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Heavy Duty Trucking / June 9, 2016 SAF-Holland says a new P89 air disc brake for trailers will greatly reduce the price premium compared to drum brakes, and an upgraded P89 Plus will virtually eliminate brake maintenance for seven years. Company executives said they showed the new series to fleet managers at meetings and trade shows earlier this year. They formally announced the brakes at a press conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., June 9. “We firmly believe that disc brakes are superior” to drums because of shorter stopping distances and reduced maintenance, said US market head Steffen Schewerda. “We know that discs have had a prohibitively high premium as trailer builders price these products.” But the P89 base model should cost about $1,500 more than drum brakes now used on trailer tandems, he said. And the P89 Plus, while retaining a more usual $3,500 price premium, will soon pay for itself in superior performance, long life and low maintenance costs. “SAF-Holland has leveraged their global supplier network to create economies of scale that drive down the cost of technology,” said Jeff Talaga, vice president of sales and strategic development for the Americas. “We are able to pass this cost savings to our North American fleet customers and for the first time put air disc brake technology within reach of fleets large and small." In addition to reducing the upcharge, the base P89 will be “weight-neutral” compared to drum brakes, said Roger Jensen, product manager for trailer brakes and axles. The P89 Plus is a premium package that includes a beefier, bi-metal rotor that resists heat distortion and comes with a 7-year maintenance-free bearing system. The Plus weighs 30 pounds more per axle than the P89. At the heart of the P89 is SAF’s SBS 2220 caliper and 430-mm-diameter by 45-mm-thick heavy duty vented rotor. The dual piston SBS 2220 caliper applies a more even pressure pattern across the brake lining and 30% more wear volume than competitive single piston designs, Jensen said. Both feature self-adjustment, quick-change pads and require no greasing, he said. Traditional wheel seals, a common source of premature wheel end failure, are completely eliminated. Precision bearing spacers are installed between the inner and outer bearings to precisely control bearing pre-load for maximum life. Extensive product testing and long experience in Europe has shown the P89 Plus bearing system provides four times better bearing life. Available on the SAF CBX air ride and ULX spring ride suspensions, the P89 Series provides advantages of air disc brake performance to nearly all fleet operations, whether high mileage long-haul or demanding vocational trailer applications, Schewerda said. The disc brakes go into production in July and should be available on new trailers soon after.

Green Car Congress / June 10, 2016 The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has issued a request for information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0001600) to obtain feedback and opinions from truck operators, truck and storage tank manufacturers, fuel cell manufacturers, station equipment designers, and other related stakeholders on issues related to medium- and heavy-duty (MD and HD) fuel cell electric truck targets. The MD/HD market spans multiple weight classes (i.e. class 3-8 or 10,000-80,000+ lbs.) and vocational uses (i.e. delivery van, tractor trailer, flatbed, etc.). Today, MD/HD trucks account for 28% of petroleum use in the US transportation sector, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). A key activity within FCTO, with industry input, is setting technology targets for future years (e.g., 2020) based on what is required to be competitive with incumbent or other advanced technologies. These can then be used by stakeholders to help track performance and set technology benchmarks. Currently, FCTO has targets in several areas, including hydrogen production, delivery, storage, and fuel cells for light-duty vehicles. FCTO developed a set of basic vehicle specification by Class and by vocational application, rangin from a Class 2 Van (135 kW motor continuous power, 155 kW fuel cell power with 7 kh H2 stored on board and a range of 150 miles) to a Class 8 Tractor Trailer (260 kW motor continuous power, 265 kW fuel cell power, 62 kg H2 onboard and a range of 400 miles. FCTO set fuel economy targets for each weight class to reduce the confusion of one normalized target that would span all weight classes. Power system cost is normalized based on the fuel cell stack size required for each vehicle. The vehicle range target suggested is comparable to light duty vehicles at 300 miles, however, some truck designs may require more or less range depending on vocational use. Lifetime targets and maintenance costs suggested are based on fuel cell bus targets. Proposed targets for the fuel cell trucks are: Proposed Fuel Economy Target (miles/kg H2) for 2025 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6 Class 7 Class 8 26 20 18 16 14 12 Proposed 2025 Targets for MD/HD Fuel Cell Electric Trucks, Class 3 - Class 8 Vehicle operation Vehicle Lifetime [years/miles] 12/500,000 Power Plant Lifetime [hours] 25,000 Power System Cost [$/kW] 160 Scheduled and Unscheduled Maintenance Cost5 [$/mile] 0.4 Vehicle Range [miles] 300 Fuel cell system FC System Power Density [W/L] 850 FC System Specific Power [W/kg] 650 Hydrogen storage Storage Tank Gravimetric Capacity [kg H2/kg storage tank] 5 Storage Tank Volumetric Capacity [kg H2/100 L] 700 bar/350 bar 3.8/2.2 Hydrogen Storage System Cost [$/kg H2 stored] 266 Operation Cycle Life (1/4 tank to full) [cycles] 2,500 System Fill Rate [kg H2/min] 5

There’s that old saying, “you reap what you sow” (you eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions). The only reason the Shah came to power in 1953 was the CIA. And they acknowledge that fact. It was US-orchestrated regime change. (when we do it, it’s okay.......what other’s do it, it’s bad) While the Shah was in, US businesses made a lot of money there......that was the idea. But installed governments have a habit of eventually failing, caused by greed and corruption running at particularly high levels.

If you could buy a Ford F-Series pickup incorporating the Dodge's Cummins 6.7L ISB and Chevy/GMC's Allison 1000 transmission, and Dana axles, you'd have a nice pickup.

They didn't spend much.......the horrible looking NV1500/2500/3500 is based on the Titan pickup platform. They're produced together in Canton, Mississippi. Both are terrible sellers, and that NV has no diesel option. Nissan sold just 12,527 Titans in 2014, about the number of F-series pickups that Ford produces every 5 days.

