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Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP have assessed the latest driver assistance systems to ensure users are fully aware of their capabilities.

Reports of accidents where drivers have misused these systems are becoming a regular topic for the media and these new gradings are designed to inform drivers of the performance, and most importantly, the limitations of Assisted Driving systems.

“The systems that are currently allowed on our roads are there to assist the driver – but do not replace them,” said Matthew Avery, Thatcham’s director of research. “Unfortunately, there are motorists that believe they can purchase a self-driving car today.

This is a dangerous misconception that sees too much control handed to vehicles that are not ready to cope with all situations.

“Clarity is therefore required to make sure drivers understand the capability and performance of current assisted systems. It’s crucial today’s technology is adopted safely before we take the next step on the road to automation. There are safety and insurance implications that must be considered seriously.”

Ten vehicles have been initially assessed, including the Tesla Model 3, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes GLE.

The testing looked at how effective the systems control the car, how the carmaker communicates the capability and functionality of the systems and how well the car protects the driver in an emergency.

Mercedes scored the highest number of points across the three categories, with its GLE model receiving a ‘very good’ rating. The BMW 3 Series and Audi Q8 also scored top marks.

The Ford Kuga’s results showed a ‘good’ grading is possible for a mid-class vehicle, thanks to its combination of Vehicle Assistance and Safety Back-up. The entry-level Renault Clio and Peugeot 2008 offer effective systems, but lack emergency assist capability which would have boosted their grading. 

The Tesla Model 3 was top scorer in the vehicle assistance and safety back-up assessments, but was the lowest scorer for driver engagement, resulting in a ‘moderate’ grading. 

“The first batch of results show some car makers have developed robust assisted driving systems and that’s good to see. But there are also significant gaps in capability on other vehicles,” Avery explained. 

 

“The Tesla Model 3 was the best for vehicle assistance and safety back-up. But lost ground for over selling what its ‘Autopilot’ system is capable of, while actively discouraging drivers from engaging when behind the wheel. 

“Tesla should however be recognised for its ability to update vehicles ‘Over the Air’. Two years ago, it’s safety back up results would not have been market leading. This unique capability has seen it move the safety game on, across its whole fleet of vehicles.”

Assisted Driving Systems test results: 

Position	Car	Vehicle Assistance	Driver Engagement	Safety Back-up	Rating
1	Mercedes GLE	86	85	89	174 / very good
2	BMW 3-Series	82	83	90	172 / very good
3	Audi Q8	83	78	84	162 / very good
4	Ford Kuga	66	73	86	152 / good
5	VW Passat	76	79	61	137 / moderate
6	Tesla Model 3	87	36	95	131 / moderate
7	Nissan Juke	52	70	72	124 / moderate
8	Volvo V60	71	78	49	120 / moderate
9	Renault Clio	62	69	43	105 / entry
10	Peugeot 2008	61	74	40	101 / entry

Martin Milliner, claims director at Liverpool Victoria General Insurance, said: “Assisted driving systems are not all the same and whilst they are becoming commonplace in new vehicles, they are still at an embryonic stage in terms of driver awareness and understanding.

The new independent grading system from Thatcham and Euro NCAP will bust the myths around driverless cars and give UK drivers a lens through which to make informed car buying choices; hopefully leading to fewer accidents and deaths on our roads.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Ofgem is considering introducing new rules, which would allow power companies to switch of electric vehicle (EV) home-chargers during times of high demand.

The measure, which official papers suggest would be implemented as a “last resort”, was discussed at a working group meeting hosted by the Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA), last month (August 24).

It was attended by Ofgem and representatives from the major energy providers, including EDF Energy, SSE, British Gas and Northern Power Grid.

The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA) was established in October 2006 as a multi-party contract between the licensed electricity distributors, suppliers and generators of Great Britain.

A DCUSA report, quoted by Auto Express, argues that, because the electricity network was not designed to accommodate the “significant additional demand” expected from the likes of EV chargers, allowing distributors the “control of consumer devices (such as electric vehicles) connected to smart meter infrastructure” should be allowed, though only as a “last resort, emergency measure”.

