Fuddruckers is expected to close ALL locations by the end of the year
Old Country Buffet is closing ALL remainder locations
IHOP is closing 100 locations
Buffalo Wild Wings is closing ALL Canada locations as well as 60 locations in the US
Applebee’s is closing 35 locations
Red Lobster is closing 50 locations as they enter bankruptcy
Denny’s is closing 20 locations by the end of the year
Marie Callender’s is shutting down ALL remainder locations
Pizza Hut is planning to close 500 locations
Outback Steakhouse is closing 41 of their 700 locations
Sai Baro is closing a total of 50 locations with majority being mall locations
Mard Pizza is closing a total of 27 locations
Ruby Tuesday is closing 16 more locations in 2024.
BDQ is closing 8 of their 59 locations.
Joe’s Crab Shack is closing 41 of their 60 locations
Bonefish Grill is closing 7 locations
This is what cultural and economic decline looks like. Apparently 60 years of relentless immigration are not, in fact, good for the economy or the traditional culture. I wonder, however, how much of these failures are related to economic contraction, reduced consumer spending, and excessive debt versus the lack of appeal held by these traditional restaurant franchises for the newcomers.
There is now one EV fast charging station for every five gas stations in California.
100,000 miles of high power transmission lines will be upgraded in the next five years. This will make a 4 time increase in capacity.
Pothole filling Robot
Robotiz3d is a self-driving electric vehicle that can detect and seal cracks in a road’s surface to prevent potholes from forming.
Construction has begun on a solar carport canopy at JFK International Airport. (With enough solar panels to cover 11 football fields and hold 3,000 cars.) Terminal 1 and Terminal 6 will also soon include rooftop solar arrays.
The Green Water 01
A 10,000-ton+ fully electric Container Ship has begun service in China. The COSCO has 24 1600kwh Battery Boxes. (More Boxes can be added for extra range.)
The Long Beach Terminal has received $34.9 million to replace 155 commercial trucks and buses with ZEV’s. The port invested $2.5 billion to convert cranes and tractors to electric and claims an 86% reduction in carbon emissions.
HEAP (Hydraulic Excavator for an Autonomous Purpose)
Tesla Semis seen hauling for Walmart, Costco, and Sysco. Walmart has preordered 130 units. Volume production is expected next year.
Eli ZERO Electric Microcar
$200 refundable deposit to reserve the $11,900 vehicle. Street-legal on roads posted 35 mph, with heat and AC, it’s cheaper than your average golf cart.
Stellantis will begin offering hydrogen-powered versions of its biggest RAM Trucks in North America — and they’ll be coming from Mexico.
There are now over 4,000 Cyber trucks on the road in the US, with a planned production ramp-up to 250,000 per year by mid-2025.
Lilium eVTOL Jet
Urban Link has purchased 20 all electric EVTOL jet aircraft for use in Southern Florida. Urban Link intends to begin commercial flight services by late 2026.
An Oakland, California school district is the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
US grid operators haven’t been practicing long-term transmission planning, but the FERC just made 20 year plans mandatory.(After studying extreme weather events that cost hundreds of lives and millions of dollars.)
2024 -1st QUARTER EV SALES low-cost special introductory price of $9,248 Global registrations of plug-in electric cars increased by 19% in March 2024 3.2 million plug-ins registered worldwide in the first three months.
Ouarzazate Solar Plant
This Moroccan plant, with it’s 1/2 million mirrors, stores energy in the form of heated molten salt, allowing for production of electricity into the night
Bricklin 3EV
More than a rendering, this 3 wheel drive EV is a working prototype. Not much news about it but talk of 275 mi. range and a $28 K starting price are a tease.
Cyber truck beat Rivian in March sales, but the Ford Lightning was stillthe top consumer pick in Electric trucks with almost 3,000 in sales.