Good morning! It’s Wednesday, October 23, 2024, and that is The Morning Shift, your each day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from world wide, in a single place. Listed here are the vital tales it’s good to know.
1st Gear: Scores Of Individuals Injured At Rivian Manufacturing unit
Staff at Rivian are coping with some actually nasty security considerations at its Regular, Illinois manufacturing facility. They’ve suffered accidents from cracked skulls and foot fractures to again lacerations that require surgical procedure and amputated fingers. One particular person even mentioned she complained to docs final yr about vomiting bile with a “Rivian blue” hue after portray R1s and not using a respirator.
Even though Rivian has only one manufacturing facility, it has racked up extra “critical” U.S. security violations than another automaker for the reason that begin of 2023. That’s… not nice. Staff on the plant say there are many incidents that don’t make it onto authorities stories, too. From Bloomberg:
The electrical-vehicle maker obtained preliminary citations for 16 critical violations previously 21 months from the US Occupational Security and Well being Administration. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Volvo AB, Nissan Motor Co., Normal Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. every obtained not more than 10. Volkswagen AG, BMW AG and Subaru Corp. noticed none.
Fellow EV maker Tesla Inc. and Chrysler maker Stellantis NV, each with a lot bigger workforces than Rivian, additionally obtained fewer preliminary critical citations. However in contrast to Rivian, Tesla additionally obtained three “repeat” violations, which carry heavier penalties, and Stellantis obtained two.
Rivian says that its file compares favorably with different producers. “The well being and security of everybody at Rivian is our high precedence, and we’re pleased with our sturdy security file — which continues to enhance yr over yr,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
However authorities findings and interviews with present and previous workers at Rivian paint an image of a money-losing firm that struggled to place in place the procedures, tools and coaching required to maintain workers protected. The alleged security shortfalls come as the corporate ramps up manufacturing of supply vans for Amazon.com Inc. and $100,000 luxurious SUVs widespread with celebrities together with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and appears to entry lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} of state subsidies. In addition they spotlight potential challenges for the US authorities’s purpose of accelerating EV output to create good jobs in economically underdeveloped areas and assist sluggish local weather change.
The amount of complaints, citations and critical accidents on the Rivian plant “are all pink flags,” mentioned Deborah Berkowitz, who reviewed the information at Bloomberg’s request. She served as OSHA chief of workers below President Barack Obama and is now a fellow on the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown College.
Rivian says it’s dedicated to employee security, saying it has committees that recurrently evaluation manufacturing facility processes and suggest adjustments. It additionally says workers can carry considerations to supervisors or report them anonymously. The automaker says its self-reported fee of work-related accidents and sicknesses this yr has really been higher than the business common for gentle obligation producers in 2022 (the final full-year of knowledge accessible.)
To be truthful to Rivian, OSHA itself mentioned that because it started inspections in 2021, the automaker has “has improved their security and well being staff and are very cooperative with the OSHA course of.”
Rivian says that as a part of settlements with the company, virtually the entire violations OSHA initially labeled as critical have been in the end downgraded from that class or dismissed. “Preliminary citations shouldn’t be confused as last citations, and to recommend in any other case is extremely deceptive,” a Rivian spokesperson mentioned.
Former OSHA leaders, nonetheless, say preliminary citations — that are issued after the company has investigated a job website and regarded the corporate’s perspective — reveal extra about office hazards. OSHA agrees to downgrade citations as a result of its precedence is for corporations to deal with hazards, whereas litigating a dispute for years might go away them unresolved, in keeping with former OSHA head David Michaels.
“OSHA’s goal is to get the hazard abated,” mentioned Michaels, who ran the company from 2009 to 2017 and is now a George Washington College public well being professor. “And so OSHA is usually keen to scale back each the penalties and the variety of citations with a view to get that settlement.”
Settlements usually require the employer to make broader security enhancements along with the abatement required by the quotation, in keeping with OSHA.
Worker interviews have shined a lightweight on the hazards they face in Regular, the place Rivian has shortly turn into one of many metropolis’s largest employers.
I actually don’t know what the deal is with these upstart automakers having such harmful working situations, however they’ve obtained to take higher care of their individuals. The outdated Silicon Valley adage of “transfer quick and break stuff” doesn’t work when its the employees’ our bodies which might be breaking.
2nd Gear: Trump Is Simply Saying Shit About Automobiles Once more
Donald Trump loves getting on stage and yapping. It’s what he’s greatest at. Now, he’s yapping about making rates of interest on automobile loans for automobiles made within the U.S. tax deductible. Trump made the announcement in Michigan, an important swing state. From Automotive Information:
“I don’t want it to learn different international locations. I would like it to learn us,” Trump mentioned Oct. 22 at a rally in Greensboro, N.C. “Deductibility of curiosity is nice, however provided that the automobile is manufactured in the US.”