A consultation is likely to be released next month (October) to seek industry views and a decision is expected next year.

By 2050, up to 45% of households will actively provide vehicle to grid (V2G) services, according to National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO)’s Future Energy Scenarios.

The rapid growth in the numbers of EVs will mean more demand on local electricity networks if EVs are all plugged in at the same time, such as during the peak between 5pm and 7pm in the evening.

Smart charging, or ‘V1G’, which allows management of the time when EV charging occurs – as trialled by the original Electric Nation project – will help to avoid this situation.

However, V2G charging will be more effective than smart charging. This is due to the ability to link EVs together and put significant levels of energy back into the grid at peak times, like a huge decentralised power station.

V2G therefore aims to help reduce the grid’s need for additional energy generation, typically supplied by fossil fuels at peak times, as well as reducing demand on electricity networks, and allowing EV drivers to use greener and cheaper electricity. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Electric and hybrid cars continued to grow in popularity across Europe in August, representing more than one in five cars sold in the continent.

It’s a new record, according to data analysis firm Jato, and represents a growth of 121% year-on-year.

Hybrids accounted for 49% of electrified vehicle registrations in August, with their volume increasing by 86% thanks to the mild-hybrid technology available in some Ford, Suzuki and Fiat models.

Pure electric cars followed this success, with 48,800 units, an increase of 111%.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) found 44,700 new customers, with registrations up by 283%. This huge increase amounted from the success of premium brands, accounting for 55% of their volume, and the new Ford Kuga.

The Coronavirus pandemic continued to rock the industry in August, however, with the overall number of new cars registered across Europe some 18% behind August 2019.

In total, 881,897 new cars were registered in August 2020, leaving the sector 33% down year-to-date.

Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics, said: “We continue to say that it is still too early to talk about recovery and the results last month indicate that there are still big issues that need to be addressed in the industry.

Fortunately, the larger drop seen in August was mostly caused by business/fleet registrations, as private registrations only fell by 4%. This is a good indicator that the situation is not as dire as it might seem.”

SUVs accounted for 41% of all registrations in August, with the Peugeot 2008 the best-seller.

Overall, the VW Golf was the most popular car in Europe, amassing more than 22,000 registrations. The Audi A6 topped the executive car segment, while Renault’s Clio was the best-selling supermini.

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

By Steve Nash, CEO of the Institue of the Motor Industry (IMI)

There is much speculation that the government is planning to move forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030, with hybrids given a reprieve to 2035.

I admire the confidence of those feeding this speculation – apparently there are assurances that the infrastructure will be ready by this date.

But there is so much more to consider than simply the charging infrastructure.

Indeed, in some ways the charging network issue is relatively simple to resolve… It just needs investment, and rather a lot of it!

However, we won’t get the network we need if the government leaves it largely to private businesses to solve the problem, as it has done up to now.

The investments made by our government are paltry compared to other countries.

But I worry that a much bigger piece of the jigsaw has been forgotten.

What about the technicians to service and repair this new automotive technology which, in turn, will give motorists the essential confidence they need?

The automotive sector has seen – much like many other industries – massive falls in sales over the last 6 months as a result of Covid-19.

Right now, therefore, the appetite for recruitment and training is low as recent data attests.

Yet training of the existing workforce on these new drivetrains, as well as recruitment of the next generation of workers is vital.

The latest Department for Education (DoE) data shows that apprenticeship starts in the Automotive sector in July 2020 fell by 59% compared to the same period in 2019.

And the latest ONS data shows that approximately 2% of jobs in the sector have been made permanently redundant with potentially an additional 7,200 planned before the end of September.

Further underlying the financial pressures facing the automotive sector, over half (56%) stated that Covid-19 had increased the risk of insolvency of their business; an increase of 3% since last reporting.

Against this backdrop, and with so much of the country waiting to hear if new restrictions may impact business income further, does it really make sense to heap the pressure on an already beleaguered sector?

