3 Steps to Making Autonomous Vehicles a Reality
For autonomous vehicles, it isn't a matter of "if" but "when." Here are three things that need to happen for AVs to become a reality.
Innovation & Tech's Best of CES 2019
Home theater, smart home, mobile, health, entertainment: CES had everything this year. Here are some of the most innovative things we saw at CES 2019.
The Automotive Cybersecurity Dilemma
Everything We Want Out of Automotive Vehicles Makes Us More Vulnerable It’s a given that the modern automobile is becoming a computer on wheels. The 100 million lines of code found in the various computer systems within a modern vehicle validate that assessment. That means, like a computer, they are vulnerable to hacks from malicious...
Big Trucks Go Electric
Big Trucks Move Closer to Full ElectricWhile some might say the trucking industry is experiencing a watershed (where the direction of an industry changes), others would describe it more like a dam break, where suddenly we see a flood. In this case, the flood is medium- and heavy-duty big trucks moving to zero-emission technology. As...
Jaguar and Waymo Unite to Rev Up the Driverless Car
Announced at the New York motor show, a recent deal between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Waymo sees the car manufacturer supplying up to 20,000 of its new electric I-Pace cars to the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet. With this deal, worth over $1.6 billion, Waymo will be able to incorporate self-driving technology into the...The Top 4 Electric Supercars
Not very long ago, the word “hybrid” sparked the thought of a Toyota Prius or a radically sluggish competitor that would get almost 50 miles to the gallon. Little thought was given to performance or style. All that mattered was fuel efficiency. No one ever imagined this technology could be incorporated into supercars. Few realized...
Silicon Valley’s Revenge On The Traditional Automotive Industry
The last time Silicon Valley proclaimed the end of the traditional automotive industry it didn’t go so well. In the late 1990s tech bubble, in the heyday of Pets.com and Webvan, online retailing was supposed to render old-school car retail obsolete. Those digital entrepreneurs may not have appreciated the historical significance of the...
The Battle Against Highway Hacking
There are many important safety precautions to take while driving: always be aware of your surroundings, keep your hands at 10 and 2, maintain the speed limit, etc. A good driver can easily stay safe on the road, but even the best of drivers may not be able to protect their car from hackers. In an era of autonomous vehicles, the more...
The Exciting (Near) Future of Autonomous Cars
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in automotive applications is not open for debate. The only discussion right now centers on how quickly industries can advance this technology and truly disrupt all we have known about how both the car and the larger automotive world operate. This centers on autonomous cars but is much broader than...
Uber Elevates Transportation Into the Future
We’re in the midst of an automobile revolution. The car, as we know it, is rapidly changing form. It started with the electric car, which now has the attention and investment of most major car companies. Ride hailing and sharing programs changed the commute. Autonomous vehicles are just a few years away from being mainstream. (Waymo is...
Waymo is the First to Put (Actual) Driverless Cars On the Road
Driverless cars have been gaining a lot of hype as of late. Companies like Uber, Toyota, and Tesla have all been developing autonomous vehicles. However, all public testing of these vehicles has involved a human behind the wheel in the case of an emergency. But Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet, is gearing up to...
Driverless Cars are Ready to Disrupt Traffic. Are You?
Whenever someone opts for an Uber or Lyft instead of taking their own car to an urban destination, valuable real estate is left vacant: a parking space. Parking, a tedious and infuriating task on its own, is also a known villain in city traffic congestion. Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los...
Volvo to go full Electric by 2019
Yesterday, Volvo Cars became the first mainstream automaker to announce that all models introduced after 2019 will be either hybrids or battery powered. This decision marks another blow to the internal combustion engine (ICE) and may be the beginning of the end of the gas guzzler.Based in Sweden, Volvo is owned by Geely Automobile...
Detroit: The Electric and Autonomous Motor City
It happens like clockwork each January in Metro Detroit: automotive journalists from all over grumble at settling into the Motor City’s cold climate for a few days for the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The show in Detroit marks the beginning of “auto show season,” when the calendar is filled with auto shows across...A No-Nonsense Guide to the Car of Today
There’s a lot of buzz about self-driving cars making their way to your local dealer. Five years ago we were told we would see them arrive in 2017. Well, here we are. Where are our robotic chauffeurs? …We may have been oversold on hyperbole, but there are many truly great innovations available right now in the car of today that...Is a Focus on Performance Killing Tesla’s Competitors?
