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It’s a sobering fact that even in this technological age, we still see 1.2 million deaths on our roads each year. Furthermore, studies show that nearly 95% of road accidents are actually the fault of a human driver.

Autonomous technology has the potential to deliver persistent situational awareness, i.e. it can be aware of aware of everything that is happening around it at all times, it never gets distracted or inebriated and it always obeys the rules of the road.

But the level of...

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The future of the connected car is going to have many services that rely on the quality of the connection within the vehicle. Telecoms providers therefore need to make connectivity simple, reliable and most importantly, available.

JC&C Bowers, Pangea’s strategic partner and service provider in the automotive space, knows all too well of the opportunity and importance of telecoms providers to the connected car.

As JC&C’s CEO, John Bowers, explains: “It’s...

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British government ministers will take part in a question and answers session with a committee dedicated to investigating how driverless cars will fit into the UK.

The science and technology committee will hold the Q&A session on 22 November, following on from previous ones it has held around the...

Australia’s transport body has said it will remove regulatory barriers to automated vehicles, according to a newly published paper.

The National Transport Commission (NTC) reported that Australian ministers had agreed to a series of reform initiatives over the next two years.

These will bring about more testing and trialling of automated vehicles, as well as increased confidence in the safety of driverless...

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The UK’s House of Lords science and technology committee will continue its investigation into driverless cars tomorrow, with a session discussing what progress has been made in testing the tech.

There are several driverless car research projects happening in the UK at the moment, including the University of the West of England’s Venturer programme in Bristol, and the

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Technology that will enable drivers to give red lights a miss is being trialled in the UK with Ford and the UK Autodrive project.

Two Mondeo Hybrids are trying out the tech, which feeds information to cars about traffic and traffic light change timings. The car will display the optimal speed at which to drive for those behind the wheel to hit only green lights.

The thinking behind this is that it will ease traffic congestion and have benefits for fuel consumption and carbon monoxide...

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The UK government is committing an extra £4m to extend its plug-in-van grant scheme, which will extend eligibility to larger electric vehicles. 

Under the extension, electric trucks above 3.5 tonnes and vans over 12 tonnes in weight are eligible for grants of up to £20,000. 

Around £100,000 has been invested into connected and...

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BMW and Hyundai are the highest ranked car brands with regard to experience with vehicle technology, according to an inaugural report from J.D. Power.

The Tech Experience Index (TXI) measured car models and manufacturers on collision protection, comfort and convenience, driving assistance, entertainment and connectivity, navigation, and smartphone mirroring. The study found that two BMW cars – the 2 Series for small premium and 4 Series for compact premium – and two Hyundai...

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A new association comprising a group of automakers and network providers will be dealing with issues related to connected mobility and road safety needs through 5G mobile networks with applications such as connected automated driving, ubiquitous access to services and integration into smart cities and intelligent transportation.

The newly formed 5G Automotive Association is a team comprising Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm, which will address key...

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The US government has released its official verdict on autonomous cars, claimed to be rooted in the US Department of Transportation’s view that such ventures bring “enormous potential benefits” for safety and mobility.

Key to the policy is a 15-point safety assessment for manufacturers on how to achieve a ‘robust’ design for highly automated vehicles (HAVs). Different approaches are allowed so long as the main criteria are met.

Among the more interesting...

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Vinli has expanded its portfolio by joining hands with Meineke Car Care and Cox Automotive to offer connected car services that will be powered by T-Mobile. T-Mobile’s wireless connectivity will offer customers with an in-car telematics solution, with service supporting apps, safety services and advanced diagnostics.

Vinli will help Meineke with an open and transparent vehicle maintenance and fleet service programme, due to which, car owners will be able to receive real-time...

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The latest figures from analyst firm Berg Insight have shown that the market for installed fleet management systems in Europe will hit 10.6 million by 2020, up from 5.3m in Q4 2015.

The figures come out a couple of weeks after the analyst house published numbers around fleet management in Australia and New Zealand. Earlier this month, Berg argued that the number of...

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With the potential to improve the entire driving experience, as well as advance safety standards across the board, there’s a good reason why many drivers are excited to see what the future of the connected car has in store.

However, alongside this excitement, there have been concerns voiced around the security of the connected car. With examples such as Nissan admitting some of its Leaf cars can be easily hacked, allowing their heating and...

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RAC Telematics has revealed in a report that almost two thirds (65%) of all businesses surveyed currently utilise telematics devices – including black box and smartphone apps – in their vehicles when compared to 38% in 2015. The highest growth in use was seen in business services, at 70%, while retail and construction witnessed take-up at 67% and 66%, respectively.

When segmenting business according to size, use among sole traders has increased from 14% in 2015 to 51% at...

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The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Australia and New Zealand will rise from 0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 1.1 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 16%, according to the latest note from analyst firm Berg Insight.

The market in the region is driven positively by a number of factors including regulatory developments such as health and safety regulations, road user charges and electronic work diaries.

Rickard Andersson, senior...

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A new report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released in partnership with the World Economic Forum has found that the adoption of self-driving cars and self-driving taxis could lead to a 90% reduction in accidents, an 80% or higher decline in tailpipe emissions and a 60% fall in the number of vehicles on city roads.

Nikolaus Lang, a BCG senior partner and report co-author, said: “There is a compelling case...

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The government has launched a major consultation which invites drivers and members of the industry to have their say on regulations surrounding driverless vehicles to ensure they can be insured for use on roads as soon as commercially available. 

Patrick 

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Information security provider Symantec has announced the launch of Symantec Anomaly Detection for Automotive, which aids in identifying zero day attacks for automotive vehicle manufacturers.

Gartner holds that 220 million connected cars will be on the road in 2020 as vehicle owners benefit from conveniences such as navigation, remote roadside assistance and mobile internet hot spots. However, these new technologies are susceptible to hacking that could endanger the lives of drivers and...

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Michigan law firms are carving teams out of their automotive practices, dedicated to autonomous and connected vehicles. The pioneering laws firms include Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone (Detroit) and Butzel Long (Ann Arbor), both of whom have been representing automotive clients for several years.

According to Jennifer Dukarski, a part of this team of attorneys at Butzel Long,...

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An auto industry group has called on President Barack Obama to not change the plan for dedicated short range communication (DSRC) aimed at safer roads that requires setting apart the 5.9 GHz spectrum band towards this end. More than 50 entities signed the letter, including the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Carnegie Mellon University – University Transportation Center, and the...