By John F. Wysseier, President and CEO, The CEI Group, Inc.

My theme in this continuing blog is that business disruption – the kind that results from a continuous strategic embrace of cutting-edge technology – is not just a good thing, but a requirement. Call it creative destruction. But there’s another kind of technology-powered disruption that is simply destructive: the hacking of an organization’s digital infrastructure.

How pervasive is the threat? Consider the following:

• Computer Ventures, a researcher and publisher covering the global cyber economy, estimates that cyberattacks cost the global economy $3 trillion in 2015, a figure is likely to double to $6 trillion a year by 2021.
• PWC, the accounting and consulting firm, says that 32 percent of U.S. organizations were victims of cybercrime in 2016, and projects that 34 percent will have become victims by the end of 2018.
• Microsoft estimates that average cost of a data breach to a business is $3.8 million, and that the average attacker resides in a network for 146 days before being detected.
• A University of Maryland study found that hackers were attacking computers and networks “at near-constant rate”, with an average of one attack every 39 seconds.

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By Amanda Lam, INVERS Mobility Solutions

Whether or not you are an experienced fleet manager, you have probably figured out what areas are easier to manage than others.

Many tools and resources are focused on asset management, whether that be for heavy duty vehicles or fuel usage. But what do you do when it comes to managing people’s transportation needs?

From the market research we have conducted so far, most fleets have some form of motor pool in place, though its application varies.

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This year’s report identified that the state of crude oil – and geopolitical factors impacting supply and demand of crude oil – will lead to continued fuel price uncertainty, likely resulting in a slight rise in price in early 2019.

The report also found that crude oil accounted for 61 percent of the price of every gallon of gasoline between 2008 and 2017, so a surplus or shortage in oil production as a result of geopolitical factors significantly impacts the prices consumers pay at the pump.

Click here for additional findings and to download Motus’s 2019 Fuel Trend Report

The New York Times

Driver education classes typically gloss over what makes winter driving different and how to avoid and handle skids, said Tim O’Neil, the founder of Team O’Neil, a rally-driving school in Dalton, N.H., that also teaches winter driving.

That’s why even people who have been driving for decades can make crucial mistakes on snowy roads, said Mark Cox, the director of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

“We see a lot of people from all over the country who have grown up in the Snow Belt and have years and years of driving experience and in reality have just been lucky because their technique leaves a lot to be desired,” Mr. Cox said.

Read the article at The New York Times.

USA Today

More vehicles were stolen in 2017 than in any single year since 2009 with the biggest reason being a combination of new technology and careless drivers.

All thieves need to do is find a car where someone left the key inside, push the start button and hit the gas. With the proliferation of push-start buttons that can be activated as long as the key fob is inside the vehicle, it’s easier than ever to drive off with someone else’s car.

Read the article at USA Today.

MSN

Udelv, a startup that uses self-driving bright orange vans as delivery vehicles, announced that it will partner with Walmart on grocery delivery in 2019.

Udelv claims to have completed 1,200 deliveries and said it will deploy up to 100 vans in 2019.

Delivery services allow companies to deploy autonomous cars without having to convince members of the public to ride in them. That means companies can operate cars, and make money off them, regardless of the public’s attitude toward the technology.

Read the article at MSN.

The Washington Post

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed to a settlement with U.S. regulators and other plaintiffs that could cost the automaker roughly $800 million to resolve allegations that it cheated on emissions tests.

“By concealing this software, Fiat Chrysler deceived regulators and violated environmental law,” Jesse Panuccio, principal deputy associate attorney general, told reporters in a briefing at the department’s headquarters.

“Fiat Chrysler’s conduct was serious and egregious. Its deception robbed the public of the clean air we work hard to protect and put law-abiding competitors at a disadvantage.”

Read the article at The Washington Post.

Ford

In 2022, Ford will deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything technology — or C-V2X — in all new vehicle models in the United States.

C-V2X is a wireless communication technology that can “talk” to and “listen” for similarly equipped vehicles, people and traffic management infrastructure.

Communicating with infrastructure such as stoplights and road signs, meanwhile, means cities have even easier ways of making sure drivers get the information they need to move more freely and safely. With C-V2X, a traffic light can send signals alerting drivers about when it will turn green or red, or whether a driver is at risk of running a red light.

Read the article at Ford.

Fortune

International oil companies as Shell and ExxonMobil are investigating a move into providing places where EV owners can plug in and juice up.

One reason gasoline-powered vehicles proliferated was the growth of fueling stations. If cars ran low on fuel, drivers could tank up.

Many EVs on the market have ranges far below 100 miles. That may be fine for most local driving, but longer trips are more demanding. When drivers see the gauge drop to zero and realize that they failed to plug the car in last night, they will need a place to recharge.

Read the article at Fortune.

The Detroit News

Cadillac will lead General Motors Co.’s march to 20 zero-emission vehicles by 2023, positioning the Detroit automaker’s luxury brand to compete with electric carmaker Tesla Inc.

“EVs are expensive and technology-laden, especially with the increase in autonomous features, so the luxury segment is a natural coupling,” Jeremy Acevedo, an automotive industry analyst for Edmunds, said in a Friday statement. “Tax rebates and subvented leases have masked this to a degree, but it looks like the next big steps in the EV segment are going to come from the luxury set.”

Read the article at The Detroit News.