Technology Briefs — April 24 - April 30
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• Maptuit to Use Navteq System in Navigation Tool
• Marathon Boosting Diesel-Refining Capacity
• XM’s 1Q Loss Narrows; Subscriptions Rise
• China Using High-Speed Trains to Meet Demand
• Kitty Hawk Upgrades Web Site
Maptuit to Use Navteq System in Navigation Tool
Vehicle-navigation technology provider Navteq said Monday that it has been chosen by Maptuit to supply its Navteq Transport truck attributes for Maptuit’s latest fleet-navigation product, NaviGo.
NaviGo features real-time mapping and navigation, commercial-grade routing and re-routing, text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions and a moving map format and truck-specific road network.
The system will help minimize out-of-route miles and reduce road incidents, Navteq said.
Navteq made the announcement at the National Private Truck Council’s annual conference in Indianapolis. Transport Topics
Marathon Boosting Diesel-Refining Capacity
Marathon Oil Corp. is betting that diesel fuel use will rise in demand amid concerns about global warming, and is adding diesel refining capacity to boost production, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Marathon is beginning construction of a $3.2 billion addition to its largest refinery in Garyville, La., which now makes about twice as much gasoline as diesel, the Journal said.
After the addition, set to be completed in 2009, it will put out about equal quantities of the two fuels, the paper reported.
While the move won’t substantially alter U.S. fuel supply, it is a sign that Marathon believes more cars and light trucks will run on diesel, which gets better fuel economy than gasoline, the Journal said. Transport Topics
XM’s 1Q Loss Narrows; Subscriptions Rise
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter loss narrowed as subscription revenue rose sharply.
XM lost $122.4 million or 40 cents a share, down from a $151.4 million or 60-cent loss a year ago.
The company ended the quarter with 7.9 million subscribers, up from 6.5 million a year ago. Last year, XM said its subscriptions would top 8 million by the end of 2006, but then scaled that back as its sales declined
XM is seeking to merge with rival Sirius Satellite Radio. (Click here for previous coverage.) Transport Topics
China Using High-Speed Trains to Meet Demand
Faster Chinese trains running at about 125 mph began service earlier this month as part of a bid to keep up with rising transport demand, the Associated Press reported.
Vice Railways Minister Hu Yadong said the speed increase would boost passenger capacity by more than 18% and freight capacity by more than 12%, AP said, citing Chinese state media reports.
The first of scores of high-speed trains left Shanghai April 18 for the nearby city of Suzhou, making the 53-mile trip in 39 minutes, Xinhua News Agency reported.
On some routes, top speeds will climb to 155 mph, cutting the trip between Shanghai and Beijing to nine hours, AP said. Transport Topics
Kitty Hawk Upgrades Web Site
Air cargo company Kitty Hawk Inc. said Monday it launched a new Web site that will help boost online tracking/tracing and allow customers other features.
The revamped site provides a Web-based portal for all its products and services, and for accounting functions, Kitty Hawk said in a statement.
The site will allow for tracking of air bills, bills of lading and online invoicing, and in the coming months it will allow for the ability to accommodate additional customer and consignee data as well as online aces of historical documents, the company said
The site is located at www.kittyhawkcompanies.com. Transport Topics
