Prime time parking
Posted on February 1st, 2012
Parking outside No10 is probably tricky at the best of times for even the most well-seasoned of car manoeuvring experts. After all, there’s probably going to be a few eyes watching and waiting and a beady eye behind a CCTV camera somewhere. So I guess it must be quite nerve wracking when you’re the PM’s children’s nanny, trying to park your new Honda Jazz. Do you act cool and take your time, reversing and moving and turning the wheel this way and that, squeezing in to that tight little spot? Or do you act big and just slide the vehicle neatly into place with a smooth reverse and turn?
Smooth operator or not, Gita Lama, the nanny to the Prime Minister’s children, was in luck the other day when she appeared to be having a spot of bother parking her car in Downing St. Quicker than the press of the clutch, the PM suddenly appeared, gallantly coming to the rescue, fresh from his daily run. He must have indicated his intentions well as he deftly took control, jumped behind the wheel and, to the amusement of his bodyguards, diligently reversed and parked the vehicle in a handy parking spot.
You see, a drizzly cloud of doubt hangs over the incident. A photographer filmed the scenario and claimed the PM bumped another car in the process and that he heard a definite ‘bang’. No damage, we’re told, just a bumper to bumper contact. A bit like the Euro fiasco.
The bump claim was hotly denied by Downing Street and I daresay they’re right. Sounds like an uneven road to nothing, going nowhere. The PM is probably an expert driver and a jolly good parking enthusiast. He’s bound to be quite savvy with all the very latest technological know-how, including a GPS tracking device. Hopefully he has a good SatNav fitted in his cars, lest he loses his way in Europe or finds he needs to re-route himself around Berlin and avoid any nasty snarl-ups.
We’re also given to understand that things can get rather jammed the closer one gets to Strasbourg, so let’s hope the PM is adroit at using his GPS for any points of interest….or should that be ‘order’? Of course, Blair famously published his ‘journey’, so one hopes that David has the latest iPhone app for taking dictation notes handsfree. Perhaps he might even be interested in taking out an Auto Alert fleet option for the rest of the Cabinet in order to warn him if any are seen idling around Brussels or speeding through Greece. Crisis, what crisis?
The Best of British – at last, something to celebrate
Posted on January 27th, 2012
Though the wider economy could be doing a lot better, one enclave of British industry is actually doing rather well. UK car production has grown by a quite staggering 5.8% over the past year – rising to more than 1.3 million cars. To put that in perspective, the UK economy has been flat-lining at just around 0.5% for the past 12 months. That’s quite some difference.
However, for those of us who have a close affinity with the motor industry, these figures aren’t a complete surprise. For though it’s easy to lament the passing of British manufacturing, the truth is we’re still rather good at it.
Innovation, investment and a skilled workforce mean that the UK continues to be one of the best countries to choose as a manufacturing base. Our high-tech research industry is booming, from innovative iPhone apps and Silicon Roundabout in London’s Old Street, to Cambridge Science Park. Our part in space exploration has been central over the past ten years and even amidst vast spending cuts, we still lead the way on projects like the Galileo global positioning system, set to replace American GPS with a more accurate European version.
Indeed, car makers such as Nissan, BMW, and Jaguar Land Rover have all made commitments to expand in the UK and the success of these firms is surely going to attract others over the coming years. The reason for such a dramatic surge in growth is largely down to the export market. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has stated that almost 84% of all cars produced in the UK each year are exported. This in itself says a lot about the investment environment Britain offers – for with all the countries of the EU to choose from, competition is certainly exceptionally high.
Not surprisingly, this has raised the stakes and led to further investment and innovation within the industry. Design is a bulwark of British business – from fabled Apple designer Jonathan Ive, to James Dyson and the host of runway successes that have propelled Britain into the international eye as an acclaimed arbiter of taste.
So why exactly is it that we’re so hard on ourselves when it comes to manufacturing success? We have the skills, experience and investment base to produce beautiful, innovative and well-constructed products and yet so many column inches are devoted to bemoaning the collapse of the UK manufacturing sector. Granted, things aren’t as good as they were in the seventies, but this is something that has affected the whole of Europe.
What I find most refreshing are the range of smaller businesses that are punching above their weight and really pushing the envelope when it comes to success whilst building on our country’s reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship. So, let’s celebrate the great achievements of 2011 and look forward to more to come in 2012.
Drivers forced off the roads by escalating costs
Posted on January 20th, 2012
Motorists mostly use their cars for commuting to work and costs are escalating. The sad fact is fewer drivers nowadays say they enjoy driving, and even the convenience of GPS and in-car entertainment systems is unlikely to help buck the trend. With fuel and insurance prices rising, millions of drivers feel that if driving becomes more expensive they’ll be forced off the road or prepared to break the law to save money. This report is according to AXA insurance’s motoring census of 2011 with many people saying they would use the car less in 2012 if the costs associated with driving continue to rise.
Whilst only 1 in 10 would drive without insurance, 6% would drive without taxing their car and 3% said they would be happy to drive away from a petrol station without paying for fuel. This is even more troubling.
Almost half of the respondents (44 per cent) admit they enjoy driving less than they used to, largely because of the cost (68 per cent). Now if we compare this with the AXA motoring census figures last year, we can see that costs then clearly had less impact: only 38 per cent said they enjoyed driving less than they used to, with 38 per cent blaming the cost. Many respondents also stated that they are even thinking of charging their friends and family for lifts.
Soaring fuel prices have reached a record high and one in 8 people interviewed during the survey say they will have to seriously consider driving less or even stop driving, while a further one in eight will be stopped by an increase to between £2.01 and £2.20.
Amanda Edwards of AXA said: “This census offers a bleak picture for drivers. What is of great concern is how many feel they will be forced off the roads by rising costs.”
Fortunately, it seems, most drivers will not go without car insurance to save money, which is of course a legal requirement.
Now whilst 43% of drivers would like to see a cap on fuel tax in 2012 and I couldn’t agree more, there are lots of ways in which drivers can save money they may not have thought about. Some of these are well known, like not driving with a full tank which may add unnecessary load and learning how to drive using the gears rather than unnecessary braking.
Yet one of the best and often little known ways to cut fuel is invest in a GPS tracking device. With this handy little piece of technology, there are a number of ingenious ways you can cut fuel, and it isn’t complex or expensive. You can get some great devices today, even download an app from your iPhone. Unless you run a large fleet of cars, trucks, lorries or vans, stick to a portable unit. These need no installation; you just place in the car and go. Some money saving driving things to help you: time management is definitely one of them, speed restriction alerts, alerts on alternative routes, jams, engineering works and even customer outsource invoicing. Well worth a small investment. Go to www.autoalert.me.uk.
Will toll roads take their toll on the British motorist?
Posted on January 13th, 2012
Apps for the iphone and snazzy entertainment systems may have made journeys more enjoyable, but when it comes to driving, one thing remains immutable: taxes. For us motorists, it seems it’s the man behind the wheel who gets clobbered every time. You know the sort of thing I mean, every time there’s a budget. Hah, fingers tensely clutching the keys, you read about another tax hike or mindboggingly complex rule of the road; it’s as if we’re a fuel guzzling, speeding, road rage bunch of maniacs. Come to think of it, Britain’s roads would function a lot better if it wasn’t for the motorists.
Now, what do you think of this latest news from the government about the introduction of toll roads?
Yes, I reckon this could threaten a big acceleration on the poor tax laden motorist. As it happens UK drivers already pay £10 billion a year for road maintenance – or someone or other’s maintenance. Now, we’re about to have the last pennies squeezed out of us in the form of a few billions more with fuel and vehicle excise duty rises.
Actually, these toll or ‘express lanes’ will be located alongside busy sections of motorways and trunk roads so maybe a GPS system will be needed to locate their exact position. Anyway, they will be financed by the private sector, not the taxpayers; the firms which build them will gather and keep the tolls. In so doing, the construction companies building these toll roads will bump up the economy and get the country back on its four wheels again – as opposed to hobbling round on the current deflating ones.
Of course we are assured – when aren’t we? – that the scheme will be confined to ‘express lanes’ with no plans to introduce tolls on existing roads. But things have a habit of spreading though, don’t they? Road pricing sounds fine in theory in that the driver using his car less, pays less, but the good old motorist who already pays a hefty whack in tax is now being asked to go into overdrive for another £21.5billion plus VAT. For those of you who live or work in London, this might sound like a familair frustration: with already overburdened denizens forced to fork out up to £10 a day for the London Congestion Charge, just to drive on roads they’ve already paid for.
