EV Fleet Management Startup Synop Steers its Way to $10M Seed Round
June 23, 2022 - When it comes to moving the transportation sector over to EVs, commercial fleets are probably some of the lowest hanging fruit. More often than not, they have consistent routes, reserved off-hour parking, and cost a lot less to drive and maintain.
But for many commercial operators, EVs are still a wildcard. Gagan Dhillon and Andrew Blejde co-founded Synop to minimize the unknowns and accelerate the adoption of EVs in commercial fleets.
One of the company’s first customers is Highland, an electric school bus fleet provider based in Beverly, Massachusetts, that raised a $253 million Series A round in early 2021. The company offers bus fleets through a subscription model that includes charging infrastructure, operating electricity and maintenance. Synop is working with Highland to optimize charging and routing.
Here’s How Much Precious Metal Thieves Can Take From Your Catalytic Converter
June 23, 2022 - According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts saw an incredible 325 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. Much of it can be related to the state of global supply chains and the prices of the previous metals that allow a catalytic converter to function.
The three precious metals that are most commonly contained inside of a catalytic converter are platinum, rhodium, and palladium. All three have seen spikes in prices as the pandemic surged and as global supply chains slowed.
The spot price of Rhodium went from $2,300 per ounce in January of 2019 to over $14,000 per ounce by December of 2020. The price increases of Rhodium didn’t stop in 2020 as it peaked at a price of $27,000 per ounce in April of 2021 and still remains well above those 2019 levels with a current price over $11,000 per ounce.
Safety: It’s Time to Review Your Fleet Policy
It’s been a while since some drivers have been on the road, and it’s getting more dangerous out there. Consequently, it’s time to review your fleet policy.
Fleet-Focused EV Charging Solutions
Blink is a fleet-focused EV charging solutions provider offering hardware and software, including a product for fleet drivers who charge at home.
Time for a Fleet Policy Review?
A lot of us have started spending more time driving. Meanwhile, the roads got considerably more dangerous in the past couple years. As Tim Harrison points out it todays’ top video, it’s time to review your fleet policy.
AFLA Announces Keynote Speaker
We were excited to learn that AFLA has announced best-selling author Shola Richards (CEO and Founder of Go Together Global) as keynote speaker at the Fast Forward conference in Tucson this October. Have you registered yet? We hope to see you there.
Top Trucking Trends
Also in today’s issue, Ryder’s Eric Bandin gives a timely report on the Trucking Industry in 2022 and Beyond. It’s a worthwhile read.
TED ROBERTS
President