As we advance towards a zero-emission future, the technology that technicians will be coming into contact with is changing – resulting in high voltage electrics becoming commonplace.

Motorists driving electrified vehicles want to know that they are handing over their vehicle to someone who has the right skills.

Those who aren’t properly trained or equipped to work on electrified vehicles would be risking serious injury or potentially fatal shock.

The IMI TechSafe standards, endorsed by OLEV at the end of 2019, mean that electrified vehicle users can access the IMI Professional Register to check the electric vehicle technical competencies of technicians at their local garage.

This is a crucial step in giving car buyers confidence that their electric vehicle can be serviced, maintained and repaired by a garage with the right skills – and that removes a key barrier to EV adoption.

But it’s also important that government looks at investment in skills training to support a sector that is currently severely depleted by Covid-19, to ensure its zero emissions goals can be achieved. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Business travel hit a post-lockdown peak in August with every sector of the UK economy enjoying its highest weekly increase at some point, according to new data from Allstar Business Solutions.

The analysis of its customer data found average fuel consumption peaked in the week beginning August 17 at 125% above the lockdown baseline.

However, fuel consumption for August overall dropped 4.4% compared to July, which Allstar attributes to the August bank holiday, although last year the fall was more significant at 9% for the same month.

Allstar’s latest Business Barometer Monthly Snapshot, which is tracking business mileage and credit card data as an economic indicator of recovery by sector, found the long-term trajectory also remains upwards, with businesses travelling 1.06 billion more miles in August than June.

Paul Holland, managing director of UK Fuel at Fleetcor, Allstar’s parent company, said: “Although at first glance seeing a drop in business fuel consumption in August may suggest a slowdown, this followed a sharp rise in June and July.

“The decrease in business travel can also be attributed to August traditionally being a quiet month thanks to the bank holiday weekend, as well as increased domestic and foreign holidays as some coronavirus regulations were eased.

“Early indicators seem to suggest a stronger start to September as children return to school.

“It’s encouraging to see all sectors witnessing their highest weekly growth spikes during the last month; highlighting a continued hunger for businesses to get back on the road as the recovery continues.

“While the number of people on holiday clearly had a downward impact towards the end of the month, it doesn’t appear this will have a long-lasting effect.”

The week commencing August 17 was, on average, the most active for businesses on the road since the start of lockdown.

Arts, entertainment and recreation witnessed a 407% increase in mileage – just days after government lockdown restrictions were eased for some leisure businesses.

Manufacturing (161%), construction (141%) and financial services (106%) also saw their most significant post-lockdown growth during that week.

In comparison, hospitality and catering saw its largest weekly growth (211%) during the week commencing August 24, potentially due to people becoming increasingly comfortable with returning to restaurants towards the end of the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.

The same is true of wholesale and retail businesses (161%), while education saw its largest spike in business travel (258%) during the week commencing August 31, likely due to preparations for students returning to the classroom. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The following article mentioned specifically fleet managers being responsible for offences that drivers are convicted for. But beware if you are a director, owner or partner of a company that either provides company cars or pays an allowance for employees to use their own cars on business (either a car allowance or mileage allowance) as the same rules apply to the person responsible.

Fleet decision-makers could face the same penalty points as their employees should they be convicted of a driving offence, the Licence Bureau is warning.

The supplier of driver licence validation services says it is witnessing an increasing number of these cases being recorded on its system.

Responsible parties can incur the same penalty points as the actual vehicle driver due to the often unknown and much misunderstood ‘cause or permit to drive’ legislation.

Licence Bureau says that it means even though the initial offence was committed by a third party, it was ultimately the fleet manager’s responsibility.

Steve Pinchen, sales director of Licence Bureau, explained: “This much unknown rule has some very serious implications indeed for individuals and businesses alike.

“Those responsible for business fleets – of any scale – really do need to do their homework and ensure that they have all bases covered when it comes to compliance. Not only that, but there is a cultural aspect here too where everyone must be attuned to minimising road safety risk.”

According to the Road Traffic Act 1988/1991, ownership of a vehicle involved in an offence is irrelevant. This therefore implicates both owned business fleet and grey fleet operators.

