Month: May 2023

The first-ever factory robotic was tried out by GM in 1961.

It’s been fascinating to see artificial intelligence become an even more significant, pervasive topic than Covid-19 in the news this year. While it certainly didn’t start this year, it took a turn on Nov. 30, 2022, with the release of the ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. Congressional hearings this month with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, have stirred the pot even more.

In late May 2014, Google launched its first self-driving test car at its corporate campus. That event launched a huge wave of attention and discourse — and ambitious announcements made by automotive CEOs. While that technology is still in development, and awaits government approval to roll out on roads beyond where it stands today, AI was always a core theme and actuality that would come up during discourse.

Here’s an overview on how significant it has been for the auto industry and its potential for advanced, clean transportation………….. 

1. Follow the money
   Following an excellent earnings report issued by technology company Nvidia, its shares shot up 24.4% on the NYSE yesterday — a near-record gain in a one-day increase in market capitalization for a US company. Nvidia is a key player in the game. It makes the chips used to train AI platforms such as ChatGPT, which powered the company’s training by using 10,000 Nvidia graphic processing units (GPUs) on a Microsoft supercomputer, according to the BBC.

Crunchbase reported that $20 billion has been raised by startups using AI in 2023.

According to equity market analyst PitchBook’s report, venture capitalists have steadily increased their positions in generative AI, from $408 million in 2018 up to $4.8 billion in 2021 and $4.5 billion in 2022. Generative AI is a type of AI system capable of generating text, images, or other media in response to prompts. It rapidly learns the patterns and structures of their input training data, and then generates new data that’s very similar.

ChatGPT falls into this segment, with GPT standing for Generative Pretrained Transformer architecture. That language model tool can answer questions and assist users with tasks, such as composing emails, essays, and code. While all this attention has raised concerns over job loss in several categories, arguments are also being made about the benefits the technology can bring to assist workers in this fast-changing, stressful workplace. One ChatGPT rival, Anthropic, recently raised $450 million in Series C funding.

Bessemer Venture Partners, one of the oldest venture firms in the U.S., has set aside $1 billion of its most recent fund solely for investments in AI. Sameer Dholakia, a partner at the firm, sees this level of investment in AI inevitable. He sees the adoption curve being much faster than previous platform shifts such as cloud computing.

“Literally trillions of dollars of value gets created when you have these massive tectonic shifts,” Dholakia said.

2. It’s been in the works for over 60 years Manufacturing robotics: The first robotic system was introduced in New Jersey, on a General Motors assembly line, in 1961. Today, the auto industry is usually considered to be the fastest and most extensive adopter of the technology with the focus on creating the most efficiient supply chainz. That hasn’t always gone over well with UAW and job loss, but union contracts and management pratices have had to adapt to these significant changes over the years.
Cruise control: American Motors introduced the first car with that option in 1965. After the OPEC oil embargo and gasoline price crisis of 1973, it gained popularity as a way to drive efficiently and save gas.
Telematics: General Motors launched OnStar in 1996, which at first become the first-ever in-vehicle telematics system; along with a safety emergency service responding to airbag deployments. Other safety and convenience services were added over the years tied to smartphones and dashboards.
Connectivity: Over the past 15 years, connected, semi-autonomous features have been added — lane changing, safety warnings, self parking, app to car connectivity, entertainment/infotainment, security functions, and eventually, vehicle-to-vehicle communications. Mass adoption of the iPhone and Android phones was behind this surge.

3. Autonomous electric vehicles depend on AI to clear safety standards
   About eight years ago, I moderated a panel during a Clean Cities event that discussed future modes of transportation and urban mobility that were going to be tested and eventually deployed. One moment that stood out was how much everyone in the room seemed to agree that autonomous electric vehicles made a great deal of sense — and needed to be developed. These vehicles need a lot less maintenance and replacement parts, and would maximize the energy stored in their batteries.

Perhaps the biggest barrier to overcome for autonomous vehicles to become viable is resolving the safety question. AI is being used to simulate real-world conditions to safety-test autonomous vehicles. Without AI, there will be no self-driving vehicles.

General Motors, and several other global automakers, sees all of this coming together in the near future. Personal vehicles with internal combustion engines played a vital role in giving Americans a great sense of personal freedom in their lives. But that also brought about huge challenges in the form of pollution, congestion and accidents.

