Highway Engineering Australia V54.3 April 2023

HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA

“TAP”ping into new opportunities with telematics

EV CHARGING DEMAND IS OUT-STRIPPING CAPACITY

Dear Readers,

It is often said that ‘the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing’. While that may be true, I might offer that ‘having some foresight is the preferred option’. One has only to consider the energy cost and supply issues currently facing the country to see what I mean.

Now, before I continue, I must - in order to avoid a potential avalanche of vitriolic emails – once again, make it clear that my editorials are ALWAYS 100% NON-PARTISAN in nature. I had originally written ‘100% apolitical’, but that was clearly inaccurate! Anyhow… I digress.

While it is clear that there are a number of significant contributing factors playing a part in the current energy supply and cost ‘crisis’, including global supply issues, it would be disingenuous to ignore the impact of a number of local issues – not the least of which is a lack of investment in renewables generation and transmission infrastructure.

But again… I digress. (Call it a skill!)

Be that as it may, if nothing else, I believe that the one serious lesson to be learnt from the current energy supply crisis, is the critical importance of investing in infrastructure.

This, finally, brings me to the point of this editorial (yes, there is one!). Charging infrastructure for Electric Vehicles.

While most current projections for Electric Vehicle (EV) uptake across Australia still have us lagging significantly behind most of the planet for the foreseeable future, it is clear that the tide toward EV ownership is indeed

turning far more rapidly than previously projected. Indeed, the massive influx of new model variants, combined with unrelentingly high petrol and diesel costs - and, it must be said, an increasing willingness by a large percentage of the general populous to ‘do their part’ to help reduce their impact on the environment - has seen almost exponential growth in demand for EVs in recent months.

Unfortunately, despite the current growth in demand, the recent investments in charging infrastructure and the fact that we perhaps ‘should have seen this coming’, there is now what can only be described as a chronic shortage of functional EV charging infrastructure – particularly along major transport corridors.

Incidentally, I used the word ‘functional’ for a very good reason!

Now, while I must admit that I considered an EV charging station as reliable as any other power point once it had been installed, this is clearly not the case. Indeed, the problem of non-functional charging infrastructure was brought into sharp focus over the recent Easter Break, with numerous reports of EV charging facilities where more than half of the charging points were out of order. This reportedly resulted in many EV owners having to queue for more than an hour just to access a charging point so they could continue their journey.

EV charging infrastructure can never be considered a ‘set and forget’ investment. If, as is evidenced by recent events, these charging stations require maintenance and regular

servicing to remain operational, this MUST be considered a priority – not only for matters of driver convenience, but also for matters of safety.

‘Range anxiety’ remains a major stumbling point for EV uptake amongst much of the populous. And while one side of that ‘range’ equation relates to battery design and vehicle capacity, the other side of the equation relates directly to the spacing, efficiency, availability and convenience of charging infrastructure. Put simply, it’s going to be extremely hard to convince someone to purchase an EV with a 450km range if they like to travel interstate or to and from regional areas if they think they are going to have to wait more than an hour to plug into a rapid charger, or even worse, they’ll be running a 50/50 chance that when they get to a charging station, the charging equipment may not be functional.

With that in mind, might I respectfully suggest that we reconsider the EV growth curve and the rapidly growing demand for EV charging sites across the country – especially in rural, remote and regional areas - and use foresight to raise our expectations, rather than hindsight to question our choices.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

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Land secured for Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal in Melbourne’s north

Mitchell Shire Council to the north of Melbourne has welcomed the National Intermodal Corporation’s move to secure land for the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal which could see the precinct begin operations in 2024/25 and be fully operational by 2028/29.

The National Intermodal Corporation has exercised the option to acquire 1,100 hectares of land in Beveridge to develop the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal.

Mitchell Shire Council has led the advocacy for the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal which is a transformational project that will unlock the potential of the Inland Rail Project and fundamentally transform freight and logistics on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia.

“This is a significant and exciting win for our community, bringing thousands of jobs opportunities right to our doorstep,” said Mitchell Shire Mayor, Councillor Fiona Stevens.

“These jobs will be both while developing and building and then supporting and servicing this precinct.”

“Securing diverse and significant job opportunities is vital to the wellbeing and liveability for our residents,” the Mayor said, “and this is a fantastic opportunity for all residents throughout our Shire to access work close to home.”

“Council strongly advocates for visionary and well-planned projects that focus on transforming and bringing benefit to the Shire by supporting growth and improving quality of life for all.”

“The National Intermodal Corporation’s commitment to the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal, also referred to as the BIFT, along with the significant road network of Camerons Lane, is one of the largest and most welcomed investments for our Shire,” Mayor Steven added. “This project will bring environmental benefits by significantly reducing road transport by placing it onto rail which sits nicely with our position on bringing good development and planning along with appropriate environmental considerations.”

Early planning is underway to support potential interstate rail services at Beveridge as soon as possible, with full terminal and precinct warehouse operations by 2028/29.

Once operational, the terminal will enable freight to be transferred from Victoria’s two largest ports of Melbourne and Geelong to the rest of Australia.

The Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal will be a major job creator for Melbourne’s north, bringing approximately 20,000 jobs to the region across construction and operation.

The activation of the precinct will be supported by the $150 million budget

commitment from the Federal Government to upgrade key road corridors including the Camerons Lane/Hume Freeway intersection.

Mitchell Shire CEO, Brett Luxford, said that the investment in the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal, together with Camerons Lane Interchange, will change the face of Melbourne and northern Victoria.

“Funding projects of this scale early in the life of growing communities is truly transformational and will ensure that our communities have access and connectivity to the areas where they live, work, and play,” Mr Luxford said.

“These projects will support future decades of housing and jobs expansion,” he added.

Mitchell Shire Council in partnership with City of Whittlesea, Hume City Council, NorthLink, and the Northern Councils Alliance have campaigned for the early activation of this transformational site to bring jobs and investment to the north of Melbourne.

This announcement highlights the urgency around the Victorian State Government working with local government and all stakeholders to immediately commence planning for the Northern Freight Precinct Structure Plan by placing this on the Victoria Planning Authority’s work plan to commence prior to 2024/25.

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Australia’s first road made using recycled coffee cups

A suburban road in Penrith in Sydney’s outer west has become the first in Australia, to include recycled coffee cups in its construction. The fibres in the cups are a valuable additive that helps create a superior, more durable product, quieter and safer than regular asphalt.

The more sustainable asphalt, known as PAK-PAVE™ Roads, has been developed by State Asphalts NSW in conjunction with Closed Loop Environmental Solutions which operates the Simply Cups paper cup recycling program. The development of PAK-PAVE™ Roads was facilitated through the Commonwealth’s Cooperative Research Centres Program Grant, involving the University of NSW and has been sanctioned by the NSW EPA and Transport NSW.

The pilot project for PAK-PAVE™ Roads is taking place along a section of Jamison Road at South Penrith, and will be followed soon after by a second at Swallow Drive, Erskine Park. These two projects will utilise over 135,000 recycled paper cups including coffee cups, which is 85% of the paper cups collected for recycling in the Penrith LGA in 2022.

In addition to the recycled paper cups, the two PAK-PAVE™ Roads will utilise other recycled materials including the equivalent of 1.2 million glass stubbies, together with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Steel Furnace Slag. Collectively, these materials will comprise more than 50% of the materials used.

Sustainability benefits of the PAK-PAVE™ Roads include:

• Using recycled paper cups as a beneficial additive

• Improved pavement durability and crack resistance

• Improved wet weather skid resistance and reduced noise levels from surface texture

• Improved durability of Stone Mastic Asphalt allows for thinner surfacing of roads; where thickness can be reduced the cost per m2 of pavement is also reduced

• Less raw materials are required

• 24% reduction in carbon footprint

These PAK-PAVE™ Roads in Penrith are true examples of the circular economy in action, where items that were once destined for landfill have been captured and utilised as a beneficial additive, to make a highquality product that displaces the use of less sustainable raw materials.

John Kypreos, Director of State Asphalts NSW said “I’m incredibly proud of the team at State Asphalts NSW and our collaborating partners, who have worked tirelessly over the past 3 years to develop PAK-PAVE™ Roads.”

“We have enjoyed great support from government at all levels to get to this point and congratulate Penrith Council for being the first to use PAK- PAVE™ Roads,” Mr Kypreos said.

Penrith Mayor, Tricia Hitchen, said Council is proud to be leading the way in a move that leads to a more sustainable circular economy and delivers a high-quality road surface for all road users.

“Council has a proven track record when it comes to re-using waste products in innovative ways and this is yet another way of reducing landfill by giving a waste product new life in an alternative use,” Cr Hitchen said.

“With over 1,208 km of roads maintained

by Penrith City Council, and countless kilometres of state roads in our LGA, we have the opportunity to make our roads far more environmentally friendly than first thought through the use of recycled materials.”

“The new surface offers improved braking and wet weather performance.” Cr Hitchen said.

