As response to the tightening of environmental regulations in Europe and to the more severe directives about CO2 emissions for cars in the main Countries, the demand for vehicles’ motors and inverters and for control units is steeply rising. This has communicated Nidec on the occasion of the inauguration of the new factory at Novi Sad, in Serbia, built to assure an efficient supply system in Europe.
The project complies with the “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative” the Japanese Government is accomplishing in Serbia and in other regions.
Nidec Electric Motor Serbia plans to mass-produce automotive motors, and Nidec Elesys Europe plans to mass-produce automotive inverters and ECUs.
In order to this aim, the company will strengthen recruitment activities, mainly for technical personnel, and contribute to the revitalization of the regional economy the Novi Sad surrounding area in Serbia.
With the future view of mass production of the “E-Axle” traction motor system for electric vehicles in Europe, it is also promoting activities to attract suppliers and we will build an industrial cluster of automotive motors for the European market.
Nidec has set up a new factory in Serbia
The world first driverless parking officially approved for everyday use
Bosch and Daimler have reached a milestone on the way to automated driving: the two companies have obtained approval from the relevant authorities in Baden-Württemberg for their automated parking system in the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage in Stuttgart.
The two companies started developing fully automated driverless parking in 2015, and in the summer of 2017, their pilot solution in the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage in Stuttgart reached an important result: automated valet parking in real conditions, with and without drivers at the wheel, was presented to the public for the first time. This premiere was followed by an intensive testing and start-up phase. Starting in 2018, museum visitors could use the parking service live, accompanied by trained safety personnel, and share their experience. One aspect of the pilot project involved testing lighting concepts on the vehicles. Turquoise lighting indicates that a vehicle is in automated driving mode and informs passers-by and other road users that the vehicle is driving itself. The insights from these tests are reflected in the recently issued SAE standard 3134.
Obtaining final approval from the the Baden-Württemberg authorities is a further major milestone for Bosch and Daimler and sets a precedent for obtaining approval in the future for the parking service in parking garages around the world.
Interested parties will be able to experience the innovative valet parking service live in daily operation in the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage without additional supervision from a safety driver.
The automated valet parking service is accessed via a smartphone app and requires no safety driver. This makes it the world’s first fully automated driverless SAE Level 4 parking function to be officially approved for everyday use.
Safety & technology
From the very beginning, Bosch and Daimler’s top priority for the driverless parking service was safety. Since there is as yet no official approval process for automated driving functions that do not require a driver, the local authorities – the Stuttgart regional administrative authority and the state of Baden-Württemberg’s transportation ministry – oversaw the project along with experts from the German technical inspection service TÜV Rheinland from the outset. Their aim was to assess the operating safety of the automotive and parking-garage technology.
The result is a comprehensive safety concept with appropriate testing and approval criteria that can be applied beyond this pilot project. In the concept, the developers defined how the driverless vehicle detects pedestrians and other cars in its path and reliably comes to a halt when it encounters an obstacle. They also set up secure communications between all system components and took steps to ensure the reliable activation of the parking maneuver.
The technology behind driverless parking
Drive in to the parking garage, get out, and send the car to a parking space just by tapping on a smartphone screen – automated valet parking has no need for a driver. Once the driver has left the parking garage to go about their business, the car drives itself to an assigned space and parks. Later, the car returns to the drop-off point in exactly the same way. This process relies on the interplay between the intelligent parking garage infrastructure supplied by Bosch and Mercedes-Benz automotive technology. Bosch sensors in the parking garage monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings and provide the information needed to guide the vehicle. The technology in the car converts the commands from the infrastructure into driving maneuvers. This way, cars can even drive themselves up and down ramps to move between stories in the parking garage. If the infrastructure sensors detect an obstacle, the vehicle stops immediately.
Perovskite solar cells for vehicle-integrated
The automotive company Toyota Motor Corp and the start-up EneCoat Technologies Co., with headquarters in Kyoto prefecture, have announced a project for the development of state-of-the-art perovskite (PSC) solar cells. It is a particular type of lighter and thinner photovoltaic cells than those made of crystalline silicon, and they are also foldable. They are expected to be used in electric vehicles already in 2026. According to some rumours, the Japanese Itochu Corporation might soon start collaborating with ZF German Group, third world supplier of car components, for the launch of a commercial electric vehicle already in 2026.
The Japanese company aims at decreasing the costs of electric batteries through a fixed-price subscription, so that the total subscription cost summed to the one of the electricity needed to charge batteries is lower than the fuel cost.
Electrification strategy. Do you know the best small electric car?
It is an Italian symbol, currently also sustainable and 100% electric. For the second consecutive year, in fact, Nuova 500 by Fiat has conquered the title of “best small electric car” at “What Car? Electric Car Awards 2022”, due to its performances, the interesting price and the iconic design.
At present the Nuova 500’s list of trophies counts 33 international prizes awarded by the public and by sector experts in nine Countries. A success confirmed by sale outcomes: in just two years, it has been chosen by over 100,000 customers worldwide; it is the best-selling electric vehicle in Italy and in Germany and ranks on the podium in France and in Europe. «Diamond tip of our electrification strategy, then, the new Nuova 500 will soon land in the United States, prosecuting its global course outside Europe, after crossing Middle East, Brazil and Japan», stated Oliver Francois, FIAT CEO and Stellantis Global CMO.
