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As the world moves toward a more sustainable future, transitioning to electric vehicles is one of the most effective ways for fleets across the globe to reduce emissions and improve air quality. According to a study by the International Energy Agency, electric vehicles could reach 60 percent of new-car sales globally by 2040, which would significantly reduce carbon emissions from transportation. Additionally, with regions across the United States, Canada, Europe and others announcing plans to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles, the transition to EVs is expected to accelerate even more rapidly.

This EV adoption trend is proving true within commercial fleets, too, as demands for carbon reduction from municipal and state governments, C-suites and shareholders are catalyzing a switch to zero-emission transportation. In a recent Geotab/Bobit Media study, we found that 92 percent of business leaders see long-term decarbonization as a priority, and 73 percent o…

Rivian Automotive is now deploying the large commercial vans it makes for Amazon as rolling service centers for the electric automaker's growing fleet of consumer and commercial vehicles.

The EDV vans give Rivian a larger vehicle compared with the R1T pickups it's been using for light service jobs in the field. The vans have a cargo capacity of 500 cubic feet.

In fact, Rivian expects its mobile service fleet to have more than 200 of the service vans by the end of the year compared with about 100 R1T service trucks.

"These vehicles provide maintenance, repair, vehicle-to-vehicle charging and a variety of other mobile service needs for more than 35,000 Rivian vehicles," the automaker said in a May press release announcing the deployment.

According to the California-based EV maker, it produced 9,395 vehicles and delivered 7,946 in the first quarter, including the R1T pickup, R1S crossover and Amazon delivery vans. Rivian, w…

Automotive News’ annual ranking of the world’s biggest original equipment suppliers shows a dramatically evolving reality for the industry.

Despite three years of auto production mayhem, many parts companies are growing thanks to an emphasis on new technologies. The makers of components for electric vehicles — particularly battery producers — are making rapid incursions into the industry’s top ranks.

The 2023 ranking makes it clear that even in an era when automakers and Tier 1 suppliers are tapping into small startups for innovative solutions, the giants are continuing to get bigger.

New faces — and new products — rise up the supply chain

It's the dawn of a new era for the automotive supply chain. Not only are the companies that populate it changing, but so are the products and the places.

This week we present the annual Automotive News Top Suppliers ranking, which orders parts makers by their global 2022 sales revenue to automakers. The list includes several new companies near the top this year, specifically major producers of batteries for electric vehicles.

The fast-growing Chinese EV battery giant CATL crashed this year's Top 5, while companies such as Samsung SDI that have long had an automotive presence saw their position on the list rise now that automakers are buying more batteries.

This is all happening even though EVs still account for only a small, if quickly growing, portion of overall new-vehicle sales worldwide. So just imagine, as automakers roll out dozens of new EV models in the coming years and source even …

It's the dawn of a new era for the automotive supply chain. Not only are the companies that populate it changing, but so are the products and the places.

This week we present the annual Automotive News Top Suppliers ranking, which orders parts makers by their global 2022 sales revenue to automakers. The list includes several new companies near the top this year, specifically major producers of batteries for electric vehicles.

The fast-growing Chinese EV battery giant CATL crashed this year's Top 5, while companies such as Samsung SDI that have long had an automotive presence saw their position on the list rise now that automakers are buying more batteries.

This is all happening even though EVs still account for only a small, if quickly growing, portion of overall new-vehicle sales worldwide. So just imagine, as automakers roll out dozens of new EV models in the coming years and source even more batteries for them, how the suppliers …

The Green Hills Software CEO and The Dawn Project founder catalogs his concerns about the safety of Tesla’s Autopilot and “Full Self Driving” driver-assistance systems. He further scrutinizes the problems associated with software in safety-critical systems.

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The annual top supplier list, which ranks companies by global sales to automakers, for the first time features a number of major EV battery makers.

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North America Total Sales Location Phone Top executive Total global OE automotive parts sales (dollars in millions) 2022 Total global OE automotive parts sales (dollars in millions) 2021 PercentNorth America2022 PercentEurope2022 PercentAsia2022 Percentrest of world2022 Products Stuttgart, Germany (49) 711-811-0 Stefan Hartung(chairman) $50,456 $49,144 ( f ) 18 39 42 2 Technologies & components that are safe & sustainable & combine the group's expertise in personalization, automation, electrification & connectivity Kariya, Aichi, Japan (81) 566-25-5511 Koji Arima(CEO) $47,900 $43,569 ( fe ) 23 11 64 2 Thermal, powertrain control, electronic & electric systems; small motors & telecommunications Friedrichshafen, Germa…

Auto plants in Europe will cut their production schedules by 13,000 vehicles this week because of microchip shortages, but the industry is showing clear signs that it is slowly climbing out of the global supply line crisis that began in early 2020.

Factories in North America, China and South America made no chip-related schedule changes this week, according to estimates from AutoForecast Solutions, which has tracked the problem worldwide for three years. Factories in the Middle East and Africa are cutting almost 4,600 vehicles.

But according to the forecast, by the end of this year, North American factories will have to drop 400,000 more vehicles due to the lack of microchips.

Source: AutoForecast Solutions Inc. autoforecastsolutions.com

With dealership service technicians in short supply, General Motors says it's seeing some improvement toward building a talent pipeline.

Enrollment in GM's Automotive Service Educational Program, which trains aspiring technicians through a partnership mostly with community colleges across the U.S., is at a 10-year high, said Eric Kenar, GM's manager of technician environment and service technical training.

Enrollment in the program this year tops 600 student technicians, Kenar said. Since 2012, enrollment has totaled between 365 and 450 students per year.

One reason for the bump, Kenar said, may be the impact of a two-year-old marketing campaign, "Bring Us Your Talent," that aims to change the image of auto repair as a career. Kenar, along with dealership service technicians themselves, say the job requires more electrical and technological knowledge than it once did.

"It's a very, I would say, mentally intensive as well…

Europe's portfolio of leading suppliers continue to be powerhouses on the global scene.

Top 10 Europe-based suppliers Ranked on global original equipment parts sales, dollars in millions 1. Bosch Group $50,456 2. ZF Friedrichshafen $42,106 (f) 3. Forvia $26,835 (f) 4. Continental $25,401 (f) 5. BASF $19,465 (e) 6. Valeo $17,636 (f) 7. Aptiv $17,489 8. Mahle $13,104 (f) 9. Thyssenkrupp $12,475 (f) 10. Gestamp $10,311 (f) e = estimate, f = fiscal year, Source: Automotive News Research & Data Center