General Motors and IBM come together for OnStar Go utilising Watson

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Millions of General Motors (GM) car owners will be able to connect and interact with their favourite brands with the help of OnStar Go. The OnStar Go is auto industry’s first cognitive mobility platform developed by GM and IBM amalgamating their respective technological platforms – Onstar and Watson.

OnStar is GM’s subsidiary that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics...

By Connected CarTech, 28 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Infotainment.

Jaguar Land Rover working with Ford and Tata on autonomous vehicle technologies

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Jaguar Land Rover has announced it is creating a fleet of more than 100 research vehicles to develop and test a wide range of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies over the next four years.

The company is working in collaboration with Ford and Tata Motors European Technical Centre to allow cars to talk to each other as well as the roadside infrastructure in the future.

Some of the technologies that are being tested are the Advanced Highway Assist, Electronic Emergency Brake...

By Connected CarTech, 24 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless, Ecosystems.

A couple of updates in the telematics space: New solutions launched

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Florida-based Pegasus TransTech has introduced its new next-generation fleet management and electronic logging software, Transflo Telematics, which has been developed in collaboration with Geotab, a GPS vehicle tracking devices and fleet management software developer.

The solution includes data and telematics software for fleet managers, an advanced electronic logging device (ELD) that can be installed in a vehicle and a mobile application which allows drivers to manage electronic logs...

By Connected CarTech, 14 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Telematics .

Latest research brings more pessimism from users on driverless cars

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Here’s a research statistic which proves consumers’ trust in driverless vehicles: 57% of more than 1500 people surveyed by consumer finance provider Varooma say they would prefer to take control of a flying car than be controlled by a driverless car.

The survey findings naturally need to be taken with a pinch of salt, although there are some interesting statistics in the research. Almost three quarters (73%) said they would not give up driving for driverless cars, while 38% of...

By Connected CarTech, 12 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

Digitech announces investment in connected car firm CarForce

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CarForce, a Houston-based connected car company, has received funding from Digitech Venture Capital Fund, alongside technology incubator Seed Sumo and early Uber investor Jason Calacanis.

CarForce allows its vehicle dealership customers to seamlessly share their maintenance and safety data on its cloud-based platform. The company has developed a cloud-based SaaS solution that allows connected car telematics to provide dealerships with real-time updates on the health of their...

By Connected CarTech, 10 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Big Data, Cloud.

Autonomous cars expected to hit 24 million units by 2030, says Berg Insight

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A new research report from Berg Insight says the first autonomous cars will debut in 2020, and predicts that the total number of new registrations of autonomous cars will grow at a CAGR of 62% from 0.2 million units in 2020 to reach 24 million units in 2030.

As the analyst firm explains, cars are among the costliest as well as one of the most inefficiently used assets today, but when operated around the clock on a service based business model can results in a tremendous potential...

By Connected CarTech, 10 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless, Ecosystems.

Bentley and Filld collaborate for US online petrol-ordering service

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Filld, an on-demand petrol startup which currently delivers anywhere between San Francisco and San Jose, has partnered with Bentley Motors to offer high-quality petrol via professionally-trained commercially-licensed drivers in DOT-certified safe trucks.

Now, Bentley customers will get gas delivered directly to their vehicles with the help of their mobile phones. All they will have to do is, place an order through a mobile app available on Android and iOS.

A background of this...

By Connected CarTech, 07 October 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Contextual data.

Bright Box using gaming and neural networks for its self-driving car platform

Picture credit: Bright Box

Bright Box, a Switzerland-based connected vehicle applications provider, has announced the launch of a self-driving car product with a neural network which learns driving through gaming.

The product, Remoto Pilot, is a self-driving car retrofit kit with a neural network trained through computer games as well as real-life examples featuring safe, reliable road/lane following as well as real-time detection and avoidance of various obstacles such as cars and pedestrians.

By using...

By Connected CarTech, 30 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Data & Analytics.

Telcos and automotive players unite for 5G automotive association

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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...

By Connected CarTech, 29 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Ecosystems, Regulation, Standards.

Volkswagen moves to Iceland data centre

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German automaker Volkswagen has shifted more than one megawatt of its high performance computing (HPC) applications to the Verne Global data centre campus in Iceland, which features a hybrid data approach.

With this move, Volkswagen aims to capitalise on the data centre's flexible density, variable resiliency, and reliable and scalable infrastructure to support its computing-intensive HPC applications in order to develop new automotive technology and cars.

The automaker is focused...

By Connected CarTech, 27 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Cloud, Ecosystems.

