Fuel Savings and Dedicated Account Managers: The Shell Fleet Solutions Difference
Dedicated account managers, fuel savings and other discounts are just a few of the things that make Shell Fleet Solutions different.
Consignors ‘Rising to Change’ at IARA Conference
By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor
The recently completed 2021 IARA Virtual Conference featured remarketing’s best and brightest from IARA (International Automotive Remarketers Alliance, the IAG (Independent Auction Group), the NAAA (National Auto Auction Association) and other leading organizations.
The consignors session, called “Consignors Rising to Change,” provided viewers with an extended opportunity to ask pertinent questions and get expert answers from high-caliber executives, including moderator Tammy Swofford, National Sales and Marketing Director, America’s Auto Auction, and panelists Larry Knapp, Director of Remarketing for Donlen Leasing; Steve Kapusta, Senior Vice President of Remarketing Services at Ally; Mark Lindenmuth, Asset Manager, Caprock Auto Remarketing; and Mona Spoon, Senior Territory Manager, Emkay.
Here are some of the panelists’ answers to some of the critical questions...
Automakers Want Biden to Make Huge Investment in Electric Vehicles
If automakers have their way, President Joe Biden's infrastructure plans to be announced Wednesday will be full of programs and proposals to help them design, make and sell dozens of new electric vehicle models.
With many countries and California looking to phase out the sale of internal combustion engines that contribute to climate change and some automakers aspiring to do the same, John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Auto Innovation, a group that represents automakers including General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, said Tuesday it will require a "significant partnership with government" to reach those goals.
"This is a shared vision and it is a transformative moment for the industry and the nation," Bozzella said. He added that automakers have already begun investments into electric, electric-hybrid and other alternative fueled vehicles that could reach $250 billion by 2023, with the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the market tripling by 2026.
Read the article at Detroit Free Press.
Fatal Distraction
Paul Atchley, PhD, eDriving’s brain science advisor, asks: Is Our New ‘Distanced’ Way of Life Making Drivers a Threat to Themselves? Citing some recent NSC statistics, he writes, “…the estimated deaths per 100 million miles travelled was 1.20 in 2019 and 1.49 in 2020, or a 24% increase in risk of death. In simplest terms, every mile we drive has become more likely to be one that results in a fatality.”
Turning to the monetary aspect of crashes, we note that NETS has published its updated Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes to Employer Report and accompanying Cost of Crashes Calculator App. Be sure and mark your calendars for NETS 2021 Strength IN Numbers Annual Road Safety Conference -- October 19-21.
Ed Pierce wraps up his series on account-based marketing in A Call to Action: An ABM Primer for Fleet Service Providers, Part III: Key Metrics. Ed says, “Account-based marketing moves beyond disparate lead generation, sales, customer service, and account management programs to deliver a winning strategy for the entire customer relationship journey.”
Enjoy this issue and check in with FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates.
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Ford Issues Stop Sale of its Electric Vehicle Home Charging Equipment
Ford has stopped selling its electric-vehicle home charging equipment after discovering the hardware wasn't working properly. The stop-sale order for the $800 units started on February 24.
The Ford Connected Charging Station is a 48-amp Level 2 charging solution to go along with Ford's Mustang Mach-E. The charging station allows owners to monitor information such as charge levels and energy consumption.
The problem is that the wall-mounted unit might register a fault in the system and stop charging unexpectedly. Ford said that there is no cause for concern over damage from the malfunction. Once the automaker figures out what was causing the issue in the system, the charging station will go back on sale.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
