Stellantis sets $2B target for Circular Economy BU
Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Dodge, Maserati and Peugeot, said that its new Circular Economy business unit will bring in more than $2 billion in revenue by 2030 and drive the company’s carbon net-zero target by 2038.
“As one of the seven accretive business units announced in the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, the Circular Economy Business Unit is expanding its rigorous, 360-degree approach based on the 4R strategy – reman, repair, reuse, and recycle – to meet the Company’s ethical responsibilities for the future, and to bring financial value to Stellantis,” the company said in a press release.
“Stellantis is in the race to build a sustainable and profitable business based on circular economy principles in the markets where we operate,” said Alison Jones, Stellantis Senior Vice President, Circular Economy Business Unit.
The main objectives of the Circular Economy Business Unit are extending the life of vehicles and parts, ensuring that they last for as long as possible, and returning material and end-of-life vehicles to the manufacturing loop for new vehicles and products.
As an example, Stellantis points to its new Citroën ‘oli’ [all-ë], a conceptual multi-activity family vehicle that uses lightweight and recycled materials, sustainable production processes, affordability, durability for an extended service life and responsible end-of-life recyclability. (Stellantis.com)
Mass Attorney General, automakers spar as repair law ruling looms
The parties in the federal lawsuit challenging the Massachusetts right-to-repair legislation approved by voters in 2020 are in disagreement over the meanings of half of the key terms written into the law, according to a legal document filed jointly on Friday.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), representing automakers, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey told Judge Douglas Woodlock that they are in complete agreement on the meanings of just three of 16 terms in sections 2 and 3 of the Data Access Law: “motor vehicle,” “telematics system,” and “platform.”
In five cases, they agree on definitions, but with disclaimers. And in eight cases, which involving some of AAI’s major objections to the law, they are in disagreement, the two sides say in their 17-page brief.
The disagreements suggest that the parties remain far apart on the central questions of whether adhering to the law will expose motorists to cybersecurity risks, and how long it might take OEMs to implement such a data-sharing system. (Repairer Driven News)
John Deere’s tractor of the future: no driver required
John Deere intends to have autonomous tractors on the market and in the fields by 2030. It announced its plans at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show to develop a tractor that can take on many of the duties of growing crops — with no farmer on board.
“I think the tractor can do a better job than I can do,” said Doug Minz in a video produced by John Deere during CES.
But that acceptance of an autonomous tractor, whether it’s produced by John Deere or its competitors, including CNH Industrial and Trimble Autonomy, is not guaranteed.
Dave Busby, who farms vegetables and raises livestock in central Missouri, is skeptical. He said he enjoys working on his tractor, especially early in the spring when he first plows up the ground.
“To get your hands on what you’re doing out there. To me, that will always be what real farming is,” he said.
While Deere made a big splash at CES, there aren’t a lot of details on an exact time frame on when the machines will be available. And Jardon said that’s on purpose – the slow rollout is designed to give farmers a chance to process the idea.
There are barriers that will shut out many farmers – namely the price tag. Deere is not releasing information on how much these tractors will cost, but industry insiders routinely throw around figures of well over $500,000. (KCUR.org)
Bushels per acre vs. profit per acre: how Big Ag has redefined success
Simple paradigm shifts — like referring to pig farmers as pork producers, or asking farmers how many bushels per acre they’ve harvested instead of dollars made per acre — have the effect of disconnecting farmers from their land and animals. Ultimately, these shifts undermine a farmer’s understanding of their product’s true market value. By methodically centering the public conversation around yields instead of profits, commodity checkoff groups and seed, fertilizer, and chemical companies can deceive farmers into operating against their own best interests.
More bushels may mean more profit — but not necessarily for farmers. In order to get the highest yield, farmers apply extra rounds of chemicals or fertilizer, degrading their land and emptying their pockets on input costs. When fertilizer prices are suspiciously sky-high and chemical companies are illegally conducting pay-to-block schemes (in which they pay distributors a little extra cash to stop farmers from buying cheaper, off-brand pesticides and herbicides), those extra input costs are nothing to sneeze at. All the while, the chemical companies rake in farmers’ dollars, checkoff groups make more money the more corn and soybeans farmers produce, and meatpackers benefit from cheap government-subsidized livestock feed. (Farmaction.us)
Toyota discloses data leak after access key exposed on GitHub
Toyota Motor Corporation is warning that customers’ personal information may have been exposed after an access key was publicly available on GitHub for almost five years.
Toyota T-Connect is the automaker’s official connectivity app that allows owners of Toyota cars to link their smartphone with the vehicle’s infotainment system for phone calls, music, navigation, notifications integration, driving data, engine status, fuel consumption, and more.
Toyota discovered recently that a portion of the T-Connect site source code was mistakenly published on GitHub and contained an access key to the data server that stored customer email addresses and management numbers. (Bleeping Computer)