This week in Diesel News, Isuzu In, Autonomous Safety, Vice Grips and Electric Vans.
Truck manufacturer Isuzu has announced its support of multi-modal supply chain event MEGATRANS2018, joining the show as a Platinum Sponsor.
Isuzu, market leader in Australian truck sales for 28 consecutive years, joins key partners including the Victorian Government and the Port of Melbourne in supporting this inaugural trade show event, which takes over the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre 10-12 May 2018.
With a focus on connected vehicles and a technology-driven display in the works for MEGATRANS2018, Isuzu is aiming to set a new benchmark in the wider supply-chain industry.
“The discussion and hype surrounding autonomous, or driverless, vehicles and technologies continue to build both overseas and here in Australia,” said Phil Taylor, Director and COO of Isuzu. “Disruptive technologies appear to be becoming more prevalent with each new year, fundamentally changing the way the market will look at the road transport industry over the next few decades.
“There is one thing that I know for certain, whatever the technology, or the timeframe – Isuzu will ensure that Australian truck operators have access to the latest innovations in truck technology that are suitable for Australian operating conditions, driving better safety outcomes for all road users and improving air quality, productivity and the bottom line for the operator.”
Vice Grips on Brakes
A man has been reported for acts to endanger life after the truck he was driving was found to have inoperable brakes, according to the South Australian Police.
Just before 6.00am, 9 October, police from the heavy-vehicle enforcement section allegedly detected a truck at Leawood Gardens travelling toward Adelaide on the South Eastern Freeway at 90km/h. Police stopped the truck to check its mass and found that the rear brakes had been clamped off with vice grips and the front brakes were inoperable.
Safe Autonomous Vehicles
Road trauma in Australia and New Zealand could be significantly reduced by the adoption of technologies that change the way drivers use vehicles, new research published by Austroads has found.
The ‘Safety Benefits of Cooperative ITS and Automated Driving’ report, completed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and funded by Austroads, investigated the benefits of key Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and automated driving applications.
The report draws on an in-depth examination of data to understand whether real-world serious injury crashes in Australia and New Zealand could have been prevented if technologies such as forward collision warning, curve speed warning, intersection movement assist, right turn assist, lane keeping assist and auto emergency braking were fitted in all light passenger vehicles.
Alternate Power for Vans
The Iveco Daily Blue Power range has been announced in Europe. The Daily Hi-Matic Natural Power is the first Compressed Natural Gas vehicle with an 8-speed automatic gearbox in a van. The Daily Euro 6 RDE Ready is the first van ready for 2020 Real Driving Emissions regulations, as verified by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Daily Electric is a zero-emissions vehicle that enables a van to work in cities with the strictest traffic restrictions.
“In the face of the current push for decarbonisation and increasing access restrictions in cities, being sustainable is fast becoming an important competitive advantage for transport businesses,” said Pierre Lahutte, Iveco Brand Presidentat the launch. “Sustainability has always been a core value for Iveco, and we saw long ago that our path to sustainable urban transport is through advanced diesel technology and alternative tractions such as electric and natural gas in particular.”