Business Social Responsibility In the News

GM Seeks More Federal Aid On Battery Development

By John D. Stoll Word Count: 677 | Companies Featured in This Article: General Motors, Ford Motor, Google, Toyota Motor

General Motors Corp.'s North American chief, Troy Clarke, said the government needs to pump more money into battery development for the automotive industry, echoing comments made recently by a counterpart at Ford Motor Co.

The plea comes as GM looks to leapfrog foreign rivals in a heated technology race that is redefining the U.S. market.

Mr. Clarke, speaking at a conference in Washington co-sponsored by the Brookings Institution and Google Inc., said in prepared remarks the U.S. "must fund a major effort to strengthen domestic advanced battery capabilities." GM is currently undertaking a high-profile effort to bring a mass-market plug-in ...

Toyota's New Longer Lasting Electric Car Batteries To Start Production in 2009 Says Reuters

Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp's battery joint venture will start producing longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries in 2009 as it aims to roll out more electric cars over the next few years.

Toyota, the world's top maker of gasoline-electric hybrids, is keen to bring such vehicles into the mainstream by lowering their costs as more consumers around the world demand higher fuel economy amid record-high energy prices.

The battery venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co currently produces nickel-metal hydride batteries used in Toyota's hybrid vehicles. It is building two new factories to bring annual output capacity to 1 million batteries around 2010.

Full-scale production of lithium-ion batteries would start in 2010, Toyota said on Wednesday, declining to disclose planned output capacity.

A Camry undergoes robotic welding on the Global Body Line at Altona manufacturing plant.

View Larger Image

A Camry undergoes robotic welding on the Global Body Line at Altona manufacturing plant.

Handout photo

Email to a friend

Printer friendly Font:

Many big automakers are working in partnership with battery makers on developing lithium-ion batteries for cars. They can store more energy in smaller packages and are seen as crucial for extending the cruising distance of purely electric vehicles. Such batteries are commonly used in laptops and mobile phones.

Toyota, which put the world's first hybrid car on the road in 1997, has a goal of reaching global annual sales of 1 million hybrid vehicles soon after 2010 - more than double what it sold last year. It has sold a total 1.5 million hybrids since the first Prius was launched over a decade ago.

Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada, chief engineer for the original Prius, told Reuters Toyota would continue to make most of its hybrids in Japan due to the difficulty of making key components abroad.

NEXT GENERATION

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, also said it would establish a battery research department initially comprising 50 engineers later this month to develop next-generation batteries that would outperform lithium-ion batteries.

Domestic rivals Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp have joint ventures with the NEC Corp group and GS Yuasa Corp T) , respectively, to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries from next year.

Toyota has said it will use lithium-ion batteries in a rechargeable, plug-in hybrid vehicle due for launch for fleet customers in Japan, the United States and Europe by 2010.

"We plan to use both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries, choosing the appropriate option depending on the vehicle," President Katsuaki Watanabe told a news conference to outline Toyota's environmental activities.

Uchiyamada said the third-generation Prius, due next year, would continue to use nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The supply of batteries presents the biggest bottleneck for the production of hybrid cars now, Uchiyamada said.

Toyota is due to showcase new hybrid-only models, under both the Toyota and Lexus luxury brands, at the next Detroit auto show in January.

To help reach its hybrid sales goal, Toyota plans to start production of its Camry hybrid model in Thailand and Australia over the next two years, it said on Tuesday.

It Matters That the Bush Administration Manipulated the Data On Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq According to Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan

June 4 , 2008

It matters to NASRO because we opposed the war in Iraq from the start and did so because we are patriots who love our country and reject bringing our flag into battle for personal glory and gain of any individual. The cost of this war to the United States is beyond comprehension in terms of the lives lost, the soldiers wounded, the pride and honor of our armed forces needlessly diminished and the tragic death of so many of the people of Iraq, in our name.

Then there is the all too clear economic cost of a war not paid for by us, but by our children and grandchildren. Maybe the greatest irony is the $130 barrel of oil and $4 a gallon gasoline that may be only the begriming of rising energy prices and shortages.

We must now turn against the oil men and the oil industry that have perverted our ideals and staked us to the ground, dependent on a natural resource we have the technology to do without. It will be difficult and it will take sacrifice, but no stone must be left unturned to begin on January 20,2009 the process of mass conversion to end our use of oil, gasoline and natural gas to heat our homes, run our businesses and drive our cars and trucks. To a certain extent we have already done this before; in the 1940's when oil and gas replaced coal to heat our homes and businesses, or in the 1930's when electricity was introduced to most of rural America for the first time.

Enough is enough, and no matter what party a person is a member of, the knowledge that NASRO and many other groups were right about this war, and that we now can be sure of what the truth is about this war, will allow us to face our present situation head on. We must come together and devote all our energies to changing this situation, holding bi-partisan public conferences at all levels of expertise and rapidly educate the public on what our realistic and practical choices are so the new President and the new Congress can address us as a people that have the knowledge to be treated as equals to our government leaders and free us from the illusions we have accepted for so long.

