China to Lift Auto Ownership Restrictions
The change is excellent timing for California-based electric-vehicle maker Tesla, which has signaled plans to build a plant in China. Under the new rules, the company will not have to share operations with a joint venture partner.
Interview: George de Boer, Leader of Connected Car Initiatives, TomTom Telematics
By John Challen
What will be the impact of autonomous vehicles? George de Boer, leader of connected car initiatives at TomTom Telematics, does some crystal ball gazing.
Management systems have become essential tools for fleet managers and operators in recent years, helping to monitor and control company vehicles and employees when behind the wheel. But with so many systems in the marketplace – and with many of them offering the same or similar benefits – it can be confusing to know which is the right one to choose for a business.
TomTom Telematics is just one of the many service providers in the fleet management sphere, but it is fully focused on the evolution of the products it currently has, as well as preparing for new user models and forms of transportation. “We are using our 16 years of experience in commercial vehicles to get data from vehicles into one platform and making it understandable and valuable for fleet managers,” explains George de Boer, currently in charge of business development for connected cars, but a veteran of the TomTom business.
“The role of the fleet manager is different for cars to commercial vehicles as the former is more about monitoring where the fleet is, how much it is costing the company and the promotion of safer driving. In passenger cars there isn’t the need to know exactly where vehicles are and when they will be at their destination – not at the moment, anyway.”
WIFM Webinar: Make Health Easy
The next WIFM Webinar will be held Wednesday, May 16th from 2-3pm CT.
The host will be Carol Phillips, multiple award-winning author of, 52 Simple Ways to Health, and host of the Ask Coach Carol radio show on WTPL-FM. As an energetic corporate health coach and consultant, she has helped hundreds of employers and thousands of employees improve their wellness using her proven techniques.
Carol’s message is clear: Health is all about being happy, listening to our true inner voice, and making one healthy choice at a time!
Volvo’s New EV Truck Ready to Meet Tougher City Emissions Rules
Volvo's new FL Electric 16-ton truck is designed to function in an urban environment, acting primarily as a delivery truck and will be operating first on the streets of the country's capital, Gothenberg.
Without exhaust emissions, it can be used in indoor terminals and environmental zones. The low noise level creates opportunities for doing more work at night, thus reducing the burden on the roads during the day.
“We’re immensely proud to present the first in a range of fully electrically-powered Volvo trucks ready for regular traffic,” said Claes Nilsson, president, Volvo Trucks. “With this model we are making it possible for cities that aim for sustainable urban development to benefit from the advantages of electrified truck transports.”
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
Self-Driving Cars Need to Read Emotions In and Out of the Vehicle
As more and more autonomous vehicles are expected to hit the road in the future, engineers and startups are shifting their focus to technology that could help prevent future self-driving collisions.
Start-up companies like Renovo Auto and Affectiva highlight their work to build a self-driving car system that monitors not only driver attention, but one that can also read passenger and pedestrian facial expressions for a better understanding of the emotions inside and outside the vehicle.
“We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to sense inanimate objects with LIDAR and cameras, and that’s super important,” Renovo CEO Chris Heiser said. "And companies like Affectiva give us a brand-new data stream to look at and help every single one of the people in our ecosystem — people who building self-driving, people who are building teleoperation, people who are building ride-hailing applications — they all want to know how people are feeling and reacting to these automated vehicles.”
Read the article at The Verge.
