Car news

AC goes DC

IT IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES WHEN A CAR COMPANY AS TRADITIONAL AS AC — EVEN THE REVIVED VERSION OF THIS VENERABLE BRAND — LAUNCHES A TRIBUTE CAR TO THE PASSING OF THE PETROL AGE.

This continuation model of the AC Ace sports car dating from 1961 — now updated and relaunched as the AC Ace RS — is produced by AC Cars, the original manufacturer.

AC Cars CEO Alan Lubinsky says: “The original Ace was the archetypal British sports car — fast, light and nimble, and a real classic of its generation which was the inspiration for the global classic, the iconic AC Cobra.

“Our new AC Ace RS model has all those virtues and more besides, brought together in an updated package which retains a traditional feel and driver appeal within a low overall weight of just 1000kg. The AC Ace RS is similar in detail and identical in appearance to the original 1962 AC Ace.”

The car is powered by a lightweight 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which develops 350bhp and 440Nm of torque, enough for a 0–100kph time of 5.8 seconds.

“The new AC Ace RS may well be the last ever new AC model to be powered by a petrol engine. Already, virtually every one of our current model range offers an electric driveline as we at AC lead the sports car industry into greener territory,” Lubinsky says.

Orders for the AC Ace RS are now being taken for delivery in mid 2022. Price: NZ$173,500.

Kerb your enthusiasm

Škoda UK research reveals more than a third of motorists are driving vehicles with ‘damaged’ alloy wheels, with 56 per cent caused by hitting a kerb.

Hitting a wheel could lead to tyre faults, tracking issues and steering vibrations.

Almost a third of UK drivers admitted to hitting another vehicle or object when parking. There are more than 13 million damaged alloy wheels in the UK. Parallel parking is the single biggest cause of alloy wheel damage — which makes intelligent sensing systems and automated parallel and perpendicular parking more than just gimmicks.

The total collective expense for UK motorists would come to more than £890m to fix all alloy wheels damaged by kerb impact. 83 per cent of drivers said the damage had been caused by someone in their own household, according to Škoda’s data. Despite the high number of damaged alloy wheels, a third of drivers claimed to be very confident when parking although almost half (45 per cent) saying they

Škoda’s study of alloy wheel damage was made up of 2000 drivers nationwide.

Next BMW platform under development

BMW WILL KICK-START THE THIRD PHASE OF ITS ELECTRIFICATION STRATEGY IN 2025 WITH AN ALL-NEW 3-SERIES.

It will feature Munich’s sixth-generation electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapidcharging capability, lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials.

Set to be sold alongside other new batteryelectric and combustion-engined saloons, the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform with the internal codename NK1, will pave the way for the next new-generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs.

The NK1 is likely to be positioned initially as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series.

The modular Neue Klasse platform, which is currently undergoing development at BMW’s FIZ research and innovation centre in Munich, is planned to serve as the basis for all BMW-badged electric models from 2025 onwards, providing the scope for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheeldrive, and four-wheel-drive layouts in different wheelbase and track widths, ride heights, and wheel sizes ranging from 18in to 22in.

“The Neue Klasse represents the beginning of a new phase of operations for BMW,” says research and development chief Frank Weber. “It’s scaled to allow us to build electric cars from a 2 Seriessized saloon up to an X7-sized SUV.”

Its name references the pivotal saloon cars that BMW launched in the 1960s and 1970s, hinting at BMW’s ambition to reinvent and redefine its lineup.

As well as forming the basis for all of BMW’s new electric models, the aluminium and highstrength steel structure is being engineered to support plug-in hybrid powertrains with a front-mounted engine and an electrified rear axle in combination.

Weber adds that it could also support a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain if the regulatory framework currently being proposed in various markets, including China, calls for such a move.

This would allow factories to run both ICE and electric models down the same lines across BMW’s worldwide production network.

“We won’t be building separate structures. The Neue Klasse will see a big ramp-up in volume potential. We’ve learned a lot in scaling over the past two generations of platform development,” says Weber.

