RevieW ii

Eastern promise fulfilled! Harris Maxus promised exciting additions to the Chinese automotive group’s range, and they delivered with aplomb! At the CV Show at the NEC, Birmingham, a large crowd gathered at one end of Hall 5 to witness the reveal of two new electric vehicles destined for the UK & Ireland markets. Available to order by August will be the new Maxus MIFA Multi-Purpose Vehicle and the T90EV Pick-up truck. Both fully electric.

Offering a range distance of 520 km, the 7/8-seater MIFA with its 93 kWh battery pack and a power output of 180 kW with 350 Nm, will be available to customers from early 2023. Within the same timeframe, new customers will be able to get their hands on the new T90 Pick-up, which runs for 320km between charges and provides a 740 kg payload. Both RWD & 4WD drivetrain variants are powered by a 150 kW motor and come with a 88.55 kWh battery pack. Harris Maxus showcased a dozen electric vehicles at the event in all.

Pick-up trucks are big business in every sense of the word and Ford UK pulled out all the stops to premiere two new generations of its best-selling Ranger product lines. The all-new Ranger Wildtrak and Ranger Raptor certainly took centre-stage at Ford’s traditional location in Hall 5. Customer ordering and delivery will be spread out over the next 18 months with certain Raptor models coming on stream first.

At the main entrance to the NEC, Isuzu UK provided a taster of what could be seen inside with an example of the awe-inspiring Arctic Trucks AT35 D-Max Pick-up on display. On its stand was the ultimate in extreme outdoor pursuits living Basecamp edition. This once-off expedition-ready special D-Max features a roof tent and even a kitchen sink!

In keeping with the off-road theme, another debutant came from the INEOS brand with the Grenadier 4x4 off-road, multi-purpose vehicle that promises best in class capability, durability and reliability for operators who depend on a vehicle as a working or business tool. Pricing for the UK market has been announced and the appointment of an Irish distributor is imminent.

Latest progress report from Volta Trucks is that the start-up electric delivery truck brand has teamed up with Carrier Transicold to provide an emission free refrigeration system on its 16-tonne and 18-tonne Volta Zero rigids.

Continuing the zero-emission theme is LEVC – London Electric Vehicle Company has done a deal to install GeoTab telematics on its VN5 electric van. “This system brings significant efficiency benefits for EV fleets and owner-drivers, using vehicle state of charge, driving behaviours and intelligent mapping to optimise vehicle performance,” stated Joerg Hoffman, CEO, LEVC.

When considering the fitment of internal and external vehicle safety systems on trucks, Brigade Electronics continues to develop life saving technologies. Demonstrated during the three day event was a virtual cab that showed visitors how its Sidescan Predict programme protects both the driver and vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians. Linked to its Digital Video Recorder, the system can provide irrefutable evidence in the case of an incident.

Manufacturers of pick-up trucks love to explore special edition opportunities, with Ford and Isuzu leading the way. Now it’s Toyota’s turn with the Hilux GR Sport. This flagship double-cab model, inspired by Toyota Gazoo Racing success in the Dakar Rally in recent years, features many unique enhancements.

Among the trailer manufacturers present was SDC Trailers which, surprisingly, did not feature an actual trailer on its stand (it was placed elsewhere in the hall). Purposely as it turned out, as it gave time for visitors to discover more about the company, particularly its growing parts and components business – 16,000 bits and more!

Fellow Northern Ireland builder Gray & Adams continues its 65th anniversary celebratory year with an ongoing focus on innovation . This was highlighted by the company’s collaboration with Carrier Transicold in 2021 to create the Vector eCool, the

first ever electric refrigerated trailer. In addition, co-operation with Sunswap resulted in producing a zero-emission refrigerated trailer, powered by the sun.

Also related to emission-free trailer technology was the new ePower axle from BPW. Previously premiered at Solutrans in Lyon last November, the ePower axle recovers energy when the trailer is moving, enabling a carbon-neutral, quiet and independent supply of power to refrigeration units for temperature-controlled road transport.

On the telematics front Corcra, formerly known as NIBC is now renamed Cubo, in line with the ongoing transition and evolvement of the Antrim-based fleet management and telematics provider. Over the 20 years of its business, significant growth has been achieved with numerous major road transport fleet contracts gained, including DCC Retail & Oil, Mulgrew Haulage, Montgomery Transport, Hannon, BM & Elsatrans.

The Bennie Group is agent for the Terberg Kingfisher truck-mounted forklift that comes with a high payload and Yanmar Stage V diesel engine. Optional extras can be added to meet specific application requirements.

ORBCOMM, which acquired the Galway based Blue Tree Systems, is a global leader in GPS fleet management software, telematics and vehicle tracking. It has been selected by CoolKit, the largest manufacturer of temperature-controlled vans in the United Kingdom, to deliver temperature monitoring, management and compliance for the refrigerated vehicles it provides to customers in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food and beverage and agricultural industries.

Regarding security for vans of all types, shapes and sizes, Lock4Vans remains on top of its game. At the show it launched its latest locking and shielding products that it described as indestructible. A guide to the latest vehicle attacks and how to prevent them was also available. CV Show 2023 will once again be held at the NEC, from 13-15 April 2023.

Monaghan based heavy lifting equipment manufacturers Megalift has supplied a second new generation container side-lifter to Hyland Transport. The Portlaoise, County Laois haulage company is an industry leader in this area - lifting and dropping fully loaded containers via the Megalift side-lifter since 2018.

The firm’s owner Ger Hyland upgraded to the new Megalift “MKII” version, which comes with features such as swapping from 20ft to 40ft from the comfort of the driver compartment. The new solas compliant weight system and the new ultra-light cranes which combine to reduce weight and increase payload are some of the reasons he opted yet again for the Megalift system.

“Having now delivered the second Megalift just recently, it is a testimony to our product and ongoing after-sales and support which is paramount to receiving repeat orders like this, stated Meredith Hall, Managing Director, Megalift.

Megalift currently manufactures 40 container lifters per year at Ballinode, County Monaghan and although most of its business is export focused, the Irish market has grown significantly and with more and more customers wanting to load/unload containers from the ground.