“At GM, our vision of a future with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion has guided the development of our self-driving test vehicles and our belief that all fully autonomous vehicles should be electric vehicles,” the company said on its website.

4. Driving is heading toward a new wave of ease, safety, traffic avoidance, and efficiency
   Wendy Gonzalez, CEO of Sama,  which provides best data annotation services for AI and machine learning models, sees AI’s contribution being the driving force behind transforming vehicles through integrated innovations across the industry.

Autonomous vehicle manufacturers must create datasets that will ensure their AI can enable safe hands-free driving. That will be the primary element for enabling accident prevention — accurate risk assessment and monitoring the driver.

This technology revolution can enhance the luxury experience and personalize the vehicle, she said. AI can tap into machine learning to adapt the vehicle specifically to that driver, according the Porsche. The automakers trained more than 270 machine learning models during development to create the most effective recommendations possible — with its AI recommendations becoming more than 90% accurate; and with accuracy improving through each use and data input.

In-car voice assistance is another pathway to reacing a high level of efficiency and safety, Gonzalez said. It used to be offered only in luxury vehicles, but 90% of all new vehicles sold globally are likely going to have voice assistants by 2028. Saying, “Hey Honda” (or whatever manufacturer made that vehicle), “turn on my Apple Music,” is much safer than the driver becoming distracted and unsafe to have that perk.

5. Going outside the norm, with SPACs being a good example of it
   Anything to do with AI is requiring a “thinking outside the box” approach. There’s always the humans vs. machines paradigm, and fear of something going very wrong. Backers of AI appear to be driven by the other side of that coin — creating much better living conditions for fellow human beings in upcoming centuries. And if you’re worried about massive job cuts, then what about all the good jobs it will take to build out and manufacture the technology, repair and maintain it, manage and direct it, learn from it, and carry it over to 2.0 versions?

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been one of the alternative routes that AI startups are using to get the funding needed for R&D and to find financial backers. It may not get as much respect and street cred as IPOs, but it might be a more advantageous route to take — as was discovered in recent years by electric vehicle startups. In AI, SPAC funding rounds began showing up and working out; and are still part of the business plans for a few startups. iLearningEngines, a training provider offering “AI-powered learning automation,” announced in April that it plans to list on Nasdaq at an initial valuation of around $1.4 billion through a merger with shell company Arrowroot Acquisition Corp. Finding that senior partner company, or more than one, is part of getting SPAC deals made.

News Synopsis —
A few snippets of need-to-know news stories………….

Tesla and Ford just announnced a previously unheard-of alliance. The two companies went on Twitter Spaces for a live audio discussion between Tesla’s Elon Musk and Ford’s Jim Farley. Current Ford vehicle owners will get to access 12,000 Tesla supercharges across the US and Canada beginning early next year; but they’ll need to get an adapter. Next-gen Ford electric vehicle owners will receive Tesla’s charging plug; that will begin in mid-decade.

Two South Korean giants, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, have forged an EV battery cell manufacturing joint venture in the U.S. Starting construction in the second half of this year, the JV plans to start battery production at the end of 2025 at the earliest.

Tesla may have failed to protect 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked by a whistleblower, according to Germany’s Handelsblatt data protection watchdog for the Netherlands. That data was tied to customers, employees and business partners, according to the agency.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced the Clean Fuels & Products Shot, with the goal of substantially decreasing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) coming from carbon-based fuels used by the fuel and chemical industries. That decrease would come from utilizing more environmentally friendly carbon sources, that would target a minimum reduction of 85% in GHG emissions compared to fossil-based sources by 2035.

Citi analyst Itay Michaeli wrote in a recent note to clients that things are not as bad for Tesla as you might think — with all the competition the company is facing and the negative attention that Twitter-focused CEO Elon Musk has been going through. The electric vehicle maker’s brand loyalty is staying strong, according to quarterly S&P Global data, and in a report from Barron’s. The data analytics show that Tesla’s brand loyalty remains high and that the automaker continues to take share away from other automakers.

What’s next for clean, automated, efficient, and safe transportation? Well, that boils down to a case-by-case basis. For example, the No. 2 in America ride-hailing company is getting out of the ridesharing business.

