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FleetManagementWeekly
May 31, 2022

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Editor’s Analysis & Top Industry News

Driving Change

In Customer Driven this week, Wheels Donlen Senior VP Laura Jozwiak eloquently writes about the myriad changes in our industry causing uncertainty. She says: “ The beautiful concept of change is that you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, I would suggest that you can’t do it alone.”

Ed Pierce, Ted Roberts, and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Wheels Donlen CEO Shlomo Crandus to talk about their platform strategy. We feature a video clip from that interview today and will publish the interview next week.

Ted Roberts and I recently attended RTA Fleet’s Fleet Success Summit and came away with lots of great ideas. Always looking ahead, RTA has now released their Fleet Success Scorecard to help their clients achieve their goals.

Drive Change!

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief


VIDEO: Wheels Donlen Announces Their Platform Strategy 

After working to come up with the best approach for clients, Wheels Donlen has begun to unroll their platform strategy.

VIDEO: Upfitting Today


  Keeping Up with Upfitting During Vehicle Shortages
 

Upfitting can be tricky now given vehicle shortages, but Masterack is working to help customers by maintaining pools of vehicles and by keeping a close eye on production times.


Zoom Video Interview with YOU Here?

  Request for Zoom Video Interviews
 

We’re ramping up FMW’s video interviews via Zoom given the times, and are looking to speak with a variety industry experts (and we know that many of you are reading!).

Please feel free to suggest yourself, or someone you know. Any and all timely industry topics will be considered, and we look forward to speaking with you!

Email Ted Roberts to learn more: [email protected].


Spotlight

Commercial EV Global Forecast 2030

The global electric commercial vehicle market size is projected to grow from 353 thousand units in 2022 to 3,144 thousand units by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.4%.

With companies and governments across the globe encouraging the use of electric vehicles, the electric commercial vehicle industry is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade. Electric commercial vehicles have a major role in last-mile delivery with lower emissions, cheaper running costs, and less ongoing maintenance.

The less than 150 miles segment is expected to be the largest market in the forecast period. Low performance and affordable electric commercial vehicles usually have a range of fewer than 150 miles. Several OEMs offer electric buses and vans with low-cost batteries with a restricted range of 100-150 miles.

via Acrofan

Worst States for Young Drivers Worst States for Young Drivers: Louisiana, West Virginia

A study by financial comparison site Forbes Advisor analyzed each state on multiple factors that impact young drivers, including the number of crashes involving a young driver (aged 15-20), the average used car price, teen auto insurance rates, gas prices, and percentage of acceptable roads in the state to see which one is the worst.

The dubious title goes to Louisiana, followed closely by West Virginia. Georgia and Massachusetts capture the top spots!

READ MORE

Ford Testing Geofencing Tech That Cuts Vehicle Speeds

Ford is trialing a new geofencing system that alerts drivers of connected cars when they break the speed limit and automatically slows them down.

The driver receives the information via the dashboard display cluster, with the boundary’s speed limit flashing below the current speed. If necessary, the vehicle then automatically reduces the speed in line with the required limit of the geofenced zone.

In the future, Ford says the system could enable drivers to set their own geofencing zones at speeds as low as 12 mph, at workplaces, such as depots, and private facilities. Speed limits could also be set dynamically, to take into account local hazards, temporary road works and the time of day.

via IoT Today

Chevrolet Tahoe Most Involved in US Crashes Chevrolet Tahoe Most Involved in US Crashes

The Chevrolet Tahoe is the vehicle which is most likely to be involved in a dangerous crash, a new study reveals.

The study, conducted by legal experts Dolman Law, compared the number of models involved in fatal crashes throughout the United States in 2020 with how many of each model was sold from 2005 to 2020 to reveal the number of cars that crashed per million cars sold.

In 2020, drivers crashed while driving a Tahoe 504 times, which results in 311.18 Tahoe crashes per one million sold – the highest ratio in the list. Chevrolet dominated the top 10, as the number two, three and four on the list are also Chevys, respectively Impala, Sierra and Silverado, as well as the Malibu which comes in tenth place.

