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SMMT kicks off its fourth International Automotive Summit tomorrow with vehicle retail, supply chain, and ultra-low carbon forming the core streams of the event.
Speakers for the latter include senior executives from Intelligent Energy, Renault and Volkswagen Group who will discuss the ultra-low carbon technologies designed to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars.
Sessions 4 and 5 from the ultra-low carbon stream will explore the portfolio of products coming to market and examine why different vehicle manufacturers are backing different technologies.
Opening the session entitled Delivering the vision – taking technologies to market, Prof Wolfgang Steiger, director of Future Technologies, Volkswagen will speak about the company’s multi-technology approach, from developing the internal combustion engine to plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
Renault’s global head of EVs, Thierry Koskas, will discuss the decision-making process, strategic vision and technology driving Renault’s development of pure electric vehicles.
Intelligent Energy’s CEO Henri Winand will end the session with an insight on the development and deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles, and the infrastructure needed to bring them to market.
Brighton returned Britain’s only Green Party MP in 2010 and this week the seaside town hosts the Eco Technology Show (ETS) 2012.
ETS 2012, which takes place in on June 15 &16, will showcase the latest technologies that the organisers believe protect the environment and make day-to-day living more efficient.
Publicity material states that that using ‘eco technology’ can minimise waste, save energy, reduce environmental impact and save consumers and businesses money.
They add that they’re bringing together business, decision makers, subject specialists, policy makers and buyers from business and the general public for the event, which is being held at the new American Express Community stadium, which is also the home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club .
Low carbon generation is top of the agenda at London’s Excel Centre, which hosts Global Offshore Wind on Wednesday and Thursday.
The UK currently leads the world in installed offshore wind capacity with a further 45GW expected from Round 3 projects. The organizers add that in the last decade offshore wind energy has attracted £5bn in investment in the UK and is set to exceed £50bn by 2020.
Day Two sees a session entitled The Battle of the Titans: 5MW+ Machines, which will examine the merits of turbines close to 200m tall, and how different manufacturers have tried to overcome gearboxing, tower weight load, plus transportation and handling. The session will also examine the physical limits of the standard three bladed design.
NAREC CEO Andrew Mill chairs and presentations will be given by representatives from Gamesa, AREVA UK, Vestas Technology R&D, REpower Systems, and Alstom.
Still with energy and news that The Johnnie Walker Room of London’s Caledonian Club is the venue for an electricity network seminar on Thursday.
The seminar will examine the opportunities and challenges associated with the future of the UK’s electricity network, whilst focusing on the next steps in the development and implementation of a smart grid strategy.
Delegates will be able to assess the financial, practical and technical requirements for a smart grid and discuss the prospects for a European Supergrid, including the implications and further opportunities this may present for UK electricity.
Speakers include Duncan Burt, customer services manager, National Grid; Joe Corbett, head of Technical Services, Mainstream Renewable Power; and Mike Wilks, principal consultant, Pöyry UK
EEF tell us that they’re inviting manufacturers to show how they’re boosting sales overseas by entering the EEF/DHL Outstanding Export Award.
In a statement, EEF chief executive Terry Scuoler said: ‘The ‘march of the makers’ is underway and UK manufacturers are leading an exporting renaissance that is crucial to domestic growth and economic recovery.
‘Companies are opening up new opportunities in emerging markets and our award will recognise and celebrate their outstanding efforts and achievements.’
The Awards are free to enter and are open to all UK manufacturers, with a closing date of July 20th 2012 For more information, click here.
Transport for London (TfL) is expected to begin charging utility companies up to £2,500 a day for the amount of time they dig up the busiest roads in the capital.
This covers 57 per cent of the TfL road network known as the ‘red routes’.
London mayor Boris Johnson advocates such a system and says this will incentivise firms to complete works at the least disruptive times.
For people who commute long distances Hyrdogen (fuel cell) is the way to go .Electric / battery operated cars are only feasable for town use .Can you imagine electric cars being caught in > 4 hour delays on the M roads in winter!
The Hydrogen supply infrastructure needs to be developed now .
There seems to be a growing general perception that wind farms and the like are just a means of increasing fuel bills to line to pockets of wealthy land owners, and the enviromental issues are just a cover story. Issues like this need sorting (remove the subsidies?) before there is a Poll-Tax-like revolt against “green” technologies that increase costs for everyone.
There is one way to boost exports and that is NOt by an award like the EEF/DHL Award. Establish the present export performance of each company as their own baseline. ANY extra exports above this level, particularly to the rest of the world outside the EU, whilst holding the EU export level or increased should be made ENTIRELY TAX Free.This way we get extra exports, more jobs and the manufacturers will get a proper return on the extra investment, all at NO extra cost to the country. Present performance is not generating extra tax revenues so not taxing the extra will not cost the economy, but reducing unemployment can only be a benefit all round.
Perhaps the answer is to use a gas heater. It’s almost 100% efficient and much better than idling an engine just to keep warm.
Of course a better idea is for someone to do their job and ensure there are no 4 hour traffic jams.
How about a moderately high speed rail service hauling auto carriers. Drive on at London and off at Birmingham or edinburgh. Comfortable safe trip. Use the electric car for around town and the train for long haul. A well run railway has to be cheaper than a jammed motorway.
To handle the numbers it would be like a continuous train except the cars would only have a centimetre between them. Come to thinkl of it that’s just like the motorway as well. It becomes a travellator for cars!
Hydrogen as a fuel is, in my opinion, a non-starter. Why use it? Agreed, the tailpipe emissions are zero, but the pollution is just moved elsewhere. Further, those of us who studied the laws of thermodynamics at school know that any process is going to be less than 100% efficient. Making and transporting hydrogen costs, both in terms of manufacture and delivery. Building a huge infrastructure to move and store hydrogen doesn’t seem sensible to me; particularly when we already have an infrastructure for moving energy around the country – and one that doesn’t require additional road burden.
I agree that battery cars have a way to go, but already they are feasible for the short commute. Most of us use our cars for just a short part of the day, with plenty of time for recharging – as long as we provide charging points. As battery technology improves, electric cars will become practical for longer and longer journeys. Fuel delivery (electricity) is ubiquitous and cheap. Furthermore, as we find more and better ways of producing electricity from renewable resources, we will make car transport more and more ‘green’.
Instead of making an expensive hydrogen grid, let’s use the one we have.
France has compressed air vehicles that offer huge weight saving technology but
they have bypassed the U.K. and marketed
the cars elsewhere , like U.S.A and India.
Ford have funded a gasoline / compressed
air hybrid engine.