Anterin is a ride-hailing app that enables drivers to set their own prices while consumers enjoy more control over what they’re paying for. It’s a disruptive business model, and it uses HERE APIs & SDKs to keep it moving. In less than a decade, many of us have become accustomed to using various mobile applications… Continue reading A new breed of ride-hailing app in Indonesia uses HERE technology
Tag: Mobility
The price of the second-hand vehicle rises 6.5% in September and stands at 15,554 euros
Posted 09/10/2018 11: 29: 31CET MADRID, 9 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) – The average price of used cars increased by 6.5% in September compared to the same month of the previous year and stood at 15,554 euros, according to data from the Institute of Automotive Studies (IEA) for Coches.net. Last month, most autonomous communities saw the… Continue reading The price of the second-hand vehicle rises 6.5% in September and stands at 15,554 euros
GM tops Tesla in ranking of automated driving systems
GM beats Tesla in Consumer Reports ranking of automated driving systems
5:51 PM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 01:45
As more automakers develop automated driving systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheels for short periods of time, a new report says General Motors has developed the best system.
Consumer Reports tested four of the most popular systems and says Cadillac's Super Cruise does the best job of ensuring the vehicle is driven safely while making sure drivers pay attention when they take their hands off the steering wheels.
“Super Cruise has a camera that looks at the drivers' eyes and warns them if they look away for too long or fall asleep, and that's a game changer,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.
“This is definitely a shot across the bow of Tesla, which already has Autopilot,” said Michelle Krebs, analyst for AutoTrader said.
Consumer Reports ranks Tesla's Autopilot as the second-most effective automated driving system, criticizing it for not doing enough to keep the driver engaged when the vehicle is in Autopilot mode.
“Autopilot is a strong system, but it doesn't have enough safeguards,” said Fisher.
GM Super Cruise tops Tesla in Consumer Reports' automated driving tech tests
8:23 AM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 03:52
Consumer Reports rated Nissan's ProPILOT Assist as the third-best system and Volvo's Pilot Assist as the least effective of the four it tested. Nissan says ProPILOT Assist is a “hands-on” driver-assist system rather than a “self-driving” feature. Volvo echoed that response.
“Pilot Assist is not an autonomous driving system. It is a driver assistance system designed to keep the driver in the loop at all times with hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and the mind on driving,” said Johan Larsson, a Volvo spokesman.
The systems were evaluated at Consumer Reports' test track and on public and highways. The reviews are based on five criteria: capability and performance, ease of use, if the systems made it clear when it was safe to use, whether they kept the driver engaged, and how they alerted or handled an unresponsive driver.
Consumer Reports is not warning people to avoid using any of the automated driving systems it tested, but it wants drivers to better understand the limits of the technology.
Ever since Tesla unveiled Autopilot in 2015, it's been controversial technology. When it first came out in “beta” mode, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, “It is important to exercise great caution at this early stage.”
Not everyone got the message. Within months of rolling out, Tesla owners posted videos on YouTube showing themselves driving hands free and not always paying attention.
In 2016, a Tesla driver was killed when his Model S in Autopilot mode crashed into a semi-truck in Williston, Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded limitations in Tesla's Autopilot system played a major role in the crash. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt bluntly summarized the case saying, “System safeguards were lacking.”
Two years later, as more vehicles and more automakers develop automated driving systems, Consumer Reports is worried drivers will become too complacent and not be ready to grab the steering wheel if their car or truck steers itself into trouble.
“The big concern is putting too much trust in these systems,” said Fisher of Consumer Reports. “Drivers are not always paying attention when these systems are in use.”
WATCH: GM demonstrates its hands-free 'Super Cruise' system
General Motors shows off new hands-free ’Super Cruise’ system in highway demo
12:08 PM ET Wed, 28 June 2017 | 05:10
Uber deploys JUMP scooters and bikes in Santa Monica
Following approval from the city of Santa Monica, Uber is deploying bikes and its first set of scooters via JUMP, the bike-share startup it acquired earlier this year. Although these are Xiaomi Ninebot scooters, Uber says it’s branding them with JUMP for the sake of consistency when it comes to its personal electric vehicle services. “JUMP… Continue reading Uber deploys JUMP scooters and bikes in Santa Monica
How will VW price its next-generation electric vehicles? Think TDI
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Volkswagen MEB platform architecture
Volkswagen says that it aims to make “electric vehicles for millions, not millionaires” with its next-generation EVs.
