Electronic Braking System in Heavy Commercial Vehicles – Miracle to Disaster prevention
Curiosity and questioning is something that allows us to revisit and change our lives as well as our nation’s future.
So I wish to begin with asking some basic questions.
• How many cases of traffic accidents do we hear everyday?
• How many of them cause fatalities?
• How many of them cause permanent physical disability?
• How many of the accidents happen due to HCVs?
• What if a massive gigantic structure in any case of harsh braking overturns?
• What if an explosive material spills out of the fuel tank as a result of overturn?
• Could a heavy commercial vehicle carrying tons of fuel be regarded as a mobile bomb?
There are so many questions that arise in our mind and all of them invite us to think the possible causes of road disasters.
Is it the lack of safety in products? Or Inadequate driver training? How could we contribute positively in reducing the occurrences of disasters.
What if we enhance braking safety in trailers and avoid such cases to a greater extent by making use of globally renowned technologies.
The world is advancing at a greater pace but it is our nation’s dilemma that we are not making up to it. As a matter of fact, we lag behind in awareness or somehow adaptation of technologies such that we have madea trend of gaining admittance later than those of worldwide countries.
If we look at heavy vehicle fleet in our nation, mostly they are outdated and have little or no brake safety, or safety of any kind which results in disastrous incidents which jeopardizes thousands of innocent lives.
With our Corporate Social Responsibility at AUTOCOM, we tend to create awareness about importance of safety in HCVs every now and then.
Our Mission Statement says that:
We will continue to innovate and lead the specialized vehicle industry by providing safe and economical solutions that benefit out stakeholders. Our goal is ultimate satisfaction for all business partners ensuring complete success of the organization.
Aligning ourselves to our mission, we embarked upon our journey in bringing EBS to Pakistan in collaboration with an American company back in 2015. This was a trailer for TOTAL PARCO with air suspension and Electronic braking technology successfully commissioned as a very first prototype vehicle which is still running successfully on roads with one of the leading fleet operators ‘Rasch Pvt. Ltd’.
Introducing Electronic Braking System makes a trailer intelligent to communicate the brake signals for stopping keeping in view the laden, semi laden or un-laden condition of vehicle.
It is an electronically controlled braking system with load-dependent braking pressure control, automatic anti-locking system (ABS) and electronic stability control (RSS).
It could also be called Brakes by Wire Technology that triggers electronic activation of the braking components;
As a basic advantage it:
• Reduces response and build-up times
• Reduces braking distance by several meters
• Is decisive in some situations
• Has an integrated ABS function
Having EBS on board we can assume safety for driver, cargo, trailer and the truck itself.
It also has an integrated function of ElectronicStability Control also referred to as Roll-Over Stability Support that helps prevent vehicle roll-over within physical limits and hence results in zero likelihood of overturning in case of harsh braking. It also supports the driver to avoid accidents at highway exits and during emergency maneuvers. As its basic working,it has a lateral sensor that detects when a trailer wheel is lifting and might lose contact with the ground. Hence it automatically brakes the trailer wheels before one side lifts from the ground Also the trailer speed is automatically reduced to restabilize the vehicle.In a nutshell The vehicle’s ECU analyzes wheel speed, load information and transverse acceleration data to detect the likelihood of vehicle roll-over before the driver realizes the risk and automatically applies the brakes.
EBS can be mounted and retrofitted to all trailer types, including road trains, bi-trains and tri-trains and also either with Air suspension or Mechanical suspension.
With EBS, the trailer is equipped with an Electronic Control Unit with different GIO Ports.GIO means Generic Input/output and designates programmable inputs and outputs. The Trailer EBS E-Modulator has 4 GIO slots in the standard version and 7 GIO slots in the Premium version. The GIO functions enables various additional functions to be activated in the trailer modulator.
There could be an electronic extension module with which we could install “Tail Guard”.
Tail Guard is basically a support system for blind Spot Detection in the trailers:
It;
• Ensures Safety while reversing
• Detects small, large, static and moving objects in the blind spot behind the trailer
• Automatically brakes the trailer while reversing within 50-200cm from objects and walls located in the rear blind spot
• Activated when the driver shifts into reverse
• Uses ultrasonic sensors to measure distance to objects behind the trailer
• Warns the driver by pulsing the brakes when the reversing speed is higher than 9km/h
AUTOCOM in its journey of technological advancement reached an extra mile when we delivered a prototype to Shell Pakistan Pvt Ltd with EBS, Tail guard and Smart Board installed in 2016.
