Waymo’s L.A. Robotaxi Fleet Is Going Fully Driverless
Waymo is pulling the human safety drivers out of its robotaxi test fleet in Los Angeles as it works to launch a commercial ride service in the second-biggest U.S. city.
“We’re starting with a dense urban area and are going to expand and scale after we do this initial testing,” Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer told Forbes, without elaborating on when paid public rides might start. “We're not providing a time line for Los Angeles right now, but are definitely doing all the steps we need to be ready to launch our commercial service.”
Wheels, Donlen and LeasePlan Unite Under Wheels Brand Name
Three Companies Bring 180+ Years of Collective Fleet Management Experience Under Singular Brand
Following the previously announced LeasePlan USA and Wheels Donlen merger under Athene, the company today announced that they will brand the combined organization as Wheels.
The new Wheels brand builds on the shared history of all three legacy organizations as leaders in fleet management and mobility, while leveraging the strong brand recognition of the Wheels name.
CEO Shlomo Crandus said: “We’re thrilled to unify our three organizations into one cohesive business under the new Wheels brand. We approached the branding process with careful consideration, utilizing both internal and external resources to establish a clear vision for the new organization. Our primary focus is on providing exceptional mobility management services for our clients to ensure they are successful.”
NHTSA May Require Pre-2021 EVs, Hybrids to Retrofit Noise Makers for Safety
NHTSA has opened an investigation to determine whether EVs and hybrids dating back to 1997 should be required to emit the same audible pedestrian warning sounds that their more recent counterparts have.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141, which requires that all 2020 model year and newer electric and hybrid vehicles under 10,000 pounds be equipped with a pedestrian warning sound. If NHTSA decides to pass a new requirement for older models, it could pose a logistical challenge, since an estimated 9.1 million vehicles could be on the list to be recalled for a retrofitted pedestrian warning.
Global Teletrac Navman Survey: Rising Costs Driving Fleet Management Evolution
A Teletrac Navman survey of more than 1,800 global fleet operators has revealed that rising fuel costs (39%), disruption due to the impact of COVID-19 (32%), and supply chain pressure (31%), are the top challenges they currently face.
“The last 12 months have created new complexities for fleets, but fuel cost rises are the number one concern for operators globally,” says Alain Samaha, President & CEO of Teletrac Navman. “As the cost per gallon of fuel spiked throughout last year, many operators looked to overcome the rising costs with driver behavior programs and EV transition plans.”
With the look towards technology, nearly all (98%) respondents said they were using either a sourced or manufacturer-provided telematics solution across their fleet. While vehicle tracking (43%) was understandably the number one reason for utilizing telematics, managing driver performance (33%) was the next priority, followed by using it for proof of service/job completion (32%), and of course monitoring fuel usage (30%) in tough economic conditions.
Michelin Rolling Out Its Connected Fleet Platform in North America
Michelin Connected Fleet receives and processes data from roughly 300 million trips per year for 600,000 vehicles operated by 70,000 customers, mostly in Europe and Latin America.
Michelin's 2017 acquisition of NexTraq enabled the company's entry into the North American telematics market.
The move bundles many of Michelin Group's fleet management services (truck and management, electronic logging devices, International Fuel Tax Agreement compliance, and driver safety) into a single entity. Michelin Connected Fleet President and COO Andy Beasley said the platform works with many different telematics providers.
