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EmpireCLS' new charging station
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services announced that it has opened electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its corporate facilities in New Jersey and Los Angeles. The stations were purchased from and installed by Encore Energy Group of Fairfield, New Jersey.
EmpireCLS announced earlier this month that it had adopted the Cadillac LYRIQ, a brand-new EV for 2023, which recently landed in their fleet. According to the Facebook announcement, they are the first chauffeured transportation company in the US to adopt the new EV.
The LA project involved the installation of five 48A Level 2 EV chargers and one 50 kW DCFC with infrastructure for two 50kW FastChargers. The New Jersey project consisted of the installation of four Level 2 EV chargers and one Level 3 EV FastCharger after selecting the location for the installations, engineering of the site, and obtaining the necessary permits from the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority and the Secaucus Building Department.
Encore Energy, a subsidiary of EncoreLED USA, is a leading East Coast distributor of the JuiceBox and JuicePump smart EV charging stations, among other products for EVs.
According to Steve Sciaino of EmpireCLS, “We interviewed several firms before selecting Encore for our LA and New Jersey installations. Encore’s performance was timely, efficient, and smooth in all respects. They proved our selection to be right in every way. Encore and its people were extremely professional, great to work with, and we recommend them highly. We have also selected Encore to install LED lighting at our LA and New Jersey facilities and look forward to working with them on those projects.”
Visit empirecls.com for more information.
[10.17.22]
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Global chauffeur company Safe Solo and GRiDD Transportation Network (GNet) have announced a partnership that supports Safe Solo`s proposition to provide a safety solution in collaboration with GNet`s ground transportation network. GNet has grown into a popular and indispensable tool for operators across the country.
Through this integration, companies that are using multiple dispatch systems will now be able to integrate with GNet and become compatible as a partner of Safe Solo. With Safe Solo through GNet, you can view immediate pricing and availability, receive reservations, see tracking and status updates during the booking, and have fast reliable billing.
Founded in 2020, Safe Solo is committed to leading the change in offering end-to-end chauffeur service globally with a core focus on safety, security, and service. Safe Solo says it only offers services through fully vetted and trusted global and national partners.
“As the world changes and technology increases, we ensure that we use technology as an enabler and use important and vital tools such as GNet, remaining proud and committed to offering an on hand premium service solution. Safe Solo will ensure its customers that our live monitoring, duty of care, and customer support is our priority,” says Safe Solo Founder & CEO Daniel Belcher.
Safe Solo Founder & CEO Daniel Belcher
“We also work with other leading technology providers, which allows Safe Solo to offer the premium service it sets out to achieve,” adds Belcher. “None of this would be possible without the connecting platform GNet provides allowing suppliers to not only receive, but also able to send bookings to Safe Solo for their clients’ global travel requirements outside of their territories and trusting Safe Solo to service their clients with the same expected service we ask of our trusted partner network. “
Belcher says the visibility, real time connectivity, and open market enables the companies to come together and offer the best ground solution for global travellers and corporate businesses.
GRiDD Technologies CEO & Founder Amir Zafar
“We want to bring a huge shift in the duty of care and passion we share for safety. This includes our dedication for female safety, solo travelers’ safety, and of course, across the corporate business world and every single passenger,” he says.
Safe Solo will continue to increase its growing worldwide network of ground transportation partners and will be hosting a number of webinars in the near future on why safety is important to the company and what more can be done to raise more awareness across the luxury ground transportation industry.
“We are very excited to welcome Safe Solo to our growing GNet family. We love their unique and quality service offering,” says GRiDD Technologies CEO & Founder Amir Zafar.
Visit safesolo.co.uk or griddtechnologies.com for more information.
[10.14.22]
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US Travel Association (USTA) economists are sounding the alarm on the US Department of State’s low prioritization of visitor visa (B-1/B-2) processing, which they assert is severely hindering the US economic recovery. According to new analysis by USTA economists, the delay is keeping an estimated 6.6 million potential visitors from traveling to the States in 2023 at a loss of $11.6 billion in projected spending as wait times for visitor visa interviews now exceed 400 days for first-time applicants from top source markets.
“Outrageous wait times send a message to travelers that the United States is closed for business,” says USTA President & CEO Geoff Freeman. “Unacceptable visa delays are harming the American workforce and it is long past time for the Biden administration to solve the problem.”
The US Department of Commerce’s newly released National Travel and Tourism Strategy identifies inbound travel as an economic priority and sets a national goal of welcoming 90 million international visitors by 2027. However, the State Department’s perceived lack of urgency on this issue is in direct conflict with the Commerce Department’s objectives, according to the USTA.
U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman
“Excessive visa delays are essentially a travel ban—no one is going to wait 1-2 years to interview with a US government official to gain permission to visit the United States,” Freeman added. “Our new research shows that millions of potential visitors will simply choose other destinations—destinations that effectively compete for their business. … With a recession looming on the horizon, the United States simply cannot afford to turn away billions of dollars in visitor spending.”
While the State Department has made progress in processing other visa categories—such as H-2B and student visas—first-time applicants for visitor visas are neglected by the agency, according to the association. Per the USTA report, it is in the nation’s economic interest for the State Department to accelerate interviews as these visitors account for a significant portion of U.S. travel exports. Spending losses from just three top markets—Brazil, India, and Mexico—could total more than $5 billion in 2023, according to the data.
A new Morning Consult survey conducted of likely international travelers in Brazil, India, and Mexico (who do not already have a valid US visa) found strong interest in visiting the United States, but the majority said they would likely choose another country to visit if wait times for visa interviews exceeded a year (61 percent of Brazilians, 66 percent of Indians, and 71 percent of Mexicans).
In Brazil, India and Mexico alone, the US is losing the ability to compete for:
- Brazil: 3.6 million visitors and $15.6 billion in spending
- India: 3.5 million visitors and $13.3 billion in spending
- Mexico: 7.1 million visitors and $4.1 billion in spending
Thanks to efforts by the association, Congresswomen María Elvira Salazar (Fla.-27) and Susie Lee (Nev.-03) introduced the bipartisan Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act (H.R.9141) last week to tackle the issue and shift resources to reduce the backlog.
Visit ustravel.org for more information.
[10.11.22]