Later in the same year AUTOCOM conducted seminar titled “Promoting Safety on Carriage of Petroleum Products by Road”inwhich we invited foreign partners to speak about the global technologies for our product that moves around making product more safe and reliable.
We also did advocate EBS by making a small presentation about its benefits and value for money. It got media coverage and customer admittance to a greater extent.
In totality we have delivered approximately 100 trailers till date with Electronic braking system on board and also we are carrying out EBS retrofitting job in those trailers which are not even manufactured by AUTOCOM.
As a part of promoting this very useful system we are intending to supply FOC installation to one of the vehicles in PSO fleet with air suspension.
Furthermore, we have introduced the same technology in our newly developed Aluminum 56KL tank quite recently.
In addition to this, AUTOCOM has invited our valued customers to join us for a short training on EBS troubleshooting and maintenance in coming month, so that this system remains operational and reliable forever.
Safety is a journey and not a destination but we believe in beginning from somewhere. So we lay a red carpet to all those who advocate safety primarily and want to join hands for national interest along with benefitting humanity and mankind.
Written by: Sumaiyah Murtaza (Head of Supply Chain)
A Long Journey of Ghandhara Industries Limited on Bumpy Road of Pakistan Economy
ISUZU D-Max is The Latest Entry
Ghandhara Industries Ltd (GIL) in partnership with Isuzu Motors introduced the full range of Isuzu D-Max Pickup to Pakistan’s market. An elegant launching ceremony held on 14th February 2019 in Karachi.
Isuzu D-Max is currently sold in more than 120 countries around the world and now Pakistan will be added as new market for Isuzu pickup trucks business. The roots ofISUZU go back to 1916 in Japan. That is when Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Co. initiated plans for automobile production. Three years later in 1919, Japan’s first truck was built. That was the beginning of a series of industry firsts that continues today.
Ghandhara Industries Limited is started in 1963. In a real sense the year of beginning of this history is 1953, when General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation of USA established an automobile plant in Karachi. The plant was built upon an area of 18 acres in S.I.T.E. Karachi. General Motors has a plan to supply vehicles to whole of south east asia from Pakistan. As this was the first automobile company being established in Pakistan,at that time auto vendor industry did not exist, therefore in addition to two assembly lines they also set up a machine shop, Press / Punching shop, Shearing machines, carpentry shop, vulcanizing plant, battery testing facilities andchrome plating shops.
General Motors had a Vauxhall plant in UK from where CKD kits of Bedford Trucks were imported into Pakistan. Later in the year 1963 Perhaps, General Motors Pakistan feels that Pakistan market is too small for this automobile Giant of the world and they decided to sell this plant to Lt. General (R) Habibullah Khan Kattak in 1953,who renamed it as Ghandhara Industries Limited. GIL is a public limited company quoted on the Stock Exchange and registered under the Companies Act 1913.
The new management under the chairmanship of Lt General (R) Habibullah Khattak Continued assembling and marketing Bedford trucks and buses in Pakistan.Vauxhall, Holden and Chevrolet cars were also locally assembled and introduced in Pakistani market. Many engineering goods in addition to automobiles were produced in this plant. In the end of 60’s Ghandhara Industries were progressing in a very high pace. The group established another plant for engine assembly and manufacturing namely Ghandhara Diesel Limited.
As there was little competition Bedford trucks and buses sold like hot cakes. General Habibullah purchased one plot at Haroonabad, SITE for expansion of production Facilities and a portion of Bandukwala building on I.I. Chundrigar road for commercial use. Both these properties proved very useful in later years.Ghanadhara Industries was one of the few industries where workers were highly paid. Bedford truck achieved about 70 % Deletion. Since this was the first automobile company in Pakistan and virtually became an institution for the automobile professionals.It was used to be called mother of automotive industry in Pakistan.The engineers and professionals to establish other automobile companies of Pakistan such as Hino, Master, Afzal Motors, Sindh Engineering, Pak Suzuki Motors were from Ghandhara Industries.
Unfortunately Ghandhara Industries and Ghandhara Diesel Limited were nationalized in the year 1972 and renamed as National Motors Limited and Bela Engineers Limited respectively.
In the year 1972 National Motors Limited formally known as Ghandhara Industries Limited has introduced ISUZU Trucks and Pickups in Pakistan Market.
NML also included Isuzu Truck FTR 12 K and MT 112 in its production line in early Eighties. However the market for Bedford trucks was shrinking and Isuzu sales also did not pick up. The revenue did not support the income and NML started bleeding from the year 1987-88 onwards.
