£80 million funding for national battery facility
A partnership between WMG, at the University of Warwick, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Coventry City Council has been awarded £80 million to establish a new National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility (NBMDF). The announcement was made by The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, while attending an energy conference on the University of Warwick campus on Wednesday 29 November 2017.
Continue ReadingKey industry names gain Material Handling Equipment (MHE) accreditation
Jungheinrich, Linde and Toyota have all received successful audits of MHE Workshop Accreditation. Following the launch of MHE accreditation one year ago, independent auditors have now assessed several of the most respected names in the material handling sector, all of which are intent on maintaining high standards. Several workshops of these three operators have now gained accreditation as part of a wider initiative by a major distribution company.
Continue ReadingAutomechanika Shanghai 2017 opens
The 13th edition of Automechanika Shanghai opens its doors on 29 November 2017. This year exhibition space has increased by 9 per cent to 340,000 square metres, and for the first time ever will cover 15 halls of the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.
Continue ReadingBattery tests should be part of winter checks
As temperatures get colder, motorists get more conscious of their car’s conditions. In some instances – especially in colder European markets – this means changing to winter tyres. Meanwhile testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop – something battery maker Johnson Controls is advocating. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39 per cent of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
Continue ReadingPirelli and Politecnico Milan renew research partnership
Pirelli and the University of Milan have renewed a new three-year research deal signed by Marco Tronchetti Provera – Pirelli’s executive vice chairman and CEO – and Ferruccio Resta, rector of the Politecnico University. The original Joint Labs agreement dates back to 2011 with the aim of developing innovative tyre technology for the future.
Continue ReadingWolfrace releases new Stuttgart wheel
The success of the Eurosport Stuttgart has presented Wolfrace and its engineering team with an interesting dilemma – how to go about reinventing one of their most popular wheels without spoiling or otherwise unduly changing its appearance. As far as dilemmas go its certainly a nice one to have, though not quite as nice as the solution Wolfrace has actually come up with, the Stuttgart Ultra Concave. According to the company, it’s perfect for “VW T5 and T6 owners seeking to make an automotive statement”.
Continue ReadingDelphi closes nuTonomy acquisition
Delphi Automotive, which will soon to become Aptiv, has closed its acquisition of nuTonomy, a leading developer of autonomous driving (AD) software solutions. The deal, which was first announced on 24 October, sees Delphi pay an upfront purchase price of US$400 million and earn-outs totalling approximately $50 million.
Continue ReadingAutomotive windshield market worth $23.24 billion by 2025
The automotive windshield market the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.28 per cent during the next 7 years to reach a value of $23.24 billion by 2025, up from an estimated $14.27 billion in 2017. The increasing use of solar reflective glass for windshields, growing vehicle production, and increasing use of windshield for latest display technologies are the key drivers for the Automotive Windshield Market, according to the report produced by MarketsAndMarkets.
Continue ReadingTesla electric Semi truck has 500 mile range
Tesla has unveiled its electric Semi truck which has a range of 500 miles with a full 36.3-tonne load. It does 0-60 mph in 20 seconds with a full load, a task that takes a diesel truck about a minute. Without a trailer, the Tesla Semi achieves 0-60 mph in five seconds, compared to 15 seconds in a comparable diesel truck.
Continue ReadingMcLaren teams with Pirelli to deliver winter package
McLaren, the British creator of luxury sports and super cars, has paired with tyre partner Pirelli to deliver a new winter wheel and tyre package for McLaren Sports Series models.
Continue ReadingUK, European launch for BFGoodrich truck/bus tyre range
At present, BFGoodrich commercial vehicle tyres are available in all markets around the world except for Europe, and sales of these tyres exceeds 1.6 million units per year. The brand is set to go global at the start of next year with the introduction of a BFGoodrich range of tuck and bus tyres in the UK and Ireland, as well as in the wider European market.
Continue ReadingAutoelectro launches non-exchange (NEX) starter motors, alternators
Autoelectro has launched a new range of non-exchange (NEX) rotating electrics units. Managing director, Tony Bhogal said the company’s latest investment will strengthen the company’s reputation as the UK’s largest independent remanufacturer of rotating electrics.
Continue ReadingGeneral Tire performance partners get to grips with latest Grabber off-road tyres
Almost 60 independent tyre dealers attended two extreme driving experience events organised by Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) to try out General Tire’s Grabber AT3 and Grabber X3 off-road 4x4 tyres. The participating dealers, from MTS’s network of General Tire performance partners, took up the extreme driving challenge at Parkwood Off-Road Centre in Bradford and the Harbour Hill Copse off-road site in Aldermaston near Reading, two of the UK’s most challenging 4x4 proving grounds. The two-day event, which included expert off-road driver training and education about the on and off-road properties of the new 4x4 patterns, was held as a reward for the dealers’ increased sales and customer loyalty.
Continue ReadingAudi expands e-diesel research
Audi has announced that it is expanding its research into synthetic diesel fuel with a new pilot facility in Switzerland. The automaker has been engaged in synthetic diesel research for four years. The company announced the expansion of this project earlier this month.
Continue ReadingAnalysts upgrade 2018 West European trailer market forecast
Instead of demand dropping by approximately 9 per cent in 2018 a decline in demand of 5 per cent is now forecast, followed by a further drop in 2019 leading to a total shrinking of the market by 13 per cent over the two years. According to the agency “Clear”, for 2017 the demand for trailers increased in the first half of the year but will have close to zero growth in the second half. Overall 2017 will see a 3 per cent increase in registrations.
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