Aftermarket May 2022

26 AFTERMARKET MAY 2022 TECHNICAL/AFTERMARKET OF THE FUTURE www.aftermarketonline.net Volvo’s garage of tomorrow, today Here at Aftermarket of the Future, we’re not only interested in self-driving vehicles, but in amazing new service and repair equipment too. Volvo recently previewed some of the astonishing automated vehicle inspection kit currently being rolled-out in America. Three separate camera-based systems from Israeli developer UVeye use artificial intelligence to check for defects: Helios scans for corrosion and leaks; Artemis checks tyre quality and pressure; and Atlas provides a 360-degree scan of the exterior, primarily checking for dents. Volvo Cars Tech Fund invested in UVeye back in 2019 and Honda, Hyundai and Toyota have also put money in. The equipment is going to Volvo’s East Coast dealers first, with a view to installing it throughout its 280-strong US retail network. The UVeye tools will create digital vehicle health reports automatically, with photos that can be shared with customers and integrated with other services, such as trade-in appraisals. Rick Bryant, Vice President for Sales Operations at Volvo USA, commented: “The result is that customers will be able to see flaws such as a rusty tailpipe that they didn’t know about. UVeye’s automated systems will add a new level of credibility to the inspection process for us, our retailers and our customers.” Self-driving experts talk constantly of the need to earn public trust, but driverless cars continue to divide opinion. Indeed, recent surveys have shown that people are becoming more, not less, wary of them. In March, in Inverness, where an autonomous bus trial is due to start later this year, The Inverness Courier reported significant resistance to the idea. 69% of respondents to its survey of local residents said they would refuse to get on a driverless bus. What we need, of course, is for the media to convey an informed and nuanced safety message. Hmm! To illustrate the scale of the task, here are my top five driverless car hyperbolic headlines: At number five, a downbeat new entry from The Express in March 2022: “Driverless cars could have a ‘negative impact’ – ‘worrying results’ for road users.” At number four peak pessimism in this 2019 classic from The New York Post: “Why humanity will come to regret inventing self-driving cars.” At number three, a prediction of economic disaster from The Telegraph in 2019: “Driverless cars are the new dot-com bubble.” At number two, straight up weird from Forbes in 2019: “Self-Driving cars could spark a religious revival among young Americans.” Finally, at number one, another new entry, straight into the top spot, click-bait par excellence from Yahoo News in November 2021: “Watch Tesla’s full self-driving mode almost kill a CNN reporter.” The autonomous vehicle industry has a consumer confidence mountain to climb. Inevitable: Driverless vehicles Neil Kennett looks at cutting-edge auto tech coming to a workshop near you soon AFTERMARKET OF THE FUTURE A commentator on the UK aftermarket since before Concorde was grounded, Neil is Editor of Carsofthefuture .co.uk , providing news and views about driverless vehicles, and Director of Communications at Self- drivingpr.com, experts in automotive/autonomous media and public relations