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If you’re in search of an SUV type vehicle, then a decision has to be made – Do you need two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?

 

The short answer to this question is as simple as it gets – if you have the luxury to think about 2WD and AWD, realistically, you do not need an AWD system. At all. AWD is one of those things that when you need it, you just know you need it, and you know why you need it.

 

You would not be thinking of 2WD in the first place. Nevertheless, manufacturers seem to throw a lot of money into promoting AWD systems for their SUVs. This has become a feature that translated from something one may consider a driving aid to a mere entry on an options list you could mark. With the help of various reports from the UK and US I will list five things to think about before opting for AWD.

 

Do you need AWD?

 

It all comes down to a simple question of need. If you live in a mostly dry area with no or very soft winters and do not actually use your car for off-roading, honestly, an AWD system would be close to throwing money down the drain. It is that simple.

 

Consider this – if you used a 2WD car previously without any major problems with traction, and you do not intend to change your driving style, then a 2WD SUV will do the job exactly as your old 2WD car did.

 

But why am I saying this? Isn’t an all-wheel-drive system a preferable solution over a 2WD system regardless of your needs? No! It’s not.

 

Reason 1. AWD Is More Expensive Than 2WD

Have you ever read through the new car for sale or used car for sale listings or my lease deal listings? If you did, you might have noticed that cars with AWD are usually more expensive compared with 2WD machines.

 

According to various sources, the difference between 2WD and AWD versions of the same car ranges from £1,500 to £4,000. When talking about unibody SUVs, which are all the rage today, that difference is usually between £1500 and £2500. Either way, you will have to pay more for something you may never use.

 

AWD systems employed by manufacturers for use on SUVs, cars, or MPVs, aren’t the same as the 4WD systems used by proper off-road vehicles. Most of the time they are part-time systems with torque being sent to the normally-neutral axle only when a loss of traction is felt. Most systems are also front-wheel biased, leaving you with a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) vehicle most of the time.

 

Reason 2. AWD Does Not Have To Work All Of The Time

 

Usually, what you get for a couple of thousand pounds more is the so-called, on-demand AWD system which actually serves as a two-wheel-drive system 99.9 percent of the time.

 

According to some Australian and European researchers, 0.1 percent of the time is exactly how long AWD capability will be engaged. Think about it this way – if you cover 10,000 miles, the AWD system which powers all four wheels will be engaged for ten miles.

 

And, this is not because the on-demand AWD systems aren’t good, but because you actually do not have any use for them. Follow this analogy with your hypothetical previous 2WD car, and you can see that an additional AWD system may be just an unnecessary added cost for you. You drove that 2WD car everywhere, didn’t you?

 

Now, it is true that AWD systems do provide better traction in slippery conditions. Usually, they work something like this – when a computer senses slipping of the wheels that usually power the car, the AWD drive kicks in (via viscous coupling, transfer case, added differential, or some other means) and sends some torque to the other pair of wheels in hopes that they have more traction.

 

If they do, they push the car out, and the AWD disengages. That can last for a second, or for prolonged periods of time. After that, it is back to your usual 2WD business. This all sounds perfectly rational, but considering that a majority of cars on the roads are actually 2WD units, and they go about their business without any problems, I think that an AWD option may not be as necessary as some would like to believe.

 

Reason 3. AWD Doesn’t Improve Your Braking.

 

Right off the bat, AWD systems are created to use all potentially available traction when slippage of the wheels under power is detected. Thus, they transfer some (or all) of the power to the other set of wheels via the driveline components.

 

Newer systems, with smarter electronic control units and torque distribution hardware, can, in fact, affect handling in certain conditions. They do it by sending power to the wheels with more traction, but usually, with AWD systems available for some SUVs, these options are limited.

 

The most common question seems to be about braking. Under false assumptions, some consider AWD vehicles to be more in control under heavy braking. This is simply not the case, as the AWD system does not have anything to do with braking or slowing down.

 

As stated before, in normal conditions, cars with AWD systems are actually just 2WD vehicles that have the capability to engage the drive on the other axle if needed. Heavy braking, or any braking for that matter, does not have anything to do with it.