While that’s a clever tagline, what ultimately will matter to many households who want a new electric vehicle in the driveway is whether they can afford one of those models.
Speaking at an event last month previewing some fundamentals of the upcoming modular electric platform (MEB) that it hopes will underpin a million EVs a year by 2025, Thomas Ulbrich, the member of the VW Group Board of Management responsible for e-mobility, gave some important guidance about the automakers intended pricing: These vehicles will be priced at the level of a comparable diesel car.
DON'T MISS: Here's the battery pack behind VW's global electric-vehicle push
“And then we are sure we can convince millions, because then it is no longer a price range for special customers,” said Ulbrich.
VW Electric for All
To look at how Volkswagen priced TDI models just prior to the diesel scandal, a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE started at $19,815, while a 2015 Jetta TDI SE started at $24,895—a 25-percent increase. Going upscale to the SUV side of the market, to the Touareg, the gasoline model started at $45,615 while the TDI started at $53,155—about 17 percent higher.
Those models will start arriving in the U.S. in 2020, as previewed by the ID hatchback and ID Crozz crossover, and then in 2022 with the much-anticipated electric take on the Microbus.
CHECK OUT: Will Volkswagen's electric Microbus be made in the USA?
That gap between EVs and equivalent gasoline models will likely close over time, too. Bloomberg New Energy Finance, last year, anticipated that electric cars will reach price parity with gasoline models by 2025, due to falling battery costs. That’s based on U.S. medium-segment vehicle price estimates, and an assumption that prices on internal-combustion vehicles will slightly rise.
What remains to be clarified is whether such a pricing scheme would initially include the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Volkswagen isn’t yet close to reaching its 200,000-unit ceiling for the credit. If Volkswagen prices that first MEB model, rumored to be called the Neo, like a TDI before the tax credit, it could prove very popular indeed.
Electrify America Announces Stage 2 Of Its EV-Based Plans (For California)
Electrify America announced a second 30-month investment cycle for the state of California, which envisions more charging infrastructure (DC fast chargers and normal AC L2 charging stations) and various other actions (education and awareness). The company, was established by Volkswagen to implement the $2 billion ZEV Investment Commitment outlined in Volkswagen’s Court-approved settlement involving 2.0L… Continue reading Electrify America Announces Stage 2 Of Its EV-Based Plans (For California)
UK Uber drivers to stage 24 hour strike over pay and conditions
A UK union that represents the interests of Uber drivers has called a 24 hour strike for tomorrow. Ride-hailing giant Uber may not be comfortable thinking of the people who do the driving on its platform as workers but, in 2016, a UK employment tribunal ruled against its classification of a group of then current… Continue reading UK Uber drivers to stage 24 hour strike over pay and conditions
BMW Group and CRITICAL Software form Critical TechWorks joint venture in Portugal.
Munich. With signature of the final contracts and approval of the competition authorities, the BMW Group and the company CRITICAL Software have concluded the formation of their joint venture. The new joint-venture company with the name Critical TechWorks will combine both partners’ expertise in premium mobility and automotive software engineering for the development of ground-breaking… Continue reading BMW Group and CRITICAL Software form Critical TechWorks joint venture in Portugal.
Bodo Uebber goes like Dieter Zetsche 2019: Daimler CFO ends surprisingly
DPA Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber (59) Following the announced resignation of Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, another long-serving board is now setting sail. Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber does not want an extension of his contract and will leave at the end of 2019. DaimlerFinance Director Bodo Uebber has surprisingly announced his departure for the end… Continue reading Bodo Uebber goes like Dieter Zetsche 2019: Daimler CFO ends surprisingly
Seeing the Light: Ford’s Call for a Standard Self-Driving Car Language to Communicate Intent
By John Shutko, Ford Human Factors Technical Specialist for Self-Driving Vehicles Ford is calling on all self-driving vehicle developers, automakers and technology companies who are committed to deploying SAE level-4 vehicles to create an industry standard for communicating driving intent In real-world and virtual reality studies, Ford has tested a self-driving intent interface that lets… Continue reading Seeing the Light: Ford’s Call for a Standard Self-Driving Car Language to Communicate Intent