Category: Automobiles

The Synthesis concept helps you multitask when your hands are off the wheel.

By Jon Fingas

Chrysler has yet to deliver an electric car or otherwise leap into the future, but it’s at least willing to hint at what that future will look like. The Stellantis brand is debuting a Synthesis cockpit concept at CES that previews what you can expect in next-generation electric vehicles. Most notably, the two-seat demonstrator is built around Level 3 self-driving technology — that is, it assumes you’ll have your hands off the steering wheel in limited conditions.

The 37.2 inches of infotainment display area provides the usual media and navigation controls, but is also designed to be useful when autonomous driving is active. You can participate in video calls, play games, sing karaoke or even create your own music. It’s not clear how this would integrate with a production car (there’s no steering wheel in the concept), but Chrysler is joining Mercedes, Tesla and other automakers offering in-car productivity and entertainment apps to drivers.

Continue reading… “Chrysler’s future car cabins will be built around partial self driving”

By Cody Carlson

CAR manufacturing startup Namx has revealed a prototype version of their debut hydrogen-powered vehicle – and it will be able to get nearly 500 miles out of just one charge. 

The vehicle, known as the HUV, is the first model to be partially powered by a patented removable tank system created to make hydrogen fuel widely available.

Continue reading… “H-POWERED – NEW PININFARINA WITH SWAPPABLE HYDROGEN BOTTLES WHICH THREATEN TESLA’S ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE SET FOR PRODUCTION”

By Chris Burt

BASF subsidiary trinamiX has formed a partnership with Spain-based Grupo Antolin to integrate face biometrics for driver authentication into the latter’s product portfolio.

Grupo Antolin is a global developer of technologies for car interiors, and will integrate trinamiX Face Authentication in vehicle trim to confirm the identity of the driver as they approach the vehicle.

TrinamiX Face Authentication provides strong, patent-protected biometrics with liveness detection based on skin analysis, as described in a reference design developed through a collaboration with Qualcomm.

The deal extends trinamiX’s biometric technology beyond smartphones, for which it is offered for in-display authentication solutions.

Continue reading… “TrinamiX partners to build biometric driver authentication capability into vehicle trim”

Could cars one day run on thin air?

By Rob Waugh

It sounds like science-fiction, but in the future, cars could run on air itself – specifically, on the water carried within humid air.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have created a prototype dry-air electrolyser that harvests hydrogen from air instead of liquid water.

In the near future, hydrogen is expected to be commonly used as a ‘clean’ fuel which creates no carbon dioxide during combustion.

The device absorbs moisture, then turns it into hydrogen and oxygen – the hydrogen can then be used as fuel.

The prototype device created by the Melbourne team was able to work for 12 consecutive days, even in a dry environment of around 4% humidity.

The researchers write: “This so-called direct air electrolysis (DAE) module can work under a bone-dry environment with a relative humidity of 4%, overcoming water supply issues and producing green hydrogen sustainably with minimal impact to the environment. “

The scientists said that the technology could help to overcome one of the key challenges of using hydrogen as a fuel – the availability of freshwater.

Continue reading… “Cars could soon ‘run on thin air’ thanks to hydrogen breakthrough”

The in-vehicle experience is set to change as cars turn autonomous and electric.

By Elle Farrell-Kingsley

According to MarketsandMarkets, the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) market is projected to grow from US$20.8bn in 2021 to US$28.4bn by 2027, at a CAGR of 10.8%. Research suggests that the IVI market is driven by the increase in vehicle production, technological advancements, telematics regulations, and increasing demand for luxury vehicles. 

 In the wake of these trends, the entertainment offering is constantly evolving. “Infotainment in cars is approaching a critical inflexion point where many of the traditional forms of in-car entertainment are on the precipice of becoming extinct,” says Iliya Rybchin, Partner at Elixirr, a consulting firm which has advised automotive and entertainment companies. Rybchin specialises in customer experiences, particularly how changing consumer expectations and business model disruption impact various industries.  

Continue reading… “Next-gen cars will create new forms of entertainment ”

By

Tim Levin  

Hyundai unveiled its latest electric car on Monday: the Ioniq 6. 

It’s a weird-looking, ultra-curvy electric sedan. 

Hyundai will reveal more details about the Ioniq 6 in July. 

Continue reading… “Hyundai revealed a futuristic electric car with cameras instead of mirrors — see the Ioniq 6”

Ultimate Mobility Vehicles, revealed in 2020 and 2021, were concepts looking pretty far from becoming real. Now Hyundai has invested 20 millions to design and manufacture them.

By Andrea Nepori

Founded in 2020, New Horizons Studio is a division of Hyundai Motor Group tasked with designing futuristic mobility projects. Since its inception, the Studio has attracted widespread attention thanks to its Ultimate Mobility Vehicles (UMVs) concepts, such as the Hyundai Elevate. UMVs, in Hyundai’s vision, are vehicles capable of driving on any off-road terrain, either conducted by a human crew or unmanned. Think space rovers, but for the harshest off-road conditions on Earth.

The UMVs employ a combination of robotics and advanced locomotion technology to achieve the goal. The Elevate, for example, is a concept vehicle that can cross any rocky or rough area thanks to 4 electric wheels attached to extendable robotic “legs.” New Horizons Studio’s concepts seemed mostly a design exercise to explore the future of off-road mobility. Instead, with a surprising announcement, Hyundai has decided to fund the Studio with a $20 million investment over the next five years to try and manufacture its UMVs. The funds will go towards a new Research, Development, and Lab Center located within the Montana State University’s Innovation Campus in Bozeman, Montana. According to Hyundai’s estimate, the new facility will employ about 50 people.

Continue reading… “Hyundai is turning its walking car concept into reality”

This crazy-looking, six-wheeled thing is intended to simulate road car braking.

BY HAZEL SOUTHWELL

Tires are going to be a big conversation in the near future of automotive. Of course, we’ve always known that they matter, but tires are set to be one of the main issues in pollutant and performance terms for how cars are legislated about and built going forwards. As cars get bigger and heavier, the demands on tires do too, so Continental has built a crazy-looking robot truck to run hundreds of thousands of braking simulations per year.

The vehicle is called AVA, which in an incredibly German move (the test facility is in Hanover) stands for another acronym: Analytic Vehicle AIBA. AIBA means Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer, which is technically more where the automated test vehicle works rather than talking about it.

Continental has built a pretty sweet test track that can be laid with different road surfaces and even made wet or dry, that AVA then runs on to simulate braking and test the tires.

Continue reading… “Continental’s Robot Truck Can Perform 100,000 Tire Tests a Year”

An upcoming electric car from one of the world’s biggest manufacturers could launch with puncture-proof tyres. 

By William Davis

Airless tyres could be rolling out onto public roads before the end of this decade, according to a Michelin executive. 

The concept of punctureless rubber has been around since the first motorists were confronted with the inconvenience of flats. However, a safe, durable, and cost effective example has never gone into mass-production. 

The world’s biggest tyre maker now claims that’s all about the change, revealing US automotive giant General Motors is looking to offer an electric car fitted from the factory with its non-pneumatic spinners. 

Continue reading… “Airless tyres could be a reality this decade”

By Frank Hersey

Developments in automotive biometrics from automakers and specialist systems providers continue to bring new functions to car journeys. While many improve driving safety, automotive systems can now detect whether a driver is from a car’s approved list based on facial recognition and can detect children left behind in a vehicle, even if wrapped in a blanket out of sight. Cerence is rolling out new technologies for driver convenience and personalization.

Continue reading… “In-car biometrics recognize drivers, monitor vitals, detect left-behind children”