So now we’re being asked to pump up more just to drive the car and get somewhere a bit quicker and ease traffic congestion for others. Forget the Fair Fuel motion, this is far more than just a surface scratch, and wait for the rust to set in.
I’m dreaming of getting GPS connected…to absolutely EVERYTHING.
Posted on January 9th, 2012
The concept of the ‘connected car’ has been knocking about for some time, but it still hasn’t really been put into practice. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it basically boils down to a more realistic version of Knight Rider – though thankfully without the Hoff. In more practical terms, it means that every electronic gadget you could hope for, from GPS to a road hazard system, is seamlessly integrated into your car; it could be accessed by the same user interface – whether that’s a dashboard mounted touch-screen display, voice activated command system or something else. Cadillac has made a good stab at integration via their CUE system. However, although definitely possessing the ‘wow factor’ in presentation, until the infrastructure grows up around the technology, it can never really be more than a slick way of plumbing your phone into the car’s AV system.
What I really want to see is the whole kit and caboodle of existing technology married together in a way that will be much more than the sum of its parts.
For example, as someone who does a lot of driving in Europe, I want to get into my car and use a vehicle tracking device that takes into account the exact cost of fuel at the service stations along the way based on my car’s own fuel-efficiency. I want to be able to drive onto a Toll road where I can automatically pay and where the cost is beamed to my mobile, giving me the choice to include it in my expense receipts. Whilst driving, I want to listen to my playlist from services such as Spotify and use voice controls like Siri to listen and respond to my emails. When I stop at a service station, I want to pick up with that episode of Only Fools and Horses exactly at the point I’d stopped watching it at home. And beyond all other things, when it’s winter and I’m tucked up nice and warm in bed, I want to use my phone to tell the car to switch its heater on and pre-plan the best route to work.
There are, in fact, so many possibilities that could be achieved with existing technology. As the cost of advanced components decreases and manufacturers are spurred into a more competitive landscape, we are bound to see a whole host of innovations which go much further beyond anything I can dream up in the here and now. But what’s exciting is that you only need to head down to a local branch of Dixons to see what’s available today and, consequently, know what we’ll see seamlessly integrated into the cars of tomorrow.
GPS to the rescue…for bored lorry drivers.
Posted on December 22nd, 2011
We’ve all been there. Stuck in a long, snaking line of traffic and having to inch forwards a metre at a time – facing the subtle choice about when the gap in front is large enough so that making some sort of effort is worthwhile. But for a day-to-day driver, this dilemma is as nothing compared to that faced by the nation’s truckers, whose mammoth vehicles are somewhat more complicated.
But it looks like GPS and a slew of other cutting-edge technology, is coming to the rescue…for lorry drivers at least.
Volvo has developed what they call Automated Queue Assistance (AQuA) to support truck drivers in traffic congestion. The system uses a range of sensors to monitor the surroundings and move the lorry forwards automatically. Although only in prototype, the technology demonstrates what is possible today and what may well become the standard of the future.
Of course, for those of us that spend more time behind a keyboard and monitor than is good for them, the prospect of what might happen if this automated computer system…err…’crashes’…might give some pause for thought. Yet, in all seriousness, the system, like that of any accident avoidance computer, is rooted in technology that could teach Mr. Gates a few things about reliability.
Indeed, as traffic queues become am increasing problem for both the environment and for congestion, something clearly needs to be done. GPS traffic avoidance is one thing, but more complicated problems demand more holistic solutions. Automated driving is not simply about the luxury to kick back and relax when you’re fed up of working through slow moving traffic. The system that Volvo has developed is intended to help support the environment by making efficient choices about when to move the vehicle forwards, and reduce traffic accidents by taking over in those monotonous circumstances when a driver’s alertness decreases.
The truck that Volvo has developed is equipped with numerous sensors – from laser scanners and lane and object cameras, to infrared vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices, and a hands-on-steering-wheel sensor.
This looks like a great advancement and represents what can happen when manufacturers come together to share technology and work towards a common goal. The system has been developed as part of HAVEit – an EU funded R&D project which has been commissioned to develop technologies for highly automated driving.
