Uber to Partner with Mercedes for more Autodrive cars

Uber self Drive

Uber has already started testing its self-driving fleet of vehicles in two markets, although the state of California wasn’t too happy about Uber circumventing the rules in San Francisco. In the future, the ride-sharing company will employ a diverse fleet of autonomous vehicles that will include Mercedes-Benz cars.

Uber inked a deal with Daimler, Reuters reports, that will bring self-driving Mercedes models to Uber’s fleet of self-driving vehicles in the coming years.

It’s unclear at this point when these Mercedes cars will be incorporated into Uber’s fleet, or what type of vehicles to expect. Neither Uber nor Daimler offered additional details on the deal. However, Reuters notes that Daimler is the first auto company to join Uber’s self-driving initiative.

“We are incredibly excited by the potential for self-driving cars to further our mission of bringing reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere,” Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick said in a blog post.

“They will also help to reduce traffic accidents, which today kill many people a year; free up the huge amount of space currently used to park the world’s billion-plus cars; and cut congestion, which is choking our cities.”

Uber Auto drive

Uber, however, doesn’t want to make its own self-driving cars. That’s why it needs Daimler and many others.

“Auto manufacturers like Daimler are crucial to our strategy because Uber has no experience making cars — and in fact, making cars is really hard,” the CEO said.

That said, Uber is still developing its own self-driving technology. It previously inked a $300 million deal with Volvo, whose cars are currently part of Uber’s self-driving pilots in Pennsylvania and Arizona, which replaced California.

While Uber and Volvo are developing self-driving cars together and these test Volvo cars have Uber self-driving technology preinstalled, the Mercedes models won’t be managed by Uber, and they will run autonomous driving technology created solely by the German giant.

Waymo takes the veil off Their self-driving Technology

waymo auto drive

Waymo, the robocar spinoff of Alphabet, has finally taken the veil off a self-driving system loaded to the gills with sensors designed in house. And that’s the key purpose, said Waymo CEO John Krafcik yesterday at the Detroit auto Show.

“It was the eminently-quotable computer scientist Alan Kay who said, ‘people who are very serious about software should build their own hardware,’ ” Krafcik said. Beside him on the stage next stood a self-driving hybrid minivan from fiat Chrysler equipped with Waymo’s technology. Krafcik same the minivans would hit public roads in california and Arizona later this month.

The Kay quote was revealing: Kay pioneered graphical interfaces at Xerox PARC’s unreal plan manufactory within the Seventies, and far of that employment was later embodied within the Apple MacIntosh. As Krafcik noted, the Apple style philosophy has splendidly stressed maintaining management over hardware similarly as software package. There’s no higher thanks to defend an invention’s status as a premium product, commanding correspondingly fat profit margins.

autonomous drive

The Waymo sensors are divided among many categories:

Three lidar sets cover short, medium and long distances, using lasers to estimate distances and put detected objects into elaborated, three-dimensional maps. the actual advantage of measuring device is in its ability to evaluate distances.

The existing top tower contains the medium distance detector that scans a full 360 degrees round the car; years past, once Waymo was called the Google automobile project, this detector was equipped by Velodyne for a few North American country $75,000 apiece. Krafcik same Waymo’s own lidars all value simply ten p.c the maximum amount. (Velodyne has additionally lowered its costs within the in the meantime.)

A short-range measuring device covers areas beside the machine that will otherwise are in the shadow of the top detector. And a long-range lidar, that Krafcik said was the first of its kind, works with the top device to enhance resolution.

“Imagine having the ability to examine a helmet, however, 2 full soccer fields away,” he said.

Eight vision modules—cameras, essentially—exploit this technology’s ability to acknowledge shapes; they cover the entire area around the car, along with a ninth module that faces forward and provides additional resolution.

“We can detect little objects, like construction cones, far away, even when we’re cruising down a road at high speed,” Krafcik said. “And with a wide dynamic range we can see in a dark car parking zone, or move into the blazing sun, or any condition in between.”

Radars are salted round the car to present an identical theater-in-the-round impact. radar is the one sensor that sees simply through fog, rain and snow.

Waymo auto drive

“Conventional radars have also been designed to focus only on vehicle movements. However, our fully self-driving cars need to safely navigate around all road users, from cars to pedestrians to cyclists,” he said. “So, we’ve configured our radars so that they’re way more sensitive to these slower moving objects.”

Exactly what proportion of Waymo’s self-driving prowess comes from such hardware—rather than improved software package and road mapping—isn’t clear. Krafcik did say that there’s been a major decline within the have to be compelled to “disengage,” the word Waymo uses to explain what the human baby minder will once he takes back the wheel from an automobile that’s gotten into difficulties.

“In 2016, while we drove many thousands more miles, our rate of disengages per thousand fell, from 0.8 in 2015 to 0.2 today. That’s a four-time improvement in the performance of our self-driving systems in twelve months,” he said.

What role fiat Chrysler is playing in the creation and testing of the vehicle is unclear. what's clear is that Waymo wants to provide the entire motorcar industry with packages that can be fitted to just about any vehicle. Honda has recently shown interest in just that possibility.

