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IIHS Evidence is growing that electric vehicles are at least as safe as conventional ones, with two more vehicles that run exclusively on battery power earning safety awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2021 TOP SAFETY PICK award requires good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests — driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. “It’s fantastic to see more proof that these vehicles are as safe as or safer than gasoline- and diesel-powered cars,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “We can now say with confidence that making the U.S. fleet more environmentally friendly doesn’t require any compromises in terms of safety.” Read the article at IIHS. |
CNN A Consumer Reports test driver has demonstrated in a new video that, yes, a Tesla vehicle with the Autopilot feature will drive with no one in the driver’s seat. The question came up after a fatal accident in Texas last weekend, said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing at Consumer Reports. In that crash, according to police, no one was in the driver’s seat of a Tesla Model S when it crashed at high speed, killing two passengers. The researchers at Consumer Reports said they found that it would be easy to trick Tesla’s Autopilot feature into driving without a driver in the driver’s seat. “In our evaluation, the system not only failed to make sure the driver was paying attention, but it also couldn’t tell if there was a driver there at all,” said Fisher, who conducted the experiment. Read the article at CNN. |
USA Today Honda is aiming to sell only electric vehicles in North America by 2040, calling it a goal, not a commitment, echoing similar language used by its competitors as they leave open the possibility of selling conventional cars for longer. The automaker currently sells only one vehicle in America that uses a plug to generate power: the Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid. Virtually all of Honda’s lineup is made up of conventional gas vehicles, and it does not sell any battery-electric vehicles after discontinuing the Honda Clarity electric car in 2019. New EVs are coming beginning with the 2024 model year and ramping up in the second half of the decade. Read the article at USA Today. |
The Car Gossip The push to widen the adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. is driving the conversion of utility poles and streetlights into EV charging destinations. The idea is to enhance the feasibility of owning and operating electric vehicles in areas where drivers are less likely to have access to off-street garages, driveways or parking lots. Blink Charging, which builds pole-mounted EV charging stations for both public and private entities, sees streetlight and utility pole charging destinations playing a pivotal role in the company’s business strategy and the overall future of zero-emission mobility. Read the article at The Car Gossip. |
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 Car and Driver CarGurus’ tool for tracking used-car price trends shows the average price of a used car is $23,723, up almost 14 percent compared to this time last year. That’s more than 10 times the 2020 rate of inflation. New car production isn’t at full strength thanks to shortages of materials as varied as steel, semiconductor chips, and seating foam. Fewer new car purchases mean fewer used cars to choose from Lurking in a corner of the market many used car buyers typically avoid: vehicles with more than 100,000 miles. Both the novice and the savvy enthusiast used to view 50,000 miles as the bright line separating jewels from junk. But with vehicles having gotten so much better over the last 15 years, and absurd demand, dealers report that used cars with six figures on the odometer are finding good homes. Read the article at Car and Driver. |
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 MSN Electric cars, SUVs, and trucks are either shiny new toys, the wave of the future, or the scourge of the automotive business, depending on whom you ask. Manufacturers are casting a wide net within the EV genre to cover a variety of interests. Some people buy EVs for the Federal Electric Car Tax Credit of up to $7,500. Others want to limit their time and money buying gas at the pump. Some want them for environmental aspects, while others enjoy the quick response to the touch of the accelerator. Companies like Blink Charging, which just launched an emergency roadside charger for EVs, may lessen the concern of range anxiety among buyers. Whether that’s enough for you to buy an EV and drive it full time remains to be seen. Read the article at MSN. |
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 By Ed Smith, President, Agile Fleet I have never been more confident than right now that vehicle-sharing is your best bet for running a cost-effective and safety-conscious fleet operation. I get it – this runs counter to much of the present narrative being offered, but to be blunt about it, there are aspects of the present narrative I feel are incorrect. Here’s why. Since the pandemic hit us one year ago, fleets are being tasked to save money more than ever. The good news is it might not be as hard as you think. You may need to overcome misconceptions and understand where the dollars are to be saved. Organizations face mandatory cost reductions, and even rounds of layoffs to meet the economic challenges of the moment. The workload, however, has not changed and may have increased. That’s why running a safe, shared vehicle fleet makes sense. READ MORE |
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