Automotive

24 May 23

Drivers should be taxed per mile starting with EVs, think tank says

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In its ‘The Future of Driving’ report, the centre-right think tank said that road transport in Britain generates too much congestion and air pollution and that drivers are paying more through taxation than is invested back in the road network. CPS argues that fuel duty and vehicle excise duty should…

17 May 23

Self-driving cars will cause ‘moral panic’, says transport minister

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Jesse Norman told MPs that a “horrendous” part of the development of the technology will be “scare stories, particularly in the early stages”. Last month, the UK became the first European country to allow drivers to take their hands off car steering wheels on public roads, after the Department for…

11 Apr 23

Book review: ‘Charging Around’ by Clive Wilkinson

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In summer 2010, my old friend Kevin Dawson (then a BBC Radio 4 producer and now a public radio executive in the USA) was invited to take part in one of the first long-distance electric car journeys across Europe. In my capacity as E&T’s features editor at the time, I…

22 Mar 23

Vast majority of car owners don’t want MOT rules eased

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Around 67 per cent of respondents to a poll commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) opposed extending the time before new cars, motorbikes and vans need their first MOT, due to safety concerns. A Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on its proposal for new vehicles to…

13 Mar 23

UK risks ‘squandering’ its electric vehicle lead, industry body warns

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that while almost every EV component is already built in UK plants, the capacity needs to be scaled up rapidly to secure the sector’s long-term future. The SMMT wants the government to shore up Britain’s ability to compete as other countries…

07 Mar 23

Cheap charcoal filters could greatly improve in-car air quality

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In a report by WM Air, the West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme at the University of Birmingham, the research team demonstrated that charcoal filters, which typically cost around £10-£20, can effectively remove NO2 from the air within vehicle cabins. NO2 is a common air pollutant that can aggravate diseases…

06 Mar 23

Indonesia to incentivise EV sales

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The incentive programme will cover sales of 200,000 electric motorcycles and 35,900 electric cars, said industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. It will also cover the conversion of 50,000 combustion engine motorcycles. The incentives will start from March 20 2023, aiming to attract investment from industry giants such as Tesla, senior…

27 Jan 23

The Costly Impact of Non-Strategic Patents

Civil, Structural & Architecture

The five largest auto manufacturers will face massive U.S. patent fees within the next five years. This report examines auto industry lapse trends and how a company’s decisions on keeping, selling or pruning patents can greatly impact its cost savings and revenue generation opportunities.Patent lapse strategies can help companies in…

14 Oct 22

When the chips are down: how to ride out the supply storms

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

It hit the car manufacturers first and hard but then spread to other parts of industry during the worldwide pandemic. The shortages became so sharp that manufacturers were taking them out of other products for their own. I’m talking, of course, about semiconductors and the supply chain problems of the…

Drivers should be taxed per mile starting with EVs, think tank says

Self-driving cars will cause ‘moral panic’, says transport minister

Book review: ‘Charging Around’ by Clive Wilkinson

Vast majority of car owners don’t want MOT rules eased

UK risks ‘squandering’ its electric vehicle lead, industry body warns

Cheap charcoal filters could greatly improve in-car air quality

Indonesia to incentivise EV sales

The Costly Impact of Non-Strategic Patents

When the chips are down: how to ride out the supply storms

Machine Learning Turns Up COVID Surprise

Psychedelics startups counter stereotypes to bring hallucinogens into mental healthcare

EV Startups, Running Out Of Juice

Video Friday: Autonomous Car Drifting, Aerial-Aquatic Drone, and Jet-Powered Robot

Green hydrogen production costs could be lowered with new method