In 1991 Vauxhall UK plant was closed so the supply of Bedford Truck CKD kits was discontinued. NML was now left with Isuzu franchise only. However NML entered into an agreement with Karachi Road Transport in 1991 for the supply 100 buses they also made another service agreement with KTC, to maintain their fleet of buses and ensure them that all buses would remain on the road all the time. At last with the government policy of Denationalization NML was sold to Bibojee group of Companies of General Habib Ullah Khan Kattak (the original owners) in 1992.
National Motors Limited after privatization was again renamed Ghandara Industries Limited. The new management under the chairmanship of General (R) Habibullah Khattak immediately set three goals to make this venture, viable
1.To pay off loans of the banks
2.To reduce losses (Accumulated losses at that time were to the tune of Rs. 296 million.
3.To add new models of Isuzu and assembly of Nissan car in GIL
Loans of the banks were paid within three to four years by selling the Banduwala building which was purchased by the then GIL Management in early 6osas mentioned earlier.Light commercial vehicles, ISUZU Brand NPR trucks and NPR buses were added initially in 1993-94.
The planned assembly of Nissan car was however shifted to Ghandara Nissan, another company of Bibojee group of companies. Ltd. General (R) Habibullah Khattak passed away in 1994 and his son Mr. Ahmed Kuli Khan Khattak took over as new Chief Executive of GIL.
The new management made strenuous efforts to bring back the glory of it’s hey days of 1963-71. More new models of ISUZU such as FVR was introduced in early 90s. Soon Isuzu model FVZ was also introduced in Pakistani market. ISUZU D-Max Pickup is the latest family member of Ghandhara Industries Limited.
THE HONDA E PROTOTYPE IS HERE TO STEAL EUROPEAN HEARTS
On sale by the end of the year, priced in the vicinity of Tesla’s Model 3
It’s the nature of the Geneva Motor Show that to get to the fun new EV designs, you have to walk past an exhibition of ridiculous vehicular opulence, but nothing was going to slow me down en route to seeing the Honda e Prototype, the evolution of the most appealing electric vehicle concept I’ve yet seen. 2017’s Honda Urban EV Concept charmed me at last year’s Geneva exhibition, showing off a retro three-door design with a bench front seat, a car-spanning ultra-widescreen display on the interior, and huge suicide doors. Its old school minimalism and new school electric powertrain were an irresistible combination for hipsters like me.
The new e Prototype carries over much of the original’s appeal, though loses a few of the edgiest features in the name of practicality. The front seats are now conventional, the enormous single display has been segmented into two touchscreens in the middle and a pair of rear-view monitors on the sides, and the doors have increased in number to five while their opening is now hinged at the front rather than the rear.
With a rounded-off front and a more familiar body shape, the e Prototype looks a lot less alien than the concept that spawned it, though it’s also a lot closer to mass production.
Hyundai Motor CEO says China capacity cuts being considered
SEOUL — Hyundai Motor Co., which is reeling from tumbling sales in China, is considering cutting capacity at its factories in its biggest market, CEO Wonhee Lee said, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Lee made the comments at a meeting with analysts and investors on Wednesday, the people who attended the event told Reuters.
He told the meeting that the automaker is considering addressing overcapacity at its old factories in China, while slashing headcount in the country, according to a note from one of the people which was seen by Reuters.
A Hyundai Motor spokeswoman said that the automaker is “reviewing various optimization plans to enhance facility efficiency” and has begun voluntary retirement for employees in China.
China’s auto industry, the world’s biggest, is slowing after strong recent growth, with demand hit a weakening economy and the fallout of trade frictions with the United States. China’s car sales fell 2.8 percent in 2018, marking the first contraction since the 1990s, according to industry association data.
Hyundai’s China sales sank 23 percent in the fourth quarter amid a lack of attractive models and strong branding in the face of competition from both Chinese and global car makers.
Lee said Hyundai is also considering shipping vehicle kits from China to Philippines, South America and other countries for local assembly, the note said.
He said that GM, Ford and Honda are also slashing global excess capacity, the note added. Lee said globally automakers have the capacity to produce 135 million vehicles a year, 31 percent higher than the industry demand of 95 million vehicles, according to the note.
This article was originally published by Google.com. Read the original article here.
Yamaha Motor extends engine warranty for up to 3 years
Yamaha Motor Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd., has announced the extended warranty service for all its YAMAHA motorcycle and scooter engines for up to 3 years or 30,000 KMs. The warranty will be applicable after purchasing the Yamaha motorcycle from its any dealership network across the country. The extended warranty will give customers maximum protection making sure the cost of the engine’s repair or replace any of its components are covered under the warranty.
