All Connected car articles – Page 60
-
ArticleIAA 2011: VW up! to feature "maps + more" mobile infotainment device
The up!’s portable infotainment system snaps into its center console (Photo: VW)Volkswagen's new up! minicar will feature an infotainment device that can be taken out of the car and put back in more easily than previous systems.VW said the "maps + more" system, which was developed jointly with navigation systems ...
-
ArticleTelematics help lower car insurance costs in US
Insurers increasingly provide telematics-based coverage that helps lower policy costs (Photo: Allstate)Insurers are increasingly offering voluntary programs that use telematics devices to track driver behavior, according to the US Insurance Information Institute.The III, an insurance industry lobbying group, said in a press release that insurers have long used policyholders' reported ...
-
ArticleIAA 2011: IBM to showcase automotive solutions in Frankfurt
IBM will be present at the Frankfurt auto show next month as it tries to grow its automotive business worldwide.The US IT giant will showcase products across a broad spectrum of automotive sectors, including connectivity, electric vehicles and intelligent traffic management. Within these areas, IBM is conducting research into new ...
-
ArticleOpel car configurator offers 360 degree view
Opel has introduced a new car configurator that offers 360 degree high-definition views of a model's interior and exterior.The software, made by MRM Worldwide, is called the Micromachine Generator Next Generation. It allows a user to view a car in full-screen mode from all sides. The result can be turned ...
-
ArticleFord offers solar roof for US Focus Electric
Ford is teaming up with SunPower to provide solar roofs for the Focus Electric (Photo: Ford)Ford Focus Electric buyers in the US will have the option to equip their car with a rooftop solar system that can feed electricity back to the grid and cover battery recharging costs.The carmaker is ...
-
ArticleAudi to show carbon-fiber electric city car at Frankfurt auto show
Audi’s urban concept will have a carbon-fiber shell (Photo: Audi)Joining the race to lead a new generation of city cars, Audi will show a 1+1 seat electrically propelled urban vehicle at next month's Frankfurt auto show (IAA).The German premium carmaker said in a press release that the concept car, which ...
-
ArticleIn telematics consolidation, Trimble buys Peoplenet, Masternaut and Cybit merge
US based GPS technology specialist Trimble, continuing a string of recent acquisitions, has bought Peoplenet, a provider of fleet management systems.Telematics providers are joining forces in a global market consolidation (Photo: Trimble)Trimble, which makes positioning systems for fleets, last year bought Punch Telematix, a Belgian transportation solutions provider, and Tata ...
-
ArticleA virtual car manual does away with hefty tomes of yesterday
An Avatar provides driver assistance in an Audi test vehicle (Photo: Technical University Munich)An Avatar-based virtual co-driver system (AviCoS) will do away with the multi-page driver manuals that traditionally hog the glove compartments of most cars.That's the vision of the Information Systems department of Munich's Technical University. The department has ...
-
ArticleGreenTech, Shengyang ZhongRui to build green cars in China
GTA’s Charles Wang (left) and Terry McAuliffe, jointly participated in the ground breaking ceremony of their new Chinese joint-venture plant (Photo: GTA)Virginia-Based GreenTech Automotive (GTA) said it will build and sell a new range of fuel-efficient cars in China.The US automotive startup, which will start building its first vehicle later ...
-
ArticleToyota, Tesla to build joint Rav4 EV in Canada
Toyota showed an electric version of the RAV4 in February (Photo: Toyota)Toyota and Tesla Motors will built a jointly developed electric version of the RAV 4 small SUV at the Japanese carmaker's plant in Woodstock, Ontario."The Tesla-Toyota joint development team has agreed that building the vehicle at the Woodstock plant ...
-
ArticleGartner: Germans not keen on EVs - yet
Toyota is one of many automakers planning an EV next year (Source: Toyota)Germans aren't ready to buy battery-powered electric vehicles yet, according to a recent Gartner study.The market researchers said a study conducted in Europe's biggest car market in the first half of 2011 showed that a majority of consumers ...
-
Article6 Winners in US connected vehicle competition
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced six winners in a national competition for the best ideas for using wireless technology in car-to-car communication."The winners of this competition have given us ideas that will help build the transportation system of the 21st century,” said US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.Entries ...
-
ArticleConsultant: EVs to grow faster than expected in Germany
Toyota is one of many automakers planning an EV next year (Source: Toyota)A German management consultancy predicts that electric vehicle sales will grow faster in Germany than previously expected.In a study conducted with the SIIE research institute and the EBS business school, consultants Horvath & Partners concluded that Germany may ...
-
Article
Windows provide new interactive dimension in Toyota concept
Toyota’s windows of the future let passengers see the outside world differently (Photo: Toyota)Toyota Motor Europe (TME) joined forces with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) last month to show how car windows could better connect people inside a vehicle to the world around them.The concept was another example ...
-
ArticleTomTom swings to loss, provides data to Flemish govt
TomTom is looking for new revenue streams as earnings took a tumble in the 2nd quarter (Photo: TomTom)TomTom, which posted a second-quarter loss last week, said it will provide historical traffic data to the government of Flanders as the northern Belgian region tries to improve congestion on its roads.The Dutch ...
-
Article
Bosch, Daimler agree electric-motor JV
Bosch already builds electric motors at its plant in Hildesheim, GermanyPremium car maker Daimler and automotive supplier Robert Bosch have agreed to establish a joint venture to develop and produce electric motors for electric vehicles.The two companies said in a press release that the cooperation, which is subject to regulatory ...
-
ArticleMAN chief: Electric trucks not an option today
An aerodynamically styled MAN truck concept could save 25% in fuel costs, the truckmaker claims (Photo: auto-reporter)Trucks powered by electric motors are not feasible at the moment, said Georg Pachta-Reyhofen, CEO of truck maker MAN.Pachta-Reyhofen said batteries alone would cost about 300,000 euros and would add 6,000 kilos of weight ...
-
ArticleUS's LaHood: Enforcement cuts distracted driving
US Transportation Secretary LaHood plans to step up his campaign to curb distracted drivingUS Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday increased law enforcement coupled with public education campaigns can dramatically reduce distracted driving.The government official, citing the results of two pilot projects in Syracuse, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, said ...
-
ArticleGerman researchers test new EV charging station
The industry is working hard on new EV charging technologies. Honda is testing solar charging stationsGerman researchers are testing a new charging station for electric vehicles that can adapt to different plug-in standards.The Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS), an independent institute that provides research and ...
-
ArticleGermany's project HONEY: Designing smaller chips
German technology companies hope that improved production methods will help reduce the size and weight of in-car semiconductors (Photo:XFAB)Four German semiconductor makers have concluded project "HONEY" and have come up with new methods to make smaller chips.With roughly 1,000 chips and as many as 80 networked electronic systems in the ...
