Elon has a simple solution for Tesla spy cameras in China

Elon Musk has a simple solution for Tesla cars equipped with spy cameras: Only not light them! It’s so easy. All this and much more in Morning change for April 7, 2021.

First step: I want America to be free for everyone in car technology in a fun way

Jalopnik’s friend John Voelcker points stated on Twitter that America is essentially a “free for all” when it comes to new-era car technology, compared to China throwing the hammer Tesla car cameras.

We have problems with these cameras here in America, but the voice of dissent in our case is Consumer Reports. The news from China is that the army itself is upset, as Reuters reports:

The cameras in Tesla’s cars are not activated outside of North America, the American carmaker said on Wednesday on its Chinese social networking page, trying to alleviate security concerns in the world’s largest car market.

Tesla faces control in China, where the military in March banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns about the cameras in its vehicles, sources told Reuters.

[…]

At a virtual forum in Beijing in March, held not long after reports of the ban came out, Tesla founder Elon Musk highlighted the company’s business motivations for protecting user privacy.

“There is a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information,” Musk said.

“If Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, we’ll be stopped.”

Elon gave several comments that are very similar to Amazon’s recent defense. “You don’t really think about peeing in bottles, do you?As Bloomberg reports:

Speaking at a conference, Musk said that if Tesla ever used its cars to spy in China or anywhere, the company would be “closed everywhere.”

“If a commercial company engaged in espionage, the negative effects for that company would be extremely bad,” he told a China Development Forum last month at a meeting of a state council unit.

America is denied self-diving laser headlights, but we have no problem with that?

2nd Gear: Reconstructing the EPA sounds like a date

The news the new EPA chief wants to set tougher standards for exhaust pipe emissions that were canceled under Trump. What interests me is this discussion about rebuilding a administration that was evacuated by Trump, as Bloomberg reports:

[EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s] The first task is to rebuild the agency, which eliminated about 700 scientists during Trump’s term. He must also rebuild morale among the remaining EPA employees, including many who said they escaped under Trump and are still distrustful of managers who went along with the old regime.

“The secret sauce here goes back to the agency’s original mission, which is to protect people and natural resources and create a welcoming environment, centered and centered around scientific integrity, ethics and values,” said Regan. “We believe that we will attract some of the talent that left the agency during the previous administration, but we also believe that we will be really attractive to new scientists, new engineers, new legal minds.”

Regan is trying to strengthen the scientific integrity of the agency, which public health and environmental advocates say has been diminished over the past four years. In one of his first major acts, Regan last week ordered the removal of dozens of members of two scientific advisory committees that guide EPA work – a move to reduce industry influence and create a blank list for panel reconstruction.

If any of you reading this are one of the 700 scientists who were pushed by Trump, send us an email for advice at jalopnik dot com.

Third step: GM Very seriously about side businesses that may or may not Include flying machines

Nothing tells you that a car company is more serious about something than a statement about a technology that never passed the Jetsons. That’s why I poured a suspicious eye towards GM ‘s new promotion of its side projects, reported in Reuters:

Veteran GM’s global innovation team is looking for new businesses to expand the carmaker’s sources of revenue beyond vehicle sales and incubates businesses from commercial delivery services to vehicle insurance to address future markets worth about $ 1.3 trillion. That doesn’t include flying cars, a market sector that alone could be worth $ 1.3 trillion, Fletcher told Reuters.

In a recent video conversation, Fletcher counted in silence before answering how many initiatives her team is shepherding. “Just under 20,” she said.

Reuters has named several of these projects separate in a separate articleand include expanding OnStar through applications and offering SuperCruise as a subscription service.

4th step: America watches as Europe receives a cool hybrid Jeep

Europe has strict regulations that pressure car companies to build electric vehicles and hybrids, much stricter than the regulations we have in America. Perhaps surprisingly, Europe is getting hybrid Jeeps ahead of us. I’ve been through this with Renegade, is now the revised Compass, as Freep reports:

An update to the compact Jeep Compass SUV, which was unveiled in Europe on Tuesday, will add a lot of technology, including 4xe hybrid plug-ins and new Android-based entertainment and connectivity systems.

The updated compass is expected to debut later this year in Europe, with sales in the US following in the first half of 2022.

The compass will also receive a wider grille and narrow LED headlights to create a face compatible with future larger Jeeps, such as the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee L.

This report is based on the European model. Not all of its features will be passed on to American models. Compass is a bit of a premium model in Europe. It is an essential part of Jeep’s identity where compact vehicles are often sold at higher prices and offer more luxurious features and materials than in the US.

Sad to see America as a secondary market for efficient Jeeps!

5th speed: Nissan sales in China increased by 70% compared At this time last year

I’m not sure if this is a case where Nissan is making the Chinese market fair or just a sign of how depressed things were at the beginning of the pandemic. Either way, this is a big leap, as it were Reuters reports:

China’s Nissan Motor Co. passenger and light vehicle business increased unit sales by 70.6% year-on-year in the first three months of 2021, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Reverse: Whoops!