 

So while AWD may increase safety for cars travelling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, etc.), it’s basically a completely unnecessary addition if you rarely traverse slippery conditions.

 

Reason 4. Higher Fuel Consumption

 

Adding an AWD system to the vehicle unequivocally increases its weight. Depending on the system, the car has to gain a transfer case, axles for the second pair of wheels, a new differential, and a plenty of supporting gear. All of this adds weight (75kg+ on average,) which is a killer for fuel consumption.

 

According to a research, the fuel penalty for owning an AWD car instead of a 2WD car is between 1 and 2 mpg (and that is for on-demand electronically controlled AWD systems.) It’s not a lot, is it? Well, with one 15 gallon tank of fuel, you’d cover 30 miles less.

 

It all adds up.

 

Reason 5. Higher Maintenance Costs

 

Years ago when electric windows were an option my dad refused to have a car with electric windows on the basis that it was just another thing to go wrong.

 

Using the same theory, adding an AWD system adds yet another complexity to a car. A complexity that one has to maintain. Although modern systems do not need constant maintenance, any damage done to the AWD system is met with the most expensive repair bill.

 

Furthermore, AWD cars, due to their weight, and consequently more load on the brakes, do tend to wear the tyres down a bit faster than 2WD cars. Yet, it must be said that with the newest AWD systems (like 4Motion from Volkswagen, or Active Drive systems by Jeep) aren’t as hard on the components as some older systems.

 

Making the most out of a 2WD Car

 

So, instead of spending extra cash on an AWD system, you can do a thing or two to improve the 2WD system of an SUV. Installing high-end tyres definitely is the most important step when it comes to improving 2WD SUV traction.

 

Michelin actually tested a 2WD car on winter tyres and an AWD car on summer tyres travelling over slippery conditions, and it was obvious that the 2WD car with winter tyres achieved dramatically better results.

 

This only proves that 2WD will be more than enough in most cases. Apart from that, the traction control systems on newer vehicles are optimized to use as much traction the two wheels can provide. Braking one wheel thus transferring the power to the other has become a sort of a norm. Couple this with good tyres and you probably won’t need AWD anywhere that has relatively mild weather.

 

As always, choose your car according to your needs. Buying an AWD SUV in areas with light snow, occasional rain, and mostly straight roads does not have any justification. On the opposite side, if you suffer with heavy snow and ice, heavy rain and windy, hilly roads then AWD is probably preferable.

 

I hope this helps but these are just mine and a few journalist views. If you are seriously thinking of an SUV type vehicle but unsure about 2WD, FWD, AWD or 4WD seek the advice of the dealer and carry out your own research to make sure that the car truly fits your needs.

 

Oh and as one commentator said, SUV’s with whatever drive are not amphibious vehicles so don’t assume that you can drive through deep water without a thought! They are just as likely to break down or leak as any other car. By Graham Hill

A class action representing more than 90,000 UK Volkswagen owners will aim to determine whether its emissions-reducing defeat device software was designed to defeat clean air laws.

 

The Volkswagen Group is denying that the software it used was an illegal defeat device but a preliminary High Court hearing will today (December 2) focus on whether software fitted to 1.2 million vehicles was designed to cheat clean air laws in the UK.

 

If the biggest class action of its kind in the UK is successful in the two-week preliminary hearing starting today, a full trial is expected to take place in 2020.

 

A spokesman for Slater Gordon, which is representing the majority of the UK customers, said that Mr Justice Waksman will be asked to rule on whether the software installed in the cars was a ‘defeat device’ under EU regulations.

 

He will also be asked to determine whether the High Court is bound by The German Federal Motor Transport Authority’s finding that the software installed by VW was a defeat device.

 

VW admitted to manipulating 11 million vehicles worldwide to fool emissions tests back in September 2015.

 

In the US the OEM paid out $4.3 billion in civil and criminal penalties after pleading guilty to criminal charges and total costs for VW are estimated to have reached $21bn.

 

VW will also pay between $87m and $127m in compensation to customers in Australia, despite having made no admission of liability.

