(Image Credit: Google)

A new tool has been released for Google’s connected car platform called Desktop Head Unit (DHU) which emulates a car dashboard running Android Auto for testing purposes. 

Instead of forking-out cold hard cash for an expensive head unit, all developers need to do is connect their Android device to a computer and the mobile device will think it's connected to a physical car. This allows developers to see how their...

(c)iStock.com/RiverNorthPhotography

Verizon Telematics has announced the commercial availability of Hum, which promises to be a “smart, connected driving experience for more than 150 million vehicles.”

Hum’s staying power, like a lot of software this publication has assessed in recent weeks, is that it can be connected to practically any car. It can be installed through an onboard diagnostic reader (OBD), with a Bluetooth-enabled device on the visor, which updates drivers with real-time data...

(c)iStock.com/Shane Shaw

Regular readers of this publication will note the prevailing wind in terms of driver preference for driverless cars; for both US and UK motorists, it’s a pretty firm no right now. But semi-autonomous features, such as improved parking capability and being able to avoid collisions is proving particularly popular, according to figures released by Ford.

According to the carmaker, one in three Ford cars sold in the past year were equipped with parking systems that help drivers find...

Picture credit: HERE

Location and navigation technology provider HERE has convened a forum aimed to foster greater industry collaboration in vehicle sensor data transmission, with the contingent arguing a universal standard needs to be agreed upon.

The forum, involving 16 companies ranging from automotive manufacturers to system vendors, examined a variety of issues from security to data content.

HERE, a Nokia subsidiary, argues the need for an industry standard where vehicle sensor data is ‘ingested by a location...

(c)iStock.com/Anita Stizzoli

In July, this publication reported on the recall of 1.4 million Chrysler cars following an article in Wired whereby a Jeep was remotely exploited by hackers in a controlled experiment, ranging from turning the radio volume to full to cutting the transmission.

At the time, security analysts argued “this won’t be the last patch we see for a car near...

(c)iStock.com/dexter_s

Europe’s largest premium car service Addison Lee has now launched its API allowing customers, partners and affiliates the ability to integrate Addison Lee booking and related services into any website or application.

The move follows the news earlier this summer that it was partnering with MuleSoft to use its integration platform Anypoint to help the company deliver...

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Stefan Weichelt)

Mojio and its closest rival, Automatic, saw the gap in the market for transforming drivers' current vehicles into connected cars and stepped-in to offer their own adapters in the $100 - $149 region which feeds data from the OBD port available in most cars since 1996. 

Of course ecosystems only thrive with a...

(c)iStock.com/ollo

Amid the various articles and media hysteria regarding the recall of 1.4 million Chrysler cars after vulnerabilities were disclosed, one executive argues this could be the tip of the iceberg.

Tim Erlin is director of security and product management at Tripwire. He argues Chrysler has an opportunity to make the most out of this incident and pioneer software security for the automotive industry, adding there are known software security best practices. However, he added: “A recall has...

(c)iStock.com/Craig Dingle

Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, alongside technology partners Telstra and Bosch, are set to run Australia’s first driverless vehicle demonstration trials in November.

The news was announced by the ARRB Group, Australia’s national independent road research agency and will utilise ARRB’s Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative. The first Australian trials of automated vehicles will coincide with a driverless vehicle conference to be hosted by the state of South...

(c)iStock.com/jeancliclac

Earlier this week we had the views of US drivers on whether they would be happy with being ferried around in autonomous vehicles, and the response was less than unanimous. Now, survey data from UK insurance provider Bobatoo shows only a quarter of UK respondents would describe themselves as ‘excited’ about driverless cars.

This survey differs from the study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which focused exclusively on respondents...

Picture credit: Volvo

The days when drivers act as individual entities on the road could be over in a matter of years thanks to the integration of swarm intelligence technology within car design. The idea behind it is to allow vehicles to work together and share data with others (i.e. act as a collective swarm) for the benefit of all and the wider transport infrastructure – ‘the cloud’.

The clear impact of this is far reaching - the travelling of more efficient and optimum routes, reduced...

(c)iStock.com/anton_novik

A survey of US drivers from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) reveals the majority would not want to give up driving for fully automated vehicles for the time being.

43% of the 505 respondents indicated a preference for no self-driving, while 40% would be happy with partially self-driving vehicles and only 15% want completely autonomous. The report notes preference for vehicle automation “generally decreased” as age increased.

More than...

Picture credit: Ansible Motion

Driver in the Loop (DIL) simulation has long been considered a powerful tool for both vehicle and component development. For traditional vehicle development work – such as ride and handling, steering, and powertrain – driver feedback is essential, offering subjective information that no data logger can deliver.  

Simulators place real people into direct contact with experimental systems, and this is arguably the main reason why so many car makers have invested...

(c)iStock.com/Alexander Chernyakov

A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) argues driverless cars will deliver both economical and environmental gains.

The study, authored by Berkeley Lab researchers Jeff Greenblatt and Samveg Saxena, asserts an electric vehicle deployed as an autonomous taxi in 2030 would provide between 63% and 82% lower greenhouse gas emissions per mile when compared against a project 2030 hybrid vehicle, and 90% lower alongside a current gasoline-powered...

Picture credit: Addison Lee

Europe’s largest premium car service Addison Lee is partnering with MuleSoft to use its integration platform to help the company deliver its mobile application in 350 locations worldwide, as well as speeding up the technology integration of its network of private car fleets worldwide.

Addison Lee will use MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform, a complete solution for API-led connectivity that has already allowed Addison Lee to take advantage of the platform through the creation...

(c)iStock.com/Akindo

Automatic Labs has announced $24 million in series B funding to “continue its mission to transform the car ownership experience with a host of connected car apps built on the Automatic platform.”

The company recently launched App Gallery, ostensibly an app store for connected cars, and its own developer platform, which is available to build apps for “just about any car since 1996”. It aims to use the cash injection to accelerate growth and continue expanding its...

(Image Credit: TomTom)

We might be entering the era of driverless cars, but for the time being the majority of us will remain in control which means the only errors we can blame are our own. This is where TomTom wants to step-in and help prevent our human mistakes from occuring with an innovative connected car application.

TomTom's system allows for a more-detailed look at driving performance

Dubbed TomTom CURFER, the new technology provides real-time feedback on the...

Picture credit: Vinli

If you wanted a connected car, you would have to put down a considerable sum of money for a car technologically-savvy enough. Yet one Dallas-based firm is aiming to turn all that on its head.

Meet Vinli. The startup, which debuted at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in September, has the simple mission statement of “turning your car into a smart connected car”, by installing a $99 device into your vehicle and utilising Vinli’s apps, app store and 4G LTE connection. And the startup...

(c)iStock.com/Gutzenberg

In an essay nearly 20 years ago, Bill Gates famously declared that “content is king”. Since that essay was published, if you had a nickel for every time you heard that phrase repeated you might own your own a private island by now. But overused as that saying may be, it rings true nonetheless.

In an increasingly mobile and digital culture, consumers now decide when and where they receive content rather than having it dictated to them by providers. As such, in many areas of...

(c)iStock.com/Craig McCausland

Today’s cars connect to the Internet in ways never before imagined, placing amazing capabilities at the fingertips of drivers. Whether it is infotainment, navigation, safety, diagnostics, performance upgrades or fleet management, connected cars transmit data, update firmware, and deliver the latest in touchscreen, app store and voice-recognition and human sensor technologies.

With this said, connected cars are rapidly gaining market share. According to a report from...