Car news

Truck owners ‘ICEing’ charging stations

US truck owners have come up with a new way to signal their displeasure at progress.

The Daily Mail recently ran a story citing Tesla owners on Reddit who had seen trucks ‘ICEing’ charging stations — deliberately blocking a charging bay with an internal combustion engine, usually a very thirsty one. It seems to be a growing trend around the United States, with commercial and consumer vehicles alike participating in the anti-EV movement.

The initial report from Daily Mail referenced Tesla owners in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas who had experienced ICEing. In North Carolina, a trio of Tesla superchargers were blocked by a Ford truck and two Chevys, all of which were being piloted by drivers who were chanting “F— Tesla.” After the petrol station attendant was informed of what was going on, the truck drivers left, leaving the Tesla owner shaken.

Laws have been passed in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington that prohibit nonelectric vehicles from parking in charging spots. A handful of large cities have also passed by-laws to keep those charging spots open; they include Washington D.C., Seattle, Baltimore, Raleigh in North Carolina, and Knoxville.

Hopefully, the trend won’t catch on here.

Next-Gen Ranger Raptor ramps up off-road performance

THE NEXT GENERATION FORD RANGER RAPTOR HAS ARRIVED. THE SECONDGENERATION RANGER RAPTOR RAISES THE OFF-ROAD PERFORMANCE BAR AS A UTE BUILT FOR TRUE ENTHUSIASTS

The new Ranger Raptor was developed by the Australian design and engineering team to be the ultimate performance derivative of the Next-Gen Ranger.

“We’ve really focused on delivering a genuine performance truck with the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor,” said Dave Burn, Ford Performance chief programme engineer. “It’s significantly faster, looks incredible, is packed with new features, and is the strongest Built Ford Tough Ranger we’ve ever made.”

MORE POWER

The big news is the introduction of a new 3.0-litre V6 Twin Turbo EcoBoost engine, producing up to 292kW (392hp) at 5650rpm, and 583Nm of torque at 3500rp — a significant boost in power and torque over the current 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel engine.

The 3.0-litre V6 Twin Turbo EcoBoost engine boasts a compacted graphite-iron cylinder block, which is around 75 percent stronger and up to 75 percent stiffer than the iron used in traditional castings. Raptor’s anti-lag system — available in Baja2 mode — keeps the turbochargers spinning for up to three seconds after the driver backs off the throttle, allowing for faster resumption of acceleration out of corners or between gears when the driver gets back on the accelerator.

The 3.0-litre is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission — each gear is programmed with its own boost profile and drivers can choose their preferred engine sound by pressing a button on the steering wheel, or by selecting the relevant drive mode from the seven on offer.

UNIQUE CHASSIS

The Next-Gen Ranger Raptor has a unique chassis when compared to other Next-Gen Rangers. A series of unique mounts and reinforcements has been designed for elements including the C-pillar, load box, and spare wheel. Unique frames for the jounce bumper, shock tower, and rear shock bracket all combine to ensure the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor can handle punishing off-road conditions.

A high-performance off-roader needs the running gear to match, and Next-Generation Ranger Raptor’s suspension is completely redesigned. It has new lightweight aluminium upper and lower control arms, long-travel front and rear suspension, and refined Watt’s link equipped coil-spring rear suspension. The suspension hardware is from Fox, tuned and developed by Ford Performance. Ranger Raptor’s rough terrain capability is enhanced with underbody protection made from 2.3mm-thick, high-strength steel. The front bash plate is almost double the size of the standard Ranger bash plate.

For the first time, Ranger Raptor gets an advanced permanent four-wheel drive system with an all-new electronically controlled ondemand two-speed transfer case, combined with front and rear locking differentials, a feature that hardcore off-roaders will appreciate.

“We really wanted the Baja mode to be the ultimate expression of off-road, high-speed capability,” said Burn. “It’s a feature at the core of what the Ranger Raptor customer expects.”

The interior features orange accents on the instrument panel and trim, and seats are enhanced by Raptor’s ambient lighting, which illuminates the interior in an amber glow. Next-Generation Ranger Raptor boasts a fully digital cabin, with a high resolution 12.4-inch digital cluster, and 12-inch centre touchscreen and entertainment system, which offers both Apple and Android6 wireless smartphone connectivity.

Nearproduction sketches reveal new 2022 Amarok

A new Amarok will be launched on the global market in 2022 with a host of new features. VW says these include driver assistance systems that are new in this segment that are designed to make daily driving more comfortable for future Amarok customers. It is also intended to have better off-road characteristics, including greater ground clearance.

The new pick-up from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hanover sticks with a V6TDI which should please existing diesel ute fans. The exterior of the new Amarok is more defined and the interior has also been enhanced.

VW says the comfort, operating concept, connectivity, and ambience in the all-new interior will raise the benchmark for the ute market globally.

“The expressive front designs of our pick-up with a charismatic Amarok signature that is also found in very large letters on the cargo box at the rear is sported very proudly by the Amarok,” says Albert-Johann Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. A standard Euro pallet fits between the wheel housings again and loads can be safely secured.

The exterior of the new Amarok has grown 10cm in length to 5.35 metres and its body will also be wider than the current version, giving more legroom in the second row.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Amarok has been in series production since 2010. More than 815,000 vehicles were sold in 12 years. Developed by teams in Australia and Europe, the latest version of premium pick-up will be produced in Silverton in South Africa in future. Its name means ‘wolf’ in North American Inuit.

Play station wagon

General Motors has patented an idea that would turn a vehicle into a video game controller.

The patent filing focuses on using the steering wheel and pedals to control the car in the game which would display on the car’s console screen. Documentation says gaming controllers or joysticks would also work, so passengers could also play.

Presumably this tech would work while the car is parked, making the car a virtual driving cockpit.

The filing also lists wackier potential uses, such as a driver activating the game while driving, and the vehicle’s various sensors would combine their data to create a virtual representation of the surroundings. Weather sensors could amp up the virtual reality, adding heavier rain or snow for example or, if driving on an especially hot day, the surroundings would appear to melt.

GM’s patent doesn’t say how the company intends to use this tech in the real world.

Overseas trend to be mirrored here?

In what may be a trend we also see here as petrol prices sky rocket, UK data also shows a stunning acceleration in the average time it takes for a used EV to sell.

On average, in December a used EV sold in just 26 days, which is 8 days faster than the average time it takes for a used petrol vehicle to sell (34) and 4 days faster than a used diesel (30). This in turn dropped 18 days from the start of 2021, when they used to take an average of 44 days to sell.

According to AutoTrader UK’s Fastest Selling Index, the 2016 Nissan Leaf (automatic) was the fastest-selling used car in the UK in 2021, taking an average of just 17 days to leave forecourts.

This reflects the recent surge in demand for electric and low-emission vehicles. The top 10 included the electric Leaf’s French counterpart, the Renault Zoe (2018, automatic), which was 2019’s fastest-selling used car. It took an average of just 20 days to leave forecourts, making it 2021’s seventh fastest-selling used car. Two petrol-hybrids also made it onto the list: the 2016 Toyota Prius (automatic) and the 2016 Toyota Yaris (automatic), taking an average of 19 days and 20 days respectively to sell.

AutoTrader’s data shows that engagement in electric cars on its site is up 74 per cent year on year. One in five new car searches on its marketplace is for an EV. Topping the list for the most viewed EV last year is Ford’s new fully electric SUV, the Mustang Mach-E, which fended off stiff competition from the already iconic Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Volkswagen ID.3, which came in second and third place respectively.

The Mach-E is the only pure electric vehicle to make it onto the coveted list of top 10 viewed new cars in 2021, reaching an impressive 9th position.

2021 FASTEST-SELLING USED CARS (BY DAYS TO TURN)

Rank Make/Model Fuel & Transmission AutoTrader Predicted Retail Rating Days to Sell

1 2016 Nissan Leaf 2 2016 Toyota Prius 3 2016 Mazda CX-5

Electric – Automatic 99.96 17 Petrol Hybrid – Automatic 99.78 19 Diesel – Manual 99.83 19 4 2016 Peugeot 3008 Diesel – Automatic 98.17 19 5 2016 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Diesel – Automatic 95.46 20 6 2016 Toyota Yaris Petrol Hybrid – Automatic 99.28 20 7 2018 Renault Zoe Electric – Automatic 99.72 20 8 2016 Peugeot 308 SW Diesel – Manual 96.90 21 9 2016 Nissan Qashqai Diesel – Automatic 98.51 21 10 2016 Ford Grand C-IV Diesel – Manual 98.04 21

Hyundai launches N-spec version of its rally hot hatch

Hyundai’s first light hot hatchback delivers speed and performance that turn every trip into a Special Stage.

It is Namyang and Nürburgring honed to deliver a ‘corner rascal’ flavour, making the i20 N trackday-tastic straight from the showroom.

The i20 N’s European light hatchback basis gives customers a cleverly practical everyday performance car, complete with a 10.25-inch colour Supervision digital cluster and 10.25-inch satellite navigation infotainment unit, SmartSense safety alongside the driver-focused N technologies.

Offered in a single feature-packed grade, the i20 N is powered by a 150kW turbocharged 1.6-litre with overboost function driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual and mechanical LSD.

“We are excited to introduce the i20 N compact hot hatchback, joining its siblings the i30 N and Kona N,” says Hyundai New Zealand general manager, Chris Blair.

“To celebrate its arrival we’re launching the i20 N with an exclusive offer to reward the early adopters and true N enthusiasts. i20 N orders taken to date, and up to 31 March 2022, will come with an amazing Hyundai New Zealand Rally Experience Package, including a rally ride with world rally driver Hayden Paddon, hospitality to WRC Rally New Zealand, plus more.”

The potent four-cylinder puts its power down via a six-speed manual and a mechanical limited-slip diff (LSD), while a performance brake package is designed to handle extensive on-track punishment.

Five-time national champion Hayden Paddon achieved his one WRC win in one of these — sort of — making a Paddon version a tempting prospect.

Hyundai New Zealand has no plans to introduce the basic i20, so if you see one of these it’s the hot one.

Ford tests footsteps

Would modern cars’ driver alerts work much better if they simulated the sounds — and the direction of sounds — made by potential hazards, such as pedestrians and bicycles?

Ford is trialling the use of in-car audio to convey the location of other road users or pedestrians. In addition, they are testing the use of recognisable sounds — such as footsteps, bicycle bells, and the sound of passing cars — rather than a single tone.

Initial tests revealed that drivers using ‘Directional Audio Alerts’ were significantly more accurate when it came to identifying potential hazards and their position.

“Today’s warning tones inform drivers when they need to take care and be vigilant. Tomorrow’s technology could alert us to both exactly what the hazard is and where it is coming from,” said Oliver Kirstein, SYNC software engineer, Enterprise Connectivity, Ford Europe.

Ford vehicles currently use a suite of sensors to identify when pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles are nearby to generate visual and audible alerts and apply emergency braking if necessary.

Directional audio alert takes these warnings a step further. Ford-developed software uses information from the sensors to select an appropriate sound and play it through the speaker closest to the obstacle.

Tests in a simulated environment showed that drivers alerted by directional audio correctly identified the nature and source of the hazard 74 percent of the time. Even just emitting a regular tone from the appropriate speaker enabled the driver to correctly identify the location of the object 70 percent of the time.

Engineers also set up a real-world scenario on the test track, with a vehicle backing out of a parking space, an approaching pedestrian, and the footsteps alert. Participants in the test responded positively to the footsteps sound, especially when this intuitive alert was played through a specific speaker.

In future, engineers believe that those results might be further improved by using 3D spatial sound similar to that used in cinemas and gaming to better enable drivers to identify the source of the hazard.