Automotive Fleet News

RALEIGH, NC - Beginning July 28, the North Carolina State HIghway Patrol will conduct "Operation Road Watch" to crack down on motor carrier safety violations, the Mooresville Tribune reported.

Tags: motor carrier safety inspections, North Carolina State HIghway Patrol, safety inspections

WASHINGTON - Subaru of America Inc. is recalling more than 800 MY 2010 and 2011 Outback and Legacy passenger vehicles with manual transmission.

Tags: NHTSA, Subaru, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback , Subaru recall

WASHINGTON - BMW of North America LLC is recalling more than 6,000 MY 2010 and 2011 5-Series and 5-Series Gran Turismo passenger vehicles because of a fuel gauge problem.

Tags: BMW, BMW 5 Series, BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo , BMW recall, NHTSA, vehicle recall

WASHINGTON - Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC is recalling more than 5,000 MY 2010-2011 Jaguar XK and MY 2010 Jaguar XF V8 5.0L gasoline engine vehicles.

Tags: Jaguar, Jaguar Land Rover North America , Jaguar recall, Jaguar XF , Jaguar XK , vehicle recall

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Calif.-based Omega Health Systems (OHS) announced a new partnership with Advanced Drivers of America (ADA) to provide online risk assessment and e-learning systems via their Safe Driving Plus system.

Tags: Advanced Drivers of America, driver safety, Omega Health Systems

DENVER - Jack Pierce brings nearly 15 years of expertise and experience with him in his new role as vice president of business development for Hourglass Management Corporation.

Tags: appointment, Hourglass Management Corporation, LeasePlan USA

WASHINGTON - Nissan North America is recalling 46,000 MY 2009-2010 Nissan Cube vehicles because they fail to comply with federal safety standards in place to guard against fuel system leaks.

Tags: NHTSA, Nissan Cube, Nissan recall, vehicle recall

WARREN, MI - General Motors announced it will introduce a new greenhouse gas-friendly air-conditioning refrigerant in 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac models in the U.S., which will help GM meet the overall requirements of the EPA's new motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations.

Tags: emissions, EPA, General Motors, greenhouse gas

FRANKLIN, TN - Starting in December, the first Nissan LEAF models will be available in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Tennessee -- states home to The EV Project - the largest electric vehicle and infrastructure deployment ever undertaken.

Tags: electric vehicle, Green Fleet, LEAF, Nissan

Here is some advice to help fleet drivers stay alert -- and awake -- during long road trips.

Tags: driver safety tips, driving safety, drowsy driving

SAN JOSE, CA - Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) will be the first company in the U.S. to take delivery of Raser Technologies' new extended range electric (E-REV) fleet trucks, designed to achieve an average of 100 miles per gallon.

Tags: electric vehicle, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Raser Technologies

ARLINGTON, VA - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer the Top Safety Pick award.

Tags: crash tests, IIHS, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Mitsubishi , Mitsubishi Lancer, Top Safety Pick award

DETROIT - The Chevrolet Volt is the first General Motors vehicle to offer five years of OnStar Directions and Connections service, which includes Automatic Crash Response, stolen vehicle assistance and connected navigation, all standard.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, General Motors, OnStar

VIENNA, VA - The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the launch of "Drive Safely Work Week 2010: Focus... Safe Driving is Serious Business," Oct. 4-8.

Tags: Drive Safely Work Week, NETS, U.S. DOT

LOS ANGELES - Renewable Energy Group, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, is acquiring Tellurian Biodiesel Inc., a California-based biodiesel company and marketer, and American BDF LLC (ABDF).

Tags: American BDF , biodiesel, Renewable Energy Group, Restaurant Technologies Inc., Tellurian Biodiesel

SAN JOSE, CA - Starting today, participating Chevrolet dealers in launch markets will begin taking customer orders for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, lithium-ion batteries, OnStar

MIAMI BEACH, FL - Car Charging Group Inc. said it has partnered with a national parking company, LAZ Parking NY/NJ LLC, to provide charging stations for electric vehicles at LAZ Parking locations throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas.

Tags: Car Charging Group, Coulomb Technologies, electric vehicles, EV charging stations, LAZ Parking NY/NJ

GULEPH, ONTARIO, CANADA - Rothsay Biodiesel, a division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., said that its program to fuel its own fleets with biodiesel blends reduced carbon output by approximately 700 metric tons in 2009 -- the equivalent to removing approximately 130 cars from the road.

Tags: biodiesel, Rothsay Biodiesel

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Energy Commission has awarded $2.5 million for research projects tackling a range of issues including climate change, electric fuel and energy storage.

Tags: California Energy Commission , electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, UC Berkeley, University of California

SAN DIEGO - Qualcomm Inc. and ECOtality Inc. have entered into an agreement to implement cellular connectivity into electric vehicle charging stations.

Tags: ECOtality, electric vehicles, EV charging stations, EV Project, Qualcomm

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - SK Energy said it has reached a deal to supply rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors for electric vehicles, Reuters reported.

Tags: electric vehicles, Hyundai , Kia, lithium-ion batteries, SK Energy

GOLDEN, CO - The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is preparing to kick off a three-year study on secondary uses for end-of-life lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from plug-in hybrid electric and other electric vehicles.

Tags: Department of Energy, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, National Renewable Energy Laboratory , NREL, plug-in hybrids

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week approved a $3.6 billion bill aimed at promoting the use of electric vehicles.

Tags: electric vehicles, energy legislation, U.S. Senate, U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

SACRAMENTO, CA - A new California law extends -- through the end of 2014 -- car pool lane access for qualifying alternative-fuel vehicles even when the driver is traveling alone.

Tags: alternative-fuel vehicles, California Clean Air Vehicles, CNG vehicles, electric vehicles, high-occupancy vehicle lances, HOV lanes, hydrogen fuel cells, zero-emission vehicles