RAC to help EV range anxiety with electric car charger patrol vans

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April 30, 2019

Hundreds of RAC breakdown recovery patrol vans are to be fitted with a new lightweight electric car charger to help stranded EV drivers reach the next charge point.

The new tech, called EV Boost, has been developed in-house by the RAC. The custom-built system is the first lightweight mobile EV charger capable of giving out-of-charge electric cars a battery boost.

All orange RAC vans carrying the EV Boost system will be branded with a bright green logo – which the firm hopes will help overcome electric car range anxiety.

Recently, 8 in 10 motorists admitted one of the biggest barriers to electric car ownership was running out of charge.

The system works will all Type 1 and Type 2 connections, so will be able to assist nearly every electric vehicle currently in use in Britain. The charger is a 3.5 kW device, but there are already plans to double this, to a 7 kW fast-charger.

It is a small and lightweight device that works from a second alternator fitted to the RAC patrol vans. The modular tech can be quickly fitted to any regular RAC patrol van – which is why the breakdown firm hopes to quickly expand it to the majority of its recovery fleet.

Crucially, it doesn’t rely on lugging heavy and bulky portable chargers around, taking up space and hurting fuel economy. Power is generated from running the van’s engine long enough for the motorist to reach the next available EV charger.

It will only be fitted to new Euro 6-compliant diesel vans, to minimise emissions.

RAC head of roadside rescue innovation Chris Millward said: “Our solution enables our patrols to help stranded EV drivers at the roadside with a power boost, equivalent to a top-up from a fuel can for a petrol or diesel car, to get them on their way again.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of EV charging map Zap-Map, said: “It’s great to see the RAC leading the way and introducing this new mobile EV charging system to its fleet of vans.

“Whilst the UK public charging network already has over 14,000 public charge points and is growing at a rapid rate, this service will give electric car drivers additional confidence as they plan longer electric journeys.”

The new RAC EV Boost tech goes live in June, initially in London, Birmingham and Manchester. It will then be expanded to areas where there are high call-outs from EV drivers.

Backbone of Britain: 1 in 10 UK jobs relies on a van

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Richard Aucock

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April 30, 2019

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A total of 3.4 million British workers could not do their jobs without a van, reveals a new study led by the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT).

This includes 500,000 people who drive one as their main job – contributing a £56 billion boost to the UK economy from wages alone.

In other words, 11 percent of UK GDP comes from workers who rely on a van.

The new research, carried out with management consultancy BearingPoint, shows there are currently 4.6 million vans in use in the UK. The fleet has grown 50 percent since 2009 – that’s twice the growth-rate of the car market.

The new light commercial vehicle sector is now worth £10 billion a year in the UK, with 900,000 used vans also sold annually.

Online delivery boost

“The UK’s van fleet is the backbone of our society, driving our economy and allowing millions of workers to carry out jobs that our country relies on,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

The British van sector has been boosted by Brits’ love of online shopping. A hefty 83 percent of us have bought something online, way above the EU average of 60 percent.

This is a factor behind the number of self-employed British workers growing from 3.3 million in 2001 to 4.8 million in 2017.

Our new report finds vans contribute annual £56 billion to economy from wages alone – 11% of UK GDP #CVShow https://t.co/izXLTGc1j3 pic.twitter.com/OutlwZeqlV

— SMMT (@SMMT) April 30, 2019

James Rodger, partner and UK&I lead at report authors BearingPoint, said: “The data analysis and interviews that we have conducted highlight the key role that the LCV sector plays in the UK economy.” It is the first time the economic role played by Britain’s 3.4 million van users has been quantified.

“The report brings the data and the qualitative insights together to paint a picture of a diverse and vibrant sector which touches all our lives on a daily basis.”

Diesel dominance

The report also shows how diesel dominates the UK van sector. Fully 96 percent of British vans run on diesel – and this, says the SMMT, has helped CO2 emissions fall 10.4 percent since 2013, to an average of 166.9g/km.

New Euro 6 vans are “the cleanest in history” and have “virtually eliminated particulates and have vastly reduced NOx”.

Ultra-low and zero emissions vans have still to take off, though. New models are available, but they account for just 0.3 percent of the market.