“It is exciting to be delivering a practical circular economy solution in partnership with Closed Loop, and we hope that other councils and state governments will start specifying PAK-PAVE™ Roads, both as a high-quality road surface and a product that uses a high percentage of recycled materials,” Mr Kypreos added.

Closed Loop MD, Rob Pascoe, was equally enthusiastic.

“The Simply Cups program has saved more than 30 million paper cups such as coffee cups and take-away soft drink cups from landfill since beginning in 2017,” Mr Pascoe said.

“We have explored dozens of practical applications for the cups which contain very high-quality fibre but are challenging to recycle because of their waterproof lining,” he added. “While we have multiple avenues for the recycled cups, including lightweight concrete products and construction boards, PAK-PAVE™ Roads is a fantastic solution because it uses such large quantities.”

There are currently more than 630 7-Eleven stores that have cup collection units as well as collection locations in numerous shopping centres, office buildings, schools and universities. Locations can be found on the Simply Cups website (simplycups.com. au/locations) or on the free RecycleMate app.

UNSW Lecturer asks: Should public transport be free for everyone?

Are you tired of forking out hundreds of dollars monthly on buses, trains, and light rail? You may not have to pay for those trips in the future, as more places around the world consider ditching tickets in favour of free public transport policies.

Luxembourg was the first country to make all forms of public transport free in 2020. Germany is one of the latest to consider cutting fares permanently after a successful trial of a €9 ($A14) monthly ticket reduced air pollution levels and increased ridership. Even cities in Australia like Melbourne have a zone where tram journeys are free.

Dr Mike Harris, lecturer in urban design and landscape architecture from the School of Built Environment at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, says ditching fares has many other benefits for cities and citizens.

“One of the ideas is it entices more drivers to leave their cars at home and switch to more economical and environmentally friendly modes of mass transit,“ Dr Harris says. “But removing fares is another way to help people with the rising cost of living and improve equitable access to mobility.”

Fare-free public transport?

But in truth, there isn’t such thing as a ‘free’ public transport system – it must be funded from somewhere. Instead, such systems are often supported by means other than collecting funds from passengers.

Dr Harris likens the idea to how Medicare operates. It’s a publicly funded service people contribute to through their taxes, but some may use it more than others.

“Public transport could arguably be considered a similar universal basic service, but for mobility,” Dr Harris says. “When you eliminate fares, it emphasises that public transport serves the public.

“It shouldn’t be measured on whether it is profitable, but by how it improves the quality of life for people.”

Most mass transit systems worldwide are already covered to some extent by public funding. In New South Wales (NSW), about a quarter of the cost of public transport is covered by fares, with taxpayers subsidising the remaining costs.

“It would be possible to reduce ticket prices further by increasing subsidisation. It’s just a matter of how much,” Dr Harris says.

An alternative to subsidising transport costs for those who can afford it anyway would be to charge cheaper flat rates or waive fees for those on low incomes or in areas where public transport is available but underused, Dr Harris says.

“It’s probably more common than you think for people on lower incomes to limit their public transport usage because the costs add up,” Dr Harris says. “So, for them, not having to pay would be one less cost.

“But more than that, it opens many more opportunities to travel where they need, when they need.”

Dr Harris says broader economic benefits may also offset revenue shortfalls from slashing ticket prices. In NSW, the decision to waive public transport fares in April last year saw a spike in trips and consumer spending across the CBD.

“Congestion on the roads costs the economy nearly $20 billion annually from people wasting time in traffic,” Dr Harris says. “More of those people using public transport means increases the activity happening in cities, which helps bring those losses down.”

Improving public transport services

While free travel may not get everyone to leave their vehicles in the driveway, it will still convert some of those trips into public transport journeys. But even a marginal decrease in cars on the road could still make an impact.

“There will always be those who need to drive. But even taking a small portion of those cars off the road eases congestion for those who need to drive,” Dr Harris says. “It also opens opportunities to turn some more road space into active transport infrastructure for those who want to cycle and walk, which reduces congestion even further.”

But eliminating fares is only one part of the equation. The quality of services, like the frequency, reliability, and scale of coverage, is crucial to enticing more people away from cars.

“To attract and accommodate more riders, fare reduction needs to be accompanied by more investment in increasing quality services to avoid issues like overcrowding and schedule disruptions,” Dr Harris says.

Another part of improving services is catering to a broader range of needs and users. In addition to making all forms of public transport free, the NSW Greens also want pets permitted to ride too. Most places in Europe, including the UK, allow pets to travel on a lead or in carriers.

“Every member of the public should be able to use public transport regardless of their means. Nobody should be excluded because it is simply too expensive or because they have a pet,” Dr Harris says.

“Even if it’s not entirely fare-free, making public transport fares much more affordable would still improve the liveability of our cities for people and help them run more smoothly.”

“Even if it’s not entirely fare-free, making public transport fares much more affordable would still improve the liveability of our cities for people and help them run more smoothly.”

Sparking a shift to net zero emissions on Sydney’s streets

Doubling electric vehicle chargers in its car parks, trialling low-impact on-street charging and a comprehensive research project to help retrofit existing buildings with chargers are among the first actions in the City of Sydney’s new electric vehicle strategy.

The draft Electrification of Transport in the City Strategy and Action Plan, which passed unanimously for public exhibition by the City Council recently, outlines City plans to electrify transport fleets and lower the barriers to electric vehicle use in our local area.

Key actions arising from the new plan, include:

• Accelerating the transition of the City’s own light and heavy vehicle fleet

• Increasing the capacity of the City’s depots to handle more and bigger electric vehicles

• Encouraging public rapid charging facilities in car parks and service stations

• Increasing the capacity and number of electric chargers in City-controlled car parks

• Working with Ausgrid to trial low-impact on-street charging in locations without off-street options

• Updating planning controls to encourage and support charging capacity in new buildings

• Conducting a comprehensive research project to understand the challenges and opportunities of retrofitting existing apartment buildings with chargers City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said reducing private vehicle dependence while supporting the electrification of vehicles would help lower transport emissions and reach the City’s net-zero targets.

“If we are to stop dangerous runaway climate change, we need to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible. Lowering transport emissions, which are currently around 20% of all our emissions, will be crucial to this task,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Reducing private vehicle dependence is the most effective way to cut emissions, so we remain focused on delivering our comprehensive bike network, supporting ambitious public transport projects and ensuring our city is a pleasant and accessible place to walk to, from and around.

“Not all trips can be completed on a bike or public transport so electrification of highimpact fleets such as delivery and service vehicles, as well as private vehicles, will help complete the journey to net zero transport.”

Under the new plan, the City will increase capacity in Goulburn Street and Kings Cross car parks to 18 chargers, with another two 22kWh chargers to be installed in Cope Street car park in Redfern and Wilson Street car park in Newtown. The City of Sydney is also working with Ausgrid to test an unobtrusive on-street electric vehicle charger on an existing power pole in Glebe to explore ways to support on-street charging access without burdening the public domain.

Modelling and technical analysis that underpins the plan shows around 20% of emissions in the City area come from transport, and the biggest barriers to using electric vehicles are affordability, availability and access to charging. The local area already has more than 100 publicly available charging points and research indicates most people will charge their vehicles in buildings, garages and depots. The City of Sydney will work with providers to get more chargers where they’re needed, predominantly in off-street car parks, service stations and some street locations, balancing the need to protect footpaths and public spaces.

As part of the strategy, the City of Sydney will use its planning controls to make sure all new developments are electric vehicle ready. Over the coming months, the City of Sydney will investigate the technical, governance and management challenges our strata communities face as they start to address increasing demand to retrofit apartment buildings with EV charging.

“In the city context, where over 75% of people live in apartments, strata charging presents a real opportunity to make a significant dent in our charging needs, but it’s complicated,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Many of these apartments have off-street parking spaces and we know that most of them will look to charge their electric vehicles in those spaces. The more who can, the less spillover there will be into other charging systems. But owners’ corporations need to juggle complex metering, demand management and efficiency, safety standards and insurance and of course, questions over who pays and how.

“We will be conducting a comprehensive research project in a range of different building styles and ages, to figure out how to overcome these challenges and outline best practice options for apartment buildings looking to retrofit.”

The City of Sydney will also advocate and support the state and federal government to encourage faster uptake of electric vehicles in the private and commercial sectors through federal fuel efficiency standards, accelerating roll-out of zero-emission buses, and pricing mechanisms that favour electric vehicles over internal combustion engines and subsidies that favour e-bikes over vehicles.

The City was one of the first organisations in Australia to start converting its fleet, procuring its first electric vehicle in 2010. Today the City’s fleet features 19 vehicles and 1 truck that are fully electric, and 73 hybrid cars and trucks. The City acquired its first electric truck in 2021 as a trial, a diesel truck that was converted to electric.

Under the new plan, the City of Sydney will accelerate the transition to electric in its fleet and favour contractors with green fleets in procurement processes.

Electric vehicle charging at Goulburn Street carpark Credit: City of Sydney, Chris Southwood

“TAP”ping into new opportunities with telematics

State authorities and local governments in Australia are turning to the Telematics Analytics Platform (TAP) to better understand the use of their road networks. Powered by the National Telematics Framework (NTF), TAP enables aggregated and deidentified visualisations and analysis to be made available to road managers.

