The CTA study is called “The Impact of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard & Cap-and-Trade Programs on California Retail Diesel Prices,” and was conducted by Stonebridge Associates, Inc. in Bethesda, Md. The consultant’s study attempts to predict the effects that the new low-carbon Californian initiatives will have on the state’s future diesel prices.

The findings predict that diesel prices will increase by $2.22 per gallon by 2020 from these new initiatives (maybe more from unrelated fuel cost factors). That’s more than a 50% price increase and would result in a whopping $6.69 per gallon.

“These higher California-only diesel costs will create a substantial cost bubble around California where inside the bubble diesel prices will be significantly higher than in the rest of the country,” the study noted.

Read the entire article about this study

It wasn’t too long ago that self-driving cars seemed a thing of the future, but now several major automakers are gearing up to have self driving cars as early as 2020. Most notably, Google has been experimenting with their self-driving Toyota Prius, while other leading manufacturers such as Ford and GM are also designing their own autonomous systems.

While it’s still quite a weird concept, self-driving automobiles provide a great deal of benefits. One major advantage is a great deal of improved safety. Imagine how many car accidents would be avoided if 6-10 set of eyes were keeping an eye out for danger while you drive. That’s essentially what’s happening with electronic safety systems use of vehicle cameras. Drivers will also experience additional benefits such as improved gas mileage and improved flow of highway traffic.

The American luxury automaker, Cadillac, says that their autonomous technology is called super cruise and most of the technology needed for it’s development can already be found on certain driver assistance packages.

Similar to other automaker’s design, super cruise will collect data from several different sensors, vehicle cameras, and GPS data along with radar object-detection systems that can see the lines of the road and keep the vehicles squarely in the lane. Super cruise’s major impact will be on highway driving, whereas city driving will remain in the hands of the driver.

“Super Cruise has the potential to improve driver performance and enjoyment,” said the VP of Cadillac Marketing, Don Butler. “Our goal with advanced technologies, like this and our CUE system, is to lead in delivering an intuitive user experience.”

The major hurdle of Cadillac (and other automakers) is the automatic lane centering technology. Currently this technology is very limited, enabled only to work with capable radar visibility and when the vehicle’s cameras can detect lane markets on each side of the car. Additionally, current autonomous systems such as super cruise will be limited during certain weather conditions.

“The primary goal of GM’s autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle development is safety,” Capp said. “In the coming years, autonomous driving systems paired with advanced safety systems could help eliminate the crash altogether by interceding on behalf of drivers before they’re even aware of a hazardous situation. More than ever, consumers will be able to trust their car to do the right thing.”

When driver’s are sad, angry, or sleepy, driving quality is greatly affected which increase the likelihood of an accident. Soon, your vehicle will detect these moods and proactively adjust the electronic alert system to give driver’s a heads up. If the system determines your mood is normal, then the standard alerting configuration will be used.

Automakers Toyota and Audi seem to be the two manufacturer’s aggressively pursuing camera scanning technology to help driver’s keep an eye on the road. Audi is implementing cameras that also detect driver’s head positions. If the camera system detects head positions that suggest the driver isn’t pay attention, the crash-avoidance system will be triggered earlier than usual to allow plenty of reaction time.

A professor from Cambridge University is working on a system that can detect language and conversations to assist the cameras in deciphering your mood. Also, the same technologies that provide bluetooth and GPS guidance could be used to stop phone calls or prevent speeding if it senses the driver is under stress.

These new systems are still years away from hitting your average vehicle, but not too far. Toyota has been working on this technology for 6 years already, and their senior manager of advanced technology, Jonas Ambeck, says that it could make its way into vehicles by 2018.

Mobile Data
Modern vehicle telematics systems have mobile data capabilities allowing them to wirelessly communicate with other devices similar to a cell phone. As this new technology advances, companies are constantly finding more applications to improve their business. The major benefit of mobile data, as it relates to telematics, is the ability to take vehicle information (discussed further down) and transmit it to any capable device with an internet connection for evaluation.

Satellite GPS Navigation
Many new cars have GPS and satellite navigation systems factory installed making paper maps a thing of the past.  These systems may even be a standard feature in year’s to come. The Global Positioning System (GPS) works by syncing devices with  24 to 32 space satellites that transmit two things: time of transmission and satellite position at the time of transmission. The receiving device calculates the time it takes to send the transmission to each device, and these figures are plugged into algorithms to compute the position of the receiving device (i.e. your GPS navigation system). Cellular GPS works differently, applying rules of triangulation with cellular towers location to find devices. However, cellular GPS is limited to the availability of towers, whereas Satellite GPS is available anywhere on Earth.

Vehicle, Trailer, and Asset Tracking
Tracking technology allows companies with vehicles and assets to know the real-time location of their inventory. These businesses are usually in the logistics or transportation industry. Common vehicle tracking devices plug into the OBDII port or are hardwired into the vehicle, as well as being enabled to work with GPS and oftentimes cellular networks. This technology helps managers fleet managers obtain real-time vehicle and driver information such as location, speed, job status, two-way messaging, automated alerts (idling, speeding, braking, etc), reports, and more.  These devices are designed to minimize human error, and many organizations quickly find that can improve their efficiency and reduce costs by cutting down route times, wasteful idling, and unapproved side trips.

