1960 Ford Thunderbird on 2040-cars

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All eyes on Detroit as automakers prepare for slow, careful reopening of plants

DETROIT — The U.S. factories that make Fords, Chevys and Jeeps are coming back to life this week as workers install new safety equipment and wake up machines ahead of the high-stakes restart the Detroit automakers plan to launch on Monday. Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles all plan to reopen North American factories on May 18. The reopening of the U.S. auto sector will be a closely watched test of whether workers across a range of industries can return to factories in large numbers without a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. How well the automakers do will be significant for the U.S. economy, as nearly 1 million workers are employed in the sector. Executives at Ford and GM said separately this week the companies have not recorded any cases of COVID-19 transmission in plants outside the United States since adopting new safety protocols. Those procedures include mandatory face masks, separation of workers on assembly lines, frequent cleaning of work areas and requirements that workers pass through temperature monitors and report any symptoms before entering a plant. The Detroit Three have taken unprecedented steps to share information about coronavirus safety practices and develop a common set of workplace standards for their restarts, working with the United Auto Workers union, executives said. "We thought it was critical that we did it together," Ford manufacturing and labor chief Gary Johnson told Reuters. "We've never done this as an industry." The Detroit automakers will restart U.S. plants without regular testing of workers, because they do not have access to sufficient testing capacity, executives and UAW officials said. They will test workers who report COVID-19 symptoms or have fevers discovered by temperature scanners installed at factory entrances. "We have to continue to push for this testing," United Auto Workers union Vice President Cindy Estrada told Reuters on Wednesday. "Unless we have testing weekly to keep sick people out of the plant there is always a risk." Adopting new safety practices is just part of the work the companies must do to reopen after an extraordinary shutdown that has lasted two months.   Wave zero At Ford, workers going in to ready factories are part of what Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley calls "wave zero." The work of wave zero employees "is really important for success of the startup," he said in an interview.

Ford's smartwatch apps let drivers unlock its EVs

In recent months, both Hyundai and Volvo have launched smartwatch apps, allowing car owners to control some of their vehicle's functions from the comfort of their wrist. Now Ford wants in on the action. In the latest update to its MyFord app, available on both iOS and Android Wear, the carmaker is letting drivers of select electric and plug-in hybrid models access information on their vehicle battery status (including the estimated range), enable the air-conditioning, lock and unlock the car and follow directions to where their car is parked. One particularly interesting feature is the addition of a personal driving score, which indicates how well you are driving by factoring in your average miles to the gallon, distance traveled and how efficiently you accelerate and slow down. The more green leaves you see on the display, the better you're driving. If you own a Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Focus Electric, or Ford Fusion Energi and either an Apple Watch or Android Wear smartwatch (or both), then download the app right away. This article by Matt Brian originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life. New Ford Smart Watch Apps Allow Electric Vehicle Owners to Check Status from their Wrist Smartwatch owners can now download an update for the MyFord® Mobile app in the Apple App Store and Google Play, which includes Android Wear and Apple Watch smartwatch applications The apps, developed by Ford engineers, allow users who drive Ford battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles to check their battery charge level, determine driving range before a trip and locate where their vehicle is parked, among many other offerings – all from their wrist MyFord Mobile watch apps specifically developed to fit the design of both round and rectangular watch faces DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 16, 2015 – Drivers of Ford electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles can now access their battery charge status, unlock their doors and get a driving score from their last trip with the MyFord® Mobile application for smartwatches. "The app gives drivers the ability to quickly check important data like available range before leaving on a journey – without having to access the mobile application on their smartphone," said David Hatton, Ford manager, Connected Vehicles and Services.

Official USPS Muscle Cars stamps coming to a mailbox near you

As much as our digital lives have cut down on our trips to the post office, there are still times that sending "snail mail" is necessary. With us car lovers in mind and philately in their hearts, the good folks at the United States Postal Service will introduce a new stamp design called "Muscle Cars" starting on February 22.
Designed by artist Tom Fritz, the new collection of stamps consist of five classic muscle cars: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1966 Pontiac GTO and 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. In addition to just the stamps, the USPS is also commemorating the new series with plenty of collectable memorabilia. Previous car-related stamps include 50s Sporty Cars from 2005 and 50s Fins and Chrome from 2008.