In September 2015, the automotive world learned a powerful new phrase. The phrase came to embody a damaging lack of transparency and trust in multinational OEMs as well as weakness in gatekeeping. In Europe, particularly, the scale of the problem was so widespread that it was clear a systemic reset was urgently needed. While OEMs …
In this article, I will revisit the topic of brake dust, in order to update the latest developments in this crucial area, review some timely legislative activity in this area relevant to braking and other vehicle technology areas. An informative point to start this journey is to look at the inquest into the death of …
In this article, we will revisit the topic of brake dust, and look at some of the devices that are in the public domain that hope to solve the issue. We will see growing evidence of testing activities, as well as commercialising new concepts, and review the surge in new intellectual property in this area. You …
This St. Patricks’ Day, we will continue our series looking at some important Irish transport engineers throughout history. Previously we’ve examined the work of Henry Ferguson and James Drumm, but this year the focus will be on John Phillip Holland, one of the most influential figures in maritime innovation. Like all great historical romps, the story of John Holland …
Empty streets have shown how clean our air can be, but what will happen when we go back to work? In recent days, as much of the world has adopted to working from home, social distancing, cocooning and a general slow down in transport intensity, there has been a marked uptick in air cleanliness in …
This St. Patrick’s Day, lets’ take a look back at a pioneering electric vehicle project, built around a breakthrough battery technology that allowed the nascent Irish government to open a whole new frontier of green transport. In preparing this entry, the support and contributions of The Irish Railways Records Society have been invaluable, and the …
In this instalment, I will examine the topic of automated driving, and look at how the rise of autonomous vehicles will change the demands placed on brake systems The first thing we need to establish is what constitutes an autonomous car, then look at where we are today, what can we expect in the next …
The promise of electric vehicles has long been associated with emission free driving. And while it is true that the lack of a tailpipe dramatically improves air quality, it is not true to say that electric propulsion is free of emissions. Brakes and tyres play a significant role in local emissions from electric vehicles, and …
An overview of brake technology developments from 1920 to 2019.
An overview of Ireland’s most prolific transport engineer, Harry Ferguson.