Volkswagen is pushing ahead with the use of innovative 3D printers in car production. For the first time, binder jetting is being used to manufacture components at the company’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Whereas conventional 3D printing uses a laser to build a component layer by layer from metallic powder, the binder jetting process uses an adhesive. The resulting metallic component is … [Read more...]
News
Bid to ease driver shortage for HGVs
With more than 45,000 HGV driver tests outstanding at DVSA as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Logistics UK is pressing government to introduce a seasonal visa for European HGV drivers to protect the nation’s supply chain while the organisation catches up with this backlog. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, understandably, all driving tests were suspended,” explains David Wells, the business … [Read more...]
Trucker Jenko reveals life on the road
A Welsh lorry driver has a big cargo - over 1.8 million YouTube followers. Now his Ferryman’s awesome Mercedes-Benz Actros Edition 1 flagship is guaranteed the exposure it deserves – as ‘Trucker Jenko’ driver Martyn Jenkins can’t stop talking about his exclusive new tractor unit. Family-owned and run, Ferryman is based in Pontllanfaith, Blackwood, Gwent, and offers a … [Read more...]
Lawmakers fail to understand technology, say suppliers
The planned European wide ban on petrol and diesel cars is not supported by technical data, said Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of CLEPA, the association of automotive suppliers. “The steeper the target, without recognition of sustainable renewable fuels, the closer one gets to a de facto ban on the internal combustion engine. Without renewable fuels acknowledged in this law, if you need a … [Read more...]
DVLA registration auction has F1 edge
Heading the raft of registrations being offered by the DVLA during the online seven-day sale beginning on 23 June is MCL 35M, which has a starting price of £350. It’s the model number of the racing machine currently vying for honours and being driven by Brit Lando Norris and Aussie favourite Daniel Ricciardo. Similarly, the line-up includes SF21 FER which reflects the Ferrari driven by Monaco … [Read more...]
Wales’s new road schemes closed in rethink
Planned new roads in Wales will be frozen while the Welsh government reviews schemes. Projects that already have diggers in the ground, such as the Heads of the Valleys Road, will continue althought they are seriously behind schedule and costing millions more than expected Ministers want to shift money from new roads to maintaining existing routes and investing in public … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 June
Audi will stop introducing new models using petrol and diesel engines from 2026, reports German paper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The Bavarian daily newspaper has quoted Audi CEO Markus Duesmann comments to labour representatives and top managers last week. Hybrid and PHEV versions will be offered in the Hyundai Tucson N Line range this summer. They offer up to 38 miles on electric power alone and … [Read more...]
Cwm Carn drive reopens after six years closed
Cwm Carn Forest Drive, Caerphilly reopened today for visitors by car, for the first time in six years, but now they have to pay. With the summer holiday period approaching, visitors will be able explore all seven miles of the new-look Forest Drive by car following the completion of major restoration and improvement works undertaken in partnership by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Caerphilly … [Read more...]
Cardiff driving fines quadruple
Drivers in Cardiff have seen a quadrupling in council penalty charge notices as the city collected £2.4M in fines in the last available figures. Cardiff alone, nearly four times as many penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued in 2018/19 compared to 2016/17 (74,142 compared to 19,080) translating to a £1.8m hike in revenue (£593,160 to £2.4m – 313%). The most profitable offences for Cardiff are … [Read more...]
Newslines 21 June
The new generation Hyundai i20N series is in showrooms from under £25,000. It features a new powertrain with 204ps 1.6 petrol engine, advanced differential and traction control, massive display cluster and usual 5 year unlimited mileage warranty. Half of drivers (51%) believe they are paying too much for car insurance given how little they have been driving since the pandemic, with a similar … [Read more...]