 

Google's auto drive car

Other carmakers, however, have opted to partner with another tech supplier—as Audi has done, with Nvidia—bought tech companies themselves, as General Motors did last year, with its $1 billion acquisition of Cruise Automation, and generally to develop the most components of a robocar themselves, as Ford and daimler do.

Waymo, in imitating Apple’s policy of seamlessly integrating hardware and software, may hope to thus reap a number of Apple’s margins. Steve Jobs famously maintained tight control so as to provent his company’s products from degenerating into mere commodities. And commodification is the main threat that roboticization holds for the auto industry at the moment.


Read also BMW To Release Self-Driving 7 series this year

Jaguar launches Special F-type Edition

F-type 400 sports edition

A new derivate of Jaguar's potent coupé the F-Type 400 Sport on its manner. However, if you would like one, you will have to be abrupt.
The new edition can solely be accessible for one year and then production can stop. those who get one will find a 3-liter supercharged V6 below the hood with 395bhp on tap, a premium interior with chrome trim, a special exterior paint finish, larger brakes and new 20-inch alloy wheels.

Customers are ready to plump for rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, manual or automatic drive and for a hardtop or soft-top version. However, despite transmission or roof material, the 400 Sport can come as normal with a system that will let the driver customise throttle response, damping rate on the suspension and the intensiveness of gear changes. 

As for people who are not looking to upgrade their performance coupé this year, there's still excellent news as a number of the new options the 400 Sport is due to usher in will be coming to the existing range.

They embody delicate updates to the front end and wholesale changes within. The cabin currently boasts lighter seats and a raft of technological advances as well as GoPro action cam integration via the new ReRun app. simply connect your GoPro, head to the track and hit record. The ensuing footage will have information like vehicle speed, g-force, accelerator position and selected gear automatically overlaid.

There's also excellent news on the driver aid front. The automobile will now come with a semi-automated park-assist function. as well as maneuvering the vehicle into a parallel automobile parking space, its sensors can tell the driver if the distance being driven past is big enough to accommodate the automobile -- an excellent feature for people who live in major cities.

Since the F-Type launched in 2012, it's won various design awards and has been key in re-establishing jaguar on the world automotive stage. The company broke all sales records in 2016, selling 148,730 vehicles (up 77 from 2015) and will be looking to line new records over the next twelve months. making more derivatives of the F-Type to suit driving style -- there are currently 22 variations of the car offered -- will certainly help in this regard.

"It is especially pleasing to see the jaguar brand setting spectacular new sales records," said Andy Goss, jaguar Land Rover group Sales Operations Director. "I am confident that in 2017 our British line-up can still expand and delight in markets across the globe."

2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Spied, Close to Production

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

All the camouflage remains in situ, however the revolutionary, boxlike styling of the Gelandewagen simply shines through the psychedelic wrap, with the foremost vital visual modification set to be the marginally wider stance of the vehicle.In the purest German tradition, the foremost vital updates will return beneath the skin. The military vehicle-derived design of this model means that the road manners of the model are less than ideal, even in AMG-massaged G63 trim.


The 2018 G-Class can ride on a brand new platform that is expected to make significant use of aluminium. to start with, the architecture can bring an enormous diet, with the reported diet go between 440 and 900 lbs (200 and four hundred kg). 


Then there area unit the suspension enhancements. coming into the rumor space, we'll mention the G-Class is {anticipated} to change to an freelance configuration. The three-pointed star might build use of its Jewish calendar month tie-up, since the japanese maker has precocious the rear shaft of the double-cab 2016 Navara models with a five-link setup.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Just as significantly, the G-Wagen may receive an air suspension, with the spring configuration amendmentbringing multiple advantages, like permitting the driver to change the ride height of the vehicle.

Stepping inside the SUV, we'll remind you that a previous spy video has already shown US the dashboard of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, adding to the previously-leaked analog instrument cluster.

In the firepower department, an all-new modular engine family can animated the offroader, with most of the units set to feature a 49-volt mild-hybrid system that may boost potency and scale back turbo lag.

The G63 badge can see the present five.5-liter twin-turbo V8 retiring, with the Affalterbach model receiving a massaged incarnation of the four.0-liter twin-turbo V8 presently found on the G500 and G500 square.

The Second Coming of Christ of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class ought to occur by the tip of the year, thus you must keep tuned for additional news on this rugged terrain matter.

Ford releases new Autonomous Car

Ford Motors has announced the release another high tech autonomous and  improvement vehicle that will be utilized for testing autonomy functions. 

Ford didn't give the auto new name; rather, it's staying with the Ford Fusion Hybrid moniker that has been utilized since it presented the primary model three years prior. 

Ford's Chief Program Engineer Chris Brewer said: "This new auto utilizes the present Ford autonomous vehicle stage, yet ups the handling power with new Computer Hardware. Electrical controls are nearer to production stage, and changes in accordance with the sensor innovation, including position, permit the car to better observe what's around it. New LiDAR sensors have a sleeker design and more focused on field of vision, which empowers the car to now utilize only two sensors instead of four, while as yet getting the same amount of information." 