 

The OEM maintains that its engine software did not breach the law and said in a statement that “there has never been a defeat device installed in any of its vehicles in the UK”.

 

Commenting on the proceedings at the High Court this week, a Volkswagen spokesman said: “The purpose of the hearing is to determine two specific questions of law, namely whether the English & Welsh High Court is bound by the findings of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) or the British Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), and whether the legal definition under Article 3 (10) of Regulation 717/2007/EC of a defeat device is met if certain factors are fulfilled. Volkswagen says the answer to both questions is no.”

 

He added: “Volkswagen Group continues to defend robustly its position in the High Court in London. It remains Volkswagen Group’s case that the claimants did not suffer any loss at all and that the affected vehicles did not contain a prohibited defeat device. The decision today does not affect any questions of liability or loss.”

 

Quoted in The Guardian newspaper, Gareth Pope, head of group litigation at Slater Gordon, said: “VW has had plenty of opportunity to come clean, make amends and move on from this highly damaging episode.

 

“But instead it’s chosen to spend millions of pounds denying the claims our clients have been forced to bring against it rather than paying that to their own customers in compensation.”

 

Back in September the Volkswagen Group branded allegations that chief executive Herbert Deiss and chairman Dieter Poetsch were guilty of market manipulation in connection to the dieselgate scandal as “groundless”.

 

The German carmaker’s senior executives were formally charged with market manipulation in Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany, on September 24, over allegations that they intentionally failed to inform investors early enough about the diesel emissions scandal.

 

Former Group chief executive Martin Winterkorn was also charged. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

Providers and policymakers are being warned that a fragmented charge point network is slowing the take-up of electric vehicles (EVs).

 

There are currently 28,000-plus charge points in the UK and 15 major network providers, said Zap-Map.

 

Fleet body ACFO said the accessibility of charge points is a concern for drivers, as they consider whether to choose a plug-in company car.

 

ACFO chair Caroline Sandall said: “Electric vehicle ‘charge point anxiety’ is replacing ‘range anxiety’ as the big issue for drivers.”

 

Carmakers’ enhancements to batteries, she says, have improved the range of EVs so significantly that drivers’ fears of running out of charge, before reaching their destination, are quickly being eroded.

 

However, she warned: “Range anxiety is now being replaced by charge point anxiety due to a number of concerns, including different vehicles requiring different connectors to enable charging to take place; and no standard payment system across all charge point providers.”

 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electric Vehicles has urged large public charge point operators to make their units interoperable.

 

In a letter to operators last month, it said the “fragmented” system for charge point transactions, involving multiple cards, apps and accounts, is “putting off” fleet operators from adopting EVs.

 

It says there is now an urgent need for industry-led collaboration to simplify this experience.

 

Even the most evangelical of EV advocates recognises that this is a major stumbling block.

 

Simon King, procurement director at Mitie, which has pledged to convert 20% of its car and small van fleet to EV by the end of 2020, said: “I’ve got between 10 and 15 apps for different charge point providers on my phone; a driver in a diesel van will have an Allstar card they can use at pretty much any filling station. That’s our biggest issue.”

 

And Catherine Hutt, innovation lead at Addison Lee, said: “Charging has been an issue for our drivers. The day I had to say ‘you are going to have to download about six different apps’, my heart sank. We cannot let this carry on – it’s not sustainable.”

 

A group of charge point providers has signed a roaming agreement to open up networks for EV drivers in the UK by the end of 2019.

 

Allego, Charge4Europe, Chargemap, ChargePoint, Engenie, EVBox, Franklin Energy, NewMotion and Travelcard will only require a single subscription to access any of their public charging stations.

 

They have also agreed to share charging station information so EV drivers can see where and if a charge point is available and what a charging session will cost them.

 

Matt Western, chair of the all-party parliamentary group, said: “This announcement from the collaborating parties in e-mobility is absolutely a step in the right direction.”

 

The agreement struck between the charge point operators is based on the Open Charge Point Interface, a standardised and open-source protocol commonly used in Europe.

 

The all-party parliamentary group says interoperability agreements in markets such as the Netherlands, France and Germany have helped fuel the switch to EVs.