Any educated, ordinarily prudent individual couldn't possibly believe that either one of these dysfunctional and over-age primadonnas would actually be allowed to head the United States of America. If one believes that it's all real, then its amusing to see two people who surely despise each other working together "for the sake of the party". The party system is highly overrated (but it's a key pillar of the "show").

And, with Smokey and the Bandit having been mentioned, I should add that "new" Trans Ams are awaiting your order. Website - http://www.transamworldwide.com/ .

Automotive News / June 11, 2016 Charlie Watson was up late one night watching the old Burt Reynolds classic Smokey and the Bandit. His employer, Lebanon Ford in Ohio, was planning to screen the film for its performance customers, and Watson wanted to give it a preview. Watching Reynolds' character wheel his 1977 Pontiac Trans Am during wild chases took Watson back to a time when old-school muscle cars were powerful without a lot of added flash or technology. "Back in the day, it was just a man and his car," Watson said. "It had a big engine, it had tons of power and it was all fun. It wasn't about the fancy body kits, the heated seats and the touch screens and all this other craziness. It was just a lot of power and a lot of fun." That night, as he lay awake in bed, a thought struck him, an idea for a marketing promotion that would end up turning a small dealership in southwestern Ohio into a destination for performance enthusiasts around the country. The deal, announced in a Jan. 30 blog post, was simple: a base 2016 Mustang GT -- fitted with a Roush Phase 2 supercharger that gives its 5.0-liter V-8 727 hp -- for $39,995. Yes, including the car. "The idea came to me in the middle of the night after watching the movie," says Watson, Lebanon Ford's Roush Performance manager. "I sat down and started doing the math. I didn't believe it." He could hardly believe what happened next, either. News of the $39,995 deal went viral online. The online publication The Drive posted a story on May 9 detailing the offer. The news was quickly picked up that day by Yahoo and Road & Track. And now, Lebanon Ford, a dealership that was once happy getting 20 sales calls a day from its territory between Dayton and Cincinnati, isn't surprised to get 1,000 calls a day, and is shipping supercharged pony cars to buyers as far away as Florida and Texas. The deal has helped diversify Lebanon's clientele demographically as well. Before the promotion, Watson said the store's performance shop dealt mainly with retirement-age consumers looking at Shelby and Roush Stage 3-supercharged Mustangs in the $65,000 to $85,000 price range. The $39,995 offer has widened the net considerably by bringing in clients in their mid-20s. The store is selling around three to five 727-hp Mustangs per day. Watson said the store had to discount the vehicle and labor to get the package under $40,000. The deal without the price cuts, he said, would've cost about $44,000. Shipping, title and license fees are extra. "The fact we can build this into the car and they can leave with one affordable car payment at top-tier rates is just the perfect storm to get these people to buy something they never would've been able to buy," Watson said. He said Lebanon Ford has had to work closely with Ford and Roush Performance on parts allocations to make sure it can keep up with demand. The store is also selling Mustang GTs with Roush Phase 1 superchargers, which churn out 670 hp, for the same price. The sales mix is around 60/40 in favor of the Phase 2 package. Watson, who credits store owner Lisa Cryder for supporting the idea, said the promotion has resonated because there's a contingent out there that is still drawn to the idea of powerful vehicles in more subtle wrappings. Justin Schroeder, vice president of product for Roush Performance, said he's never seen a store garner so much attention as quickly as Lebanon Ford did. The firestorm trickled over to Roush's internal sales team, which took a "bunch" of calls even though the company had nothing to do with the offer, Schroeder said. "Lebanon did some nice positioning to get that under the $40,000 target," Schroeder said. And Lebanon Ford has had to do some repositioning since. When the blog about the promotion was posted, the store was getting about seven to eight calls each day about it -- a "phenomenal" number, Watson said, but manageable. But within three weeks, the blog post had drawn 280,000 impressions. The onslaught of calls began last month, which forced the store to bring in more bodies to staff an internal call center. The store also enlisted an outside call center to assist. Watson said the promotion had been slated to last one month, but now the end date is undecided. The Mustang GTs are selling at such a consistent clip that the store can't keep track of how many units it has moved so far. "We keep trying to get the number," Phil Sies, Lebanon Ford's marketing manager, told Automotive News, adding: "We know we sold three this day and five this day. Then everybody gets blown away [and] nobody ever counts them up. We keep joking we need to count them, but everybody keeps selling." Watson said the Mustang GT deal isn't the most profitable promotion the store has ever done, but it's helping the dealership develop a national following. "We had a guy drive 16 hours from Fort Worth, Texas. When he's picking up his car, he shook my hand and said, "Man, you made my dream come true,'" Watson recalled. "At that second, that's when we knew we were on to something big here." Photo gallery - http://www.autonews.com/article/20160611/RETAIL03/306139995/bold-bet-on-a-727-hp-mustang

I will never in my life pay $55,000 to $65,000 for a modern pickup truck which has a planned obsolescence of 4 years. Like you, I'd be inclined towards the Dodge because of the ISB 6.7, however I also know that (FCA CEO) Sergio's finances are squeaky tight right now, so I've no doubt the brand is cutting corners in manufacturing (more so than Ford and GM) where the customer can't see, or where they're betting the customer won't care.

Given that GM has already decided to do business with [Carlos] Ghosn's Renault-Nissan Alliance in buying NV200s, and given that the US market has [finally] adopted the modern global market van form, it is puzzling to at least myself why Mary {Barra} continues with the archaic Chevy Express range rather than buying rebadged Renault Masters (as she does in Europe) which could take on the Transit head-to-head in the US market. What I like about the Movano (Renault Master) is that, like the European market Transit, it is available with either rear-wheel drive OR front-wheel drive to meet each customer's exact needs. (The European Transit is also available with all-wheel drive....altogether 3 drive configurations, but Americans only get RWD) http://www.opel.ie/vehicles/opel_range/vans/movano-ng/highlights/chassis.html Video - http://www.opel.ie/vehicles/opel_range/vans/movano-ng/index.html

