Aftermarket February 2023

22 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2023 TECHNICAL/AFTERMARKET OF THE FUTURE www.aftermarketonline.net Self-driving truck handles catastrophic puncture US company Kodiak has posted amazing test track footage of a self-driving articulated lorry handling a massive tyre blowout. Kodiak has been delivering freight daily between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, operating autonomously on the highway section of the route. “A tyre blowout is a big deal, even when the vehicle you’re driving has 18 of them,” said Chief Technology Officer, Andreas Wendel. “On a big rig truck, the back 16 tyres are paired dual tyres, while all the steering is done by the two front single tyres, called steer tyres. If one of the back 16 tyres pops, a dual tyre is able to compensate and carry some weight until the truck comes to a stop. If one of the single steer tyres pops, it’s a whole different story. “The rubber may be stripped from the tyre, forcing the vehicle to drive on a bare metal rim. In a worst-case scenario, the truck may swerve, jackknife, or even roll over. Once a truck suffers a steer tyre blowout, it behaves like an entirely different truck. That’s why we’re so excited to become the first self-driving trucking company to demonstrate that we can maintain complete control of the truck even after suffering a catastrophic tyre blowout.” www.aftermarketonline.net The Transport Select Committee inquiry into self-driving vehicles is a big deal for connected and automated mobility (CAM) in the UK, providing both scrutiny and publicity. Select Committees are powerful, cross-party, and can require a response from the government. What’s more, The Transport Select Committee is one of the more high-profile. Since 2020, it has been chaired by Huw Merriman, MP for Bexhill and Battle in East Sussex. “On this Committee, we always like to look into the future of science, technology and innovation, and we're aware that the government has plans to see self-driving vehicles operational by 2025,” he said. The full hearing on Wednesday 26 October is available to watch on Parliamentlive TV, but here are some highlights. Responding to the question “What is a self- driving vehicle?”, David Wong, Senior Technology and Innovation Manager at the SMMT explained: “A self-driving vehicle, or automated vehicle, to use industry parlance, is a vehicle that's fitted with an automated driving system capable of performing the entire dynamic driving tasks without human intervention within an operational design domain.” Professor Nick Reed, founder of Reed Mobility and Chief Road Safety Adviser at National Highways, outlined the updated SAE levels 1-5, noting: “They work from an engineering perspective, but they don't work very well from a communications perspective.” Karl McCartney MP then asked about the likely timescale for owning a vehicle with automated systems. Steve Gooding, Chief Exec of The RAC Foundation, currently runs a 2007 VW and a 2021 Triumph motorcycle. “I'll probably be replacing those when we are more comfortable with the electric revolution,” he said. Steve has a VW Golf with some basic automated features like adaptive cruise control (ACC). “By 2025, it will be possible to use a vehicle that can do some of the driving for you, but I suspect it will be one that I can’t afford,” he said. David highlighted the Mercedes S-Class, which meets the international UN standard for Level 3 conditionally automated driving. He went on to explain the difference between driver assistance and higher level automation, and the critical issue of people confusing the two. Changing tack, Ruth Cadbury MP asked what transport challenges self-driving addresses which other technologies do not. Nick identified three main areas; One, safety, with the majority of today’s crashes having human error as a contributing factor; Two, efficiency, for example, from sharing vehicles; Three, accessibility, for example, for people with disabilities. Transport Select Committee inquiry into self-driving 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