Auto Windscreens, working with ChargedEV, has become the first UK provider of vehicle glass repairs and replacements to introduce electric vehicle (EV) charging points across its network.
The electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing rapid growth as a result of several global trends. Increasing city regulations, a decline in lithium-ion battery prices, and high demand in China are expected to push global EV sales to an unprecedented 1.6 million unit sales, with China leading the market at 49.5 per cent market share, followed by Europe with 25.6 per cent. Frost & Sullivan expects solid-state batteries to be a game-changer, potentially opening up significant growth opportunities for future battery chemistries due to manufacturers’ claims of an energy density 2.5 times higher than lithium-ion batteries.
Dealerships are being advised to create EV champions in their dealerships to take advantage of the growing demand for electric vehicles. According to Gain Solutions, who have been at the forefront in the development of electric vehicles, dealerships need to invest in specialist EV training for their sales and technical teams.
Van and truck operators could lose out to more forward-thinking competitors if they don’t start investigating the potential for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on their fleets, Government officials have warned.
The Government has committed to ending the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040 and is under pressure from some quarters to bring this deadline forward. Technology company and tyre maker Continental, on the other hand, recommends a more protracted timetable for phasing out conventional power sources – and it has called upon governments to provide sufficient breathing space for the development of appropriate technologies.
OEMs are driving the rapid deployment of autonomous vehicles and the growth of sensor types that underpin the technology. With this in mind, ABI Research analysts recently forecast that there will be 8 million consumer vehicles shipping in 2025 that feature SAE Level 3 and 4 technologies (where drivers will still be necessary but are able to completely shift safety-critical functions to the vehicle under certain conditions) and SAE Level 5 technology (where no driver will be required at all). This, in turn, will help drive the shipments of vital Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors that underpin the technology. As many as 36 million LiDAR units are expected to ship in 2025, corresponding to a market value of $7.2 billion.
Motor manufacturers are being urged to ‘get their houses in order’ and learn from past mistakes if they are to capitalise on the anticipated surge of electric vehicle (EV) sales.
Goodyear’s latest concept tyre, introduced at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show in March, once again sees the company look forward in a bid to lead discussions relating to the future of mobility. However, this also has an inevitable impact on the future of the tyre industry – which is where Goodyear’s FACE (Fleet Autonomous Connected Electric) acronym comes in. More on that later. First, the headline grabbing products – the Oxygene and the EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology.
AA Garage Guide has announced a partnership with electric vehicle charging provider, Chargemaster. The provider of online bookings, patrol referrals and the ‘Certified Garage Programme’ said the move is in response to positive feedback from both the garages in its network and those surveyed on Garage Wire.
Volvo has confirmed it will begin sales of electric trucks in Europe in 2019, with the first units being put into operation with selected reference customers later this year. As well as reducing CO2 emissions, Volvo sees the introduction of electric vehicles as an opportunity to reduce the number of trucks operating in peak hours.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) is calling for government to offer grants to retailers for investment into charging infrastructure, following news that the Automated and Electric Vehicles (A&EV) Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons.
The recent completion of a full EV sports car battery manufacturing concept programme by the Performance Products division of Ricardo is a significant milestone in the company’s aim to become the niche battery manufacturer of choice for high performance hybrids and EVs.
Chinese bus fleet operator Guangzhou Jumbo Bus Co Ltd. intends to convert its entire fleet of LNG-powered buses to electric propulsion over the coming three years, and as it does so will exclusively shod its fleet with Hankook tyres. Jumbo Bus, which operates six city bus companies and a total of 4,500 buses, signed a memorandum of understanding with Hankook Tire this month covering the supply of tyres specifically developed for electric buses.
Volvo Buses and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have signed a cooperation agreement on a research and development programme for autonomous electric 12-metre buses. For Volvo Group this will be the first autonomous application in public transportation. Volvo Group has also presented an autonomous, battery-electric, load carrier.
At the start of a new year it is customary to take stock of the previous year and look forward to the next 12 months. This was something we at Tyres & Accessories did with online readership figures in January and found that our you love tyre test coverage first and foremost. But this wasn’t the only subject being read. Coverage of various countries’ decisions to ban combustion engines during the next decade or two was a top story on tyrepress.com last year, and it was also talk of the wider automotive industry.
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