Upcoming Volvo communication system services trucks remotely
In 2013, Volvo Trucks plans to release Telematics Gateway, a new software-based system that enables service technicians to evaluate trucks while they are on the road. The system will be able to access a truck’s information, including diagnostic trouble codes and mileage, over a wireless connection. Wear and tear on brake pads, batteries, and other elements of the vehicle can be detected remotely, which means fewer unnecessary trips to the workshop. “Today when we service a truck, we estimate a planned driving condition, but then the customer may use it more and drive in more heavy conditions,” said Christian Gustavsson, head of service at Volvo Trucks. “Now we can actually read out the usage from the truck so we can service the truck when it is really necessary.” The system will issue a warning if wear reaches a critical level, alerting the service technician to contact the customer and schedule a service. This increases the truck’s uptime and helps avoid unplanned maintenance stops. An informational video is available from Volvo Trucks on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmOYiOIF7lY&list=UUkKEthtUQHmBqIYZTHyfXoA&index=0&feature=plcp.
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Illustration of how Volvo Trucks' new Telematics Gateway works.
ContiTech expands plastic tubes production in U.S.
ContiTech Fluid Technology is building a competence center for plastic lines in the U.S., its second plastics competence center worldwide after one in Waltershausen, Thuringia, Germany. The company is investing about $11 million in the existing ContiTech Thermopol hose factory in Somersworth, NH, to help meet demand in North America, with the first construction stage recently going into operation. ContiTech says that orders from Ford and Chrysler are already exhausting the capacities of the first plant, which has been in production since January. A second system has been ordered and is expected to be installed in October. The company expects the number of plastic tubes it produces to increase fourfold by the end of 2013 compared to 2012. The Somersworth plant was more than doubled in size two years ago for the extrusion of turbocharger hoses and the assembly of SCR (selective catalytic reduction) hose line systems for diesel engines. Volume assembly of SCR lines for Cummins started in June, and lines for Caterpillar will follow shortly, according to ContiTech. Previously, only silicone hoses were produced in Somersworth. The expansion of the plastics technology operations will see a third, 6700-m2 (72,120-ft2) production hall built on the grounds, and an expected increase in the number of employees from 220 presently to 335 by the end of 2013.
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The blow-molding line at ContiTech’s Somersworth plant in New Hampshire currently produces about 150,000 plastic tubes annually.
Xinde common-rail system receives patent certificate, already booked up
Weifang Hengyuan Oil Pump and Nozzle Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary company of Xinde Science and Technology Co., Ltd., has succeeded in developing a diesel engine FIRCRI common-rail, electrically controlled fuel-injection system. The company, working in close cooperation with the State Key Laboratory of Engines of Tianjin University since December 2003, has been granted a technical patent certificate, with exclusive intellectual property owned by Xinde. According to Xinde, its system is comparable to the oil injection system of Robert Bosch and Denso and can replace import products. The new product is said to adapt well to China’s oil characteristics and to meet stricter emissions standards than Euro III/IV standards; applications include various types of diesel engines for cars, trucks, machinery, and locomotives. When the system becomes commercially available, it already has been booked up by Weichai Power, Jiangsu Jianghuai Engine Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Emei Diesel Engine Co., Ltd., according to Xinde. The company anticipates the designed production capacity of the phase-I project to be 200,000 sets.
Navistar Defense, partners unveil Special Operations Tactical Vehicle
Navistar Defense LLC, Indigen Armor, and SAIC recently unveiled the team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 program. The vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular and overt tactical equivalent. The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is transportable in an armored and mission-ready state on an M/CH-47 helicopter. The vehicle, which is designed for maximum off-road speed and mobility for a variety of terrain found in desert, jungle, mountain, and arctic environments, incorporates a full government furnished Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) suite. The Special Operations Tactical Vehicle chassis, suspension, powertrain, and armored occupant safety cell were engineered to carry large payloads in three-, five, and seven-man variants. The scalable armor packages meet multiple threat levels and accommodate a variety of low-profile and overt tactical body styles, which allow the vehicle’s profile to be changed at the crew level.
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The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular, overt tactical equivalent.
SAE updates trailer towing standard
SAE International has updated its trailer towing standard, J2807 - "Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating." The guidelines require vehicles to be tested under consistent conditions and parameters, giving consumers accurate information when comparing the trailer-towing capacities of similar models. Updates include revision of standard trailer weight range descriptions and clarification of test setup, ballast procedures, and test requirements in several areas. The standard can be applied to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 13,000 lb. "We have a great committee with representatives from all over the auto and trailer industries who have put a lot of time and effort into developing standards for trailer weight ratings," said Robert J. Krouse, General Motors North America Trailering Engineer, BFO – Trailering, and SAE Tow Vehicle Trailer Rating Committee Chairman. "I think trailering customers will really benefit from this effort." The standard is available here.