Giving the extended engine warranty is a good step from Yamaha to get the customers trust and gain their confidence more to trust the brand and its products, for a longer period. The warranty will be applicable on all Yamaha motorcycles including the YBR125, the YBR125G, and the YB125Z. The warranty and can be availed by every customer purchasing the new bikes from March 1, 2019, onwards.
The significant warranty period makes Yamaha Motor Pakistan the most extensive warranty provider among the motorcycle industry. Besides this extended warranty, Yamaha Motor Pakistan is also providing the warranty for chassis & electrical up to 1 year or 12000KM (whichever comes first), and the one for battery and tire up to 6 months.
by Aqsa Mirza
Atlas Honda has once again increased the price of its bike for the second time in 2019
The reason behind the increase in prices is due to the devaluation of the Rupee against the Dollar. The cost of imported automotive parts has increased, thus the price hike.
Reportedly, the company has already made the new prices effective of March 1st, 2019. A notification has been circulated to all dealerships across the nation.
The motorcycles are assembled locally, however, most parts are imported and as the rupee’s value falls down, the import bill increases. The company told that it passed down the increase in import bill to the customers. Due to the Rupee being the weaker currency, the price of the imported parts has become more expensive, thus the increase in the price of the vehicles.
Reportedly, Honda increased Rs.400 on all of its bike models.
After the price hike, the models will be sold at following prices:
· CD-70: Rs 70,500
· CD-70 Dream: Rs 74,500
· Pridor: Rs 96,500
· CG125: Rs 116,500
· CG 125S: Rs 134,900
· CG 125S (Special Edition): Rs 136,500
· CB 125F: Rs 159,900
· CB 125F (Special Edition): Rs 161,900
· CB150F: Rs 191,900
· CB 250F: Rs 640,000
In the past couple of month, almost all the auto manufacturers in Pakistan have raised prices due to the devaluation of the Rupee against the US dollar.
by Aqsa Mirza
Volkswagen unveils new Jetta budget car brand
Volkswagen announced recently, that it will be creating a new entry-level brand called Jetta, which will launch in China in the third quarter of 2019. VW has decided to start a new brand due to the fact that a large portion of the Chinese automotive market is in a segment below its main volume segment. Hence, the Jetta brand is being created specifically for the Chinese market so that VW can attract customers from entry-level segments (in which 80 percent of customers are first time buyers). It is worth mentioning that Volkswagen has a sedan in its international car line-up that goes by the same name as the new brand.
The Jetta brand’s cars will be produced by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. FAW (First Auto Works) is a Chinese state-owned automotive company. The brand will initially offer three vehicles in its line-up, which will include one sedan and two SUVs. The sedan and one of the SUVs have already been revealed in images. The sedan appears to be a rebadged Jetta, while the SUV vaguely resembles the Seat Ateca. According to VW, by the end of the year, Jetta is expected to have around 200 dealerships in China.
At this point, VW has not announced if any of the cars will be electric, though in all likelihood an electric car will be offered by Jetta as the Chinese government requires companies to make and sell a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles.
Toyota to Recall 13,000 Lexus Cars
Tokyo, Feb. 27 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. <7203> informed Japan’s transport ministry Wednesday that it will recall a total of 13,391 vehicles from five Lexus luxury brand models for free repairs.
Work to attach tires to wheel rims was not conducted properly, possibly causing the vehicles’ driving stability to be impaired, according to the leading Japanese automaker.
The five models are the LS500, the LS500h, the IS300, the IS350 and the IS300h. The vehicles subject to the recall were manufactured between August 2017 and July 2018.
According to the ministry, 24 related problem cases have been reported so far.
The vehicles may generate abnormal noise or vibrate, and part of the tires may come off, the ministry said.
Source : The Jiji Press, Ltd.
Atlas Honda Unveils CG 125S bike with Self-Start Option in Pakistan
Atlas Honda has launched a new variant of CG 125 with self-start option for its customers in Pakistan. The variant comes with a price tag of PKR 135,500.
As per the details, the self-start variant CG 125 S is equipped with a 5 gear transmission and available in two different colors, black and red.
In January 2019, Altas Honda has also Introduced also CB 125F in Pakistan. The bike comes in two different variants; basic and special edition. The bike has a 5-speed gear transmission and a fuel tank capacity of around 12.3 liters. It has been shipped in various colors including Red and Black. The price of the special edition is Rs.161,900 while the basic variant comes with a price of Rs.159,900.
by Aqsa Mirza