BMW's sportier i3S

Electric vehicle drivers drive to COP26 with a clear conscience

UNLIKE MOST OF THE WORLD’S LEADERS JETTING INTO THE COP26 UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN GLASGOW, REPRESENTATIVES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE DRIVERS’ ASSOCIATIONS WILL TRAVEL EMISSION FREE, BACKING UP THEIR CALL FOR MUCH FASTER TRANSPORT DECARBONISATION.

EV drivers will be calling for all new cars and light duty vans sold in the 28 countries (44 EV drivers’ associations) represented in the Global EV Drivers’ Alliance (GEVA) to have a plug by 2030, and to be fully zero emission by 2035 at the latest. A rapid shift to zero emission electric transport is currently being achieved in many countries and can be accelerated through supportive policies.

Transportation accounts for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion globally, of which road vehicles account for nearly 75%. That doesn’t count the amount of fuel burned in transporting crude oil and in generating the electricity used to refine it. GEVA is calling for action now to shift from vehicles burning fossil fuels to vehicles running on clean, renewable electricity.

EV drivers from Europe and the UK will be participating in the ‘Electric Road to COP26’. The route will take in the construction site for the Britishvolt EV battery gigafactory in Northumberland, on the way to Glasgow.

The EV drivers aim to increase the public’s awareness of the benefits of EVs for the environment and health – reducing carbon emissions and helping to improve air quality.

They also want to promote the voice of EV driver associations globally.

Joel Levin, Global EV Alliance (GEVA) chair, comments: “A shift to electric transport is essential to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce dangerous climate change, improve local air quality and people’s health in cities around the world. With the rapid improvements in EV technology and the new cars and vans coming into the market, it is entirely achievable.”

61 per cent of UK drivers would go electric

AN ONLINE YOUGOV POLL OF MORE THAN 1700 UK DRIVERS HAS REVEALED THAT 61% WOULD CONSIDER AN ELECTRIC CAR IF THEY WERE TO BUY A NEW OR USED VEHICLE IN 2022.

The online YouGov study of 1731 UK drivers commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman also showed that 18- to 24-year-olds would be the most likely to turn to battery power for their next car, with 79% of this age group saying they would opt for this type of propulsion. 59% said that the UK’s growing charging network would be an important reason. The greater choice of electric models now available appealed to 42%, with 39% citing fuel prices.

Around two thirds (68%) of drivers said this type of vehicle was better for the environment, whilst 39% liked the idea of charging at home. Similarly, nearly one in three (29%) stated that an electric car would suit their lifestyle in terms of their low monthly mileage and driving mainly in urban areas. Nearly a quarter (24%) felt that deciding to go electric would set a good example to others. Furthermore, around a fifth (19%) acknowledged that owning an electric car would require the maintenance of fewer moving parts and the topping up of less fluids when compared to running a vehicle with an engine.

Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and managing director of the Motor Ombudsman, says: “As our study has shown, electric vehicles are fast becoming a leading choice for motorists when buying a car. Current events, such as the rising cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps, the unavailability of fuel, as well as the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in the London area, are clearly front of mind for consumers, and are playing their part in the decision regarding what type of car to get next.”

Big, bigger, biggest

The anti-ute types will soon have an even bigger target to aim at.

Given the popularity of the RAM 1500, RAM Trucks New Zealand has announced it will bring in its big brothers, the 2500 and 3500. It has reason to be confident. The RAM 1500 has racked up nearly 250 registrations year to date, well ahead of the model’s total tally for 2020.

Each will each be offered in a crew cab 4×4 specification, priced from $179,990 to $184,990 which buys heavy metal measuring 6347mm in length, 2017mm wide, with a 4076mm wheelbase, in 3500 form. The middle brother 2500 is 6065mm long, 2120mm wide including mirrors, and has a 3784mm wheelbase.

Both are powered by a 6.7-litre Cummins inline six turbo diesel producing 276kW of power and 1152Nm of torque giving the 2500 a towing capacity rated at 6.9 tonnes while the 3500 is rated at 8.0 tonnes.

Porsche prize goes to Volkswagen

THE VIENNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (TU WIEN) AWARDED THE 22ND PORSCHE PRIZE TO VOLKSWAGEN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODULAR ELECTRIC DRIVE MATRIX (MEB).