“To continue to thrive,” said Hawes, “this vital sector needs policies and incentives that encourage businesses to invest in the latest technology that best suit their needs to help them deliver for Britain.”

Ford: leading UK vans for 54 years

Britain’s biggest van brand for the past 54 years is Ford. It has released its own research that shows online shopping and van-driving businesses contributed over £125 billion to the UK economy.

Amazingly, companies that rely heavily on vans earned more for Britain than the value of the GLOBAL film industry – and six times more than European football.

“Online shopping and an increase in those that are semployed are among the factors driving huge growth in the use of vans,” it said – confirming the findings by the SMMT.

The firm has now released a new TV ad celebrating its market leadership… and underline its own status as the CV ‘backbone of Britain’.

British car industry in ‘havoc’ as production falls again

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Richard Aucock

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April 30, 2019

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British car production fell in March 2019 for the 10th month running as continued Brexit havoc stalls investment and forces expensive factory shutdowns.

Total UK car production was down 14.4 percent in March, to 126,195 vehicles. Home demand fell 18.1 percent and exports were down 13.4 percent, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT).

British car buyers purchased so few UK-built models in the first three months of the year, demand fell back to levels last seen in 2011.

Export demand is down, but such weak British sales mean the overseas share has actually risen, to 78.7 percent of UK production. This, says the SMMT, demonstrates how crucial free and frictionless change is to the British automotive industry.

Although new model switchovers and changing car preferences were a key factor in the production slump, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes also blames Brexit. He is worried that “a devastating ‘no deal’ remains a threat.

“This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved.”

Back to the 1980s?

Brexit has already hurt the UK automotive industry, said Hawes. “Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce two million cars by 2020 – a target now impossible, with Britain’s reputation as a stable and attractive business environment undermined.”

His strong words come as the latest research from independent forecaster AutoAnalysis shows how Brexit could affect the UK car industry.

Even if a favourable deal can be achieved, 2019 production will fall from 1.52 million cars in 2018, to 1.36 million in 2019. It will, however, rise again to 1.42 million by 2021.

However, in the event of a no deal crash out of the EU, output is expected to plunge, to just 1.07 million units in 2021. This is a level “consistent with the dark days of the mid-1980s.

“All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry.”

2020 Land Rover Defender teased in revealing new picture

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Richard Aucock

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April 29, 2019

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Land Rover has given us our clearest look yet of the all-new 2020 Defender by releasing an image of a prototype wearing a ‘Tusk Trust’ conservation charity camouflage.

The teaser clearly shows the new Defender’s clean, utilitarian lines and upright stance – including near-flat sides, a flat roof and a spare wheel carrier hung out back.

Even under wraps, it still carries traditional Defender styling cues. It even retains traditional doorhandles, rather than Jaguar Land Rover’s fancier retractable handles.

The ‘wrapped’ teaser shot is part of a new set Land Rover has released to mark World Land Rover Day on 30 April. These show both short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase Defenders experiencing a variety of test action, both on-road, but mainly off-road.

Total testing miles for the prototype fleet has now reached almost 750,000 miles (1.2 million kilometres). Land Rover has carried out over 45,000 individual tests including:

50-degree heat of the desert
Minus 40-degree cold of the Arctic
10,000 ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado

On-road dynamics have been tested at the Nurburgring in Germany while all-terrain prowess has been honed at Land Rover’s traditional test base at Eastnor, UK.

Sand dune testing has been proven in Dubai and rocky trail ability has been tested in Moab in Utah. It’s all part of Land Rover’s promise the new Defender will offer “unparalleled breadth of capability and new levels of comfort and drivability”.

The final stage of field testing will be conducted at the 14,000-hectare Borana Conservancy with the Tusk Trust in Kenya. A prototype vehicle “will tow heavy loads, wade through rivers and carry supplies across unforgiving terrain in a series of real-world trials”, says Land Rover.

Engineering director Nick Rogers said: “In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, we’ve driven new Defender 1.2 million kilometres across all terrains and in extreme climates, to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made.”

Supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya with Tusk “will allow our engineers to verify that we are meeting this target as we enter the final phase of our development programme”.

The new Defender has been designed and developed in Britain, although it will not be built there. Instead, the global Defender production base is at Land Rover’s new factory in Nitra, Slovakia.

The full debut is scheduled for later in 2019 but Land Rover is happy to take registrations of interest now, via its website.

Speed limiters to be mandatory in the UK from 2022

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Ethan Jupp

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April 29, 2019

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Adaptive speed limiters could become mandatory on cars sold in the United Kingdom after 2022, following new provisional regulations approved by MEPs.

The news follows similar proposals by the European Transport Safety Council. It’s expected the regulations will have no trouble getting full approval.

How will the Intelligent Speed Assistance work?

The systems will work using speed sign recognition, as well as GPS data, but this won’t be via automatic application of the brakes. Rather, power or rev limiters will be used, such as those restricting certain German cars to 155mph.

Retroactive fitment of the system isn’t likely, but wouldn’t be impossible, given that a lot of the technology is already in use.

Note the little speed limit sign that appears on most new cars sat-nav screens. It’s also how a lot of adaptive cruise control systems adjust speed, too.

Hard or soft speed limiters?

For now, the speed limiters, otherwise known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), won’t be concrete. You’ll be able to push through by pressing hard on the accelerator.

It is suggested by the ETSC, however, that warnings should flash and sound, should you spend an extended amount of time at speeds above the ISA limit. Think of the bonging sound you get when you leave your lights on after you open your door, or if you forget to buckle your seatbelt.

Whether soft limiters could turn hard in the future remains to be seen. It’s certainly a possibility.

It’s predicted by the ETSC that as many as 25,000 lives could be saved in the 15 years following the introduction of ISA systems after 2022. That’s as a result of a predicted 30 percent drop in traffic collisions.

While the legislation is primarily a European-led project, the UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) has said that it plans to go through with limiters, as well as other mandatory safety systems, in the style of the European legislation. There’s no debate ammunition in this for staunch Brexit ‘leavers’, therefore.

Bill Plant Driving School is now exclusively Volkswagen

By

Gavin Braithwaite-Smith

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April 29, 2019

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Volkswagen has become the sole vehicle supplier for Bill Plant Driving School, with the national driver training firm using T-Roc and Golf models.

Bill Plant Driving School started using Golfs in early 2018, but the company’s fleet will be Volkswagen-only by the end of the year. The Bill Plant website states that its fleet currently includes the 1 Series, but the BMW’s days are numbered.

Deliveries of the T-Roc to the Bill Plant Driving School fleet began in March, and so far, hundreds of new cars have been delivered to instructors across the UK. Volkswagen expects to deliver more cars as the business opens more franchises using Golf or T-Roc models.

The T-Rocs will be delivered in 1.6 TDI SE specification and will feature a touchscreen sat-nav system, remote electrically foldable door mirrors with kerb view, front and rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control. Learner drivers can expect to pay £29.50 to receive tuition in Volkswagen’s small SUV.

The Golfs are also powered by a 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine but are delivered in SE Match trim. The spec is largely the same, but learners pay £27.50 for manual gearbox tuition or £29.50 to learn to drive in an automatic. Obviously, both cars are dual-controlled.

‘A smash hit’

Michael O’Shea, Volkswagen UK’s head of fleet, said: “The Golf is Volkswagen’s most popular model and is a smash hit with UK customers, being the second best-selling car in the country, so it’s easy to see why learners can benefit from a Golf being their introduction to driving life.

“The T-Roc SUV, with its numerous safety features, elevated seating position and compact size, has the ideal combination of qualities to make learners feel at ease when venturing out on the road. Volkswagen prides itself on the safety of its cars, so it’s little wonder Bill Plant Driving School chose the Golf and T-Roc to create a whole new generation of Volkswagen fans.”

Tom Hixon, head of instructor support at Bill Plant Driving School commented: “We’ve received tremendously positive feedback from our driving instructors and pupils about the new Volkswagen Golf, and we also welcome the T-Roc to the Bill Plant Driving School fleet.

“Every week hundreds of pupils will have their first experience of driving with Bill Plant Driving School inside either a Volkswagen Golf or T-Roc. This is a tremendous partnership for Bill Plant Driving School as we continue to grow our business in 2019.”

Labour would use car tax to fund public transport

By

Ethan Jupp

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April 29, 2019

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Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled Labour plans to divert car tax revenue to public transport. At present, money earned by the government from car tax is exclusively used to maintain Britain’s roads.

The ‘Campaign for Better Transport’, in which as much as £1.3 billion per year could be diverted to public transport, was announced during the local election campaign in Nottingham. The plan is a response to the ‘devastation’ of bus services under the Tory government.

As yet, the plan does not involve any unscheduled increases to car tax. It’s merely a change to plans for pre-allocated funds from vehicle excise duty (VED).

Where will the tax money go?

Among other things, the money would go towards reversing cuts to 3,000 bus routes and funding further expansion of the bus services throughout the UK – including in more rural areas. In addition, a free-to-ride policy is planned for under-25s.

According to Department for Transport figures, local bus passenger journeys dropped by 85 million to 4.36 billion between March 2017 and March 2018. That’s a 1.9 percent drop in the space of 12 months.

The bus services are described as a “lifeline” by Corbyn, saying “bus networks are essential for towns and cities and for tackling rural poverty and isolation”.

“Cuts have had disastrous consequences for our towns and city centres and for air pollution and the environment.”

It’s claimed that budgets for local authority bus services have been cut by as much as 45 percent since 2010.

Conservatives: “Motorists will be clobbered”

Conversely, the Conservatives reckon the plan would have to result in rises in taxation paid by motorists, saying we’ll be ‘clobbered’. And they say budgets for road maintenance, which are already tight, will be slashed.

“Along with their plans to put politicians in Westminster in charge of running local bus services, their pledge to slash funding for roads and their calls to increase fuel duty, this just proves they are not on the side of hardworking families who rely on their vehicles,” said Marcus Jones, Conservative vice chairman for local government.

Revealed: the best and worst car insurers for claims handling

By

Gavin Braithwaite-Smith

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April 29, 2019

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You never know how good a car insurance company is until you make a claim. Which is why new research into the best and worst insurers for claims handling could prove to be invaluable.

Consumer group Which? surveyed 2,111 car insurance customers who had made a claim in the past two years. They were asked about their experience during the claims process and how likely they would be to recommend their provider.

This kind of study is worth considering when you’re faced with a stream of quotes on a price comparison website. Often, it pays to look beyond the price.

The AA finished bottom of the table for car insurance, with a customer score of 55 percent. A third of respondents felt their claims were handled more slowly than anticipated. The result: a disappointing two-star rating from Which?.

Axa was voted the second worst car insurer for claims handling, followed by Hastings Direct and Allianz. All three were awarded a damning one-star rating for communication.

At the opposite end of the table, NFU Mutual was rated the best insurer for claims handling, with Which? awarding a maximum five-star rating for speed of handling claims and a four-star rating for communication.

Interestingly, NFU Mutual also topped the table for home insurance (Which? surveyed 1,456 home insurance customers).

Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which?, said: “When things go wrong motorists and homeowners should be able to count on their insurer, but it is concerning that some providers make the claims process difficult – with muddled or slow communication and poor customer service.

“Anyone unhappy with how their insurer handled their claim should shop around when it is time to renew – do your research and find an insurer that will make the claims process as stress-free as possible.”

The best car insurance companies for claims handling (best first):

NFU Mutual
RSA
LV=
Direct Line
Co-op

The worst car insurance companies for claims handling (worst first):

AA
Axa
Hastings Direct
Allianz
Ageas

The AA told Which? it did not feel the research reflected the feedback it received from customers, while Axa said it would be making changes to improve its customer service.

Dancing on ice: learning to drift in a Honda Civic Type R

By

Ethan Jupp

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April 29, 2019

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There’s a good reason many of the world’s greatest rally drivers come from Finland. Its roads are one big, snow-covered special stage.

To sample the Finnish way of doing things, we travelled to Kemi, where northern Finland meets the Baltic Sea, to drive Honda Civics on ice.