Recent changes by Australia’s road agencies are changing the way we think about telematics and the broader public value which can be derived from the sharing of data in a transparent, structured and standardised way. These data-sharing arrangements are a cornerstone of the NTF.

A critical change is the wider use of the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) and Smart OBM (On-Board Mass). When combined, TMA and Smart OBM are providing road managers with new ways of understanding the use of road networks, to better inform forward planning and investment.

A Smart OBM system automatically sends data of a heavy vehicle’s axle-group mass, along with the location at the time of reading, via an intelligent access telematics application to an independent party – in this case the Transport Certification Australia (TCA) – at regular intervals to validate compliance at any given time. The location data can also be used to verify any permits associated with a vehicle.

Changes to telematics arrangements

For over a decade, road managers have used the Intelligent Access Program (IAP) to allow some classes of high-risk heavy vehicles to gain access to restricted road networks and

carry heavier loads. The data assures road authorities that ‘the right truck is on the right road at the right time.’

Recently, Australia’s road managers turned to the use of new, lower-cost applications which respond to the needs of the transport industry, while supporting the needs of road managers to collect better data about road use.

Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania have worked with the transport industry to adopt the use of TMA and Smart OBM systems for specific kinds of restricted access vehicles.

» In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning Victoria has announced 30 June 2023 as the final deadline to have Smart OBM fitted to certain High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs).

» In Tasmania, specific PerformanceBased Standards (PBS) vehicles require Smart OBM for some road access arrangements.

» In Queensland, operators of certain Class 2 and Class 3 vehicles have been given until 1 June 2024 to transition from IAP to TMA and from Interim OBM to Smart OBM.

» In New South Wales, all new and existing eligible PBS vehicles must be enrolled in the TMA PBS Level 1–4 Vehicle Monitoring scheme of the TMA application by 1 June 2024.

Queensland,

Victoria,

New South

Wales and Tasmania have worked with the transport industry to adopt the use of TMA and Smart OBM systems for specific kinds of restricted access vehicles.

Harmonisation delivers national benefits for the road transport industry

A consistent and harmonised national approach to telematics arrangements for heavy vehicles is delivering operational efficiencies and cost savings to industry – while supporting the needs of road managers in better understanding the use of their road networks.

For transport operators, the harmonisation of telematics means that a single telematics device and Smart OBM system can be used across jurisdictional borders, without needing to accommodate different technology standards and requirements.

Industry-led data-sharing arrangements

While some classes of heavy vehicles are required by road managers to enrol in TMA and Smart OBM, other sectors of the transport industry are working with TCA to voluntarily share their vehicle data so that it can be aggregated, de-identified and visualised through TAP.

“What we’ve heard loud and clear is that the transport industry doesn’t have insights into the volume of vehicle movements which occur on public roads, and that accessing this data by road segment, vehicle type and industry sector is invaluable,” said Gavin Hill, TCA’s General Manager Strategy and Delivery.

“TAP provides a window into the operational dimensions of particular segments and vehicle categories which have not been available until now.”

Through these voluntary data-sharing schemes and studies, road managers gain better insight into the movement of

freight and particular commodities, which can inform better forward planning and infrastructure management. Industries such as agriculture, construction and freight transport can in turn benefit from reduced disruptions and improved safety for operators.

“In one jurisdiction, funding bids for road investments are being strengthened through the analytics available through TAP. Similarly, local governments are using the TAP journey data to generate historical travel patterns and forecast growth.”

Smart OBM is enhancing data analysis and reporting through TAP

All these changes in digital data collection from heavy vehicles eventually mean that more data is available to road authorities, with the potential for road managers to make smarter choices when planning new investments, budgeting for asset improvements and maintaining the road network.

Road managers, including local governments, are using the data analytics available through TCA’s TAP to inform access decisions for heavy vehicles, respond to community concerns with data-driven evidence, and even make investment decisions.

“In one jurisdiction, funding bids for road investments are being strengthened through the analytics available through TAP. Similarly, local governments are using the TAP journey data to generate historical travel patterns and forecast growth,” said John Gordon, Manager Strategic Development at TCA.

“This data is valuable evidence to prioritise funding for upgrades to pavements and structures for heavy vehicles.”

“TAP data is also being used by planning authorities to inform decisions such as the location of new developments, manage urban encroachment on key freight routes, and support improved community resilience by opening access for freight vehicles into remote and regional communities after disasters,” he added.

Spotlight on TAP

The services offered by TCA through TAP are rapidly evolving with the needs of users.

In 2023, TCA rolled out new TAP dashboards that respond to the different requirements of road managers and compliance managers in accessing mass movement data on the road network. The new changes provide separate Smart OBM dashboards for road managers and compliance managers.

The former provides local and state road managers with aggregated, deidentified mass data from individual mass sensors (associated with each axle group) on heavy vehicles, which they can use to plan maintenance activities. The latter provides identifiable data used for compliance and enforcement purpose.

Now available for each Australian jurisdiction and local government using TAP, these new dashboards significantly improve the way data can be visualised, reported and analysed through TAP.

Importantly, these enhancements have been introduced in response to feedback received from TAP users. Some of the new features include:

• Providing de-identified mass data for combinations with Smart OBM, to allow road managers to assess the impacts of vehicles traversing their road networks and vulnerable structures.

• Flagging of vehicle movements that are in excess of digital limits such as total combination mass or axle group mass.

• Flagging of potentially over-mass vehicle movements across bridges that are load limited, where vehicles have Smart OBM installed and operational.

• Generating statistical snapshots for road managers to be able to view average and maximum loads through specific corridors, laden versus unladen travel, and to be able to select vehicle types from a set of simple pre-defined categories for ease of use and analysis.

• Ingesting and visualising local government structure data (especially vulnerable bridges) to allow road managers to more easily manage the flagging of vehicles moving across their assets, and to zoom in on specific structures that may be problematic from an access or maintenance perspective.

• The general road manager dashboard, which provides aggregated and de-identified analytics including journey, vehicle count and speed data for all monitored vehicles, now incorporates three years of historical data, allowing viewers to see back to early 2020 and observe trends across the last few years.

TCA, in its role as the NTF administrator, works with road managers, application service providers, hardware suppliers and transport operators to ensure data is well protected and easily accessible. We are also open to feedback and suggestions from our stakeholders to further advance the collection, access and use of data through better visualisations.

If you’re interested in using TAP, get in touch with TCA:

T: (03) 8600 4000

E: tca@tca.gov.au

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NEW ROAD RULES FOR PORTABLE DEVICES COME INTO EFFECT ACROSS VICTORIA

New road rules come into effect on March 31 in Victoria that clarify the use of portable devices when driving a vehicle or riding another form of transport such as a motorbike, bicycle, e-scooter or even rollerblades. These new road rules aim to keep road users safe, reflect the significant increase in technologies capable of distracting a driver, and bring Victoria into line with the road rules in other states.

The principles underpinning the rules remain the same: don’t touch your unmounted or wearable device while you’re driving or riding.

RACV Head of Policy, James Williams, explained the new rules and the penalties that could apply for the illegal use of portable devices.

“We appreciate that the rules are complex, but this reflects the developing range of technologies that can distract a driver,” Mr Williams said.

“In general, drivers or riders who hold a full licence cannot touch an unmounted or wearable device, such as a phone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch, or any other device while driving or riding.”

“You can connect to your vehicle’s Bluetooth, then place the unmounted device out of sight and reach before you start your journey,” he said.

“As a general rule, drivers and riders can use mounted devices or inbuilt systems for functions such as music and navigation, provided they are not entering text, scrolling, or viewing images, social media, websites, or videos.”

“For wearable devices such as smartwatches, you can’t touch the device while driving or riding. You can only use voice controls to initiate, accept or reject audio calls, play or stream audio materials, or adjust volume levels. You can also use a mobile phone or other device to pay at a drive-through,” Mr Williams said.

“For mobile phones and tablets, the mounting must be commercially designed and manufactured for that purpose, and the device must be secured in the mounting,” he added.

Learner, P1 and P2 drivers are subject to much stricter rules.

Mobile device and seat belt cameras are currently being introduced in Victoria. The cameras will capture drivers and riders who are holding mobile phones or other devices, as well as drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts, or not wearing them properly.

RULES FOR FULLY-LICENSED DRIVERS:

Rules for portable devices such as unmounted or loose mobile phones, tablets, laptops, media players and game consoles

Fully licenced drivers can connect their unmounted portable device to Bluetooth and place it out of sight and reach, provided it is set up before a journey commences.

Fully licenced drivers can also use a portable phone or their device to pay at a drive-through.

When driving, fully licenced drivers are not permitted to:

• Touch an unmounted portable device in any way and regardless of whether the device is on or off, even when stationary but not parked*.

• Allow a portable device to be in their lap or resting on any part of their body or clothes (unless it is in a pocket or a holding pouch attached to their clothes e.g. to their belt).

