November 19, 2020
THE WITNESS
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13
WHEELS
www.witness.co.za
Rules for flying cars
New models
Kitty Hawk-Boeing joint venture teams up with Nasa to create urban air mobility guidelines ALWYN VILJOEN From California comes the news that Wisk, a JV between Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corporation that aims to sell the world’s first all-electric, self-flying air taxi, has teamed up with Nasa to help integrate autonomous aircraft systems into Urban Air Mobility applications at a national level in the U.S. Wisk has logged over 1 000 flights in testing the two-seater Cora in Canterbury, New Zealand, since October 2017 and its next step is to help set the rules for flying cars in the U.S. This is easy in New Zealand, where the government is working “toward a future where the speed and power of flight is woven into our everyday lives, and transportation is driven by clean, sustainable electric power”. But in the United States, a lot of red tape still needs to be cut at both state and federal level before people can start hailing flights from rooftops. Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk, said in a statement its partnership with Nasa’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign strategy will develop key guidance for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations, while addressing key challenges, such as certification and standards development, in an effort to accelerate U.S. leadership in emerging automated aviation technology. “Specifically, the partnership will initially address critical National Cam-
Wisk’s self-flying, eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi, on test in New Zealand since 2017, is one of 18 such ‘flying cars’ currently being developed by companies to bring traffic relief to congested cities by 2025. paign safety scenarios with a focus on autonomous flight and contingency management, including collision avoidance and flight path management,” Gysin said.. Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator for Nasa’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said Nasa believes partnering with Wisk will accelerate “the realisation of exciting new Advanced Air Mobility missions.
He said Nasa will evaluate architectures, perform simulation studies, and develop an overall validation framework that can be leveraged for autonomous flight assessments. “Wisk brings a tremendous amount of experience in electric vertical lift-off vehicle development, automation technologies, and flight test, and combines it with a safety-first mindset towards advancing autonomous flight,” Pearce said.
Flies like a drone The Cora takes off vertically, like a helicopter and then flies like a plane. Like a drone, the Cora uses self-flying software combined with human oversight. Twelve independent rotors provide lift, each with its own direct drive motor. The only moving parts in this collective drivetrain are the fans. In its redundancy testing, fail tests have shown that an issue with one rotor
is automatically handled by the remaining motors with no discernible change in the flight path. The Cora is also equipped with three independent flight computers that each calculate its location. Wisk said this triple redundancy ensures if there’s an issue with one of the flight computers, the Cora can still reliably navigate. But if all fails and the Cora needs to land without its fans, a parachute deploys.
Honda has two new models on dealer floors. Above is the 1,2 WR-V, an entry-level SUV with all of Honda’s proven attributes in terms of unrivalled quality, durability and reliability, according to president of Honda Motor Southern Africa Yuishi Fukuda. The boot fits 363 litres with the rear seats up, and an 881 litres with the rear seats folded flat. The seats folds easily using Honda’s proven system from the Jazz and HR-V, and it also shares an instrument panel with the Jazz. The WR-B comes only with a manual gearbox, mated to 1,2 V-Tec petrol engine makes 66 kW and 110 Nm and is covered by Honda’s five-year/200 000km warranty, backed by a fouryear/60 000km service plan as standard with service intervals every 15 000km. A three-year AA Roadside Assistance service is included in the WR-V’s pricing of R289 900 for the Comfort MT and R319 900 for the WRV 1,2 Elegance. Below is the new Ballade, of which three models are available, all equipped with the new 1,5L DOHC i-VTEC (89 kW, 145 Nm) powertrain and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), sold with the same warranty as WR-V. The Comfort CVT lists for R336 500, the Elegance CVT for R366 900, and the RS top spec model for R396 900.
New Max 3: more space with top-level protection
Online Aarto course for fleet owners The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences, or Aarto, system is due for national roll-out next July 1. Road traffic and transport legislation consultant Alta Swanepoel said it is vital that anyone who drives a vehicle on a public road knows what the Act is about and how it will affect them. Swanepoel, who was also part of the team to draft the Aarto Regulations and Schedules, and is the editor of Road Traffic and Road Transport Legislation Service, has developed an online training course to help company representatives and individuals understand the impact of the legislation. The self-paced course, offered in partnership with LexisNexis, consists of three modules covering the purpose of the legislation, administrative procedures, demerit points, discounts, forms, and a list of all the offences and infringements impacted by the legislation. It also includes a comprehensive manual with the Aarto Act and Draft Regulations as they will apply, as well as general notes on the impact of the legislation on company proxies, drivers, operators etc, providing expert, user-friendly advice to employers, senior executives, management staff and employees in complying with the legislation. The course costs R2 950 per delegate with a five percent discount for for 5-9 delegate group bookings or 10% discount for 10 or more delegate groups. Swanepoel said all road users, business owners, fleet managers and compliance officers need to have a clear understanding of the terms, conditions and penalties involved in Aarto, including the demerit system, an integral and vital part of the legislation. — WR.