Trump has elevated his give attention to U.S. automakers in current weeks as he has sought to assuage voter considerations about home manufacturing jobs, repeatedly pledging to revive industries which have closed factories as provide chains have shifted abroad.
Trump mentioned his plan to permit automobile patrons to write-off the mortgage curiosity on their federal taxes can be a boon to U.S. automobile gross sales.
“Why the hell would we give them taxes in the event that they manufacture the automobile in China, Japan or plenty of different locations that stole our enterprise over time?” Trump mentioned. “I feel that’s going to be nice for Detroit,” he added referring to the U.S. auto manufacturing hub, situated in battleground Michigan.
Since that is Trump we’re speaking about, the plan lacks any particulars. He hasn’t mentioned something about tax breaks on automobiles made by overseas automakers right here within the U.S.
Along with tax breaks for automobile patrons, Trump has pledged to impose steep tariffs on automobiles and different merchandise made in Mexico, China and different international locations. Economists have warned that might trigger family costs to spike and function a drag on financial development.
Trump’s give attention to manufacturing jobs comes as he and his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris are in a good race within the seven battleground states, with the previous president forward by 1.1 proportion factors within the RealClearPolitics common of polls.
Trump reportedly spoke of the “glory days” of the American automotive business. He mentioned his slum lord father, Fred, thought of the “definition of luxurious” was to purchase a brand new Cadillac each two years.
I’m so drained, people. We’re nonetheless two weeks away from this godforsaken election.
third Gear: There Are 200,000 Locations To Cost Your EV
There are actually 200,000 public charging ports accessible throughout the US, a quantity that has just about doubled for the reason that starting of the Biden-Harris Administration. It means there are actually EV chargers in all 50 states, and it places the nationwide charging community forward of schedule to satisfy the Adminstation’s purpose of half one million chargers by 2030. From the Joint Workplace of Vitality and Transportation:
Marking essentially the most vital transformation to our transportation system in a century, the deployment of extra chargers is occurring because of each public funding and personal sector funding. New charging stations funded by the Nationwide Electrical Car Infrastructure (NEVI) system program, Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program, and Electrical Car Charger Reliability and Accessibility (EVC-RAA) program have all come on-line throughout the previous month or so, bolstering non-public funding that’s bringing multimodal charging options to communities and creating quick charging hubs alongside key journey corridors. As of September 30, 2024, drivers can journey 57.8% of essentially the most closely trafficked corridors nationwide with the peace of mind of discovering a quick charger not less than each 50 miles. By the top of subsequent yr, we count on protection on 70% of these corridors.
The Joint Workplace has been working with states, native communities, and business to construct a nationwide EV charging community that provides individuals entry to the comfort, efficiency, and value financial savings of electrical automobiles. At present, plug-in EVs make up practically 10% of the U.S. light-duty car market, with much more car choices changing into accessible to satisfy rising demand.
To make sure the nationwide public charging community’s reliability, the Joint Workplace has superior key requirements, together with the J3400 connector commonplace, which was lately established as a really helpful follow. This commonplace will make a higher portion of the present public charging infrastructure accessible to a wider vary of automobiles.
Our efforts transcend putting in new chargers. We’re upgrading damaged chargers and bringing the nationwide charging community—together with the nice paying jobs it entails—to each group, rural, suburban, or city.
I’ve obtained a small-ish EV street journey on the docket this weekend, so we’ll see simply how good this infrastructure actually is. Please pray that I don’t get caught on the aspect of the street in a Rivian.
4th Gear: 700,000 Hondas Recalled For Dangerous Gasoline Pump
Honda is recalling 720,810 automobiles within the U.S. due to a difficulty with a gas pump. Mainly, this high-pressure pump can leak, which might improve the chance of a fireplace, crash or some type of bodily harm ought to it ignite. Not good. From Automotive Information:
The recall impacts the 2023-24 Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2023-25 CR-V Hybrid, and 2025 Civic and Civic Hybrid.
The gas pump, made by Hitachi Astemo in Japan, was improperly produced, resulting in cracking that may trigger the leaks. The issue is especially prevalent in lower-mileage automobiles, in keeping with NHTSA paperwork. A telltale signal of the defect is a gas odor wafting from the car whereas driving or idling.
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The solenoid, or magnetic coil, part at fault within the gas pump will probably be changed with a brand new half with improved dimensions and baking situations.
American Honda mentioned in an announcement that it was encouraging homeowners of affected automobiles “to take them to a certified seller for restore as quickly as they obtain notification.”
Honda says it has obtained 145 guarantee claims relationship again to February of 2023. Fortunately, there have been no accidents or deaths associated to the difficulty.