• Look at the display of a portable device being operated by another person.

• Use an unmounted device for reading or entering text, scrolling, or viewing images, social media, websites, or videos.

Rules for mounted devices (mobile phones & tablets) and inbuilt navigation/entertainment systems

(NOTE: For mobile phones and tablets, the mounting must be commercially designed and manufactured for that purpose, and the device must be secured in the mounting.)

As a general rule, fully licenced drivers are not permitted to use mounted and inbuilt devices for reading or entering text, scrolling or viewing images, social media, websites, or video.

As a fully licenced driver, you can:

• Use mounted devices for navigation, audio calls, and playing audio (such as music or podcasts).

• Briefly touch your inbuilt device to adjust navigation settings, climate controls and audio functions (such as adjusting the volume or selecting a song).

• Rules for wearable devices such as smart watches, smart glasses, motorbike helmets, and wearable heads-up displays

When driving, fully licenced drivers must not:

• Touch the device (other than by incidental contact caused by wearing the device).

• Look at the display of a wearable device being operated by another person in the motor vehicle.

• Use a wearable device for navigation (except when wearing a motorbike helmet device), reading or entering text, scrolling, or viewing images, social media, websites, or video.

As a fully licenced driver, you can:

• Use wearable devices for audio calls and playing audio (such as radio, music, or podcasts).

• If you drive for work and need to interact with a device to do certain tasks, some professional driving tasks are permitted. See the VicRoads website (https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-androad-rules/new-vic-road-rules-2023) for further details.

RULES FOR LEARNER, P1 AND P2 DRIVERS:

Rules for portable devices such as unmounted or loose mobile phones, tablets, laptops, media players and game consoles

If an L- or P-plate driver wants to operate a portable device in a motor vehicle for any function, they must be parked*.

When driving, L and P plate drivers are not permitted to:

• Touch or operate a non-mounted portable device in any way when driving; not even by using voice controls and regardless of whether the device is on or off, even when stationary but not parked*.

• Allow a portable device to be in their lap or resting on any part of their body or clothes (unless it is in a pocket or a holding pouch attached to their clothes e.g. to their belt).

• Look at the display of a portable device being operated by another person.

• Have any ongoing activity on a portable device while driving (such as audio or navigation setup prior to driving).

Rules for mounted devices (mobile phones & tablets) & inbuilt navigation/entertainment systems

(NOTE: For mobile phones and tablets, the mounting must be commercially designed and manufactured for that purpose, and the device must be secured in the mounting.)

As a general rule, L and P plate drivers are not permitted to use mounted and inbuilt devices for video or audio calls, reading or entering text, scrolling or viewing images, social media, websites, or video.

As an L or P plater you can:

• Use mounted devices for navigation and playing audio (such as radio, music, or podcasts) providing it is set up before a journey commences. You must pull over and be parked* to change a song, adjust the volume, or enter a different address. You are not permitted to touch a mounted device for any purpose during a drive.

• Briefly touch your inbuilt device to adjust navigation settings, climate controls and audio functions (such as adjusting the volume).

Rules for wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses and wearable heads-up displays

When driving, L- and P-plate drivers must not:

• Touch the device (other than by incidental contact caused by wearing the device).

• Operate the device using voice controls.

• Look at the display of a wearable device being operated by another person in the motor vehicle.

They can:

• Play or stream audio material on a wearable device, provided it is set up before they begin driving or by pulling over and parking first. They must be parked* before they can touch the device or use voice controls to adjust the volume or change what audio is playing.

* For a vehicle to be parked the vehicle must be positioned in a legal parking location and in neutral/gear (manual transmission) or park gear (automatic transmission) with the handbrake on.

For further information on the rules, please visit: vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/new-vic-road-rules-2023

Mobile Media

•

•

•

•

• Removal

• Creation of non-slip surfaces

•

• Low media usage

environmental issues with reduced containments and dust

• Suitable for confined space blasting

EnviroBlast Australia

1300 240 337

www.enviroblast.com.au

Fast Site Dewatering

For construction site dewatering, self-priming trash pumps are cost-effective, reliable and easy to set up. Aussie Pumps’ heavy-duty 6” trash pump, powered by a Kubota 18.5 kW water-cooled diesel engine, handles solids contaminated water and delivers flows to 4,200 litres per minute (that’s 252,000 litres per hour).

Reaching maximum heads of 35 metres, the QP-60TD will draught water through a vertical suction lift of seven metres. The impeller is a heavy-duty non clog style, manufactured from high SG cast iron. The hydraulic design of the impeller and volute is superbly balanced to obtain the best result in flow, pressure and co-efficiencies.

The pump body is cast iron and a ductile hardened wear plate is provided as standard equipment. The pump’s 6” suction and discharge ports are flanged bolt-on style.

The easy clean-out port means that if the pump’s internals become clogged, it is simple

to flush the pump internals without the need to disconnect the pipework. The pump’s body can be opened simply by releasing four toggle-style hinged levers giving access to the impeller and volute for cleaning and service.

A separate drainage sump is also accessed by levering toggles, enabling easy draining of the pump. Removal of sediment from the sump is a simple matter of flushing.

Sealing is achieved by an oil bath mechanical seal running in turbine oil (viscosity ISO 32). The mechanical seal is tungsten carbide to provide long, troublefree operation, even in trash-laden or muddy liquid applications.

The engine selected by Australian Pump for the drive is a Kubota four-cycle, three-cylinder diesel engine, model D1105. It comes with a 60-litre fuel tank that provides 10 hours of run time.

The standard unit is mounted on a sturdy skid steel base, fitted with an integrated

centre-mounted lifting bar, that enables easy cranage on and off trailers or utes.

The pump comes with engine protection in the form of a low oil, high water tank cut out.

Aussie’s compact design, in spite of its high-performance characteristics, weighs in at 790 kilos. It can be mounted in a trailer or transported by a utility vehicle if necessary. Like all Aussie QP pumps, the QP-60TD is covered with a five-year warranty.

The new 6” trash pump is expected to be of real interest to quarries, councils (as an emergency sewage bypass pump) and for use in infrastructure and general construction site dewatering.

Further information on the new 6” trash pump is available from Australian Pump Industries or authorised distributors throughout Australia.

For more, please visit: https://aussiepumps.com.au

Ideal for fast-filling water carts and managing site water, diverting flows and dewatering, Aussie’s Kubota powered 6” trash pump can be mounted on a trailer or transported by utility vehicle.

STOCKRANGE OF MODELS NOW SET UP & READY TO GO

At A1 Roadlines we understand that our customers have a range of preferences when it comes to fleet vehicles. That’s why we fit and service the Scorpion II TMA across a full range of suitable host vehicles from world-leading manufacturers including ISUZU, UD, FUSO and HINO to name a few.

So, when it comes to selecting a fully MASH tested, passed and eligible TMA that has also been ASSESSED, APPROVED & RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE throughout Australia by ASBAP (Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel), the only name you need to remember is Scorpion II® TMA from A1 Roadlines. When it comes to the brand of host vehicle… that’s up to you!

INFINITY TESTING

'Infinity

NO RELIANCE ON ROLL-AHEAD DURING AN IMPACT

Rather than relying on some of the impact energy being absorbed by the forward movement of host vehicle on which the TMA is fitted, with ‘Infinity Testing’ the host vehicle is anchored to the ground to prevent any forward movement during an impact.

‘WORST CASE’ SCENARIO TESTING

Compared to standard testing with an unrestrained host vehicle, Infinity Testing is a much tougher testing regimen. It is considered ‘worst-case scenario’ testing which makes it much more difficult to meet the pass criteria for IS values, as all of the Ridedown Acceleration must be provided by the TMA absorbing the energy from the impact.

TMA ABSORBS & DISSIPATES 100% OF THE IMPACT ENERGY

Testing the TMA on a host vehicle which is anchored in place, tests – and for both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMAs – confirms the capacity of the TMA to absorb/dissipate 100% of the impact energywithout the benefit of the host vehicle roll-ahead.

NO UPPER LIMIT FOR HOST VEHICLES

From a practical standpoint, the fact that both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMAs were successfully tested to MASH Standards using the ‘Infinity Testing’ method, means both units are MASH certified with no upper weight limit for the host vehicle.

Testing’ is without a doubt the harshest method of testing the performance of a Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) during an impact.

THE ULTIMATE TEST OF ATTENUATOR PERFORMANCE

HOW IT’S DONE

With ‘Infinity Testing’ the host vehicle is anchored in place during the impacts to assess the TMA's capacity to absorb/ dissipate 100% of the impact energy without the benefit of roll-ahead.

WHAT ABOUT ROLL-AHEAD DISTANCES?

Importantly, to emulate ‘real world’ operating conditions, both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMA have also been successfully tested and MASH certified using standard ‘non-anchored’ host vehicles, with both units posting impressively low roll-ahead distances.

AUSTRALIAN STEEL STANDARDS REQUIRE WIDER INDUSTRY ADHERENCE

Recent high-profile incidents involving defects in steel structures have once again highlighted the importance of using construction steels and processes that meet Australian Standards, and the need for appropriate technically based third-party certification.

As industry organisations and senior representatives across the industry have stated, there is widespread complacency around the construction sector when it comes to ensuring proper certification of steel products to Australian Standards. These incidents provide a good opportunity to remind ourselves and the construction industry as a whole, that various Standards and a minimum level of compliance need to be met when using steels in construction.

While investigations into the various incidents are ongoing, it is important to note a material may meet the quality requirements and be conforming, but through the fabrication or processing of the products, a non-compliance may have been introduced.

As an example, for welded sections - that are increasingly being utilised in pre-fabricated materials shipped to site from both domestic and international producers - there are three areas of

specification and certification that need to be considered and met.

These include:

1. ensuring the steel materials themselves meet Australian Standards;

2. ensuring that the subsequent fabrication and welding of the steel meets the Standards; and

3. ensuring that the steel products are being used correctly in the structure itself and according to specification –known as erection conformity.

These three areas of certification - all of which form part of AS/NZS 5131:2016

Structural steelwork - Fabrication and erection – it appears that while being specified, at times, are not adhered to. This, not surprisingly, can have significant safety implications.

The steel supply chain, including production, distribution, processing and delivery to site, is complex and variable. Local use, in what is a global supply chain, requires effective management of the supply chain - particularly if construction projects are to be delivered on time, on budget and safely. It is important to remember there are varying levels of capability, compliance and understanding of the Standards in parts of the industry, with quality and conformity tending to be the casualty.

Determining material conformity requires a level of technical expertise, and this validation process should be independent of the product supplier. Likewise, processing/fabrication also requires a level of technical understanding to ensure the procedures as outlined by the Standards are being correctly implemented, and again, this should be validated independently. For steel, it’s not enough to think that just because steel has been ordered to an Australian Standard that the delivered product will

automatically conform with that Standard and be fit for purpose.

Although using construction steel that meets Australian Standards is a requirement, having steel independently certified is not… and that is one reason why Australia continues to see a small but significant percentage of defective steel products.

STEEL ELEMENTS/ PRODUCTS

For steel elements/products, the easiest way to manage and minimise the risk of non-conforming construction material is to specify ACRS certified steel.

ACRS certifies steel reinforcing, steel prestressing, and structural steel manufacturers and suppliers, providing confidence in the conformity and traceability of the products. ACRS certifies the steel mills and processes at the site of manufacture to ensure complying material is an output. For a number of products, ACRS also certifies the processing that follows to ensure ongoing compliance. Verification of production methods at both the steel mill and processor is essential for any materials claiming to be Standardscompliant.

With its unique, two-stage certification scheme, ACRS conducts a review across eight key areas of manufacture and

“Determiningmaterial conformityrequires a level of technical expertise,andthis validationprocessshould beindependentofthe productsupplier.”

decision-making on the conformity of steel products, to one or more of 19 applicable Standards. All ACRSApproved materials are labelled and supplied with the necessary electronic or paper documentation to enable the products to be traced back to the point of manufacture.

STEELWORK FABRICATION AND ERECTION

The material’s subsequent transformation by cutting, bending, or welding can alter the properties of the steel if not done properly. It is vital that producers ensure the steel supplied conforms, and that the subsequent processes follow the procedures outlined in the various Standards to maintain conformity.

The Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 5131 for Steelwork Fabrication and Erection was developed and published in 2016. The document outlines different requirements in fabrication, with various levels of traceability and conformity depending on the application. For critical structures, there is a level of expertise and testing that is required to assess and assure that

conformity to all aspects of this Standard is maintained.

Consequently, to ensure conformity of products for steel fabrication, the builder/ contractor end-user needs the supply of compliant materials coupled with the use of an appropriate fabricator who has an understanding of the fabrication Standards to ensure the end-product complies. It is critical that traceability and compliance through the complete steel supply chain is obtained, from initial manufacture right through to the finished steel structure.

ACRS certification ensures conformity of materials and traceability of those materials through the supply chain; with schemes such as the ASI’s Steelwork Certification Australia Scheme (SCA) covering the procedural conformance from purchase and supply through the fabrication to the erection of the finished steelwork. Using the two schemes concurrently, specifiers, designers, fabricators and builders can have confidence that the end product delivered to site will meet specification, and that the steel, steelwork fabrication, and erection is compliant with AS/NZS 5131.

Building designers, builders and specifiers need to ensure they are doing everything possible to maximise building resilience. The source of a material is not important. What is critical is the quality - and ensuring that the materials being used throughout construction are fit for purpose and meet the necessary Australian Standards.

CONFIDENCE IN CONFORMITY –REGARDLESS OF ORIGIN

Living in a global community means products in all industries, including the construction industry, are being sourced from all parts of the world.

While it is prudent to seek local content, it needs to be recognized that due to economies of scale and limited opportunities, specialized building components including some steel members are not manufactured in Australia, and thus need to be imported. However, whether it be locally or internationally sourced, the enduser needs to have confidence in the conformity and quality of any material or product used in the construction.

In the case of critical components or where durability and longevity are essential, there is a need for a rigorous third-party independent verification of the products being delivered. Randomly sampling product to ensure conformity, while sometimes necessary, does not ensure ongoing conformance. Only regular auditing on the production floor, coupled with ongoing sampling, provides the assurance of a complying product.

The ACRS third-party certification scheme for steel products provides this confidence to the end-users, through rigorous, independent site audits, which occur on an annual basis, and ongoing quality monitoring. With ACRS certification, end-users can have confidence that certificate holders continue to manufacture the materials to the specified Standards. The ACRS certification scheme also ensures that the traceability requirements as outlined in the Standards are operable, providing the opportunity for the material to be traced back to the source of manufacture.

By nominating ACRS-certified products to be used on projects, specifiers and builders can have confidence that the materials supplied are of the desired quality and conform with the specified Standard, thus reducing the risk of non-compliant elements.

For further information, please email ACRS at: info@steelcertification.com or visit www.steelcertification.com

The DOLRE bridge tra c barrier development demonstrates how the incorporation of FEA into the design process can optimise a solution that is vastly di erent from the solutions that traditional Engineering methodologies would produce.

A problem was identified and through the iterative use of FEM combined with Eurocodes for structural analysis a solution was found and optimised that was vastly di erent to the direction that traditional engineering was leading.

Once the bridge barrier design was optimised, the same process was used to assess transition designs to various European roadside barriers in accordance with EN1317 and TR16303-2011 requirements.

Australian authorities required product assessment to Australian bridge standards. Future finite element modelling in accordance with MASH standards and NCHRP179 validation requirements satisfied ASBAP’s analysis for both tra c barrier and transition designs.

Transition Test #1 for 2270kg Ute

Transition Test #2 for 2270kg Ute

Transition Test #3 for 2270kg Ute

Transition Test #1 for 900kg Sedan

Transition Test #1 for 13,000kg Bus

SEA ELECTRIC PARTNERS WITH MACK TRUCKS AS A TIER 1 SUPPLIER

Global e-Mobility technology company SEA Electric has taken the next step in its mission to eliminate emissions from the transport sector, with the company becoming a Tier 1 partner to Mack Trucks in the USA for the supply of the proprietary SEA-Drive® powersystem. The five-year agreement will focus on the next generation of Mack’s widely popular MD range, which will see deliveries of the fully electrified models to Mack dealers across North America.

Specifically, the Class 6 and 7 Mack MD6 and MD7 models will be equipped with the SEADrive® 120 and 180 power-systems, which lead

the market in terms of performance, efficiency and total cost of ownership.

Featuring an upgradeable and flexible architecture, the SEA-Drive® power-system can be adapted to a wide array of final applications, fully electrifying all ancillary features, with charging completed via the integrated onboard system.

“This is a proud day for SEA Electric, and the culmination of over a decade of leading research and development that has proven the SEA-Drive® power-system around the world,” said Tony Fairweather, SEA Electric CEO and Founder.

“In testing, the SEA-Drive® equipped Mack MD6 successfully completed a grueling durability assessment, equivalent to more than 500,000 miles on one of the toughest and most challenging tracks.”

“We are proud to partner with a brand as iconic as Mack Trucks to help them achieve market leadership in the Class 6 and 7 zeroemissions segment.

“In the future, this agreement has the potential to see significant scale, which is very exciting for the industry as it transitions to a sustainable future.”

For Mack Trucks, the partnership signals an important step forward.

“Mack Trucks is excited to introduce the Mack MD Electric for medium-duty customers wanting to adopt zero-emissions technology in their fleets,” said Martin Weissburg, global president of Mack Trucks.

“We are pleased to partner with SEA Electric on this exciting product, which represents another important step in our efforts to drive decarbonization and a more sustainable future.”

Founded in 2012, SEA Electric has been at the forefront of the push to electrify commercial vehicles.

Adaptable to a wide array of commercial applications in the truck, bus and light commercial markets, the company has grown its footprint to cover five continents, with extensive deployments across a wide crosssection of industries.

