Bosch Brings Back Xperience Mobile Tour

Robert Bosch has announced the return of the Bosch Xperience Mobile Tour, adding that the 2015 event brings a new interactive training experience directly to technicians in a competitive, virtual environment with prizes and giveaways.

Two trucks, fully equipped and staffed, will cover more than 40 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. from June to November, making stops at service shops along the way.

“We have upgraded our mobile units with the latest Oculus DK2 technology to create a virtual shop experience,” said Bobby Bloom, senior vice president of Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket U.S. division. “It’s focused on training, yet still maintains an element of entertainment.”

The 2015 Bosch Xperience puts technicians in a virtual workshop where they will work through a series of real world vehicle problem scenarios, according to the company. Competing against each other, they will go through the entire repair process – identifying faults, selecting the parts and completing the repair. Each technician is awarded points based on time and following proper procedure. The highest score in each group will win a prize for the quick and successful solution of the customer’s complaint.

Following their participation in the Bosch Xperience, technicians will have the opportunity to learn even more about Bosch via online product training and full-day clinics, the company added. These clinics will focus on new technologies in the automotive industry such as gasoline direct injection, start-stop, diesel systems and braking.

For more information on the Bosch Xperience, or to host a stop, contact a Bosch distributor or visit www.boschxperience.com.

Toyo Tire announced the development of catalysts that convert carbon dioxide into butadiene in high yield in collaboration with the University of Toyama. The company said it and the university successfully synthesized butadiene rubber, a key raw materials for tires, using CO2.

The composition ratios of raw materials used for automobile tires varies by category, and petroleum-derived synthetic rubbers including butadiene units (styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and butadiene rubber (BR)) account for approximately 30% of raw material overall. This being the case, the tire industry has been activating the research of synthesis of butadiene rubber derived from naturally alternative materials (resources) other than petroleum for practical application.