 

Sytse Zuidema, CEO of New-Motion, says its wider experience in Europe also shows that making charging more “accessible and easy helps encourage EV adoption”.

 

The Government announced in the summer that it wanted all new EV rapid charge points to allow debit or credit card payments by spring 2020.

 

BP Chargemaster supported the move and said its Polar network will offer contactless bank or credit card payments on all new 50kW and 150kW ultra-fast chargers. It will also retrofit all existing 50kW Ultracharge units.

 

“Rapid chargers are contactless tap and pay – you turn up and get your bank card out,” said Tom Callow, BP director of communication and strategy.

 

Customers have always been able to access the Polar network, which operates 7,000 charge points in the UK, on a pay-as-you-go basis or via a subscription (membership).

 

Polar subscribers pay a monthly fee of £7.85 and, in turn, have cheaper charging rates.

 

Sandall says “total uniformity” is required in terms of payment and type of plug/charging point.

 

“Charge point providers and motor manufacturers need to unite in terms of the type of system and there needs to be complete uniformity in terms of payment – one card, one system,” she said. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

It’s fair to say that the idea of switching to winter tyres hasn’t caught on in the UK to the extent that tyre manufacturers had hoped. But increasing the grip at the tyre contact patch is the best way to maintain the best possible traction and steering on slippery or what engineers call a ‘low-mu’ surface. (The Greek letter µ, pronounced mu, represents the coefficient of friction.)

 

It might seem that four-wheel drive is a better idea, but it isn’t necessarily. A 4×4 will make the most of the traction available from the four contact patches. It may also help prevent the balance of the car being upset by a clumsy driver stabbing at the throttle.

 

But if there’s no grip available, the tyres still can’t gain forward traction, stop the car sliding anywhere it wants, or stop it quickly enough under braking, if at all. Four-wheel drive alone can’t prevent any of those things happening and the only thing that can is the grip of the tyres on the road.

 

In snow, there’s something else to consider: the width of the rubber. Watch any rally video of cars competing in snow and they all have one thing in common: skinny tyres. In snow, whatever the type of tyre, it will get more grip if it can bite down into the surface. Wide tyres, while good for cornering grip in the dry, are likely to fare worse in the snow.

 

You can probably see where this is heading. A small, front-wheel-drive hatchback with 185-section winter tyres will be more effective in snow than a big 4×4 SUV on fat summer tyres. The winter tyres grip better in snow because they’re designed to, the weight of the engine is directly over the driven wheels even if there are only two, and the tyres are skinny.

 

It’s not just about snow. Winter tyres have a softer compound that keeps the tread soft and supple in low temperatures, giving more grip on cold, damp or wet Tarmac at anything below 7deg C. That’s due to the chemistry of the compound and the fact that it contains more natural rubber than a summer tyre. Some high-end performance tyres don’t contain any natural rubber at all and can deteriorate and crack over time in extreme low temperatures.

 

The solid centre band on a high-performance summer tyre designed to give sharp steering response is missing on a winter tyre and there are normally fewer grooves around the circumference than on a summer tyre – depending on the make. However, there are a lot more of those tiny slits in the tread, called sipes. They create more sharp edges to grip the surface as the blocks they define deform in use. In snowy conditions, they also trap the snow, which grips better than wet rubber.

 

The downside of a winter tyre is that wider fitments especially are likely to be noisier than a summer equivalent, the rolling resistance is higher and the steering response and handling of a performance car in the dry won’t be as good. On a family car with modest performance, though, there’s no reason not to leave them on all year round, dodging the cost and hassle of two sets of tyres and giving much more safety and convenience in the worst winter weather.

 

The pressure to perform

 

Why does fuel consumption rise if tyres are not inflated properly? Hysteresis. As the tyre rotates and meets the road surface, it deforms, consuming energy. As it turns away from the surface, elasticity returns it to its original shape, but not all of the energy is recovered and the rest is lost as heat. By Graham Hill Thanks To Autocar Magazine.

