Ed Garsten

Detroit

Senior Contributor at Forbes

https://t.co/Cb7MU8cAn7 senior contributor, Integrated Media Consultant at Franco PR, former Head, FCA Digital Media; Former CNN correspondent, All opinions are mine.

Articles

Port Of L.A. To Get First Electric Tug Via Diesel Conversion

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

A diesel-powered tug boat chugging as it guides ships in the Port of Los Angeles will soon be doing its duties with an emission-free electric motor after a dramatic makeover, making it the first electric tug in the nation’s busiest port. Together with shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc., L.A.-startup Arc Boat Company is converting a 26-foot diesel-tug into a battery-powered electric vessel, as the Port of L.A. seeks to be zero-emission by 2030.
Study Reveals Growing Interest In Battery-Electric, Hybrid Alternative

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

If Goldilocks is searching for a new vehicle that’s electric but won’t trigger range anxiety, yet is pretty good for the environment she might think an extended range electric vehicle, or EREV, is just right, and a growing number of consumers think so too. Indeed, a survey of more than 2,800 new car buyers in the U.S. and 2,300 in the United Kingdom and Germany late last year revealed a good many of them would consider an EREV for their next vehicle, if available.
Suppliers In Limbo Over Constant Tariff Changes

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

An array of all sorts of automotive parts and hardware fill tables at the Shih Yi booth at this week’s WCX 2025 show in downtown Detroit. It’s where automotive suppliers come to show off their latest products to exchange ideas, learn and most importantly, network in hopes of landing new business. But Pres. Donald Trump’s constantly changing import tariff policies is creating a combination of uncertainty and fear among some of the foreign suppliers attending the show.
Paralyzed Driver Robert Wickens To Race In Grand Prix Using Bosch Tech

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

Race car driver Robert Wickens will get behind the wheel of a DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Unlike his competition, Wickens will speed through the course without the use of his legs, operate the race car with only his hands, and use, an electronic hand-braking system developed by Bosch.
Precise Positioning Could Accelerate Autonomy, Industry Panel Predicts

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

On a closed course, as soon as the driver gets behind the wheel of a specially-equipped Ford Fusion all the windows are covered. With no physical view of the course, the driver will attempt to navigate its twists and turns using only an image on a tablet positioned above the steering wheel. After some period of adjustment and about a dozen crushed traffic cones, it’s a clean crawl through a series of wide and tight turns and s-curves.
EV Maker Harbinger Minimizes Tariff Effects, Hits Production Milestone

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

Four-year old electric vehicle company is celebrating a production milestone while positioning itself to minimize the effects of the import tariffs imposed by Pres. Donald Trump last week.
Tariffs Sparking Pressure To Sell, Possible Dealer Consolidation

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

There’s no time to waste to move the 60-to-90 days supply of cars and trucks on lots of the 22 franchises in the Rohrman Automotive Group. CEO Ryan Rohrman figures one the 25% import tariffs kick in on Thursday it will take two or three weeks before vehicles arrive that will cost more than those already on the ground. The game plan for the Lafayette, Indiana-based dealer group?
Analysts Expecting The Worst A Week Before Tariff Deadline

4 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

With the clock quickly running out on a one-month reprieve on tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico to the U.S. the auto industry is on “pins and needles” according to one economist, since Pres. Donald Trump has hinted he may exclude autos and parts from the levies. But should Trump go ahead with the threatened tariffs, the cost to consumers, suppliers and automakers would be extensive, according to experts at Cox Automotive.
LG Exec, Capgemini Study Lay Out Reasons EV Adoption Stuck In Neutral

1 month ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

Improvements in battery chemistry and form, recharging infrastructure, product mix and government policies must all be made to accelerate the slower-than-anticipated adoption of battery electric vehicles in the U.S. according to an industry report and analysis by the leader of a top battery company. In addition, at the current sales rate, some EV-related suppliers may not survive, resulting in fewer companies through consolidation or attrition.
Magna And Nvidia Partner On Tech For Vehicles To Behave More Like Humans

1 month ago | forbes.com | Ed Garsten

Major automotive supplier Magna International and technology giant Nvidia have reached a deal to combine technologies aimed at boosting accuracy and speed of on-board safety and self-driving systems, the companies announced Tuesday. “Our goal is to make sure that the car behaves in the same way as you would expect from a human driver, in fact, better,” saidSteven Jenkins, vice president of technology strategy at Magna Electronics, in an interview.