READ MORE

Customer Driven


By Laura Jozwiak

Ch-ch-changes! If you are around my age, you will instantly hear David Bowie’s voice sing out this phrase inside your head. He was right in 1971, and the message still resonates today.

The lyrics say, “Turn and face the strange changes.”

Our new world is based on change. Some changes may be strange and challenging, like supply chain volatility, rising costs, immerging technologies, disruptive innovations, hybrid work, and the “Great Resignation.” These topics, and many more, cause uncertainty and impact the world around us.

As a result, our nights are less restful, and our days are challenging as we work through what these changes mean and how we need to incorporate the trends and even pivot our plans.

But is it really a new world? Or is it just a faster-paced world?

READ MORE

 

EV Trucks and Telematics


Report: Using Real-World Truck Telematics Data to Identify Electrifiable Trucks, Inform Charging Infrastructure Investments, and Explore Emissions Reductions

By Jessie Lund, Dave Mullaney, Emily Porter, John Schroeder

Trucks in the United States produce 25 percent of transportation greenhouse gas emissions even though they only make up 10 percent of vehicles on the road. And the problem is growing — emissions from trucks have nearly doubled in the past 30 years and are slated to increase faster as e-commerce booms.

Fortunately, development in EV technology has led to breakthroughs in electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Today, although supply is still relatively low, there are dozens of battery-electric truck models available in the United States and Canada alone, and that number is increasing rapidly to meet demand. Across the United States, fleets have already committed to deploying over 140,000 electric vehicles.

READ MORE

 

Sustainable Fleet Products


A product’s complete life cycle—from cradle to grave—is an important metric for how we measure and gauge modern sustainability efforts

By Elisa Seddon, Technical Fellow, Lubrizol

How do we define sustainability? The answer to that question grows increasingly important, and it’s one that many organizations across industries are looking for.

There are many drivers for an ongoing push toward sustainability. Among them is consumer demand—recent research shows that consumers across all generations are willing to pay more for sustainable products. And importantly, sustainability is about more than just developing more recyclable or eco-friendly products and services.

It’s also about how organizations conduct their businesses more sustainably from top to bottom. Sourcing raw materials and managing supply chains efficiently are a major part of doing so. The heavy-duty commercial vehicle industry, which includes fleets, logistics suppliers and OEMs responsible for developing efficient vehicle technology, is a big part of that broader sustainability picture.

READ MORE


Trending

The Total Cost of Owning an Electric Car Is Its Secret Weapon

May 28, 2022 If you’re waiting for longer range, faster charging and lower sticker prices before buying an EV, you might already be missing the boat: An electric car’s total cost of ownership is challenging that of combustion engine cars and may soon make an EV the only logical car to buy.

There’s a long history of technologies taking off once consumers perceive them to be affordable and good enough, not perfect. The EV seems to be on the threshold of that moment, especially if more consumers adopt a realistic take on the range they need in an electric car.

Owners of full battery and plug-in hybrid cars incur only half the repair and maintenance costs of a conventional car and that those driving pure electric cars enjoy 60% savings in energy costs.

via CNET

For EV Maker Rivian, Delivery Headache Hits as Market Shuts Down Coffers

May 24, 2022Dozens of Rivian reservation holders have complained about unreliable delivery timelines and delays after the production sequence of vehicles was prioritized with specific interior and exterior color and wheel options.

Rivian’s struggles to overhaul its ordering system also reflect wider industry challenges. Inflation and supply-chain snarls have shredded financial forecasts and increased pressure on EV upstarts to reduce costs at a time when investors are closing their check books.

Rivian has not said when it expects to manufacture vehicles at a profit margin. The price increases, which boost the sticker of its currently available pickup from $67,500 to $79,500, are supposed to improve the economics and offset higher raw-materials costs.

via Reuters

GM Patents Dual Charging Port Tech With Huge Possibilities for EV Trucks

May 24, 2022GM’s newly discovered patent shows a theoretical EV truck outfitted with not one, but two charging ports. One port allows 800V charging, while the other allows 400V charging.

