10 minute read
A NEW AUTO-CRACY
THE FUTURE OF
TRANSPORTATION
Our Future of Transportation Special 100th issue, starts with T&FME looking at 10 vehicles and concepts setting the technology pace
MEET ROXO: A DELIVERY STAR IN THE MAKING
Roxo is an autonomous specialty delivery device, designed to travel on sidewalks and along roadsides, safely delivering smaller shipments to customers’ homes and businesses. Its features include pedestrian-safe technology, multiple cameras and LiDAR allowing the zero-emission, battery-powered bot to be aware of its surroundings. These features are coupled with machine-learning algorithms to detect and avoid obstacles, plot a safe path, and allow the bot to follow road and safety rules. Proprietary technology makes it highly capable, allowing it to navigate unpaved surfaces, curbs, and to even climb deep flights of steps for an extraordinary door-to-door delivery experience.
FedEx Express and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) are trialling Roxo, in the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) community on an optimised route along footpaths and roadsides with Roxo using laser detection and ranging sensors (LiDAR), multiple cameras, and radar, and coupled with machine-learning algorithms to avoid obstacles. Each battery-powered Roxo unit is 157 cm tall, and weighs 204 kg with a carrying capacity of 45 kg. Its versatile wheelbase can manoeuvre through rough and uneven surfaces, and also climb up and descend from pavements, says the delivery giant.
ECANTER: FUSING THE BEST IN LCV AND ELECTRIC DRIVELINES
The difficulty of developing batteries and infrastructure to support larger and long haul trucks means that if you want to go electric, then you need to go light. At least for the next few years. Fuso’s eCanter is a prime example of how much further ahead LCVs are compared to their bigger cousins and is already being used in a number of last-mile projects around the world. We have even seen the truck make its debut in the Middle East at last year’s WETEX and it’s easy to see that it could be deployed here after a new and improved – and ready for series production – version was unveiled early in 2022. The Mitsubishi-Fuso corporation has recently stated that it wants all new models to be electric by 2039 in Japan, but the rate of development is so fast in electric vehicles that they could be dominating global production as we close out the first half of the century.
ESPRINTER: READY TO SPEED INTO FLEETS GLOBALLY
Also heading out of the Daimler stable is the eSprinter and it is very much riding the cost-tails of some inviting grants and tax exemptions in Europe. Early models are already available in the pre-owned market there and you can even offset the upfront cost by tapping into financing if you want to go new. The entry of the Ford E-Transit has been shrugged off by the German giant as it prepares its new 2023 model for release with its tightly concealed specifications like to include a range of 260-320km (double previous models) and industry insiders believe there will be three battery options and a potential top speed of 120 km/hr.
E-TRANSIT CUSTOM: THE GREEN MAN IN A VAN
As seen in our last issue, Ford has finally committed to electrifying its van range via its Turkish partner Ford Otosan. The company headquartered on the Mediterranean coast made waves with the excellent F-Max a couple of years ago and it’s really becoming Ford’s secret weapon when it comes to commercial vehicle development. An all-electric E-Transit began production in March this year as part of a two-year roll-out of electric vehicles bearing the Ford badge with the E-Transit Custom being the next off the production line and likely to head straight to the European market where the one-tonner has been traditionally so strong.
“This is a watershed moment for commercial vehicle operators, and another hugely significant realisation of our Ford Pro ambitions,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “Europe’s best-selling van just went all-electric and – supported by our Ford Pro one-stop-shop of productivityboosting services – the operating benefits this will bring to business across Europe cannot be overstated.”
READY TO ROLL?
SEMI SEEN AT TX RODEO
TESLA SEMI: A MUSK HAVE FOR EARLY ADOPTERS
It seems churlish to suggest that a truck yet to head into service is the granddaddy of all things heavy and electric but it can’t be coincidence that the reveal of the Tesla Semi five years ago kick-started a wave of large truck announcements. It has emerged this summer from its own hiatus in a string of announcements and photo ops, including a spin on the Laguna Seca racetrack, suggesting Elon Musk’s pet project could be close to fulfilling those early adopter orders, including the UAE’s own BEEAH. Rumours of supply chain issues (surely, post-Covid that’s not even worthy of gossip?) particularly with the batteries suggest that it has endured a troubled half-decade but it is expected to return to disrupt in the next 12 months. Wherever you stand on the pun in its title, its pick-up cousin, the Cybertruck, has, for T&FME’s money, the cooler name.
