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Image courtesy of Chevrolet
April 2, 2022 – The 2023 Silverado PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle) is a new chase vehicle courtesy of Chevrolet that’s capable of pursuit on public roads, through the back woods, and everywhere in between.
It’s the first time Chevy has built a pursuit-rated pickup truck, and it joins the Tahoe PPV that’s been a trusty steed to police departments since it debuted in 1997. Every 2023 Chevy Silverado PPV is configured with a crew cab and the short five-foot-eight-inch cargo box.
Lawbreakers will have a harder time using treacherous terrain to hide. The Silverado PPV comes equipped with some notable off-road hardware. There’s a skid plate for extra underbody protection, a set of Rancho shocks from the regular truck’s Z71 package, and a locking rear differential.
via Car and Driver
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April 1, 2022 – Dealer markups have become a lightning rod for controversy this year. Some dealer locations aren’t slowing down on making all they can while they have the opportunity, and prices are jacked up for popular and hard-to-get vehicles.
That has led to frustration across the board, and the founders of a new site called Markups.org have harnessed that collective energy to crowdsource and track prices at dealerships across the country.
If Markups.org is able to stay alive and avoid litigation from angry dealerships, it will remain a valuable resource for buyers looking for a car at sticker price. Meanwhile, they’re taking note of which sites are charging more and brand-loyal buyers say they won’t forget.
via The Drive
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March 31, 2022 – Federal standards specify that seat belt reminders must include an audible signal that lasts for 4-8 seconds total and a visual alert that lasts at least 60 seconds whenever the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled.
To earn a good rating, a seat belt reminder system must generate an audible signal and visual alert on the dashboard display, overhead panel or center console when the vehicle is moving at least 6 mph and the system detects an unbelted occupant in one of the front-row seating positions or the unfastening of a second-row belt that was previously buckled.
Among the 26 vehicles tested, only two Subaru models, the Ascent and Forester, earn a good rating. Five others, the Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Murano, Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Rogue, earn acceptable ratings.
via IIHS
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April 1, 2022 – In a bid to head off more increases in the price of gasoline at the pump, the Biden administration plans to release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the U.S. Petroleum Reserve for the next 180 days.
The withdrawals from the strategic reserve are designed to last through the summer driving season when gasoline prices are very likely to bump up against $5 per gallon. Biden also warned domestic oil companies to pick up the pace of drilling in the continental United States, reminding companies they could lose their old leases to drill on federal land if they don’t use them.
The steady economic recovery in North America, Europe and East Asia sent demand for oil up even before the conflict in Ukraine.
via The Detroit Bureau
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By Michael Quimby, Chief Operating Officer at TFS, an OnPoint Group Company
When it comes to managing, optimizing and maintaining our material handling equipment fleet, such as the forklifts relied upon by our nation’s largest manufacturers and distributors, our approach is still stuck in the 1990s.
The fleet management playbook for on-road trucks and commercial vehicles has matured rapidly over the last 25 years. We’ve made great strides when it comes to operational productivity, vehicle and equipment safety, and the environmental footprint we leave behind. The progress we’ve made as a fleet management industry has been inspiring to watch, and it gets me excited to see what’s next for the industry in the years ahead.
But for some reason, the ways in which we monitor and manage our other important fleet – our material handling equipment vehicles – still mirror the tactics utilized by fleet managers decades ago. Systems and processes are incredibly outdated, lacking in investment and efficiency, and rarely if ever evaluated for potential improvement.
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Image courtesy of Ford
By Dave Bean, Associate Editor
Ford has long been proud of the fact that it’s F-150 pickup truck has been the best-selling vehicle in its class for some time.
Now, with the introduction of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, Ford hopes to extend its dominance to include the new electric pickup truck category, as well.
To ensure that the Ford F-150 Lightning is ready to hit the road when deliveries begin shortly, Ford put its new model through some very grueling weather testing. To be sure, severe weather testing has been conducted by vehicle manufacturers in all segments for decades.
In this case, however, Ford needed to push the limits of that testing since it hopes to jump ahead of the competition right out of the gate.
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April 3, 2022 – Buying or selling a used EV is inherently different from its ICE counterpart. The primary reason is that the battery, which is the most expensive part of any electric vehicle, is hard to evaluate. Batteries age differently than combustion engines.
An odometer is not a particularly accurate indicator of battery health. The high voltage lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars naturally degrade with time and charging cycles. As an EV buyer (new or used), to maximize the chance of getting a battery that’s in great shape, pretend you’re in the dairy section of the supermarket, looking for the carton of milk with the furthest out expiration date.
For some EVs, the calendar age of the battery pack starts to really diverge from the production date of the car. Most recently, Chevy has been replacing battery packs in Bolts due to initial manufacturing QA problems. In addition to the safety benefit of the recall, owners are getting a huge range boost with their replacement batteries.
via InsideEVS
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