Posts by: FleetCarma Staff
October 2, 2012
2013 Ford Fusion: Designed with Fuel Economy in Mind
Most often build-your-own products are relegated to the food industry. We’re invited to choose our ice cream type, and then either add on our toppings of choice or watch someone mash them in before picking from one of the 12 cone choices. It’s a dessert option that says goodbye to simply choosing a flavor, just as our vehicle options are no longer just selecting[…]
September 25, 2012
The Truth about Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Hot Weather: a Recap from our Recent Webinar
One week after our sold-out webinar on the effects of hot weather on electric vehicles we wanted to provide some quick notes for those that could not attend. As previously outlined there are many advantages to analyzing the data from electric vehicles to determine how they perform in hot weather. Most often vehicle manufacturers choose to roll out initial EV models in ‘hot weather’[…]
September 13, 2012
The Truth about Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Hot Weather – UPDATE: Webinar FULL
As an exceptionally hot summer comes to an end, many people are looking back at the ways in which the weather affected business and industry. Vehicle fleets are not immune to weather concerns. Many electric vehicle owners are aware of the effect that cold weather can have on battery performance, but may be wondering whether or not hot weather has an effect as well. EVs in[…]
August 13, 2012
MPG: Two vehicles boost fuel economy by 3 mpg; one saves $5,500 more. Why?
Today’s a quick post using fuel economy (mpg) numbers to estimate potential gas savings. More specifically, this is about a common mistake. Let’s say you’re considering two options: Replace your SUV with a new one that gets 3 mpg better. Replace your commuter car with a new one that gets 3 mpg better. Which option will save you more money? For this simple[…]
August 2, 2012
Increased Fuel Economy Could Change How Gas is Taxed
In the U.S, governments both federally and regionally are feeling the effects of declining gas tax revenues. On average 48.8 cents of every gallon purchased is gas tax with 18.4 cents going to the federal government (you can find your state’s tax here). The taxation of our fuel has been a steady source of revenue for decades but that is changing as we move[…]
August 1, 2012
Gas Mileage: Which car manufacturer was fined over $260 million?
Since the late 70s we’ve had mandated fuel economy standards in North America. In America, these are called the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and they are intended to bring better gas mileage (higher mpg) vehicles to market. Originally CAFE was a response to the crisis caused by the 1973 Oil Embargo. Some readers may remember the odd-even gas rationing system during the crisis.[…]
July 20, 2012
Electric Vehicle Monitoring the Nissan Leaf
The following is an excerpt of an article by Michael Bettencourt which appeared in the drive section of the Globe and Mail on July 14, 2012. The article is part of a series titled Living with the Leaf; the series documents the author’s personal experiences owning the Nissan Leaf. Michael used FleetCarma’s electric vehicle monitoring system to report his findings. The owner’s log[…]
July 12, 2012
Oregon: An Emerging Electric Vehicle Market
The state of Oregon has emerged as a leader in clean and alternative fuel initiatives. The state has one of the highest hybrid ownership rates per capita in America and has become a hotbed for electric vehicle projects and tests. The state was selected as part of the ECOtality’s EV Project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy; one of only six states[…]
June 22, 2012
Are Heavy-Duty Hybrids and Electrics Right for your Fleet?
In the past decade, hybrid and electric vehicle technologies in heavy-duty fleets have become more accessible with the support of government regulations, grants and incentive programs. These policies, coupled with fuel price instability and increased pressure and motivation to mitigate climate change have resulted in several fleet operators, in both the private and public sectors, to run pilot projects that integrated these vehicles into[…]
June 20, 2012
How do you Find a Public Charger in Canada?
Not that easily I’m afraid. The chargers exist in many Canadian metropolitan areas they just remain… well hidden. Charging station locations in the states however are much more transparent. The U.S Department of Energy lists charger locations on their website, but the lists are difficult to navigate. The better solution for finding a public charger is through charger mapping. Carstations.com is a charger mapping[…]
