EV/AV Report: Canadians eye electric vehicles; NHTSA probes Ford BlueCruise for fatal crashes

Eyes on electric

Volvo Car Canada's 2024 Mobility Trend Report indicates that 64 percent of Canadians looking to purchase a new vehicle would consider buying a hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the next five years.

The 2024 Mobility Trend Report surveyed approximately 1,000 online Canadians between March 26th to 28th and asked respondents to provide opinions on electrification.

The survey found that alongside a general interest in EVs, 65 percent of respondents are also worried they will get stranded if they run out of charge while driving an EV.

Similarly, those who reported hesitancy towards EVs cited vehicle costs as a deterrent and 59 percent of those surveyed said there is not enough EV infrastructure to make them reliable.

Contrastingly, 15 percent of respondents felt EVs are generally better than gas vehicles in terms of overall costs, including purchase price and charging costs, maintenance and insurance.

Of all drivers from across the country, those most likely to consider EVs were B.C. consumers between the ages of 18 and 34.

To see the full report, click here.

BlueCruise blues

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that it will be opening an investigation into Ford Motor's hands-free driving technology, BlueCruise, following two fatal crashes.

These crashes reportedly involved Mustang Mach-E SUVs striking parked vehicles.

An estimated 130,050 vehicles will be covered by the investigation, according to preliminary investigation paperwork.

The paperwork further notes that "the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received notice of two incidents involving Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles that collided with stationary vehicles, which were located within the travel lanes of controlled-access highways. Both collisions occurred during nighttime lighting conditions, and each incident resulted in at least one fatality."

The investigation will look into what systems were equipped on the vehicles in question as "BlueCruise is only available on certain roadways" and the impact of the technology versus the driver in the incidents.

The crashes in question occurred on February 24th and March 3rd. In the February incident, the Mustang Mach-E struck the rear end of a stationary Honda CR-V in San Antonio, Texas; while on March 3rd, the Mach-E crashed into a stationary vehicle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here, investigators have confirmed that BlueCruise was being used immediately prior to the crash.

To see the preliminary investigation paperwork, see below.

INOA-PE24012-12041