2020 Ford Escape Spy Photos Continue to Reveal Drastic Changes
When news of the 2020 Ford Escape redesign came out we expected to see a comparable vehicle with enhanced looks and features. As spy photos continue to pop up, the reality is that the redesign was a bit more involved than that.
The rigid lines of the 3rd-generation Escape are gone. In fact, it looks as though this upcoming model carries over little-to-no design cues from the outgoing model.
The most recent photos reveal the headlights, which look to be rather unassuming. Actually, the front end as a whole looks rather pedestrian. And while camo may still be concealing some minor design features, it’s hard to envision there being enough personality under that camo to make the front end eye-catching.
The side profile reveals that the Escape has an appealing roof slope, with the rear window having a sharp gradient that adds some needed styling. It seems as though the amount of interior cargo space has been greatly reduced when compared to the outgoing Escape, but no specific details have been released to date.
The major change may be a result of Ford looking to clear space for the Bronco by shrinking the Escape out of the midsize SUV segment. With the Expedition, Explorer, Edge, Escape, Bronco, EcoSport, and a supposed additional 4×4 utility model on the horizon, the manufacturer’s SUV offerings are more than substantial.
The new Escape looks as though it will it still fit in between the Edge and the EcoSport levels, although it seems to have shifted more towards to the size of the EcoSport than the Edge.
Jan 2019
Ontario’s Push to Reduce Distracted Driving Continues
The increased penalties for distracted driving offenses in Ontario are now in effect. The updates include increased monetary penalties, demerit points, and license suspensions. It’s been known for some time now that these changes were coming, but now that they’re actually active it will be interesting to see how they impact driver behavior.
The updated policies add a level of offense beyond distracted driving. Officers will also be policing for careless driving, which they describe as endangering other people due to a distraction. Thus includes distractions caused by hands-free devices. The penalties for careless driving are potentially major, including a loss of six demerit points, fines up to $2,000, and/or a jail term of six months and a license suspension of up to two years.
Going even further, dangerous driving is a criminal offense that includes a jail term of up to 10 years for causing bodily harm and up to 14 years for causing death.
A full outline of the guidelines and the penalties is available on the Government of Ontario’s website:
The new laws went into effect on December 18th and make Canada’s laws some of the strictest in the world in regards to impaired driving. The new laws not only include harsher monetary penalties, but they also provide law enforcement with new powers when it comes to interacting with drivers. Officers no longer need reasonable suspicion to demand a breathalyzer, they can demand a test from any driver they pull over. Refusing to complete the test can result in a charge.
An overview of the changes is as follows:
First offence, with blood alcohol content of 80-119 mg: mandatory minimum $1,000 fine
First offence, with blood alcohol content of 120-159 mg: mandatory minimum $1,500 fine
First offence, with blood alcohol content of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,500 fine
First offence, but refuse to be tested: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
Second offence: mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
Third or more offence: mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
Maximum penalties for impaired driving causing no bodily harm or death: summary conviction carries two years less a day imprisonment, indictment carries 10 years imprisonment
Maximum penalties for impaired driving causing bodily harm: Summary conviction for less severe injuries carries two years less a day imprisonment, indictment carries 14 years imprisonment
Maximum penalty impaired driving causing death: life imprisonment
Dec 2018
Honda, NASA, and Caltech Collaborate to Create a more Practical, Efficient Fluoride-Ion Battery
The future of ground transportation is trending towards an electrified power source. This trend may have just taken another step towards making this projection a certainty. The trio of Honda, NASA, and Caltech just announced their development of a new battery chemistry that offers more energy potential, while leaving a smaller environmental footprint.
They state that the fluoride-ion batteries are capable of delivering up to 10 times the energy density that lithium–ion batteries offer.
“Fluoride-ion batteries offer a promising new battery chemistry with up to ten times more energy density than currently available Lithium batteries,” said Christopher Brooks, a Honda Research Institute researcher, “Unlike Li-ion batteries, FIBs do not pose a safety risk due to overheating, and obtaining the source materials for FIBs creates considerably less environmental impact than the extraction process for lithium and cobalt.”
These batteries are also far less likely to spontaneously burst into flames, as some of their lithium-ion counterparts have done in both vehicles and cell phones.
While these are still more than likely years away from market integration, and unforeseen hurdles are likely, the notion that a more eco-friendly and efficient power source may be an actuality is something to be excited about.
The only piece of sheet metal that the 2020 Silverado 2500/3500 models share with the 1500 model is the roof.
“We know the needs and priorities of heavy-duty customers are different than those of either light-duty or medium-duty customers,” said Jaclyn McQuaid, chief engineer, Silverado HD. “As such, we built a heavy-duty truck tailor-made for them that has more differentiation than ever before from light-duty models…”
The modifications have also benefited the interior capabilities, with 3” of legroom being added on the crew cab models as well as a taller and more comfortable seating position.
Per the automaker, the 2020 Silverado HD will offer an all-new direct-injected gasoline engine as well as a Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 that delivers 910lb-ft of torque. No additional details have been released on the gas-powered engine, so we’ll have to wait on that.
EMKAY Named as a Top 5 Most Awarded at 2018 Best in Biz Awards
The winners of the 2018 Best in Biz Awards were just announced, and for the 2nd consecutive year EMKAY is one of the Top 5 Most Awarded Companies! This is the 8th annual Best in Biz Awards competition, the only independent business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America. With over 700 entries for the 2018 competition, it’s an incredible honor to be named one of the most awarded.
The EMKAY team puts in a lot of work to make wining these awards possible. We’re very proud of these accomplishments and will continue to foster innovation in all aspects of our operations.
