By John F. Wysseier, President and Chief Executive Officer, The CEI Group, Inc.

Of all the technological advances mankind has achieved over the millennia that have changed the way we live and work, Machine Learning (ML) may well prove to be the one with the most powerful and disruptive effects.

And while one application – autonomous vehicles – is still in its infancy, ML applications in many other business applications are already here and more are on the way.

ML grew out of the computer science of artificial intelligence (AI). Broadly speaking, AI refers to computers programmed to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, like recognizing images and speech and making decisions. As remarkable as that is, ML goes one step further: it creates computers that can learn from experience and actually improve their performance.

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By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

This year’s survey by the National Conference of State Fleet Administrators (NCSFA) confirmed that most state and public university fleets follow best practices in many areas, but also found room for improvement in their acquisition and safety programs and their use of telematics.

The organization received complete responses from 27 state governments and agencies and 17 public universities, with more than 207,000 vehicles, from class 1 through 8, under management. Many of the fleets comprise law enforcement vehicles in addition to civilian assets. Results from the survey, which was managed by the fleet consulting firm of Mercury Associates, were presented at the NSCFA’s State Fleet Managers’ Workshop in New Orleans at the end of September.

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By Andrew Boada, Editor at Large

More and more fleets are getting on board the zero emissions bandwagon these days, and so are accepting TCOs that are higher than those for fossil-fuelled cars and trucks in order to acquire electric vehicles.

And while it’s true that at the tailpipe, hybrids (HEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) emit fewer no greenhouse gas emissions, the bigger picture reveals another story.

The truth – which may be a surprise to some and appear to be heresy to others – is that when you consider the proverbial bottom line, both financially and environmentally, internal combustion vehicles (ICEVs) may be the way to go for fleets, at least for most locations and for the time being. This will take some explaining, but it comes down to this: manufacturing and powering EVs each entail the creation of greenhouse gases.

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The Car Connection

Ride-sharing services Lyft and Uber may appear to make travel more convenient in big cities, but San Francisco says they’ve actually made traffic worse.

A study conducted by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority showed average speeds during morning hours decreased by 26 percent since 2009. In the evening, traffic speeds dropped 27 percent. Additionally, vehicle hour delays increased by 40,000 hours on a typical weekday and miles traveled on local roads jumped 630,000 miles. Translation: Uber and Lyft mean more vehicles on the road, and they’re clogging up streets.

Read the article at The Car Connection

BBC News

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), which represents many fleets, said higher taxes on diesel cars incentivized companies to buy plug-ins, even if they had no intention of using their electric capability.

“There are some examples where employees aren’t even charging these vehicles up,” said Paul Hollick, The Miles Consultancy’s managing director. “The charge cables are still in the boot, in a cellophane wrapper, while the company and the employee are going in and out of petrol stations, paying for all of this additional fuel.

Read the article at BBC News.

The Detroit News

The effects of a hurricane can be felt long after the winds and the rains die down. Flood-damaged vehicles are now appearing with “for sale” signs. There are nearly 500,000 flood damaged vehicles on the streets.

Flood-damaged vehicles may have mechanical, electrical and safety problems. Humidity and bacteria inside the car may also generate respiratory and other health issues for drivers and passengers. Close the car windows to check for a musty odor that might be caused by dampness. A scent may be used to mask musty odors

Read the article at The Detroit News.

USA Today

Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks are by far the most stolen vehicles in America. According to the NICB, many cars are stolen by large organized crime rings running sizable operations often operating out of certain major cities.

The city with the highest rate of car thefts in a state is not necessarily the city with the poorest community or with the biggest crime problems. The majority of these 50 cities have lower poverty rates, higher education levels, and higher household incomes than their respective statewide figures.

Read the article at USA Today.

The Washington Post

Research shows a notable difference between millennials and baby boomers when it comes to time behind the wheel. 59 percent of millennials say they’d “rather spend time doing more productive tasks than driving,” while only 45 percent of baby boomers make that same statement.

Most people average 321 hours in the car each year and get 120 hours of vacation..

“The idea of being able to drive from Colorado to Arizona and see the sights of America, that hasn’t gone away, but that’s not what we’re talking about here,” said Lisa Jillson, who leads Arity’s research and design department. “We’re talking about one person in one auto on really congested roads, with a pretty heavy expense. There is no open road on the day-to-day commute.”

Read the article at The Washington Post.

The Detroit Bureau

Volkswagen is set to launch a base-model, long-range electric vehicle for less than $23,000, a price that would undercut the long-awaited entry-level Tesla Model 3 by more than a third. After tax credits, the new version of the Model 3 still starts at about $40,000.

The Volkswagen Group has laid out an aggressive strategy that will include more than 40 all-electric models, as well as dozens of hybrids and plug-ins, for sale through its dozen different passenger vehicle brands. Discussions with Ford Motor Co. could partner them on EV development.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

By Wendy Eichenbaum

Imagine you’re on a business trip. You return to your hotel room exhausted after a long day of meetings. You look across the room to see a light on by your bed, the sheets turned down, and a chocolate mint on your pillow. It’s just a mint, or is it?

It’s the little details that people remember. People don’t tell their friends that the room was clean or that the bathroom had enough towels. But they will pass on the memory that made the experience special and out of the ordinary. These little details are microinteractions, just one action or moment. One alone can be memorable. Added up, they can define a world-class experience.

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