Lyft Inc. announced it’s officially ending shared rides, according to the company’s new CEO David Risher. Customers are tired of being taken away from their intended route and putting in extra time on the ride, Bloomberg reported.

Market leader Uber is going to stay in the shared ride service. The company is still moving forward with reviving its carpool service, now dubbed UberX Share. The company today rolled out its Uber Carpool ride (available during peak commute hours) option where you can lock in your price; and you can expect to pay 35% less than you’d pay for UberX, according to the company. It pairs customers up with riders going in the same direction.

Lyft would like to make the airport ride pickup easier for customers. Customers can now hail a ride the moment they land, as opposed to putting in the request when arriving and moving over to the pickup area, Risher said.

The May 2023 edition of Green Auto Market’s Market Intel explored this question of what’s happening in mobility in the context of what’s going with car ownership. While car ownership and new and used vehicle sales have stayed high in the US, there are several indicators out there showing that a deep downward shift is well on its way. This is being driven by economic factors, concerns over traffic congestion and safety, air pollution, and climate change rules.

For many urban transportation planners, taking a multi-facedted approach to the future of mobility is becoming a necessity. Let’s take a look at a few figures:

1. The average annual cost of ownership in the US has gone up to $9,282 per year recently, a five percent increase over the the previous year. Where does all that come from? Fuel costs, maintenance, repair, and tires costs went up about 10% with vehicle registration and tax fees also seeing their way up.
2. Car prices have gone up significantly — Kelley Blue Book reporting that the biggest price increases last year was for full-size cars (up 12.6 percent to $48,314). Luxury cars and vans also had significant price increases. It’s part of why Tesla has lowered its MSRPs in recent months — to increase sales share and to adapt to car buyers facing significant price increases on several fronts.
3. The charging infrastructure needs some work. That’s a recurring theme for electric vehicle owners of all types — from fleet operators to veteran EV owners. They’d like to see more consistency and availability for fast charging, and to see consistent rate prices for recharging away from home or work.
4. The question of when autonomous vehicles will become available beyond the test phase is still a mystery. Last year, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) gave permits to self-driving units of General Motors and Alphabet Inc to allow for passenger service in autonomous vehicles with safety drivers present for the Cruise and Waymo divisions, respectively. The Phoenix market is seeing a lot of activity here. Waymo One and May Mobility are providing services to small groups of customers, and are poised to expand their businesses to other markets when the regulatory environment clears.
5. However, nearly two thirds of Americans are still concerned about the safety of taking self-driving vehicles. Roughly six-in-ten adults (63%) say they would not want to ride in a driverless passenger vehicle if they had the opportunity, while a much smaller share (37%) say they would want to do this. According to Pew Research. Makers of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology will have to work together to get Americans over the hump — such as participating in test rides, and finding ways to use AVs for practical purposes — such as shuttle rides on college campuses and senior living facilities, and other practical applications.

Vehicles — sales trends, launches, incentives and funding, regulatory, vehicle manufacturer news

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) was present last week at ACT Expo to share about, among several items, its Run on Less – Electric DEPOT program. This event will feature eight fleet depots with 15+ Class 3 to 8 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) operating in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. These eight fleets have been chosen for the research project. The end goal is to provide more clarity on fleet scaling considerations such as charging infrastructure, engagement with utilities, total cost of ownership management, driver and technician training, charge management, and more. It will also highlight effective partnerships between fleets, OEMs, and utilities — with a deep dive look into utilities, charging equipment, and construction.

Sustainability and carbon reduction — setting and hitting targets, studies, regulatory, global alliances, sustainability drives

“Hertz Electrifies Orlando” Hertz and the city of Orlando have launched Hertz Electrifies Orlando, a public private partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and expanding the environmental and economic benefits of electrification across Orlando. Hertz will be adding up to 6,000 rental EVs to its existing fleet in Orlando, for availability to leisure and business customers as well as rideshare drivers.