As leasing companies and manufacturers try to increase take up of all EV’s the bigger premium cars are suffering massive drops when used according to a report by Fleet News. The question is how can it be addressed?

 

Residual values for used electric vehicles (EVs) are progressing at different rates with prices for cheaper models strengthening in the last 24 months.

 

Values for models under £17,000 at one year and 10,000 miles have seen an uplift while those for premium EVs are weaker.

 

Data from Cap HPI shows that models including the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iON have seen residual values improve in the last two years. In November 2017, a one-year-old and 10,000 mile Citroen C-Zero was worth around £6,000 and today a similar example is valued at more than £11,000.

 

Premium EVs remain a challenge due to the high cost new, which translates to the vehicle looking expensive when entering the used market. Models such as Jaguar I-Pace, Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X have all seen values reduce in the past few months.

 

Chris Plumb, senior valuations editor at Cap HPI, said: “It’s clear that there is a growing market for a used BEV at a particular price point perhaps for use as a second car for city commutes. We expect to see demand continue to increase as clean air zones are rolled out across the country and the range of product widens.

 

“The premium models represent a different proposition, often with longer ranges and more features, the high purchase price at new is yet to translate in the used sector.”

 

A BMW i8 coupe is worth around £20,000 less at one year old and 10,000 miles than it was two years ago. Equally the Jaguar iPace has seen values drop by around £10,000 in the last 12 months.

 

As volumes of EVs increase in the market some mainstream models have seen pressure and values drop. The VW eGolf and Nissan Leaf have seen values decline following an increase in volumes of two-year-old product, in particular, models with a smaller battery.

 

“Over time, used values have stabilised and now perform against the same market pressures as their petrol counterparts,” Plumb said.

 

“As supply and demand shift we see pressure on some models and, in some cases, values appreciate on others. We expect dozens of new models in 2020 and it will only bring more choice to the used buyer.”

Company car drivers and fleet managers are being warned that criminals are using WhatsApp groups to plan and execute car thefts, according to vehicle protection specialists at AX.

 

According to the report, criminals create and share ‘shopping lists’ of makes and models so that vehicles can be stolen to order. AX, a provider of intelligent vehicle protection and management technologies for the automotive and insurance industries, says that “fuelled by encrypted social media platforms, the wave of thefts has been intensified by the vulnerability of ‘keyless’ systems which criminals are able to exploit using key signal amplifiers and decoders costing thousands”.

 

Home Office figures show the number of vehicles stolen in Britain has almost doubled in the last five years. In 2017-18, nearly 112,000 cars were taken illegally, up from 75,308 in the 2013-14 financial year.

 

Neil Thomas, AX director of investigative services, said: “The highly organised criminal networks are constantly looking for more secure ways to carry on their ‘businesses’ online and use social media with encrypted messaging capabilities or even online games to covertly communicate with each other.

 

“The sheer volume of thefts is practically a car theft epidemic and is enabling criminals to purchase costly technology which then fuels even more car crime.

 

“The thieves who take the initial risk get the cash payment, then the buyer, who now has a tracker-free car can then take their time to strip it, clone it or export it. This is where the profit is, especially in terms of the parts which can amount to much more than the complete vehicle.”

 

AX states that typically, criminals – or whole gangs in some cases – mobilise on social media where they agree their preferred targets, pricing and buyer before preparing bogus number-plates from similar vehicles to rapidly clone vehicles. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News.

I came across a piece that explained some things to be wary of as an employer but is also useful if you drive a car on business even though you may be self employed or use your own car but are paid a car allowance or mileage.

 

The Christmas work party season will soon be with us! It is therefore worthwhile taking the following into account. If you as an employer are putting on a Christmas party, whether on your premises or at an outside location then you have responsibilities under employment and health and safety laws.

 

And as an employee you need to be aware of your responsibilities should you be attending a works party.

 

The company should have the relevant policies in place and staff handbooks should be up to date with the issues below covered. This helps to avoid any misunderstandings in the future as employees will be aware of the company expectations.

 

Alcohol and Drugs

 

If the employees have to drive a vehicle, they cannot be over the legal limit, including the following morning. As an employer, you are liable for their actions when they are acting in the course of their employment so be mindful of employees who could potentially be over the limit the next morning.