State Dept. Emails Shed Light on How Clinton Donor Was Named to Intelligence Board Time Magazine / June 10, 2016 Newly released State Department emails help reveal how a major Clinton Foundation donor was placed on a sensitive government intelligence advisory board even though he had no obvious experience in the field, a decision that appeared to baffle the department’s professional staff. The emails further reveal how, after inquiries from ABC News, the Clinton staff sought to “protect the name” of the Secretary, “stall” the ABC News reporter and ultimately accept the resignation of the donor just two days later. Copies of dozens of internal emails were provided to ABC News by the conservative political group Citizens United, which obtained them under the Freedom of Information Act after more the two years of litigation with the government. A prolific fundraiser for Democratic candidates and contributor to the Clinton Foundation, who later traveled with Bill Clinton on a trip to Africa, Rajiv K. Fernando’s only known qualification for a seat on the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) was his technological know-how. The Chicago securities trader, who specialized in electronic investing, sat alongside an august collection of nuclear scientists, former cabinet secretaries and members of Congress to advise Hillary Clinton on the use of tactical nuclear weapons and on other crucial arms control issues. “We had no idea who he was,” one board member told ABC News. Fernando’s lack of any known background in nuclear security caught the attention of several board members, and when ABC News first contacted the State Department in August 2011 seeking a copy of his resume, the emails show that confusion ensued among the career government officials who work with the advisory panel. “I have spoken to [State Department official and ISAB Executive Director Richard Hartman] privately, and it appears there is much more to this story that we’re unaware of,” wrote Jamie Mannina, the press aide who fielded the ABC News request. “We must protect the Secretary’s and Under Secretary’s name, as well as the integrity of the Board. I think it’s important to get down to the bottom of this before there’s any response. “As you can see from the attached, it’s natural to ask how he got onto the board when compared to the rest of the esteemed list of members,” Mannina wrote, referring to an attachment that was not included in the recent document release. Fernando himself would not answer questions from ABC News in 2011 about what qualified him for a seat on the board or led to his appointment. When ABC News finally caught up with Fernando at the 2012 Democratic convention, he became upset and said he was "not at liberty" to speak about it. Security threatened to have the ABC News reporter arrested. Fernando's expertise appeared to be in the arena of high-frequency trading -- a form of computer-generated stock trading. At the time of his appointment, he headed a firm, Chopper Trading, that was a leader in that field. Fernando's history of campaign giving dated back at least to 2003 and was prolific -- and almost exclusively to Democrats. He was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2008 bid for president, giving maximum contributions to her campaign, and to HillPAC, in 2007 and 2008. He also served as a fundraising bundler for Clinton, gathering more than $100,000 from others for her White House bid. After Barack Obama bested Clinton for the 2008 nomination, Fernando became a major fundraiser for the Obama campaign. Prior to his State Department appointment, Fernando had given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the William J. Clinton Foundation, and another $30,000 to a political advocacy group, WomenCount, that indirectly helped Hillary Clinton retire her lingering 2008 campaign debts by renting her campaign email list. The appointment qualified Fernando for one of the highest levels of top secret access, the emails show. Among those with whom Fernando served on the International Security Advisory Board was David A. Kay, the former head of the Iraq Survey Group and United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector; Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, a former National Security Advisor to two presidents; two former congressmen; and former Sen. Chuck Robb. William Perry, the former Secretary of Defense, chaired the panel. “It is certainly a serious, knowledgeable and experienced group of experts,” said Bruce Blair, a Princeton professor whose principal research covers the technical and policy steps on the path toward the verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons. “Much of the focus has been on questions of nuclear stability and the risks of nuclear weapons use by Russia and Pakistan.” The newly released emails reveal that after ABC News started asking questions in August 2011, a State Department official who worked with the advisory board couldn’t immediately come up with a justification for Fernando serving on the panel. His and other emails make repeated references to “S”; ABC News has been told this is a common way to refer to the Secretary of State. “The true answer is simply that S staff (Cheryl Mills) added him,” wrote Wade Boese, who was Chief of Staff for the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, in an email to Mannina, the press aide. “Raj was not on the list sent to S; he was added at their insistence.” Mills, a former deputy White House counsel, was serving as Clinton’s chief of staff at the time, and has been a longtime legal and political advisor. Four minutes later, Boese wrote to his boss, Richard Hartman, to alert him that Ellen Tauscher, who was then the Undersecretary for State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, would be meeting with Mills to devise a response to the ABC News request. “Sorry this has become a headache,” he wrote. Hartman wrote the next morning to say he would “come up and brief you... about where Raj Fernando stands and the ABC News investigative journalist inquiries. You do need to hear about it.” Separately, in an email to another official, Hartman noted that it was "Cheryl Mills, who added Mr. Fernando’s name to the list of ISAB nominees." When ABC News sent a follow-up inquiry about the qualifications of another board appointee, Massachusetts state Rep. Harold P. Naughton, Jr., Boese wrote to Hartman to say the department would have a far easier time explaining Naughton’s credentials. “The case for Rep. Naughton is an easy one. We are on solid ground,” he said. By this point, Fernando himself had been looped into the discussion. He and Hartman exchanged emails, but the entire text of Fernando’s letter was redacted by the State Department prior to its release. Twice, Mannina was instructed to stall with ABC News, before Mills sent a public statement. It announced Fernando’s abrupt decision to step down. “Mr. Fernando chose to resign from the Board earlier this month citing additional time needed to devote to his business,” it reads, noting that membership on the board was required to be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed by the advisory committee.” “As President and CEO of Chopper Trading, Mr. Fernando brought a unique perspective to ISAB. He has years of experience in the private sector in implementing sophisticated risk management tools, information technology and international finance,” the statement says. The statement was emailed to ABC News two days after Fernando’s resignation and four days after the initial ABC News inquiry. Fernando’s letter of resignation to Clinton says he “intended to devote a substantial amount of time to the work of ISAB in furtherance of its objectives. However, the unique, unexpected, and excessive volatility in the international markets these last few weeks and months require[d him] to focus [his] energy on the operations of [his] company.” Additional emails collected from Hillary Clinton’s personal server only hint at her possible involvement in Fernando’s selection to the board. The records request for documents about Fernando’s appointment produced a chain of correspondence from 2010 with the subject line “ISAB” -- or International Security Advisory Board. In those, Mills writes, “The secretary had two other names she wanted looked at.” The names are redacted. Mills then forwarded the response to “H,” which is the designation for Clinton’s personal account. Three minutes later Clinton forwards the email chain to another State official and says simply, “Pls print.” The Clinton campaign declined requests from ABC News to make Mills available for an interview. Campaign spokesman Nick Merrill deferred to the U.S. State Department, which issued a statement saying the board’s charter specifically calls for a membership that reflects “a balance of backgrounds and points of view. Furthermore, it is not unusual for the State Department Chief of Staff to be involved in personnel matters.” Fernando did not respond to messages left by ABC News at home and mobile numbers listed for Fernando, nor to a letter left at the office of his current business. Today State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters that Fernando had been fully vetted, but Toner said he could not speak to his specific qualifications. When asked if he came from a security background, Toner said, “I don’t believe so.” “I apologize, I don’t have his [resume] in front of me,” Toner said. “All I know is that the charter does lay out or stipulate that [they're] looking for a broad range of experiences. It’s not unimaginable that a businessman, an international businessman, might bring a certain level of expertise or knowledge or experience to such a job.” The State Department’s website lists former members of the ISAB, but Fernando’s name is not among them. Toner was unable to explain why the name was missing and when asked if the list was comprehensive, said, “Apparently not.” As is customary with a new administration, the make-up of the board changed substantially when Clinton took over the State Department, according to Amb. James Woolsey, who served on the panel from 2006 to 2009. But the seriousness of its mission remained the same. He said the board’s primary purpose was to gather an array of experts on nuclear weapons and arms control to constantly assess and update the nation’s nuclear strategy. “Most things that involve nuclear weapons and nuclear strategy are dealt with at a pretty sensitive basis -- top secret,” he said, noting that participants meet in a secure facility and are restricted in what materials they can discuss. That is not typically the realm of political donors, Woolsey said. Though, he added, it would not be impossible for someone lacking a security background to make a contribution to the panel. “It would depend on how smart and dedicated this person was... I would think you would have to devote some real time to getting up to speed,” he said. Fernando is now a board member of a private group called the American Security Project, which describes itself as “a nonpartisan organization created to educate the American public and the world about the changing nature of national security in the 21st Century.” He also identifies himself online as a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and says he's involved with a Washington think tank. And he continued to donate to Democrats, and to Clinton. He emerged as one of the first “bundlers” to raise money for Clinton’s 2016 bid. And in July 2015, he hosted a fundraiser for Clinton at his Chicago home. Fernando has also continued to donate to the Clinton Foundation. He now is listed on the charity’s website as having given between $1 million and $5 million. About six months after Fernando resigned from the State Department advisory board, he was invited to attend a White House State Dinner, honoring the British Prime Minister. And this summer Fernando will serve as a super delegate at the Democratic National Convention. According to Chicago media reports, he has committed to supporting Clinton. The following emails were obtained by the conservative political group Citizens United, which obtained them under the Freedom of Information Act, and were provided to ABC News. ABC News has arranged the emails in chronological order. Scroll through the emails below or CLICK HERE to open them in a new window. .

