Making Electric Vehicle Leap of Faith is Highly Satisfactory to New Owners, J.D. Power Finds
January 27, 2022 - As automakers continue to build excitement with new electric vehicle launches, first-time owners who have made the switch to battery electric vehicles are discovering that it is a positive experience, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study.
Brent Gruber, senior director of global automotive at J.D. Power, said. “We know from our research that many consumers have concerns during the purchase consideration process with aspects like battery range and vehicle charging. However, once someone has purchased a BEV, they’re pretty much hooked."
The U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study is driven by a collaboration with PlugShare, the leading EV driver app maker and research firm.
Pete Buttigieg Announces Comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy
January 27, 2022 - The U.S. D.O.T. Secretary announced the federal government’s new comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), a roadmap for addressing the national crisis in roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
“We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths in America. These deaths are preventable, and that's why we're launching the National Roadway Safety Strategy today - a bold, comprehensive plan, with significant new funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“We will work with every level of government and industry to deliver results, because every driver, passenger, and pedestrian should be certain that they're going to arrive at their destination safely, every time.”
Inside the New Federal Push to Reduce Roadway Deaths
January 28, 2022 - A new policy from the Department of Transportation aims to stem roadway fatalities, which have risen rapidly over the past few years, with a new approach - including some initiatives that Consumer Reports and other safety groups have long argued in favor of or worked to support.
Called the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), the plan combines efforts to protect those inside and outside a vehicle in a crash, and takes steps to prevent those crashes from happening in the first place. Many of these projects are straightforward, but others may take years to implement - and some safety advocates warn that the DOT’s commitment to seeing them through is not strong enough.
Instead of a single-minded focus on driver behavior and building vehicles that protect occupants in crashes, the DOT says its new initiatives follow a “safe system” approach.
Trucks And SUVs Are Now Over 80 Percent of New Car Sales in The U.S.
January 27, 2022 - In October 2021, over 80 percent of estimated new vehicle sales in the U.S. were SUV and trucks for the first time ever. Over 80 percent! That number continued in November and December and is on pace to do so again in January.
An automaker like Ford doesn’t even sell regular cars anymore, and Chevy only sells two. This is because Americans have preferred SUVs, though, conveniently, SUVs are also more profitable for automakers since they tend to cost more than, say, a Chevy Malibu.
For the entire year in 2021, the number was 78.5 percent, a number that has steadily ticked up for the last decade. In 2010, for example, only 52.7 percent of new-vehicle sales were trucks and SUVs. In 2013, that number was 52.1 percent, according to numbers provided by JD Power. In 2014, it ticked up to 54.6 percent, and hasn’t looked back since.
Agile Fleet Releases FleetCommander® v5.08 Software
New FleetCommander Software Release Supports Major Enhancements to Remote Management and Vehicle Sharing.
Agile Fleet announced the general availability of FleetCommander® version 5.08, providing major enhancements that support remote fleet management and vehicle sharing.
First introduced by Agile Fleet in 2001, the FleetCommander software is presently used by hundreds of organizations on a subscription basis to manage motor pools, shared fleet vehicles, and fleet maintenance operations. Over the past 24 months, FleetCommander subscribers have experienced an accelerated demand for new ways to work remotely. The newly released FleetCommander v5.08 includes major enhancements that are designed to help Fleet Operations Managers work in today’s remote-work world.
