Car and Driver magazine
Technical Editor for Car and Driver magazine, he's based in Los Angeles, CaliforniaPROFILE
Aaron Robinson
Guest
FROM Aaron Robinson
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
When it comes to electric cars, what does China have that the U.S. doesn't? Governor Jerry Brown is in China this week talking climate change and economic development. He’s focusing partly on electric cars. Brown says he’s pushing Chinese leaders to boost their efforts because California can’t do it alone.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
With lower emission standards expected, will electric car market be hurt? States are dropping tax incentives for electric cars and President Trump has unveiled new fuel economy standards, which are a lot lower than before. Will that encourage carmakers to build more gas guzzlers?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Driver Killed by CHP Following Illegal Street Race Rally The California Highway Patrol shot and killed a 19-year-old driver Sunday while looking into illegal street racing. He’s been identified as Pedro Villanueva of Canoga Park. The officers were part of a special task force created to combat street racing over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. What have the LAPD and Highway Patrol been doing to crack down on street racing?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Volkswagen Settles for Nearly 15 Billion for Emissions Violations Volkswagen will pay up $14.7 billion to consumers and the government for selling so-called “clean diesel” cars that were designed to cheat emissions regulations. The settlement is by far the biggest payout that any auto manufacturer has ever had to make. About $10 billion will go to compensate owners of the almost half a million cars affected in the U.S. The settlement also includes a $2.7 billion payment to the Environmental Protection Agency for the environmental damage caused by the cars. What impact will the payout have on the German automaker long-term?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Car Roundup Apparently one man-bun joke does not a millennial buyer make. Toyota launched Scion in 2003 to target millennial car buyers, but sales have dropped in the past few years. So Toyota recently announced that it would kill the Scion brand this summer. That’s where we’ll start with Press Play’s car guru today, in our recurring roundup of automotive news.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Cars: Detroit Auto Show and More Last year was a record one for car sales: 17.5 million sold in the U.S. in 2015. But for everyone interested in what the automobile’s future looks like, the Detroit Auto show is happening this week. It’s the biggest car show in the country. Press Play’s regular car expert gives us the scoop on the latest in automotive news.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Electric Cars Burn Coal Fossil fuels are a huge factor in global warming—especially the oil and gas that are used to fuel cars. So are electric cars the answer? Well, that’s complicated.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Auto Roundup: Volkswagen Sales Lag Car sales are heading for a record-breaking year: Ford, GM, Toyota, Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler and Honda have all seen big sales growth this year. The one company lagging behind? That would be Volkswagen.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Volkswagen Announces New Software Investigation Volkswagen’s emissions scandal is the automotive story that keeps on giving. The company announced an investigation today to see whether more car models than previously thought are affected by this software cheat.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Fallout Volkswagen’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn, has resigned after it was revealed that the car company had been cheating emissions tests. The company’s stock has taken a nosedive. The company has set aside more than $7 billion to deal with the fallout of the clean diesel scandal. We’re talking about 11 million cars worldwide.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Cars Roundup: Fuel Efficiency and Safety Standards How far will a gallon of gas take you? In ten years, new cars will need to average 54.5 miles per gallon to meet federal fuel efficiency standards. But automakers are running out of easy ways to get there. They're now looking to improve not your car, but your gasoline. Higher octane gas makes cars more fuel efficient, but it's also more expensive.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Can Your Car Be Hacked? Don’t freak out, but it turns out that cars are the newest frontier for hackers. Chrysler recently recalled 1.5 million Jeeps over hacking fears. How worried should you be about car hackers?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Cars Roundup: Toyota Arrest Julie Hamp, the highest ranking woman ever at Toyota, was arrested in Japan in June. She was suspected of importing the painkiller Oxycodone. Now, a news service there is reporting that she’s being released and the charges dropped. That and other auto news, including a new motorcycle helmet that absorbs impact... so your head doesn’t have to.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Cars: Lane-Splitting and More Lane-splitting is something motorcyclists do all the time, whizzing in between cars on freeways. Until now, lane-splitting has been in a legal gray area, not specifically banned or allowed. But California is about to become the first state in the nation to make it explicitly legal. We talk about that and more with our regular guest on all things automotive.
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?