VIN Basics Blog

It turns out that consumers are not the only ones holding onto their vehicles longer. 30 percent of fleet managers also plan to extend the lifecycle of their vehicles, according to an EVAI survey referenced in this Digital Dealer article. The survey attributes this to the potential cost increases from import tariffs, however, vehicle prices and interest rates have been climbing for a while (pre-tariffs), dating back to the COVID pandemic where the supply chain became a major issue for acquisition. According to this Automotive Fleet article, fleet managers have been extending the use of their fleet vehicles for a few years now.

In a time where budgets are tight, rather than stretching fleet budgets thin by replacing vehicles at a certain fixed mileage or age milestone (regardless of vehicle condition), fleet managers can better maximize the value of each asset by implementing a “fleet preservation” strategy coupled with advanced fleet management tools and telematics data. 

The auto industry is going through a transformative period as technologies advance rapidly and vehicle manufacturers work tirelessly to electrify their model lineups to meet strict emissions regulations. The push towards electric vehicles is an exciting yet, in some ways, uncertain time for consumers and businesses alike. We've written a series of EV-related articles covering some major topics in the EV landscape, as well as some more specific topics for certain business use cases. Whether you're looking to learn more about how EVs function and how they differ from their ICE counterparts or the implications EVs have for the auto industry, we hope these articles help answer some of your most pressing questions.

This post has been republished with updates since its original publication date of December 2011.

It is not uncommon for some of the people who express interest in our VIN data to have little experience with automotive data in the past. They may be new to the company/position, or they may be looking to apply an existing business model in a new way that requires a VIN decoder or vehicle data. Many times, these people are not quite sure what to expect to get in return for decoding 17-digit VINs. Below is a list of 10 things that you can expect to be returned when decoding US passenger and light-duty vehicle identification numbers.

The automotive industry experienced a shift last year towards more strategic growth as it navigated the evolving landscape of electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicles (AVs), and new partnerships. While EV adoption continued to grow, the pace was slower than anticipated. Autonomous vehicle technology has continued to progress, and Bill Gates has stated that we will reach the tipping point with semi-autonomous vs fully autonomous vehicles within the next decade. Industry partnerships also became increasingly important as automakers sought to share resources, reduce costs, and accelerate innovation in an increasingly competitive environment. 

This blog explores how these three interconnected trends - EV production adjustments, the development of autonomous vehicles, and the growing role of strategic partnerships - highlight the importance of a measured, adaptable approach to navigating an ever-changing market.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, aka ADAS, is a hot topic in the auto industry, especially as these safety features become more widespread across manufacturers and their model lineups. Whether your business is in the retail, insurance, auto repair/service, or logistics space, you’ve likely been impacted by ADAS in some way, shape, or form.

Over the next few months, we will share a series of articles on ADAS and its relevance to businesses across the auto industry.  We’ll also be sharing some valuable data about the growth of ADAS from our proprietary vehicle database, and addressing how the use of a comprehensive vehicle database could help solve some of the challenges at hand with such a technical and sometimes confusing topic. Let’s start by learning about what ADAS is and how it came to be!

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date of November 2011.

As you might expect, we get a lot of questions about VINs. There is a lot of confusion about what a VIN is, how it is used, what information is captured within it, and what is not. In this series, we hope to provide a good resource that you can use to educate yourself on Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and VIN Decoding. The articles will progressively build from very basic and general information about VINs to more detailed and specific aspects of using them and vehicle data in business and technical settings. We hope you find them useful.

Whether you’re a large salvage yard that builds out its proprietary tools for yard management, or a solution/software provider to small to mid-sized salvage yards, it’s essential that the vehicle data you leverage is accurate and complete enough to meet requirements for critical use cases, including some of the most common instances outlined below.  

VIN decoding and identification are terms that have a different meaning and context depending on the solution type and the use case. This could mean simply determining the year, make, model, and engine. Others could include much deeper level attributes including equipment, as well as the return of specific ACES VCdb fields for vehicle-to-part matching and compatibility.

In this article, we’ve described a few primary cases where vehicle data can be pivotal for efficient yard management processes.

Lithium-ion batteries, which power both fully electric and hybrid vehicles, are revolutionizing mobility and offering a cleaner alternative to gas-powered, internal combustion-based vehicles. However, a growing challenge lies beneath these batteries’ immediate eco-friendly benefits: recycling and reusing them. Due to the mining of scarce resources, EV battery recycling represents the most expensive component and largest logistical challenge for electric car adoption. A previous DataOne article discussed how EV batteries have a finite lifespan, and recycling can offer a more sustainable end-of-life solution. Understanding the impact of this technology requires examining the full picture – including the benefits of battery recycling, challenges, and drawbacks, and where the future of EV batteries is headed. Addressing these uncertainties today can lay the groundwork for a greener future.

Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to gain traction in the automotive markets, posting record high sales volume and market share in 2024. As more consumers inquire about EVs, questions about charging options and battery longevity are natural, and confusion around the jargon for the different types of EV chargers can be expected. Various types of charging levels are available–each with its own speed, convenience, and impact on battery health. Properly understanding these choices can significantly extend your EV’s lifespan and preserve its performance. 

A previous article by DataOne compared the steady, gradual charge rate of Level 1 to the rapid power of DC Fast Charging. Each charging option discussed in that article has unique benefits, potential drawbacks, and ideal use cases. However, by understanding how these charging speeds impact battery health, the everyday user can make more informed decisions that balance convenience and long-term performance for EVs.

A while back, we wrote an article highlighting some of the key differences between a free VIN decoder service and a paid VIN decoding solution. When actively comparing enterprise-scale, commercial vehicle data solutions for your business, the differences are not as obvious as with free solutions. Many commercial VIN decoding and vehicle data providers offer a robust level of detail for a large number of major OEMs, and may even offer different levels of specificity to match your business's data requirements. Rather than producing an elaborate text-based document to explain the differences, the DataOne team felt it would be more helpful to display how DataOne's VIN decoder API stands out from a basic or standard VIN decoder in an infographic format.