New calendar update for MECSPE 2020 edition
Senaf is constantly monitoring the evolution of the epidemiological situation and is forced to reschedule Mecspe that will be held from 29 to 31 October at Parma Fairground.
The new shift of dates gives the opportunity to guarantee the usual and regular running of the event, maintaining the consolidated position of leading fair of the manufacturing industry.
The program of special initiatives, the conformation of the exhibition halls, the existing contract and the assignments already made will not be changed.
MECSPE 2020 will be held at Parma Fairground from 29 to 31 October 2020.
For any further information writing at the following email address: info@mecspe.com.
Vattenfall and Echandia Marine Superfast charging for electric ferry
Vattenfall and Echandia Marine have developed a new solution for electric ferries that is designed to minimise emissions and noise and at the same time lower operational and maintenance costs and provide superfast charging.
The systems are installed on E/S Movitz that operates in central Stockholm and can be fully charged within 10 minutes with up to 500 kW charging power.
The solution is called “Power as a service” and means that the ownership and management of the equipment, which includes the charging station, the battery system and the driveline, lies with Vattenfall with long experience of owning and operating electric power systems.
This includes, among other things, operation and maintenance, electrical safety responsibility and any further investments during the contract period.
EU Battery Passport as key for circularity
According to the European Union’s programmes, companies will have to provide detailed data about the batteries they manufacture or sell starting from 2027. Aras, company that supplies low-code platforms, has informed that in the next future the whole lifecycle of big batteries, like those installed in electric cars, will be filed in digital form. The new passport by the European Union (EU) of batteries is a legal requisite that also constitutes an opportunity to manage data, in order to analyse and assess fully the constant flow of information, starting from the mining of raw materials and up to the use and recycling, so creating more innovative products and more efficient value chains.
«Batteries, with a planned service life of about 20 years for bigger ones, generate big quantities of data, which cover the extraction of raw materials, the production, various use options and the final recycling possibilities. Upon initiative of the EU, in the future these data will have to be filed. After about ten years, the batteries of electric cars reach the end of their first life. However, with slight modifications, batteries might have a second life. They might be used, for instance, as charge stations for electric cars or as storage systems for solar plants for private use. So, extending their service life, these batteries might be useful for 20 years before being dismantled and reused as part of a recycling strategy», stated Luigi Salerno, Country Manager of Aras Italia.
Digital Solidarity: you can free browse Tecniche Nuove Group reviews until May 31st
Tecniche Nuove goes on supporting professionals and enterprises by joining the “Digital Solidarity” initiative that provides the free access to the digital copies of the Group’s magazines.
The initiative, promoted by the Ministry of Innovation Technology and Digitalization, gives the opportunity, through apps and digital magazine kiosks, and sending the request via the following page www.semprepresenti.it/solidarieta-digitale, of free browsing the available review issues from this month until next May 31st.
“In a moment of serious limitations owing to the health emergency in course, we are going to back productive and professional activities with our B2B communication platforms. We support business education and culture because we cannot foresee but we can get ready for the future, the next one, too”
Tecniche Nuove Group is leader in specialized publishing and one of the most important players in Italy in the sector of exhibitions and conventions, in professional education and in B2B communication development.
Manufacturing Division reviews are among all free browsable magazines until May 31st. We are mentioning some of them: Macchine Utensili, Lamiera, Automazione Integrata, Automazione Industriale, Il Progettista, Logistica, Organi di Trasmissione, Plastix and many others.
Choose the magazine you want to read
Innovation in the recycle of electric motors
In an industry that is expected to be increasingly green, recycling is a crucial theme, also and especially for electric motors. And there are no doubts about possibility of processing electric motors since up to 98% of its overall weight can be recovered, transforming it into secondary raw material. Concerning this, among the outstanding companies ranks the Italian Panizzolo, in Padua province, which ensures high-performance and wear-resistant system. The Italian player in the recycling system has recently communicated to the market to know only too well the issues related to wear and strong stress that the components, welds and steelwork are subject to. This is why the hammers and armours of Panizzolo are made in special anti-wear castings specifically designed jointly with the University of Padua – for the processing of bulky waste. The sorting of the outfeed granule is just as important.
The company invites to discover the mega 1100 hammer mill with electric power of 355 kW and a production up to 22 tons/h.
A mobile robot for construction sites
Husky A200 is a mobile robotic platform designed to be used for autonomous logistic tasks on construction sites.
Pursued by the Fraunhofer Italia Innovation Engineering Center, this project is one of the chances to advance the cause of digitalization in construction and bridge the gap between robotics and the building industry.
Researchers at this center based in Bolzano, Italy, are developing a software interface that will enable mobile robots to find their way around in construction sites.
They are tapping the technology called building information modeling (BIM) to develop software systems and interfaces that receive time-sensitive data such as information about obstacles that the robot cannot detect with its sensors. This way, the robot can be alerted to things like an open cable pit or elevator shaft on a given day at the construction site so that it can navigate around these pitfalls.
Designed for harsh environments, this mobile robotic platform is equipped with an electronic control unit and acceleration, laser and inclination sensors to help it navigate rough terrain.
The information the robot platform receives by means of BIM data can help improve its navigation capabilities and augment its sensory perception. This team aims to make the most of available digital building data on the construction site. The main benefit in this use case is that this data enables the mobile robot to transport heavy loads such as construction materials and tools in a constantly changing environment to lighten the workload of humans on the construction site.