Cars and Comrades
por Brandon, Bryant, Conner, and Zach
This week we're talking about the NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and General Motors (1:16:00), and how it relates to supply lines, the UAW, toilet paper, Tesla, and "the worst workforce in the automobile industry in the United States." But first we talk about our project cars, the IATSI strike, Amazon, and Lordstown Motors' latest struggles. Complete Notes: https://web.archive.org/web/20211213042129/https://shoutengine.com/CarsComrades/nummi-103256 Sources/Links: IATSI strike https://people.com/tv/iatse-strike-everything-you-need-to-know/ EV start-up Lordstown Motors to sell Ohio plant to Foxconn for $230 million https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/30/shares-of-lordstown-motors-surge-on-reported-deal-with-foxconn.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_Assembly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Production_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toyota_Way https://www.reutersevents.com/supplychain/supply-chain/end-just-time https://www.thisamericanlife.org/561/nummi-2015 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Factory https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-03-06/tesla-left-injuries-out-of-reports-california-safety-regulator-says https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2019/03/01/tesla-safety-violations-dwarf-big-us-auto-plants-in-aftermath-of-musks-model-3-push/ https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/04/tesla-workers-getting-hurt-because-elon-musk-hates-yellow.html Allende and Cybersyn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Cybersyn General Intellect Unit http://generalintellectunit.net/ The Peoples' Republic of Wal-Mart https://www.versobooks.com/books/2822-the-people-s-republic-of-walmart The Tulip Bubble https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania Bread Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_War 
Leaded gasoline seemed like a great idea at the time, but it turns out that aerosolizing a neurotoxin is bad for human health and society as a whole. After a brief project car update we tell the story of tetraethyllead (at 27 min), get Zach’s ideas for running a car company (at 1 hour), and hear Bryant's field report from the recent 24 Hours of Lemons race in Colorado (at 1:21). Sources: https://www.thedrive.com/news/42203/leaded-gasoline-finally-banned-worldwide-after-last-country-uses-up-its-supply https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/06/01/new-evidence-that-lead-exposure-increases-crime/ https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health/ The Dollop podcast about Thomas Midgley Jr. https://allthingscomedy.com/podcasts/393---thomas-midgley Email us with tips, stories, and unhinged rants: carsandcomrades@gmail.com RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/carsandcomrades/feed.xml Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/cars_and_comrades_podcast/ https://twitter.com/CarsAndComrades https://www.facebook.com/Cars-Comrades-Podcast-101908671824034 https://www.reddit.com/user/CarsAndComrades https://www.hexbear.net/u/CarsAndComrades All music from the free album Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: https://kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com/polygondwanaland 
Finally, the conclusion of our series focusing on the RPM Act. Which means I can now close a whole lot of tabs in my browser that have become rather cumbersome. Anyway, in part 1, we mostly introduced the problem and the 2 sides of this “debate”. Although, if you were only using your average automotive media coverage, you might be surprised to learn there was even another side to the story. While most coverage on the topic has been definitively against the EPA and supportive of SEMA, we decided to take a closer look at what is going on. Does the EPA just hate freedom? Is the EPA merely a government bureaucracy hellbent on killing all forms of fun? Or perhaps there’s something more happening. Whose interests are being served? Car enthusiasts or large businesses? Well, you can probably make an educated guess, but that wouldn’t be as fun as listening to 4 disorganized car guys take you along on the journey to the conclusion you already know is coming. Complete Notes: https://web.archive.org/web/20211213042136/https://shoutengine.com/CarsComrades/the-rpm-act-part-2-102751 Sources: EPA background info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency SEMA Amicus Brief in Arizona Court Case: https://www.thedrive.com/news/39698/heres-why-sema-is-joining-a-diesel-tuners-fight-against-the-epa SEMA: Momentum building for the RPM Act: https://www.sema.org/news-media/enews/2021/25/momentum-building-rpm-act EPA fines tuning software company $300k for diesel tunes: https://www.thedrive.com/news/23833/epa-fines-tuning-company-300000-for-producing-and-selling-emissions-defeat-devices