Front-wheel drive on ice

Momentum and weight-transfer are your buzz-words when it comes to hustling a front-wheel-drive car on ice. In a rear-drive sports car, fluffy rooster tails and easy rotation come with a tap of the loud pedal. Not so in a Civic. If anything, there’s a bit more skill involved.

You have to feel how the tyres are interacting with the surface, or you risk understeering into a snowdrift. You need to look a corner or two ahead and think how you approach each turn, in order to set yourself up for the next. Knowing where the car wants to swing is half the battle.

Throwback to March with @Honda_UK throwing Civics about on ice in Finland. Fwd on ice is highly rewarding . Actual technique required rather than just a boat load of loud pedal. pic.twitter.com/zb6zgMBp2E

— Ethan Jupp (@EthanIsSaying) April 26, 2019

Many marques, including Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche, have their own snow driving experiences. However, you’ll learn just as much from a front-wheel-drive Civic. You might even have more fun, too.

Even in a 1.0-litre front-wheel-drive hatchback, there’s a sense of satisfaction and achievement that comes with getting your lines just right.

After plenty of laps, our race-hardened instructor finally shouts with pride – and it’s a good feeling.

Making the sensible Civic come alive

Before any tail-out shenanigans can occur, there was a secret code we had to enter into the Civic’s control system. Brake down, handbrake up, clutch in, clutch out, handbrake down, brake up… Don’t quote us on that.

Put it this way, it required some Googling and at least three attempts to disable the stability systems. But once we got there, the tail chased us around and the wheels started scrapping without electronic interruption.

Even Honda admits the 1.0-litre Civic isn’t an exciting car in ordinary circumstances. It isn’t meant to be. Nevertheless, there is a good chassis hiding in there, as evidenced by the rip-snorting Type R version.

However, none of us preferred the Type R in these conditions. The softer suspension of the standard car gelled beautifully with the well-judged steering. Get your eye in after a few laps and a balletic lift-off oversteer dance comes together naturally.

It shows how much care is given to the development of even ‘everyday’ cars. In the real world, most Civic owners won’t ever experience this. Unless they take a road-trip to Kemi…

Civic Type R tackles the frozen track

The Type R initially served to demonstrate how beneficial the 1.0-litre’s softer setup was. However, where the hot hatch jarred in terms of rigidity, it won us over again with a quality gear shift, rorty engine and quick steering.

You can get up a bit more speed, too – and on ice, more speed means more momentum. We weren’t using the Type R’s considerable power reserves by any means, but it got us going and the results were lengthy skids and even a couple of transitions. All with front-wheel drive.

It was an experience in a part of the world that was utterly unforgettable. I know we all came away better drivers as a result.

Motorists to ‘fill their Jaguar Land Rover Smart Wallet as they drive’

By

Richard Aucock

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April 29, 2019

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Jaguar Land Rover is testing ‘Smart Wallet’ technology that motorists will top up with cryptocurrency earned by sharing information about traffic jams and potholes with navigation providers and local authorities.

They will then be able to spend this on toll fees, parking, electric car charging – and even coffee.

The new tech is being developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s software engineering centre in Shannon, Republic of Ireland. It is already being trialled in models such as the Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Velar.

JLR is working with the IOTA Foundation (that’s ‘internet of things’), using its ‘distributed ledger’ tech to make and receive payments. For non-tecchies, this is a way of making and receiving cryptocurrency payments from machine to machine, without the involvement of a central bank account.

It will allow motorists to automatically pay tolls from their smart car wallet, and future smart electric car charging will also be possible.

JLR wants the car of the future to be an integral part of a shared economy, turning the car into “a third space, in addition to your home or office,” said software architect Russel Vickers.

Engineering director Nick Rogers said cryptocurrency will “make people’s lives better, by allowing drivers to safely share data and make payments from their vehicle.

“The team in Shannon are pioneering and testing these sophisticated connected technologies that will help people to make the most of the time they spend in their car.”

Other tasks being undertaken by the new Shannon R&D facility, which has been supported by the Irish Development Agency, include work on next-generation electrical architectures, and adding driver assistance features for the cars of the future.