This Week in Transportation News: 12 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy auto and transport industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a recap from the New York International Auto Show.

NEW YORK, April 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the auto and transportation industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Shell USA, Inc. finalizes acquisition of Volta Inc., scaling up its U.S. public electric vehicle charging network
   Volta provides Shell with an existing public charging network of over 3,000 charge points at destination sites (shopping centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.) across 31 U.S. states and territories, a development pipeline of more than 3,400 additional charge points, and capabilities to continue developing, operating, and monetizing EV charging infrastructure.
2. NASA Names Astronauts to Next Moon Mission, First Crew Under Artemis
   The four astronauts will embark on a 10-day flight test of the Orion spacecraft, helping establish NASA's path to a long-term presence on the moon.
3. Group14 Technologies Begins Construction of the World's Largest Commercial Factory for Advanced Silicon Battery Materials
   The one-million-square-foot campus will be home to the world's largest factory of advanced silicon battery materials for EV programs to meet global decarbonization targets.
4. GM Defense Receives Full-Rate Production Decision from U.S. Army for Infantry Squad Vehicle Program
   At 5,000 pounds, the expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability. The vehicle's high percentage of COTS parts provide global defense and government customers flexibility and optionality to outmaneuver threats and support mission requirements as they evolve.
5. Erie Insurance Survey Finds Even though Texting While Driving is Banned in Most States, 27% of Americans Think it's Considered Socially Acceptable
   To kick off Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Erie Insurance found that 73% of people find texting and driving to be socially unacceptable, 90% of passengers would tell a driver to stop texting, and 47% of those drivers stopped and started again when that passenger exited the vehicle.
6. This Next-Generation Battery will Power Wireless Communications from the Stratosphere Enpower Greentech, Inc. has combatted the fear of environmental impact on EV batteries and developed a battery that passed all ground and aerial tests in extremely low temperatures and near-vacuum pressures.

Read more of the latest auto- and transportation-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtrnsp on Twitter.

New York International Auto Show Recap

The New York International Auto Show kicks off today, April 7, but we've already seen a number of releases cross the wire with new vehicle announcements and other debuts to expect from the event.

Here are just a few of the auto show releases we spotted this week:

1. All-new, All-electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV Unveiled at New York International Auto Show
   The 2025 Ram 1500 REV will offer customers two all-electric options, including a standard 168-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack with a targeted range of up to 350 miles and an optional 229-kWh large battery pack with a targeted range of up to an unsurpassed 500 miles.
2. 2023 New York International Auto Show Guests Use Artificial Intelligence to Create their Picture-Perfect Lexus
   At the Lexus display, guests are guided through prompts that generate images that appear on a 98-inch screen, featuring either the Lexus RX or RZ. Afterward, guests can send themselves their images via email, allowing them to bring their art home with them with nearly any backdrop they could fathom – even in a galaxy far, far away.
3. Hyundai Reveals IONIQ 5 Disney100 Platinum Concept at New York Auto Show
   In the first creative collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and an auto manufacturer, and in celebration of Disney's 100th anniversary, the magical vehicle will feature Disney100 branding, Gravity Gold matte exterior paint, lamp screens with Disney sparkle animations, moon roof etching, Disney-themed intro on the interior screen with music and animations, and a synchronized light show with changing color modes.
4. Lucid Air Wins 2023 World Luxury Car of the Year
   The longest-range, fastest-charging electric car on the market was named the 2023 World Luxury Car of the Year at the 2023 New York International Auto Show.
5. Subaru Debuts the All-New 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness at the New York International Auto Show Combining Subaru's renowned Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with a revised drivetrain, standard X-MODE, elevated 9.3-inch ground clearance and exclusive body cladding, the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness is the most rugged and trail-capable Crosstrek ever.
6. Chrysler Partners With Autism Society of America, Announces Calm Cabin Package to Support Individuals With Autism and Their Loved Ones
   Through its new partnership, the Chrysler brand and the Autism Society will work to make travel more comfortable for all through thoughtful design, support accommodations, educational resources and local community engagement.

Read more of the latest automotive news from PR Newswire.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

• Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.
• Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.
• Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.
• Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire