New Rates for FY 25

The FY 25 vehicle rental and class-based lease rates are posted on our website. 

Farewell to Geoff and Welcome to Blythe!

After more than 2.5 years of dedicated service, our Dispatcher Geoff is off to Florida for his next adventure. His last day will be July 26^th. Our new Dispatcher Blythe started on 7/15 and will pick up right where Geoff left off.

Chrysler Pacifica ParkSense System

All of our new Chrysler Pacifica minivans are equipped with a feature they call “ParkSense.” The system provides visual and audible indications of the distance between the rear of the vehicle and any detectable obstacles when in reverse. Brakes may be automatically applied and released if the system detects a possible collision. This system should not ever be turned off by a driver. We recently had someone back a Pacifica into a building and the ParkSense system was disabled. With they system active this collision would not have happened.

Auto Start/Stop and AC, Why Did the Cold Air Stop Flowing?

Auto Start-Stop Technology is being included in more and more new vehicle models as a way to help manufacturers meet their vehicle emissions goals. The system works like this, when you apply the brakes and come to a complete stop, like at a red light, your engine shuts off and a light on the dash illuminates to show the feature is active. Once you take your foot off the brake, the vehicle automatically restarts. All of the Malibu’s, Pacificas, and newer Suburbans in our fleet have this technology.

One downside of the system becomes noticeable as outside temps rise and air conditioning becomes necessary. When the engine stops, the AC compressor also stops. The fan will still blow but the air conditioning system does not work nearly as well. You will actually be able to feel a change in the air temperature coming from the vents. The good news is almost every vehicle that has start/stop also has a button to turn the system off. The button to look for has the letter “A” with a circular arrow going around it. Here is the link to the blog post from CarPro.

Automated Braking Coming in 2029

Starting in 2029, all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. market will be required to brake automatically in an emergency situation. The mandate will require all “light vehicles” including trucks, cars, SUVs, and vans, to be capable of braking to avoid hitting another vehicle, even if the driver Is not paying attention. When tested, a vehicle will need to completely avoid hitting an object from 62 miles per hour, and must automatically apply braking at speeds up to 90 mph if an imminent collision is detected. Pedestrian detection is also required from speeds of up to 31 and 40 mph depending on conditions and must be able to detect people during the day and night. Read the full article from Motor Trend.

University Vehicles Cannot Be Taken Home

Hopefully customers know by now that University vehicles cannot be used for personal purposes, only to conduct University business. Please remember, taking a vehicle to one’s home is considered personal use. This means you can’t pick up the vehicle the night before and drive it home and you also can’t drive to your home at the end of a trip and return the car the next morning. Both instances would be considered personal use and are not allowed. A rental vehicle can be moved to another University parking lot or property if that makes it more convenient, but unfortunately not to your own home. Check out the full Driving Policy from the University’s Operations manual with all of the rules and regulations surrounding University vehicle use. 

Fleet Factoid

Most new vehicles have a temperature readout somewhere inside but they don’t actually have thermometers built into them. Instead, they’re equipped with thermistors. Unlike a traditional thermometer, a thermistor measures the change in electrical current as a result of heat added or removed. Thermistors are typically quite accurate, and are also small and cheap to make. The reason car temperature readings can be inaccurate is because the sensors are usually placed at the front of the car within or behind the grille. As a result of this placement, the thermistors are actually measuring the temp of the heat radiating from the ground. Check out the full article from Jalopnik.