NHTSA Completes Study on Collision Avoidance Systems

The NHTSA has completed pilot studies and will decide next year whether to issue new regulations that govern vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology in its pursuit to reduce traffic fatalities. A spokesman for the agency said connected vehicle technology can reduce up to 80% of crash scenarios. IIHS president Adrian Lund said it will take decades for the majority of vehicles on the road to have the technologies.

 

Ford Plans to Triple EcoBoost Engine Production in 2012

Ford announced plans to introduce EcoBoost engines in its redesigned 2013 Escape, Fusion, Focus, and Interceptor (used by law-enforcement agencies,) tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped vehicles to more than 383,000 vehicles in 2012. Already popular on some Ford models, the 3.5 liter V6 EcoBoost accounts for 42% of the engine mix on the F-150. Last year Ford built 127,883 vehicles with an EcoBoost engine in North America.

 

Federal Agencies Say Stability Control Systems Save Lives

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that the FMCSA mandate retrofitting Roll Stability Control (RSC) systems on all in-use tank trailers with a GVW over 10,000 pounds and electronic stability control systems on all commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds, including those with hydraulic brakes. The NHTSA says adding stability-control systems could save 66 lives annually. A 2010 NHTSA study called "Safety Benefits of Stability Control Systems For Tractor-Semitrailers" can be viewed at www.trb.org.

 

AT&T Continues ‘Green’ Strategy with CNG-Powered Chevy Express Vans

In its largest-ever order of CNG vehicles, GM will deliver 1,200 Chevrolet Express compressed natural gas cargo vans to AT&T service centers nationwide. The vans will provide and maintain communications, high-speed Internet and television services for AT&T customers. The U.S. EPA says CNG-powered vans can produce approximately 25 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than similar gasoline and diesel-powered vans.

 

Dim Future for Diesels in U.S.

Diesel engines account for half of all new-vehicle sales in Europe where diesel fuel prices are lower than gasoline. Manufacturers plan to offer more diesel models in the U.S., but the outlook is dim for widespread acceptance of diesels in this country due to higher fuel, federal fuel tax, and engine costs as well as vehicle purchase price.