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UK front runner in £62 billion self-driving car race

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The UK is in pole position in the global race to market for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), with a £62 billion boost to the UK economy by 2030 up for grabs.

That’s according to a report published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Frost & Sullivan, which analyses the wide-ranging societal and economic benefits to be achieved by gradually increasing CAVs on our roads.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as Autonomous Emergency Braking and Collision Warning are already available on the majority of new cars registered in the UK.

Combined with the gradual introduction of automated vehicles from 2021, this will deliver massive safety benefits, the report claims.

Over the next decade, the technology is set to prevent 47,000 serious accidents and save 3,900 lives. At the same time, some 420,000 new jobs will be created, including in the automotive industry and other sectors such as telecoms and digital services.

Driving commuters, we’re told, will gain back the equivalent of a full working week thanks to more ‘downtime’ and smoother traffic flows during their commute.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: Winning the Global Race to Market identifies three critical areas that will help CAV rollout and in which the UK has a significant advantage: supportive regulation, enabling infrastructure and an attractive market.

With the world’s first insurance legislation for autonomous vehicles already in place, the most comprehensive review of road transport underway and more miles across motorways, urban and rural roads able to be driven autonomously, the reports says the UK is already ahead of global rivals in its readiness to commercialise self-driving technology.

It ranks the UK above other major automotive countries, including Germany, US, Japan and South Korea as a global destination for the mass rollout of CAVs.

To realise this potential, however, the reports says conditions must be right, and sustained support from government will be vital – particularly if we are to meet its ambition to get autonomous vehicles on to UK roads in 2021.

The report’s key recommendations for government include updating road traffic laws, improving 4G coverage across all road networks, encouraging local authorities to work with industry to implement urban mobility services and influencing future harmonisation of international regulations to ensure these new vehicles can operate seamlessly between the UK and abroad.

Crucially, however, the UK’s departure from the EU must be orderly with a deal that supports both the industry and technological collaboration, especially in data. A ‘no deal’ Brexit will result in lasting damage to the UK’s reputation as a politically stable destination for inward investment, putting the benefits identified in the report at risk.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “A transport revolution stands before us as we move to self-driving cars and the UK is in pole position in this £62 billion race. Government and industry have already invested millions to lay the foundations, and the opportunities are dramatic – new jobs, economic growth and improvements across society. The UK’s potential is clear. We are ahead of many rival nations but to realise these benefits we must move fast.

“Brexit has undermined our global reputation for political stability and it continues to devour valuable time and investment. We need the deadlock broken with ‘no deal’ categorically ruled out and a future relationship agreed that reflects the integrated nature of our industry and delivers frictionless trade.”

Sarwant Singh, Senior Partner and Head of Mobility, Frost & Sullivan, said: “The UK already has the essential building blocks – forward thinking legislation, advanced technology infrastructure, a highly skilled labour force, and a tech savvy customer base – to spearhead CAV deployment over the next decade. However, it will require sustained and coordinated efforts by all key stakeholders, especially the government, to realise the significant annual economic benefits forecast for the UK from CAV deployment by 2030 and drive the vision of safe, convenient and accessible mobility for all.”

DAVIS launches vehicle accident feature to further improve risk management

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Licence Check has announced a series of innovations for its cloud-based Driver and Vehicle Information Solution brand, DAVIS, including accident recording, enhanced licence checking and enhanced security.

DAVIS (Driver & Vehicle Information Solutions) helps organisations better manage driver and vehicle risk by automating essential checks and streamlining compliance processes. 

DAVIS was enhanced last October with the launch of Fleet File, providing users with a database for managing their fleet vehicles including company cars  and pool vehicles and storing all relevant vehicle information, including age, tax MOT, CO2 emissions. 

It also allows users to upload business-critical documents such as fleet insurance policies and driver handbooks.

Now, from next month, a new accident recording feature will allow Fleet File users to document accidents against a specific vehicle and a named driver to provide greater insight into the most at-risk drivers as part of an ongoing risk management process.

The new accident management function records date, time and location of the accident and provides enhanced dashboard reporting to include recent accidents and accident severity. It also issues reminders for open accidents and outstanding issues, as well as providing an upload facility for images of vehicle damage. It also carries insurance claim details and has the ability to assign accidents to a named driver.

DAVIS automatically scores all drivers and assigning them as ‘Low’, ‘Medium’ or ‘High’ risk. The award-winning Driver Risk Score takes into consideration a variety of factors (including endorsements, penalty points, assessments and even telematics results such as driver behaviour) and has now been reconfigured to calculate the associated risk of a particular accident to give Fleet Managers an enhanced view of driver risk.  