For further information, please visit: www.sea-electric.com

ALL-NEW KONA ACCELERATES HYUNDAI'S ELECTRIFICATION VISION

In March, Hyundai Motor Company held a digital world premiere to unveil the all-new KONA, an upscaled multiplayer in the B-SUV segment, led by an all-electric variant (EV) that offers advanced safety and convenience features and class-leading range. The second-generation KONA offers one of the most comprehensive product packages in the B-SUV segment, including the widest range of powertrains. Customers can choose from EV, hybrid electric (HEV) and ICE variants as well as sporty N Line versions of each.

“KONA Electric will play a major role alongside our IONIQ models in reinforcing Hyundai's EV leadership,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company.

“The new model builds on the great reputation of the first-generation KONA Electric and is designed and engineered to lead the competition with its many outstanding features.”

Chang added, “At Hyundai, we don't see the EV revolution as just the latest trend. We believe it is a pivot point for not only the industry but also for society.”

“Through the implementation of ecofriendly mobility solutions like our EVs, we hope to speed the transition to clean mobility and make progress for humanity.”

KONA Electric delivers class-leading all-electric range (AER) in the B-SUV segment (WLTP-estimated 490 km) [1] . It also comes with EV-specific design elements, including frunk storage, active air flaps, interior and exterior Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) outlets, Head-up Display (HUD), i-PEDAL driving mode, Smart Regenerative System, electronic-Active Sound Design (e-ASD) and an Eco Package.

* Product specification availability may differ by country and region.

For more information, please visit: http://worldwide.hyundai.com [1] Based

A

The International Civil Aviation Organization, which defines how commercial aircraft should be operated, set a new target in October 2022 to reduce CO₂ emissions from international aviation by 15% from 2024 onward compared to 2019, and to virtually zero by 2050. Consequently, conventional fossil fuel gas will gradually be replaced by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). However, to achieve total carbon neutrality, it is necessary to explore carbon-free SAF and aviation systems as a whole; thus, the industry needs to develop lightweight and high-powered motors for propulsion systems.

With that in mind, Toshiba announced in June last year that it planned on developing

technology. The newly developed superconducting motor weighs only a few hundred kilograms, has an outer diameter of about 50 cm, and an overall length of about 70 cm (excluding the shaft), which is "less than one-tenth" of a motor with the same level of power output. This World-First invention is attracting attention both in Japan and abroad, from the aircraft industry and automobile, railroad, and other mobility companies, engine manufacturers, and universities.

The mobility industry is transforming, with electric vehicles replacing gasoline-powered cars; the aviation industry will also expect to replace jet engines powered by fossil fuels with electric motors. The next generation of

experience and advanced technologies. Toshiba has been manufacturing turbine generators for years and possesses many technologies for manufacturing high-speed rotating machines. Toshiba also develops superconductivity technology. By combining these two technologies, this superconducting motor can realize lightweight, high-output

ROADS, TOLLING AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF TRANSPORT

Australia’s significant infrastructure projects were front and centre at the recent ITS Australia Roads, Tolling & Technology 2023 conference in Sydney. ITS thought leaders gathered for the annual event which now encompasses not just tolls and charging, but all aspects of road technology and associated operations.

Australia is undergoing massive infrastructure changes, with all states and territories engaged in significant projects to enhance traffic networks, making them more connected, technologically advanced and data-driven. Spanning road, rail and active transport, these industry-leading projects will result in better efficiencies, safety and sustainability for users, operators, and government and private enterprise.

Visitors to Roads, Tolling & Technology 2023 received first-hand reports on these key projects including the Sydney WestConnex project. Nearing completion, it is Australia’s largest-ever, road infrastructure project and is expected to improve transport access for 40 per cent of Sydney residents. With its traffic light-free network, and by moving key arterials underground, the project will link the north shore and northern beaches, Sydney Airport and the southern suburbs.

Project insights for Melbourne included an update on the State Tolling Corporation which is looking into arrangements for the new North East Link Tolls, the biggestever investment in Melbourne’s north east. Delegates heard how the North East Link Tunnels project will remove some 15,000 trucks off local roads a day and reduce travel times by an anticipated 35 minutes.

ITS Australia CEO Susan Harris said the focus of the event was to bring the industry

up to speed on opportunities to integrate new and emerging technologies across all the individual projects that make up Australia’s current infrastructure boom.

“Attendees were left in no doubt that Australia is investing, developing, and constructing bigger and better transport infrastructure projects which are connected, smarter and networked,” Ms Harris said.

“We want industry partners and international businesses to be fully aware that Australia is an intelligent transport leader and that we have opportunities to invest, partner and collaborate.”

“That’s what the RTT conference is all about. It provides a learning environment, where great conversations are had between industry specialists. There’s no better way to appreciate what’s going on than to be present and hear directly from those involved,” Ms Harris added.

Earlier this year the Federal Government published their Draft Principles for a National Approach to Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) in Australia for consultation. Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) are interconnected systems of technologies that allow road vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, road infrastructure and data services, and with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Panellists representing the automotive manufacturing industry, planning and transporttraffic management, and ITS consulting joined in a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Silje Troseth, Vice President APAC and General Manager Australia at Q-Free Australia.

“As our cities grow and our population increases, it's essential that we embrace new ideas and invest in technology and innovation to create a more efficient and sustainable transport system,” Ms Troseth said.

“RTT brought together industry experts and thought leaders to discuss the latest advancements in transport technology, including tolling, connected and autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, and new modes of mobility,” she said.

“With a focus on collaboration and innovation, Q-Free are excited to be at the forefront of this transformative movement and to be working towards a future where transport is safe, accessible, and environmentally sustainable for all Australians,” Ms Troseth addded.

Also presenting over the two days were Rita Excell, Head of Transport – ANZ, Amazon Web Services; Professor Flora Salim, Cisco Chair of Digital Transport, University of NSW; Adriana-Simona Mihaita, Senior Lecturer, Lead of Future Mobility Lab, Data Science Institute, University of Technology Sydney; and Jennifer Loake, Head of Small & Medium

Enterprise Sales – APAC, TomTom who shared their expertise on a panel titled Data Driving Clever Transport.

The broadening of the scope for RTT has led to a natural widening of the agenda. Susan Harris said these new topics have emerged as critical factors in future road, tolling and transport.

“This year, it was pleasing to see so many new faces. Fresh ideas and new perspectives indicate our industry is flourishing and it is also a reflection on how businesses and organisations are investing in the next generation of ITS professionals.

“How we store, access and analyse information is changing and something like edge computing, where local networks are utilised over cloud-based systems, is becoming increasingly influential.

“For example, delegates heard how IoT applications such as camera-based networks require real-time information typically sourced through the cloud. However, in emergency situations like a bushfire or flood, operators might need to optimise a local system, on the edge of the network to utilise lower bandwidth and faster processing times.

“Our industry is constantly innovating, evolving and adopting new approaches. No wonder it still fascinates those who have been in ITS for many years, as well as appealing to new audiences,” Ms Harris said.

RTT discussions and learnings will continue this year at the ITS Australia Global Summit (August 28-31) at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 1,000 professionals are expected to attend from Australia, Asia-Pacific and internationally for 4 days of technical tours, demonstrations, keynote speeches, workshops and networking.

Closing out the conference, ITS Australia, together with the University of Melbourne, facilitated a workshop attended by a number

of delegates and key stakeholders, each of whom were invited for their subject matter expertise to investigate the potential for integrated connected data for safe, efficient traffic management. This was a lively interactive session taking participants through a series of questions intended to explore the potential applications for integrated connected data and identify potential sources for those data.

ITS Australia thanks RTT 2023 major sponsors: Cubic, Kapsch, Q-Free, Sice, Transurban and Vitronic.

For more about the Global Summit, 28-31 August, Melbourne, please visit: https://its-australia-summit-2023.joyn-us.app

Battery research to support ambitions of a cleaner, greener future

Researchers in Birmingham, UK, developing novel battery recycling techniques have been awarded funding by the Faraday Institution, as part of a £29m package to re-focus and accelerate key battery research projects, which have been reshaped to focus on areas with the greatest potential for success.

Four of the six projects funded involve the University of Birmingham, and these include the Reuse and Recycling of Lithium Ion Batteries (ReLIB) project. Led by Professor Paul Anderson, Co-Director of the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials at Birmingham’s School of Chemistry, ReLIB aims to develop and scale novel recycling technologies that recover valuable materials from endof-life lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles.

The ReLIB project also draws on the expertise of researchers at the universities of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Leicester, Newcastle and University College London, and aims to improve current industry practices to beyond 90% efficiency.

ReLIB has already seen considerable success, filing several patents since the project started.

In the next five years, ReLIB researchers will develop, improve and scale technologies, and are looking for long-term commercial partners to participate in pilot studies, incorporate these technologies in their existing processes, or collaborate on further research.

ReLIB Researchers will continue to explore processes to recover valuable and non-valuable materials from waste streams via novel electrode extraction, delamination, binder recovery, leaching, electrolyte recovery and regeneration, and biological recovery techniques, in many cases proving processes at a larger scale than previously achieved.

