The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in December fell to 25 mpg — down 0.2 mpg from a revised November value, according to Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak, researchers from the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).
Some believe that fleet managers will evolve into “mobility managers” in the future. Instead of managing a fleet of vehicles to meet employees’ mobility needs, they will move beyond asset management to manage a broader array of mobility services. These proponents argue that mobility management will create the business case to realign fleet and travel management into a single corporate function.
Each year, we compile a listing of the nation's Top 300 commercial fleets. This gives us an opportunity to get a pulse on the state of the commercial fleet market. Every fleet in the Top 300 commercial fleet listing has its own fleet strategy and challenges; some unique, but most are common to a number of fleets. Here is my “lightning round” summary of the top trends and operational considerations influencing the management of the nation’s largest commercial fleets.
Growth in adoption of natural gas vehicles has been slower than previously anticipated, mostly due to drops in oil prices, as well as lower costs and increased capacity of batteries for electrified vehicles.
The 2015 L.A. Auto Show included a renewed focus on luxury models, experiments in disruptive technology such as hydrogen power and virtual reality-enhanced driving, sportier exterior and interior designs with more emotional appeal, and the rising popularity of electrified powertrains over diesel and other alternative fuel types.
As we approach the start of a new calendar-year, it is inevitable that we take a look at where we’ve been and where we are going. I'll start by examining the evolution of the medium-duty truck market over the past 45 years and then identify the key trends that will influence product design in future model-years.