Richard Brown, director of sales at Licence Check, now part of online solutions provider, Ebbon-Dacs, said: “It has been particularly rewarding to work on these important new releases for DAVIS, as we know from client research that they will have a positive impact on improving efficiency and transparency when managing driver and vehicle compliance.”

The Licence Check product within DAVIS has been enhanced to simplify the process of adding spouses/partners of business drivers, and clients now have the option to add an extra layer of security at the point of log in. Read more about the latest DAVIS updates here.

DAVIS will be exhibiting at The Commercial Vehicle Show 30th April on stand 4A42. 

Alternatively request a demo by visiting edavis.co.uk or calling 0330 660 71017.

EV battery capacity up by 50kWh

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Frost & Sullivan research reveals battery capacity has increased by more than 50kWh across all plug-in hybrid/battery electric vehicles (PHEVs/BEVs), while 150+kW batteries now come with fast-charging capabilities.

These advances in battery technologies are creating a parallel need for a battery thermal management system (BTMS) to ensure higher mile range, longer life, and superior battery performance.

While passive thermal management, such as air-cooled systems, will be the key technology for HEVs, liquid cooling and active thermal management will be popular among PHEVs and BEVs.

“The use of liquid glycol through cooling tubes and plates between modules will not only help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) maintain battery efficiency but also allow their vehicles to achieve compliance with stringent battery standards,” said Arvind Noel Xavier Leo, Industry Analyst, Mobility. 

“In the future, OEMs will adopt active thermal management systems that centralise all thermal needs for battery, motor, power electronics, and cabin temperature.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, ‘Global Analysis of Electric Battery Market and Battery Thermal Management System for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, Forecast to 2025,’ provides in-depth analyses of BTMS and highlights the current and future products of manufacturers. The study covers the markets of Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), China, South Korea, Japan, and North America (the United States).

“Prismatic cells are the most preferred cell structure due to their high energy density and compact packaging, and present significant opportunities for high-end passive BTMS due to their thermal instability,” noted Leo. “Most OEMs are outsourcing battery cells for EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and assembling the module and pack in-house. LG Chem, Panasonic, Samsung SDI, and Sanyo will be the key cell suppliers for western OEMs, whereas BYD, CATL, and CALB will be the key battery manufacturers in China and will look to adopt western OEM technology.”

More information on the analysis can be found here: https://go.frost.com/EI_PR_KCekani_MDD0_ElectricVehicle_Mar19

What will you learn at the Total Supply Chain Summit?

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Join us at the Total Supply Chain Summit and you’ll have the opportunity to discover the latest insights in supply chain procedures and tactics.

This unique two-day event takes place on May 20th & 21st at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire and is entirely FREE for you to attend.

Your VIP pass includes access to a series of seminars by industry thought-leaders. These sessions include:

Protecting IP in the defence supply chain

This non-technical presentation shares the Ministry of Defence’s Cyber Security Model. It is how they protect their intellectual property as it moves through their supply chain.

Presented by: Phil Blunden, Ministry of Defence

Setting a successful strategy for IoT in the supply chain

How to engage with digital transformation in the supply chain successfully and get beyond the pilot stage.

Presented by: David Mudd, BSI Group

Solving problems in the logistics industry

Taking the consultancy approach to solving challenges within the warehouse environment. Providing an overview of how voice was used for Crown Paints and where else it could be applied.

Presented by: Guy Willott, Voiteq

Operating an urban fleet – managing the challenge

The presentation will explore the current challenges that fleet operators face with Clean Air Zone activities and how to control costs.

Presented by: Peter Eldridge, ICFM

Quality and compliance in the digital age

In business and society today, tasks and processes are almost always managed digitally/electronically. Why then are quality and compliance often the last to change?

Presented by: Paul Hastings, Ideagen

The Total Supply Chain Summit will also allow you to meet, face-to-face, with innovative and budget-saving suppliers, and network with peers.

Overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments, plus an invitation to our gala dinner with entertainment is included with your free place.

Places are limited though, so register today.

Or to find out more, call Jamie Higgs on 01992 374058 or email j,higgs@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Nick Stannard on 01992 374092 or email n.stannard@forumevents.co.uk.

For more information, visit http://www.totalsupplychainsummit.co.uk.

Arval makes EV charging point commitment

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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A significant new electric vehicle charging site is to open next month at the headquarters of vehicle leasing and fleet management company, Arval.
 
At its Windmill Hill Business Park offices, 43 charging points will be available to Arval employees along with an additional seven for other businesses using the same building.
 
Furthermore, Arval has unveiled plans to install new charging points at its other UK premises in Manchester and Birmingham. 
 
Ailsa Firth, Human Resources Director, explained: “As a business, we are committed to supporting the ongoing energy transition toward electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and this means giving drivers convenient access to charging points.
 
“In our own company car fleet, we already have around 100 plug-in vehicle drivers and we expect this number to grow over the coming months and years as availability, choice and experience grows.
 