It's been a healthy step in the educational process. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/45271-electric-trucks-–-how-the-technology-works/#comment-333783

The Chevy Express full-size van platform, introduced in 1997, in sorely obsolete. The Chevy City Express is, embarrassingly, a rebadged Nissan NV200. FYI: In the global market, GM's Vauxhall and Opel brands sell a rebadged version of the popular Renault Master called the Movano - a modern, world-class full-size van (http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/vans/movano-ng/overview.html). The full-size Ram Promaster (rebadged Fiat Ducato) and smaller Promaster City (rebadged Fiat Doblo) are hideous looking and have mediocre drivetrains. With the Ford-designed full-size Transit, mid-sized Transit Custom* (oddly absent in North America) and the compact Transit Connect, blue oval is a global leader in vans. * http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/TransitCustom

Company's (fleets) that want the lowest operating costs run Fords (not to say their loyalty wasn't tested at times). GM pickups tend to be personal use. That all said, Dodge (aka. Ram) is seeing a lot of commercial business now, owing to the Cummins ISB (America's defacto mid-range engine), and the superb 3.0-liter VM Motori (EcoDiesel).

I never understood Buffet's investment in BYD, in that he and his team are clueless about China. The BYD bus is very good. What's damning here is that the great United States can no longer build leading edge municipal transit buses on its own.

