NHTSA Orders Crash Reporting for Vehicles Equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Automated Driving Systems
NHTSA issued a Standing General Order requiring manufacturers and operators of vehicles equipped with SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or SAE Levels 3-5 automated driving systems (ADS) to report crashes.
“NHTSA’s core mission is safety. By mandating crash reporting, the agency will have access to critical data that will help quickly identify safety issues that could emerge in these automated systems,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Acting Administrator.
Read the article at NHTSA.
Lordstown Motors is Now Being Investigated by the Justice Department
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into troubled electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors, which is backed by General Motors and went public late last year but has yet to get its pickup — the Endurance — into production.
It’s the second official probe into the startup, as the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation earlier this year into Lordstown Motors executives’ misleading claims about how many preorders it had logged for the Endurance.
“Lordstown Motors is committed to cooperating with any regulatory or governmental investigations and inquiries,” a representative for the startup said in a statement.
Read the article at The Verge.
Merchants Fleet Introduces Turnkey Fleet Electrification Adoption Tool
Continues Acceleration of Electrify Fleet Ecosystem with Membership to Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA)
Merchants Fleet announced the official launch of its AdoptEV service, an industry leading electric vehicle adoption tool designed to educate and transition clients through the EV (Electric Vehicle) and EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) & purchase process - from concept to execution.
"As a nationwide fleet provider, Merchants plays a crucial role in accelerating the transition to EVs for our clients," says Brendan P. Keegan, CEO of Merchants Fleet.
Law Enforcement Agency Testing Shows 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder Accelerates Faster Than all Police Vehicles Tested
The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder has the best acceleration of any pursuit-rated police vehicle tested, helping law enforcement officers respond quickly to emergencies.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department test data, as well as preliminary test results from Michigan State Police, show the 2021 F-150 Police Responder, America’s only pursuit-rated pickup truck, had the fastest 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph and quarter-mile times of any law enforcement vehicle, including SUVs and sedans.
The main drivers of the acceleration improvements are the truck’s increased torque and new torque-on-demand 4x4 transfer case.
Read the article at Ford Media Center.
Donlen CEO Tom Callahan Charts Course for Fleet Market Ascendancy
Powered by Athene’s Commitment to Long-Term Growth
By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor
After the questions raised in 2020 about Donlen’s future in the midst of the pandemic due solely to its parent company’s financial troubles, the outlook for 2021 and beyond looks exceedingly bright -- for the company, its new owners, its employees, and its customers, says CEO Tom Callahan.
“The purchase of Donlen by Athene is a significant achievement for a number of reasons. First, Athene plans to invest in our company, its people, processes and systems. In fact, we recently raised over a billion dollars in growth capital with 60 investors, 30 of which were brand new to the platform and 30 were existing investors who are happy with our new parent.
“Now that the ownership has been solidified and we have the financial resources and long-term commitment to growth from Athene, all of our internal and external stakeholders are reassured. Athene wants to use Donlen as a long-term growth platform. They look at us as a high quality investment. That sits well with customers, employees, and investors, none of whom like instability or the perception that we could be sold at any minute,” notes Tom.
