WELDING THE WAY
CSN Owen Sound (VR) has just expanded its toolkit to include the VAS6755A welding system.The facility is the first shop in Canada to acquire the automatic spot welding system, which comes equipped with features thickness, a telescopic arm that adjusts both vertically and horizontally, and a lightweight ergo grip the gun with a 355-degree swivel handle that allows for more relaxed working positions for the tech. Adam Sutherland, general manager at CSN Owen Sound, says it was the step in the right direction to get the new welding equipment into the shop. He said this equipment was the newest, greatest and latest welder that was available with 16000 amps and was the most compact, lightweight and maneuverable welding head available. The VAS6755A welding system can also record all welding data and has a coolant shut-off button for quick-change attachments.
AU REVOIR, RADAR
Tesla is ditching front-facing radar sensors in Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, which will make the vehicle’s driver-assist systems, such as Autopilot almost fully reliant on cameras. Starting May 2021, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in North America will no longer be equipped with radar sensors. Instead, these vehicles will rely on camera vision and neural net processing to deliver Autopilot. All Model S, Model X and vehicles built for markets outside of North America, will continue to be equipped with radar and will have radar-supported Autopilot functionality until the automaker determines to transition those vehicles to Tesla Vision.
WHAT A STEEL
Kia said its all-new, fully electric 2022 Kia EV6 crossover will be mostly composed of steel. In a release, the automaker said the body structure will be made up of 75 percent high-strength steel (HSS) and ultra-high strength steel (UHSS). Since EV battery packs already add a significant amount of weight to electric vehicles, this announcement comes as a surprise. Most automakers use lighter materials in the exterior, such as aluminum, to offset the battery’s weight. According to a survey conducted by DuckerFrontier, aluminum is the preferred metal for electric vehicle makers in North America because of its light weight. The automaker also said the EV6 is also equipped with an augmented reality windshield, featuring three-dimensional navigation and vehicle information to help drivers keep their eyes on the road, as well as ultra-fast charging.
STRAP IN
ItalDesign, an Italian design firm, has designed a mechanism that could act as a seatbelt – for motorcycles. This patent was filed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who’s been a part of the design of original VW Golf and Lotus Esprit, and Ducati 860 GT. Using this patent, rider’s are not strapped directly to the motorcycle, instead they are fastened to a backbone-like frame that’s attached to the bike with a quick-release mechanism, which can fully detach the rider from the bike. The seat belt uses sensors to determine what type of accident is occurring and whether it’s safer to eject the rider from the harness or to keep them attached.Cycle World magazine says the mechanism may be more suited for scooters and touring bikes, rather than sport bikes— since the seat belt doesn’t allow for much movement.
DIRECTOR DUNN
The chief engineer of special projects for Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., Fraser Dunn is joining the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) Project Arrow team, which is currently developing the first Canadian-made, zero-emission, autonomous vehicle. Dunn will be the project’s chief engineer. At the U.K.-based sports car manufacturer, Dunn worked on vehicles such as the Vulcan and Valkyrie Hypercar. He is now leaving Ashton Martin and joining the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) project full-time. “He’s going to take the dream and build it,” Flavio Volpe, president of the (APMA) told Automotive News. Currently, over 335 Canadian companies have promised $100 million towards the project, he said. After the car is finished, the vehicle will go on a tour in 2020.
PERFECT MATCH
Airpro Diagnostics and Techcelerators have a completed technology licensing agreement with the plan to merge the Auto Techcelerators’ ADAS, Calibration and Test Drive CoPilot™ technologies into AirPro’s diagnostic and calibration services platform. “After meeting with AirPro’s management team and seeing first-hand their existing and future diagnostic and calibration solutions, I was thoroughly impressed. I felt integrating our ADAS, Calibration and Test Drive CoPilot™ technologies with AirPro’s solutions would help AirPro Diagnostics create the industry’s most complete and advanced end-to-end ADAS diagnostic, calibration, documentation and validation solution,” said Frank Terlep, Auto Techcelerators co-founder and CEO.
LOOK MUM, NO HANDS!
The UK has broken ground as the first government to allow fully self-driving vehicles onto public motorways, with the first such vehicles expected to hit British roads at some point this year, Reuters reported. The British Transport Ministry is currently working to establish regulations for these vehicles, which as it stands, are currently restricted to speeds of 60 km per hour or less. First on the agenda is addressing Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) and how to implement them into the UK highway code. Politicians in Britain are aiming for the nation to become a global leader in autonomous driving, projecting that 40 percent of the vehicles on British roads will have some amount of self-driving capabilities by the year 2035, thus creating 38,000 new skilled jobs in the process.
