Car Tech
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Future energy management features for EV owners might include balancing home energy use with EV charging times.
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Rivian bricks infotainment system, has already rolled out OTA remedy
Rivian accidentally pushed the wrong build in a recent software update for the R1T and R1S, temporarily rendering the infotainment system useless.
Bengt Halvorson -
Ford CEO: Why legacy automakers struggle with OTA updates
Ford CEO Jim Farley discusses why electric architectures and relying on suppliers poses new big problems in the electric age.
Stephen Edelstein -
French postal vans will test Michelin airless tires
Airless tires have long been considered beneficial for EVs, and a postal-van test in France will help prove the tire tech in the real world.
Stephen Edelstein -
Goodyear greens the carbon black in tires for Tesla Model 3
The carbon black key to durability isn't from combustion but from a process from Monolith using methane and renewable electricity.
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla heat pump detailed, gives a boost to winter EV range
All Tesla models now have heat pumps—a complete turnaround versus a few years ago when it considered the tech unnecessary.
Bengt Halvorson -
The charging robot, developed by EFI Automotive, intelligently detects the vehicle’s charging needs, moves into place for the charge, and will choose off-peak times to do so when possible.
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Diamond quantum sensors could extend EV driving range 10%, researchers claim
The tech could also help with the monitoring of solid-state batteries and higher-power fast-charging.
Stephen Edelstein -
Bridgestone aims to make natural-rubber tires from a sustainable American southwest crop
Natural rubber from guayule could offset the oil, silica and virgin carbon black currently used in tires.
Stephen Edelstein -
How Lucid leaps past Tesla with smaller motors
Bottom line: Lucid claims that its drive units are light, compact, efficient, power-dense, and can be scaled up. And it took going back to the core physics to get there.
Bengt Halvorson -
No brakes! Will the EVs of the future omit friction pads entirely?
The E Tense Performance aims for a future in which brake dust and brake-pad replacements might be a thing of the past, and brake regen handles it all.
Bengt Halvorson -
2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce will make all-wheel drive about more than traction: Tech preview
Nissan’s e-4orce all-wheel-drive system is the technology star of the Ariya lineup—but it’s not arriving until a few months later.
Bengt Halvorson -
DreamDrive Pro has been billed as an answer to Tesla's Autopilot, and Lucid has hinted that it might eventually exceed the capabilities of that and other systems.
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VW details major over-the-air update for ID.4 EV, promises more American software development
The Software 3.0 update will be made available to existing vehicles free of charge via an over-the-air (OTA) update
Stephen Edelstein -
35 years ago, this GM prototype had a yoke, four-wheel steering, and satellite navigation
Although the 1987 Pontiac Pursuit prototype didn't see the future as electric, it embraced many of the tech items showcased by today's leading-edge EVs.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Phone Key outage allegedly locked some out of their cars: Is this the future?
Some owners couldn't access their Tesla vehicles for a time on Friday, as app- and phone-based keys are headed toward wider adoption in tech-forward EVs.
Bengt Halvorson -
GM claims Ultra Cruise will go hands-free in 95% of scenarios, due in 2023
Ultra Cruise and Super Cruise will coexist, but Ultra Cruise adds a new sensor set including lidar, plus learning systems that sound like those employed by Tesla.
Bengt Halvorson -
BMW X5 plug-in hybrid is shod with sustainably sourced natural rubber
Natural rubber and wood-based nylon are ingredients for special sustainable tires in the X5 xDrive45e PHEV.
Stephen Edelstein -
The seven-year-old startup's FF91 is still enticing, and the company is showing that it plans to keep the model's leading-edge tech focus.
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Here's why Ford nixed in-wheel motors in F-150 Lightning electric truck
Ford considered in-wheel hub motors such as those being used by Lordstown Motors, but it ruled them out for a long list of reasons.
Bengt Halvorson -
Supplier scarred by Dieselgate rejects EV future, will invest in combustion tech into 2040s
Although Bosch is proactive on climate issues, it doesn't see battery-electric vehicles as the whole future.
Bengt Halvorson -
Report: Microplastic pollution from vehicle tires is a serious global issue
As tires wear from driving, they shed particles that can be carried far away, contributing to pollution in the ocean and atmosphere.
Stephen Edelstein -
Toyota Mirai, Lexus LS 500h to debut "partial hands-free" driver-assistance system
Teammate "Advanced Drive" appears to offer some of the functionality of Navigate on Autopilot, with a more conservative approach than Tesla.
Stephen Edelstein -
Could free-piston range extenders broaden the electric-truck horizon?
A new kind of engine design doesn't produce any torque—and it might be the best fit for electric-truck range extenders.
Bengt Halvorson