The Act also cites that causing or permitting driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence can incur three to six points with fine up to £1,000.

The points remain for four years on licence from date of offence. The ‘person responsible for the fleet’ can have the points added to their own personal driving licence.

At present, the majority of these ‘dual penalty recipient’ offences recorded on Licence Bureau’s system relate to ‘causing or permitting using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks’ – an offence which carries six to eight penalty points.

Pinchen said: “Beyond the actual penalty points there are the knock-on implications for elevated risk profiles within the business and what that might mean for insurance premiums; professional and personal impacts for fleet managers; as well as potential for reputational damage for the company.”

Other offences recorded on Licence Bureau’s system include ‘using a vehicle with defective tyres’ which carries three penalty points for each individual implicated, and ‘using a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle’ which carries three to six penalty points.

The volume of motoring fines and penalties incurred by company car and van drivers increased by 3% in 2019, according to figures from Lex Autolease released earlier this year.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Average used car values exceeded £8,000 for the third month in a row in August, with sold volumes continuing to rise, up by 3.9% over the month, reports BCA.

BCA sold record numbers of vehicles online in August. Daily online sales entries averaged more than 6,000 units, with a record number of 7,400 vehicles offered on Wednesday, August 19, the highest volume of vehicles ever offered by BCA online in one day.

BCA chief operating officer for UK Remarketing, Stuart Pearson, said it has seen “improving levels” of supply reaching the marketplace throughout the period of the pandemic with “well-matched demand” for stock from its buyer base.

“The marketplace is operating very efficiently and this is good news for all professional operators in the used vehicle sector.”

He added: “Anecdotally, many dealers are telling us that their stock churn has improved significantly, with many holding lower volumes of stock but still selling as many vehicles as they might have expected pre-Covid19.”

Used car challenges ahead

Indicata, however, suggests that the UK used market showed its first signs of cooling off in August, according to its latest used car report.

During August, it says that the UK was the only one out of 13 European countries to experience a year-on-year fall (-3.3%) with the sub-three-year sector down by 15.75%.

Volumes were also down by 50% in the sub 12-month sector caused by OEMs reducing their push on self-registrations and demonstrators as new car shortages continue following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The six-nine-year age group was the only one to rise during August by 8.8%.

Hybrids and electric vehicle (EV) sales were up year-on-year by nearly 50%.

Meanwhile, market stock levels grew by 3% in August as used cars stuck in the wholesale supply chain have finally seen the light of day.

“The UK used car market saw an interesting blend of high prices, improving stock levels and a fall in demand year-on-year,” explained Jon Mitchell, Indicata’s group sales director.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Speed limits on parts of four motorways are to be cut before October in a trial to reduce pollution.

Highways England said the limit will be reduced from 70mph to 60mph in areas that have seen higher than recommended levels of nitrogen dioxide.

The reduced speed limit will be introduced on M6 junctions 6 to 7 by Witton, M1 junctions 33 to 34 by Rotherham, M602 junctions 1 to 3 by Eccles and M5 1 to 2 by Oldbury.

Each locations is up to 4.5 miles long and the new speed limits will be operational 24 hours a day.

The reduced speed limits will be assessed after 12 months to see if they are having an impact, or if the air quality level is compliant.

Ivan Le Fevre, head of environment at Highways England told the BBC: “Ultimately the air quality challenge will be solved ‘at the tailpipe’ by vehicle manufacturers and changes in vehicle use.

“Until this happens we will continue our extensive programme of pioneering research and solutions.”

Recent Department for Transport figures show the proportion of cars sticking to the speed limit is at its highest on 60mph roads.

The data measures speed and compliance at sites where the road conditions are free-flowing, for example roads with no junctions, sharp bends, speed enforcement cameras or other traffic calming measures.

In 2019, 50% of cars were found to exceed the speed limit on motorways, 54% on 30mph roads and just 9% where limits were 60mph.

The DfT says the statistics provide insights into speeds at which drivers choose to travel when free to do so, but are not estimates of average speeds across the whole network.

