A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Mitsui & Co., Ltd (‘Mitsui’), Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (‘MIM’), HINO Motor Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (‘HINO’) and Handal Indah Sdn Bhd (‘Handal Indah’) to bring to Medini City the first hybrid bus in Malaysia.
The culmination of efforts between the four parties was made possible when Mitsui and MIM invited HINO to conduct its trial run through Medini City where the bus will be operated by Handal Indah. The trial run of the hybrid bus will go on for five months starting early July 2017. There will be six routes for the trial run, one of it is the Iskandar Puteri route that allows commuters to travel from Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal to Larkin Sentral via Medini.
The MOU is signed at a perfect time as it is aligned with Iskandar Malaysia’s Low Carbon Society Blueprint, where it aims to reduce carbon intensity in Iskandar Malaysia by 58 per cent by 2025. The introduction of hybrid bus could potentially be part of a future modern fleet of public transportation in Iskandar Malaysia, where they can offer economical and clean public transport system.
“A big part of Iskandar Malaysia’s journey towards becoming a Strong and Sustainable Metropolis of International Standing focuses on green environment and smart city living. We embrace ideas and initiatives that contribute towards these two agendas. As such, the possibility of having hybrid busses transporting people across the region is something very exciting and inspiring,” Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive, Iskandar Regional Development Authority.
Medini City, the Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri, is a catalytic development within Iskandar Malaysia led by MIM. With its vision of becoming the Icon of Future City Living, Medini is paving its way as a smart city development. A shareholder of MIM, Mitsui brings with them a wealth of experience in smart city development in Medini. Mitsui is also collaborator of HINO for future marketing of Iskandar BRT project.
Dr James Tee, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of MIM said, “Medini City will ultimately produce a smart and sustainable community where residents, visitors and investors alike can experience a place that is uniquely liveable, connected, efficient and safe. By delivering smart solutions like the hybrid bus initiative, we look forward to seeing local bus operators including hybrid bus models in their fleet.”
Being the first bus with hybrid technology to enter Malaysia, HINO Hybrid Bus, has the potential to be one of the Energy Efficient Vehicle (“EEV”) in the future. Powered by Euro 3 engine, this hybrid bus has the advantage in improving fuel efficiency with the combination of diesel engine and battery in HINO new HV system. This feature will improve fuel saving than a conventional diesel engine city bus. Apart from that, the hybrid technology reduces CO2 emission, hence it is environmentally friendly. Designed with wider air suspension for extra riding comfort, this is a low-floor designed chassis and has flexibility for special needs and able to cater capacity of up to 75 including standing passengers. Thus, HINO Hybrid Bus will venture into a new market segment in Malaysia with a class of its own in near future.
Continuous improvisation is required to ensure the success of this project. Mr. Ken Iwamoto, Managing Director of HINO Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd highlighted that this hybrid bus has its advantages for smart city project where he added on to say, “Unique aspects of commercial vehicles include their comparatively large size and loading capacity, the long distances they travel, and their wide array of uses and places where they are used. Taking into account these varying conditions, HINO Motors considers type of environmental technologies that would be suitable. By providing users with optimally equipped vehicles, we believe HINO Hybrid Bus has the advantage in providing vehicle with improved fuel-efficiency and zero carbon.”
Ms Lim Chern Fang, Managing Director of Handal Indah Sdn Bhd for Operations and Marketing Department said, “The role of Handal Indah is to provide the most efficient, reliable and friendly bus service to the commuters. We embrace change by constantly assessing and improving the public bus service with the new technology. We are keen to move towards a smart transportation to introduce a cleaner and more fuel-efficient means of urban transportation for the commuters and benefiting the community at large.”
After the signing ceremony, participants get a glimpse of the hybrid bus.
The second edition of the RTEC (Road to Excellence Championship) international after-sales challenge has just ended. On 17 May, the 24 best teams, selected from the 1,421 in competition, went head-to-head in the final in Lyon, the birthplace of Renault Trucks.
