Brussels, 10 October 2018 – Auto makers take note of the common position on future CO2 targets for cars and vans adopted by the 28 EU member states during a meeting of environment ministers in Luxembourg last night. “Further reducing CO2 emissions remains a top priority of the EU auto industry. All manufacturers are actively… Continue reading Press Releases – Car and van CO2 targets: environment ministers adopt common position, auto industry reacts
Tag: Renault
The price of the second-hand vehicle rises 6.5% in September and stands at 15,554 euros
Posted 09/10/2018 11: 29: 31CET MADRID, 9 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) – The average price of used cars increased by 6.5% in September compared to the same month of the previous year and stood at 15,554 euros, according to data from the Institute of Automotive Studies (IEA) for Coches.net. Last month, most autonomous communities saw the… Continue reading The price of the second-hand vehicle rises 6.5% in September and stands at 15,554 euros
GM tops Tesla in ranking of automated driving systems
GM beats Tesla in Consumer Reports ranking of automated driving systems
5:51 PM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 01:45
As more automakers develop automated driving systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheels for short periods of time, a new report says General Motors has developed the best system.
Consumer Reports tested four of the most popular systems and says Cadillac's Super Cruise does the best job of ensuring the vehicle is driven safely while making sure drivers pay attention when they take their hands off the steering wheels.
“Super Cruise has a camera that looks at the drivers' eyes and warns them if they look away for too long or fall asleep, and that's a game changer,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.
“This is definitely a shot across the bow of Tesla, which already has Autopilot,” said Michelle Krebs, analyst for AutoTrader said.
Consumer Reports ranks Tesla's Autopilot as the second-most effective automated driving system, criticizing it for not doing enough to keep the driver engaged when the vehicle is in Autopilot mode.
“Autopilot is a strong system, but it doesn't have enough safeguards,” said Fisher.
GM Super Cruise tops Tesla in Consumer Reports' automated driving tech tests
8:23 AM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 03:52
Consumer Reports rated Nissan's ProPILOT Assist as the third-best system and Volvo's Pilot Assist as the least effective of the four it tested. Nissan says ProPILOT Assist is a “hands-on” driver-assist system rather than a “self-driving” feature. Volvo echoed that response.
“Pilot Assist is not an autonomous driving system. It is a driver assistance system designed to keep the driver in the loop at all times with hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and the mind on driving,” said Johan Larsson, a Volvo spokesman.
The systems were evaluated at Consumer Reports' test track and on public and highways. The reviews are based on five criteria: capability and performance, ease of use, if the systems made it clear when it was safe to use, whether they kept the driver engaged, and how they alerted or handled an unresponsive driver.
Consumer Reports is not warning people to avoid using any of the automated driving systems it tested, but it wants drivers to better understand the limits of the technology.
Ever since Tesla unveiled Autopilot in 2015, it's been controversial technology. When it first came out in “beta” mode, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, “It is important to exercise great caution at this early stage.”
Not everyone got the message. Within months of rolling out, Tesla owners posted videos on YouTube showing themselves driving hands free and not always paying attention.
In 2016, a Tesla driver was killed when his Model S in Autopilot mode crashed into a semi-truck in Williston, Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded limitations in Tesla's Autopilot system played a major role in the crash. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt bluntly summarized the case saying, “System safeguards were lacking.”
Two years later, as more vehicles and more automakers develop automated driving systems, Consumer Reports is worried drivers will become too complacent and not be ready to grab the steering wheel if their car or truck steers itself into trouble.
“The big concern is putting too much trust in these systems,” said Fisher of Consumer Reports. “Drivers are not always paying attention when these systems are in use.”
WATCH: GM demonstrates its hands-free 'Super Cruise' system
General Motors shows off new hands-free ’Super Cruise’ system in highway demo
12:08 PM ET Wed, 28 June 2017 | 05:10
Jaguar Land Rover plans two-week shutdown
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is planning a two week shutdown of its Solihull plant at the end of October. Britain’s biggest carmaker blamed weakening global demand, especially in China, and has faced falling diesel sales in recent months. JLR said employees at the West Midlands plant would be paid for the duration of the shutdown… Continue reading Jaguar Land Rover plans two-week shutdown
Circular economy: Magnets from old hard drives could wind up in EV motors
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Axial motor with recycled rare-earth material – ORNL
As some of the world’s largest automakers ramp up production for a generation of electric vehicles, the supply of one of the most important ingredients—rare-earth elements—is surely a cause for concern.
