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March 8, 2022 – General Motors is teaming up with PG&E, one of the nation’s largest utilities, to see if battery-electric vehicles can help address the increasing strain on the country’s electric grid.
A growing number of new battery-electric vehicles are being equipped with “bidirectional charging.” Also known as “vehicle-to-load,” or “V2L,” it allows an electric vehicle to reverse the flow of current, using its current to power lights, appliances, even a whole home. Eventually, energy could be fed back into the grid itself, supplementing traditional energy sources.
With the typical California home using 20 kilowatts of energy per day, a vehicle like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, with a battery pack of about 60 kilowatt-hours, could keep the lights on for up to three days.
via The Detroit Bureau
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Under the Ford + plan, as introduced last May by Ford President and CEO Jim Farley, the company will continue its global automotive business evolution with the formation of two distinct divisions.
Ford Model e will focus on the development and growth of electric and digitally connected vehicles, while Ford Blue will be dedicated to both existing and newly developed internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE). Both divisions will tap Ford’s well-established legacy regarding engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
“This isn’t the first time Ford has reimagined the future and taken our own path,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford
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March 5, 2022 – Both Russia and Ukraine are home to key gases and raw materials needed for the production of semiconductors around the world. The ripple effects of the war could exacerbate the microchip crisis as raw materials become harder to come by.
Ukraine is the source for 70 percent of the world’s output of neon. Neon is not the only raw material at risk because of the war. Russia provides about one-third of the world’s palladium. Palladium is used in semiconductor manufacturing and is critical to catalytic converters.
Automakers had to cut 10.4 million vehicles out of global production plans last year because of the semiconductor shortage, with an additional 656,200 axed so far in 2022. Automakers could cut at least 1.3 million vehicles by the end of this year.
via The Car Gossip
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March 5, 2022 – Starting next year, Kia will launch at least two new battery-electric models (BEVs) per year with a goal to expand the lineup to 14 BEVs by 2027.
Besides the Kia EV6 – launched in 2021, and its upcoming GT version, the plan includes the Kia EV9 flagship SUV set for launch in 2023, two electric pickup trucks, and “an entry-level BEV model”. In the United States, where mid-sized SUVs and pickups are popular, electric versions of these models will be produced locally from 2024.
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via InsideEVs
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March 6, 2022 – This weekend, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline went above $4 a gallon in the U.S for only the second time ever. The last time this happened was in 2008.
At some stations in Los Angeles, premium fuel was selling for $7.25 a gallon this week. Gas in the Philadelphia area hit $4.05 a gallon late last week, an increase of 43 cents in the past month. San Francisco also hit $5 a gallon.
GasBuddy released a statement saying that, while international sanctions that are crippling Russia’s crude oil exports are one cause of the price spike, that’s not the only reason to expect fuel prices to continue to rise. “Seasonal factors including increased demand for gas, refinery maintenance and the switch to summer blend gas, on top of current geopolitical tensions, could propel prices upward of $4.25 per gallon by Memorial Day,”
via Car and Driver
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March 4, 2022 – We’re not there yet, but the era of self-driving vehicles is coming into focus this year. Cars with important and differing levels of automation will hit showrooms like never before. Here are some big names and tech to watch in 2022.
Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch the first mass-production Level 3 car in 2022 using its Drive Pilot technology. General Motors is focused on doing the most it can within Level 2 assistance which can give you physical but not mental relief from the driving task. GM’s current Super Cruise tech will evolve into the lidar-equipped Ultra Cruise in 2023.
Ford is evolving its driver assistance tech as BlueCruise that work on 130,000 miles of roads in North America, maintaining set speed, vehicle spacing, lane tracking, stop-and-go operation and posted-speed-limit recognition. Tesla CEO Elon Musk maintains the company will offer something close to Level 4 self driving by the end of this year.
via Roadshow
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By Ed Pierce, President of ITA Communications. Fleet.
As a marketing manager for a provider of B2B products or services, you know that the first question your executives will ask is “Where’s the value?” of each of your marketing tactics.
Even though we are in the digital age, you can’t justify marketing value based on Facebook “likes,” Twitter “follows,” and LinkedIn connections.
As it was unlikely that management would appreciate the value of traditional print advertising measures like cost-per-thousand, impressions, awareness and perceptions, the digital metrics provided by internet metrics can be found wanting.
Still, digital marketing offers value, as evidenced by its growing share of the overall marketing budget. The key to showing value is to do the additional hard work to translate and extend superficial facts with meaningful business results.
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