Volvo Will Test Wireless EV Charging in Sweden for 3 Years
March 3, 2022 - Volvo announced that it will evaluate a fleet of XC40 Recharge electric SUVs using wireless charging in Gothenburg, Sweden, over the next three years. The cars will be driven upwards of 12 hours per day, and Volvo estimates each car will accumulate some 60,000 miles each year.
In addition to testing the wireless chargers themselves, Volvo will also use this pilot program to evaluate how its small electric vehicles handle commercial use.
Momentum Dynamics will supply the charging stations, which will be integrated into Gothenburg's Green City Zone, which is treated as a test bed of sorts for burgeoning clean-vehicle technology. To ensure charging is properly established, the fleet of XC40s will use their surround-view camera systems to line themselves up with the chargers, which will be embedded in parking spaces.
Waymo to Start Charging Money for its Robotaxi Rides in San Francisco
March 1, 2022 - Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, got the green light to start charging for rides in its autonomous taxis in San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission awarded the company a permit that allows them to charge for rides as long as there’s a human safety driver behind the wheel.
California requires that AV companies obtain a series of permits in order to start earning money from their autonomous vehicles. The permit obtained by Waymo is one of the last steps required before the company can launch a fully fleshed-out robotaxi business. The company will need to obtain a separate permit to charge for rides in its driverless vehicles too.
Waymo is currently testing at least a hundred vehicles in downtown San Francisco and in and around Google’s offices in Mountain View. Last year, the company logged the most miles driven autonomously of all the companies permitted to test in the state.
Ford Launches Separate EV and Gas-Engine Divisions
March 2, 2022 - Ford is restructuring to separate its electric vehicles from its long-standing business division driven by generations of internal-combustion engines.
Dubbed Ford Model e, the new entity will exist alongside Ford Blue, which will carry the company's gas- and diesel-engined offerings, while a third business unit, Ford Pro, will focus on commercial vehicles. The decision was prompted by the success of smaller teams that developed the all-electric Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup, in addition to the creation of a separate EV division for Ford in China.
"Ford Model e will be Ford’s center of innovation and growth—a team of the world’s best software, electrical and automotive talent turned loose to create truly incredible electric vehicles and digital experiences for new generations of Ford customers," Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said.
The Four Pillars of Fleet Success
Organizations that operate vehicles in New Jersey need to be aware of a new state law that goes into effect on April 18, 2022. In NJ Law to Require Drivers Be Informed When Vehicle Tracking Devices Are Installed, Art Liggio gives us the parameters of the new law and rules that some other states have adopted.
Fleet Success Summit
This conference takes place in Phoenix, Arizona April 20-21. Here’s what the organizers say,
"It's a gathering of fleet professionals who are looking to go beyond the status quo and achieve success at their fleet organization. This inaugural two-day event will feature 12 speakers who will take center stage to divulge how to achieve the four pillars of Fleet Success: Stakeholder Satisfaction, Intentional Culture, Resource Efficiency, and Risk Management, and why these are so pivotal to your operation’s overall success."
Drive Safety,
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
AT&T Begins Testing and Deployment of Discreet 5G Radios on City Street Lamp Posts
February 25, 2022 - AT&T announced its field testing new 5G small cell radios that can hide on top of street lamp posts. The new radios were born out of a partnership between AT&T, mobile technology manufacturer Ericsson, and urban solutions provider Ubicquia.
“It is virtually unseen from street level,” wrote Gordon Mansfield, AT&T’s VP of mobility access & architecture, in a company blog post. These new low- / mid-band 5G radios can be deployed within 15 minutes on street lamps. “No long wires and big, bulky boxes – a true aesthetic improvement.”
These new small cell radios are not a replacement for the much faster but more visible mmWave antennas that can cover only a couple of city blocks. But since the new radios are powered by street lamps and connected to nearby fiber, it could reduce the need to erect more standalone small cell towers in cities.