The system is particularly impressive as it combines a range of technologies which have until now only been available separately. When the computer detects a traffic queue up ahead, the driver can choose to hand over control and simply monitor things. This is possible because the system controls the truck’s movement and makes adjustments to follow the traffic directly ahead. It even makes allowances for safety distance and the position of other vehicles.
So, perhaps the days of playing motorway bunnyhop are soon to be over…for some at least.
Police get charging
Posted on December 22nd, 2011
I know I’ve been banging on a fair bit about the electric car hoo, haa but this latest really bites the bullet. The cops have taken charge of a ‘PC plug’ electric panda car with no carbon emissions. Not much hope then of chasing road ragers. In fact, the criminal underworld must be feeling quite happy go lucky, an easy getaway is looking likely.
Though clearly enamoured of electric gadgets (like flashing blue lights and GPS), this is turning a bit fuzzy. I mean supposing the panda patrol car jumps the lights, zooms off, ready for a straightforward handcuff job and ah, what bad luck, the thing begins stuttering to a bit of a stop. Mmm, seems like the charge has run low, oops. Not exactly the stuff of crime novels, more like a Carry on Charging movie – or not, as the case may be.
Still, the Scots – and they’re a canny lot – have really taken this one on board and have their foot on the pedal. The force north of the border are taking things seriously and it’s one way driving down this road of eco friendly power, could be a long and winding one though. In fact, the Scots have unveiled an ‘electric panda’ that will become Scotland’s first fully-operational battery powered police car.
As part of their strategy to reduce carbon emissions, Lothian and Borders Police have replaced a standard police patrol car with Scotland’s first fully-operational battery powered police car. This signals a great eco friendly manouvre and might offer a smooth and comfortable ride but most of us would probably feel a lot safer knowing it can outperform on the high speed chase.
And that’s not all: plans are underway to add more of the carbon neutral vehicles to more fleets in the near future. I hope they’ve got GPS systems installed on these, imagine the furore if they went missing.
Anyway, should we south of the border people go full throttle and pursue them? Let’s face it, we’ve tried that in the course of history and it hasn’t worked.
Dave Kennan, fleet manager for Lothian and Borders Police, described the new car as ‘a step in the right direction’. Let’s hope he’s right and the crime busters carry on charging.
Diesel or petrol – the gap widens
Posted on December 22nd, 2011
Diesel vehicles have become increasingly popular in recent years, and thousands of motorists have switched, hoping that greater fuel efficiency would balance out the extra cost of buying the car. You can hardly blame them when the AA says that the cost of a small diesel car is on average £1,500-£2,000 more expensive than a petrol alternative, and £500-£1,000 for a large diesel car.
However, the price gap with unleaded fuel is steadily growing and that prized break even or save point looks set to float off to an increasingly distant horizon as the price gap grows. In fact it’s stretched to over 7p a litre right now. Not so bad if you happen to live in the Capital as the diesel to petrol gap is reported to be smallest in London, for once. Just a shame about the London Congestion Charge.
So there doesn’t appear to be a lot of benefit these days in buying diesel and trying to scoop up the pounds from falling oil prices.
The AA Fuel Price Report found that the average price of diesel has risen from 139.65p a month ago to 140.95p now, despite the cost of Brent oil dropping over the past month.
However, the average pump price of unleaded, believe it or not, has actually dropped, resulting in an expanding price gap between the two fuels.
Not great news for the hard pressed motorist who traded in his petrol car for a diesel or for the tax squeezed business people who often rely heavily on diesel for their fleets.
Edmund King, the president of the AA, says: ‘The fall in the price of oil due to the eurozone crisis had brought some hope of respite for drivers but the opposite has happened for diesel car owners. The petrol price may have been falling overall, but it’s dropped faster for some than others, and that adds to the frustration.’
Driving a vehicle or owning a fleet seems to be all about frustration nowadays what with congestion and road incidents holding up deliveries and meetings. No wonder the popularity of both installed and portable tracking units is soaring.
Drop me a line, be great to hear from you…
Motorists celebrate… but don’t dispose of your GPS just yet.
Posted on December 22nd, 2011
In response to the Office of Budget Responsibility’s dramatic worsening economic forecasts, the Chancellor is now giving us the cheerful news that we’re in for a further two years of big cuts. This is on top of the already predicted six years. Gloom and doom looms.
