Google car cuts off rival self-driving vehicle [Updated]
A case of autonomous road rage nearly broke out on Thursday, after two competing self-driving cars barely avoided colliding with one another on a California roadway. It's being called the first incident of its kind.
As Reuters reports, one of Google's driverless car prototypes -- a modified Lexus RX400h crossover -- was cruising along San Antonia Rd in Palo Alto, CA. By happenstance, another driverless car powered by automotive company Delphi, was driving on the same road. Google's corporate headquarters and Delphi's self-driving research facility are both located nearby in Mountain View, CA.
Tesla's affordable Model III to offer 250 mile range
Some more information has been revealed regarding Tesla’s latest automotive offering.
Elon Musk confirmed that the Tesla Model III will be able to cover at least 250 miles on a single charge, marking an improvement on the previously stated figure of 200 miles.
Future cars to be seen as 'a big moving mobile device'
As smart cars enter the mainstream, carmakers will have to work out a way to properly collaborate with start-ups, which means they have to start thinking like one.
That was the general conclusion of a TechCrunch/TechNode Shanghai panel when Juergen Bauer, who manages the Audi-Tongji Joint Lab in Shanghai, asked a panel of representatives from car companies about how the auto industry can handle the transition.
Future cars will be able to detect your alcohol levels
In the future, your car might decide if you’re capable of driving, or drunk out of your mind and unable to drive 200 metres without looking like a GTA character.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed an alcohol-detection technology that it wants to implement in future vehicles. If the technology detects you’ve been drinking, it can decide not to start the car at all.
Google's self-driving cars never caused crashes
After US organization Consumer Watchdog made what it claims were "repeated calls for disclosure", Google is now releasing monthly reports on its self-driving cars, which will detail the number of accidents said vehicles have been involved in.
Google’s report for May 2015 said that during the six years the self-driving car project has been running, a total of 12 minor accidents have occurred over the 1.8 million miles driven.
Virginia opens up 70 miles of highway for testing self-driving cars
The state of Virginia has announced that it is making 70 miles of highway available for the testing of self-driving vehicles.
The "Virginia Automated Corridors" will be located in the northern part of the state and will be managed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).
How to minimize your company's driving costs
Tracking business costs can be a murky job, especially when it comes to driving. With so many variables and potential accidents on and off the road, it is hard to see where and how money can be saved.
A recent study by Nestle highlights this. The chocolate maker calculated that it needed to sell 235 million KitKats just to cover the costs incurred through road accidents across Europe.
Self-driving cars are vulnerable to hacker attacks
Here’s an interesting prospect: You’re sitting comfortably in your autonomous vehicle, minding your own business, reading your favorite news site on your fancy new tablet, when all of a sudden -- your car hits a wall and you end up in intensive care for the rest of the month.
Cause? A hacker broke into your car and made it accelerate instead of brake, when it encountered an obstacle on the road.
Daimler and Qualcomm to introduce wireless charging in cars
Car maker Daimler has announced that it’s partnering up with mobile tech company Qualcomm to bring wireless charging to mobile phones in cars, as well wireless charging to the vehicles themselves.
The move comes in time of increased pressure towards carmakers to downsize their engines due to tightening emission rules, Reuters writes in a report.
Which companies are lining up to buy Nokia's HERE?
Ride-sharing company Uber and Chinese search giant Baidu have teamed up to acquire Nokia’s Here Maps division for £2.2 billion. The partnership is the second of its kind, with Baidu investing £387 million in Uber late last year.
The two will look for an all-cash acquisition, but Uber and Baidu are not the only partners trying to acquire Here Maps. Tencent Holdings, NavInfo and EQT Partners have partnered as well, bringing a Chinese rivalry into the mix.
Google's self-driving cars will hit public roads
Google has announced that, this summer, some of its self-driving vehicle prototypes will be unleashed on the streets of Mountain View. The weird-looking cars will be equipped with the typical controls and go out on the public roads of the search giant's home town with a safety driver on board.
As you may already know, Google's prototypes do not currently feature the usual controls that are on the average vehicle. But, at least in this following testing phase, a removable steering wheel and accelerator and brake pedals will be installed in each car. There will be a "neighborhood-friendly" 25 mph speed limit in place.
Even young drivers want parental controls in self-driving cars
Self-driving cars open up a world of possibilities, and people want parental controls to be one of them. And it is not just parents who are for it, even though they make up the demographic that this feature is meant for, as young people are also favoring it -- where have all the rebels gone?
The ability to control the speed limit, curfew time and the number of passengers was chosen as the leading parental control by 84 percent of consumers. Limiting the geographic range came in second, with only 61 percent choosing it, while communicating with the driver using a displayed text came in third, chosen by 60 percent of consumers.
Advancements in car technology and the risks that can come with it
Over the years there has been a large investment in car technology due to how life changing it will be. Currently there are a number of factors that put people off learning to drive, including tricky parking and busy traffic. But these issues may be distant memories if the following technologies are introduced in everyday vehicles.
It’s important to remember that these technologies aren’t expected to be added anytime soon. There are both major and minor risks which need to addressed before the public will ever see an official release. We will focus on a number of different car technologies that are being worked on extensively, but with difficulties that still need to be ironed out.
Apple Watch could replace your car keys
The Apple Watch "official" launch event (as opposed to last autumn’s mere unveiling) is almost upon us -- in fact it’s a week from today -- and CEO Tim Cook has been busy stoking the hype fires one last time.
Cook talked to the Telegraph about the sort of innovations Apple is planning to bring forth with its smartwatch, one of which is that the device will be usable as your car keys -- replacing the chunky fobs that vehicles use these days.
SanDisk announces 'automotive grade' flash storage for your car
As more and more concerns about distracted driving are popping up in the media, it feels like more and more products are being developed that can cause said distraction. Texting and driving for instance, is a very dangerous behavior, but I see it happening all the time. Surely no message is more important than your life or someone else's.
With all of that said, technology does not have to be a distraction in the car. Actually, if implemented correctly, technology should enhance the focus of drivers and lead to fewer fatalities and accidents. Today, SanDisk announces new storage products designed specifically for your car. The company calls the products "automotive grade", but what does that really mean?
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