Rare-earth elements—especially neodymium—are in short supply because of their limited production locations, much of them in China. They're needed for the compact, power-dense permanent-magnet motors in many of today's EVs, and increasingly for green-energy sector uses like wind farms.
Now, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratories are experimenting with mining one of our best sources of rare-earth materials—used computer hard drives—for what can be repurposed in an axial gap motor, a type of permanent-magnet synchronous motor that could be used in electric vehicles or industrial machinery.
DON'T MISS: Rare-earth metals in magnets for electric-car motors: what you need to know
It’s just a demonstration so far, but it shows how magnets from devices that are otherwise destroyed could be recycled and reused as part of a circular economy.
Efforts to reduce rare-earth element use, as well as efforts to reuse and recover rare-earths, are frequently mentioned in sustainability reports. Toyota recently announced a way of cutting the neodymium in motor magnets by 20 percent (or up to 50 percent eventually) by substituting cerium and lanthanum, rare-earths that are processed simultaneously but aren’t as high-demand. And Nissan has, with its e-Power hybrid system slated for more models soon, boasted that it’s cut rare-earth elements by 70 percent.
READ MORE: Limits On Rare-Earth Metals To End After China Loses Global Trade Case
Meanwhile, the appetite for rare-earth elements isn’t showing any signs of cooling. While Tesla went with AC induction motors for its Model S and Model X, it’s moved to a permanent-magnet design to power the rear wheels of the Tesla Model 3. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions of the Model 3 get an AC induction motor at the front that’s free of additional rare-earths. Likewise, Volkswagen has said that it’s planning to use permanent-magnet motors for rear motors in millions of new-generation electric vehicles arriving in the U.S. starting in 2020. Audi stands as an outlier, as at both axles it’s using a current-excited synchronous motor design that needs no rare-earths.
Volkswagen MEB platform architecture
The supply pinch is nothing new. Two decades ago, the U.S. was a significant producer of rare-earth elements, as was Australia. Eventually China inched into the market and corporations went out of business as they couldn’t match the prices on the Chinese-sourced material. That’s left China with an uncomfortable monopoly on the world’s supply, especially as the electronics and automotive sectors have been increasingly dependent on these materials.
CHECK OUT: Al Gore Versus the Rare Earth Metals
The fragility of the situation was demonstrated in 2011 when China cut off supply of rare-earth elements after a political tiff with Japan. Prices skyrocketed, sending users rushing to stockpile the materials initially, before prices tanked and set off some vicious volatility in recent years.
The researchers say that by simply recycling the 35 percent of hard drives that currently are destroyed, about 1,000 metric tons of magnet material could be recovered per year. While they made no statement about how many vehicle motor magnets that might support, every little bit will surely help.
Dealers offer bigger discounts to shift large SUVs
Dealers are offering bigger discounts on large SUVs to keep the metal moving. That’s the conclusion of the latest quarterly Target Price from What Car? which found that discounts in the large SUV segment rose by 6% in the three months to August. Falling demand for big SUVs and the fall-out from diesel were leading… Continue reading Dealers offer bigger discounts to shift large SUVs
Zhengzhou Nissan to recall 36,929 defective vehicles
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Renault Board of Directors proposes the appointment of Mr. Thomas Courbe as Director
Groupe Renault To take full advantage of the experience on our website, we suggest you turn your phone vertically. Download Conditions All materials on this website are the sole property of Renault SAS and/or of its subsidiaries or of any third party having granted Renault SAS permission to use them. Please note that these materials… Continue reading Renault Board of Directors proposes the appointment of Mr. Thomas Courbe as Director
Renault invests in Akoustic Arts for directional sound technology
Renault invests in Akoustic Arts for directional sound technology
Groupe Renault and Newfund are investing in the startup Akoustic Arts to accelerate the development of its on-board directional speakers
Groupe Renault and the fund Newfund announce their investment in the French startup Akoustic Arts, specialized in directional sound. This agreement paves the way for Renault and Akoustic Arts experts to collaborate on the integration of innovative directional speakers into Renault vehicles. This project is part of Groupe Renault’s strategy which aims to offer new… Continue reading Groupe Renault and Newfund are investing in the startup Akoustic Arts to accelerate the development of its on-board directional speakers