Jeep Cherokee. They were able to exploit it to gain access to the vehicle's brakes, radio, and other systems. In the wake of the hack, FCA pledged to send out 1.4 million USB drives to update the software. Politicians also attacked the automaker for not reporting the problem sooner, and NHTSA opened an investigation to find whether the fix worked. INVESTIGATION Subject : Software security vulnerability Date Investigation Opened: JUL 29, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: EQ15005 Component(s): EQUIPMENT All Products Associated with this Investigation Equipment Brand Name Part No. or Model No.Production Dates HARMAN KARDON R3R4 - Details Manufacturer: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL SUMMARY: On July 23, 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) submitted a safety recall report to NHTSA concerning a software security defect condition in approximately 1.4 million model year (MY) 2013 through 2015 vehicles equipped with Uconnect 8.4A (RA3) and 8.4AN (RA4) radios manufactured by Harman Kardon (Recall 15V-461). According to FCA, software security vulnerabilities in the recalled vehicles could allow unauthorized third-party access to, and manipulation of, networked vehicle control systems. Unauthorized access or manipulation of the vehicle control systems could reduce the driver?s control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash with an attendant increased risk of injury to the driver, other vehicle occupants, and other vehicles and their occupants within proximity to the affected vehicle. This EQ is being opened to obtain information from the supplier of Chrysler Uconnect units to determine the nature and extent of similarities in other infotainment products provided to other vehicle manufacturers. If sufficient similarities exist, the investigation will examine if there is cause for concern that security issues exist in other Harman Kardon products. Related Video:

GM, Chrysler bailouts saved 2.6 million jobs

The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) has been studying the effects of the General Motors and Chrysler bailouts in 2009. Now that the US Treasury has officially sold off the rest of its stake in GM (and Chrysler has already paid back its loan), CAR has released its study on the effects of the bailout with this concluding note: "CAR is confident that in the years ahead, this peacetime intervention in the private sector by the US government will be seen as one of the most successful in US economic history."
Big words, for sure, but there's plenty of evidence to back up the claim. Bailing out GM alone saved 1.2-million jobs. If both GM and Chrysler hadn't been bailed out, US employment would have been reduced by 2.631-million jobs in 2009 and another 1.519-million jobs in 2010, according to the study. If both automakers were allowed to fail, personal income in the US would have decreased by $173.5 billion in 2009 and $110.9 billion in 2010. Instead, the study found that $284.4 billion of personal income was saved by the bailouts.