BMW set to test 40 self driving cars for foray into ride sharing

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Move over Uber, BMW is doing some autonomous vehicle testing of its own in Germany next year, according to Reuters.

The rise in popularity of car-sharing apps such as Uber is part of the catalyst for this, according to the news service.

It reports that BMW will test 40 cars with a self-drive function around Munich’s inner city, before expanding this out to others in due course.

According to Reuters, tech companies such as Uber and Lyft have...

By Rachael Power, 09 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

Uber to set up its own artificial intelligence lab

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Uber has aquired a machine learning company and set up a new division dedicated to research in AI

Uber AI Labs will be based in San Francisco and its initial core will be formed ofthe team of 15 from recently acquired Geometric Intelligence, an AI research startup. 

Machine learning will be central to Uber's mission of using tech to "negotiate the real world", the company said. 

"It manifests in myriad...

By Rachael Power, 07 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Artificial Intelligence.

Toyota to expand hybrid tech development

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Toyota has announced plans to expand the development of its hybrid technology over the coming years.

The car maker said it’s doing so as fuel consumption regulations “continue to strengthen” in some major countries.

Therefore, regions such as China, the US and Europe will need more environmentally friendly cars over the coming years.

As such, Toyota said by 2021, at least 60% of its...

By Rachael Power, 06 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Devices.

Apple writes letter outlining stance on self-driving cars

The rumours about a possible Apple foray into self-driving car technology have possibly been assuaged somewhat - but in true ambiguous Apple style. 

The company has reportedly written a letter to the US' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), expressing their excitement about the potential of automated systems "in many areas, including transportation". 

The letter doesn't say whether Apple is intending to build its own autonomous vehicle, but did say it has heavy investment in...

By Rachael Power, 05 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

Lucid Motors set to start car production in 2018 with new Arizona factory

An electric car company to rival Tesla has chosen Arizona as the base for their car factory. 

Lucid Motors - formerly Atieva - was founded in California back in 2007. It's since developed battery technology, as well as making an aluminium prototype, which was only recently unveiled.

The company markets itself as a 'new era of luxury mobility" and claims its cars will redefine the auto experience.

Lucid said its factory site selection process began over a...

By Rachael Power, 02 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Best practice.

Driverless cars would add to European GDP, Nissan report says

It certainly seems to be a fact-finding mission at the moment where driverless cars are concerned, highlighted by yet another survey delving into what people think about the emerging tech.

This time it’s Nissan that has done the digging, and in addition to what people see autonomous cars being useful for, they’ve also looked at the financial impact of the vehicles on European roads.

By Rachael Power, 02 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

BMW, Ford and VW plan European electric vehicle charging network

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Several large motor companies are planning a high-powered DC charging network for battery electric cars covering long distances around Europe. 

The ultimate goal by the group - which includes BMW, Daimler AG, Ford, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche - is to build a "sizable" number of stations. 

The planned ultra-fast charging network, with power levels up to 350 kilowatt, is set to be quite a lot faster than the most powerful charging system already out there. 

The project is planned...

By Rachael Power, 01 December 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Best practice.

80% of driverless car users would 'relax and enjoy the scenery', Ford survey says

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Driverless cars are still a few years off yet, but people already have quite strong views on how they would impact everyday life.

As Ford recently announced it would start European testing of autonomous cars next year, it also commissioned a survey asking people from various countries how they would pass their time when travelling in one.

In response, 80% said they...

By Rachael Power, 30 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

Connected car tech to become more 'sophisticated' next year, report says

While we're on the subject of 2017 connected car predictions this week, The Economist Intelligence Unit has also released some interesting numbers that provide some food for thought next year. 

In its newly published Industries in 2017 report, the researchers take a look at the key trends in the automotive sector for next year and find that combined car sales in the 60 biggest markets will rise by 2.4% in 2017.

This may be slower...

By Rachael Power, 29 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity.

Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot to start rolling out in December

New Tesla owners will get Enhanced Autopilot features within a matter of weeks, Elon Musk tweeted recently.

The Tesla boss was answering a query from a car owner, who said he was “upset” the Model S’ new hardware meant it is missing some features that older models have.

He tweeted a copy of an email that reportedly came from Tesla, saying that some features, including auto windshield wipers, park assist and side collision warning, wouldn’t work on the new...

By Rachael Power, 28 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

US asks drivers to put down their smartphones

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Using devices while on the road is something truly connected cars could actually combat. One of the causes of the rising number of fatalities on the road around the world is driver distraction, and part of the blame perhaps rests with smartphones.

This is why the US has released new, voluntary guidelines to help address the issue cause by mobiles and electronic devices in vehicles.

The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic...

By Rachael Power, 25 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity.

Springworks launches connected car platform in Sweden

A new connected car platform for mobile operaters and service providers has gone live in Sweden.

Springworks AB's SPARK platform will be used by Nordic and Baltics mobile network operator Teila Company.

The platform will allow the company and its automotive service provider partners to launch a host of new subscription-based connected car services for drivers.

These services will include 4G, in-car Wi-Fi, service warning alerts, parking information and warnings, tyre change notifications, eco driving...

By Rachael Power, 23 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity.

Connected cars should collect data to inform insurance decisions, ABI says

Insurance is one of the key areas that needs ironing out before driverless cars are to become a common feature on roads worldwide. Questions such as who is responsible in the event of a crash: machine or man? are being debated by authorities and governments around the globe.

But the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said today that data will be central to figuring these sorts of queries out.

It said autonomous and connected cars would need to collect "a basic set of core data" to stop drivers being...

By Rachael Power, 22 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Insurance.

NuTonomy to start testing self-driving cars in Boston

Car tech startup nuTonomy will start road testing autonomous cars in Boston before the end of the year.

The company, which creates software that builds self-driving cars and driverless mobile robots, began in 2013 and aims to deliver fully driverless cars by 2019.

It’s already got a self-driving taxi pilot up and running in Singapore, whose government were part of the company’s recent $16m funding round. It’s also working with Uber rival Grab in...

By Rachael Power, 21 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.

Volvo trials app concierge service in US

Car connectivity has a lot of benefits. Soon, it could even eliminate the need for you to bring your car for a service, fill it up with fuel or giving it a wash.

That is, at least, the focus on Volvo's pilot programme in the US. It's trialling a concierge service with 300 of its customers starting from this month, who will have access to services via an app.  

This isn't an idea they have pulled out of thin air, though. Volvo's digital innovation labs in the US, Germany and China have been looking at the...

By Rachael Power, 18 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity.

Germany trials 5G motorway project with Ericsson and BMW

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Cars in Germany are set to become a whole lot more connected in the future, with a cross-industry consortium being set up to strengthen 5G research and development in the country.

Members include Ericsson, BMW Group, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica Deutschland and Vodafone, the TU Dresden 5G Lab Germany, the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and the Federal Regulatory Agency (BNetzA).

The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the Bavarian...

By Rachael Power, 17 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity.

New development kit allows you to build your own driverless car

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Sick of waiting for driverless cars to become mainstream? Have you got developer skills, $1,000 to spare and a 2014 Kia Soul going spare? If so, you can now just build your own.

PolySync has released an Open Source Car Control Project (OSCC) development kit on GitHub, which allows developers to modify and test driverless car technology.

They have stressed this is only to be used for research and development...

By Rachael Power, 17 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless.