Mobility – Page 7120 – I wish I had more to offer

Fiat Chrysler To Partner With Enel X And ENGIE In Europe For Charging

The decision about new plug-ins has been made. Now it’s time to prepare the charging infrastructure Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced an agreement with two European utilities – Enel X and ENGIE to jointly develop and offer a comprehensive charging offer for plug-in electric cars. The deal with Enel X concerns Italy, Spain and Portugal… Continue reading Fiat Chrysler To Partner With Enel X And ENGIE In Europe For Charging

NYC Extends Ride-Hailing Cap

Both the ride-hailing cap extension and fee waiver are meant to help taxi drivers, many of whom say they are struggling to stay competitive. Photo via Núcleo Editorial/Flickr. New York City is extending its cap on the number of ride-hailing vehicles allowed to operate in the city, NY1 reports. Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced a… Continue reading NYC Extends Ride-Hailing Cap

Volvo’s sporty looking Vera self-driving electric truck will go to work in Sweden

The Vera autonomous, electric truck from Volvo’s trucking subsidiary is not what you might expect in a transport truck – it looks like a road-hugging sportscar, something emphasized by its lack of a place for humans to sit. The real reason it looks like this is that it’s totally self-driving, however – and tailor-made for… Continue reading Volvo’s sporty looking Vera self-driving electric truck will go to work in Sweden

Uber’s self-driving CEO says the company needs robo-taxis because it can’t grow its fleet of human drivers fast enough (UBER)

Will Uber’s self-driving robot cars eventually replace its nearly 3 million human drivers? The CEO of the self-driving unit, Eric Meyhofer, won’t say. But Meyhofer, head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, did tell CNBC that Uber needs a fleet of robot cars because it has difficulty attracting enough drivers to meet its growth needs. He… Continue reading Uber’s self-driving CEO says the company needs robo-taxis because it can’t grow its fleet of human drivers fast enough (UBER)

Mercedes-Benz ESF 2019: New safety ideas for a new mobility.

Numerous innovations entered series production. Four of these vehicles – ESF 5, ESF 13 (both based on the medium-class W 114/“Stroke 8” series), ESF 22 and ESF 24 (both based on the W 116-series S-Class) – were presented to the public. The first ESF vehicle for many years, and the direct predecessor to the ESF… Continue reading Mercedes-Benz ESF 2019: New safety ideas for a new mobility.

Solar-charging cars are going to change our lives

Martijn Lammers — Co-founder and CSO

We think of the 20th century as the years that granted mobility to everyone. If you think about it, though, driving didn’t actually change much after it moved from plaything of the wealthy to middle-class signifier. Your car may have more gadgets and better steering, but your driving experience isn’t that different from your parents’ or grandparents’. You face the same obstacles and deal with the same logistics.

We don’t even notice tracking the status of our gas tank, but many motorists can’t picture going on holiday in an electric car
The steady rise of electric vehicles since the turn of the 21st century has started to change that. We’re not just thinking about how we can fight our addiction to fossil fuels; we’re starting to imagine how the whole experience of driving and car ownership could be different.

The hitch in this growing popularity is the sense of an entirely new type of planning. We don’t even notice tracking the status ..

A Decade of Autonomous Vehicle Investments

Investment in new technologies to enable autonomous vehicles has taken off in the last decade.
Need proof?
According to our calculations, total cumulative funding for AV technology had reached $37 billion in May 2019, and is poised to set a new record by the end of the year!

So, what does this say about the future of our industry?
“Clearly, the train has left the station. When you combine Silicon Valley’s investment and innovation with Detroit’s productization discipline, you’re going to see greater transformation in the automotive industry in the next decade than any time in its history.”

