By Bill Bishop, SVP of Sales and Marketing, FLD Remarketing

As it does every year, my report takes an in-depth look at the wholesale used vehicle market, as well as some of the important factors driving the fleet industry.

I’m somewhat encouraged by what I am seeing and feeling across the industry – although certainly not by everything.

While I’d be hard pressed to predict a return to pre-pandemic glory days, there are several positive movements in the market.

Next week, in part 2, I’ll have the 2024 Outlook for the Wholesale Used Work Vehicle Market.

READ MORE

By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

We spoke with Joe George, President of Cox Automotive Mobility Solutions, to learn more about the services that Cox Automotive offers its clients and what insights he’s seeing in the industry’s future.

“As President of Cox Automotive, I’ve witnessed the industry evolve over the last five years. We’re interested in the things that are involved with the revolution of vehicle technologies.”

“I think we’re an even more important part of helping our fleet clients optimize their total cost operation, which means we’re helping them minimize downtime. We’re going to play an important role in helping them move to more clean technology fuels, whether that be electric or hydrogen fuel cell.”

READ MORE

By Jason Martinez

In the realm of trucking and fleet management, road safety is paramount. The statistics concerning pedestrian-related accidents in the United States are a sobering.

Pedestrian safety is not just a concern for the pedestrians themselves. It’s a concern for commercial drivers, as well. Pedestrian accidents are a persistent issue on American roads, resulting in tragic consequences.

For commercial drivers, the consequences of being found liable in such accidents can be substantial. No one wants to be responsible for injuring or causing the wrongful death of another person.

READ MORE

The Midwest is currently experiencing a cold snap, leaving cities like Chicago with double-digit negative temperatures. These freezing conditions have led to some issues for electric vehicle (EV) drivers, who are experiencing longer-than-normal charging times, putting the charging infrastructure to its limits.

Some EV drivers in Chicago have been forced to have their cars towed after the hours-long wait times for an available plug killed their batteries. With cold temperatures reducing range and lengthening charging times, it’s a double-whammy for electric rides.

“You have to come up here, wait two hours to get into the charger,” EV driver Marcus Campbell told NBC Chicago. “They tell you it’s fast, but then it takes two hours to charge your car.”

via CarScoops

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new solid-state battery that can be recharged in 10 minutes. The lithium metal battery can also be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times — more than any other pouch battery cell.

The solid-state battery retained 80% of its capacity after 6,000 cycles, outperforming other pouch cell batteries on the market today.

This is yet another milestone achieved in the solid-state battery saga. The ultimate challenge is still the ability to mass-produce these batteries at a lower price than lithium-ion batteries. That will be the real game-changer for EVs.

via Electrek

LG Electronics has its first production plant in the U.S. to make EV charging stations, which should help with the current infrastructure crisis.

The Texas LG plant will have the capacity to build 12,000 Level 2 and Level 3 charging station units a year for sale to businesses like hotels and restaurants, municipalities and other public places.

The U.S. needs hundreds of thousands of new Level 2 and Level 3 chargers to support the growing number of EVs on the road. The move should enhance the overall North American charging infrastructure, with new charging points at various businesses and locations.

vis MotorTrend

According to research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, about 46 percent of all crashes involving bad weather take place during the winter.

Winter storms, bad weather, and sloppy road conditions are a factor in nearly half a million crashes and more than 2,000 road deaths every year. And December through March can be an especially busy time for dead batteries, flat tires, and vehicle extractions. With inclement weather in the forecast, AAA East Central advises motorists to take precautions to avoid deadly crashes and reach their destination safely.

via AAA

By Dave Bean, Content Editor, FMW

Thanks to an exhaustive study by the folks at WalletHub, we can now understand a bit better why some states in the US are considered to be better to drive in than others.

Maintenance, fuel cost and insurance rates are typically among the leading indicators of whether drivers are satisfied with their on-the-road experience within their home state.

But digging deeper into the data, WalletHub has determined that traffic congestion, or the lack thereof, can greatly influence whether one is satisfied with their overall driving experience within the state in which they reside.

READ MORE

By Tanner Lee, Copywriter, Kingbee Vans

In the last four months, Kingbee has provided over 400 vans to Amazon DSPs throughout the West Coast. Amazon loves us—they are long familiar with the rental model. Kingbee is a trusted partner of Amazon.

If you’re starting a DSP, renewing your contracts, or need vans for the peak season, Kingbee keeps everything running smoothly. In less than 7 days, we will prepare and ship the vehicles to your location.

Unlike your favorite pair of boxer briefs, Kingbee vans are brand new, and the contracts are short-term and flexible. We help DSPs quickly replace their aging units with brand new vehicles.

READ MORE

By Kevin Fitzpatrick, Vice President of North America Operations, Opus IVS

With more EVs on the road today, and those vehicles now beginning to show up in Aftermarket shops, this shift in the automotive landscape signals a new era of challenges and opportunities for the industry.

It’s imperative to explore the factors driving these cost differentials to understand how automakers may adapt to improve repairability, ultimately making the EV repair shop experience more cost-effective for consumers.

As EVs continue to gain popularity across many OEMs, especially with the Tesla Cybertruck making headlines, it is crucial for automakers to recognize the evolving dynamics of the collision repair landscape.

READ MORE