There is already research, notably from the International Council on Clean Transportation, suggesting EVs cost less to operate than petrol and diesel cars. With this project, we hope to prove the cost and practicality arguments for ourselves.”
 
The charge points and charging services at the Arval UK offices are being provided by NewMotion, the European leader in smart charging solutions for EVs. General Manager UK, Alan McCleave, explained that their complete infrastructure and service offering is intended to make EV charging as easy as possible for employees and visitors.
 
“We’ll be holding roadshows at Arval’s UK head office to introduce employees to the charging sites, the surrounding framework, and to show them how they work.”
 
All Arval employees who register will be provided with a validated charge fob. This will enable charging sessions at the NewMotion charge points at the Arval office. They will be able to charge at work for free for the first six months from when charge points go live. In addition, they will be able to use over 100,000 publiclyavailableNewMotion charging locations throughout Europe, accessible with the same charge fob.
 
Miguel Cabaça, Managing Director at Arval UK, added that the new charging development was also intended to act as a test ground and working example for customers who were thinking of increasingly electrifying their company cars and vans.
 
“We are delighted to be working with NewMotion on such a major installation. Every day we see a growing interest in electric vehicles from a broad cross section of our customers. By leading the way in adoption and creating the necessary infrastructure, we hope to provide a real world illustration of the practicalities behind the energy transition.”

Professional drivers in short supply, says IRU

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The European road transport sector is facing the most acute professional driver shortage in decades.

That’s the conclusion of a report by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), based on insight from stakeholders across the European transport industry and drawn from two surveys.

The data revealed a visible driver shortage of 21% in the freight transport sector and 19% in the bus and coach sector.

The problem, the report says, is accelerating, with the shortfall predicted to reach 40% in both sectors as demand grows in 2019.

The key finings include:-

  • 57% of male drivers and 63% of female drivers believe the poor image of the profession is stifling recruitment.
  • 79% of drivers believe the difficulty of attracting women to the profession is one of the top reasons for the driver shortage. This is underlined by data from the International Transport Forum, showing female drivers make up just 2% of European road transport drivers .
  • 70% of drivers aged 25-34 believe the difficulty of attracting young drivers is one of top reasons for the driver shortage.
  • Amongst drivers, 76% believe that working conditions, and 77% think long periods away from home deter many from entering the profession.
  • The industry also suffers from an ageing labour force. In Europe the majority of freight transport sector companies are employing drivers whose average age is 44 years old, while in the passenger transport sector the average age of their employed drivers is 52 years old.

Boris Blanche, IRU’s Managing Director, said: “The transport industry needs to take immediate and decisive action to tackle the driver shortage. Left unchecked, it will have serious implications for the European economy and lead to rising costs for businesses, consumers and passengers.

“But there is no shortage of opportunity in this profession. In fact, our research found that job satisfaction tends to be high, with only 20% of drivers surveyed expressing any dissatisfaction with their work.

“A global effort must be made to address negative misperceptions and improve the image of the profession. At the same time, all industry stakeholders must act to improve working conditions in the sector. The treatment of drivers should be improved, with adequate and sufficient infrastructure and facilities provided.”

More funds made available for cleaner buses

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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A further £25 million is to be committed by the government to the Clean Bus Technology Fund, a project launched in 2017 to upgrade buses with technology reducing nitrogen dioxide emissions in areas of poor air quality.

14 local authorities have been chosen by the government for the cash boost, following on from last year’s £40 million grant to 20 local authorities. 

Existing fund recipients were invited to apply for funding to extend their projects earlier this year, with all applicant bids successfully confirmed.

Discussing the government’s commitment, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: ”I am delighted to announce a further £25 million to retrofit 1,817 buses through the Clean Bus Technology Fund.

“We all know that air pollution is the top environmental risk to health in the UK. Nitrogen dioxide emissions must be lowered if we want to ensure cleaner and healthier air across the country.

“Local authorities are the best placed to introduce systems that work for their areas, which is why we are working closely with them to ensure they have the appropriate funding and support.”

The new £25 million investment will support the 2017 UK Plan fro Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations which sets out how councils with the worst levels of air pollution at busy road junctions and hotspots will take robust action.

“We are committed to driving down emissions across all modes of transport, and I’m delighted to see the bus industry putting itself at the forefront of this,” said Transport Minister, Jesse Norman.

“This £25m investment will help the sector work towards the continued acceleration of low emission buses and a 100% low emission bus fleet in England and Wales.”

Government is working closely with 61 English local authorities, and has placed legal duties on them – underpinned by £495 million in funding – to tackle their nitrogen dioxide exceedances.

