Battery Shortage Forces GM to Pause Commercial EV Production
General Motors has idled production of some of its electric vehicles due to a battery shortage. BrightDrop—a GM startup brand that's building last-mile delivery vans for companies like FedEx and Verizon—has stopped building EVs at its plant in Ingersoll, Canada, due to a lack of Ultium battery cells.
Currently, GM only has one operational Ultium factory, a joint venture with LG Energy Solutions in Lordstown, Ohio. But things at that plant have not been running entirely smoothly. At the end of June, it had to shut down production to fix an emissions problem, just as GM wanted to begin production of other Ultium-based EVs like the Chevrolet Silverado truck.
The Deadliest and Least Deadly Cars
The IIHS this week has released rankings of cars based on how often their drivers die in accidents and how often the driver in a car they hit dies. The agency says the numbers “are a useful companion to the Institute’s safety ratings, as they capture different aspects of risk.” But no one figure can precisely tell you which cars are safest.
For instance, drivers of the Mitsubishi Mirage proved more likely to die in an accident than drivers of any other car. The Mirage is one of America’s least-expensive new cars. It’s tiny — a subcompact car available as a sedan or a hatchback. The 2020 version lacked advanced safety features like automatic emergency braking (though the Mirage on dealer lots today does have that technology).
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Drivers In Large Chunks Of NYC Will Soon Have To Shell Out To Get In
A New York City council plan to impose congestion pricing that passed the state legislature in 2019 received the green light from the Federal Highway Administration last month. The scheme affects the South Central Business District below 60th Street and will likely go live next spring.
Drivers using 60th Street or below will be charged $9 to $23 per trip, lowered to $7-17 for off-peak hours and $5-12 for an overnight charge. Central Business District residents making less than $60,000 annually would receive a tax credit for tolls paid, and frequent low-income drivers coming into the area, presumably many from New Jersey, would be eligible for a discount.
Nirmit Agarwala Joins Merchants Fleet to Launch First Business Transformation Office
Merchants Fleet is pleased to announce the hire of Nirmit Agarwala as the company’s new Vice President of Business Transformation, who will be heading up the company’s first Business Transformation Office.
“His exceptional track record in driving innovation and transformational growth, combined with his passion for excellence and client-centric approach, make him a valuable addition to our team," said Merchants Chairman, CEO, and President, Brendan P. Keegan.
