U.S. Gas Prices Are Skyrocketing – How Much Worse Will It Get?
March 6, 2022 - This weekend, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline went above $4 a gallon in the U.S for only the second time ever. The last time this happened was in 2008.
At some stations in Los Angeles, premium fuel was selling for $7.25 a gallon this week. Gas in the Philadelphia area hit $4.05 a gallon late last week, an increase of 43 cents in the past month. San Francisco also hit $5 a gallon.
GasBuddy released a statement saying that, while international sanctions that are crippling Russia's crude oil exports are one cause of the price spike, that's not the only reason to expect fuel prices to continue to rise. "Seasonal factors including increased demand for gas, refinery maintenance and the switch to summer blend gas, on top of current geopolitical tensions, could propel prices upward of $4.25 per gallon by Memorial Day,"
Motiv’s Next Gen EV Truck Battery Tops 150 Mile Range — Milestone for Motiv Medium Duty EV with 3-Ton Payload
New Modular Technology Features Option to Extend Battery Range to More than 200 Miles on a Single Charge
Motiv Power Systems has new field test results on its next-generation technology that redefines range and payload limits for daily-use commercial fleet vehicles.
Motiv is partnering with the Michigan-based developer of innovative energy storage technology, Our Next Energy (ONE), for battery technology for Motiv’s 6th generation all-electric vehicles – which are currently in testing and will launch in early 2023.
Teen Truck Drivers? Why Not?
Telematics May Be the Key
By Oswaldo Flores, Product Manager, Teletrac Navman
From barren grocery store shelves to a disturbing lack of onion rings at your favorite local eateries, the problems caused by the ongoing supply chain disruptions are manifesting in all kinds of different ways.
The biggest – and most direct – cause of these woes is the massive shortage of truck drivers, estimated to be a record high of 80,000 by the American Trucking Associations in 2021 and likely an even larger gap now.
Pandemic-related friction, new remote employment opportunities, a more competitive job market and the realities of an aging workforce have created a perfect storm of resignations and retirements that fleet owners have found themselves tasked with navigating.
Throughout 2022, help may be on the way from a rather unexpected source: teenagers.
Who Killed the Electric Mail Truck?
By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor
t’s a question that everyone wants answered. How is it, during a dramatic transformation of the automotive industry from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to EVs, that USPS – the U.S. Postal Service -- is replacing its aged fleet of delivery trucks with between 50,000 and 165,000 miles, with ICE powered trucks?
Under pressure after that announcement last month, USPS relented slightly and said that the trucks could be converted to EVs, or could be electric, without furnishing any additional details.
So, while the Electric Mail Truck is not dead, it’s future is uncertain. And the answer, sadly, is not simple. A favorite target, especially of the left, is Postmaster Louis De Joy, a Trump ally. Many Democrats have called for his ouster, but the Post Office is independent of executive branch, by legislation that was passed in 1970.
The Most Important Car Automation Trends of 2022
March 4, 2022 - We're not there yet, but the era of self-driving vehicles is coming into focus this year. Cars with important and differing levels of automation will hit showrooms like never before. Here are some big names and tech to watch in 2022.
Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch the first mass-production Level 3 car in 2022 using its Drive Pilot technology. General Motors is focused on doing the most it can within Level 2 assistance which can give you physical but not mental relief from the driving task. GM's current Super Cruise tech will evolve into the lidar-equipped Ultra Cruise in 2023.
Ford is evolving its driver assistance tech as BlueCruise that work on 130,000 miles of roads in North America, maintaining set speed, vehicle spacing, lane tracking, stop-and-go operation and posted-speed-limit recognition. Tesla CEO Elon Musk maintains the company will offer something close to Level 4 self driving by the end of this year.