Professor Anderson said: “Despite a proliferation of companies collecting and processing lithium ion batteries for recycling it remains uneconomic to recover most of the components, and materials recovery rates remain low. With the support of this additional funding the ReLiB project will be able to focus efforts on providing effective recycling routes for hard to recycle components and valorizing low-value recovered material streams.”

Professor Pam Thomas, CEO of the Faraday Institution said: “The Faraday Institution is committed to identifying and investing in the most promising and impactful battery research initiatives. This project refocusing is an important part of that process and allows

us to direct even more effort towards those areas of research that offer the maximum potential of delivering commercial, societal and environmental impact.”

Researchers from the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials will continue to support the work of the Faraday Institution which boasts over 500 researchers from 27 universities and 85+ industry partners, to drive innovation in energy storage technologies that will transform the UK energy landscape from transportation to the grid.

Further Faraday projects supported by Birmingham

Researchers from the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials are will also support the work of the Faraday Institution in three further projects that were awarded funding.

Firstly, the Faraday Institution’s project on extending battery life, a centre of excellence in understanding degradation mechanisms in lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide NMC811-graphite batteries, is expanding to investigate other systems of industrial interest.

Researchers will apply their knowledge and new characterisation techniques to investigate the degradation of systems comprising silicon-rich composites and those using anode-free architectures. On the cathode side, the project will investigate the higher nickel content NMC, lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), and tungsten-doped lithium nickel oxide (LNO). Tungsten-doped LNO is a promising material with high capacity that was developed by the Faraday Institution’s FutureCat project. Researchers will also investigate new electrolyte formulations compatible with the anode and cathodes under study and their impact on degradation.

The project will also include new pouch cell fabrication activity at Warwick Manufacturing Group, which will allow researchers from across the project to access reproducible and reliable cells to perform degradation studies at more industrial-relevant scales. Pouch cells to be fabricated will include tungsten-doped LNO cathode developed at the University of Sheffield.

The project is led by Co-Principal Investigators Professor Dame Clare Grey, University of Cambridge, and Professor Louis Piper of WMG. The team also includes researchers from the Universities of Birmingham, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton, Imperial College London and University College London.

The Road to Relevant Research

Secondly, Battery Modelling: the Multi-scale Modelling project has been refocused to further develop parameterisation methods and techniques for next-generation models and modelling of batteries beyond lithium-ion. Researchers will focus on methods to determine accurate input parameters for models that define ageing and that accurately represent what happens at battery interfaces, which could support the growth of the Battery Parameterisation eXchange (BPX) standard being formed by the Faraday Institution.

Additionally, the project aims to grow the capabilities of PyBaMM, an open-source physics-based model, to enable better health and performance prediction at cell and pack level, linking to commercial software, and growing the PyBaMM community. The project will also develop ‘PRISM’, an industry-focused equivalent circuit model framework integrated with and complementary to PyBaMM, which will incorporate machine learning approaches.

The project is led by Professor Gregory Offer, Imperial College London, with additional researchers from the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Warwick.

The refocused Lithium-sulfur Batteries (LiSTAR) project will place increased emphasis on the development and validation of lithiumsulfur (Li-S) pouch cells using the most promising anode, cathode and electrolyte components previously tested individually at a coin cell level. The project will continue to improve the performance of individual cell components, but with a narrowed focus on maximising the energy density and lifetime of cells using the best performing materials identified in the project’s first phase. The project will also work on the development of cathode architectures and investigate the cathode/electrolyte interfaces of quasi-solid-state Li-S technology with the aim of improving cycle life, in a complementary research area to the industry sprint project with OXLiD. Additionally, the project will work on developing a solid-state composite cathode for an all-solid-state Li-S battery, as well as consolidating the suite of dedicated diagnostic and characterisation tools for understanding Li-S performance. A new addition to the project is research at the system level; a battery management system suitable for Li-S technology will be developed, with a focus on early applications like aerospace and weight critical propulsion.

LiSTAR is led by Prof Paul Shearing of UCL, with additional researchers from the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Coventry, Cranfield, Imperial College London, Nottingham, Oxford, Southampton and Surrey.

ABOUT THE FARADAY INSTITUTION

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research, skills development, market analysis, and early-stage commercialisation. Bringing together expertise from universities and industry, the Faraday Institution endeavours to make the UK the go-to place for the research and development of new electrical storage technologies for both the automotive and wider relevant sectors. Headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, the Faraday Institution is a registered charity with an independent board of trustees, and a delivery partner for the Faraday Battery Challenge.

For more information on the Faraday Institution, visit: www.faraday.ac.uk

ABOUT THE FARADAY BATTERY CHALLENGE

The Faraday Battery Challenge at UK Research and Innovation is delivered by Innovate UK. The Challenge is making the UK a science and innovation superpower for batteries, supporting the UK's world-class battery facilities along with growing innovative businesses that are developing the battery supply chain for our future prosperity. Its aim is to build a high-tech, high-value, high-skill battery industry in the UK.

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Research for your global future

Timoney launches JAWS™ independent suspension system

Offering enhanced modularity, improved performance and an e-drive variant, this evolution of the legendary T900 design is set to take a huge bite out of the heavy-duty vehicle driveline market.

Operators of a wide range of heavy-duty offhighway, fire and defence vehicles could soon be enjoying automotive-level comfort while benefitting from greater productivity and durability, following the launch of Timoney Technology’s JAWS™ independent suspension (IS) system.

This evolution of Timoney’s class-leading T900 heavy-duty IS features a variety of upgrades designed to improve performance and reduce weight and cost while adding the latest sensor technology and enhancing modularity across the range. The JAWS™ portfolio is also futureproofed to allow OEMs to quickly respond to the trend towards electrification – whether as a solution to oneoff customer requests or when developing next-generation vehicles – without the need for costly, time-consuming redesigns.

The new range comprises three distinct products: two modular, mechanical drive solutions, the TIS9 and TIS11; and the TIS9e, a series hybrid powertrain version of the TIS9 that uses an extremely compact high-powerdensity motor to provide independent power and torque control at each axle.

The TIS9 variants offer Gross Axle Weight Ratings from 7,500-9,500kg for defence applications, up to 11,500kg for primarily rigid-bodied off-highway/fire truck applications. The TIS11 enable defence vehicles to carry up to 11,500kg per axle, with up to 13,000kg permissible for heavy-duty vehicles, such as cement and fire trucks.

Modularity and parts commonality offer cost and convenience benefits

Increased modularity enables easy customisation and integration into various vehicle platforms – this is a key feature of the JAWS™ design and simplifies the process when OEMs begin designing their next generation of vehicles. With high component commonality between 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 system variants, machines can be grown or upgraded without the need for major redesign work. The common interfaces of the TIS9 and TIS11 also allow for carrying capacity to be increased, following minimal changes to vehicle architecture. Common interfaces between spring/damper and strut options also allow the suspension medium to be optimised and upgraded with few alterations.

The many structural and dimensional similarities of the TIS9/TIS9e also make it possible to quickly convert vehicles from mechanical to electric drive, without requiring large changes in terms of packaging and installation. Compatible with any fuel source that can be used to generate electricity at the appropriate voltage level, the e-axle can be implemented with few modifications being made to the location of existing brackets, mountings and attachment points – and no changes to suspension and hubs.

This emphasis on modularity offers economic benefits to the end-user too –with such high commonality between 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 variants of a product line, the range of inventory required to service a fleet of vehicles is greatly reduced, with the potential to offer savings through bulk orders. Timoney has also targeted the use of COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) items, such as differentials and wheel-end assemblies, in the JAWS™ design, driving a more competitive price point and benefitting from their higher availability. It also leverages the reliability and durability of components that have already been proven in a host of heavy-duty applications.

Easy integration

Assembly of the system couldn’t be simpler, with the entire system – incorporating the cast mounting cradle – being supplied preassembled on request. The cradle’s bolt-on design further slashes installation cost and time, allowing the system to be bolted to the vehicle hull from underneath or inside the machine.

For operators, the main benefits will be seen in terms of comfort levels. The already superior ride and handling of the system is enhanced thanks to anti-vibration mountings integrated into the cradle, plus differentials mounted on isolators. Together, these features significantly improve operator and occupant comfort and productivity, thanks to less noise and vibration entering the cabin.

“Building on the robustness of our existing T900 suspension system, we have listened carefully to the needs and insights of our customers and designed JAWS™ specifically to withstand the high loads and extreme conditions required by off-highway, defence and special applications,” says Brian Hurley, Product & Marketing Manager, Timoney Technology.

“An optimised suspension system reduces the effects of harmful vibrations and provides better stability, giving operators increased confidence to drive faster, more safely, and take the most direct route. That not only results in shorter cycle times for higher productivity, but also reduces shock loads – which translates to greater durability and higher uptime.”

