News

In what is being claimed as a landmark research report published by Ricardo and National Grid in the UK, the market potential is demonstrated for an electric plug-in vehicle fleet of the future to provide balancing services to the power grid on a commercial basis, returning value to vehicle owners while improving the carbon efficiency of grid operation.

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 2.1 million in Q4-2010. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6 per cent, this number is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015. In Latin America, the number of installed fleet management systems is expected to increase from 0.9 million in Q4-2010, growing at a CAGR of 20.6 per cent to reach 2.3 million in 2015.

Econolite Canada has announced it has expanded its vehicle detection and traffic measurement capabilities by offering RTMS (Remote Traffic Microwave Sensor) G4 to the Canadian transportation management industry. According to the company, RTMS G4 is the newest generation radar sensor for vehicle detection and traffic measurement, adding to Econolite Canada's growing portfolio of strategic ITS capabilities.

A joint US$1.6 million fund to research and develop new technology to reduce the disruption caused by road works was announced yesterday by UK Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Confirmation of a lane rental scheme for roadworks was also announced at the same time.

Bucharest underground operator Metrorex has nearly finished plans to develop its new US$1.35billion M6 underground mainline to link the city centre with Henri Coanda International Airport. The new M6 in the Romanian capital will have a length of 14km and take in 12 stations. Metrorex has changed the initial project plans by adding two new stations to cover the residential area and Baneasa Commercial Park.

Machine vision specialist Vitronic has announced it is supporting energy efficient and resource-saving production and automation processes as a partner company in the Blue Competence sustainability initiative of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). The scheme aims to create a closer network focused on sustainability among mechanical and plant engineering companies. In order to become a Blue Competence partner, companies need to fulfil clearly defined sustainability criteria and standards.

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD and Rotterdam City yesterday entered into an agreement to deliver BYD's all-electric e6 vehicles as part of the Netherland's green transportation project "75-EV-RO" - the first e6's anywhere in Europe. The Netherland's Prince Maurits van Oranje, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam Mrs. A. van Huffelen, Chinese Ambassador Mr. Zhang Jun and BYD's Henry Li (Auto Division GM) were all present for the signing ceremony in Rotterdam City Hall.

Arcontia, a Swedish producer of contactless smart card readers and terminals, today announced that its embedded contactless smart card reader, designed for the Nautiz eTicket Pro PDA, is to be used by Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen - NS).

Electrification in vehicles is a key trend in the automotive industry. The increase in electric components within vehicles is boosting the market for traction motors and Frost & Sullivan says it anticipates the European traction motor market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50 per cent for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). Permanent magnet motors are expected to dominate the market by virtue of their performance and efficiency. However, the growing concern over t

PTV and Ingenius Mobile have joined forces to serve the Romanian market with PTVs traffic and transport planning software systems, and in particular its leading product line, PTV Vision.

Bernhard Simon, chief executive of Dachser, a Germany-headquartered European logistic provider, says he believes that one in five truck journeys would not be necessary if superfluous packaging was avoided. This could reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by up to eight million tons he believes. In 2005 CO2 emissions from road cargo transport in Germany amounted to 36.7 million tons and the Federal Environment Agency has forecast emissions to rise to 44.4 million tons by 2020.

Wabco Holdings has entered into a long term agreement with Iveco to supply anti-lock braking technology for light- and medium-duty trucks produced in Brazil from 2013 onward. The company’s new agreement with Iveco is consistent with the Brazilian federal government’s mandate for compulsory anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on new trucks, buses and trailers to further increase vehicle and road safety. According to Brazilian legislation, 40 per cent of total commercial vehicles produced in Brazil in 2013 must b

Safety concerns have been raised over air pollution levels in Stockholm's 18km tunnel bypass. Data from the Swedish Transport Agency (Trafikverket) suggests that pollution in the Stockholm Bypass project (Förbifart Stockholm) could result in 20-30 fatalities/year due to the increased risk of triggering serious breathing disorders. The data suggests that high levels of dangerous particulate matter could pose a serious risk to users of the tunnel at peak periods. The new road will be paved with concrete rathe