Vinli launches new partnerships for T-Mobile-powered connected car services

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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...

By Connected CarTech, 16 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems, Insurance, Regulation, Telematics .

Hyperdrive works with Nissan for its LEAF batteries

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Hyperdrive Innovation, a company which supplies lithium-ion battery solutions, has announced it has become the first company to commercialise a product that is based on LEAF lithium-ion battery technology from Japanese automaker Nissan.

It has incorporated the new and used UK-made battery modules in its own new intelligent battery systems.

The company's intelligent battery systems can be deployed by automakers to power their hybrid or fully electric vehicles, as well as providing energy...

By Connected CarTech, 14 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems.

Ford makes steps in mobility with Chariot acquisition and GoBike launch

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Automotive giant Ford has announced different services in the connected car, transportation and mobility spaces, acquiring Chariot Shuttle and launching the GoBike initiative in San Francisco.

Ford Smart Mobility is set to acquire San Francisco-based crowd-sourced shuttle service Chariot to grow its dynamic shuttle services worldwide. The company is also collaborating with bike-sharing provider Motivate for expanding its transportation solutions in city centres.

A new City...

By Connected CarTech, 13 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Data & Analytics, Ecosystems.

Six new members join Automotive Grade Linux connected car platform

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The collaborative open source project Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), which develops an open Linux-based platform for connected cars, has announced the addition of six new member companies: Synopsys, sdtech, Pocket Soft, Link Motion, Irdeto and Auto IO Technology.

Auto IO Technology specialises in the design, development, production and commercialisation of programmable full TFT instrument clusters, including the Auto IO operating system and JetCast protocol. It uses the Linux...

By Connected CarTech, 13 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems.

Bosch, Harman and Continental lead the way in ABI Research rankings

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Bosch has been named the leading connected car supplier, according to the latest rankings from ABI Research.

According to the analysis, Bosch ranked first due to its strong sales growth in 2015, high development expenditures, multiple strategic partnerships, and commitment to advanced driver assistance solutions.

Harman ranked second in the list, followed by Continental and then Delphi and Visteon, rounding off the top five Tier One vendors. The top five were recognised for their broad...

By Connected CarTech, 09 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems, Telematics .

CalAmp launches new app for connected cars

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CalAmp, a California-based wireless products, services and solutions provider, has launched its new mobile application, SureDrive by LoJack, that offers new connected car services for consumers. The app includes advanced security and safety technologies for vehicle owners.

The app utilises the company's telematics cloud service to integrate the vehicle with the connected life of the consumer. This app, when integrated with the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System, helps consumers protect...

By Connected CarTech, 08 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Apps.

LG and Skyworks teaming up for connected car projects

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Skyworks Solutions has announced that many of its semiconductor solutions are powering LG Electronics’ Online Connectivity Units (OCUs), which are being supported across Volkswagen automobiles for enhancement of convenience and connectivity. Through OCUs, drivers are offered direct access to features such as smart home and location-based services from their vehicles.

There are expectations of more than a quarter of global vehicles connecting to the internet by 2020, and Skyworks is...

By Connected CarTech, 07 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Telematics .

Baidu partners with Nvidia for AI and autonomous cars

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The Baidu World Conference in Beijing, China saw CEO Robin Li and Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announce a partnership for utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a cloud-to-car autonomous car platform for China and international markets.

The partnership will combine mapping technology and the cloud platform from Baidu, and the self-driving computing platform developed by Nvidia. It will develop solutions for Level 3 autonomous vehicle control, HD maps and automated...

By Connected CarTech, 02 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Driverless.

Behaviour-based telematics to hit Japan through new partnership

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US-based telematics technology provider Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) and Japanese insurance company Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance (ADI) have formed a strategic partnership aiming to introduce a behaviour-based telematics programme in Japan.

Insurers are increasingly looking for ways to introduce behaviour-based telematics to customers. In the last five years, CMT has introduced behaviour-based insurance with smartphones and successfully deployed solutions in Asia, Africa, Europe and North...

By Connected CarTech, 02 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Telematics .

Nielsen report highlights the hurdles connected car tech adoption faces

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Market researcher Nielsen has released its 2016 Nielsen AutoTECHCAST report, which assess consumer preferences for emerging and advanced automotive technologies. The report covers nearly 12,000 new car buyers in the US and 44 auto-related technologies, and highlighted the challenges to adoption of these technologies.

More specifically, the report found a glaring lack of consumer awareness of many automobile technologies, despite their growing advancement. Base familiarity was...

By Connected CarTech, 01 September 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Security.