During the international final, the finalists faced six 45-minute tests, requiring them to perform complex maintenance and repair operations in real conditions. These carefully-prepared practical challenges were designed to test and develop the skills of the competing teams in fields of expertise such as monitoring hydraulic steering systems, engine failure diagnosis, oil analysis, electricity, the used truck labelling procedure, as well as being faced with customer problems, such as unusually high fuel consumption. The performance of the finalists was appraised and marked by Renault Trucks experts from all over the world. Collaboration and teamwork were also recognised, as the ability to work effectively together and use the strengths of each team member were essential for completing the challenges within the allocated time.
Finally, it was the team from the Renault Trucks distributor in Hanover, Germany, that was awarded the prize for the “Best Renault Trucks after-sales team”. On hearing of this success, Volker Thömke, the Renault Trucks Germany training manager who trained the team members, said, “I am proud of the excellent performance of the German team. I am delighted that they have been rewarded for their hard work.”
The distribution-repair team from Basel in Switzerland won second place. “We are very happy and proud to be recognised as the second-best Renault Trucks after-sales team. This day of competition was highly motivating and has encouraged us to excel in our daily work.”
Lastly, the British team from Wigan in the North of England, which had previously competed in the 2015 final, came third. “We failed to gain a place on the podium during the first RTEC challenge. We worked hard to qualify again and this year we worked more methodically and with less stress, which helped us to win this much-appreciated third place.”
The team from Turkey was awarded the special prize for best team spirit.
Scania is continuing with the major roll-out it began last year, with more and more services and products going into production and being launched to customers. The order books are now open on a new generation of Scania’s robust, five-cylinder engines, as well as the first variants of the new G cab. A number of services and performance enhancements are also being introduced, with most sharing a focus on improving productivity and total operating economy for European long-distance and forestry trucks.
“Scania has significantly more on its introduction schedule for 2017 than there was during the extremely intense 2016 launch,” says Alexander Vlaskamp, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Scania Trucks. “We’re now rapidly filling our new range with products and services so that the majority of customers can tailor solutions around Scania’s new generation of trucks, regardless of what application their truck is used for.”
When in 2016 Scania embarked on its biggest launch ever, the common themes linking the introduction were connected services, products for long-distance operations, and sustainability. Now the journey down this path continues with the introduction of more choices and solutions as production gets underway. Up until now, Scania has only released a small proportion of all the pending innovations, and only in Europe.
“We live in an exciting time,” says Alexander Vlaskamp. “The response to the new generation has been extremely positive and has included everything from awards
to wins in important press tests, along with a strong flow of customers leading to increased sales and new records.”
The fact that Scania is now offering a greater range of specifications doesn’t mean that the company has lowered its targets as the launch goes forward. Scania places a high value on face-to-face interactions with customers and on its message that it has a total focus on customers’ businesses and profitability.
“The next press and customer events will come after the summer and will be a truly holistic experience together with the Scania family,” says Vlaskamp. “I can reveal that we will then be focusing particularly on those applications operating with the toughest challenges, and also on how Scania’s focus on tailor-made solutions can grow customers’ profitability.”
This is UVC’s flagship USD285,000, Chevrolet LS3 V-8 powered Land Rover Defender pickup. The company behind this project is East Coast Defender and it was founded by 3 self-prescribed “British petrol heads”; brothers Tom and Elliot Humble, as well as their close friend Scott Wallace. Growing up near the famous Lode Lane factory in England, the brothers found themselves surrounded by Defenders throughout their childhood. They officially opened the East Coast Defender workshop in 2013 and it has been building the world’s most celebrated, handcrafted Defenders since.
The company is based in Kissimmee, Florida, where every East Coast Defender is built by hand and completely in house at its 21,000 sq. ft. facility, named the “Rover Dome.”
Build options available to UVC clients include custom built axles, shock absorbers, air intakes for snorkels, lighting options and off-road protection, as well as hand-built wheels.
Approximately 95% of the custom work is done by hand by skilled craftsmen and engineers. The build process is time intensive and includes countless hours of design, build, fit, re-design and re-fit until the vehicle exceeds UVC’s standards for design and performance.
