Car news

LEVC unveils world’s first electric campervan

The world’s first electric campervan, e-Camper, is designed to offer both zeroemission capability and zero range anxiety.

Joerg Hofmann, CEO of LEVC, commented: “The campervan market is growing rapidly and, despite these vehicles being used for coastal and countryside adventures which often include national parks and protected areas, they are still powered by petrol or diesel engines. This is a major conflict — we can see a shift in consumer attitudes, with demand for greener mobility solutions to help to protect and improve air quality. Our new electric, zero-emissions-capable e-Camper offers the perfect solution and is well-equipped with high- quality features that can be tailored to meet a range of customer requirements.”

Based on VN5, LEVC’s new electric van, and its TX taxi, e-Camper has the same pure EV range of over 98km, with a total flexible range of 489km. Owners can operate in zero emissions mode, ideal for the campsite, and also even power the integrated electric kitchenette without the need for fossil fuels.

Flexibility and space are key attributes. The new LEVC e-Camper includes sleeping accommodation for four, an integrated electric kitchenette, pop-up roof (incorporating sleeping for two), and a central folding table. In addition, the campervan includes a second-row bench seat, which folds into the second double bed.

With a class-leading tight turning circle, e-Camper is also easy to manoeuvre in any environment. When owners set up camp, they can swivel the first-row seats through 180 degrees and slide the second row back, creating enough room to dine and socialise around the deployable table. The pop-up roof creates standing room space for both the living and cooking areas, and a single large sliding door makes entry to and exit from the living area easy.

LEVC will soon target offshore markets, including Australia and New Zealand, and expects to move from 90 percent domestic sales to 60 percent export in 2024.

Semiconductor shortage to outlast Covid?

The global semiconductor shortage will have far-reaching and long-lasting effects that are likely to have a greater impact on the automotive industry than the Covid pandemic, according to pioneering automobile software provider VNC Automotive.

The company has recently launched its first hardware product, Cobalt Cube, designed to integrate advanced systems for police and emergency services vehicles.

Tom Blackie, founder and CEO, said: “In conversations with clients and suppliers, it’s become clear that the effects of the semiconductor shortage will long outlast the pandemic, and will potentially have a far more serious impact on sales and future development.

“Some of our suppliers are seeing prices for chips that are more than 30 times higher than before, and at that level, their use is no longer sustainable.

“We’re even seeing vehicle buyers and fleet operators having to consider purchasing models that aren’t on their preferred lists because that’s all that’s available. At a time when the industry is asking people to consider making the switch to EVs, supply restrictions are leaving them frustrated.”

Disruptions in the supply chain caused by fires and natural disasters at critical production plants have been compounded by an increase in demand for electronic devices as well as the car industry’s faster-than-anticipated sales rebound after enforced factory shutdowns.

“Suppliers and OEMs may now be forced to simplify their designs to use fewer complex components that are still available,” Blackie continued, “and we’re concerned this will lead to a reduction in functionality at a time when consumer expectations have never been higher.”

VNC Automotive is a pioneer in car connectivity and telematics software, and its work is currently in use in over 35 million vehicles, across 20 of the world’s largest automotive OEMs.

Weird research fact of the day

EV car searches are up to 30 times more likely to result in a sale compared with petrol/diesel car searches, according to a new study.

BuyaCar.co.uk, a large online used car supermarket, analysed tens of thousands of searches for EVs to identify the likelihood of a search converting into a sale.

They found that customers who search for EVs are significantly more likely to buy a car than those who search for an internal combustion engine (ICE) car.

In the case of BuyaCar’s best-selling used EVs — the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe — the conversion of a search to a sale ranges from 17 times to more than 30 times higher than BuyaCar’s most popular conventional car, the Mercedes A-Class.

Clearly people interested in electric vehicles arrive on the site with a much higher commitment to buying the type of car they have in mind than those who search for conventional cars on sale.

The EV most likely to convert from a search to a sale on BuyaCar.co.uk is the Honda E, with 2.4 purchases for every 100 searches for that model. In contrast, it takes more than 1000 searches for BuyaCar’s runaway most popular conventional car, the Mercedes A-Class, to result in a sale.

Another stark illustration of the difference between conventional car shoppers and EV aficionados is that despite hundreds of thousands of searches over 12 months and a place in BuyaCar’s top 10 selling vehicles, the Audi A3’s conversion rate to sale is dwarfed by that of the electric BMW i3. It takes an average of just 200 searches for the BMW i3 to result in a sale, compared with 2500 for the Audi.

The data was compiled during the first six months of 2021, during which time overall interest in EVs has remained stable at 7-8 percent of all searches where a fuel type was specified.

EV search rankings on BuyaCar.co.uk compared with conversion sales Ranking (high to low) Searches Search-to-sale conversion

1 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF HONDA E

2 HYUNDAI KONA BMW I3

3 NISSAN LEAF NISSAN LEAF

4

5 HYUNDAI IONIQ

RENAULT ZOE SMART FORFOUR

KIA SOUL

6 PEUGEOT 208 TESLA MODEL S

7 VOLKSWAGEN ID PEUGEOT 208

8 BMW I3 KIA E-NIRO

9 PEUGEOT 2008 RENAULT ZOE

10 MG ZS MG ZS

Triple threat motorcycle targets world land speed record

White Motorcycle Concepts has unveiled a revolutionary new prototype motorcycle for attempts on the British and world electric land speed records over the next 12 months.

CEO Rob White’s brainchild, the WMC250EV high-speed demonstrator is more than two years in the making.

