Tracy Samilton

EPA's Push For More Ethanol Could Be Too Little, Too Late

Tracy Samilton — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:23:00 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon issue a final ruling that aims to force oil companies to replace E10, gasoline mixed with 10 percent ethanol, with E15.

This move could come just as widespread support for ethanol, which is made from corn, appears to be eroding.

Mike Mitchell was once a true believer in ethanol as a homegrown solution to foreign oil imports.

Study To Test 'Talking' Cars That Would Warn Drivers Of Unseen Dangers

Tracy Samilton — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:02:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j676bIqL4-8

States Ask Detroit: 'Build Us A Natural Gas Car, Please'

Tracy Samilton — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:05:00 +0000

More than 20 state governors are taking an unusual step to boost the natural gas vehicle industry. Independent of the federal government, they're asking Detroit carmakers to build them a new kind of car: a midsize sedan that runs on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.

The governors are hoping to boost demand for natural gas cars with their collective buying power.

Ford's Little Engine That Could Challenge Hybrids

Tracy Samilton — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Ford Motor Co. intends to prove that good things come in small packages — really small packages. The company has taken engine downsizing to a new level with its new three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which has been introduced in Europe and is set to hit the U.S. market next year.

The EcoBoost offers more power than many conventional four-cylinder engines, with fuel economy numbers a hybrid could envy.

GM Retirees Face Crucial Pension Deadline

Tracy Samilton — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:39:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

You've got to escape from your Escape.

Now, today is an important day for more than 40,000 salaried retirees of General Motors. They're facing a major financial decision.

New Schedules Push Graveyard Shift Off The Clock

Tracy Samilton — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:44:00 +0000

As car companies struggle to meet growing demand, the third shift is making a comeback. But many factories running on three shifts are doing it differently from in the past. And that new "three crew" shift pattern could make what's normally a hard job even harder.

At Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, employees work 10-hour shifts four days a week. The so-called A crew gets days, while the B crew gets afternoons. But the C crew shift rotates its start time every week. On Fridays and Saturdays, workers start at 6:00 a.m.

Hear That? Annoying Hum Has Canada Making Noise

Tracy Samilton — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Thousands of people in Windsor, Ontario, say they are being invaded by an obnoxious noise emanating from outside Detroit. They call it the "Windsor Hum," and it's really two sounds — a deep, very low-frequency hum, like a diesel truck idling in your driveway, and a deep, vibrating pulse that you feel more than you hear.

Roy Norton, Detroit's Canadian consul general, says the noise is coming from the man-made Zug Island, which sits in the Detroit River. The noise apparently began when U.S.