Auto Briefs

EV Recap report

Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council recently published the Australian Electric Vehicle Industry Recap 2022 Report that shows that last year was good in terms of EV sales in Australia. Sales of new EVs in Australia almost doubled in 2022, compared with 2021. The market is trailing the global average estimated to be 12 percent to 14 percent in 2022. EVs still represent less than 0.5 percent of Australia’s passenger and light commercial vehicle fleet.

SA

Drops Tax For Electric Cars

South Australia has abolished its controversial road user tax, the per kilometre charge for electric cars. The SA Parliament voted to repeal the tax which was due to come into force in July 2027 or when electric cars reached 30 percent of new car sales. The tax was to pay 2.5 cents for every kilometre and was meant to offset lost revenue from fuel excise. Victoria is the only state to have a road user tax with electric and hydrogen cars charged 2.5 cents per kilometre and plug-in hybrids charged at 2 cents per kilometre.

Michael Filazzola MD for Stellantis

Stellantis Australia has appointed Michael Filazzola to the role of Managing Director, Australia, encompassing the Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Fiat Professional and Abarth brands.

Mr Filazzola replaces Kevin Flynn, after 47 years in the automotive industry. Over three decades, Mr Flynn worked across multiple countries and brands including Lexus, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Porsche.

Mr Filazzola has worked in the automotive and aftermarket industry for more than 28 years, working across Australia, China and the Southeast Asia markets. He has extensive knowledge of the automotive ecosystem, holding a variety of roles as a senior executive across sales, aftersales, customer experience, purchasing and supply chain, and product development while at General Motors, Holden Australia and Bapcor.

Deakin pinpoints reason for lithium battery degradation

Deakin University research has pinpointed a crucial mechanism inside lithium-metal batteries that could prevent battery degradation.

In a paper published in the Journal of Power Sources, Institute for Frontier Materials researchers based at the ARC Training Centre for Future Energy Storage Technologies (StorEnergy) have revealed the adverse effect of ‘lithium metal creep’ deformation on the performance of Li-metal pouch cell batteries and their safety. The research shows how ‘Li creep’, which is the slow deformation of lithium metal, contributes to the degradation of the separator within a Li-metal pouch cell. The separator plays an important role in preventing a short circuit inside a battery.

This study shows that current commercial separators are not mechanically compatible with the next generation of high-energy density batteries, and novel battery separators should be developed to meet the mechanical requirements. The next step in this line of research is a closer investigation of separators.

BMW bringing man and machine closer

The BMW Group shared its vision of the future digital experience at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas with its i Vision Dee.

The name “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience, the aim is to create an even stronger bond between people and their cars going forward.

Future digital functions will go far beyond the level of voice control and driver assistance systems. The BMW Head-Up display extends across the full width of the windscreen, providing a glimpse of the next vehicle generation.

From 2025 onwards, this innovation will be available in the models of the NEUE KLASSE (new class of vehicles).

“With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge. In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalisation to transform the car into an intelligent companion,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

With its intelligent, almost human capabilities, BMW i Vision Dee accompanies drivers not only through real-life situations on the roads, but also in their digital environment.

The BMW Mixed Reality Slider, in combination with the advanced Head-up display, is the digital highlight and central operating control of BMW i Vision Dee.

Using shy-tech sensors on the instrument panel, drivers can decide for themselves how much digital content they want to see on the advanced Head-Up display.

The five-step selection ranges from analogue to driving-related information, to the contents of the communications system, to augmented-reality projection, right up to entry into virtual worlds.

In parallel, dimmable windows can also be used to gradually fade out reality.

The digital experience begins outside the vehicle, with a personalised welcome scenario that combines graphical elements, light and sound effects.

The headlights and the closed BMW kidney grille also form a common phygital (fusion of physical and digital) icon on a uniform surface, allowing the vehicle to produce different facial expressions.

This means BMW i Vision Dee can talk to people and, at the same time, express moods such as joy, astonishment or approval visually. BMW i Vision Dee can also project an image of the driver’s avatar onto the side window to further personalise the welcome scenario.

“With BMW i Vision Dee, we are showing how the car can be seamlessly integrated into your digital life and become a trusty companion. The vehicle itself becomes your portal to the digital world with the driver always in control,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design.

“Implemented the right way, technology will create worthwhile experiences, make you a better driver and simply bring humans and machines closer together.”

Soft target

AB Dynamics has launched the Soft Scooter 360, a highly realistic Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) test target. It enables vehicle manufacturers to safely test and develop ADAS and autonomous vehicle systems.

It has been developed in response to the significant growth of PTWs globally, which is being driven in part by the increased environmental, economic and practical benefits of electric PTWs.

The motorcycle, moped and scooter market is projected to increase by more than 37 percent over the next five years reaching 65.2 million annual sales.