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EU adopts two regulations on truck safety
The European Union in April adopted two regulations designed to enhance the safety of trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3500 kg and buses with more than eight passenger seats, according to InterRegs, an online resource for global vehicle safety and emissions regulations. One specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) that detect the possibility of a collision with a preceding vehicle; warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals; and if the driver takes no action, automatically apply the vehicle’s brakes. The regulation also specifies two levels of performance to be achieved by AEBS. Fitment of AEBS meeting the "level 1" performance requirements becomes mandatory from Nov. 1, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. The compliance dates for "level 2" are Nov. 1, 2016 for new types of vehicles and Nov. 1, 2018 for all new vehicles. The other regulation specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for lane departure warning systems (LDWS) that detect unintentional drift of the vehicle out of its travel lane and warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals. Fitment LDWS becomes mandatory from Nov. 15, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. Both regulations contain a list of specific vehicle types, such as urban buses and off-road vehicles, that are exempt. "New types of vehicles" are models being launched for the first time, and "new vehicles" are new vehicles being registered for the first time.
NHTSA proposes ESC for trucks and buses
NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) on May 16 proposed a rule to require that new large commercial truck tractors and buses be equipped with an electronic stability control (ESC) system. If and when the proposed rule is adopted, the mandate would take effect two years later for all new typical 6 x 4 truck tractors and four years for severe-service tractors and tractors with four or more axles. In justifying the lead times, NHTSA noted that there are only two suppliers of ESC systems for truck tractors and large buses: Bendix and WABCO. It said the current rate of ESC installation on new truck tractors is 18%.
It's winter year-round at new test center
Test World Oy is building what it claims is the world's first year-round indoor winter test center, just where one would expect it—within the Arctic Circle. The facility “will remove one of the biggest bottlenecks in the development of vehicles: winter test dependence on the season and prevailing weather,” Harri Eskelinen, President and CEO of the Finland-based company, said in a news release. “We will be able to provide all the test conditions the automotive industry requires year-round.” The 30,000-m² (320,000-ft²) roofed facility will be constructed within the company’s existing Mellatracks outdoor proving ground in Ivalo, located at a latitude of about 69° north in Finnish Lapland, roughly 300 km (200 mi) to the cold side of the Arctic Circle. Vehicle and tire testing will be accommodated in the climate-controlled facility, the first phase of which is to be operational by the end of 2012.
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Construction on what the company calls Test World Indoor was scheduled to begin this month, with the first phase of 3000 m² (30,000 ft²) slated to be operational by the end of 2012.
San Fran gets its first public hydrogen fueling station (video)
In a boost to the future of fuel-cell technology, Linde North America has announced operations start-up of the first public hydrogen fueling station in the San Francisco Bay area. It offers fueling at 350 and 700 bar, the latter providing a refill time for a fuel-cell bus comparable to that of a diesel bus. Located in Emeryville, the station is one of two being supplied by Linde to AC Transit, which is a coalition of regional transport partners serving 7 million people in the Bay Area. The other station, in Oakland, is expected to begin operations in 2013. The Emeryville station was unveiled in a dedication ceremony April 10. It serves 12 fuel-cell buses operated by AC Transit, as well as privately owned fuel-cell passenger vehicles. (See video of the station here.)
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With technology from Linde North America, the station can dispense hydrogen at up to 5 kg/min (11 lb/min)—comparable to the rate at which diesel buses are refueled. The facility also features hydrogen production capability.
Hyundai Heavy and Magna E-Car to develop Li-ion battery
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Magna E-Car Systems, a global supplier of components and systems for hybrid (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), agreed on April 2 to form a joint venture named MAHY E-Cell as a platform to co-develop and grow a battery cell and battery pack business. Under the agreement, HHI and Magna E-Car will jointly conduct engineering, design, development, and testing activities with the goal of preliminary validation of battery cell and battery pack technologies for EV and HEV applications. HHI expects the joint venture, which will be owned 60% by Magna E-Car and 40% by HHI, to serve as a stepping stone to enter the Energy Storage System (ESS) business and plans to link its solar and wind power business with ESS as a new growth opportunity. HHI is an integrated heavy industries company with business divisions specializing in shipbuilding, marine engines and machinery, and construction equipment, among other sectors.
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