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- Category: Industry News
Jeff Rose, president and CEO of Attitude NEW YORK Chauffeured Transportation, is pleased to announce that longtime industry professional—and trade show staple—Rick Eichner has joined the team as operations and business development manager.
“Rick’s industry experience and wide-ranging skill set make him an exceptional candidate,” says Rose. “For the past 25 years he was the fleet sales manager at City Limousine Sales—a division of City Cadillac-Buick-GMC—serving the limousine, livery, and funeral markets. We recruited Rick to join our organization based on his work while he was a primary vendor. With his sales and marketing experience, we feel very lucky that he agreed to join us. He will be a tremendous complement and working partner to Chief of Staff Rupert Jeremy, a 17-year veteran at the company.”
Prior to joining City, Eichner was the owner of a boutique limousine service.
“With so many businesses contracting during the pandemic—especially in this industry—it’s pretty exciting being with a chauffeured transportation company that’s in an expansion mode and growing its core business,” says Eichner.
“We envision significant growth opportunities as the ground transportation business emerges from the pandemic. Now more than ever, travelers want to book with a company they can trust. We also see the opportunity to establish a super-premium national network, something our client base has been clamoring for. Now we have the ideal candidate to get that up and running as we explore new revenue streams in the post-COVID market. Not only does Rick bring some welcomed back-up on oversight and management, he also adds an entirely new dimension to our marketing efforts,” says Rose.
Established in 1986, Attitude NEW YORK has been the go-to service for New York’s most demanding passengers. Among the company’s clients are C-Suite executives and high-net-worth families, according to Rose. Attitude NEW YORK is also a top choice in the entertainment industry, especially New York’s Broadway theatre talent and producers, nationally broadcast television shows, and production companies. Rose, who founded the company, is committed to promoting the industry as a frequent speaker at industry events and serving as president of the Limousine Association of New York.
Eichner may be reached at rick@attitudenewyork.com.
[11.16.20]
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Ford, the world’s cargo van leader, introduced its 2022 E-Transit van during a world reveal on November 12. With a usable battery capacity of 67 kilowatt-hours, E-Transit will deliver an estimated range of 126 miles in the low-roof cargo van variant and has a starting MSRP under $45,000 for U.S. fleet customers with an 8-year/100,000-mile electric vehicle component warranty.
Ford says that the E-Transit is the first all-electric cargo van from a full-line automaker in North America and offers a choice of eight configurations including three roof heights and three lengths, plus chassis cab and cutaway models. It’s powered by an electric motor targeting 266 horsepower/198 kilowatts of power and 317 lb.-ft. of torque, and is scheduled to arrive in late 2021. It will assemble the vehicle for North American customers at Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.
Like its gas-powered cousin, E-Transit was designed with delivery and service workers in mind. E-Transit offers the same interior cargo dimensions and standard mounting points for continued integration with hundreds of upfitters and vehicle modifiers worldwide who provide compatible racks, bins, and accessories on the gas-powered Transit.
Ford engineers redesigned E-Transit’s rear-wheel drive and rear suspension to optimize cargo space, creating a heavy-duty semi-trailing arm suspension system enabling better steering precision and more confident handling, plus better traction both in laden and unladen conditions.
“[The 126-mile range] makes E-Transit ideal for commercial customers who know their drive routes and often work in urban environments,” said Ted Cannis, Ford North America general manager of commercial business. “Affordability is key, and our customers buy only what they need to get the job done. E-Transit provides ample range at a price that makes the transition to electric easy. And Ford is just getting started.”
Cities around the world—from London to Los Angeles—are pledging to create emissions-free zones to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas levels and improve noise pollution. California has also mandated that all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state be zero emission vehicles by 2035. The release of the E-Transit is part of Ford’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality globally by 2050.
“Ford is North America and Europe’s commercial truck and van leader, so the transition of fleet vehicles to zero emissions, especially for the fast-growing last-mile delivery segment, is critical to achieve our carbon neutrality goal by 2050,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. “Ford is ready to lead the charge, starting with the all-electric Transit and all-electric F-150 on the way. This is good for the planet and a huge advantage for customers to help lower their operating costs and provide connected fleet management technologies that will help their businesses.”