The Guardian / June 10, 2016 Iranian leaders have reacted with fury to reports that newly declassified US diplomatic cables revealed extensive contacts between Ayatollah Khomeini and the Carter administration just weeks ahead of Iran’s Islamic revolution. It was previously known that Ruhollah Khomeini, the charismatic leader of the Iranian revolution, had exchanged some messages with the US through an intermediary while living in exile in Paris. But new documents seen by the BBC’s Persian service show he went to a great lengths to ensure the Americans would not jeopardise his plans to return to Iran – and even personally wrote to US officials. The BBC’s reporting suggests that the Carter administration took heed of Khomeini’s pledges, and in effect paved the way for his return by holding the Iranian army back from launching a military coup. The BBC Persian service obtained a draft message Washington had prepared as a response to Khomeini, which welcomed the ayatollah’s direct communications, but was never sent. The corporation also published a previously released but unnoticed declassified 1980 CIA analysis titled Islam in Iran, which shows Khomeini’s initial attempts to reach out to the US dated back to 1963, 16 years before the revolution. The BBC’s reports have created a huge row in Iran: if true they would undermine the myth that Khomenei staunchly resisted any direct links with the US, which remained taboo for three decades until the recent nuclear negotiations. Earlier this month, Khomeini’s successor, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denied the report, saying it was based on “fabricated” documents. Other Iranian politicians have also questioned the BBC’s revelations, including Ebrahim Yazdi, Khomeini’s spokesman and adviser at the time of the revolution, and Saeed Hajjarian, a reformist figure. Two former White House advisers to Jimmy Carter, speaking to the Guardian, did not question the authenticity of the documents but denied that the US had abandoned the shah. In contrast to his later tirades against the “Great Satan”, Khomeini’s messages to US officials just weeks before his return to Tehran appear to have been strikingly conciliatory. “It is advisable that you recommend to the army not to follow [Shah’s prime minister Shapour] Bakhtiar,” Khomeini said in one message, according to the BBC. “You will see we are not in any particular animosity with the Americans.” In another message sent via a US emissary written in the same month, he attempted to assuage American fears that their economic interests would be affected by a change of power in Iran: “There should be no fear about oil. It is not true that we wouldn’t sell to the US.” Khomeini returned to Tehran on 1 February 1979, two weeks after the shah had fled Iran. The Iranian military, which was under US influence, soon surrendered, and within months Khomenei was declared the supreme leader of a new Islamic republic. Relations with the US were wary from the start, because America was closely identified with the shah’s regime, and links with Washington broke down completely in November 1979 when a group of students stormed the US embassy and took 52 diplomats hostage for 444 days. But despite confrontational rhetoric on both sides, the revolution did not mark an end to direct talks between Iran and the US. The current president, Hassan Rouhani, is believed to have been involved in covert negotiations in which the US agreed to covertly ship arms to Tehran to secure the release of American hostages. The 1980 CIA study says “in November 1963 Ayatollah Khomeini sent a message to the United States Government through [Tehran University professor] Haj Mirza Khalil Kamarei”, in which he explained “that he was not opposed to American interests in Iran” and that “on the contrary, he thought the American presence was necessary as a counterbalance to Soviet and possibly British influence”. Iranian leaders have vehemently denied that Khomeini ever sent such a message. The Guardian did not have access to the newly declassified documents and was not able to independently verify them. The BBC published the CIA document, but has not published further documents. Most of them appear to be diplomatic cables from Paris and Tehran embassies containing Khomeini’s first-person messages, which the corporation said were in the public domain. BBC Persian has not explained its decision not to publish those documents, which has not helped the scepticism among Iranian critics, but the reporter who broke the story, Kambiz Fattahi, answered questions by email. “The documents clearly show that Khomeini was less heroic, and far craftier, behind the scenes,” Fattahi said. “He quietly courted the US government, making all kinds of promises about the future of core US interests in Iran.” “The documents are significant because they show Khomeini’s legacy is complicated, as it involves the ayatollah courting two US presidents behind the scenes. They illustrate a pattern of behaviour – that Khomeini at critical moments during his long struggle for an Islamic republic, secretly engaged what he would call ‘the Great Satan’.” Gary Sick, a member of the National Security Council staff during the period of the Iranian revolution, said “the documents are genuine” but to the best of his knowledge he never saw the CIA study about the 1963 contact, and had no knowledge of the alleged communication. “As far as I can tell, assuming the report is accurate, the message from Khomeini to the US government had no effect on actual policy – either in the Kennedy administration or later. So I regard this as an anomaly,” he told the Guardian. Sick said the US wanted to preserve the Iranian military as an institution and ensure that the transition would be orderly and not collapse into bloodshed and civil war, but said the talks with an American emissary in 1979 had little significance. “The Khomeini forces were concerned that the Iranian military would launch a coup, which they definitely wanted to avoid at all costs. The US side tried to preserve the threat of a coup as a bargaining lever.” Stuart Eizenstat, a former chief White House domestic policy adviser to Carter, said talks of the US abandoning the shah was “not historically accurate”. He said: “We did everything we could to keep the shah in power. There was no notion that we were trying to facilitate the Ayatollah coming into power.” He also commented: “Ebrahim Yadzi, the first foreign minister under Khomeini, was making regular public statements on behalf of Ayatollah Khomeini saying this will be a tolerant democracy, nothing about an Islamic revolution. I believe that Yadzi believed that.” Mark Toner, deputy spokesperson at the state department, was asked about Khomeini making contact with the Carter administration. “I apologise. I’m not – I’m not aware of that and I don’t have any updates to offer,” he said. The Guardian also approached Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security adviser to Carter from 1977 to 1981. He declined an interview on the subject, but said “there were a lot of maneuvers by people at that time and I do not have any special information particularly on the Ayatollah and his role in it. Probably in some fashion there was some involvement but nothing specific that I can recall.”

