After a hiatus due to Covid, SGESCO-MAX has attended Europe’s heavy vehicle mega trade shows and other briefings to experience first-hand the trends, issues and technologies that will deliver improved heavy vehicle safety over the next 5-10 years.

Our CEO, Scott McPherson, is just back from Germany where he attended

• Automechanika Frankfurt 2022
• IAA Transportation 2022 Hannover
• Continental Schwalbach Head Office near Frankfurt

According to Scott, the trip was invaluable for understanding the latest technologies and what the industry, vehicle OEMS and other global players are doing – and how SGESCO-MAX can best leverage and adapt technologies for our customers.

“With these events being biennial – and postponed due to Covid – this was the first opportunity I have had since joining SGECO-MAX to meet and build relationships with partners from around the globe and key contacts at existing and new suppliers vital to our business,” said Scott.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

Three key developments or milestones that were evident across all conferences and meetings were as follows:

Electric and Hydrogen Heavy Vehicles

Electric (EVs) and Hydrogen Heavy Vehicles are here now and working – the infrastructure needs to catchup.

• The stands of the major vehicle OEMs, including Mercedes, Volvo, and Scania, were predominately (90% +) electric and hydrogen heavy vehicles. They weren’t concepts – these are vehicles available today. This included autonomous vehicles such as buses.
• They showed vehicles for applications in waste management, logistics, and haulage. Of note, from Scania, was a major focus on zero tail-pipe emissions due to battery electric vehicles and the opportunity for waste management trucks to operate off-peak (and reduce safety risks) due to silent batteries.

This signals that EV’s for Australia’s heavy vehicles are coming — and we need the infrastructure to enable them.

Pedestrian Protection is a Major Focus

With the EU regulations for pedestrian protection coming into effect from December 2022, there were many examples of vision, sensor and combined technologies for identifying pedestrians in danger. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also prevalent with technologies ranging in accuracy, speed and price. The newer heavy vehicles on display were all fitted with a solution to meet the regulations.  Max-Safe SideWatch fits that bill.

Sensor Technology is advancing

LiDar, radar and ultrasonic technologies are advancing in what and how they sense objects and clusters of objects – with greater field of view (FOV) and velocity indicators. LiDar technology is still some time away before being commercially viable for the general market, however the detailed point cloud data* available through the technology will be very valuable for our safety solutions. (* These are data points in space that may represent a 3D shape, object or person.)

HISTORIC TRANSFORMATION

Scott noted that it was apparent that the European manufacturers are rising to the challenges posed by climate change and embracing the technological solutions available.

According to the President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller, “the heavy vehicle (and logistics industry) is undergoing the biggest transformation in its history as it strives for climate neutrality and emissions- free vehicles. This extends through to digital logistics.”

ABOUT THE EVENTS

Automechanika Frankfurt is for the international automotive aftermarket and auto-mechanics industry (including OEM, dealers, repair and maintenance providers). The 2022 event drew 78,000 visitors from 170 countries. The exhibition covered passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles, the former often being a pre-cursor to what is ultimately introduced in heavy vehicles form a safety perspective.

SGESCO-MAX uses Continental technology in many of our market-leading heavy vehicle safety solutions. At Continental Schwalbach Head Office, Scott participated in a one-day workshop with the Special Vehicles Group along with five (5) other partners from around the globe. The second day was spent with Product Managers and their teams covering off key technologies including radar and camera systems, understanding future product plans and emerging European legislation and compliance.

IAA Transportation 2022 Hannover is a conference and exhibition that introduces the significant and exciting innovations and concepts from the fields of transport and logistics, with 1400 exhibits and over 1400 journalists attending. “This was a great opportunity to learn what is happening with heavy vehicle safety in Europe and other regions around the world,” said Scott.

For Scott, one of the highlights of the event was a 15-minute Keynote Presentation from CEO of Daimler Trucks, Martin Daum, on the future of Transportation and Logistics can be found HERE. It’s well worth viewing.