The MEB enables economies of scale, reduces the cost of e-mobility and accelerates the transition to zero-emission mobility.

The internationally renowned Porsche Prize has been awarded for pioneering research and development in automotive engineering since 1977.

The director of TU Wien, Professor Dr. Sabine Seidler, alongside Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, and Dr. Hans Michel Piëch, member of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, presented the award to Volkswagen’s Thomas Ulbrich in the ballroom at Vienna University. In his eulogy, Professor Dr. Bernhard Geringer, member of the board of the Institute for Powertrains and Automotive Technology at TU Wien said: “The modular electric drive matrix will shape the future of electric mobility thanks to its innovative engineering. Its flexibility will form the basis of new application and design solutions. The economical standardisation of production and the economies of scale associated with the widespread distribution of the MEB will significantly reduce the cost of e-mobility. This will make sustainable individual mobility affordable for a huge customer base, without them having to forego the level of comfort and driving pleasure they are accustomed to.” As the member of the board for e-mobility (2018–2021), Ulbrich was pivotal in driving the development of the MEB and the Volkswagen brand’s transition to electric mobility. “With the MEB, we have not only created a highly industrialised and extremely competitive platform, we have also built an entire ecosystem with solutions for zero-emissions in the everyday lives of our customers. Volkswagen is bringing e-mobility to the masses. With it, we have laid the foundations — for the future for our Volkswagen brand and for the entire Volkswagen Group,” Ulbrich went on to say.

TU Wien’s Porsche Prize of 50,000 euros was donated by Louise Piëch, the daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, and has been awarded by the university’s jury every other year since 1977.

Honda offers 360 degree sensing

Honda says its new sensor array will be able to ‘see’ in every direction. Along with the camera currently used for Honda’s Sensing technology, the automaker is adding five millimeter-wave radar sensors to its vehicles. One will face forward and the others will be placed at the four corners of the vehicle to provide a 360 degree view.

With more sensors, it can now sense in more directions. Among the benefits the driver aid seeks to prevent collisions with pedestrians at intersections.

Similarly, Honda’s Front Cross Traffic Warning, which notifies the driver if it recognises the risk of a collision when the vehicle is moving at low speeds or starting from a stop, will be improved. With more angles covered, there are more opportunities for the system to recognise danger.

Honda Sensing 360 will also allow vehicles using adaptive cruise control to automatically change lanes on the freeway by simply using the turn signal.

The suite of sensors will also allow vehicles using adaptive cruise control to adjust their speed automatically when they reach a bend in the road. This will make turns smoother and more comfortable for all occupants.

Honda Sensing 360 will debut in 2022 with automobiles introduced to the Chinese market. The automaker intends to expand its integration into all vehicles by 2030.

AAA says Advanced Driver Aid Systems compromised by rain

Research conducted by the American Automobile Association has confirmed what many people supposed — that moderate to heavy rain can have severe impacts on driver aids and vehicle safety systems’ ability to operate correctly.

The association, with help from the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center, simulated rain and other environmental factors on a closed course to test ADAS systems in sub-optimal conditions. It tested automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance and found simulated moderate to heavy rain negatively affected their functioning.

On average tests of automatic emergency braking systems conducted at 40 kph in those conditions resulted in a collision with a stopped vehicle 17 per cent of the time. Testing conducted at56 kph resulted in a collision 33 per cent of the time.

Lane-keeping assistance systems fared much worse. Testing found that the systems allowed a car to veer outside of its lane 69 per cent of the time in aggregate.

“Vehicle safety systems rely on sensors and cameras to see road markings, other cars, pedestrians, and roadway obstacles. So naturally, they are more vulnerable to environmental factors like rain,” says Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive engineering and industry relations. “The reality is people aren’t always driving around in perfect, sunny weather so we must expand testing and take into consideration things people actually contend with in their day-today driving.”

Although some vehicles do provide an alert or deactivate their driver assistance systems in adverse conditions or if their sensors are compromised, none of the systems in AAA’s test alerted drivers to their impairment.

“AAA recognises these systems have the ability to lessen the chance of a crash and improve the overall safety of driving,” says Brannon. “Fine-tuning their performance and providing drivers with a more consistent experience will go a long way in unlocking their true potential.”