Project Viper performance specs include:
2-liter, 430-hp Chevrolet LS3 V-8 engine
Six-speed automatic transmission
Hand built in the USA custom aluminum radiator
Hand built in the USA Ricks Tanks full stainless steel fuel cell with dual point fuel pick ups
Braided stainless steel fuel lines
Stainless steel brake lines
Wilwood brakes with 6-piston front race calipers and 4-piston rear race calipers with vented and drilled rotors all around
KAM custom heavy duty axles with electronic locking differentials
Heavy duty steering arms
Fully custom suspension system
King Off-Road Racing shocks and steering damper
2” lifted Old Man Emu coil springs
Project Viper interior and convenience specs include:
Puma dash upgrade
Air conditioning
Classic Instruments Moal Bomber series gauges
Kenwood touchscreen infotainment system with GPS, backup camera, wifi, and Apple Car Play/Android Auto with a custom Morel amplified speaker system
Wireless phone charging
Black Corbeau heated leather seats with white accent stitching
LED lighting throughout with auto-on headlights, mood lighting, and puddle lighting
Power windows
Remote locking and alarm system
Project Viper exterior and styling specs include:
Custom ECD Edition 20” wheels by ADV.1 with Nitto Mud Grappler tires
Tinted factory windows
Tubular winch bumper with WARN winch
Custom-built swing away spare tire carrier
Full Safety Devices external roll cage
Front LED spot lamps
Rear LED work lamps
Custom built diamond plated bed liner with toolboxes and seating
Visit www.EastCoastDefender.com for more information
Starting from June 2017 and for the next three years, IVECO will be the official supplier of heavy-duty logistics vehicles for the Abarth racing division, and will supply the team with two trucks, a Stralis XP and a Eurocargo. The first will be destined for the Abarth Selenia Trophy, which is run on the race track, and the second for the Abarth 124 Rally Selenia, where it will be part of the Abarth support fleet.
With this prestigious partnership, IVECO celebrates the legendary car brand – one that succeeds better than any other in communicating the competitive spirit of the racing circuits and rally roads, as well as sharing the values of sportsmanship and performance which are in the Scorpion’s very DNA. This collaborative relationship has its roots in the past: since the early eighties, IVECO has supported the Scorpion Team in numerous world-class competitions, contributing to the historic success of the brand.
To honour this partnership between the two brands, IVECO is set to produce a special limited edition version of the New Stralis XP TCO2 Champion with just 124 models decked out in white livery with red and grey finishes, the traditional colours of the team. These 124 models celebrate the famous Abarth 124 Spider, a car with legendary status on the roads and on the twisting rally tracks. Number “zero” of this limited edition – that is, the very first vehicle of the series to come off the production line – will be used by Abarth for logistical support during the races.
This limited edition series also draws inspiration from the New Stralis XP Abarth “Emotional Truck”, a unique vehicle and the only model ever produced, as a special tribute to the partnership between IVECO and the Scorpion team. The vehicle livery was designed and created by the Abarth Style Centre, with special attention dedicated to customising the vehicle with the colours and the graphics of the brand. The vehicle interiors, in true Abarth style, echo those of the Abarth 124, with leather upholstery on the seats, steering wheel and door panels.
The vehicle will be the star of the show at all of the FIA European Truck Race 2017 championship circuits, and will be on display in the IVECO paddock.
Used to transport VIPs at the annual movie showcase, the SpaceClass can seat up to 9-people in absolute comfort and is due to arrive in the Europe this August.
According to Renault, the new model is aimed at companies and hotels operating shuttle services to and from airports and railway stations, as well as high-end taxi firms and chauffeurs.
“The Trafic SpaceClass is an entirely new product that fulfils the requirements of customers looking for a best-in-class driving and comfort experience,” said Ashwani Gupta, senior vice-president, global head of Renault-Nissan Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit. “We chose the Cannes film festival as the first time to debut this high-end vehicle to show that it can be used effectively with VIPs and business people all the way to the airport.”
The French brand claimed it offers class-leading levels of space and comfort levels, while 50 different seat configurations can be selected thanks to the seats being on rails.
