A range of new vehicle safety features, to be fitted as standard on all new cars, vans, lorries and buses sold in Europe from 2022, has moved a step closer after a provisional EU deal was reached in Strasbourg. The new rules include requirements for new technologies, such as Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) and over-ridable Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), to be fitted as standard for the first time.
Rapidly changing vehicle technology means that the remarketing sector is going to have to undergo an unprecedented period of upskilling over the next decade, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The organisation – which represents companies that handle, sell, inspect, transport or manage more than 1.5 million used vehicles every year – says that the rise of electric vehicles, increased connectivity and increasing levels of autonomy will all have an impact.
Automotive lighting and electronics supplier Hella is to extend its strategic partnership with AEye, a forerunner in artificial perception systems and the developer of iDAR. The companies are working to deliver customised sensing and perception solutions for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) based on AEye’s iDAR technology.
Hella, a global automotive supplier, has concluded the first six months of its fiscal year 2018/2019 (June 1 to November 30, 2018) with positive sales and earnings despite a challenging market environment. Thus, currency and portfolio-adjusted consolidated sales rose by 7.3 per cent. Taking into account exchange rate effects and the divestment of the wholesale distribution business, the reported sales increased by 2.8 per cent to € 3.6 billion (previous year: € 3.5 billion).
Phillip K Dick may well have been thinking far further into the future than the current popularisation of electric cars when he wrote his famous novella “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, however the rise of big data alongside electric and autonomous vehicles means the most advanced cars of today have an increasing amount in common with the artificial intelligence in the source material for the film Blade Runner.
Euro Car Parts has expanded its Workshop Solutions diagnostic range with the addition of the Texa car, supercar, motorcycle and LCV portfolio.
Technological tipping points are not always easy to identify, and the pace of change in the automotive industry can make it a challenge for garages not affiliated with new car dealerships to stay on top of new carfeatures as they begin to require repair. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are emblematic of this, and considering their centrality to the safe operation of many new cars, the stakes have also risen. Tyres & Accessories visited Hella Gutmann Solutions’ facilities in and around Ihringen, Germany to see how the supplier of diagnostic and camera and sensor recalibration solutions is responding to garages’ increasing need for new equipment, technician training, and data, to address the rise of ADAS.
Millbrook is expanding its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) test facilities. According to the well-known test centre, Millbrook has “the best facilities for testing these cutting-edge technologies in the UK”. In addition to modifications to existing road and test track infrastructure, Millbrook is reportedly making “a significant investment in high-precision instrumentation and soft targets that allow contact without damage”.
Osram Opto Semiconductors and Joyson Safety Systems are equipping the new Cadillac CT6 with an innovative system for semi-autonomous driving. According to the two companies, ‘Super Cruise’ is the industry’s first true hands-free driving technology. Osram’s infrared and LED components, which are embedded in Joyson Safety Systems’ steering wheel for the Cadillac CT6, allow the system to monitor driver attentiveness by tracking his or her head position to ensure drivers are watching the road ahead while ‘Super Cruise’ is engaged.
Hella Gutmann Solutions (HGS), the leader in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) recalibration for the aftermarket, is urging workshops to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by Euro Car Parts (ECP), and attend one of its ADAS open information events.
Absolute Alignment, suppliers of OEM-approved Bluetooth and 3D wheel alignment equipment, champions Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) best practice – recommending that four wheel alignment checks should now be part of the standard MOT for any ADAS-equipped vehicle.
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.
Pro-Align has launched the latest Hunter wheel alignment system, developed through widespread customer feedback to merge mid-level imaging with a fully upgradable package. The UK distributor told Tyres & Accessories that the new Hunter PA200 ACE has been developed for budget conscious workshops keen to enter the world of premium Hunter four wheel alignment servicing, receiving the best of the American brand’s alignment features in a mid-level system – a result of feedback from UK workshops.
Garage equipment distributor Absolute Alignment has announced two partnerships with UK race teams in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and British GT Championship. The company has become an Official Technical Partner to Power Maxed Racing in the BTCC, and will support Academy Motorsport’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 entries in British GT. The company supplies wheel alignment equipment to workshops of all sizes. Company director Chris Dear has been in the motor trade since 1996 and has commensurate in-depth product knowledge.
As of the start of 2016, new vehicles require a minimum of two advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to qualify for a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating. The minimum requirement is to have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW), both of which are complex systems requiring specialist equipment to recalibrate following repair to the vehicle.
