NHTSA to EV Drivers: No Selectable Low-Speed Sounds for You
July 13, 2022 - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has scrapped a 2019 proposal that would let automakers give drivers a choice between several different low-speed sounds.
NHTSA takes low-speed EV noises quite seriously and demands that the noises not resemble anything that could be misconstrued as a natural sound. Vehicles capable of operating silently are required by law to emit sounds at speeds up to 19 mph to alert pedestrians to the vehicle's presence.
"The great majority of the comments on the [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] including those submitted by organizations and people who are blind or who have low vision, did not favor the proposal to allow [hybrid and electric vehicles] to have an unlimited number of different pedestrian alert sounds," NHTSA wrote in its final ruling. "To the contrary, most of those comments were in favor of more uniformity, rather than less."
Leadership: Even the Little Things Matter
When it comes to leadership, even the little things matter … and it’s also very important to love what you do.
Striking a Balance
We are always striving to find a healthy balance in our lives and in our work. Today many fleet managers are striving to find a balance between electrification and other challenges, as Paul Lauria articulates so nicely in today’s top video.
Speaking of balancing priorities, Safety is always top of mind in this industry. Art Liggio outlines How to Produce a Fleet of Well-Trained, Competent Drivers who can keep your fleet as safe as possible!
Used EV Prices Surge
Have you noticed that used EV prices are soaring? In fact, they’ve outpaced the price increases in used cars by 12% in the last quarter. Mike Sheldrick explains why we should pay attention in his article today.
Ted Roberts
President
Walmart Bags 4,500 Electric Canoo Delivery Vans
image credit: Canoo
July 12, 2022 - Retail giant Walmart says its network is so extensive it can deliver to 80 percent of Americans within reach of its stores and fulfillment centers in the U.S. with same-day, last-mile deliveries.
The plan is to tackle these online orders for groceries and other retail goods with a fleet of zero-emission last-mile delivery vehicles, and Walmart has just made a deal with EV startup Canoo to pad out its fleet (which already includes some Ford e-Transit vans) beginning next year.
Both companies have signed a definitive agreement for Walmart to purchase 4,500 all-electric delivery vans built on Canoo's Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV) platform, with an option for purchase of up to 10,000 vans total, for now. Advance deliveries of the van will be delivered to Walmart for exact configuration refinement in the coming weeks, with the van set to join the retail fleet next year.
Balancing Electrification with Other Fleet Challenges
Yes, there’s a lot of excitement and a lot of great opportunities, but fleet electrification needs to be balanced with a myriad of other fleet challenges.