To help expand charging, Hertz will support the installation of up to 50 public fast chargers across the Greater Orlando area, in partnership with bp (BP plc oil company). In addition, Hertz is working with Orange Technical College (OTC) to help bring EV tools and training to its auto servicing students. Hertz is also making summer jobs available through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Hertz Electrifies Orlando aligns with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s 2030 Electric Mobility Roadmap goals to accelerate EV adoption in multiple transportation sectors and develop a robust charging ecosystem to reduce emissions that harm public health, bolster climate change resilience, and increase access and affordability for all communities.

SVT Fleet Solutions (SVT) has restructured the company to focus on comprehensive fleet solutions on pressing issues — from regulatory compliance and funding support to zero-emission vehicle procurement and operations. SVT President Don Kelley sees taking an end-to-end fleet management approach even more necessary with actions being taken such as California’s recently passed Advanced Clean Fleets Rule.

The company’s executive team is bringing together resources for fleet management clientele including regulatory compliance support; a fleet sustainability strategy to help clients hit emission targets cost effectively; covering the spectrum for vehicle funding and financing including identifying and securing grant funding and incentives to reduce total cost of ownership for low-and-zero emission vehicles; and analyzing diverse procurment options from light-to-heavy vehicles that include battery-electric, propane autogas, natural gas, and fuel-cell powered cars, vans, and trucks.

Other services offered include comprehensive uptime support that taps into predictive analytics; centralized fleet administration support that will also assist clients in driver recruitment and retention strategies; and managing vehicle remarketing for vehicles reaching end of useful lives or fixed terms.

There were plenty of signs that the clean transportation business is going through a growth surge:
1. The event outgrew the Long Beach Convention Center, with 12,000 attendees this year versus 8,000 last year. It’s gotten to the point where the conference will move to Las Vegas next year and back to Anaheim in two years, but not having to share the space with another conference (a nursing convention) as was the case this year.
2. The rollouts and announcements were nonstop, with big announcements coming from major truck builders on the electric and hydrogen fronts.
3. Conference speakers called out the fact that commercial trucks — medium- and heavy-duty — make up less than 5% of vehicles on U.S. roads but make up 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Ground transportation will make for a big part of the global challenge, that the U.S. has committed to, of reaching net zero by 2050. Panel speakers expect that by 2040, key achievements will be met in the clean vehicles and in the fueling and charging infrastructure needed to make it all happen.
4. The exhibit hall was packed with booths and vehicle displays — from Volvo Construction’s electric powered crane (the EC 230 Electric Excavator) to BYD’s electric school bus.
5. Gaps still need to be overcome in the electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling station networks to serve this growth trend in zero-emission trucks. However, Nikola Corp. had some good news here. The company is getting up to $1 billion for 50 of its planned hydrogen fueling stations. Infrastructure developer Voltera Inc. has agreed to build the stations under a five-year agreement.

Here are a few highlights from the conference and expo:

Day two keynoter Dana CEO Jim Kamsickas gave a history lesson going back close to 200 years ago — and how far it’s all come along. “We are in the midst of disruptive change in commercial transportation,” he said. “The convergence of innovative technology around us has influenced the way we develop our vehicles, with software becoming the defining force for connectivity, autonomy, tracking, and predictive maintenance.”

The State of Sustainable Fleets — 2023 Market Brief was released. Diesel trucks will be sunsetting earlier than expected as the roadmap to zero-emission vehicles gets set out in many states. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a heavy-duty engine rule in late 2022 that sets the strictest national standards ever on emissions that contribute to air pollution. This report came out days after the California Air Resources Board’s new Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule was released. It will require that all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California will be zero-emission by 2036. 

Hydrogen fuel cell trucks played a leading role on the show floor as it plays a significant part in zero emission vehicle (ZEV) targets being met. Hyundai Motor debuted the mass-production model of its class 8 fuel cell electric truck tractor, XCIENT Fuel Cell. Toyota said it will place its fuel cell powertrains in Kenworth and Peterbilt vehicles.

Electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks filled much of the floor space. Freightliner-owned Daimler unveiled a new medium-duty truck brand, eM2. Mack Trucks just doubled its zero-emissions vehicle offerings with the new MD Electric medium-duty truck. Navistar’s International Class 6 eMV now has a factory-installed optional ePower and electric power take-off electrical system. The truckmaker also announced that its Class 8 battery electric vehicle will go into production in 2024 with a few demo units expected on the road later this year.