Barack Obama mobilises for Hillary Clinton victory to seal legacy The Financial Times / June 10, 2016 Energised by a desire to secure his legacy and a barely concealed contempt for Donald Trump, President Barack Obama says he is “fired up” to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Hillary Clinton. The two former rivals will campaign together next week in Wisconsin and Mr Obama has already been rehearsing some of his lines. “This is not reality TV,” he said on The Tonight Show on Thursday. “You want the Republican nominee to be somebody who could do the job if they win.” Buoyed by an approval rating that is now about 50 per cent, Mr Obama is likely to become the first president in recent times to play a prominent role in the election campaign for his successor. After seven years of often trench warfare in Congress, he knows a Republican administration would seek to gut Obamacare and he makes no secret of his low view of Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. “It is almost unique and unprecedented, the degree to which he has made it clear that this is important to him,” says Gil Troy, a presidential historian at McGillUniversity. “For Trump to become president would be an enormous slap in the face. People would ask what had gone so wrong in America for a figure like Trump to become president.” Only two years ago, Mr Obama found himself shunned by many of the Democratic party’s candidates in the 2014 midterm elections. However, according to Gallup, the president’s approval rating is now 53 per cent, compared with the low-40s it was at for most of 2014. Christopher Wlezien at the University of Texas and Robert Erikson from Columbia University have calculated that in all but one of the past 16 elections, the sitting president’s party won the popular vote if his approval rating was above 48 per cent in the second quarter. “Presidential elections, especially in the US, are a referendum on the incumbent,” says Mr Wlezien. “It is a choice about whether you want another four years.” Mr Obama’s role is likely to be twofold. Having attacked Mitt Romney in 2012 over his business record, the Democrats appear to have decided that the most effective approach against Mr Trump is to argue he is unfit for the office because of lack of knowledge and his temperament. The president seems eager to ridicule the Republican candidate. When Theodore Roosevelt hand-picked William Howard Taft to run in the 1908 election to be his successor, a columnist joked that the candidate’s name stood for: “Take Advice From Theodore”. Yet no modern president about to leave office has played a major role in an election. Lyndon Johnson and George W Bush were too discredited to have much influence in the 1968 and 2008 elections, respectively, and in 1960 Dwight Eisenhower did few favours for Richard Nixon. Asked to name an idea he adopted from his vice-president, Eisenhower responded: “If you give me a week, I might think of one.” Despite being popular presidents in their last year, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton also took back seats. In Reagan’s case, by 1988 he was eager for retirement. Many of Al Gore’s aides in 2000 wanted to make more use of Mr Clinton, but the then vice-president was concerned about the taint of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and wanted to escape the Clinton shadow. “Al Gore was worried that he would be smothered by the charisma and animal magnetism of Bill Clinton,” says Mr Troy. Even then, Mr Clinton managed to steal the show at the Democratic convention in Los Angeles, his theatrical entrance to the stage captured by a camera that followed him like a prize fighter down a hall and into the bright lights. Mr Gore’s experience highlights one of the main dangers for Mrs Clinton in leaning on the president. At times a wooden performer, she too could find herself outshone by Mr Obama. A prominent role for the two-term president would cement Mrs Clinton’s position as the status quo candidate in an election year marked by populist anger. Mr Obama could also galvanise turnout among Republican voters — something Mrs Clinton is already likely to do. The president’s rising approval rating is not the product of softening opposition from the right. “The conservative movement over the last decade has come to be substantially defined by opposition to Obama,” says Henry Olsen, a conservative analyst at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. However, he points out one of the reasons Mr Romney lost was the historically high turnout by African-Americans — something Mr Obama might be able to galvanise again this year. “For conservatives, the upside of Obama being involved is balanced out by the downsides,” says Mr Olsen.

Green Car Congress / 10 June 2016 The State of California is awarding $9 million to the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) for 27 zero-emission trucks to replace diesel-powered heavy-duty tractors used in rail yards and large-scale freight distribution centers. The funds come from the California Climate Investments (CCI) program and are designed to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), while also reducing petroleum usage and improving air quality in residential communities. The two types of trucks funded by this grant are the most common at every major freight location in the US, providing a model for truck electrification that could be scaled to any facility. The project will demonstrate 23 battery-electric 80,000-pound (GVWR) Class 8 yard trucks, also known as “yard goats,” which are used to move heavy freight containers short distances within freight yards, warehouses, distribution centers and port terminals. The project also demonstrates four 16,100-pound (GVWR) Class 5 medium-duty service trucks. BNSF Railway will operate the trucks at two of its intermodal rail yards in the cities of San Bernardino and Commerce; Daylight Transport will also operate the trucks at its new truck freight transfer facility in Fontana. The fully electric trucks will be designed and manufactured by BYD in Lancaster, California. BYD’s class 8 heavy-duty yard truck and class 5 medium-duty service truck technology will prove that vehicle electrification is a solution that can be applied today to a variety of needs—not just passenger vehicles. BYD is proud to collaborate on this project and showcase our best-in-market electric battery technology. By deploying these trucks in 24/7 operations, this project will prove that truck electrification can be adopted at any major freight location and scaled for any facility and business need in the US. —Stella Li, president of BYD Motors The project, which kicked off this week, will place these electric-powered trucks in disadvantaged communities within the cities of San Bernardino, Commerce and Fontana. The goal is to develop zero-emission vehicles that could replace existing diesel trucks accelerating the commercialization of these and other examples of heavy-duty advanced, zero-emission technologies in California. Over the two-year duration of the demonstration project, the full complement of the zero-emission trucks will result in overall reductions of 3,500 tons of carbon dioxide, 3,250 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 170 pounds of diesel soot (PM10). The grant is part of a larger statewide investment in low-carbon transportation projects that are pivotal to meeting California’s ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and reduce petroleum dependency by accelerating the development and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies. The project also supports the Governor’s Executive Order (B-32-15) to “upgrade freight vehicles and infrastructure” utilizing “technologies, energy sources, and fuels that enable greater transportation efficiency while reducing community and environmental impacts.” The draft California Sustainable Freight Action Plan, required under the Executive Order, was made public last month. CARB Press Release - http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=821 .