By the end of this year, all local authorities will have carried out studies and, where appropriate, developed or be developing bespoke plans tailored to the nature of the nitrogen dioxide problem in their own local area.

Do you specialise in Accident & Risk Management solutions?

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Each month on Fleet Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the fleet & logistics market – and in April we’ll be focussing on Accident & Risk Management solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help fleet buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Accident & Risk Management solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering in 2019, month by month:

April – Accident & Risk Management
May – Fleet Management Software
June – Telematics
July – Contract Hire & Leasing
August – LPG/Alternative Fuel & Fuel Management
September – Vehicle Tracking
October – Duty of Care
November – Grey Fleet
December – Service, Maintenance & Repair

For more information on any of the above, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Total Supply Chain Summit: Everything you need to know

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Registration is open for VIP delegate spaces at the Total Supply Chain Summit, which takes place on May 20th& 21stat Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire.

The Summit is a highly-focused event that brings senior logistics and distribution professionals together for one-to-one business meetings, interactive seminars and valuable networking opportunities.

Over two working days delegates will meet with credible suppliers who will be able to talk through requirements, concerns and obstacles, offering the best advice as well cost saving solutions.

Areas covered include 3PL, 4PL, Logistics Management, Distribution, Operations, Planning & Optimisation, End-to-End Supply Chain Solutions, Software, Warehousing, Packaging, Waste Management and much more.

Attendees will also learn about the latest supply chain trends in educational seminar sessions led by some of the industry’s leading lights. 

Attending delegates include representatives from Amara Living, AsdaChemex International Ltd, Co-op, Direct Imaging Supplies, DS Smith, Fresh – Pak Chilled Foods, Ideaworks Ltd, Knighton Foods, Laing O’Rourke, Lidl, L’Oreal, Morrison’s, Newsprinters, Philp Kingsley Products Ltd, Precision Refrigeration Ltd, Selfridges & Co, Smithfield Foods UK, Wow Food and Drink and more.

Attending suppliers include BITO Storage, CEVA Logistics, Honeywell, Kite Packaging, Lucas Systems, SSI Schafer, Hermes, TimoCom, Rosss, Ideagen, Neopost, MDA, Viridor, VolteQ, Pallite and more.

To secure a complimentary delegate place, call Jamie Higgs on 01992 374058 or email j,higgs@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Nick Stannard on 01992 374092 or email n.stannard@forumevents.co.uk.

For more information, visit http://www.totalsupplychainsummit.co.uk.

Maintaining flexibility of business transport is ‘key to future mobility strategies’

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Maintaining the flexibility of business transport will be the key challenge facing fleets as future mobility strategies start to take effect, says FleetCheck. 

Noting the publication of the Government’s Future of Mobility Urban Strategy, the fleet software specialist says it is important to keep journeys as simple and effective as possible.

Peter Golding (pictured), managing director at FleetCheck, explained: “We fully support the ultimate aims of the Government in improving air quality, reducing carbon emissions, cutting congestion and making cities more pedestrian friendly.

“However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the success of fleets in underpinning business comes from their sheer usability. You can get into a car or load a van and drive straight to your destination. This is especially true of multi-stop journeys.

“Ultimately, anything that undermines this core tenet needs to be treated with extreme caution. While fleets must play their part in the future of mobility and meeting the Government’s environmental and social aims, we must also work to ensure that businesses continue to enjoy the benefits of flexibility as much as possible.”

Golding added that this did not mean that the industry shouldn’t be positive about mobility strategies – for example, last mile zero-emissions delivery strategies were an excellent idea – but that everyday fleet journeys were not easily replaced.

“We are actually very enthusiastic about last-mile delivery and, to us, it appears to be a good solution to the air quality problems in urban areas. During the next few months, we are hoping to be working with some of our customers on this development.

“However, it needs to be recognised that many multi-stop journeys, such as a sales person in a car visiting three locations in a day, or a technician in a van servicing a dozen different sites, simply cannot be displaced by any other transport method.

“The cars and vans used for those applications will change over the next few years and we have great hopes for the ultimate level of adoption by fleets when it comes to electric vehicles, but those journeys require one vehicle and one driver.”

Golding said that there also needed to be much more detail about some of the ideas within the Government’s document, as many of them appeared to already be in operation to some degree, if not in all parts of the country.

“There is mention of using technology to cut congestion and make journeys smoother, but no real explanation of how this might be done in a way that is substantially better than existing sat nav and traffic monitoring services.

“Also, there is quite a lot of promotion of flexible transport provision but, in most cases, it is difficult how these represent substantial advances over existing Uber-style taxis, cars clubs and short term hire. Again, any benefits appear to be incremental rather than revolutionary.

“However, we look forward to seeing how the contents of the document play out in the real world and working with the Government and the fleets that use our software to reduce the impact of business transport over the coming decades.”