– Jim Robnett, VP of Automotive Business Development, AEye

Source: Crunchbase

A Decade of Autonomous Vehicle Investments — Deconstructing Two Conventional LiDAR MetricsAEye Team Profile: Dr. Allan SteinhardtAEye’s iDAR Shatters Both Range and Scan Rate Performance Records for Automotive Grade LiDARThe Future of Autonomous Vehicles: Part II – Blind Technology without Compassion Is RuthlessThe Future of Autonomous Vehicles: Part I – Think Like a Robot, Perceive Like a HumanAEye Advisory Board Profile: Luke SchneiderAEye Team Profile: Indu VijayanAEye Expands Business Development and Customer Success Team to Support Growing Network of Global Partners and CustomersAEye Extends Patent Portfolio, Creating Industry’s Most Comprehensive Library of Solid-State Lidar Intellectual Property

Uber: ‘Aggressive’ drivers are bullying our self-driving cars

People are being mean to self-driving vehicles, says Uber’s Eric Meyhofer “Aggressive” drivers and pedestrians are bullying self-driving vehicles, according to Uber advanced technologies group head Eric Meyhofer. The company has even recorded people hurling abuse at its autonomous vehicles, according to Meyhofer. Meyhofer was speaking at Uber’s Elevate conference in Washington DC. “We’ve seen people bully… Continue reading Uber: ‘Aggressive’ drivers are bullying our self-driving cars

Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar to fight for overall victory at Le Mans

Published: Jun 14, 2019

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Neil Allison

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of its glorious win in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin announces that it will once again bid for outright victory in the French endurance classic in 2021.

14 June 2019, Le Mans: On the eve of the 60th anniversary of its glorious win in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin announces that it will once again bid for outright victory in the French endurance classic in 2021.
Following the announcement of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s decision to introduce hypercars to the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Aston Martin will field a minimum of two works Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercars, specially-developed for the 2020/21 FIA WEC season, including the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Britain has enjoyed a long romance with the Circuit de la Sarthe, indeed in 2021 it will be 100 years since an Aston Martin first raced there. But it’s more than a quarter of a century since a British-built derivative of a road car claimed top honours at Le Mans, and invoking the pioneering spirit of the company’s founder Lionel Martin and the ingenuity of some of Britain’s best engineering minds, Aston Martin is now set to carry that mantle into the next decade with a bold attempt to win Le Mans and the world championship.
Aston Martin Valkyrie, the world’s most extreme road car and platform for this future challenger, is the combined vision of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, Aston Martin EVP and Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and Aston Martin VP and Chief Special Operations Officer David King. It was created as a result of a technical collaboration between Aston Martin, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing.
In line with WEC’s newly confirmed ‘hypercar’ regulations designed to allow race-prepared derivatives of the world’s fastest road cars to fight at the forefront of world sportscar racing, the Aston Martin Valkyrie race car will draw on all the radical pillars of the road car and its track-only AMR Pro variant.
The new car will feature a race-prepared version of its bespoke high-revving normally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine. Placed within a lightweight carbon fibre structure, and featuring F1 inspired aerodynamic technology, it forms a fully competitive platform capable of challenging for outright race wins.
Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, David King said: “The FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans represent the ultimate challenge for the Aston Martin Valkyrie – the world’s most extreme hypercar. Designed and built with the purpose of pushing boundaries on the road, it’s natural to conclude that the next stage in its development would be to measure its capabilities on the track. I can think of no better way to do that than to compete in a world championship and the most prestigious and famous race of all.”
Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Andy Palmer said: “We have always said that we would one day bring Aston Martin back to Le Mans with the intention of going for the outright win when the time was right – now is that time. David Brown came here in 1959, with a car and a team of drivers capable of winning. We intend to do the same in 2021. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is primed for such a challenge and sits perfectly within the ACO’s new ‘hypercar’ rule framework. Bringing to bear all of our previous experience and knowledge of competing at the top levels of motorsport, we embark on this most ambitious project with the necessary ingredients for success. What could be more evocative than the wail of an Aston Martin V12 leading the charge into the night on the Mulsanne straight? ”

Awake at the wheel: Automakers tap VR to banish boredom in autonomous cars

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Audi, Nissan and other car makers are banking on talking cartoon characters and other virtual reality experiences to keep drivers and other occupants of future autonomous vehicles entertained, auto industry executives said. A screen shows Audi China President Thomas Owsianski as he introduces Audi connect, an open app ecosystem, at the CES… Continue reading Awake at the wheel: Automakers tap VR to banish boredom in autonomous cars