 

If a majority of employees are likely to consume alcohol, it would be wise to arrange transport.

 

Remember some people want a soft drink rather than alcohol and for some it’s a necessity on religious grounds or due to the fact they are the designated driver.

 

Watch for drugs use.  It is an offence to knowingly permit (or ignore) the use/supply of drugs.

 

Whilst it may be an office Christmas party, on or off company premises, it is still deemed as a working environment. Employees telling one another how they really feel about one another in ‘banter’ or playing pranks could be misconstrued.

 

Any grievance, should be dealt with. This extends to the world of social media, any confession or inappropriate posts will still have to be dealt with accordingly.

 

Any failures of employees to attend work the next day is a disciplinary offence and should be made clear to those attending. This should be applied to all employees to ensure no discrimination claims arise. If a manager doesn’t turn up with no action but a subordinate staff member is disciplined – it could end up in a tribunal.

 

It is a good idea to designate certain people in management/supervisory roles to oversee the level of behaviour at parties and make sure that things don’t get out of hand.  Remember that your involvement in putting on the party can lead to claims for discrimination, harassment, assault which the company could be liable for.

 

Some religions or faiths don’t recognise Christmas since it is a Christian holiday.  Make it clear that attendance at a party is entirely voluntary. Whilst it’s important that everyone enjoys themselves – it’s a Christmas party after all, you don’t want to find yourselef out of a job the following day or week for telling your boss or an employee what you think of them. By Graham Hill

UK drivers are risking their licences by breaking the speed limit when overtaking, shocking government figures have shown.

 

According to official stats, in 2017 almost 8,000 vehicles were involved in collisions when overtaking – and over half (55%) of these were cars.

 

Safety chiefs are now urging motorists to watch their speed when overtaking to avoid putting themselves and other road users at risk – and avoid getting hit with heavy fines or even losing their licence.

 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is keen to set aside myths that speeding is acceptable when overtaking another vehicle.

 

“The common-sense message is do not overtake unless you are sure you can complete the manoeuvre safely and without causing risk or inconvenience to another road user,” warns an RoSPA spokesman.

 

“Although you should complete an overtaking manoeuvre quickly, never exceed the speed limit for the road.”

 

As rule 125 of the Highway Code states, the speed limit is the absolute maximum you should drive on any particular road. This does not exclude overtaking.

 

Exceeding the speed limit for any reason is dangerous as well as illegal and could see you hit with penalty points, a hefty fine, or even being banned from the roads entirely.

 

While overtaking is, of course, legal, there are strict rules about how and when it is safe to overtake – the most fundamental being that you should only overtake ‘when it is safe and legal to do so’.

 

If you’re caught speeding while overtaking, you could collect a fine up to £2,500 and six points on your licence, depending on your speed and the road you’re caught on.

 

Should you get 12 penalty points or more in any three-year period, you’ll have your licence revoked.  By Graham Hill Thanks To RAC

Breathalysers must be able to be fitted into all new cars from 2022 following a landmark decision by the European Council.

 

The technology, that could prevent drink-drivers from starting their engines, was approved in March but has only just been rubber-stamped by European officials last week.

 

The UK’s position is yet to be confirmed, but the current Government has previously said it will mirror European road safety rules post-Brexit.

 

Cars made before 2022 will have to comply with the new rules by 2024. Road safety charity Brake has labelled the move the “biggest leap forward for road safety this century”.

 

The recent approval also covers the mandatory installing of speed limiter software.

 

Timo Harakka of the European Council, said: “These new rules will help us to reduce significantly the number of fatalities and severe injuries.”

 

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said the measures could cut collisions by 30% and save 25,000 lives across Europe over the next 15 years.

 

Details on how car breathalyser protocol will play out remain deliberately vague. Some systems require repeat breath tests at random intervals to prevent drunk drivers to ask a sober friend to start their car.

 

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Although all new cars from 2022 will be enabled to have an alcolock, it will be up to the UK Government to decide how they are used.”

