Revealed: The Music Choices That Can Affect EV Battery Range
April 7, 2022 - Extensive real-world testing by Kia reveals how your choice of music can directly affect electric car battery range. Using a leading authority in psychoacoustics and sound science, Kia discovered which genres of music make for maximum EV miles.
With a variety of categories ranging from up-tempo pop to classical, Kia has uncovered a genre of music that can make EV drivers four times more efficient. The study was overseen by Dr Duncan Williams, a lecturer at the University of Salford, and saw participants wearing a device to record biometric measurements.
The playlist included Kanye West, Adele and Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No. 9 in D Minor’. In fact, Beethoven produced the most efficient driving of all from the test participants. Despite accounting for 32.5 percent of the playlist, only 7.7 percent of the EV6’s battery range was used while listening to the choral symphony.
2022 Top Safety Pick Awards: Volvo, Genesis Ace IIHS tests
April 7, 2022 - For the 2022 model year, more automakers built their cars to better withstand and avoid crashes, according to the latest ratings announced Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
A total of 69 models earned a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ designation, which is considered the most rigorous independent safety rating in the automotive industry. Last year at this time, 49 models earned the accolade. Another 36 models in 2022 testing earned the next highest rating of Top Safety Pick, to bring the total to 105 models out of about 220 tested.
Every 2022 Volvo and Genesis model earned a TSP+, marking a rare sweep for the brands, though it's easier to accomplish with lineups that consist of only five key models. Hyundai Motor Group, parent company of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, earned the most total safety picks, with 11 TSP+ and 10 TSP awards.
Chase Partners With EVgo to Pilot DC Fast Chargers at 50 of its US Branches
April 7, 2022 - Chase bank announced a new partnership with fast charging network EVgo to implement a pilot program of DC fast chargers for EVs at 50 of its branch locations. As part of an expanded focus on sustainability, the commercial banking business plans to grow its on-site solar power to 400 additional branches by year’s end.
EV drivers will be able to plug in outside of their local Chase branch and utilize fast chargers offering speeds between 100-350 kW, which can deliver as much as 80% charge in 15-45 minutes.
Once all 50 DC fast chargers are installed and functional, EVgo estimates they will deliver up to 9.4 million kWh annually and provide nearly 30 million miles of EV range. Those numbers supplant 12,000 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to planting approximately 196,000 trees each year.
Biden’s Fuel Rules Leave Plenty of Leeway for Gas Guzzlers
April 6, 2022 - The aggressive fuel-economy regulations the Biden administration rolled out last week are intended to spur faster development of electric cars, but they rely on a credit program that some environmentalists say undercuts the program’s pollution-fighting purpose.
The system allows carmakers to claim an equivalent of more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) per gallon for each EV in their lineup, potentially allowing them to meet the 49 mpg fleetwide mandate by 2026 even if the rest of the lineup is crowded with conventional gas guzzlers and SUVs.
Automakers get extra credit for each model of hybrid or electric vehicle in their lineup regardless of how many they sell. The mileage is expressed using an equivalence, giving hybrids or electric cars a much higher miles-per-gallon calculation for the purposes of the regulation, greatly boosting a company’s average. The equivalency rate is slightly lower for hybrids.
Automated Inspections Can Catch 96% of Issues That Could Ground a Vehicle
It’s possible for automated inspections to catch up to 96% of issues that could ground a vehicle, compared to 24% for manual inspections. That means your vehicles will be much safer and lets your drivers focus on their jobs.