PepsiCo confirmed it will enter at least one of its Tesla Semi trucks in the ‘Run On Less’ trucking industry event later this year. It will be Pepsico’s entry in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s Run on Less – Electric Depot. NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth reported that data will be streamed on the Semi’s daily routes during September’s run.

Volvo Trucks North America tripled its Certified Electric Vehicle Dealerships from 12 to 36 locations, with 56 more coming up — all of this in less than a year.

Cummins Inc. announced the launch of Accelera by Cummins, a new brand for its New Power business unit. Accelera provides a diverse portfolio of zero-emissions solutions for many of the world’s most vital industries empowering customers to accelerate their transition to a sustainable future. The company says the line-up emphasizes the role that hydrogen will play as part of “Destination Zero.” The company is also working on electrolyzers that can produce hydrogen that can power both a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) concept truck and a fuel cell electric powertrain.

Winners of this year’s ACT Expo Fleet Awards:

• Leading Off-Road Fleet: Sunbelt Rentals
• Leading School Fleet: Lower Merion School District 
• Transit and Mobility Award: Montgomery County, Maryland 
• Leading Private Fleet: Manhattan Beer Distributors 
• Leading Airport Fleet: Kansas City International Airport 
• Leading Public Fleet: New York City Fleet
• Leading Carrier: Performance Team Logistics LLC 
• In It for the Long-Haul Award: NFI 

GreenPower unveiled the EV Star Utility, a purpose-built, all-electric, all-aluminum utility stake bed truck. The EV Star Utility is built on the company’s EV Star Cab & Chassis and is designed for vocational applications such as landscaping, construction, agriculture, public works and more.
 
Hino Trucks has signed a distribution agreement with Hexagon Purus to exclusively distribute a complete battery electric tractor. This tractor will utilize Hexagon Purus’ proprietary zero-emission technology, including battery systems, auxiliary modules, power modules and the vehicle-level software and is developed to operate on Hino’s XL 4×2 tractor cab chassis.
 
Peterbilt displayed its Model 520EV refuse configuration featuring the industry’s first all-electric side loader body from Heil.  In contrast to traditional hydraulically powered bodies, this electric-actuated body uses no hydraulics while on route and is fully integrated with the 520EV. The company said that it results in an energy-efficient vehicle with single point of charge and increased range. Peterbilt also displayed its Model 579 equipped with Aurora L4 advanced autonomous technology. 

Southern California-based Tom’s Truck Center has just added Nikola Corp’s battery-electric Class 8 truck to its electric commercial truck lineup. They are now available for sale at Tom’s two dealerships (along Interstate 5 in Santa Ana, Calif. and Santa Fe Springs, Calif.), and a fuel cell version is expected by the end of the year. Tom’s has also invested in charging stations at its two locations.

Hyzon Motors, a supplier of zero-emission heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles, released its white paper, Designing the Future of Fuel Cells, a white paper describing the Company’s progress toward producing a single stack 200kW fuel cell system. The company reported that most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have opted to combine two complete sets of 90-150kW fuel cell systems. Hyzon’s in-house fuel cell system design and production, combined with a strategic network of suppliers, means that its 200kW fuel cell system offers a single stack that generates enough electricity to meet these power requirements, the company said.

Shell displayed the Starship 3.0, which is powered by a Cummins X15N natural gas engine that will run on Shell Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).“Shell Starship 3.0 will feature some of the best-in-class technologies which are leading the way forward in helping decarbonize the heavy transport sector,” said Dr. Selda Gunsel, President of Shell Global Solutions and VP Fuels and Lubricants Technology, Shell.

1. How does the California Air Resources Board’s new Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule differ from the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule?

The first one from 2020 (ACT) was targeted at vehicle manufactuers, and the new rule applies to fleets. ACT was aimed at manufacturers who certify Class 2b-8 chassis or complete vehicles with combustion engines who must sell zero-emission trucks as an increasing percentage of their annual state sales from 2024 to 2035. By 2035, zero emission trucks/chassis sales in California would need to be 55% of Class 2b – 3 truck sales, 75% of Class 4 – 8 straight truck sales, and 40% of truck tractor sales. 

