Touch Pad Lets Drivers Write Commands

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has introduced an infotainment touch pad that can be molded onto the surface of a vehicle’s armrest, steering wheel or dashboard. The touch pad, similar to the finger pad on a laptop that controls the cursor, allows motorists to write numbers or letters with their fingers to issue instructions for the […]

ARI Technology Survey Results for Fleet Industry

Survey Question: Which of the following do you see as the biggest motivator in implementing new technologies for your fleet?

• Need for new cost savings - 22%
• Need to maximize efficiencies - 53%
• Need to replace outdated tools & systems - 19%
• Need to respond to competitive pressures - 6%

Keeping Track of Engine-Idling Regs

Engine idling has long been a target of state and local legislators trying to limit it, and the trend appears to be continuing: Oregon implemented an anti-idling law this year, and California’s Air Resources Board won a waiver in February from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allowing CARB to impose its own truck-idling requirements. For […]

Fatal Mix: Teen Drivers and Peer Passengers

A new study highlights the strong association between the number and age of passengers in cars and the risk of a teenage driver dying in a crash. “The report reconfirms what we have known for a long time,” J. Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said in a […]

Hot Market for Used SUVs

Even though automakers have made big vehicles more fuel-efficient in recent years, the lower upfront cost of a used S.U.V. appeals to some buyers who need something large. For example, the 2013 Ford Explorer with a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine gets 28 miles per gallon in highway driving, compared with 18 miles per gallon for a […]