News | Auto
Briefs ZF aftermarket parts for electric vehicles
Public perception of electric vehicles can focus on the electric drivetrain, which is considered quite reliable, requiring little maintenance. The brakes and chassis systems of these cars however, can be more susceptible to damage and wear than conventional vehicles due to the stresses exerted by the extra weight of the battery. ZF Aftermarket now supports automotive workshops working on electric vehicles with an extensive range of spare parts under its LEMFÖRDER, SACHS and TRW brands.
Queensland welcomes hydrogen cars
RMIT electric team gains RS support RS Components will be supporting the RMIT Electric racing team in the Formula SAE competitions.
The RMIT Electric Racing team took the competition to the next level in 2008 and entered the first-ever electric vehicle. Every year since, Formula SAE has seen a rapid growth in the number, competitiveness and performance of electric vehicles against their combustion rivals. RS Components is a high-service distributor of electronics, automation and control components, tools and consumables, serving more than one million customers globally. “We are proud to support the next generation of innovators with the quality products RS Components has to offer. The team and I at
RS wish these bright minds the best of luck in this year’s race,” Managing Director of RS Components ANZ Scott Philbrook said. Today the team counts more than 50 passionate students across a dozen faculties who demonstrate innovative thinking, initiative and commitment to the real-life commercial project. “Our project is dependent on the valuable investment by our sponsors who allow us to advance the research and development of the team, develop cutting-edge vehicles as part of the program,” Christopher Carr, Business System Head for RMIT Electric Racing said.
Honda starts testing autonomous vehicles Hyundai has deployed five zero-emissions NEXO hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles into the Queensland government fleet. The deployment underlines the Queensland government’s commitment to hydrogen and complements a 20-strong ACT government NEXO fleet.
Honda will start a testing program for autonomous vehicles this month, taking a step toward an autonomous vehicle mobility service (MaaS) business in Japan, which Honda is planning to launch under collaboration with Cruise and General Motors.
NEXO has a range of 666km (WLTP) with a refuelling time of three to five minutes, in a compact SUV with ANCAP five-star safety and the latest autonomous driving capabilities and smart driving assistance systems. NEXO is the first hydrogenpowered car in Australia, from the company that pioneered the mass production FCEV.
Dana supports technicians for electric mining equipment Dana is supporting technical training for electrified mining equipment at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) of Queensland’s new electrification facility in Brisbane. The electric heavy vehicle technical training will prepare technicians to conduct maintenance and repair activities for the growing number of highvoltage, heavy-duty electric mining vehicles. Dana will also provide two sets of Dana TM4 SUMO motors and CO150 inverters, which are used on the Sandvik Artisan A18 battery-electric loader. 10 | September 2021
The testing program for autonomous vehicles mobility service technologies will be conducted in Utsunomiya City and Haga Town, Tochigi Prefecture.
Honda and Cruise will jointly work on the testing program, and it will be pursued at a new operations test site to be established within a Honda facility in Tochigi Prefecture.
As the first step to prepare for thorough testing, a high-definition map of the area will be created using a specialized vehicle for mapping. Once the high-definition map is ready, the autonomous vehicle, Cruise AV, will be driven on public roads to develop and test autonomous vehicles adapted to the traffic environment and the relevant laws and regulations in Japan.
Further ahead, Honda aims to launch its autonomous vehicle MaaS business in Japan using the Cruise Origin, a vehicle jointly developed by Honda, Cruise and General Motors, exclusively for autonomous vehicle mobility service businesses. Honda Mobility Solutions, a Honda subsidiary for MaaS business, will be the operator of the business in Japan.
