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Electrive.com
Ford’s commercial vehicle arm, Ford Pro, announced the launch of Ford Pro Charging, a solution for managing commercial EV fleets and charging needs. Fleet owners will receive software and commercial hardware infrastructure to support charging and energy management.
Ford Pro Charging says it aims to be part of every fleet customer’s electrification journey by consulting on the design and construction of charging sites that can scale with operations while collaborating with local utility partners on the company’s energy and infrastructure needs.
The new business unit further expects the depot charging industry to grow to nearly 900,000 full-size trucks and vans in the US by 2030. With 125,000 US fleet customers of all sizes, Ford added it was “uniquely positioned to build on these relationships as a trusted partner that can enable their transition to electric vehicles.”
Read the article at Electrive.com.
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The Denver Channel
More than 2 million people have signed an online petition calling for a change to the sentence given to the truck driver who caused a deadly, fiery crash on I-70 in April 2019.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison on Dec. 13 after a jury found him guilty on 42 counts, including vehicular homicide, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, vehicular assault, reckless driving and careless driving. Judge A. Bruce Jones said his hands were tied when it came to sentencing because of mandatory minimum laws in the state.
“This case is so egregious,” Domingo Garcia, the national president of LULAC said. “It boggles the mind that here we are in 2021 and that somebody who was not intoxicated, not on drugs… It’s an accident, the brakes went out. But here’s the Latino driver, he gets charged, convicted and given 110 years of prison on his first offense.”
Read the article at The Denver Channel.
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Consumer Reports
More than 12 major automakers equipped nearly all their 2021 vehicles with automatic emergency braking (AEB), a technology that has been proven to reduce crashes and injuries by stopping or slowing a vehicle if a collision is imminent.
That number has increased by two automakers since last year and shows that more manufacturers are on their way to meeting a voluntary commitment to equip nearly all vehicles with AEB by the production year beginning Sept. 1, 2022.
The report comes from Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Overall, the IIHS estimates that if all manufacturers meet the agreement, it could prevent 42,000 crashes and 20,000 injuries by 2025.
Read the article at Consumer Reports.
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Detroit Free Press
It’s not uncommon for smartphone apps to send drivers to “public” electric vehicle chargers in the back lot of a closed car dealership, an empty corner of a big-box store parking lot, or otherwise tucked out of sight.
Early in the current wave of EV adoption, one charger was in such a daunting spot that some women involved in the project called it “the rape charger” because the location felt so unsafe. The charger was eventually moved, but that spotlights problems that continue today.
“Visibility and safety are the table stakes,” EV advocate Chelsea Sexton said. “Nobody’s going to use a charger that doesn’t feel safe. Lighting, amenities, restrooms, things to do while you wait are important.”
Read the article at Detroit Free Press.
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InsideEVs
The Ford Mustang Mach-E has been chosen as Kelly Blue Book’s “EV Best Buy Of 2022”. The automotive research company praised the Mach-E both for its day-to-day usability and performance. KBB even dubbed it the “Sports Car Of SUVs” thanks to its ability to combine practicality and driver enjoyment.
KBB outlined the Mach-E’s easygoing suspension and lack of road noise as two key positives. They also praised its interior layout and legroom. Another positive was all the equipment that comes as standard. Even the entry-level $43,895 Mach-E Select still gets synthetic leather, dual-zone climate control and Ford Co-Pilot360 at no extra cost.
Other positives KBB mentioned were the Mach-E’s high safety score and tech. Equally, its range of up to 306 miles per charge (RWD with the Extended-Range Battery) is among the best in class. They also felt, when you factor in the tax credit, the Mach-E represents good value for money:
Read the article at InsideEVs.
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By Shlomo Crandus, CEO Wheels-Donlen
There are typically many good reasons for mergers: to increase client base and market share; create diversification in product offerings; and build economies of scale. And, there are many reasons that mergers and acquisitions can hit bumps in the integration road; we’ve all read the business media accounts of some challenging ones.
While many ingredients combine to create both successes and failures, according to the experts, one key risk factor can be the clash of two very different corporate cultures. As an integration risk, culture clashes can impact both operations and growth decisions and prevent the two organizations from fully coming together as one.
With that said, the Wheels Donlen merger has the culture hurdle covered and then some.
READ MORE
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Roadshow
Rivian’s electric delivery van (EDV) is produced alongside the R1T pickup and R1S SUV at Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, which the company announced is expanding production capacity from 150,000 units a year to over 200,000 annually.
The EDV was designed and engineered specifically for Amazon as part of a 100,000-van order, and it uses a proprietary FleetOS fleet management system also designed by Rivian. While testing has been going on for months, Rivian says the first “saleable” vans will be delivered to Amazon later this month, right on schedule.
The version of the van that we’ve already seen is called the EDV 700, referring to its 700 cubic feet of cargo space. Under the EPA’s official testing procedure the EDV 700 has a range of 201 miles, more than enough for the average delivery route. Rivian also announced that a narrower, shorter EDV 500 van will debut in early 2022 on the same RCV commercial vehicle platform as the larger van.
Read the article at Roadshow.
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