Automakers Use Crash Scene Investigations to Make Cars Safer
Volvo has dispatched its own crash-scene investigators since the early 1970s.
Today, a number of manufacturers take a similar approach to glean valuable real-world information on what happens to vehicles and their occupants after a crash.
According to the NHTSA, there were 8.41 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1947. The rate had plummeted to 1.16 deaths, the latest figure available, by 2017.
Read the article at The New York Times.
Will 2020 Be the Year of the All-Electric Pickup Truck?
By Mark Boada, Executive Editor
Light trucks are the rock stars of the U.S. auto market.
Last year, the country’s three biggest- selling vehicles were all pickup trucks-- the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram -- and all light trucks (including SUVs) accounted for a record 11.89 million units, or 69 percent of 17.21 million vehicles sold in the U.S. last year. Nearly all of them, though, were propelled by fossil fuels. But the 2020 model year may be a pivot point, with five pickups and two SUVs to be offered or revealed that run entirely on electricity.
The question, though, is will the pickup market buy them? After all, while better fuel efficiency is a selling point, zero emissions take a back seat to a pickup’s ability to haul or tow heavy loads for hundreds of miles between fueling stops. Price and projected total cost of ownership will matter, too. Will the coming e-pickups measure up? Here’s a quick summary of what we know about them (plus two e-SUVs) coming to market over the next 12 to 18 months.
Trucks Charge as They Drive on Germany’s First ‘Electric’ Highway
Germany has opened the first electric highway - a 10-kilometer (6-mile) stretch of A5 autobahn - allowing hybrid trucks to recharge while traveling on the country’s main transportation arteries.
One truck is using it now, with four more planned by 2020.
The hybrid trucks connect to overhead wires. The electricity charges up the trucks’s battery, allowing it to drive electrically for a while afterward, with a diesel motor kicking in once the battery is depleted.
The system was built by Munich-based engineering firm Siemens AG, while Volkswagen AG’s Scania trucks unit provided the vehicles.
Read the article at Bloomberg.
VW’s Mobile EV Chargers Can Charge 4 cars at Once
Volkswagen's new mobile chargers are engineered to hold up to 360 kilowatt-hours of charge, and they can handle up to four vehicles charging simultaneously with a maximum quick-charge draw of 100 kilowatts.
The chargers will run on depleted batteries from EVs running on the automaker's MEB scalable electric-vehicle platform. Once those batteries can't even hold enough charge for that job, they'll be properly recycled, with the automaker seeking to use the reclaimed raw materials for use in new batteries.
Read the article at MSN.
Waymo’s Self-Driving Taxi Service Crosses 1,000 Rider Mark
Waymo has enrolled 1,000 customers for its ride-hailing service in suburban Phoenix, and is currently the only self-driving company carrying paying customers on public roads.
Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik revealed plans to allow select Lyft users in Arizona to hail Waymo taxis.
Crossing the 1,000 rider mark both solidifies Waymo’s status as the early leader in the autonomous race, and its slow advancement in the industry. Uber, the market leader in ride-hailing with human drivers, counts more than 90 million users worldwide.
Read the article at Fortune.