Congressional Committee Report on the RPM Act of 2017: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/115th-congress/house-report/1073/1?overview=closed Here’s why SEMA is pushing you to lobby congress now that certain aftermarket parts shops are being raided. https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/13/what-is-the-rpm-act-will-the-epa-fine-or-shutdown-aftermarket-parts-shops-manufacturers-if-this-doesnt-pass/ National Compliance Initiative: Stopping Aftermarket Defeat Devices for Vehicles and Engines https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-stopping-aftermarket-defeat-devices-vehicles-and-engines Performance Diesel, Inc. Clean Air Act Settlement Information Sheet https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/performance-diesel-inc-clean-air-act-settlement-information-sheet 
On this episode, we talked about our various car projects (mostly problems) as usual, and eventually we got around to the main topic: The RPM Act. Is this what we need to protect us from an overzealous EPA trying to regulate our hobby away or perhaps an attempt for an industry trade group to make themselves appear more important than they actually are? I mean, before all this RPM Act controversy, who even knew SEMA was anything more than an annual car show? Well, in this series we explore those questions and more. This first episode is mostly focused on the background of how we got here and why this might be important as well as drawing the battle lines for what's to come. It ends a little abruptly though, because we're deeply unprofessional and we do this shit for free. Can you really expect any better quality from us? Come on now. Don't be silly. Sources (all sources will be included in Part 2 show notes): EPA background info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency SEMA Amicus Brief in Arizona Court Case: https://www.thedrive.com/news/39698/heres-why-sema-is-joining-a-diesel-tuners-fight-against-the-epa SEMA: Momentum building for the RPM Act: https://www.sema.org/news-media/enews/2021/25/momentum-building-rpm-act Drop us a line: carsandcomrades@gmail.com Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/cars_and_comrades_podcast/ https://twitter.com/CarsAndComrades https://www.facebook.com/Cars-Comrades-Podcast-101908671824034 https://www.reddit.com/user/CarsAndComrades https://www.hexbear.net/u/CarsAndComrades All music from the free album Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: https://kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com/polygondwanaland 
This week we're bringing you the automotive news from a leftist perspective, starting with an update on the state of our project cars. Then, a story about cops being bastards (42:15), Conner fawns all over the new Nissan Z (52:21), and the latest fuckups of Tesla and Elon Musk (1:41). With many tangents in which we disagree on car styling, hate on Texas generally and Whataburger in particular, and discuss the most whimsical way to shave facial hair. Sources/Notes/Links: Police leave disabled Colorado woman with nearly $1,600 toll bill after using her stolen license plate: https://gazette.com/premium/police-leave-disabled-colorado-woman-with-nearly-1-600-toll-bill-after-using-her-stolen/article_933f4010-013e-11ec-8a0b-93ae7696809a.html 2023 Nissan Z Revealed: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a37304208/2023-nissan-z-revealed/ The Nissan Z Proves You Should Just Build the Concept: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a37331725/nissan-z-proves-you-build-concept/ Chrysler Turbo-Encabulator: https://youtu.be/MXW0bx_Ooq4 Tesla has applied to sell electricity in Texas: https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-energy-ventures-sell-power-texas-grid-solar-panels-roofs-2021-8 Tesla Megapack caught fire at Victorian Big Battery site in Australia: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/30/tesla-megapack-caught-fire-at-victorian-big-battery-site-in-australia.html Tesla Offers ‘Full Self-Driving’ Feature as a Monthly Subscription: https://www.consumerreports.org/autonomous-driving/tesla-full-self-driving-feature-monthly-subscription-a7568042991/ Email us with tips, stories, and unhinged rants: carsandcomrades@gmail.com RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/carsandcomrades/feed.xml Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/cars_and_comrades_podcast/ https://twitter.com/CarsAndComrades https://www.facebook.com/Cars-Comrades-Podcast-101908671824034 https://www.reddit.com/user/CarsAndComrades https://www.hexbear.net/u/CarsAndComrades 
Bonus: Bryant Talks Moving, Mopeds, and Momentary Corrado Ownership
Discussion: Fantasy Car Company and Leftist Infighting
Update: Nuclear-Powered Vehicles of the Cold War
Improve Your Fuel Economy AND Defeat Patriarchy With This One Weird Trick!!!
Automotive Pet Peeves and the Gyrobus
