Lawmakers Unveil $25 Billion Legislation to Convert US School Buses to Electric
Last week, Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation that would invest $25 billion to convert the entire US fleet of ICE school buses to electric vehicles. The bill would authorize federal grant money over the course of 10 years, and 40% of the funds would be specifically devoted to replacing school buses operating in mostly nonwhite, poorer communities.
In the US alone, school buses account for 90% of the total buses on roads and regularly transport about 25 million children per day. Studies have found that toxic emissions from gasoline and diesel engines inhaled by children during their commutes to and from school may contribute to respiratory illnesses.
Furthermore, these emissions have been linked to poor academic performance. Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif explains: Transitioning our school bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles is an essential aspect of building equitable, sustainable infrastructure and is a wise investment in our children, our environment and our future.
Read the article at Electrek.
Fiat Joins Electric Van Fray with New E-Ducato
It’s not just the light duty arena seeing a substantive increase in battery-electric offerings as the crowded commercial van market just got another competitor: the Fiat E-Ducato.
Like many of the other competitors in the segment, Fiat’s got a real-world partner: DHL. The global delivery giant signed on to help build a better van five years ago, but the relationship intensified when the E-Ducato hit the drawing board.
Fiat says it’s comparable to a diesel in its performance levels. The motor puts out 122 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque, which should be plenty to get around town. Additionally, it can add another 62 miles of range in less than 30 minutes, Stellantis officials noted.
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
Lighten Your Workload and More Effectively Manage Your Fleet
By Adam Danielson, Sales and Business Development Director
“There’s an app for that” has become a common catchphrase that pretty much sums up today’s reliance on and easy access to technology.
The fleet industry has become a beneficiary of this technological boom with the ability to access all types of data related to vehicles, location drivers and more.
Aside from the convenience of these customized technology solutions, which help make the fleet manager’s job easier, is the added safety that goes along with many of today’s digital products.
Among these is a powerful tool that every fleet has at its disposal to pinpoint the riskiest drivers in the fleet and act before a crash or a fatality occurs: continuous driver monitoring.
LeasePlan Renews Commitment to Environmental Initiatives on Earth Day 2021
LeasePlan is targeting net zero tailpipe emissions from its funded fleet by 2030
LeasePlan USA has renewed its commitment to environmental initiatives on Earth Day 2021. The company has pledged to reach a target of net zero tailpipe emissions from its funded fleet of 1.9 million vehicles by 2030.
LeasePlan believes that climate change demands urgent and universal action, so today we’re proud to sign The Climate Pledge. LeasePlan stands with Amazon and Global Optimism in a commitment to create a net zero society by 2040 – ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
Motus Delves Into Post-Pandemic Fleet Cost Trends in New Report
By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor
As Market Research Manager at Motus, Ken Robinson has his finger on the pulse of the fleet industry. That includes economic considerations, and especially cost data that informs the company’s vehicle management and reimbursement solutions.
“The Motus Platform powers a growing number of solutions for mixed-use assets -- vehicles, devices and locations. In our role as a strategic partner with our customers, we aggregate a ton of cost data with very granular geographic levels,” Ken explains.
“One of the ways we leverage this data is to aggregate fair and accurate reimbursement rates. We also work with corporate fleet programs, offering personal use tracking and safety solutions. We are proof that a harmonious coexistence can be maintained between company-owned and personally-owned vehicles and other assets.”
“By conducting such research into trends and influencers, we are well positioned to share our insights with the industry. Because we have other lines of business that help companies wanting to empower their anywhere workforce, I write monthly reports that span into location intelligence and also mobility expense management.”