The vehicle can also be turned into an office, thanks to a removable central table. The interior also offers dark-tinted windows, air-con, individual LED reading lamps and leather upholstery, as well as plug and USB sockets. The driver’s area, meanwhile, features a leather-coated steering wheel and a seven-inch touchscreen, which houses the sat-nav and reversing camera.
Less than five years after its market introduction, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles is passing a major milestone: 50,000 BharatBenz trucks are already on Indian roads. In addition, more than 10,000 trucks have been exported to more than 30 markets since. This kind of ramp-up has never been achieved by another market entrant in India before. BharatBenz was created specifically for the Indian market. The Indian Commercial Vehicles brand from Daimler also recently completed the full-range portfolio update with the launch of the all-new BharatBenz heavy-duty range. Furthermore, India has become an important export hub for Daimler Trucks since 2013. Export numbers have doubled for several years in a row and build the ground for the next big step: The start of a new sub-9-ton truck for markets in the Middle East in the third quarter this year.
Strong standing in the world’s toughest CV market
With the market launch of the BharatBenz brand, Daimler had dared a bold step into the world’s toughest commercial vehicle market – dominated by long standing domestic brands. This courage pays off now: While India had not even been part of the Top Ten markets for Daimler Trucks until 2014, it now ranks as fifth important market for Daimler Trucks worldwide – with 13,100 units sold in 2016.
Global hub serving more than 30 markets with export vehicles
Besides the strong domestic standing, India serves as an important export hub: 10,000 trucks have been exported from DICV’s state-of-the-art production plant at Oragadam near Chennai since the start of the vehicle exports in June 2013. In 2016, exports from India again doubled up to more than 4,000 units. The FUSO and Mercedes-Benz vehicles for export are manufactured on the same production lines as the domestic BharatBenz portfolio. The trucks already get exported to more than 30 markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Within this year, this number will grow up to 40 markets on three continents, including Bahrain and markets in Africa and Latin America. All exported trucks are leading in terms of safety, reliability and efficiency and fulfil the diverse requirements of customers in the different target markets.
Complete update of the Indian truck portfolio
With the launch of the all-new BharatBenz heavy-duty truck range in April 2017, DICV completed the update of the whole domestic truck portfolio in less than five years since the market launch. Productivity, efficiency and safety are the core topics of the new portfolio. The new heavy-duty range vehicles bring real benefits for the Indian customers with improvements in fuel efficiency by a double-digit percentage combined with lower maintenance costs.
BharatBenz also clearly led the India’s CV segment in the country’s recent transition to the new BS-IV emissions standard. The whole BharatBenz portfolio had already been available with BS-IV from August 2015. When the full transition to BS-IV vehicles became reality on 1st of April 2017, BharatBenz already had delivered more than 1,000 vehicles with this new standard to customers. The BS-IV solution is based on proven SCR technology, which is used in Mercedes-Benz trucks since years and constantly evolving.
BharatBenz – made in India, made for India
The BharatBenz brand is customer-tailored for the Indian market and its demanding customer requirements. First unveiled in February 2011, it celebrated its market launch in September 2012. Soon featuring a full-fledged product portfolio in the medium- and heavy-duty segments, the brand crossed the first major milestone of 10,000 units in April 2014 and has further accelerated its growth from there. With the update of the medium-duty range in 2016 and the all-new heavy-duty range in 2017, BharatBenz updated its entire truck portfolio within a short span to give customers even more value for their money. BharatBenz products are sold and serviced through a pan-Indian network of more than 130 touchpoints which is continuously expanded further also beyond the tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
New energy technology company BYD today announced the successful expansion of its pure electric buses to Brisbane airport, eight months after making its commercial debut at the country’s busiest airport in Sydney.
The fleet of eleven 12-meter BYD electric buses will be fully operational in February 2018 as a shuttle service between the airport’s domestic and international terminals. The vehicles will be run by Carbridge, an Australian based world leader in aviation passenger ground transportation who operates BYD electric buses, the Electric Blu, in the Sydney Airport.
“This signifies a milestone for us in Australia, and we are heartened to have more people in Australia support the state-of-the-art electric public transport that we provide,” said Liu Xueliang, General Manager of BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division.
