Brake manufacturer Brembo is opening a “Brembo Inspiration Lab” in California’s Silicon Valley (USA) to strengthen the company’s “expertise in software development, data science and artificial intelligence.” The Brembo Inspiration Lab is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2021. No details of the associated investment have yet been released.
Michelin is partnering with Arity, a mobility and data analytics company founded by American insurance company The Allstate Corporation, to develop data-powered solutions for transportation departments and city authorities, with the aim of improving road safety across the USA. This partnership will combine the expertise of Michelin Driving Data to Intelligence (DDI), who are the Michelin Group’s in-house data analysis boffins, with Arity’s database. This database, which contains nearly 100 million consumer connections, is said to be the largest repository of driving behaviour data in the world.
Autodata has launched a version of its e-commerce website in the Romanian language. Autodata is an e-commerce technical solution for body shops around the world. In addition to the platform, it is also available as an API, and provides comprehensive Original Equipment (OE) sourced technical information for the service, maintenance, diagnostics, and repair of 90 per cent of vehicles on the road in Romania.
Bridgestone’s CES 2021 exhibit presents a fittingly virtual exhibit this year. During the tech-focused US Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which has been held virtually this year from 11-14 January 2021, Bridgestone is presenting its Bridgestone World interactive virtual city will allow users to explore the company’s advanced solutions and data-driven mobility services. Live and on-demand showcases will examine how the company is using smart tyre technology, advanced data analytics and new business models to put tyres at the centre of a more sustainable mobility system.
TecAlliance has added Instant Data Processing (IDP) in order to update TecDoc data in real time. According to the company, this increases flexibility and shortens the time to market for data suppliers and receivers. TecAlliance says IDP will be available “early in 2021”.
The UK government has launched an audit into the mapping of potholes in England. Aided by data from on-road businesses such as Uber, Deliveroo and Tesco in addition to local highway authorities and highway data and mapping company Gaist, the Department for Transport will identify ‘pothole hot-spots’. The scheme intends to better target road improvements as people return to work and school. According to the most recent research published by Kwik-Fit on the subject, potholes caused £1.25 billion of damage to vehicles in 2019, with the average bill for affected motorists £115. Potholes damage most frequently afflicts tyres, wheels, suspension, and steering.
Roughly 18 months after Clive Seabrook joined Pro-Align, Tyres & Accessories caught up with the relatively new CEO in order to find out more about how the right equipment and services can add value to garage businesses, especially in the post-lockdown environment.
Challenging times need innovative solutions, so Pro Align responded to the pressures brought about by lockdown by seeing by choosing not to approach the circumstances as a commercial opportunity, but rather by responding to the customer instead:
Around 80 per cent of motorists in the UK consider taking an alternative route to avoid traffic jams and congested roads. For less than half, using public transport is an option. This was the result of a survey conducted immediately before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in March. After the Corona restrictions have been lifted, public transport will likely be even less popular and traffic congestion will become even worse – something that is of interest to the tyre business, which is keeping close tabs on miles-driven figures because they correlate with tyre demand.
Statistics published in Catapult’s Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles report show that 71 per cent of new vehicles registered in the UK in 2019 had connectivity features. With the ending of Block Exemption on the horizon for 2023, vehicle manufacturers could restrict access to vehicle data for the independent garage sector, limiting consumer choice for their service and repairs.
Michelin and commercial insurance provider HDI Global SE have entered into a partnership to reduce road risk for vehicle fleets. Fleet vehicles will be equipped with a connected box to collect driving data, which is processed and fed back to the driver via the Ideal Driver Pro application and to the fleet manager via an indicator report. Through this method each vehicle will produce a “driving score,” designed to increase understanding of the impact of driving behaviour on claims rates, and to identify risky driving behaviours and provide professionals with the necessary means to raise awareness and train drivers with a coaching module.
CAM’s Online Tyre Catalogue (OTC) now includes 600 brands and more than 326,000 individual products on the back of “unprecedented growth in the last 12 months,” the company states The central tyre data hub includes labelling information where applicable, product size data, and visuals across all available categories of tyre. Users can access the data anywhere in the world.
An electric vehicle is the best option for nearly one-in-five new car buyers in the UK, according to exclusive research by What Car? Analysis of the daily mileage, driving habits and vehicle requirements for more than 8400 users of the What Fuel? Calculator by the UK’s leading consumer champion and new car buying platform, shows 19.2 per cent of drivers could use a fully electric vehicle (EV) as their daily driver without compromising their routine.
New car repair comparison site www.AutoAdvisor.co.uk has partnered with technical data provider site Tech4Techs to provide garages with discounted technical data support.
The future is electric and the automotive market is rapidly moving in such a voltaic direction. But the transition is far from complete and the switch to autonomous vehicles is even further off. In the interim we all have to be aware of some of the unexpected consequences that the introduction of new technologies brings. The two clearest examples are range anxiety and ADAS concerns.
Autodata will be showcasing its latest developments at Equip Auto 2019, the international trade show for the automotive aftermarket. Visitors to the stand will be welcomed by Autodata’s team of experts, who will be on hand to demonstrate the latest features and answer any questions they may have on the products.
BMB-Consult GmbH
Autodata
TecAlliance
Pro-Align
Kapsch