According to an announcement by the postal services of the Unites States of America, the groceries will be delivered on Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) on trial basis. This will result in strengthening the relationship between the e-commerce provider and the biggest mail shipment service. The USPS (U.S. Postal Service) used by Jeff Bezos of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) caters to 40% of the global mail as well as calls upon every house in America for at least six days a week, not to mention the deliveries of packages on Sundays for Everything Store.

This is revealed just when the USPS is experiencing tension with its two major rivals Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) as well as UPS (NYSE:UPS). The delivery charges by the USPS are being decreased just when the rates at the private companies are expected to increase. Due to this decrease in charges it is obvious that the Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS) are afraid of losing customers to USPS. The e-commerce providers were annoyed last December, when a lot of customers received their parcels after Christmas due to the misjudgement on the part of Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS). Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS) were unable to comprehend the volume of the packages correctly which caused the delay. All of this resulted in the increasing tension between the rival companies because of the competition.

Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS) argue that the delivery service owned by the government has undue benefit because it has a monopoly on delivering of the letters. This argument holds true if you look at the background of the company which has kept the USPS going. USPS has the advantage over Fed Ex (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS); however, lately the first-class mail has lost popularity amongst users because of the use of e-mail. Not many people use the old method of sending letters anymore. The monopoly of the USPS means going from door to door six days a week to find out if people have pending letters that need to be picked up. This is a universal service demand.

STORY: AliBaba and China’s shipping problem

The ongoing competition and the tension between the companies is not something that can be over looked. The solution to the rift between the USPS and the private shipment companies is, that the Congress should allow the USPS to hand over the monopoly, and let the companies and couriers contest for this declining business, just as it was done by the European posts. This will ensure that the USPS will compete more effectively with its rivals, and thus help averting a financial crash.

USPS will therefore become more favorable to the private investors who are as of now more inclined towards European posts. The USPS will then be able to develop its old fleet of trucks with the flowing money and modernize their vehicles. However, whether the private couriers will agree to it or not, is the question? It is yet to be seen whether the private courier’s interest is personal or not.

Upon receiving the bulletin, UPS hired an IT security company to conduct reviews of its systems and the systems of its franchised store locations. The company discovered the virus noted in the government announcement of its systems in 51 different locations in about 24 states. This percentage is about 1 percent of its 4,470 franchised store locations in the United States.

Given the current assessment by the company and the IT security firm, the information of certain customers who used a credit card or a debit card to pay at any of the 51 infected franchise locations between the dates of January 20^th 2014 and August 11^th 2014, may have been vulnerable and compromised. For the majority of the affected location centers, the exposure period to the virus did not begin until after March 26^th 2014. The software malware was destroyed August 11^th. Customers can now shop securely at all UPS store locations.

Tim Davis, the president of UPS, apologized by saying that he understands that this kind of incident can be frustrating and disruptive, and cause anxiety and stress among its customers. He stated that the trust of the UPS stores’ customers was of utmost importance. He went on the explain that he handled the situation with speed and efficiency, detailed how he deployed extensive anti virus resources to eliminate the problem as soon as the company become aware of the virus. He assured customers that the company has identified and fully handled the incident.

Each UPS store franchise is owned by individuals and independently run private network software that are not linked to that of other franchised store locations. The virus attack was limited to only 51 UPS stores, and did not affect the computing systems of any other UPS businesses. The list of infected locations is published on the UPS website and is attached here: www.theupsstore.com/security .

The information about customers that were exposed includes the names, email addresses, postal addresses, and payment card information. Not all of this data may have been visible for each customer. Based on the situation assessment, the company has found no traces of fraud regarding this incident. The company is currently providing customers with an information website, as well as identity protection and credit monitoring service to customers who may have been victimized by this incident.

Attached is the website to learn more about UPS’s efforts to protect its customers regarding this incident: https://theupsstore.allclearid.com .

UPS also provided a phone number for customers who wish to speak with a representative of UPS regarding this issue. The phone number to call is 1-855-731-6016.

Basically, energy density is defined as the amount of potential energy in a fuel source or energy source. It is Tesla’s crippling weakness right now.