The prototype motorcycle, which is capable of speeds exceeding 250mph, features three market-disruptive technologies, including WMC’s ultra-low drag system called V-Air. This innovation features a large duct at the centre of the bike which forces air through the vehicle, rather than around it. Incredibly, V-Air reduces the WMC250EV’s aerodynamic resistance by as much as 70 percent compared to that of the market-leading, highperformance road bike, according to the results of wind-tunnel testing at MIRA.

The duct also increases the axial load on the front of the motorcycle allowing the WMC250EV to utilise a D-Drive motor unit that powers the front wheel (as well as the rear), which in turn makes it possible to harness regenerative braking energy — something not achievable with a conventional motorcycle. Finally, the bike carries a unique F-Drive final drive system fitted to boost power and enhance efficiency; a technology that could be retrofitted to improve existing road-going bikes.

WMC’s concept has already been granted a UK patent and the company expects Europe, the USA, and Japan to follow suit soon. If adopted by major manufacturers, it could reduce CO2 emissions across the industry and rapidly accelerate the massmarket de-carbonisation of motorcycles globally.

White, who has more than 25 years’ experience of world championship level motorsport, including Formula 1 and Le Mans, initially conceived his idea for V-Air six years ago, but it was exposure to Formula 1 packaging and sports car aerodynamics that gave him the confidence to pursue it seriously.

“If you want to demonstrate to the rest of the world that you’ve just invented a new aerodynamic concept that means you can go faster for a given power, the best thing to do is go as fast as you can,” says White.

“The records are all champagne, but they are an insignificant part of the story. While this technology allows you to go faster, it also allows you to go much further for the same amount of energy. This has a direct and tangible benefit on CO2 reduction.”

Pedestrians to get priority in UK Highway Code

Proposed changes to the UK Highway Code will give pedestrians priority at junctions as part of a Department for Transport package to boost cycling and walking.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads, and do your bit for the environment. As we build back greener from the pandemic, we’re determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone.”

The DfT said the new version of the Highway Code would include a “hierarchy of road users” that ensured those who could do the greatest harm, such as those in vehicles, had the “greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they may pose to others”.

The announcement has been welcomed by the walking charity Living Streets’ interim chief executive Stephen Edwards. “The Highway Code currently treats children walking to school and lorry drivers as if they are equally responsible for their own or other people’s safety. These changes will redress that balance.

“People walking cause the least road danger but are often left paying the price. Road users who have potential to cause the greatest harm should take the greatest share of responsibility to reduce the danger they pose.

“Whether we choose to also drive or cycle, we are all pedestrians. These proposed revisions will benefit us all.”

Turning trucks into road trains

Atrial e-highway scheme plans to install overhead cables, similar to those used for electric trains, on a 20km stretch of the M180 near Scunthorpe, in Lincolnshire. If the designs are accepted and building work is funded, the trucks could be on the road by 2024.

Electric trucks are in their infancy, meaning no technology exists yet on a large enough scale yet to take over from diesel trucks that have been banned in the UK from 2040, forcing trucking companies to look for alternatives.

The e-highway study is one of several options being government-funded, along with a study of hydrogen fuel cell trucks and battery electric lorries.

On the e-highway, lorries fitted pantographs — similar to those used by trains and trams — would tap into the overhead electric wires to drive electric motors. Lorries would also have a smaller battery to power them over the first and last legs of the journey off the motorway.

The project is led by Costain, an infrastructure construction company that also operates some UK motorways, using trucks built by Sweden’s Scania and electric technology from Germany’s Siemens. Siemens has already conducted smallerscale trials in Germany, Sweden, and the US.

Also involved are academics from the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight, a joint project between Cambridge and Heriot-Watt universities, which previously found that an electric roads system could put all but the most remote parts of the UK within reach of the trucks by the late 2030s, at a cost of £19billion.

However, the consortium’s efforts to secure government backing will probably face stiff opposition, not least from other projects. The industry is split between advocates for lithium ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, as well as e-highways.

London-headquartered Arcola Energy is designing a trial of hydrogen fuel cell trucks and new refuelling infrastructure in Scotland. Hydrogen fuel cells produce only water as a byproduct, although their green credentials are reliant on producing the gas using renewable energy sources.

Siemens and Scania have already tested their e-highway systems in Germany, Sweden, and the US

Emergency personnel work at the scene where a Tesla electric SUV crashed into a barrier on US Highway 101 in Mountain View, California, in 2018 (Photograph: AP)

Teslas crash into emergency vehicles

The US government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driverassistance system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles.

The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles sold since the start of the 2014 model year. Seventeen people were injured and one was killed in the crashes identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA says it has identified 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on Autopilot or traffic aware cruise control have hit vehicles at scenes where first responders used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, or cones warning of hazards. The investigation covers Tesla’s entire current model lineup, the Models Y, X, S, and 3 from the 2014 through 2021 model years.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which also has investigated some of the Tesla crashes, has recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit Autopilot’s use to areas where it can safely operate.

The NTSB, which has no legislative authority over manufacturers, also recommended that NHTSA require Tesla to have a better system to make sure drivers are paying attention. Although the NHTSA has opened at least 30 crash investigations involving Tesla cars that it suspected were linked to Autopilot, it has not taken any action to date. One investigation into a 2016 crash cleared Tesla’s Autopilot of any blame.

Tesla and manufacturers of similar systems say they warn drivers using their driver assist systems that they must be ready to intervene at all times. Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations office, tweeted earlier that “a Tesla with Autopilot engaged experienced 0.2 accidents per million miles driven, while the US average was 9x higher”.

The agency said in a statement: “NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves. Every available vehicle requires a human driver to be in control at all times, and all state laws hold human drivers responsible for the operation of their vehicles.”

Some commentators have blamed the name ‘Autopilot’ for encouraging owners to think the car will pilot itself, although planes — where the name came from — also require pilots to be in control when operating on Autopilot.