The main purpose of this technology is to take control from the driver and give it to the manager, which prevents negative employee behaviors. Additionally, drivers are unable to stray too far from their assigned route which saves fuel costs and time. Another benefit of a GPS tracking system is to improve security by eliminating theft, preventing accidents, and reducing speeding fines. Trailer tracking and asset tracking provide similar benefits, but usually operate on a battery depending on if the trailer or asset is non-powered.

Vehicle tracking is rapidly growing with more and more companies experiencing decreased costs and increased productivity. Additionally, fleet managers enjoy peace of mind being able to monitor their business from any capable device with an internet connection, as well as automated alerts instantly notifying them if something is wrong. A recent survey conducted found that 60% of fleet drivers do not mind having their vehicle tracked, and good employees often encourage it as their hard work is noticed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to improve existing safety standards for light vehicles to help drivers stop better. Introduced on Thursday, April 12, the new plan would implement an Brake-Throttle Override which would be enabled with both the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are depressed simultaneously. If passed, the requirement would help eliminate accidents due to a stuck or trapped accelerator pedal and would allow a driver to maintain vehicle control using the braking system.

“America’s drivers should feel confident that anytime they get behind the wheel they can easily maintain control of their vehicles, especially in the event of an emergency,” said Ray LaHood, the U.S. Transportation Secretary. “By updating our safety standards, we’re helping give drivers peace of mind that their brakes will work even if the gas pedal is stuck down while the driver is trying to brake.”

The NHTSA’s new plan targets drivers that lose control of their vehicle due to accelerator control system disconnections or the pedal physically getting stuck. Currently, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 124 regulates the Accelerator Control System, and the new proposal would amend that to include acceleration disconnecting for all passenger cars, trucks, and transportation vehicles.

For those vehicles that feature an Electronic Throttle Control, and weigh less than 10,000 lbs, the NHTSA would require automakers to include an additional BTO system that would stop the vehicle if both pedals are pressed at the same time. This is a minor requirement however, as most manufacturers already include a BTO system in their fleet.

Larry Burns, GM’s former head of R&D, speculates that self-driving cars could be on the road as soon as 2020.

At the University of Michigan’s Robotics Day, Burns informed students that automobile companies are pushing hard towards autonomous vehicle technology due to the competitive marketplace. However, before we start seeing these vehicles on the road, government officials will have to create laws to govern liability issues.

Read the entire article at SafetyTrack.net

Ford dubbed their new tool the ‘Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Cost Calculator’ and it uses variables such as type of vehicle, class of fuel, potential traffic scenarios, and the elevation changes in certain regions to best calculate which vehicle produces optimal results for fuel efficiency and emissions.

Factors such as “upstream” emissions (power plant emissions) can be analyzed and associated with operating electric vehicles. The Detroit-based company gave the example of operating an electric vehicle in Portland, Oregon (where hydroelectric power is abundant), vs. operating the same vehicle in a coal-based area, such as Philadelphia.

Ford hopes the tool will keep their fleet customers informed in order to meet their business needs, save money, and protect the environment.

Pictures: NYAS Featured Vehicles

More than 1,000 new vehicles will be featured from 43 different manufacturers around the world.

A new flying car prototype from Terrafugia is creating a lot of buzz. Priced at $279,000, the concept vehicle already has 100 pre-orders.

Take a guess at how much the most expensive vehicle at the show is and you probably won’t even be close. An original Shelby Cobra, featured at the same auto show 50 years ago has a whopping price tag of $25 million!

An interesting new car from Nissan, named the Leaf, features absolutely zero emissions with no tailpipe and ultimately no pollution. It’s an electric car with a battery that will take you 100 miles on a full charge.

Now what everyone wants to know, the fastest new automobile. Reaching racing speeds of 253 MPH, the Bugatti is the fastest car in the entire world. Those willing to spend the $2 million mini-fortune on the Bugatti will enjoy going zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds!

The New York Auto Show lasts until April 15th.

The application entitled Air1 DEF Mobile Locator, is a free download from iTunes and can be used with any Apple product. Eventually, Yara plans to release the application on other platforms, namely Android and Windows 7.

The app is extremely useful for diesel powered vehicle drivers, not only to keep their engines running efficiently, but to ensure EPA emission standards compliance.

Download Air1 Def Mobile Locator for free at Air1′s website or the iTunes app store.

The truck was stolen right out of their lot when an unauthorized movement alert notified the Ruan Transport Corp. and they were able to track the stolen vehicle to a scrap yard 14 miles away. The police were notified and the truck was recovered successfully utilizing real-time tracking.

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Ensure that your expensive assets and trucks are being tracked to prevent theft and save money with powerful fleet tracking metrics.

Read the full article here or learn more about GPS Fleet Tracking Systems.