Heavy Duty Trucking / June 10, 2016 A California judge has ruled that the California Air Resources Board erred in delaying the enforcement of stricter diesel emission rules for certain heavy-duty truck operators. The ruling by the Superior Court of California’s Central Division sets aside delays amended to the state’s Truck and Bus clean-air rule by CARB in 2014, ostensibly to level the playing field between large and small truck operations. In a statement, CARB said those amendments “provide badly needed flexibility to smaller fleets (three trucks or less), lower-use vehicles including those operated by small farmers, and fleets in some rural areas.” The agency said it will immediately file an appeal, which “will maintain the status quo while the case makes its way through the higher courts.” CARB said that as the case makes its way through the Court of Appeal process, its statewide staff will continue to enforce the regulation and will cite those vehicles found to be out of compliance. “We strongly disagree with the court, and will file an appeal in all possible haste,” said Jack Kitowski, head of CARB’s Mobile Source Division, which is in charge of putting the regulation into effect on a daily basis. “We don’t want to see small fleets and farmers hurt by this decision.” The lawsuit was filed by John R. Lawson Rack and Oil of Fresno and the California Trucking Association, which alleged that CARB did not follow the proper procedures of the Administrative Procedures Act and the California Environmental Quality Act in adopting the amendments. “This ruling confirms that CARB failed to properly consider the impact on business and the environment when it pulled the rug out from under thousands of compliant fleets by not enforcing the rules across the board, to all trucks on California roadways,” said Shawn Yadon, CEO of CTA. “This is an important ruling for all businesses operating in California because it supports the requirement that regulatory agencies must evaluate the economic impact of their actions.” “In 2014, said CARB Executive Officer Richard Corey, “we recognized the extreme economic pressures experienced by smaller trucking fleets and independent owners as they sought to comply by upgrading or purchasing new equipment. We responded by amending the regulation to make it more flexible for ‘the little guys’ to comply. This court decision negates those amendments and deals a profound blow the smaller fleets, small farmers and independent owners.” CTA’s Yadon told HDT that the lawsuit “was not about big carrier vs. small carrier. CARB’s amendments picked winners and losers, with the losers being those operators and carriers who stepped up and complied with the rule, at great cost. "Those compliant operators and carriers were then placed in an unfair competitive landscape alongside those who had not complied and had not stepped up and incurred those significant compliance costs,” he added. Yadon noted that during CARB’s April, 2014 public hearing on amending the delays to the clean-air rule, truck operators and small trucking companies “detailed significant financial hardships to comply with the rule, and spoke in opposition to the amendments to allow non-compliant operators a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Upon hearing directly from operators/carriers about the economic impacts the amendments would create, CARB voted to approve the amendments without conducting the thorough economic impact analysis required under the California Administrative Procedures Act.” Joe Rajkovacz, Director of Governmental Affairs and Communications for the Western States Trucking Association, which did not have a position on the case, told HDT that the decision was not unexpected. He said that WSTA was “responsible for helping create the flexibility options” and was “successful in politicking the board in 2014 for these compliance options.” Rajkovacz said that an appeal of the ruling could take years. “One of the flexibility options (for small fleets) effectively expires on January 1, 2018,” he noted, “rendering any final decision potentially moot should the appeals court affirm the trial court’s decision.”

If I was running a truck (logistics) company in Western Europe, or some other parts of the world, say Singapore or Malaysia, I would consider a Volvo. But in the US......never. All you have to do is listen to what the distributor principals, and veteran sales, parts and service people have to say.

GM Gives Some Van Work to Navistar The Wall Street Journal / June 9, 2016 General Motors wants to focus more on increasing pickups to meet demand General Motors Co. , looking to boost its supply of pickup trucks to keep up with demand and halt declines in its market share, is hiring Navistar International Corp. to take over assembly duties on some commercial vans. The agreement, disclosed on Thursday, is a boost for Illinois-based Navistar as it continues to look for ways to make up for the revenue lost from a truck-making venture with Ford Motor Co. that ended last year. The GM deal calls for Navistar to produce certain Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans in a Springfield, Ohio, plant starting in the first half of 2017. GM is tapping Navistar for production help as it scrambles for ways to boost supply of small pickups at a time when low gasoline prices fuel demand for light trucks. The Express and Savana vans are now built in a Wentzville, Mo., factory where GM also makes its small pickup trucks. GM initially approached AM General LLC, the company that makes military vehicles and other products in Indiana, for help with the vans, according to people familiar with the matter. Those talks didn’t progress due to disagreements over contract terms, they said. Although work vans remain a hot niche market among commercial buyers, GM dealers have consistently complained about inadequate supplies of pickups. The pickups are among GM’s most profitable vehicles. It is unclear how much the Navistar deal will affect pickup output, but it provides more flexibility to keep with demand, a GM executive said. The auto maker’s share of the U.S. light truck market was 20% for the year through May, a decrease of 2.3% compared the same period a year earlier, according to data provider Autodata Corp. GM accelerated production of the small Chevrolet Colorado and GMCCanyon built in Wentzville earlier this year, but the company said demand for the midsize pickups still exceeds supply. It is also making moves to boost supply of full-size trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado, and full-size SUVs, such as the Cadillac Escalade. Terms of the multiyear contract weren’t disclosed, but Illinois-based Navistar said it plans to add at least 300 jobs and restart a second assembly line at a plant that has been idle for several years. In a separate deal announced last year, Navistar will hire an additional 300 workers in Springfield to build larger GM medium-duty commercial trucks beginning in 2018. “It’s great news for us,” said Jason Barlow, president of United Auto Workers Union Local 402 in Springfield. “We’ve taken some pretty hard body blows in the past. We’re thrilled that GM has confidence in us.” The assembly contracts with GM bring Navistar some much-needed production volume to offset slumping demand for its larger commercial trucks. Navistar has spent four years trying to recover lost sales stemming from a disastrous strategy for complying with federal regulations on engine exhaust that undermined the reliability of Navistar’s trucks. Navistar on Tuesday reported its first quarterly profit in four years, but cut its sales and profit outlook for the year because of a weak large truck market. The vans that Navistar will assemble typically feature a cab, an engine and chassis that can be modified for specific uses, such as a shuttle bus, an ambulance or a delivery truck. Navistar said GM will supply the engines for the vans. The cabs will continue to be built at the Wentzville plant and shipped to Springfield where they will be painted and assembled into vans.

My understanding is the fuel economy of the Wrightspeed-designed micro-turbine is good, better than the Capstone units that everyone else has employed in their studies. The micro-turbine is the key to eliminating large, heavy and costly battery packs, and making the system viable. Ian Wright is extremely sharp. He's an engineer than also understands the elements of truckmaking. Paccar (Kenworth) is running several Capstone-powered units on the west coast, and is enthusiastic about the results. I view overhead electrification as a step in the learning curve.

At a time when the foreign aggressors (Daimler and Volvo) are "sucking wind", laying off people in droves, it's intriguing that our two remaining U.S. truckmakers (Paccar and Navistar) are holding their own and moving forward. While Troy is no truck guy (that's what Navistar's Bill Kozek-led Paccar gang is for), his relationship with former employer GM has been a plus.

