SPEED READ

Half of Small Businesses Raised Wages in January —

Half of small businesses raised wages in January to lure workers, Bloomberg News reported.

Based on findings from the National Federation of Independent Business, a record 50 percent of small business owners said they raised compensation as 47 percent of the same business owners said they had job openings they could not fill.

Over a quarter of small businesses plan to raise compensation in the next three months, the report said.

The share of firms that raised compensation was the largest in monthly data back to 1986 and up two points from December.

Study: AEB Ineffective at Night —

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that AEB systems practically made no difference in pedestrian crashes that occurred at night, Teslarati reported.

The study found that pedestrian crash rates of all severities were 27 percent lower when vehicles were equipped with AEB systems. Injury crash rates were 30 percent lower. However, the study also found that AEB systems made no difference in tests conducted in “unlighted areas.”

“This is the first real-world study of pedestrian AEB to cover a broad range of manufacturers, and it proves the technology is eliminating crashes,” says Jessica Cicchino, IIHS vice president of research. “Unfortunately, it also shows these systems are much less effective in the dark, where three-quarters of fatal pedestrian crashes happen.”

Volkswagen’s Taos model was the only vehicle that didn’t see its AEB performance decline in nighttime conditions. The Taos received essentially the same nighttime tests scores compared to daytime evaluations. However, the IIHS noted that the Taos was also the worst performer during the daytime tests.

Study: First-Time EV Drivers Very Satisfied with Vehicles —

A study from J.D. Power shows consumers who switched to an electric vehicle for the first time have been very satisfied overall with the switch.

According to the study, new EV customers gave their first electric vehicle a rating of 754 out of 1,000 on average, which is comparable to the average of 766 that “BEV veterans” give their vehicles.

Per a news release, the study rates 10 factors including everything from battery range and driving enjoyment to safety features and vehicle quality.

“Making the initial leap of faith into owning a BEV is proving to be very satisfying,” said Brent Gruber, senior director of global automotive at J.D. Power. “We know from our research that many consumers have concerns during the purchase consideration process with aspects like battery range and vehicle charging. However, once someone has purchased a BEV, they’re pretty much hooked.”