Page 3 - Commercial Vehicle Engineer - July 2021

EDITORIAL & DESIGN
Immediate Network Ltd
Ferneberga House, Alexandra Rd, Farnborough GU14 6DQ
w: inl.co.uk
EDITOR
Dan Parton
t: 07941 979 845 e: dan@inl.co.uk
ADVERTISING
Dan Parton
t: 07941 979 845 e: dan@inl.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Stuart Masson
Editorial Director t: 07543 300 719 e: stuart@inl.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
Immediate Network Ltd
Ferneberga House, Alexandra Rd, Farnborough GU14 6DQ
w: inl.co.uk
EXCITING TIMES
W e are seeing a period of change like no other in the commercial
vehicle sector. While trucks evolved markedly in the second half of the last century,
fundamentally the basics, such as the internal combustion engine, remained in place. Today, change is happening at pace – and involving every aspect of the truck.
Within 10 years, new commercial vehicles
will not have an internal combustion engine.
Alternatives such as electric and hydrogen are jockeying for position as the power of choice currently. Electric is seemingly winning at the smaller end of the market but is starting to provide options at the heavier end too – and there will be more on that in the August issue.
But it doesn’t stop there. Every new truck that is launched – such as the DAF XF, XG and XG+ (see page 22 for more on that) – is packed with innovations and technology that simply wasn’t available a few years ago.
For instance, connectivity is key now for new trucks, which means that transport managers can see where a truck is in real time. Trucks also provide a wealth of data from harsh braking incidents to the health of the tyres, meaning everything can be managed more efficiently with things like predictive maintenance.
Technology is also enhancing the safety of trucks. In our feature on p42 we explore some of the more prominent developments over the past couple of years, including how automation is having an effect.
Another technology that is helping to change how commercial vehicles operate is solar power. Today’s solar panels are much more efficient than those of the past, meaning they are a viable option for operators to help power auxiliary functions and save on diesel or electric power. Find out more on that on p28.
These technological developments make the current period arguably the most exciting for the commercial vehicle sector in living memory, and it will be interesting to see how and where it develops next.
THE TRUCK EXPERT THE VAN EXPERT THE CAR EXPERT
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER > JULY 2021 3