E-Transit features both AC and DC fast charging, coming standard with a Ford Mobile Charger that can plug into a normal 120-volt outlet for slow and steady charging or into a 240-volt outlet for faster charging. Those seeking the fastest home charging solution can purchase the Ford Connected Charge Station, which can fully charge E-Transit in eight hours. It also comes with access to North America’s largest public charging network—providing drivers with seamless public payment capability and providing fleet managers with central account and billing management.
E-Transit also features additional standard Ford Co-Pilot360 technologies designed to help fleet customers reduce driver-based insurance claims, including Lane-Keeping System and PreCollision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking. Available features include Blind Spot Information System with Blind Spot Assist, a 360-degree camera and Reverse BrakeAssist.
According to Ford, scheduled maintenance costs for the all-electric Transit are estimated to be 40 percent less than the average scheduled maintenance costs for a gas-powered 2020 Transit over eight years/100,000 miles. And with lower maintenance requirements and the opportunity to avoid fill-ups, companies can improve customer uptime and productivity.
Ford has an expansive network of 1,800-plus global commercial vehicle dealers, including 645 commercial vehicle centers across the U.S.—about 90 percent of which are electric vehicle-certified—for sales and service.
E-Transit is part of a Ford investment in electrification of more than $11.5 billion through 2022. The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E begins arriving later this year, while the all-electric F150 starts hitting dealers in mid-2022. In North America, Ford is the first full-line automaker to announce plans to produce both an all-electric full-size pickup truck and a full-size van for customers, including fleet owners.
Ford will also debut its full lineup of Lincoln and Ford products specifically for the livery industry on December 1 at 2:00 PM ET. Register for the 30-minute presentation here.
[11.14.20]
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- Category: Industry News
In response to the need for corporations in major metropolitan areas to bring employees safely back to the office, EmpireCLS has teamed up with tech-firm HIP to offer an innovative corporate shuttle commuting option.
"We had been receiving inquiries from our corporate clients about ways we can help them bring employees back to the office while mitigating risk, and this corporate shuttle program marries EmpireCLS' service and extensive fleet with HIPs robust technology to provide a smart alternative to public transportation," says EmpireCLS CEO David Seelinger.
The HIP platform also allows for cost sharing between the employer and employee and enables workers to apply their commuter benefits cards to their portion of the fare. Seelinger adds that a number of companies have already signed up for the program. The corporate shuttle program is available throughout EmpireCLS' 1,000-city network worldwide.
EmpireCLS and HIP integrated their software, enabling companies who sign on to determine which employees need rides, points of origin, and preferred arrival times. HIP's algorithm presents route options with EmpireCLS' owned fleet of luxury SUVs, vans, mini-coaches, and full-sized coaches, allowing the client to specify which employees can be served by which type of vehicle. With HIP's technology, the EmpireCLS shuttle team also helps corporations group employees coming from specific regions to maximize efficiency. The program is flexible for employees who may be participating in partial on-site work weeks.
Approved employees use the HIP app to book their seats in advance and verify they are eligible to board the shuttle, manage their rides, and see the real-time vehicle location while receiving arrival or delay notifications.
HIP's software accounts for local group restriction rules and employer preferences for limiting vehicle occupancy to guarantee physical distancing needs. Clients can also put specific protocols in place including health consent or symptom check forms before anyone boards. Arrival times at the corporate office can be staggered to prevent bottlenecks at entryways/elevator banks. The HIP dashboard also gives travel management, HR, and corporate security teams complete visibility to monitor travel activity in real time. The platform allows for contact tracing if necessary. EmpireCLS' vehicles have Wi-Fi and undergo full cleaning, including UVC disinfection with health and safety protocols certified and endorsed by the ISOS travel and security organization.
All EmpireCLS chauffeurs go through rapid COVID testing. The shared ride model creates a very competitive price for corporations with fees starting at approximately $200 per month per employee depending upon destination.
Visit marketing.empirecls.com/hip for more information.
[11.12.20]