Last Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission derided legislative attempts to prevent consumers from buying cars directly from manufacturers in a strongly worded blog post. Continue reading… “FTC paving the way for direct-to-consumer cars”
Google’s self-driving cars have already been in 11 accidents
At least we know they’re not distracted by their cellphones, but the viability of self-driving cars will likely be debated and scoffed at for a long time. Continue reading… “Google’s self-driving cars have already been in 11 accidents”
Automakers rushing to double electric car milage
Betting that technical breakthroughs by big battery suppliers such as LG Chem Ltd will jump-start demand and pull them abreast of Tesla Motors Inc, global automakers are readying a new generation of mass-market electric cars with more than double the driving range of today’s Nissan Leaf. Continue reading… “Automakers rushing to double electric car milage”
Study: People are ready for self-driving cars
General Motors pioneered a version in the 1950s, in the 1970s Ford engineers predicted their own version would be on the road by the year 2000, but self-driving cars have remained a science fiction dream for decades. Continue reading… “Study: People are ready for self-driving cars”
Drivers refusing to talk to police at DUI checkpoints
It has never been said that it is fun to go through a DUI checkpoint, at the very least because they slow people from getting to their destination. However, it is generally understood that while not very fun, the checkpoints help to keep drunk or impaired drivers off the road. Continue reading… “Drivers refusing to talk to police at DUI checkpoints”
Audi to come out with an Electric Car that Rivals Tesla
Audi’s new Tesla Model S rival will offer a
280-mile all-electric range with room for a whole family
Audi has revealed that an all-new, all-electric family car with a 280-mile range is currently under development. Technical development boss at Audi, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg revealed that the model, which is set to rival the Tesla Model S, will arrive in 2017.
Continue reading… “Audi to come out with an Electric Car that Rivals Tesla”
What mobility will look like in 2025
On any given morning in the year 2025, you’re running late for work, but your self-driving car senses you coming and gets ready to pick you up. Once you’re inside, it syncs with your mobile devices, calculates the least congested route, and finds someone else heading in the same direction, so your cars can link up to save space on the road. As the car drives, you catch up on email.
Continue reading… “What mobility will look like in 2025”
The future of the auto industry
Will the automobile keep its soul as the industry transforms itself?
At the 1964 New York World’s Fair automakers were center stage. General Motors exhibited the Firebird IV concept car. GM explained how it, “anticipates the day when the family will drive to the super-highway, turn over the car’s controls to an automatic, programmed guidance system and travel in comfort and absolute safety at more than twice the speed possible on today’s expressways.” Ford introduced a vehicle for the more immediate future: the Mustang. With an eye toward the segment that would later be named the baby boomers, the Ford Division’s general manager (a not-yet-40-year-old engineer named Lee Iacocca) explained that the car brought “total performance” to a “young America out to have a good time.” Ford estimated it would sell 100,000 Mustangs during that first year; in fact, it would sell more than 400,000.
Continue reading… “The future of the auto industry”
Performance and convenience are the biggest attraction to electric cars for consumers
Environmental benefits are not the biggest attraction to electric cars.
People love to categorize things. Sometimes people categorize too quickly and too simply. Electric cars are linked to their environmental benefits and being green, but the electric cars’ performance and convenience benefits are the biggest electric car attractions for most consumers.
Electric cars with 310 to 373 miles of range are possible by 2020
Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser
The head of Volkswagen’s powertrain development, Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser, thinks that electric cars with over 300 miles of range aren’t too far off. The foundation of his argument is that the energy density of electric car batteries has been improving rapidly and will continue to do so.
Continue reading… “Electric cars with 310 to 373 miles of range are possible by 2020”
FlightCar scores $13.5M to put your unused car to work while you travel
FlightCar
Startups love untapped resources and a parked car at an airport is just that. FlightCar is a startup that puts your unused car to work while you travel, and it has just scored $13.5 million to continue doing so.
Continue reading… “FlightCar scores $13.5M to put your unused car to work while you travel”
Are adjustable ethics setting for robotic cars a terrible idea?
With ethics settings in cars we create new responsibility for ourselves to get it right.
Do you remember that day when your autonomous car saved the lives of five people you aimed for with your car when you temporarily lost your mind? By the time you realized what you were doing, it was too late to brake. But thankfully your autonomous car saved their lives by grabbing the wheel from you and swerving to the right. Too bad for the one unlucky person standing on that path, struck and killed by your car, though.
Continue reading… “Are adjustable ethics setting for robotic cars a terrible idea?”