SVI Engineering, specialist manufacturer of armoured products, has launched a new Max 3 vehicle for security, riot control, security, antipoaching and convoy protection. The new Max 3 boasts improved ergonomics, added interior space and bolder styling of the armoured steel shell. Built on a Toyota Land Cruiser 79 chassis, the armour protects against assault rifles with additional undercarriage protection against anti-personnel mines. The vehicle is available as a single cab, double-cab and armoured personnel carrier for up to eight people. Although mostly standard, the drivetrain is upgraded with the fitment of rims and tyres with a higher load rating, upgraded suspension and fitment of an additional rear anti-roll bar. The modular design of the vehicle allows short delivery times of three months for batches of up to 20 units and the vehicle is available in either left- or right-hand drive. Servicing of Max 3 is simplified because of its standard Toyota powertrain and drivetrain. Spare parts and service items are available at any Toyota dealership
SVI Engineering’s new and improved Max 3 armoured vehicle in its double-cab configuration.
worldwide. A service interval of 5 000 km is recommended owing to the intended usage profile and offroad application. SVI provides a factory warranty of one year, or
Specifications Engine: 4,5-litre, 8-cyl, turbodiesel Power: 151 kW and 430 Nm @ 1 200
to 3 200 rpm. Top speed: >140 km/h Price: From R1,6 million excluding VAT, depending on specification. — Wheels Reporter.
WE HAVE A LARGE VARIETY OF ENGINES AND GEARBOXES TO CHOOSE FROM
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Ferrari takes lid off its first hybrid Ferrari has revealed its first production plug-in hybrid — the SF90 Spider. The performance numbers keep all the promises made by those sleek lines and huge air intakes. The Spider literally jumps from 0-100 km/h in 2,5 seconds, passes the 200 km/h mark in 7 seconds and tops out at 340 km/h. It slams its 1 670 kg to a stop from 100km/h in 29,5 metres. An F1 eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends the power from a 574 kW, 800 Nm 3,9-litre turbocharged V8 over-bored engine to all four road-homologated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, with an electric front axle that allows torque vectoring for facedisplacing G-forces around corners. Expect the SF90 Spider to cost more than its fixed roof sibling, the Stradale, which sells for over R10,5 million in Mzansi.
Farmer’s Hino ready for next million A Hino 700 2854 operated by Heidedal Boerdery/Piekenierskloof Vrugte, situated on the Piekenierskloof Plateau, near Citrusdal in the Western Cape, is ready for the next million kilometres according to company owner and managing director Oubaas van Zyl and the truck-tractor’s dedicated driver, Andre Romburg. The Hino, which was bought new at Citrusdal Hino in March 2009, clocked up the million kilometres in September 2020. The main route travelled by the Hino, pulling a 30-ton tri-axle trail-
50 000 km for road use.
Mercedes-Benz has launched the GLE Coupé 400 d 4MATIC Sports Coupe from R1 814 000, which includes a 3-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel making 243 kW and 700 Nm between 1 200 and 3 200 rpm. Audi, meanwhile, has given the Q7 an all-around update, with its own butter-smooth diesel engine sending 183 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque via an eight-speed tiptronic to the permanent allwheel quattro system. Prices are R1 328 500 for the Q7 45 TDI quattro tiptronic while the S line tiptronic lists for R1 388 500. Both models come with the Audi’s 5-year or 100 000 km Audi Freeway plan. — WR. ,
er, is from the farm to Cape Town harbour for export of citrus, nectarines, peaches and apricots.
The million kilimetres were clocked with only regular servicing and the replacement of items such as batteries, compressed air pipes, brake linings and the like. No major work was required on the engine, gearbox, propellor shaft or rear axles during this period. “The cost per kilometre of operating this truck is still very acceptable considering that major costs during the period it clocked up a million kilometres have been limited, basically, to servicing and tyre replacement, so it will remain a mainstay in our fleet,” said Van Zyl. — WR.
HILUX 2.4D 2L2 ENGINE COMPLETE 4 BOLT R 20 000-00 HILUX 2KD 2X4 MANUAL GEARBOXES
R 5 500
VW GOLF 5 1.9 TDI BKC/ BXE ENGINE COMPLETE
R 17 500
VW GOLF5/ CADDY 1.6 BSE ENGINE COMPLETE
R 15 000
PICANTO/ATOS G4HD/G4HG ENGINE COMPLETE ALUMINIUM INTAKE R 10 000-00 MANUAL 5 SPEED GEARBOXES OLD TYPE METAL GEARBOXES R 2 500-00
TOYOTA COROLLA/RUNX ENGINE COMPLETE R 15 000-00 4ZZ/3ZZ/1ZZ MANUAL ALUMINIUM 5 SPEED GEARBOXES R 2 500-00
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