GM deal with Navistar paves the way for more midsize pickups Automotive News / June 9, 2016 General Motors has contracted with Navistar International Corp. to build some of its commercial vans, a move aimed at enabling GM to produce more hot-selling Chevrolet Colorado and GMCCanyon midsize pickups. Navistar said today that it will manufacture cutaway versions of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans, which are made at GM’s plant in Wentzville, Mo. Offloading some van production to Navistar’s plant in Springfield, Ohio, starting in the first half of 2017, should enable the Wentzville plant to crank out more Colorados and Canyons. A person with knowledge of GM’s plans said the move will enable the Wentzville plant to build roughly 40,000 additional Colorados and Canyons in 2017. GM spokesman Tom Wickham declined to comment, beyond saying that production of the pickups would be increased. In a statement, Cathy Clegg, GM’s head of manufacturing and labor relations in North America, said the Navistar deal “will provide our Wentzville, Mo., assembly plant more flexibility to keep up with continued demand for mid-size trucks and full size vans.” GM’s discussions last year with contract manufacturer AM General to build cutaway models didn’t pan out, the source said. Automotive News reported in November that a note distributed to workers in Wentzville said GM was “studying a partnership” with Indiana-based AM General for cutaway production. Cutaway models are incomplete versions sold to upfitters for a specific use, such as an ambulance. They account for roughly one-third of the vans built in Wentzville, the source said. Combined, GM sold 56,142 Colorados and Canyons in the U.S. through the first five months of the year. It sold 36,639 Express and Savana vans combined in the same period. GM has strained to keep pace with demand for the midsize pickups since they were launched in fall 2014. Inventories remain tight: There was a 41-day supply of Colorados on dealer lots or en route to stores as of June 1, according to the AutomotiveNewsDataCenter. There was a 58-day supply of Canyons. The Wentzville plant will continue to assemble the cab for the cutaway models, which will be shipped to Navistar to attach it to the chassis and install the interior, Wickham said. He declined to discuss the projected volume that Navistar will produce. Navistar CEO Troy Clarke was a 35-year GM executive before going to Navistar in 2010. He became CEO at Navistar in 2013. He last served GM in 2009 as president of GM North America.

Springfield News-Sun / June 9, 2016 Navistar will add 300 jobs in Springfield in a second deal with GM, doubling the new jobs from the partnership and further cementing the truck maker’s long-term presence in ClarkCounty. The news is another sign of Navistar’s dramatically improving fortunes in Springfield. As recently as 2010, the Springfield plant had as few as 300 workers and many people worried it might close. Now the site will regain its status as one of the city’s largest employers. The new agreement calls for Navistar workers to build a cutaway model of GM’s G Van beginning early next year. The two manufacturers also made a joint agreement in September to build medium-duty trucks in Springfield, along with a pledge to add at least 300 jobs for that work over the next three years. That means combined that at least 600 more people will work in Navistar’s Springfield plant. Navistar will reopen a manufacturing line in Springfield that has been closed since about 2001 to build the G Vans. The plant currently employs close to 1,500 workers and the company has thousands of retirees in the area. The new work is also significant because it could attract more jobs at other companies that supply parts to Navistar, said Mike McDorman, president and CEO of the Chamber of Greater Springfield. “600 jobs over the next couple years is huge for our community and our economy,” McDorman said “These are well-paying manufacturing jobs and as we move forward as a community, these are the jobs that are going to be the staple for what we’re trying to do in diversifying our jobs base.” The new agreement could create as much as $10.4 million in new payroll, according to information from the Dayton Development Coalition. Navistar will receive a $200,000 Jobs Ohio workforce grant under the newest GM agreement. The new deal will also mean more investment to improve the Springfield facility, although the exact value of those improvements is still being determined, said Jason Barlow, president of the UAW Local 402. Moving production of the van to Springfield frees up space for GM at its facility in Wentzville, Mo., Barlow said. GM also produces the Chevrolet Colorado and GMCCanyon at that site. The vans can be sold to a variety of commercial customers and used for purposes ranging from ambulances to hotel or airport shuttles and moving vehicles, Barlow said. “They need more capacity and GM has all the confidence that we can provide a quality vehicle for the industry and we’re thrilled to be able to do that,” Barlow said. The agreement makes sense for both GM and Navistar, said Bill Osborne, Navistar’s senior vice president of global manufacturing and quality. The heavy truck market is expected to face weak demand in the near future, but the market for the GM vans is much more stable, he said. “It allows GM to focus on their very profitable Colorado and Canyon product lines and obviously it gives us the opportunity to solidify volume for the Springfield plant for a number of years to come,” Osborne said. “It provides a lot more job security and gives us the opportunity to weather cyclical changes in our industry.” Much of the credit for the turnaround should be directed to Springfield’s workforce and union leadership, Osborne said, as they were willing to work with management to implement lean manufacturing. Last year the union and truckmaker reached a four-year labor agreement after negotiations stretched on well beyond the original deadline. But Osborne said both sides committed to making a deal happen and built trust during that process. Thursday’s announcement wasn’t a sure bet despite the joint agreement last fall between GM and Navistar to produce medium-duty trucks, Osborne said. GM was talking to other manufacturers but union leaders in Springfield worked with management at Navistar to offer a competitive package. “It wasn’t what I would call an inside deal,” Osborne said. “It was an open bidding process and we went after it with great vigor.” The new jobs will also likely offer a higher wage than similar jobs in other industries, said Tom Franzen, assistant city manager and economic development director for Springfield. “The real positive here is that these jobs, because of the contracts and negotiated wages, are going to be higher than the average wages we currently have here,” he said. “They’re manufacturing jobs and they’re good-paying manufacturing jobs.” Earlier this week, Navistar reached a milestone when it reported a $4 million profit in the second quarter of this year. That was the first profit the company had recorded since 2012. ------------------------------------------------------------ By the numbers: 1,500 — Estimated workers at Navistar’s Springfield facility 300 — Jobs to be added as part of newest GM agreement $10.3 million — Estimated new payroll 2017 — Year the new vans will begin production Staying with the story The Springfield News-Sun has provided unmatched coverage of Navistar, one of ClarkCounty’s largest employers. It has closely tracked the truckmaker in recent years, including stories digging into its failed engine technology and the company’s efforts to rebuild. .