Episodes
The RoadWorthy Drive Moments podcast is now the TechMobility Topics podcast! While the weekly podcast will continue to feature the same great news, information, and perspective that you have come to expect, TechMobility Topics will also include interviews of newsworthy and unique individuals across the technology and mobility landscape. Be sure to add us to your favorites!
Published 03/07/23
B2U Storage Solutions is using 1300 EV batteries repurposed from Nissan and Honda vehicles for stationary storage capacity to support the local electrical grid.
Published 02/28/23
If hardening its electric grid infrastructure to withstand the evolution of climate change isn't enough, now electric utilities have to be on guard for physical attacks to the system from terrorists and fools.
Published 02/28/23
Big Tech wants to merge your car and home together seamlessly. With major players like Android Auto and Apple Auto vying for space and control within the car, and the companies that provide devices within the Internet of Things-verse trying for a piece of the action, it's only a matter of time. By the way, did we mention bi-directional charging that is now available from your EV, controlled by your cellphone?
Published 02/28/23
The impact of the pandemic continues to affect the economy. Now, it's a rising rate of default for office landlords who now have empty or largely empty office buildings. With millions of Americans now working elsewhere, the need for the traditional office building in a central financial district or large suburban office park has waned. And as almost everything related to the pandemic, this has a direct and indirect effect on your quality of life.
Published 02/28/23
During this episode, we discuss how the evolution of electric vehicles may leave those who would gain the most behind. Low-income Americans often drive the oldest, least efficient, and less safe vehicles. Helping them to transition to electric vehicles would improve safety and quality of life all around. However, current federal incentives do not address this inequity.
Published 02/28/23
Interestingly enough, it's not what you might think about when you first think about what draws you to your local convenience store. But this one thing is a major topic that is top of mind for c-store execs everywhere.
Published 02/28/23
Did you know that every year since 1971, there have been more people dying than have been born in America? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, with the exception of 2006 and 2007, the United States has been quietly losing its future workforce. With the onslaught of the pandemic, we have only seen the impact of this trend worsen.
Published 02/28/23
This week Ken reviews the 2023 Lexus UX250h crossover. Available only as a hybrid in the United States, it is also the nameplate's smallest crossover SUV. We see how it stacks up.
Published 02/28/23
Over 30 colors with 240 panels of placement. Are you ready for the multi-colored (change on demand) electric car? BMW seems to think so. We discuss.
Published 02/21/23
Ken discusses the hottest concepts from the floor of the 2023 Chicago Auto Show that will be making news this year.
Published 02/21/23
The Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot system, a Level 3 conditionally autonomous hands-free driving technology, is being introduced in Nevada and California later this year.
Published 02/21/23
According to the Insurance Information Institute, property damage caused by fire or the weather are common losses that homeowners generally know will be covered by their insurance. However, there are other events and incidents covered that homeowners may NOT be aware of. We explore some of those unique situations.
Published 02/21/23
Before SUVs took off and became a staple of private American transportation, automakers like American Motors, Subaru, and Volvo had developed vehicles that were based on their current station wagons, but offered consumers more. A more robust frame, higher ground clearance, and other updates and tweaks designed to make these vehicles compatible with off-road use. The Volvo V60 Cross Country is one such wagon.
Published 02/21/23
This segment kicks off the first of several installments of Ken's interview with Sue Mead - self-proclaimed small-town girl, dirt road tornado, and off-road motorsports hall of Famer. Sue has reviewed thousands of vehicles and traveled to countless countries across the globe during her varied and vast experience interacting with people, places, and vehicles.
Published 02/21/23
For our FIRST-EVER interview, Ken sits down with Brian Armstead - a legendary automotive journalist with a media career that extends for over 45 years! As a jurist on the prestigious North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year panel, he is one of fifty experienced and accomplished automotive media professionals that review hundreds of vehicles every year.
Published 02/21/23
Welcome to the 2023 Chicago Auto Show! During this episode, Ken talks about the show's 100-plus-year history.
Published 02/21/23
The Lordstown Endurance, the Fisker PEAR and perhaps even the Volkswagen Scout? Seems like the Lordstown manufacturing plant will be brimming with production. Question is, can they navigate the challenges of several new vehicle launches and more importantly will there be a market for what they build?
Published 02/07/23
By order of Congress, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration set up the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse to track CDL driver drug and alcohol program violations in 2020, thereby enhancing safety on our Nation's roadways. We take a look at how it works and who exactly it covers.
Published 02/07/23
With the coming tsunami of EV models entering the American marketplace over the next few years, EV battery material recycling has become more than the right thing to do for the environment, it has become and economic necessity. A number of American companies are spending big to meet the challenge head on.
CHANGE IS COMING TO THE ROADWORTHY DRIVE MOMENTS PODCAST! We are working on changes and upgrades that we believe you will love. WATCH THIS SPACE for more information.
Published 02/07/23
Renewable Natural Gas - a biofuel derived from cow manure and the methane that is produced and usually burned off at landfill sites around the country. The industry is turning these emissions into fuel for the benefit of the planet.
CHANGE IS COMING TO THE ROADWORTHY DRIVE MOMENTS PODCAST! We are working on changes and upgrades that we believe you will love. WATCH THIS SPACE for more information.
Published 02/07/23
This week I slide behind the wheel of the very capable Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro pickup truck. Let me be the first to tell you, the less road you have the better this Tacoma is! Just the companion you need in the backwoods when a "road" is more of a slight suggestion than a fact. (and an front bumper mounted aftermarket Warn 6-ton electric winch would be nice to have too!)
CHANGE IS COMING TO THE ROADWORTHY DRIVE MOMENTS PODCAST! We are working on changes and upgrades that we believe you...
Published 02/07/23
Volvo's EX90 SUV is based on the flagship XC90 and will be the automaker's first pure electric, fully autonomous SUV. The company says that enhancing the driver, not replacing the driver, has always been their objective.
The RoadWorthy Drive Moments podcast is changing! Starting March 1st, it will become the TechMobility Topics podcast! While the weekly podcast will continue to feature the same great news, information and perspective that you have come to expect, TechMobility Topics will...
Published 02/07/23
If you really tried, could you go a full day without plastic in your life? Or for that matter, go without single use plastic? According to a United Nations report, the world produces about 400 million metric tons of plastic WASTE each year - with about 200 metric tons being thrown away after a single use. A study by the Pew Charitable Trusts says that more than 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans each year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation reports that only 9...
Published 02/07/23