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By Stas Margaronis Toyota is pioneering the path toward hydrogen fuel cell/zero emissions transportation. From the passenger car, the Mirai, to the heavy-duty truck, Toyota is demonstrating the viability, versatility and scalability of the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Toyota has won approval to build its first zero emission auto terminal at the Port of Long Beach powered by hydrogen fuel...

  BY STAS MARGARONIS Paul Strathern’s book The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance, chronicles how Renaissance sculptors, painters and architects were promoted and financed by visionary bankers who also assumed the political leadership of Florence. Beginning in the fourteenth century, Florence benefitted from the growth of the wool trade that required bankers to advance credit for...

By Stas Margaronis European Union mandated cutbacks in Greek government services and spending are winding down. However, the impact to the country  has been devastating and could leave Greece in recession for years. After the 2008 economic crisis, the European Union mandated the cutbacks so that Greece would repay debts that it owed banks. In contrast, Portugal, which began to resist cutbacks in...

BY STAS MARGARONIS The first hydrogen fuel cell powered vessel built in the United States will sail on the San Francisco Bay in 2019 and it will generate zero emissions. The vessel is a ferry and is primarily financed by a $3 million grant provided by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The ferry is a 70-foot aluminum catamaran that will sail at a 22-knot top speed. The vessel is powered...

Photo: ABB BY STAS MARGARONIS The recently announced ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri) and Ballard Power Systems collaboration will build zero emission fuel cell modules that can eliminate the need for costly shore power installations for ships at ports and provide zero emission marine power. A Ballard spokesman said that “ABB is very much interested in providing fuel cell modules for the cruise ship...

China’s Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle Book Review by Stas Margaronis   In the book, Red Capitalism; The Fragile Financial Foundation of China’s Extraordinary Rise,  authors Carl Walter and Fraser Howie warned about the growing risk of Chinese banks and financial institutions supporting a rising tide of bad debt so as to maintain...

By Stas Margaronis, RBTUS Elon Musk’s disrespectful response to financial analysts’ questions about Tesla’s financial viability, last week, was a shock to people used to his adept communications skills. Musk Defensive Response To Capital Spending Questions The sudden inability to tolerate mild questioning may worry those who have applauded Musk’s re-establishment of U.S. manufacturing and...

BY STAS MARGARONIS   Elon Musk is facing the most serious crisis of his career as he struggles to increase production of his Tesla Model 3 electric cars or face possible bankruptcy. Allegations that Musk and Tesla have tolerated unsafe working conditions at its Fremont, CA plant and have fired workers seeking representation by the United Autoworkers (UAW) may be contributing to the...

BY STAS MARGARONIS Caryl Mezey would likely have been elected a San Francisco Supervisor had the City not recently changed over to a district election system when Caryl ran in 1977. Caryl was a coalition builder who could be as comfortable talking to the President of a Longshore local as she could to the President of the PTA. Her experiences in the fight to desegregate San Francisco schools, her...

BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS Texas and California are leading the way advocating for new infrastructure investment in seawalls to protect against higher sea levels and storm surges. While the two states differ on the need for renewable energy investment to combat global warming, both states are gearing up to for investments in new seawalls: * Texans are lobbying the federal government for $14...