It notes that the average car speeds under free flow conditions were close to the speed limit on motorways (69mph) and 30mph roads (31mph) – and under the speed limit on 60mph roads (50mph).  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Road safety charity Brake has welcomed the Government move to introduce life sentences for killer drivers.

The Ministry of Justice originally pledged to introduce the punishment in 2017 and it will form part of major sentencing reforms to be unveiled by the Lord Chancellor in a white paper this week.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said the charity has long advocated for an overhaul of UK road law to deliver justice for victims and to help keep roads free from dangerous drivers.

He added: “Crash victims have waited three long years for this announcement. Road crime is real crime and it is high-time that the Government, and the law, recognised this.

“Years of Government inaction have added to the suffering of road victims who have not been delivered the justice they, and their loved ones, deserve.

“The Government must now implement these tougher sentences as first priority, delivering on their overdue promise to road crash victims, and then urgently initiate a review of the flawed legal framework for road justice.

“Driving is a privilege not a right and yet our flawed legal system continues to allow convicted dangerous drivers on the roads where they can endanger others.

“We all want safer roads but we will only achieve this if the law treats road crime with the seriousness it deserves.”

The measures around driving include plans to:

• increase the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 years to life

• increase the maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs from 14 years to life

• create a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.

Paul Loughlin, senior associate solicitor at Stephensons, said:“The impact of dangerous and careless driving often has far reaching consequences, not only for those involved but also for their families and friends.

“Much of the criticism surrounding legislation in this area is that it doesn’t provide sufficient justice for those who are killed as a result of dangerous driving, or those seriously injured as a result.

“These proposals would transform the sentencing guidelines for this offence and go a long way to redress the balance for victims.

“On the flip side, we have often seen prosecutors taking a harder line in cases where there has been a serious injury and the driving standard would ordinarily be considered to be ‘careless’ rather than ‘dangerous’.

“The absence of the ability to charge with causing serious injury through careless driving has seen inconsistent charging decisions being made to plug a gap.

“There are clear examples of cases being ‘bumped up’ from a straight forward careless driving charge to the more serious charge of causing serious injury through dangerous driving with more emphasis being placed on the extent of the injury caused, irrespective of the fact that the standard of driving would ordinarily be considered to be ‘careless’.

“The introduction of this new offence should more suitably plug that gap and ensure more appropriate charges being laid for this type of offence.”

Department for Transport figures show 1,748 people were killed on the roads of Great Britain last year, a figure which has flatlined since 2012 when 1,754 people were killed. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A new study by Field Dynamics has found that fewer on-street electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints may be required than previously expected, to support a mass uptake of EVs.

Working in partnership with Zap-Map, the Net Zero data consultancy has found that better residential charging services can be achieved by siting chargers in more focused locations.

Field Dynamics’ managing director Ben Allan said: “Placing public chargers is a difficult process as it requires the balancing of many conflicting priorities.  But now there is a bedrock of robust data that planners can use to select their sites, placing fewer chargers at lower cost while providing a much more inclusive service”

The research found that there are around eight million households, outside of London, that do not have off-street parking and 90% of those are more than a five-minute walk from the nearest public EV chargepoint.

Field Dynamics said such proximity from a chargepoint could reduce the appeal of switching to e-mobility for those households, due to inconvenience or impracticality.

Brighton and Hove Council have achieved 67% coverage of households that require on-street charging provision by placing just 139 chargers, however.

This suggests that most councils will require a few hundred charger sites to ensure there is access to a charger within a five-minute walk for those residents who will need to access this critical service, rather than placing them on every street.

Zap Map COO and joint MD of Zap Map Melanie Shufflebotham said: “Providing convenient public charging for households with no off-street parking is a key element in the mass uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).

“This unique analysis combining the Zap-Map and Field Dynamics data sets provides both a high-level comparison between towns and also identifies down to a street level where there is a real gap in charging provision. We believe this data will be a great tool for organisations when making decisions on where to install additional charge points.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News