Our measure of victory can not be determined on the battlefield in Iraq, or by the level of strife in Iraq cities or by the functioning or non functioning of the Iraq government.

Our measure of victory should be based on what our total monthly consumption of oil, natural gas and gasoline are. We can measure how much the private sector is in helping the country by the amount of money that will be invested in automotive technology, new power plant construction, wind farm, solar farm and geothermal power. Over the short term every gallon of bio-disel, ethanol, strawgrass and sugar beet based fuels will help us to victory for ourselves and for other nations.

Revised California Drinking Water Standards for Arsenic

May 19, 2008

NASRO has received notice from the California Department of Public Health that they will conduct written public proceedings during which time any interested person or a person's authorized representative may present statements, arguments or relevant contentions. For more information please contact the office of the Director of Public Health, Mark Horton, MD, MSPH.

Any written comments pertaining to new regulations must be received by the office of Regulation and Hearings by July 11, 2008

Case/Schiller Housing Price Report for April 2008 Signals Housing Depression Intensifying

Bush Expected Veto of House and Senate Housing Foreclosure Bill In an Action Similar to Herbert Hoover in 1930. Read the Standard and Poor's Case Shiller Report To Gain Insight Into the Risk of Economic Loss That Threatens 19 out of 20 of the Major Housing Markets in the U.S.

North Carolina and Indiana Democratic Party Primary Results Signal Victory for Barak Obama

May 7, 2008

The election results demonstrated that Barak Obama has been able to convince primary voters that his character is intact and that his decision making is based on principle not expediency. While Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton may continue to campaign, she no longer has a chance of winning the nomination, when the votes are analyzed. The campaign has been a typical one in tone, but the vote totals of the two candidates have been historic. There is no reason why both sides should not be able to find a way to work together and navigate an election victory in November. The momentum for the Democratic party should start building from here as issue choices between the two parties come into sharper focus. The U.S. is still in the middle of a financial crisis, and Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Banking Committee is about to lead the passage of a bill to address home mortgage foreclosures. President Bush will veto the bill and a vote to override the veto must take place soon there after. The passage of the bill is critical to the economy. Any member of Congress, up for reelection,who fails to vote for this bill will be facing real exposure to be voted out of office in November.

Jobs With Justice 2008 National Conference

May 5, 2008

NASRO was recently invited to and attended the bi-annual conference of mostly young activists, who are dedicated to making the U.S. workplace once again a place were justice and equality are the norm. The organization is now 20 years old and the 1,000 plus conference attendees came to Providence, Rhode Island for serious strategy talk about how to better organize for universal health care, immigrants rights, and many other issues that affect the everyday lives of working class people in the U.S.

As most people who are NASRO members, who run their own businesses or are independent contractors know, corporate culture in most large companies is something to escape from as fast as you learn the industry and can start working for your self. But many people can not escape and they need to ban together and join new types of labor organizations like Jobs with Justice and their affiliated organizations in large numbers to improve their lives.

The conference included the participation of a much more diverse community than is normally witnessed at many union conferences and conventions. The leadership role of many young and very talented women was especially refreshing. The emphasis on grassroots activism, growth though working and struggling together in autonomous local coalitions, and civil discourse sets this group apart from most others we have seen over the past sixteen years of our existence. NASRO has officially joined the local Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Coalition. We are already part of numerous single issue coalitions in a number of states. We look forward to working with Jobs with Justice in other cities.

Proposal to Suspend the Federal Gas Tax Without Merit

May 1, 2008

The United States energy industry is highly leveraged and unstable in a manner similar to the financial industry. This situation is one that highly favors energy companies such as Exxon/Mobil, who continue to benefit from the rise in energy costs. The proposal by Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain to suspend the gas tax should be well received by these same energy companies, because if implemented it will increase the demand for gasoline in the U.S. and that will raise the price of gasoline paid to the energy companies all along the energy distribution network.

Our situation is one which calls for massive conservation and conversion to lower our costs and improve our security. Businesses, communities and consumers by their business plans and purchasing decisions need to be encouraged to take action now to abandon their low gas mileage cars and trucks, for their own self interest and the interest of the country. We can not wait for a new President. If we also slow down on the highways, take public transportation and organize car pools in our cities and towns we can work together and have a short term impact on the price of gasoline and give encouragement to our new President to implement the long term socially responsible solutions we need to be able to agree on.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Sends Seven Buses of People to Break Up Labor Reformers Conference in Detroit.

2008 seiu in protest at conference 250 image

April 15, 2008

In a display of particularly open undemocratic behavior, the SEIU attempted to disrupt the Labor Notes Conference in Detroit.

News Resources

Recommended news sources that represent a cross section of editorial bias from the mainstream and alternative media, which our members can make up their own minds. Member suggestions of additional media outlets is most appreciated.

Arts & Letters Daily

Boston Globe

Business Ethics Magazine

Fast Company Magazine

Harvard Business Review

Inc. Magazine

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

The International Centre for Business Performance and Corporate Responsibility