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“The times they are a-changin,” Bob Dylan once said.  That can be said about many things, but today we’re talking about the growing prevalence of alternatively fueled vehicles.  This process is already well on it’s way in the passenger vehicle sector.  All the top producing car manufacturers offer a number of hybrid and electric vehicles.

It was only a matter of time before public transit jumped on the band-wagon.  Local transportation companies have used and tested electric, hybrid, CNG, and even hydrogen vehicles. Now we are starting to see more and more alternative fuel companies diving into the commercial vehicle sector.  UPS has used natural gas vehicles in areas of the country for years and in a previous blog article we talked about the electric Zenith Cargo Van joining the sector.  This week we wanted to highlight a company called Amp Electric who has re-birthed the Workhorse name.

Amp Electric has taken the Workhorse chassis and updated the vehicle with a brand new electric drive system .  The E-Gen E-100 is powered by a 268 hp electric engine with a range of approximately 60 miles.  That might sound low but the E-gen also has a range extender built in.  Any time the vehicle is put in park, a small 25 hp gas/propane engine fires up to recharge the battery pack.

If you live in California, Chicago, or New York you can take advantage of many hybrid vehicle incentives.

Give us a call or contact your account manager for more information on the electric delivery vehicles available.

Pop Quiz:  My van came from the factory with all -season tires.  All-season means they will work well in the snow, right?

In short, no.  “All-season” is fancy talk for, “I can drive through some light rain and not hydroplane”.  All-season is an all encompassing term for tires that can handle a variety of conditions including wet roads and slight winter conditions.  You have to pay attention to the ratings and specifications on the tire.  Snow tires have a mountain and snow flake insignia on the tire sidewall (as seen on the right).  

The fact of the matter is that if you’re not using temperature and rain/snow appropriate tires in the winter, you’re not going to be able to keep traction under emergency braking and you might crash.  Here’s a video that shows the difference between all-season and winter tires on identical cars:  https://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=23

Here are some tips to stay safe on the road with winter/snow tires:

• Keep the tires properly inflated to the manufacturers recommended air pressure.  (remember to check the pressure when the tires are cold)
• Be mindful of the tread wear markers on the tires.  Often winter and all terrain tires will appear to have plenty of tread left even when they have worn down past the tread wear marker.
• Make sure you use the same brand and model tires on all four wheels.  Do not put them only on the drive wheels or mix and match tread patterns.

That being said, if you are looking at buying a new van in the near future and are experiencing extreme snow, take a look a the Ram ProMaster, the only delivery vehicle equipped with front wheel drive.  In snowy conditions, even with snow tires, front wheel drive will edge out the competition and get you where you need to go.  Click Here to see the difference between front wheel drive and rear wheel drive on a snowy road.

Stay safe out there!

Hey FedEx contractors, what if the only vehicle maintenance you had to worry about was filling your windshield wiper fluid and replacing your tires?  That can now be your reality!  Zenith Motors offers a panel van that has substituted the fossil fuel powered drive train for a lithium ion battery powered one.  This beast can drive up to 120 miles on a single charge and only takes 6.5 hours to fully recharge (although you can upgrade to a 4 hour charger).

The Zenith 350 uses a ProMaster chassis so you will still have 530 cubes of cargo space with a 3,000 lb payload capacity.  You might be thinking that this new vehicle will cost you an arm and a leg, but oil changes and other regular services will be a thing of the past.  Additionally, there are a number of state and federal incentives available:

Here’s the good news:  If you live in the United States, the Federal government will give you a $7,500 tax incentive.

Here’s the really good news: If your business is in California, Chicago, or New York, you’ll get an additional voucher for $45,000 – $50,000 per vehicle at the time of purchase.

Give us a call or contact your account manager for more info on the electric delivery vehicles available.

As most FedEx contractors know, it can be a challenge to run a business and deliver packages at the same time.  A lot of the time this means talking on the phone while out on the route. Safety is of the utmost importance so a hands-free Bluetooth headset for your phone is essential.  In fact, it is actually illegal to talk on the phone while driving without a hands-free device in many states.  But with all the options out there, how do you pick the best Bluetooth device?  Here’s a list of items we think are important to consider when choosing a hands-free headset:

1. Noise: The truck can be loud, so you’re going to want something that either has a really good noise canceling function or a device with an in-ear piece for both ears
2. Mobility: When making deliveries, you’re moving around a lot, so you want something that isn’t going to fall off your head.
3. Comfort: If you’re wearing this device all day, you’re going to want something that isn’t a nuisance to wear all day

Many of the contractors we’ve worked with love the LG Tone (as seen in the above picture) because it scores well in all of the above criteria.  You can buy it HERE.

Let us know which devices work well for you in the comment section below.