Details on the categories in which we won are as follows:
Gold in Most Innovative Service of the Year
EMKAY’s SafeRoads Service was recognized as the Most Innovative Service of the year. SafeRoads delivers high-level driver tracking capabilities without the need for a full-on telematics program. The system utilizes drivers’ phones in order to monitor their driving for risky behaviors such as distracted phone use, harsh acceleration, speeding, and hard braking. SafeRoads keeps a running score for each individual based on their behaviors, which fleet managers can then review via the EMKAY website.
Silver in Technology Department of the Year
Our IT department has been quite busy. Our team recently revamped the entire layout and functionality of our Fleet Dashboard in order to provide clients with advanced analytic capabilities in an easy-to-use format. In addition to this huge project, they also helped to build EMKAY’s SafeRoads program and completed many other mobile app enhancements.
Silver in Blog of the Year The EMKAY blog covers an array of topics that can range from serious matters such as distracted driving, to more lighthearted ones like new digital license plates. Managing a corporate fleet can be quite the undertaking, so finding some levity throughout the day helps to relieve some stress. While the posts do tend to focus on automotive and fleet related topics, there are still plenty of posts that are beneficial to the everyday reader.
About the Best in Biz Awards
Since 2011, winners in Best in Biz Awards have been determined based on scoring from independent judging panels deliberately composed each year of prominent editors and reporters from some of the most respected newspapers, TV outlets, and business, consumer, technology and trade publications in North America. Structured in this unique way, Best in Biz Awards is able to best leverage its distinguished judges’ unparalleled expertise, experience and objectivity to determine award winners from among the hundreds of entries. The 2018 judging panel included, among others, writers from Associated Press, Barron’s, Consumer Affairs, eWeek, Forbes, Healthcare Innovation News, Inc., Investment Advisor Magazine, MediaPost, New York Post, New York Times, Ottawa Citizen and Wired.
Nov 2018
Ontario set to Initiate Harsher Distracted Driving Penalties
According to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), the distracted driving changes made under the Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act back in 2017 are set to go into effect January 1, 2019. The MTO outlined the coming changes as follows:
Drivers in Ontario who are caught texting, dialing, emailing, or talking on their phones will be fined up to $1,000, will receive a three-day license suspension, and three demerit points.
Drivers with more than one distracted driving conviction will face a fine of up to $2,000, a seven-day license suspension, and six demerit points,
Any person caught driving distracted more than two times will pay a fine of up to $3,000 and will lose their license for 30 days.
As reported by CBC News, Jeff Yurek, Ontario’s minister of transportation, stated “Ontario’s roads are among the safest in North America, but we also know distracted driving continues to be a serious issue.” Once the new legislation goes into effect, “Ontario will have the toughest penalties for repeat distracted driving convictions.”
GM Announces Possible Closure of Five Plants Due to New Direction
As the future of the automotive industry continues to take shape, GM has announced a major change to their North American infrastructure. The plan includes the closure of up to five plants throughout North America, as well as two more outside the continent. This reduction is tied in part to GM’s model cuts, which include the Buick Lacrosse, Cadillac’s CT6 and STS, and Chevrolet’s Cruze, Impala, and Volt. The shut downs would result in a 15% cut in GM’s North American workforce, roughly 8,000 employees.
“The actions we are taking today continue our transformation to be highly agile, resilient and profitable, while giving us the flexibility to invest in the future,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “We recognize the need to stay in front of changing market conditions and customer preferences to position our company for long-term success.”
GM expects to experience $6 billion in savings by 2020 due to these moves. According to the automaker, they’re projecting these savings based on a plan to transform product development, optimize product portfolio, increase capacity utilization, and through a staffing transformation.
According to the automaker,
Our newest products – from the Chevrolet Traverse and Blazer to the Cadillac XT4 crossover – are in growth segments.
We continue to expand our truck portfolio, including an all-new Silverado LD work truck, the all-new Silverado medium duty models and an all-new Silverado HD launching next year.
We are not exiting the passenger car business. At Chevrolet, for example, the Spark, Sonic, Malibu, Camaro and Corvette are not impacted by today’s announcements. And we are investing in a plant in Lansing to build the next generation of Cadillac luxury cars.
Our vision remains a world with zero crashes, zero congestion and zero emissions, and we continue to drive innovation in vehicle electrification with products like the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
The official announcement on GM’s website can be found here:
Details on the all-new 2020 Corolla have been released and there were some major changes to the look and feel of this vehicle. Both the hatchback and the sedan models are both built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which according to Toyota, “[brings] together new approaches to engineering, design, assembly, and materials.”
The 1.8L engine is still the standard, however it’s said to generate more power while offering better fuel efficiency. The XSE and SE trims are equipped with an all-new 2.0L Dynamic-Force inline four cylinder engine. Some highlights of the new Corolla include:
All-New TNGA platform
Safety Sense 2.0 – Standard on all trim levels
First-time Hybrid grade offering
Toyota Connected
The Corolla is available for ordering starting January 2019. The full press release on the Toyota website can be found here:
Drivers in need a roadside assistance or towing now have access to a feature that enables them to monitor and track the location of the vendor assigned to assist them. When a driver calls for roadside service or towing, they will be asked if they would like to be able to track their vendor during the process.
Upon agreeing, the driver is texted a link that will open a real-time map that shows their location (in red), the tow truck location (in green) and, if being towed, the location of where the vehicle will be towed (in orange). It will also provide the name of the vendor.
If at any time the driver has a question, there is a button below the map that puts them in contact with our roadside service provider. This new feature is currently available for cars and light trucks only and primarily in major metro areas. This feature is available to all EMKAY drivers and there is no additional charge to utilize this tracking system.
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Details on the all-new 2020 Corolla have been released and there were some major changes to the look and feel of this vehicle. Both the hatchback and the sedan models are both built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which according to Toyota, “[brings] together new approaches to engineering, design, assembly, and materials.”