The target is highly-realistic and features speed-matched rotating wheels that provide a micro-Doppler effect, which is important for radar sensors. A photorealistic vinyl skin enhances camera detection and a comparative radar signature to a real scooter and rider also increases realism for sensor characterisation.

It uses a lightweight tubular skeleton surrounded by highly durable foam pieces. The hard points of the target have also been minimised to reduce possible damage to the test vehicle. For example, the ends of the handlebars are hollowed rubber to provide better compliance if it comes into contact with the vehicle.

Unlike some alternatives, the rider is a separate piece that is mounted to the scooter rather than being an integrated section, this also helps to reduce damage to the test vehicle during a collision. The scooter section of the target has been wrapped in a hard-wearing and easily replaceable vinyl skin meaning the cost of maintaining it is minimised.

The Soft Scooter 360 meets the ISO/WD 19206-5 standard and is compatible with C-NCAP’s latest protocols. It is capable of withstanding front and side impact speeds of 40kph and 60kph respectively.

The type of test scenarios it will be used for include; lane cut-in where the scooter overtakes and cuts into the same lane as the test vehicle; blind spot where the test vehicle attempts to change lanes with the scooter positioned in the test vehicle’s blind spot; intersections where the scooter and test vehicle cross the intersection perpendicular to each other at the same time.

University of Auckland engineers working at McLaren

Sixty years after Bruce McLaren made the journey from New Zealand to England to establish the company that still bears his name today, two young engineers followed in his footsteps as part of a scholarship established in his honour.

University of Auckland (UoA) mechanical engineering students

Sabrina Yarndley and Joshua Cates are the latest Bruce McLaren engineering scholars to be welcomed to McLaren to hone their skills at the Woking-based UK supercar company.

They were greeted at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking by former UoA alumna Lizzy Grant, herself a former Bruce McLaren engineering scholar in 2019 and now working on battery technologies crucial to the company’s future electrified powertrains.

They were also joined by fellow Kiwi Piers Scott, the company’s executive director of PR, and Jim Marsh, chief transformation and people officer.

Ms Yarndley and Mr Cates will be completing a three-month scholarship that will see them working in multiple departments across the company.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Bruce McLaren studied there and went on to become an accomplished engineer and innovator as well as a successful racing car driver.

BusTech electric bus to hit the roads

Australia’s first designed and manufactured electric bus the BusTech ZDI-450 represents the next generation in connected zero emission transit and will soon be a familiar sight in public and private bus services around the country.

The ground-breaking design has been tailored for Australian conditions with a 452kWh battery capacity that is the most powerful of its kind in the Australian market, and a rapid charge time of just two hours.

The durable, marine-grade stainless steel chassis has been tested over 300 million km. Its lightweight integrated structure has room for 45 seated and 21 standing passengers in a stylish interior designed for safety and comfort.

Ten of the innovative new electric coaches are currently on order and the first one has been delivered to the Clarks Logan City Bus Service, in Queensland.

The ZDI-450 is the centrepiece in BusTech’s manufacturing strategy which aims to fast track the clean energy transformation in the public transport sector with innovative designs made to suit Australian conditions.

“Public transport is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. If

Bus Briefs

Mercedes-Benz out of bus and coach arena in Australia we want to protect the environment, we need to move on that now,” said BusTech Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Queensland operations Martin Hall.

Mercedes-Benz is hitting the pause button on sales of new buses and coaches in the Australian market and has not indicated when the company will return to that arena.

The company said in a statement that it was pausing sales because its future products were not the best fit for Australia. M-B will continue to support existing products with parts and technical support.

It is touted that the reason that this has happened is Australia’s peculiar and outdated design regulations.

Fuso buses are not affected.

ARCC, a NSW manufacturer of buses announced that it has made the first hydrogen cell bus, the prototype is to go into service in autumn. ARCC was started just six years ago.

Queensland’s government is boosting local manufacturing by making buses in that state. The government said it would work with manufacturers to assist them to that end.

The next step in developing the state’s bus manufacturing policy is to work with industry to better understand the capacity.

Transit Systems has won a major contract that will help the company expand offering 400 new jobs and 230 buses to its line-up. An additional 18 electric vehicles are being added.

“We are partnering with world class technology providers to build Australia’s manufacturing capability and grow the local supply chain.

“Our target is to produce 200 vehicles a year, initially to meet the need for efficient, low emission public transport in urban areas.

“We have already had a lot of inquiry from the mining resource sector, and we expect to see significant uptake there as more infrastructure becomes available.”

Bus Tech has been developing the new electric bus for the past three years and has completed extensive testing at the company’s depots in Adelaide, South Australia, and at Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast. The company’s integrated architecture is designed with cost-efficiency and sustainability in mind enabling the transition from diesel to electric to hydrogen power over the life of the vehicle.