All learner drivers are expected to record their hours of driving practice in a logbook (The Driving Companion). The logbook also contains 30 tasks which set the standard for both CBT&A (Competency Based Training and Assessment), often referred to as logbook training and VORT (Vehicle On Road Test). In CBT&A the 30 tasks are signed off by your instructor during lessons and a certificate of competence is issued by your instructor. Task 30 is a final assessment covering all the general driving elements. VORT is a traditional driving test which assesses the competencies for general driving, but also includes the 5 slow manoeuvres from the logbook.
In SA there are 3 types of Motor Driving Instructor (MDI):
1. VORT instructor - Qualified to train learners professionally. All MDIs start as a VORT instructor
2. CBT&A assessor - Can train for VORT, but qualified to assess learners for CBT&A.
3. VORT assessor - As well as training for VORT and CBT&A these assessors can deliver VORT assessments.
The number of MDIs accepted for CBT&A training each year is limited. That therefore means there are lots more VORT instructors than logbook instructors.
Whether doing logbook or VORT, learners are expected to meet the same standard.
The main benefit of logbook is that you only need to meet the standard of the particular task you are being assessed on that day. When you get to task 30 the assessment does not include any slow manoeuvres. It is also all done by your instructor.
VORT has to be assessed by a different instructor to the one you have learned with, and all is assessed in one drive that is 40-60mins long. The benefits are that if your driving is good and you are a quick learner, you can get through with less lessons.
Every session there is a bit of dead time at the beginning and end while we get the car set up for the learner, discuss what are learning, organise future lessons, payments etc. There is also often some travel needed to reach appropriate roads for training.
This means that a 60 min lesson for most circumstances is not long enough to get effective learning. We have seen clients progress significantly quicker when taking 90 min lessons and believe it is the most cost effective way for you to learn.
If this is a challenge for you to take 90 min sessions, please discuss it with us.
Our lead instructor Steve is qualified to train in manual cars and has 5 years experience teaching exclusively manual in UK.
However, we do not currently have a manual car in our fleet as the demand is very low.
In SA taking passing your VORT in an auto car allows you to drive an manual or auto vehicle, so the vast majority of people do this.
If you would like lessons in your own car, please discuss this with us. We would generally want to see your driving in our dual controlled car first.
Yes! Any car we use for our business has a dual brake. In SA there is no requirement to have accelerator or clutch pedals.
For safety we sometimes need to help slow or stop the vehicle. Occasionally we may also need to help with steering which is always done as respectfully as possible.
No form of transport is truly environmentally friendly. Public transport is generally less damaging to the planet but even walking and cycling has an impact. However, our infrastructure in SA is very much geared to the car and so for many driving is an essential part of life.
At Team Driver Training we are committed to reducing our environmental impact. We have researched the various options currently on the market and believe that on balance an EV is currently the best option, particularly for the high number of kilometers we drive as we teach.
There are certainly emissions created in the manufacturing, delivery and eventual disposal of an EV.
However, while driving an EV does not emit any CO2 or any other gases.
Our car is powered almost entirely by rooftop solar which is generating more electricity than we use, despite charging the car every day.
The carbon footprint of manufacturing an EV varies depending on where and how it is produced, but is higher than an internal combustion engine vehicle.
However, over the lifetime of the car, MIT say that even the dirtiest EV is cleaner than the equivalent petrol car.
We have used a calculator to explore how our Kia EV compares. Because it is a high mileage car and run on solar, it's estimated to produce 32g of CO2 per KM, compared with 270g for a petrol car. To put that into context the average human produces about 42g of CO2 each hour by just breathing!
Global warming is a huge issue for us as a planet. While global warming is actually a natural part of the Earth's cycle between ice ages and interglacial periods, human activity has certainly massively accelerated the process due to the amount of greenhouse gases we are emitting into the atmosphere. The largest contributor to this is carbon dioxide, so whatever we can do to reduce our carbon footprint we should do.
Other concerns for us at Team Driver Training are air quality. The World Health Organisation estimates that 6.5 million deaths each year can be attributed to poor air quality. Here in SA we have excellent air quality as indicated by the presence of Lacy Coral Lichen in the Aldinga Scrub. With the local population increasing and development of the transport infrastructure, we are anxious that the amount of noxious gases emitted from vehicles will increase. That is another key reason why we have chosen emission free driving for our training vehicle.
As we all know from our other devices, rechargeable batteries do degrade over time. This has definitely been a challenge with EVs. Take a look at early EVs on Carsales and you will see reports of the range reducing to about half over a 10 year period.
However, battery manufacturers have been working hard to improve the lifespan of lithium ion batteries and now most car manufacturers expect their batteries to be able to last for the average lifespan of their cars.
CATL has an 8 year or 800,000km warranty on their batteries. KIA offers a 7 year or 150,000km warranty on the EV battery and related components.
The Team Driver Training EV will be racking up the kilometers very quickly so we will be able to give some insights into this over the next couple of years.
98% of all lithium is currently produced in Australia, Chile and China, with by far the largest proportion coming from Australia.
All lithium production has an environmental impact, however from what we can tell it has a lower impact than oil production.
Australian lithium is cut out of hard rock using heavy machinery. This method of lithium production uses less water than other methods, but produces much more CO2, contributing to global warming.
In Chile, the majority of lithium is extracted by evaporating mineral rich water in large salt lakes. This does use large volumes of water (469,000 litres per tonne of lithium).
Geothermal water is the most environmentally friendly way of extracting lithium but is only possible in limited sites.
Battery disposal is a major issue in many aspects of our lives. E.g. There are 5 billion mobile phones thrown away each year.
The lithium that remains in an EV battery can be extracted at the end of its lifecycle and reused. Companies such as Envirostream specialise in battery recycling of all shapes and sizes.
CATL the world's largest EV battery manufacturer (supplying Kia and Tesla among others) also has a battery recycling program.
Lithium ion batteries are currently our best solution for electrifying the modern life. However, they are expensive and have a relatively large impact on the environment.
For many years research has been carried out on alternative electrochemical storage solutions.
One of the most promising alternatives is sodium ion technology. CATL the battery manufacturer used by Kia has recently released it's first sodium ion battery suitable for use in EVs.
Sodium ion batteries have a better energy density, are safer, have a long life and are faster charging than lithium ion energy storage. Best of all they are made primarily of sodium (as in table salt), which is the 6th most abundant chemical on earth…!!
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