It’s not just about having a new electric car anymore – it seems you need to have neck-snapping 1,000 horsepower performance to make an impression. Then again, it would be nice to have a business plan to accompany all the high-velocity fireworks and hoopla. Welcome to 2017 and the EV upheaval.If Tesla’s high-performance mode is...Why the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Age is Far From Over
Is the age of Internal Combustion over?If you have a personal attachment to your gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle and are worried that the tidal wave of electric vehicles will make your choice of propulsion go the way of the vinyl record, take hope.While Tesla appears to garner every other automotive headline (except those...Cyber Security in Your Car: It’s Getting Complicated & Dangerous
The headlines all read, Self-driving cars are here! People want autonomous cars! Or, more accurately, Self-driving cars are coming sooner than we think – whether we like or not!What those headlines, or the accompanying stories, rarely relate are the unintended consequences that come from vehicle autonomy. Those unintended...California Seeks to Steer the Driverless Car (off the road)
The scene is California, specifically Northern California, home to Silicon Valley and some of the most aggressive automotive regulations in the world. The hottest technologies on the market revolve around the autonomous car concept. Google has had its custom self-driving Lexus SUVs running around for years and has augmented them with...
Top 6 AWD sports cars of 2016 under $40,000
With new and advancing technologies in the automotive world, some of the leading vehicle manufacturers in the “sport” class have developed an entirely new breed of sports car. These new vehicles are the results of decades of technological engineering, making them some of the most high-performing vehicles in their class. They are also...
#CES2017 Self-Driving Vehicle Test Ride
Look Mom: No hands on the wheel, or eyes on the road!What is normally a dangerous activity in a vehicle is arguably dangerous no more.Hyundai demonstrated – spectacularly – just how well an autonomous, or self-driving, vehicle can navigate and negotiate the busy Las Vegas streets mere days before the opening of CES 2017....Google's self-driving car project gets its own name
"For nearly eight years, we’ve been working towards a future without the tired, drunk or distracted driving that contributes to 1.2 million lives lost on roads every year," writes John Krafcik, CEO of Google Self-Driving Cars, on a recent post on Medium. "Since 2009, our prototypes have spent the equivalent of 300 years of driving time...
Microsoft and Automakers Usher in the Cloud Car
Software giant Microsoft is teaming up with Nissan and Renault SA to bring cloud-connected cars to the road -- with an estimated ETA of 2018, according to Bloomberg. The ramifications of "cloud cars" range as far as their benefits. Drivers/users (a new industry amalgam) will be able to monitor their cars, run diagnostics, and peer into...
Tesla’s Life-Saving Autopilot
Tesla cars have been in the news recently concerning the safety of their autopilot feature, which many have been using (against Tesla’s instructions) as a sort of “virtual butler,” a driver that will take you wherever you want to go without needing your attention or intervention. In light of the bad press, Tesla CEO Elon Musk...
Andy Gryc Chats About Connected Car Shows
Innovation & Tech Today: Andy Gryc, What were the top ten most exciting developments at the L.A. Auto Show and CCE?Andy Gryc: How about six?Valasek & Miller’s UConnect hack over the summer single-handedly changed the discussion around automotive cybersecurity from Maybe to When? Car companies are going to have to get...
Tesla Model 3 Preorder Bonanza
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the release of their latest electric vehicle offering, the competitively priced Tesla Model 3. The latest in Tesla’s line of zero emission vehicles promises to have a 215-mile range, a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in under six seconds and auto pilot-assisted driving capabilities. Tesla received over 115,000...App-Driven Breathalyzers Knowing You’ve Had Enough
App-Driven breathalyzers have broken into the market, using connected car technology to provide a vital safety solution. By: John FaulknerPoint Zero Eight. That’s not the name of a new action movie, but the maximum alcohol limit in all 50 states. Exceed it and get caught driving? Your life will change...
Autonomous Cars: State of the State
After showing signs of life in 2014, autonomous cars became all the rage during the 2014-15 automotive trade show season, giving us a glimpse into our near future. By John FaulknerWith everything in our busy lives demanding attention, it’s difficult to stay informed on the movement to wrestle the steering wheel out...
The Denver Auto Show and the Rise of Smart Car Technology
By Peter GietlI was fortunate to go to the Denver Auto show on behalf of Innovation & Technology Today, and was able to see some amazing cars. I jotted down a few thoughts about some cars I loved and trends I saw.Mercedes Benz is trying to aggressively merge their roots of making some of the best luxury cars on the road, with...