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Andrew J. Hawkins

Andrew J. Hawkins

Transportation editor

Transportation editor

    More From Andrew J. Hawkins

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    The solution to America’s car affordability crisis could be China.

    Clifford Wilson, an economist who specializes in transportation and microeconomic policy, writes in the New York Times about the death of the “econobox,” cheap, reliable vehicles that helped working people get around. Detroit stopped making these vehicles about 20 years ago, but Wilson thinks a possible solution is to open the floodgates to inexpensive EVs and hybrids from China. With lots of caveats, of course.

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Amazon’s Starlink competitor now has an airplane antenna.

    The new Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) antenna will enable air travelers bandwidth of up to 1 gigabit per second for downloads and 400 megabits per second for uploads on Delta, JetBlue, and any other commercial airlines Amazon signs up.

    Still, Amazon isn’t close to meeting its deadline from the FCC to launch 1,600 satellites by July 2026, having recently requested a two year extension.

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    Is the ‘Holy Grail of batteries’ finally ready to bless us with its presence?

    Finnish startup Donut Lab claims it’s made a solid-state battery breakthrough. Whether you believe it or not, the technology does appear to be more than just hype.

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Volkswagen ends ID.4 production in the US.

    VW is swapping the electric compact SUV with the gas guzzling Atlas at its Chattanooga factory, right in the midst of a global oil crisis. The automaker says it will continue to sell ID.4s in the US while it still has inventory, and promises future version of the EV for the US market — with no timeline attached. The ID.4 is the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s knee-capping of the EV market in the US.

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    NYC built a shelter for delivery workers in 48 hours.

    The first-of-its-kind rest stop, which includes e-bike battery recharging equipment, was erected in record time thanks to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request to get it done in time for his first 100 days in office. Workers had to improvise a crane-lift because they didn’t have the right permit, and also deal with a misplaced electrical wire. But in the end, they finished it. (Hopefully future shelters will include bathrooms, though.)