Tag: vehicle materials

Recycling

Legislating the Loop: European Commission proposes amendments to ELV regulations

Brussels, Belgium — The European Commission put forth a proposal last week that seeks to amend the EU’s regulations on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) for the purpose of enhancing “the circularity of the automotive sector.” This proposal, put forward last Thursday, is purported to generate about €1.8 billion net revenue by 2035, in addition to eliminating […]

July 19, 2023

Collision Repair

High Tech Textiles: UBC researchers develop carbon fibre process sourced from oil sands materials

Photo by UBC Applied Science/Paul Joseph Vancouver, British Columbia — A research team from the University of British Columbia is currently in the process of weaving together the threads of Canada’s automotive future—literally, as they develop a new carbon fibre process sourced from oil sands materials. A Monday news release from the university revealed that […]

June 13, 2023

Collision Repair

Superior Steel: GM to use recycled, renewably-produced steel from Hamilton’s Dofasco plant

Hamilton, Ontario — General Motors announced last week plans to shift its North American production lines toward more recycled and sustainably-produced steel, courtesy of Hamilton’s long-standing ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant. This steel, which is sold under the brand name of XCarb, is ArcelorMittal’s way of contributing to the reduction of carbon in steel production, which […]

June 12, 2023

Collision Repair

Frame by Frame: Tesla Cybertruck ‘crash test’ video broken down by crash safety engineers

Toronto, Ontario — Tesla’s attempt at April Fool’s Day humour this year involved a Cybertruck “crash test” video that must have been shot by the crew of “Taken 3”—luckily some automotive safety engineers have taken the time to dissect what can be gleaned from the very goofy teaser. Tesla CEO Elon Musk must have thought […]

April 10, 2023

Collision Repair

Frames, Glass and ADAS: Ford’s first On Target newsletter of 2023 goes deep on materials, glass functionality and more

Toronto, Ontario — Ford published its first On Target collision newsletter of 2023 this week, bearing official OEM repair positions on the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E SUV, Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, among other technical tips. This latest repairer newsletter from the automaker opened with a recap on a recent “Repairers Realm” video demonstration from the […]

April 3, 2023

Collision Repair

Aluminum Exclusivity: BMW bulletin restricts more than 100 structural aluminum parts to certified facilities

Toronto, Ontario — BMW’s North American division announced in a bulletin Thursday that it has restricted more than 100 aluminum structural parts for its vehicles “due to complexity of repair and the requirement of highly specialized tools, training, and repair procedures.” Going forward, parts on that list can only be ordered by facilities with technicians […]

March 20, 2023

Collision Repair

Casting Call: Tesla Model Y with front casting, structural battery spotted at Giga Berlin

(Tobias Lindh/Twitter) Toronto, Ontario — In its recent Q3 financials release to stakeholders, Tesla announced plans to integrate front castings and structural battery packs to the Model Y; plans that have since been confirmed by DriveTesla Canada, who posted a photo Tuesday of just such a model outside the automaker’s Berlin Gigafactory. This sighting, made […]

October 25, 2022

Technology

Old Car, New Style: Carbon fibre 1970 Dodge Chargers for sale through Mopar

Toronto, Ontario — Since Dodge announced that it was closing the chapter on its current generation of Chargers and Challengers, customs shops and restorers have gone wild designing tribute models of the iconic muscle cars; including a customs shop out of Oklahoma that has created a welders worst nightmare. Finale Speed of Yukon, Okla. has […]

October 17, 2022

ADAS

Quarterly Check-in: New Ford On Target touches on glass and ADAS, Mach-E welding and more

Toronto, Ontario — Ford dropped the third edition of its 2022 On Target newsletters last Thursday, where the legacy OEM offered a reminder to glass repair technicians, clarified some welding details on the Mustang Mach-E SUV and announced the approval of a lift table from Bosch. Ford made a point of opening this issue of […]

October 12, 2022

EV

EV Repair Checklist: Repair centres must prepare for shifting mix of EV repairs, says Mandell

Quebec City, Quebec — Mitchell International’s Ryan Mandell took the stage at the Fix Network National Conference in Quebec City last week, delivering a keynote address on the latest trends in automotive electrification and what collision repair facilities need to prepare for. “It is really a very different process, not only in terms of writing […]

October 3, 2022

Collision Repair

Somewhere in the Middle: GM says 2024 Silverado EV ‘is not a unibody and it is not a body-on-frame’

Toronto, Ontario — The upcoming 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV is proving to be something truly unique, not simply because of what makes it run, but because of the frame upon which it runs. General Motors’ chief engineer for battery-electric trucks, Nichole Kraatz, told GM Authority that the new electrified Silverado’s body “is not a unibody […]

April 21, 2022

Auto Insurance

Cutting a Cheque: SGI invests $5.6 million into auto extrication training for fire departments

Regina, Saskatchewan — Saskatchewan Government Insurance is investing in the only kind of “chopping” that this publication will endorse—announcing that $5.6 million is on the way to local fire departments for new auto extrication equipment and training. In its press release, SGI said the objectives behind the investment are to fund the delivery of training […]

April 12, 2022