Carmakers Wait to See if MPG Rules Will Stick
The auto industry is waiting for a new report from federal regulators that will be used to determine whether stringent gas mileage rules requiring them to produce car and truck fleets that average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025 will stay in place.
The new rules, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, are beginning to take effect with the 2017 model year.
They call for ramping up from the current fleet-wide average of about 34 miles per gallon for cars and trucks that were required in 2016 to an eventual goal of about 50 miles per gallon by 2025.
NHTSA Data Shows Traffic Deaths up 7.7 Percent in 2015
Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show a 7.7 percent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015.
An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014.
“Every American should be able to drive, ride or walk to their destination safely, every time,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
As Risk Increases, Vehicles Fleet Protection Takes a New Turn
As terror attacks around the world, the Brexit vote in the UK, and often-strident attacks on globalization make clear, discussion of a riskier world is not a media invention. For all sorts of reasons, the pillars of the post-World War II global order, including ever freer trade and investment, are under stress.
While individual companies can do little to impact these geopolitical trends, they can—and should—take steps to minimize the growing risks they pose to employees, property and operations.
Employee compensation is usually an organization’s largest expense. Right behind it is vehicle fleets. As global political risk and even violence increases, so do the threats to vehicles, their drivers and passengers and their cargo.
Q&A: Dan Frank — Managing the Rapid, Complex Pace of Change
By Janice Sutton
We spoke with Dan Frank, president of Wheels, Inc., at the recent NAFA I&E. He talks first about the genesis and success of the company’s newly-launched reimbursement program, and follows with his views on various components of advanced driver safety technology. We questioned whether or not it could be morally or even legally incumbent upon a company to offer those available safety features on vehicles in their fleet.
Wrapping up our interview, Dan says, “The biggest issue challenging customers today is the complexity. Change is happening so rapidly in our industry. This is a 75+ year old industry, and you would think we would have it all figured out by now and it is fairly commoditized and routine. The reality is it is not. While the pace of change is challenging, it is also what makes the fleet industry so interesting, exciting and valuable to our clients."
The Fully Self-Driving Car Is Still Years Away
Even as automakers and technology companies have been promoting a euphoric vision of the future in which cars will drive themselves and serious crashes will be rare, their engineers have been engaged in a sobering debate.
Just how autonomous can and should cars become? the engineers are asking.
Is there an inherent danger in technology that invites human drivers to sit back and relax — but still requires them to be ready to hit the brakes or grab the wheel at the first sign of trouble?