Ha, but although this seems like the worst squeeze since the War, there is a sparkle of (reasonably) good news peeking through the darkening clouds. It’s about Mondeo Man and his £200 fuel saving. Yep, you can hear the collective sighs of relief. The generous Chancellor cancelled a planned fuel tax rise due in the New Year and, wait for it…reduced another one due for next August. So we’re not going to be clobbered as much as we feared, it seems.
According to Mr Osbourne, a 3p-a-litre hike in January on petrol and diesel will be cancelled and a 5p rise due later in the year reduced to 3p.
So the chap who averages 31 miles to the gallon over 40,000miles will be £212 a year better off – according to the AA.
When you think how the screw has tightened on the bloated public sector amidst talk of grinding austerity, it’s enough to make you throw away the GPS systems and go by bus. Not now, it seems, with Mr Osbourne acknowledging that for most families struggling to make ends meet, a car is a necessity – not the luxury it was once described as.
Yes, I’ll agree with that. As our Chancellor gleefully told the Commons: ‘tax on petrol will be a full 10 pence lower than it would have been without our action in the Budget, and this autumn’ Wow.
He goes on to say that families will save £144 on filling up the average family car by the end of next year. ‘In these tough times, we are helping where we can,’ he adds. Bigger wow.
Now for the downside (yep, there’s always one of those). The AA noticed one tiny big discrepancy: when Mr Osbourne says he will ‘cancel’ the planned January rise – the accompanying document says only that it will be ‘deferred’. Not so Wow.
So, I’d keep hold of your GPS systems and portable tracking units, you’re going to need them: to work out the best and cheapest route to take, avoiding all the other struggling motorists jamming up the roads, searching for the cheapest petrol.
Be good to hear your views on this…
Easing the squeeze
Posted on November 23rd, 2011
As the latest discrimination debate hots up on obese people and airline seating, it seems that the automobile industry have jumped in and tipped the scales the other way.
Interestingly, over the last 60 years, typical family saloons have grown in width by more than a foot. Now, this could well be a response to the end of post war rationing in the 50’s. After all, with food in plentiful supply after all those years of austerity, I guess most people felt utter joy in being able to eat well, without such restriction. Now there could be a more modern dilemma: as every GPS unit can quickly point us in the direction of the nearest restaurant, there are fewer reasons not to stop for a mid-journey snack.
The problem of car seat width is still a growing problem. The demand for bigger and more spacious vehicles is booming yet we can hardly start widening roads and car parking spaces.
Well, innovative designers are busy stretching their imaginations. As obesity has reached record levels and shows no sign of slowing down, how are all these fat people going to fit behind the wheel? A good question. Should we tell them all to eat less, preserve their health and if they want to drive a car, slim down? Some might find this a little patronising. Imagine being stopped by the police, ‘Excuse me madam or mister, you look a little too fat to be driving that car.’ You’re told to have a weigh in at the side of the road. A tape measure is whisked out faster than a breathalyser, wound unceremoniously around chunky thighs and large bottoms and after much tut, tutting, you’re given a caution. No, Wait! A penalty and your licence whisked away until you’ve slimmed down.
As almost half of British men, and four in ten women, could be obese by 2030, according to The Lancet, car manufacturers are naturally keen to keep their larger customers in the style size to which they have become used to. Ok, but how will slim people fit into a wider seat, it could feel a bit spacious.
So, the challenge for the designers in producing the next generation of cars, is to find new ways to accommodate increasing girth into the vehicles, without impacting on car width and safety. A big problem. I mean, according to BMW, this stretches more than just the imagination. The company recently conducted a study to see how obesity affects mobility while driving; well, the results affect just about everything from the size and spacing of the pedals to the width of the door opening and strengthening grab handles above the doors.
As Ralf Kaiser, a member of BMW’s ergonomics team, told The Sunday Times: ‘People are getting more obese and we want to find out how that limits their range of motion and how our vehicles can adapt to the changing needs of our customers.’ Even parking control is impacted if fat people find it difficult to turn 140 degrees to look behind them. Is this yet another area in which technology will need to step in to provide a solution? Will automatic parking sensors, along with ultra accurate global positioning system technology will mean that manual parking will soon be a thing of the past?
It’s quite a plump question, to widen car seating or not? It’s clearly an issue needing scientific thought…because if statistics are right, this could affect 95% of the driving population, both for the slim, and the not so slim.
