Getting a Fast Charge is Often Anything But Fast, Except For Tesla
Los Angeles is a hot spot for electric vehicles, but what if you can't charge at home?
EV charging stations are hit-or-miss with location and functionality. Long lines, slow or non-working charging stations leave EV owners frustrated.
Tesla is head and shoulders above all other EV makers because of its Supercharger network, which Tesla started building as soon as the Model S appeared (2012).
Tesla did what GM,Nissan, and just about every other EV maker should’ve done a long time ago. No wonder Tesla sells so many EVs. It’s not just the car, it’s the network.
Read the article at Forbes.
Donlen Releases New DonlenDriver Application to Increase Driver Productivity
Donlen is pleased to announce the release of its new DonlenDriver application.
DonlenDriver is an application that gives drivers easy access to the tools they need to successfully complete their jobs. The new DonlenDriver application has been given a modern redesign in an effort to continue making the application more user friendly.
Fleet managers and drivers have access to the same rich vehicle and driver data, allowing drivers to stay in compliance with their company’s fleet policy. The new application also leverages industry-leading security authentication processes.
For more information about Donlen’s best-in-class fleet management solutions, visit www.donlen.com.
Dyson’s Plan to Enter Electric Vehicle Market Was Doomed From The Start
Inventor James Dyson has abandoned its $2.5 billion plan to make an electric car.
Why? Dyson says they’re simply too easy to make.
Combustion engine cars need about 30,000 components, an electric vehicle needs just 11,000 parts. That reduction in complexity has lowered the barriers to enter the automotive market and caused a surge in the number of new carmakers.
Dozens of start-ups have entered the competition over the past few years. Standing out from the electric vehicle crowd would have been quite the challenge.
Read the article at South China Morning Post.
Waymo is Bringing its Self-Driving Cars to Map Los Angeles
Los Angeles is about to get its first self-driving cars. Waymo, the self-driving division of Google parent Alphabet, announced that it would begin driving its autonomous vehicles in the second most populous city in the US. But whether the company will share real-time location data with the city under its new tracking program remains unclear.
To start out, Waymo will be bringing three vehicles (all Chrysler Pacifica minivans) to map LA, specifically downtown and the Miracle Mile. The cars will be driven manually by human safety drivers. Once Waymo has a detailed 3D map of the area, the company may begin to operate its vehicles in autonomous mode, though Waymo has no plans to launch a passenger service in the city.
Read the article at The Verge.
Will Tesla’s Autopilot System Change Vehicle Use?
Driverless cars will almost certainly lead to much greater travel, assuming they are personally owned, as most cars are today.
But what about vehicles on sale today that already have partial automation? Will people use these cars differently? Tesla owners in the United States were surveyed and clustered into four groups: very frequent users, frequent users, semi-frequent users, and infrequent users.
Road type, weather conditions, and traffic conditions were the influencers: very frequent drivers used Autopilot 90%, frequent users engage automation close to 80%. Semi-frequent users are more cautious, using Autopilot on around 40% of trips and infrequent users are the most cautious, using automation for only a quarter of trips, and only on freeways without traffic in clear weather.
Read the article at Forbes.