VERA: VEERING AWAY FROM LOGISTICS DRIVERS
Volvo believes in autonomous vehicles, it just doesn’t think they should be on the road…yet. It’s been almost four years since Volvo first revealed VERA its foray into autonomous semi haulers and since then the Swedish company has been building its Volvo Autonomous Systems business up to turn the logistics vehicle and its dumper sibling TARA into real alternatives in closed environment settings. Arguably as important, is the work with DFDS at the Port of Gothenburg to use the V.A.S. Cloud solution to get driverless vehicles communicating with the port’s logistics centre. Volvo clearly believe that a suite of new technologies need to be created to make autonomous vehicles practical in the real world.
“We see ourselves as an integrator of emerging technologies to create solutions, bundling hardware and software, and then if necessary, operating it on behalf of the customer,” says Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
M GLORY: ONE FOR THE HOME TEAM
New mobility can mean new industry and the UAE clearly intends to get itself further up the automotive ladder with the creation of cars and jobs through M Glory. Seemingly based on China-based Sokon’s own Glory compact SUV, the car is a statement of intent when it comes to elevating the sector in the region. Its recently unveiled the first plant of its kind in the UAE and is expected to produce 55,000 cars per year to meet a rising demand for green mobility. Under the leadership of the visionary Dr Magda Al Azazi it will create more than 1,000 jobs and the electric cars will be exported to the GCC, Egypt, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali and Kenya.
“The factory will produce a variety of electric cars, the types and details of which will be revealed during the coming period,” Dr Al Azazi has stated.
CRUISE: A TOP GUN IN CONTROL
General Motors has been determined to push ahead with a number of electric vehicles in the region sensing that the market could be a lot more receptive to new forms of mobility than it is often given credit for. We will soon see the entry of the Bolt EV and an electrified Hummer but the creation of its Brightdrop business will see an expansion of its commercial vehicle and fleet offerings into new markets. Highest on the list of potentials in the Middle East is the Cruise which is due to enter Dubai taxi fleet next year. The fully electric Cruise Origin is a level 4-5 autonomous vehicle designed to carry out ride-hailing duties. Like any emerging technology, Cruise Origin hasn’t been without its blips, including 20 of them gathering at an intersection and blocking traffic for two hours in their town of San Francisco. That said, it has also performed admirably since coming into trial service two years ago.
THE 8 ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUELS
1. ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Cars and vans that run on mains electricity drawn from a charging point installed at your business or a participating service station.
2. FUEL-CELL ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Vehicles powered by a fuel-cell that converts compressed hydrogen into electricity to power the vehicle.
3. GAS-TO-LIQUID VEHICLES
Suitable for use in normal diesel engines, GTL is natural gas — the cleanest-burning fossil fuel — which has been converted to a liquid.
4. BIOFUELS
Made from renewable sources such as sugarcane, biofuels can be used by themselves or blended with petrol and diesel.
ROBOTAXI: THE NEXT STEP IN TAXIS
Talking of autonomous taxis, to develop the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi, Hyundai turned to driver-less vehicle specialist Motional. The Ioniq 5 Robotaxi features a technology-driven design that celebrates the innovation behind the autonomous operation. The vehicle’s sensor suite is prominently displayed across the exterior, easily distinguishing the robotaxi from human piloted vehicles.
The Robotaxi, due to start trialling in 2023, has more than 30 sensors – a combination of cameras, radars, and lidar – that provide robust 360-degree perception, high-resolution images, and ultra-long range detection of objects for safe autonomous operation in diverse driving environments. The robotaxi will be outfitted with Motional’s proven driverless technology, which includes advanced machine learning systems – trained on decades of real world data – that enables the vehicle to safely navigate challenging and complex driving situations.
“I’ve been developing autonomous vehicles for my entire adult life; the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi is the product of extensive collaboration between Hyundai and Motional we’re excited by this vehicle because it’s our first commercial product and it’s also the first time many people will experience driverless technology,” says Carl Janyema, president and CEO, Motional. “So, we look forward to launching this system and we look forward to serving hundreds of thousands of riders with the Ioniq platform,” he says.
5. HYBRIDS
Powered by a mix of electricity and internal combustion, usually petrol or diesel, hybrid vehicles lower fuel emissions but deliver power and range.
CABLESS DRIVERLESS
AXL IS 100% ROBOTIC
6. LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS VEHICLES
LPG burns cleaner than traditional fuels, producing lower emissions but engines must be modified before they can run on it.
7. LIQUID NATURAL GAS (LNG)
A natural gas that has been converted to a liquid, LNG is a low-emission high-density fuel. This makes it particularly suitable for long distance haulage.
8. COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG)
Methane stored at high pressure, CNG can be used in specially designed engines or in standard petrol and diesel engines that have been slightly modified.
