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.
Last September, Michelin and Maxion Wheels jointly presented a flexible wheel solution that features the tyre maker’s Acorus Technology. This solution has been adopted by French driverless vehicle specialist Navya for its autonomous electric shuttle bus, which is already on the roads in five cities around the world. The electric city shuttle is now making its debut in London.
The global electric vehicles market is estimated to grow of 28.3 per cent (CAGR) in volume from 2017 to 2026. According to a market research report by BIS Research, titled “Global Electric Vehicles Market – Analysis and Forecast (2017-2026)”, the demand for electric cars is increasing rapidly, with the global stock numbers crossing 2 million in 2016 after crossing 1 million in 2015. The surge is attributed to the substantial amount of investments made by the automobile manufacturers for the research, development, and deployment of electric vehicles. Mass production prospects have also led to a decline in the prices of the key components such as electric batteries, and technologies such as regenerative braking. In addition, the governments of different nations are providing tax benefits, and subsidies to fuel the production of EV’s. The government bodies are actively promoting the usage of electric vehicles in order to reduce high emission levels.
Two new Continental battery charging systems for electric vehicles will be presented at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first of these is an automatic wireless charging system and the second is known as AllCharge and aims to optimise the compatibility of cable-based systems.
With recent legislation aiming to banish non-electric vehicles from both showrooms and city centres (starting with Oxford, which wants them gone by 2020) car manufacturers are preparing for electric power to become the mainstream. Electric propulsion has emerged by consensus as the future of driving, rather than other alternative technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells.
In our August edition, this column examined how “the clocking is ticking for combustion engines”, which also means the clock is ticking for conventional tyres designed with combustion engine-centric vehicles in mind. Four months later, both points are true. However, there are also significant challenges facing this market development that also warrant our attention.
Two of the obstacles between the status quo and the electric vehicle car parc of the future are charging points and technological recall risk.
The UK new car market declined for an eighth consecutive month in November, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 163,541 vehicles were registered, down -11.2 per cent year-on-year, driven by a significant fall in diesel demand.
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.
On Wednesday 15 November, the Driven consortium was given the chance to showcase its ground-breaking technology for the benefit of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer at Number 10 Downing Street. This was as part of an event held by the government to launch a series of measures to support the continued growth and success of the UK’s world-class tech sector.
The headline news from chancellor Phillip Hammond’s latest budget is that Stamp duty is to be abolished immediately for first-time buyers purchasing properties worth up to £300,000. Those first-time buyers purchasing properties over this amount won’t pay stamp duty on the first £300,000. However, there was less to say with regards to the automotive industry and business in general.
Nevertheless, the fuel duty rise for petrol and diesel cars scheduled for April 2018 has been scrapped. At the same time car tax for new diesel cars not meeting latest standards is to rise by one band next year. The good news for businesses reliant on deliveries is that this particular tax hike will not apply to van owners.
Ricardo experts will present a free webinar on how operators of commercial road-vehicle fleets can develop effective business strategies to implement electric vehicle (EV) technology.
Under a cooperative deal signed with Hyundai Motor, Michelin will work together to develop a new all-season tyre for electric vehicles, and will also collaborate in the development of a bespoke tyre for a successor model to the Genesis G80 saloon. Representatives from Hyundai Motor recently visited Michelin’s research and development centre in Clermont-Ferrand, France, to sign a technical partnership agreement.
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