Under ACF, fleet owners will be on a longer track with their fleets. All new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California will be zero-emission by 2036. Existing vehcles will be able to continue operating through their useful life. For those operating vehicles for private services such as last-mile delivery and federal fleets such as the Postal Service, along with state and local government fleets, the transition will begin in 2024. Drayage trucks will need to reach zero-emissions by 2035. Last mile delivery and yard trucks must transition by 2035, work trucks and day cab tractors must be zero-emission by 2039, and sleeper cab tractors and specialty vehicles must be zero-emission by 2042.

2. Which technologies will be considered zero emissions?

Battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell medium-to-heavy-duty vehicles. Commercial trucks powered by renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable diesel (RD) don’t fall directly under the zero-emission vehicle target. However, the CARB board did direct staff to coordinate with relevant state agencies on how non-fossil biomethane from sources related to the state’s wastewater and food waste diversion requirements under SB1383 can be used in hard-to-decarbonize sectors as part of the transition. They’ve asked them to report to the Board, by the end of 2025, any actions needed to accomplish the transition. CARB and other state and regional agencies encourage and incentive RNG and RD fleet usage. Using RNG is supported by CARB to reduce methane from organic wastes and other applications to help achieve California’s climate goals. In November, CARB approved amendments to the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulation aimed at further reducing emissions from the off-road sector. It requires the use of R99 or R100 renewable diesel in off-road diesel vehicles.

3. What are some of the gains CARB has cited to set the new guidelines?

The new rule, ACF, will put California on a path toward accomplishing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of fully transitioning the trucks that travel across the state to zero-emissions technology by 2045. While trucks represent only 6% of the vehicles on California’s roads, they account for over 35% of the state’s transportation generated nitrogen oxide emissions and a quarter of the state’s on-road greenhouse gas emissions, according to CARB. California communities that sit near trucking corridors and warehouse locations with heavy truck traffic have some of the worst air in the nation. Due to the impact that truck traffic has on residents living near heavily trafficked corridors, drayage trucks will need to be zero-emissions by 2035. 

The new rule is expected by CARB to generate $26.6 billion in health savings from reduced asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and respiratory illnesses. For fleet operators concerned about cost containment, going this route will save an estimated $48 billion in their total operating costs from the transition through 2050. California is set to invest almost $3 billion between 2021 and 2025 in zero-emission trucks and infrastructure. This investment is a part of a $9 billion multi-year, multi-agency zero-emissions vehicle package to equitably decarbonize the transportation sector that was agreed upon by Governor Gavin Newsom and the legislature in 2021.

An analysis of the sales and purchase requirements by CARB estimates that about 1.7 million zero-emission trucks will be on California roads by 2050. 

4. What about the infrastructure? What’s next?

For more than a decade, California has been making investments in infrastructure and to support the development and adoption of zero-emissions vehicles. The Joint Statement of Intent created the structure for collaboration between CARB, the California Energy Commission, the California State Transportation Agency, California Transportation Commission, California Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, and the Governor’s Office of Economic and Business Development. These agencies will continue to plan, develop, deploy, and help to fund the extensive network of electric charging and hydrogen stations required to help get California to zero-emissions by 2045.

5. What does the market look like?

There are hundreds of models on the market in California now, with several of their builders making announcements at this year’s ACT Expo. They’re getting better for range and meeting most fleet applications, designed to meet their daily usage schedules. Volvo, Daimler Truck, and Volkswagen’s Traton are offering different-size battery electric models to logistics clients in Europe and the U.S. The list continues in medium-to-heavy duty offerings from PACCAR, Nikola, Navistar, Rivian, BYD, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Motiv Power Systems, and more. 

GAM Market Intel: Why car ownership is going away gradually
What’s the best bet for urban mobility, reducing air pollution, making mobility safer, and less restricted by traffic? It may not be about car ownership. While car ownership and new and used vehicle sales have stayed high in the US, there are several indicators out there showing that a deep downward shift is well on its way. This is being driven by economic factors, concerns over traffic congestion and safety, air pollution, and climate change rules. Let’s start by taking a look at the pragmatic dollars and sense side of it, coming from the AAA annual report. The average annual cost of ownership in the US has gone up to $9,282 per year, a five percent increase over the the previous year.

Here’s the link to the latest edition of GAM Market Intel, and previous versions………