October 2020

MONTH 2017 AFTERMARKET 3 www.aftermarketonline.net OCTOBER 2020 AFTERMARKET 5 Ricardo hydrogen engine test facility funding Ricardo has won provisional government funding for a new hydrogen engine test facility at its base in West Sussex. Currently, facilities to test and develop engines using hydrogen are extremely rare, even in mainland Europe. For this reason, Ricardo has developed a plan to modify one of its existing conventional engine test cells at its Technical Centre in Shoreham. Ricardo applied for funding from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership’s allocation granted from the UK government’s overarching Getting Building Fund. Ricardo has been notified of the provisional award of funding from Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, with the final decision awaiting formal ratification by government later in 2020. Is hydrogen the future? To find out more turn to pages 24-27. EVs: Half of carbuyers say 2035 too soon to switch Almost half of UK motorists don’t feel ready to make the switch to an electric vehicle by 2035, a survey from the SMMT has suggested. While EVs now account 17% of the models on sale, they currently make up just 8% of purchases. The survey performed by Savanta ComRes on behalf of the SMMT, found that 44% don’t think they will be ready by 2035, with 24% saying that they do not ever see themselves owning one. In February, the government announced that the sale of all hybrid, petrol and diesel cars would be banned from 2035, but the survey suggests that carbuyer caution might make this difficult without significant infrastructure investment and buyer inducements. Of those who could see themselves making the leap under the right circumstances, 52% are currently being held back by higher purchase prices, while 44% cited the lack of local charging points, with a further 38% concerned about being caught short on longer journeys. However, 37% said they were optimistic about buying a full EV as early as 2025. Despite massive industry investment in the segment, worth £54 billion in 2019 alone, analysis by the SMMT and Frost & Sullivan found that a full, zero emission- capable UK new car market will require 1.7 million public charge points by the end of the decade and 2.8 million by 2035. Today, there are just 19,314 on-street charge points today, so there is a need for 507 on-street chargers to be installed every day until 2035 at a cost of £16.7 billion. SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes commented: “To give consumers confidence to take the leap into these technologies, we need government and other sectors to step up and match manufacturers’ commitment by investing in the incentives and infrastructure needed to power our electric future.” LIQUI MOLY gives away exclusive tickets to MotoGP LIQUI MOLY is giving away a pair of exclusive tickets to MotoGP, and will be sending the two lucky prize-winners away on an unforgettable week including a race weekend of the racing bike series. The winners also get to see behind the scenes of with the LIQUI MOLY Intact GP team. LIQUI MOLY has been the exclusive supplier of the official motor oil for the Moto2 and Moto3 series since 2015, and all the teams in these classes use LIQUI MOLY Motorbike 4T Synth 5W-40 Race oil. All 20 MotoGP races are broadcast each year to more than 200 countries and are watched by a total of 280 million people across the whole season. To enter the competition, go to: https://bestbrand.liqui - moly.com/en_gb/ TRICO becomes First Brands Group TRICO has announced its new name, First Brands Group, along with the addition of two new brands, Brake Parts Inc. (BPI) and Champion Laboratories (Champ Labs). The move means BPI’s RAYBESTOS and Champ Labs’ LUBERFINER join other names including FRAM, TRICO, STRONGARM, AUTOLITE, ANCO, AIRTEX, and CARTER under the First Brands Group banner. Vice President and General Manager of First Brands Group, Eduardo Sanz, said: “Now is the moment for a new identity that makes a statement about who we are today and where we are going tomorrow.”