Shop Management That’s Smart and Simple
Shopmonkey offers shop management software with a lot of benefits for fleets — from speed to ease of use to support of various workflows.
Goodyear Airless Tire First on Autonomous Shuttles
In an industry first, Goodyear has developed a non-pneumatic (airless) tire (NPT) and wheel assembly to support autonomous vehicle transportation in a city setting for in-field use with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).
For the past three years, Goodyear and Local Motors have tested an Olli shuttle supported by the NPT at Goodyear testing facilities and other locations reaching several performance targets with respect to load, speed and durability.
In 2019, Goodyear pivoted its NPT concentration to on-road testing and a growing relationship with Local Motors. While this testing phase will reveal more about non-pneumatic tires, airless tires may offer sustainable, maintenance-free and longer-lasting options. The urban transportation environment provides an ideal testing scenario for the alternative tire architecture given its lower speed and less variable travel paths.
Read the article PR Newswire.
Emerging Stronger in San Antonio
This year’s AFLA Conference theme is appropriately named “Emerging Stronger,” and it’s happening in San Antonio in early October. Don’t miss your chance to network and learn and reconnect!
California Smog Check Will Now Look For Modified ECU Software
Starting this month, California's smog check inspection is specifically going to look for modified engine-control software. OEM and CARB-approved aftermarket ECU tunes should be OK, but vehicles found to have unapproved ECU software will fail.
According to the CA.gov website: "Beginning July 19, 2021, vehicles with software not provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or approved through a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO) will fail smog check."
Note that the mere presence of non-conforming software is enough to fail. The inspection does not have to prove that the non-conforming software results in higher emissions levels. However, not all aftermarket software is non-conforming. Some ECU tuners have been able to get approval of their software from CARB.
Read the article at MSN.
AEye Achieves 1000m LiDAR Range Under Rain, Behind the Windshield
AEye announced its LiDAR sensor – already known for extreme long-range capabilities – has achieved 1000 meter range in rain, behind windshield glass. The test was performed at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) test track in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with results verified by active safety and automated vehicle technologies researcher, VSI Labs.
AEye’s sensor has already been independently verified to have twice the range as the nearest LiDAR competitor. The new test shows that – not only does AEye’s adaptive LiDAR achieve groundbreaking range capabilities, it does so in adverse weather conditions, and behind a first surface: in this case, a windshield.
The test was conducted using VSI’s research vehicle, which integrated AEye’s sensor into its AV stack to study the impact of adaptive LiDAR on the performance and safety of automated functionality. The team used a rain machine to simulate wet weather, and mounted the sensor behind a piece of windshield glass to gauge long-range sensor performance in heavy rain.
Read the article at Safe Car News.