Tesla vehicles currently use modern rechargeable lithium ion batteries. These batteries have an energy density between 0.9 megajoules and 2.63 megajoules per kilogram. This means that for each kilogram of energy in a lithium battery, it is capable of storing the equivalent of 0.252 to 0.736 hours of electricity in kilowatts.

Gasoline, in contrast, has an energy density of 34.2 megajoules per liter, which is equal to 9.57 kilowatts hours of electricity. What this means is that gasoline’s energy density is nine times that of rechargeable lithium battery. This is why a car that runs on gasoline fuel is able to run much further on a tank of gas that a Tesla can go on a charge of electricity.

Energy Density Explains The Lack of A Commercial Market For Tesla

There is no place in the commercial vehicle market for the electric auto maker precisely because of lack of energy density. Commercial vehicles would be forced to carry hundreds of pounds of lithium batteries to be able to go the same distance it could go on a tank of gasoline or diesel. It is this extra weight that prevents Tesla’s electric vehicles from entering the commercial vehicle business.

Specifically, companies like the United States Parcel Service (NASDAQ: UPS) will not be investing in electric vans anytime in the near future. An electric van would carry far fewer packages than a van that runs on gasoline. However, the company is using alternative fuel choices, including propane and liquefied natural gas (also known as LNG).

LNG has an energy density of 22.2 megajoules in a liter, or 6.2 kilowatt hours of electricity. A liter of propane has 25.3 as its energy density, which is equal to 7 kilowatt hours of electricity. Though these gases are not as energy dense as diesel, they are several times more energy dense than lithium ion batteries. For the sake of comparison, diesel fuel’s energy density is 37 megajoules, or 10.36 kilowatts of electricity.

The Challenge Of Fuel Cell Vehicles

Tesla faces major competition from Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) and Honda Motor Company (NYSE: HMC), both of which will begin marketing fuel cell vehicles in California and overseas in Japan next year. The most recent fuel cell vehicles operate on compressed hydrogen, a gas that has an energy density of 5.6 megajoules a liter, which is the same as 1.57 kilowatts of energy. In other words, fuel cell vehicles have the same, perhaps a slightly greater, energy density of Tesla’s electric car.

The key point about fuel cell vehicles is that they emit no pollution. These cars use a chemical reaction, rather than an engine, to make electricity. Instead of smog, this reaction releases heat and water vapor. How could Tesla ever hope to compete with a vehicle that runs on a more energy dense fuel than an electric car does?

To add to the challenge, Toyota and Honda have the funds to spend on developing fuel cell vehicles – much more than Tesla can afford to spend on improving its lithium ion technology. Last quarter, Toyota reported $1.82 billion in free cash flow. That figure is almost as large as Tesla’s current revenue. Toyota’s TTM revenue is $256.26 billion, which is over 100 times Tesla’s revenue.

Honda’s revenue was $118.09 billion last quarter, with a negative cash flow of $1.9 billion. Both companies have enough funds available so that it can afford to invest in fuel cell technology without taking any significant financial risks.

Tesla clearly still has much to work on to be able to overcome the challenges ahead of it. When considering its energy density issues and its financial challenges, it’s not unlikely that Tesla shareholders will want out of the company.

Sidoti upgraded shares of Pacific Ethanol (NASDAQ:PEIX) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday morning, TheFlyOnTheWall.com reports. Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ:PEIX) in last trading activity ended up at $15.84 with day range of $15.29 – $17.36. Company weekly performance is 6.02% while its quarterly performance stands at 301.01%.Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ:PEIX) is -12.97% away from its 52 week high.

Microvision Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leader in novel ultra-miniature projection display technology, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS) and will supply the global leader in logistics, shipping, package distributing and freight forwarding customized PicoP® display modules. Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS) belongs to Technology sector with market capitalization of 64.72 million and has 8.20% insider ownership. In last trading activity company’s stock closed at $2.03 while opening price was $2.26.

Himax Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:HIMX) slumped 12%. Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded the semiconductor maker to underperform, saying the highly competitive market will make margin expansion difficult for Himax On Tuesday shares of Himax Technologies, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:HIMX) opened at $12.15 and closed at $11.86. This year Company’s Earnings per Share (EPS) growth is 0.34 and next year’s estimated EPS growth is 40.42%. Analysts mean target price for Himax Technologies, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:HIMX) is $15.70.