Plug in one cord from one 350 kW charger and you’re charging the whole pack, operating in series, at 800V. The secondary port is bidirectional, so you could also hook up another vehicle—say, an EV excavator with a smaller pack at a job site where chargers are limited.

Dual charge ports at high voltages could make electrification possible for vehicles whose sheer size or workload might preclude doing what the vehicle needs to do with a single charge port. Think about an EV semi, or an EV dump truck.

via MotorTrend

Survey: EV Price, Range Anxiety, Infrastructure Keep Car Shoppers Away

May 27, 2022Range anxiety no longer the top concern for EV shoppers, but comes in second, cited by 44 percent of the 1350 car shoppers Autolist surveyed.

While tax credits are available for some EV buyers, high up-front purchase prices are now the key hurdle for EV adoption in Autolist’s findings. While EVs offer lower running and maintenance costs than gasoline vehicles, 28 percent of respondents said they were totally unwilling to pay more for an electric vehicle than a similar gasoline-powered vehicle.

via Car and Driver

Fleet Success


Last year RTA made a commitment to Fleet Success and helping fleet operations achieve their goals.

It took another step towards helping its clients succeed by releasing the Fleet Success Scorecard into its fleet management software application.

“We have systems like this that help us run our business, so we decided to design systems to help you run your fleet, that go above and beyond what any other FMIS is doing,” RTA CEO Josh Turley said.

“The scorecard will continue to add options and metrics that allow you to fine-tune your operation, comparing yourself to where you’ve been and against industry averages. It’s a tool designed to help you improve, and truly become a fleet success manager.”

READ MORE

 

Remarketing and EVs


By Richard Mallek, Director of Business Development/ FLD Remarketing

As most fleet professionals know, the excitement around electric vehicles has been building steadily throughout our industry over the past few years.

As a leader and pioneer in fleet remarketing for 45 years, the team here at FLD has definitely taken notice of the proliferation of EVs. And while many service providers are starting to shift their business models to include elements of electrification, it’s likely going to be several years before we become actively involved in remarketing this new age of vehicles.

So, while most of the fleet world is nothing short of giddy about the introduction of electric vehicles, many substantive questions remain around EV remarketing.

READ MORE

 

EV Risks


Cambridge Mobile Telematics Research into Electric Vehicle Risk Unveils Key Insights into Changes in Road Safety in an EV Future

New CMT research presented at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Conference shows that electric vehicles have unique risk factors from traditional vehicles

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s largest telematics service provider, shared its new research findings into driving risk for electric, hybrid, and traditional vehicles in a keynote at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Charging Into an Electrified Future Conference.

The new research shows that drivers of electric vehicles exhibit acceleration risks ranging from 180% to 340% higher than when driving traditional combustion vehicles. The data for the research comes from millions of vehicles across the CMT DriveWell® Platform.

In the keynote, CMT answered the question of how this risk translates to safety and, ultimately, crash outcomes.

READ MORE





Fleet Management Resources

 

AFLA
The Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association. Advancing corporate fleet worldwide.

FLD
The fast, easy way to remarket without risk. Get an offer in hours, paid in a few days. Improve TCO. Save time, money and resources.

PARS
PARS’ mission is to provide you with high-quality service at competitive prices for all of your transportation needs.

Driving Dynamics
Driving Dynamics was established to help corporate fleet drivers develop expert, safe driving skills using proven, advanced driving techniques.

Fleet Street
Fleet Street has 30+ years of experience and knowledge using a spectrum of wholesale and retail channels to simplify your involvement in the remarketing process.

SuperVision
SuperVision is a fleet driver management solution for MVR & license monitoring, fleet management, fleet safety oversight and driver performance and retention.

eDriving
eDriving partners with its clients to engage with drivers and their managers to create a culture that supports lasting behavioral change to reduce collisions, injuries, license violations as well as a fleet’s total cost of ownership.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.

Wheels, Inc.
First in fleet for 80 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.




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