By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

Think you have to compromise on safety when you’re a reimbursement fleet?

Not if you’re a customer of Motus, the Boston-based giant in vehicle management and reimbursement.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, fleets have been discovering that fleet safety is the last great frontier for reducing fleet expenses. Since then, industry suppliers of fleet management services have been competing with one another to broaden and deepen their array of offerings that prevent accidents, protect drivers and the public, and reduce the associated costs of collisions.

The aim for fleet management companies has been to become a one-stop shop for all fleet services by bundling driver safety services with all of their other offerings, and a number of FMCs have come a long way to fulfilling that role. By contrast, reimbursement fleet service companies have lagged behind that trend. Now Motus is not only meeting the challenge, but it in some respects is surpassing some FMCs in the bundled safety race.

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NAFA’s all-new Institute & Expo (I&E), taking place April 15-17, will feature two dynamic presentations from Chris Riddell and Lukas Neckermann that will bring the future into focus for all attendees. Full details and registration for I&E can be found at www.nafainstitute.org.

On Monday, April 15, Chris Riddell, an award-winning global futurist and industry-recognized keynote speaker on the future of humanity and digital, presents a glimpse into what’s ahead for us all, both behind the wheel and out in the world.

On Wednesday, April 17, mobility expert Lukas Neckermann, Managing Director at Neckermann Strategic Advisors, kicks off a full day devoted to the new frontier of transportation.

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Forbes

Electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity, though not as quickly as electricity providers would like.

Cost, range anxiety, driver understanding and dealer understanding need to be addressed in order to overcome the barriers.

“Some people believe—to some extent because of how popular Teslas are—that only wealthy people can afford electric vehicles,” said Caroline Quazzo, a manager for EZ-EV, an Exelon subsidiary that offers software and services to utilities to help them promote EV adoption.

“And that’s very much not true. There’s obviously a ton of different vehicles out there and with rebates and with lifetime cost of ownership, there are actually a lot of reasons why overall costs—reduced maintenance, not having to buy gas ever—can make electric vehicles significantly cheaper than the comparable internal-combustion engine vehicle.”

Read the article at Forbes.

MSN

When Ford’s CEO Jim Hackett took over in 2017, the vehicle lineup in 2018 was not competitive.

Hackett and his leadership team promise that will change this year as the automaker spends the next 24 months updating 75 percent of the lineup. And while cars are going away, more crossovers and trucks are in the works, many of them with batteries and electric motors.

Read the article at MSN.

Bloomberg

The oil market is handing European drivers something of a lucky break as they ditch diesel cars.

As the great switch gathers pace, the price premium for gasoline across Europe has tumbled to the lowest since 2008.

Read the article at Bloomberg.

By Andrew Boada, Editor At Large

Most OEMs are funding research and development of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), but their collective efforts have been dwarfed by their on-going investment in battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Is that because hydrogen-fueled vehicles, as Elon Musk once put it, are “an incredibly dumb idea”? If not, then what’s behind the apparent relative lack of interest in FCVs in the auto industry?

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The Washington Post

Over a one-year period in two Los Angeles emergency departments, more people were injured while riding standing electric scooters than by riding bicycles or traveling on foot, according to the results of a groundbreaking study.

Of the 249 patients who received treatment for scooter-related injuries, nearly 28 percent suffered contusions, sprains and lacerations. About 30 percent had fractures, and just over 40 percent were treated for head injuries, the study found.

Read the article at The Washington Post.

The Detroit Bureau

General Motors is “considering” options for adding an electric pickup to its line-up, a move that would see it join an expanding list of other manufacturers who are developing all-electric trucks.

“They wouldn’t be saying this if they weren’t really confident about doing it,” said David Cole, director-emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, noting that GM is increasingly serious about shifting to electric propulsion across the board.

After a recent tour of the automaker’s battery lab, Cole said, he is convinced “they are moving beyond hybrids…and want to be at the forefront of battery-electric technology.”

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

The Verge

Google has spent the last few years working on an Android-based operating system for cars that doesn’t require the use of a smartphone.

Built on Android P, it’s meant to be far more advanced than the existing version of Android Auto, which simply projects a phone interface onto a car’s infotainment screen.

Google has struck deals with Volvo and Audi to start rolling out these systems in 2020.

It will tap into a car’s system-level operations, meaning you could ask Google Assistant to turn on the heat, turn off the seat warmers, or even book maintenance appointments. The system is also customizable to suit carmakers’ differing styles, giving them more control than they get with projected Android Auto (or Apple’s CarPlay, for that matter).

Read the article at The Verge.

By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

Have you ever read the technology disclaimers that come with the vehicles put into your fleet selectors?

Are drivers being advised to review this important, maybe lifesaving information? Or are they getting the keys to their fleet vehicles along with an assumption that the vehicles’ technology will keep them safe?

Imagine this scenario: One of your drivers, in a vehicle equipped with an Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) system, is following an SUV on a multi-lane highway and traveling at a reasonable speed of 35 miles per hour. Suddenly, the SUV in front moves into an adjacent lane and ahead is a stopped vehicle. What was the outcome?

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