 

Speed limiters – or intelligent speed assistance (ISA) software – are already fitted on many cars and can be overridden by pressing hard on the accelerator.

 

The ETSC has suggested drivers should be able to deactivate ISA software.

 

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at Brake, said: “Drink-driving and speeding are a scourge on our roads and the cause of devastating crashes every day.

 

“On the eve of Road Safety Week, it’s fantastic to hear that alcohol interlock compatibility and speed limiting technology will soon be mandatory.”

 

Mr Greig said: “We see them (in-car breathalysers) as a useful tool for repeat drink drive offenders to get them back to safe driving after a ban.

 

“It is very unlikely that the vast majority of the law-abiding public will ever have to blow in a tube to start their car.”

 

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Improving road safety is vital as too many lives are lost or ruined every year as a result of accidents on our roads.

 

“As we progress on the journey to self-driving cars it is important to take advantage of all the associated technological developments to take safety to the next level, particularly as road casualty statistics appear to have stopped falling in recent years.

 

“Features such as lane keep assistance, autonomous emergency braking and driver-drowsiness warning systems have the potential to have a very positive effect on the number of accidents.

 

“Speed limiting equipment while sounding somewhat Big Brother-like could also play a role in reducing road casualties. It’s important to realise, that as it stands, the technology could be overridden in certain situations – for example by pressing hard on the accelerator to complete an overtaking manoeuvre.

 

“In addition, vehicles will not brake automatically when going from a faster to a slower speed limit, meaning it will still be down to the driver to brake appropriately.

 

“As the limiters can be overridden it naturally begs the question whether some drivers will do this regularly to bypass the system, potentially undermining some of the system’s benefits.

 

“But just because a vehicle’s speed is limited doesn’t mean that drivers can accelerate as fast as they like up to the limit they are in. We should always drive at the right speed for the conditions, whether that’s due to traffic, bad weather or other hazards.”

 

Hunter Abbott, member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety and managing director of AlcoSense Laboratories comments:  “New cars manufactured after 2022 will have a ‘breathalyser interface’ fitted, which is essentially a universal port to enable the ‘plug and play’ installation of a breathalyser that can stop the vehicle from starting, if required.

 

This will make it easier for fleet operators to implement the safety technology and, potentially in future, for the mandatory installation of an in-car breathalyser for convicted drink drivers.” By Graham Hill Thanks To RAC

Supermarket chain Lidl has announced it will install rapid electric vehicle chargers at all of its new stores.

 

In addition to installing the Pod Point chargers in its new buildings, Lidl will also retrofit charging points into “a number of existing stores”, which together with new stores represents a total investment of over £25m.

 

The supermarket already has rapid chargers at over 40 of its stores, which it says have helped to power more than 6.9 million EV miles. Its new commitment means over a third of all Lidl stores (more than 300) will have rapid electric vehicle chargers by 2022.

 

Sustainable lives

Ingo Fischer, chief development officer for Lidl GB, said: “At Lidl, we are committed to tackling the environmental concerns that our customers care most about, whilst giving them access to solutions that will support them in their ambition to lead more sustainable lives.

 

“Not only will our customers be able to charge their electric cars in 50 mins – less time than it takes to do a big shop – they will be able to do it for the best price on the market. It is our hope that, through this significant investment, we will enable easier access to charging points, ultimately helping more households switch to electric vehicles.”

 

Apps and maps

The points, which can charge vehicles from 0-80% charge in under an hour can be used via the company’s Open Charge mobile app. Chargers will have their own allocated and marked parking bays for use, and stores with charge points can be viewed via the Lidl app or on Zap-Map and Pod Point’s maps.

 

Growing network

Morrisons recently unveiled its first 50 GeniePoint rapid charging points at its stores nationwide, with a further 50 planned by 2020.

 

Last year Tesco announced it was to install thousands of ‘free’ EV charge points across its network of sites.

 

In partnership with Volkswagen, Tesco aim to develop what it claims will be by the UK’s largest retail electric vehicle (EV) charging network, rolling out more than 2,400 Pod Point EV charging bays across 600 Tesco stores within the next three years. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News