Google today is announcing a HD version of its vehicle mapping solution. Unlike Google Maps, Google’s HD map is not a consuming-facing application, but an additional layer of data that’s served to the vehicle’s L2+ or L3 assisted driving systems through Google Automotive Services. The additional information sits on top of Google Maps’ data and… Continue reading Google launches HD maps for vehicles, Volvo and Polestar first to integrate
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
New Android Auto features give car display a user design makeover
Google is rolling out new Android Auto features Thursday that make it easier for drivers to navigate, play podcasts and music, and communicate while on the go. The new user experience design update, which was first previewed in May during Google’s I/O event, features a split screen layout that displays directions, music and texts —… Continue reading New Android Auto features give car display a user design makeover
Stellantis’ Free2move expands car-sharing and subscriptions in U.S.
Free2move, the mobility service brand under automaker Stellantis, plans to expand its car sharing, rental and subscription services in the U.S. in 2023, with the ultimate goal of adding 200 new mobility markets globally by 2030, the company said at CES. Early this year, Free2move will launch all three services in Dallas and Pasadena. Currently,… Continue reading Stellantis’ Free2move expands car-sharing and subscriptions in U.S.
Toyota stumbled as Hyundai was stealing the successful Prius playbook
Toyota has been taking a beating in the press these days. The new Prius, arguably the company’s standard bearer, has been damned with faint praise. One review called it “the best CD player in a download world.” Beyond that, the company has been called out for lobbying against California’s right to set emissions standards and… Continue reading Toyota stumbled as Hyundai was stealing the successful Prius playbook
Alexa, find me an EV charging station
Amazon’s conversational voice assistant, Alexa, has made its way into many electric vehicles in recent years. Now, along with ordering Alexa to ‘play Despacito’ or ‘call Mom,’ EV drivers in the U.S. with Alexa-enabled cars will be able to ask Alexa to find the nearest public charging spot. Charging network EVgo will be the first… Continue reading Alexa, find me an EV charging station
BMW unveils Dee prototype, “the next level of human-machine interaction”
BMW revealed a prototype for the i Vision Dee concept car during the automaker’s keynote at CES on Wednesday evening. The four-door sedan came out on stage in a crisp white, but later morphed into a variety of colors and patterns to show off Dee’s E-Ink technology, which will allow car owners to configure the… Continue reading BMW unveils Dee prototype, “the next level of human-machine interaction”
BMW reimagines the head-up display
At CES, BMW today unveiled its new i Vision Dee concept car, an E Ink-clad four-door sedan that can shift colors on demand. Why ‘Dee,’ you surely ask? It stands for Digital Emotional Experience. We’ll leave it at that, but what matters here is that it’s BMW’s platform for showing off its new head-up display,… Continue reading BMW reimagines the head-up display
Sony and Honda reveal Afeela, their joint EV brand, at CES
Nearly a year after Sony and Honda shared plans to jointly make and sell electric vehicles, the two companies revealed a prototype under the brand name Afeela. The four-door sedan was driven onstage at CES Wednesday as Kenichiro Yoshida, the CEO of Sony, talked through the company’s mobility philosophy, which prioritizes building vehicles that have… Continue reading Sony and Honda reveal Afeela, their joint EV brand, at CES
ZF and Beep to launch ‘several thousand’ autonomous shuttles in the US
Automotive supplier ZF is partnering with autonomous shuttle operator Beep to deliver “several thousand shuttles” to customers over the coming years, ZF said at CES in Las Vegas. Beep, which describes itself as an autonomous mobility-as-a-service company, will implement ZF’s next-generation, Level 4 autonomous shuttle, which the company also launched at CES today. Level 4… Continue reading ZF and Beep to launch ‘several thousand’ autonomous shuttles in the US
What Luminar’s acquisition of startup Civil Maps means for its lidar future
As lidar company Luminar pushed ahead to meet its goals for 2022 — milestones that included locking in new commercial contracts with unnamed automakers and shipping production-ready sensors to SAIC — it also snapped up a small HD mapping startup called Civil Maps. The acquisition, which was disclosed Wednesday during Luminar founder and CEO Austin… Continue reading What Luminar’s acquisition of startup Civil Maps means for its lidar future