AI-Powered Fleet Analytics Reveal Hidden Fuel Costs Linked to Emissions System Health
By Aaron Howell, Questar
Dozens of variables influence fuel economy. Vehicle type, engine size, driver behavior, terrain, load weight, weather conditions, speed, and idling habits all affect fuel consumption.
Because of these variables, isolating the effect of mechanical condition has historically required extensive engineering analysis.
Modern fleet intelligence platforms can now analyze thousands of vehicle operating days and hundreds of sensor inputs simultaneously, building predictive models that estimate a vehicle's fuel consumption.
As AI-powered fleet analytics mature, the industry's focus is shifting from simply identifying failures to understanding the hidden costs that arise long before failures occur.
Why Vehicle Longevity is the Commercial Vehicle Sector’s Hidden Sustainability Strategy
By Neil Fryer, Vice President and General Manager, Global Aftermarket, PHINIA
Through maintenance, repair and remanufacturing, the aftermarket helps fleets extend vehicle life, improve resource efficiency, and extract greater value from existing assets.
This matters because sustainability is not only determined by the technologies of the future. It is also influenced by how effectively the industry manages and maintains the vehicles operating today.
By keeping vehicles operating safely, efficiently, and productively for longer, the aftermarket has a critical role to play in reducing the industry's environmental footprint.
This places aftermarket technicians at the center of the automotive industry's sustainability efforts.
What the IRS’s Mid-Year Mileage Rate Increase Means for Fleet Managers
By Lee Adam, Director of Product Marketing, Cardata
When the IRS announced it was increasing the standard business mileage rate in July, it did something it rarely does: change the tax-free mileage rate in the middle of the year.
This followed months of pressure from employee advocates and lawmakers concerned that rapidly rising fuel prices were leaving workers to absorb more of the cost of using personal vehicles for business.
These requests did not determine the IRS’s decision alone, but they illustrate how widely the cost pressure was being felt before the adjustment.
The IRS cited rising fuel prices as the reason for the adjustment. But for fleet leaders, the announcement is about much more than the volatile price of gasoline.
The Average Used Car Crossed $27,000 For The First Time Since 2023
Average listing prices for used cars across the United States are higher now than they’ve been at any time since 2023, denting affordability and making it even more difficult for buyers to get behind the wheel of a used car, let alone a new one.
An analysis of vAuto Live Market View data reveals that as of the end of June, used vehicle inventory on US dealer lots stood at 2.14 million units, the equivalent of 47 days’ supply.
Average listing prices currently sit at $27,027, a 6 percent increase from a year ago and the highest since the summer of 2023. The figure was only 0.4 percent higher than May’s revised average of $26,928.
America’s First UL-Certified Plug-In Balcony Solar Microinverter Is Here
The Hoymiles HiFlow Pro is the first solar microinverter in the United States certified to meet UL 3700, North America’s new safety standard for plug-in solar panels, which are sometimes called balcony solar panels.
The microinverter takes power from a mobile solar panel and funnels it directly into a regular household socket, minimizing grid usage and lowering energy bills.
This type of system is hugely popular in Europe, especially in Germany, and that trend is now moving toward the U.S., enabling more people to enjoy solar power wherever they live. The owner can just pack up the equipment and take it with them when they move.
