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Needed: More Automotive Technicians
Despite unemployment rates that have reached highs not seen since the ’80s, some industries are still hiring. With new-car sales dropping, qualified automotive maintenance and repair industry workers are in high demand. Why? Americans are choosing not to buy new vehicles but, instead, are driving their old ones longer. “Consumers are maintaining their vehicles longer than in the past,” says a study conducted by R.L. Polk & Co. “The average length of time that owners held onto a new car or truck in 2008 was more than four and a half years (56.3 months).” As vehicles age, they need preventative...
Making Cities Smarter With Connected Cars
We live in an age of new mobility, where the landscape of our digital life is expanding and evolving at unprecedented speed. Wireless connectivity has spread from computers and smartphones to cars, homes and cities, and it’s simplifying and improving our way of living.The rise of “smart” objects and machines powered by machine-to-machine (M2M) technology has been a huge catalyst for the Internet of Things — a web of connected objects and devices that communicate with one another to make life easier. The automotive industry is leading the way forward with more than 23 million connected cars on the road...
Prep Your Ride for The Ultimate Summer Road Trip
The weather is heating up, school is out and that means it’s time to hit the open road on a memorable summer road trip! Road trips can be a fun, inexpensive, and even educational way to enjoy and explore new places, or return to favorite spots.Wherever your road trip takes you, the key to having a great experience starts with proper preparation; that means taking care of the driver, passengers and your ride.Here are some easy tips to help you plan a road trip and make your summer adventure one to remember:* Safety first: The driver focuses on driving. If...
Get Ready to Roll This Spring By Cleaning Up the Garage
As spring blooms and temperatures warm up, it’s time to open up the windows and go outside. This means getting into your garage and dusting off the cobwebs from your lawnmower, wiping down your outdoor table and chairs, and getting your car primed to take you where you want to go this summer season.According to experts, outdoor equipment such as trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and even patio furniture need some time and attention to get them ready for use after sitting all winter. This is especially true for cars that have borne the brunt of snow, ice, slush and other winter-related...
New Car Technology May Take The Wheel out of Human Hands
Google has been making news in recent months for its work in a ground-breaking area: driverless automobile technology.A prototype of Google’s new self-driving car — a two-passenger electric vehicle with buttons to turn the vehicle on and off, but no steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal — was unveiled in May. Without a driver at the wheel, the car is instead guided by a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) rotating sensor on the vehicle’s roof that scan the vehicle’s surroundings to determine its driving route as well as to identify such obstacles as pedestrians, bicyclists and other cars.While Google...