Korean Automaker Brands Take Top Picks in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
Genesis, Kia and Hyundai – all part of the same Korean manufacturing group – took the first, second and third slots, respectively, for the second straight year in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). Their electronics performance was especially strong.
The 2019 J.D. Power IQS survey gauges how new vehicles are faring in their first 90 days. The study plays an influential role in shaping public perceptions of automotive brands and vehicles, as automakers typically tout their performance to customers.
Read the article at USA Today.
The Power of Highly Optimized Vehicle Routing
Bing Maps for Enterprise serves the fleet market in highly specific ways. Its algorithms are customized to find the just the right routes for specific sorts of vehicles, including a distance matrix for fleets of trucks.
Charging Stations Play Catch-Up With Automakers’ Electric Ambitions
More electric vehicles are expected to be sold in the United States over the next few years, but the infrastructure to charge those cars is just starting to take shape.
One of the more confusing experiences for new owners of EVs is a lack of standardization in charging ports. There are still some vehicles that can't plug into every charger, depending on the amount of power the charger delivers. But that's likely to fall away, said Mike Ramsey, an automotive tech analyst for research firm Gartner Inc.
Read the article at The Detroit News.
Florida Will Allow Autonomous Test Cars to Operate Without a Human Backup Driver
The Sunshine State will become home to the nation's least stringent autonomous car legislation come July 1. Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation into law last Thursday that does not require a self-driving test car to have a human driver present.
The law is one of the more controversial aspects to self-driving car tests. Most states require a human backup driver behind the wheel to take over controls from the autonomous car should things go wrong.
There's an important caveat, though: the law is only for self-driving vehicles that are "equipped with an automated driving system designed to function without a human operator." That describes Level 4 and 5 self-driving vehicles, which do not yet exist outside of various test programs.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Keeping Our ‘Thoughts and Eyes’ on Safety
Driving Dynamics’ most recent Safety & Risk column focuses on the necessity for drivers to be trained on the proper function of ADAS technologies. This week, we learn more about the driver confusion surrounding these high-tech systems from a new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. IIHS called out Tesla Autopilot, saying the name “signals to drivers that they can turn their thoughts and their eyes elsewhere.”
Many fleets check their drivers’ motor vehicle records once a year -- and some not at all -- but a strong case for continuous MVR monitoring is made in this thoughtful article from SuperVision: Continuous MVR Monitoring: Overcoming the ‘Good Enough’ Objection.
In Four Factors Forcing Fleet Managers to Rethink Their European Car Policies, Thibault Alleyn, global consulting director at FleetVision, offers an in-depth look at the external factors heralding unprecedented levels of change.
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Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
