Posts Tagged ‘Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers’
California Challenges Obama Administration’s MPG Standard
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
California officials have threatened to pull out of a historic compromise with U.S. automakers and the Obama administration for a 35.5 MPG fuel economy standard by 2016 unless federal regulators side with the state on two key disputes.
The warning from California has triggered concern among Detroit automakers that the state could decide to enforce its own rules for greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, setting off a wave of state-by-state laws rather than the national standards set by the Obama administration.
In a recent federal filing, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said the Obama administration needs to address two concerns in the final version “to ensure California’s continued support.”
“What we wanted to do is convey the level of importance for these two issues,” said CARB spokesman Stanley Young.
The Obama administration is considering CARB’s comments.
“We’d be very disappointed if California or any other stakeholder were looking to back out or change the terms,” said Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers spokesman Charles Territo.
CARB wants federal regulators to lower proposed credits for zero-emissions vehicles, which include hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
Environmental groups and CARB contend the credits are too generous and could allow automakers to shirk improvements in non-electric models. CARB also argues that electric vehicles contribute some greenhouse gases because they draw electricity from carbon-generating power plants.
California regulators also want the administration to reject a proposal from the alliance to ease the phase-in of the standards between 2012 and 2015, with a larger increase for the 2016 model year to reach the 35.5 MPG target.
Automakers said the change would ease the phase-in of new technology needed to meet the goals.
Photo courtesy of cliff1066TM under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, California, California Air Resources Board, Obama
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
Chrysler Bans Employees From Texting
Monday, December 21st, 2009
If your fleet does not have a policy regarding texting behind the wheel, perhaps this story will motivate you.
Chrysler Group LLC has announced the establishment of a corporate policy surrounding company-owned vehicles and communication devices. Effectively immediately, all company employees are prohibited from texting while driving in company-owned vehicles and texting with company-provided communication devices while driving personal vehicles.
“A driver’s primary responsibility is to be in control of their vehicle; texting while driving clearly interferes with that responsibility,” said Steve Bartoli, head of Regulatory Affairs. “Chrysler Group LLC supports initiatives to ban this activity. Additionally, we stand with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supporting a ban on hand-held cell phone operation while driving.”
The automaker currently offers a hands-free, voice-activated U-Connect system with Bluetooth technology. The feature, available on most Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles, provides voice-controlled wireless communication between the occupants’ compatible mobile phones and the vehicle’s onboard receiver. U-Connect can manage onboard phone-book entries, select radio stations, access the navigation system, and retrieve voice mail.
Recently, the Chrysler Group announced it will offer text-to-voice/message reader technology in select 2011 model year Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles.
Photo courtesy of JSNSDR under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Chrysler, Chrysler Group LLC, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, txting, txting driving, U-Connect
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Vehicle Thefts at 20-Year Low
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
According to a study by USA Today, reported vehicle thefts have fallen to a 20-year low even though the number of vehicles on the road has doubled. The major reasons: automakers installing sophisticated anti-theft devices and police targeting organized car-theft rings.
The FBI data provided by the study shows that approximately 956,846 vehicles were stolen in 2008. That’s less than half of the figure for 1991, when 1.66 million vehicles were stolen equaling 659 thefts for every 100,000 people. And today there are more than 245 million vehicles on the road, up from just 122 million in 1989.
“It’s a much tougher job to be a car thief today,” says Russ Rader, spokesman for Highway Loss Data Institute, a research group funded by auto insurers that analyzes data from insurance claims. “The technology in new vehicles makes it much harder to make off with a car.”
One of the most prevalent anti-theft technologies currently in use is the ignition immobilizer, an electronic device that prevents the engine from starting without the vehicle owner’s key. Alarm systems and GPS tracking devices have become more widely used as well. GPS tracking technology “didn’t exist 20 years ago,” says Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “There was a time when consumers rarely chose alarm systems as an option. Over time, they’ve become more and more standard.”
In 1989, fewer than 5% of new cars included an ignition immobilizer as part of the standard package, the Highway Loss Data Institute research shows. Now 86% of new cars are built with the device.
The chances of having a car on the road stolen are about 1/3 of what they were in 1989. Yet insurance rates have held steady because cars cost more, says Steve Weisbart, senior vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group.
Photo courtesy of wonderferret under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, FBI, Highway Loss Data Institute, ignition immobilizer, Insurance Information Institute, USA Today, vehicle theft
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Government Wants a Black Box in All Cars, Including Your Fleet; Automakers Request More Time
Monday, April 6th, 2009
Airplanes have them. Your vehicles soon will. And we’re not talking peanuts.
Event Data Records will soon be mandatory on all new vehicles, and may already be in the vehicles you own.
Automakers are asking for more time to comply with new rules on data standards that apply to event data recorders in new vehicles, according to CollisionWeek. The current deadline for implementation is Sept. 1, 2012, as stated by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers submitted a recent petition requesting a one-year extension.
Apparently automakers have some unanswered questions about specific types of data capture about air bag and restraint deployment, plus clarification on “time zero” and “end of event,” data formatting for accelerometers, and procedures for multi-event crashes, CollisionWeek reported.
Typically used by insurance companies, police and accident investigators, the event data recorders only monitor information in the seconds leading up to and after it senses your airbags are about to go off; things such as:
- Engine speed
- Automobile speed
- Brake status
- Passenger’s airbag
- Seat belts (on or off)
- Warning lamps
- Ignition cycle
- Velocity
- Air bag timing
According to The Motoring Loans Blog, about 70% of all new vehicles have the devices. And General Motors has been installing these soap-sized recorders in every automobile since 1999.
Interestingly, some fleets with event data recorders, including ones that monitor driving habits, may qualify for auto insurance discounts.
Oh, and if you go looking for a black box in your late model delivery van, many aren’t black at all. They often come in vibrant colors for easy recovery, and it’s probably tucked away under your seat or dashboard.
Photo copyright of mvhargan under the Creative Commons license
Tags: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, CollisionWeek, Event Data Records, General Motors, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicle black boxes
Posted in Industry News | 4 Comments »
