(Mon) VW's Tesla-challenging ID.3 panned in Germany
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Volkswagen hopes it¡¯s the car to beat Tesla. The ID.3 hatchback is so important to the firm, German chancellor Angela Merkel turned up to launch production. But the vehicle has been given a cold reception at home. Germany¡¯s most influential testing publication says the ID.3 isn¡¯t up to VW¡¯s usual standards. Auto Motor und Sport said the inside of the hood looked like it was painted with a spray can. It slated uneven panel gaps, an infotainment system that takes ages to fire up, and satellite navigation that fails to work. The range is disappointing too, it says. Now the tough review comes after VW¡¯s labor chief criticized the electric vehicle program for falling behind schedule. The company in March rejected that criticism, but admitted that the cars needed last-minute improvements. VW chief Herbert Diess last week drove Tesla¡¯s Model Y compact SUV. He said the vehicle was a benchmark for the German firm in many aspects including user experience, updatability, driving features and range. The Volkswagen Group, which also includes brands like Audi, Porsche and Skoda, plans to launch 75 electric cars by 2029. Analysts, and car buyers, will be watching to see if future reviews are any better.
(Tue) All Uber vehicles to be electric by 2040
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Uber is committing to being more environmentally friendly, announcing on Tuesday that all its vehicles around the globe will be electric by 2040. The ride-hailing app said it will spend $800 million through 2025 to help drivers switch to battery-powered vehicles, including discounts for buying or leasing from partner automakers. It¡¯s made deals with General Motors which owns Chevrolet, and the Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi alliance focusing on the U.S., Canadian and European markets. Uber said vehicles in those places will all be zero-emission by 2030. Uber¡¯s rival Lyft also said in June they would switch to 100 percent electric vehicles by 2030, without support to drivers. Ride-hailing trips account for less than 0.6 percent of transport-sector emissions according to U.S. data. But Uber passenger trips in the U.S. and Canada account for 41 percent more carbon dioxide per mile than private cars when cruising between passengers is included. From Tuesday, all Uber drivers in the U.S. and Canada with fully battery-powered electric vehicles will get an extra $1 per trip – and additional 50 cents in U.S. cities if passengers choose to pay extra for what¡¯s called a ¡®green trip¡¯.
(Wed) India sees global record in new coronavirus cases
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India reported more than 90,000 coronavirus cases on Sunday, government data said, setting a new global daily record. The country is set to pass Brazil on Monday to become the second worst affected nation by total infections - behind only the United States. As of Sunday, the U.S. has had more than 6 million cases, Brazil 4.12 million and India 4.11 million. "We are not taking all the precautions." Sandeep Nayar is a senior consultant at the B.L.K. Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi. "We are not following all the instructions given by the government. It's not a good idea." India has logged the world's largest daily coronavirus caseload for almost a month in a sign of how the epicenter of the pandemic has shifted from the United States and Latin America to the South Asian nation. Medical experts said case numbers have surged because of increased testing and the easing of restrictions on public movement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has pushed to open businesses in order to revive a contracting economy and on Monday will partially restore metro services in the capital New Delhi.
(Thu) DOJ to file Google lawsuit in weeks
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The U.S. Department of Justice plans to file a lawsuit against Alphabet's Google unit in the weeks to come, two sources familiar with a DOJ probe told Reuters. The lawsuit will focus on antitrust activity in Google's search and advertising businesses, which has been under a DOJ investigation for more than a year. The probe has been looking into allegations that Google violates antitrust laws by favoring its own businesses, like YouTube, in search results, rather than returning neutral answers to queries, the sources said. The legal filing, which was expected around Labor Day, is now likely to come sometime later between September and mid-October. The Justice Department had no immediate comment. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda had this response: "While we continue to engage with ongoing investigations, our focus is firmly on providing free services that help people every day, lower costs for small businesses, and enable increased choice and competition." But executives knowledgeable of how the ad industry works beg to differ, accusing Google of abusing its dominance in display search ads. A DOJ lawsuit wouldn't be Google's only problem. It has already been fined $2.6 billion by the European Union for favoring a Google price-comparison shopping service over smaller European rivals. And a large group of state attorneys general are also looking into possible anti-competitive behavior at the search giant. The legal threat hanging over Alphabet shares have left Google's parent with a year-to-date gain of just 16 percent, compared to the 27 percent gain overall for the Nasdaq.
(Fri) Unilever to stop using fossil fuels in cleaners
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Unilever said Wednesday it would invest just over 1 billion dollars to eliminate fossil fuels from its cleaning products by 2030. The aim is to cut the carbon emissions created by chemicals used in making such products. The household goods conglomerate, which owns the likes of Cif and Domestos, said it would use ingredients made from plants and other biological sources instead of petrochemicals. 46% of its Home Care division's emissions come from chemicals in its cleaning and laundry products. The switch, they said, will cut those emissions by a fifth. Unilever claims it is the first company to commit to such carbon cuts. It is working with small biotech companies and major firms like Dow Chemical to create environment-friendly product formulations. Unilever emits about 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents globally. It aims to reduce this to net zero from its own operations and suppliers by 2039. The company says a major hurdle will be getting suppliers to scale up ingredient production to meet their requirements. Especially at a time of unprecedented demand for cleaning products in response to the global health crisis. But by choosing 'skilled' partners, Unilever is confident it can hit its 2030 targets.