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The California Department of Motor Vehicles approved new rules that would allow self-driving cars to hit the road without a human behind the wheel, ready to take over at any time. This willl pave the way for companies like Waymo, Uber, GM, and others to continue autonomous vehicle (AV) testing on California roads and likely will lead to the technology becoming mainstream. One of the requirements is that companies must show that there is a link for remote control, allowing the car to be operated from afar.
For fleet managers, vehicle depreciation may be one — if not the — biggest cost in managing their fleets. Fortunately, there are methods and strategies that fleet managers can employ in order to minimize and mitigate these depreciation costs. Leveraging available depreciation data, instituting a strategy that alternates vehicle use to control the amount of miles put on certain cars, among several factors, can yield positive results when it comes to lowering depreciation costs for a fleet.
General Motors has notified NHTSA that it is recalling vehicles because a defective ignition switch can affect the safe operation of airbag systems. This is a serious safety issue that should be addressed immediately by following GM’s recommendation to “use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring” and getting the repairs as soon as consumers receive final notification from GM.
Owners can also contact GM for information on how to request courtesy transportation.
These recalled GM vehicles include:
- All 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
- 2007-2010 Pontiac G5
- 2003-2007 Saturn Ion
- 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR
- 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice
- 2007-2010 Saturn Sky
NHTSA urges owners of these recalled vehicles to contact GM immediately and to access additional information provided by the company on their [highlight style=”default”]corporate web site[/highlight].
You may also contact the GM Customer Engagement Center at 1-800-222-1012.
Just a few weeks back, Waymo got the thumbs up to start testing its self-driving cars in Arizona without the need for a human “safety net” behind the wheel. Wonder what it’s like to ride in one? The company released a video showing off the experience had by the first few riders. Waymo has an “Early Rider” program for people who opted in to riding without a safety driver. Waymo CEO John Krafcik said that around 20,000 people around Phoenix, Arizona had signed up.