The common interface of the new system enables a choice of coil spring and damper or hydrostrut, with suspension travel of up to 400mm providing superb ride cushioning. With steering geometry optimised to enable the high wheel travel associated with IS systems and accommodating a wide range of tyres up to 16R20, JAWS™ provides ground clearances of up to 488mm, with its high roll resistance substantially improving handling and control. Now, the roughest terrain and

This evolution of Timoney’s class-leading T900 heavy-duty IS features a variety of upgrades designed to improve performance and reduce weight and cost

the most-daunting obstacles can be tackled with much less risk of damaging driveline components, with all wheels remaining in full contact with the surface and the drivercontrolled differentials promoting optimal tractive effort. CTIS and ABS ready, the system also improves performance on sandy terrain and, of course, on-highway.

Removing the risk of an underpowered heavy vehicle becoming stranded, the new design offers a huge peak output torque of 65,000Nm to boost tractive effort. Multiple drive ratio options – from 5.38:1 to 10.463:1, or 15.52/79.35 (Hi/Low) for the TIS9e – enable the selection of the optimal gearing for any OEM application.

Downtime slashed

Owner-operators will also appreciate the new design’s reduced maintenance requirements, with the improved durability slashing downtime and the propshafts, kingpins and straddle bearings requiring no routine interventions. The addition of new sensor technology simplifies the monitoring of oil volumes, etc, speeding up inspections by up to eight times over manual checks. Another sensor also automatically activates the cooling system when required – although oil temperatures are already lower as a result of the reduced oil splash.

An extensive range of options is also available, including vehicle widths up to 3m, sensor pack, integrated cooling pack, multiaxle steering systems, all-wheel-steer systems and transfer cases.

“Integration support is another option we offer,” Mr Hurley added. “Timoney isn’t ‘just’ an axle manufacturer – we

also have over 50 years of experience in vehicle mobility and have been involved in the development of over 100 different vehicles for customers in over 30 countries.

“Then there’s our comprehensive aftermarket service to support vehicle maintenance, repair and overhaul. Our aim is to be with you every step of the journey through the product life cycle, providing reassurance that your vehicle will perform as originally intended,” Mr Hurley concluded.

ABOUT TIMONEY TECHNOLOGY

Timoney Technology has been at the forefront of mobility systems for heavy-duty and specialist vehicle applications since 1967.

Located in Ireland, they design, prototype and manufacture solutions to meet the needs of clients, providing vehicle dynamics solutions using advanced modelling techniques that allow vehicle designers to incorporate high-tech mobility systems.

For more information, please visit: https://timoneygroup.com

RC Dock Receives Class Approval from RINA for New Remotely Controlled Unmanned Workboats

Automated vessels are a new horizon for the shipping industry and the start of a new chapter in its long history. With strong experience in marine automation, RC Dock has achieved a milestone with class approval of its first Remotely Controlled Unmanned Workboats to operate up to 200 nautical miles from shore.

RC Dock, based in Ijmuiden in The Netherlands, is known for its innovative application of the latest technologies to support the shipping industry, including Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), automated USV mooring and refuelling docks, and USV launch and recovery systems. RINA has classed the first of its 20 new workboats that are able to conduct remotely controlled unmanned operations in areas such as Offshore Survey and Subsea Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR).

Guido Garufi, Business Development Manager Benelux & North of France at RINA, says, “Autonomous and Remotely Controlled Unmanned Vessels are widely recognised as the future for many areas of shipping. This exciting project with RC Dock sees our first approval of this type of vessel and gives us valuable experience to support the industry as it embraces more and more automation.”

The workboats, which are less than 12m long, are designed to collect important data

such as bathymetry, pollution levels, currents, seabed condition, weather and bird migration as well as for carrying out the monotonous duty of patrolling coastlines to observe illegal activities including pirating and drug dealing.

Completely unmanned, they can either be operated remotely from a fixed Central Command Room (presently located in Ijmuiden, The Netherlands), or a mobile Remote Control Centre that can be located anywhere in the world. RC Dock’s new 12m workboats, called ‘Marine Autonomous Robotic Intervention Platform’ (MARIP), are monitored 24/7 while at sea by a Master and a team of qualified watchkeepers based onshore in the Control Room.

“The benefits of remotely controlled unmanned operation in these areas are clear,” explains Ronald J Kraft, Director and Founder at RC Dock Engineering BV.

“Not only can these be mundane tasks which crews are often reluctant to spend a long time at sea to carry out, automating the vessels significantly increases safety and removes risk to human life.”

“There are no concerns about working hours at sea and the vessels can operate at any time and in most conditions. There are clear cost savings without the need for a full crew at sea, but it is important to note that the industry is also recognizing that this is not about removing jobs, just moving them to a safer environment ashore and changing the skills required,” Mr Kraft said.

Mr Garufi said: “As part of this groundbreaking project, we worked closely with RC Dock and the marine authorities to clarify all concerns.”

“Cybersecurity is obviously an essential area with such vessels along with all aspects of safety that need to be considered in this new way of operating,” he added.

Kraft concludes, “We are excited about this new adventure and appreciate the professional support and expertise supplied by RINA to make this project a success. This is the beginning of autonomous and remotely controlled unmanned operations for the shipping industry, but an area, I believe, which will continue to grow and expand into other areas.”

JAWS™ independent suspension has been designed with the ability to integrate with electric drivelines

So too, the Engineer can use the vast capacity of Finite Element analysis to validate, optimize and adapt data to create the finest design solutions.

Joanne Bianca Lisa

KEEPING WORKERS SAFE BY SEPARATING PEOPLE AND PLANT

Trishan Khan, Business Development Manager, Pervidi

In any industrial setting, the safety of employees is of paramount importance. Employers are always looking for ways to keep their employees safe while also maintaining production efficiency. In a workplace where mobile plant and machinery are in use, the risk of being hit by moving objects is always present. This includes accidents involving vehicles, machinery, and mobile plant. These types of accidents can cause serious injuries such as fractures, head injuries, and lacerations and can also be fatal.

These accidents can occur for a variety of reasons, but one of the most common causes is the proximity of workers to mobile plant and equipment. It's important for employers and employees to take steps to prevent workplace accidents by identifying and controlling hazards, providing appropriate training and equipment, and maintaining a safe work environment.

One safety solution that has been gaining popularity in recent years is the use of proximity alert solutions to separate workers and mobile plant and equipment.

Proximity alert solutions use a combination

of sensors and software to track the location of workers and equipment in real time. When a worker gets too close to a piece of equipment or enters a hazardous or “No Go” area, the system will trigger an alert to warn of the potential danger. This technology is particularly useful in environments where workers and machinery operate in close proximity, such as manufacturing plants, construction sites, mines, road works, and warehouses.

There are several different types of proximity alert systems available, and each has its own unique features and benefits. These include:

• Sensor-based to detect the presence of people and machine

• GPS where infrastructure and internet connectivity is required

• Visual and audible alerts to workers and operators.

• Mechanical where the system slows down or stops the machinery where people are detected

One of the efficient and effective proximity alert system is the stand-alone solution.

The standalone Proximity Alert System is comprised of 2 components:

1. A sensor/alarm/visual unit attached to or located in the machinery or in the hazardous area;

2. A personal tag that is either attached to hard hats or worn by workers.

The tags are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). BLE tags, also known as Bluetooth beacons, are small, low-power wireless devices that transmit data to other Bluetooth-enabled devices nearby. They work by emitting a signal that can be picked up by a Bluetooth-enabled sensor/ device, such as a smartphone or tablet, and used to trigger an action or display information.

The benefits of using a proximity alert system are numerous. Firstly, it can help to prevent accidents and injuries. Operators of the machinery can be alerted to the presence of workers, allowing them to take appropriate action to avoid a potential accident.

One of the key benefits of proximity alert systems is that they can be customised to meet the specific needs of each workplace. For example, the system can be programmed to identify specific hazards or dangerous

areas and alert workers accordingly. It can also be integrated with other safety technologies, such as emergency stop buttons or automatic shut-off systems, to provide an additional layer of protection.

Proximity alert systems can also help to reduce costs associated with accidents and injuries. Workplace accidents can be expensive, resulting in lost time, increased insurance premiums, and potential legal action. By investing in a proximity alert system, employers can help to prevent accidents and injuries, reducing the costs associated with these incidents.

Another advantage of proximity alert systems is that they can be used to track the movements of workers and equipment. This data can be used to identify areas of the workplace where safety improvements can be made or to optimize production processes to reduce the risk of accidents.

The main benefit of a standalone proximity alert system is the cost and the easy set-up. A stand-alone proximity alert solution does not require any infrastructure installation and it can be set up pretty quickly in any workplace.

Proximity alert solutions can also help to improve the overall safety culture of a workplace. By demonstrating a commitment to worker safety, employers can create a positive workplace environment that encourages employees to take safety seriously. This can lead to a reduction in the number of accidents and injuries, as well as improved productivity and job satisfaction.

The use of proximity alert solutions is an effective way to keep workers safe in industrial settings. By separating people

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and plant and providing real-time alerts when workers approach hazardous areas or equipment, employers can reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. This technology can be customized to meet the specific needs of each workplace and can help to improve the overall safety culture of the organization. By investing in proximity alert solutions, employers can create a safer and more productive workplace for everyone.

For further information, please visit: https://pervidi.com.au