What’s Beyond the Electric Last Mile?
By Kevin Koester, NTEA Senior Director
Electric vehicles. There, now I have your attention.
Automotive headlines today are dominated by news of IPOs, SPACs, pre-orders, and deposits for the growing array of last-mile electric vehicles approaching production in the coming years.
The emphasis on last-mile, while not new, has expanded as various startups shift or increase their focus from retail product development to commercial application. This shift is understandable as commercial fleets have the potential to make or break electric startup launch targets due to bulk order volume potential.
While recently attention has been on the last-mile space and fleets with dominant volumes, more EV startups are investigating the commercial market beyond last-mile delivery — the electric work vehicle.
Whether a pickup, cargo van or incomplete chassis, second-stage manufacturers make a vehicle buyable, even though they may not be the buyer.
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Pavement That Wirelessly Charges EVs Will Be Tested in Indiana
The Indiana Department of Transport recently announced plans to build a new wireless charging system as part of a research project: a quarter-mile stretch of road fitted with wireless charging technology embedded onto the pavement.
Magment's technology works via coils embedded in slabs made of magnetized cement. Vehicles that want to charge from the system will also need a similar coil fitted in their base, which will then connect to whatever their onboard charging system is.
The idea in Indiana is to install the pads both as wireless charging options in car parking spaces and as part of the highway, so drivers can either pick up a quick burst by running through or more thoroughly top up their vehicle by parking, all without needing to mess around with different charger systems. Provided, of course, that they install the Magment under-car coil.
Read the article at The Drive.
Semi-Autonomous Ford Escapes Available for Rides with Lyft by Late 2021
Lyft will soon offer semi-autonomous rides in select cities through a partnership with Ford and autonomous vehicle tech company Argo AI.
These still aren't self-driving cars, though, as Ford says there will be safety drivers behind the wheel of these Escape crossovers equipped with Argo AI's Self-Driving System (SDS) 360-degree lidar.
The semi-autonomous rides will be offered in Austin, Texas, starting next year, and Ford says it hopes to have more than 1000 of these cars in the Lyft fleet over the next five years.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Omnitracs Announces New Evidence of the Risks and Cost of Distracted Driving in Latest Data Insights
Omnitracs, LLC, a Solera company, has published groundbreaking new insights on distracted driving in the trucking industry.
These insights, which aggregate and anonymize data from the SmartDrive advanced video-based analytics platform, help fleets understand operational threats and illuminate the inherent risks associated with distracted driving.
The data analysis clearly demonstrates that the most distracted drivers are less safe overall, commit significantly more fundamental driving errors, and drive faster than the speed limit compared to all other drivers.