The 12-meter BYD electric bus has a carrying capacity of 70 passengers; features purpose-designed luggage storage racks, and three full size double doors making boarding and alighting more efficient. In addition the buses have GPS next stop announcements, driver monitoring and real time tracking data, meaning issues can be immediately identified and responded to in real time.
Replacing the current fleet for electric buses will result in a reduction of 250 tons of carbon emissions each year, equivalent to taking 100 cars off the road.
Brisbane airport is the closest airport to Queensland’s Gold Coast, a popular holiday destination for visitors to Australia. Around 22.5 million passengers travelled through the airport in 2016, making the airport the third busiest in Australia by passenger traffic.
Beginning of June the first commercially manufactured all-electric Volvo buses started operating in the city of Differdange in Luxemburg. The operator is Sales-Lentz, which now has 4 electric buses, 12 electric hybrids, and 30 hybrids from Volvo in its fleet.
“The start of operations with the Volvo 7900 Electric marks yet another important step for all of us who work for a cleaner, quieter urban environment and more attractive public transport. Together with Differdange and Sales-Lentz we are in the vanguard of next-generation public transport,” says Håkan Agnevall, President of Volvo Buses.
Differdange’s focus on electrically powered buses is part of the city’s ambitious sustainability drive, with public transport forming a crucial focus area. The four electric buses are used on four routes with length from 8 to 9.5 km. Each bus is driven approximately 25 minutes, then the buses’ batteries are fast-charged in three to six minutes at the end stations using an open interface known as OppCharge (opportunity charging), which follows the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) recommendations. The charging stations in Differdange were supplied by Heliox.
“Full electric was the next logical step after electric-hybrid, ahead in our strategy for sustainable urban mobility. Beginning September 2016, Sales-Lentz Autocars was commissioned a major project in green urban mobility: the Differdange-city buses 100% electric 12m urban buses. Start of operation: 2nd May 2017. We are excited to have done this turn-around in exactly 9 months with a very strong team formed of Volvo Gothenburg, Volvo Competence Center in Luxembourg, the city of Differdange, Heliox, ElectroWatt, Sales-Lentz technical department, and several other strong partners”, says Jos Sales, Director Sales-Lentz.
“Sales-Lentz has always been an early adopter of new technologies. We understand our role as a public transport operator to trigger our suppliers, bus manufacturers, software developers, to deliver and develop technologies that meet the market needs. Being very close to public and private customers that require mobility solutions, Sales-Lentz sees itself as a development partner and entrepreneur ready to invest in sustainable mobility”, says Wolfgang Schroeder, Managing Director, Sales-Lentz
In addition to the all-electric Volvo 7900 Electric, the Volvo Buses range of electrified vehicles includes hybrid buses and electric hybrid buses (plug-in hybrids). All told, the company has sold more than 3300 electrified Volvo buses globally.
Volvo 7900 Electric
All-electric, two-axle, 12 metre long city bus with low floor and three doors.
80 % lower energy consumption than a comparable diesel bus.
Silent, exhaust emission-free.
Equipped with an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries.
The batteries are charged at the end stations, taking just three to six minutes*.
Can carry 85 passengers.
*Charging time varies with topography, load and climate conditions.
OppCharge (Opportunity Charging)
Open interface between charging station and vehicle.
Charging power 150, 300 or 450 kW.
Pantograph fitted to the overhead pylon makes it possible to use a cost-effective solution with low weight on the bus roof.
Conductive charging using current collectors, with communication between bus and charging station via Wi-Fi.
Time to dress up your Toyota Hilux with original TRD (Toyota Racing Development) accessories. Here is what your Hilux could look like in the flesh. Rugged and bold, this truck could be yours.
The Hilux TRD is obviously Toyota’s answer to other “sports variant” offerings of other manufacturers in the hotly contested segment and it starts with a protruding blacked-out meshed grille and wheel fenders that blend nicely with the bulging wheel flares.
Even the exhaust has a TRD carbon-fiber cover and TRD shocks. The upgrades includes size 18’ alloy wheels in black to keep up with the theme, just like the side steps on both sides. Check with your Toyota dealer for more information.