Brewer, in his blog post, addressed some convincing and practically philosophical inquiries encompassing the improvement of new autonomous vehicles. He asked, for instance, how one should duplicate "everything a human driver does in the driver's seat in a vehicle that drives itself?" 

Brewer contemplates how the auto will perceive in the event that it has the privilege of way or not, or what happens if there's a mishap along the course. These are inquiries that different firms, for example, Uber, Volvo and Google, are additionally attempting to reply. Brewer said Ford plans to take in more by utilizing a virtual driver framework that is tried and true and ready to settle on choices that are generally surrendered over to a human driver to make.

Hyundai unveils an SUV & Eco-bus running on a fuel cell

Hyundai will extend its power car lineup with the new Sports Utility Vehicle. The South Korean guaranteed the second era of the Hyundai Tucson IX Fuel cell vehicle would be considerably more productive than the primary model. 

The present version of the Hyundai Tucson ix controlled by a power fuel cell is just accessible in California. It is not clear if the new Tucson will have similar limitations, however. 

Hyundai by anticipation is expected to present its new SUV by mid-2017 and reservations will most likely begin to be accessible in the most recent three months of the year. 

As indicated by Nikkei, the news site, not just will the organization discharge the new power device SUV, yet they will likewise dispatch another business transport in the coming two years. The last will likewise work with fuel cells

Hyundai new Fuel cell concept: Image Hyundai

Hyundai Tucson IX Fuel cell vehicle cost and discharge date 

The new SUV will take off in January 2018, and it will brag a range of 348 miles on a solitary hydrogen tank which outperforms the present model by a 30 percent of effectiveness.

The new Tucson will cost an inexact of $50,000. The new vehicle will best the 312-mile scope of Toyota's Mirai, putting itself second behind the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell with its 366 miles on a solitary hydrogen tank

The South Korean organization is wagering on clean vitality as an other option to fossil energies, something that will without a doubt lessen the measure of  environmental contamination its cars discharge in the atmosphere.

Thusly, Hyundai is clearing expanding its spotless energy autos manufacturing. The organization is likewise delivering the "Ioniq." 

This new Sedan will have three varieties. The Ioniq electric, which can be charged from home or work and will be accessible this winter.

Rolling out this Winter, The Ioniq Hybrid will work with power and gas, lastly the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid, which can be changed to electric power or gas when required.

How does a fuel cell work? 

A fuel cell is  a gadget that transforms energy from elements like hydrogen into electric power creating right around zero pollution. The new model of SUV will work with another sort of battery. 

They are unique in relation to ordinary batteries, as they can create electric power consistently as far as the fuel source remains connected. 

This new cells could change the game in the automobile industry as the regulators around the globe are pushing for green practices in that sector.

Extravagance! Infiniti's new SUV is stacked with Amazing tech

This one is for my Smart Car lovers

Last week, Infiniti disclosed the new QX50 Concept — its vision for the eventual fate of extravagance SUVs. 

The sleek moderate size hybrid is maybe the most critical auto Infiniti has flaunted in late memory. 

Sitting soundly at the focal point of what is apparently to most fervently fragment in the extravagance auto advertise, the QX50 has the tall errand of flaunting Infiniti's most recent motor and independent drive innovation.

At its center, the QX50 is a nearer to-production development of the QX Sport Inspiration that appeared at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. 

"With the uncovering of the QX Sport Inspiration at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, we demonstrated the eventual fate of Infiniti QX models," Infiniti president Roland Kreuger said in an announcement. "The new QX50 Concept advances this idea further and indicates how Infiniti could build up its future nearness in the quickest - developing vehicle section all inclusive." 

At the heart of the QX50's tech bundle is the rollout of Infiniti's new ProPilot self-ruling driving tech. Infiniti appears to be reluctant to call the framework an "autopilot." Instead, the Hong Kong-based automaker likes to describe the innovation as a "co-pilot" for the driver.

As per Infiniti, the organization means to keep the driver in control of the vehicle while providing proactive wellbeing innovation as a supplement. 

"Infiniti's independent drive innovations will go about as a 'co-pilot' for the driver, enabling as opposed to supplanting them, and "delegate" more difficult driving assignments to the auto –, for example, exploring stop-begin movement on the thruway or monitoring the places of encompassing vehicles," the organization wrote in its official statement. 

Notwithstanding the self-sufficient driving tech, the QX50 will likewise observe the primary usage of Infiniti's progressive variable pressure or VC motor innovation that appeared at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. 

Infiniti expects the new 2.0 liter, turbocharged VC four-chamber motor to deliver 268 strength while utilizing 27% less fuel than a tantamount V6.

Infiniti's VC innovation permits the motor to adjust its pressure proportion in light of particular driving conditions — changing yield and element attributes amongst execution and productivity. 

The QX50 Concept will probably serve as the reason for Infiniti's new moderate size extravagance hybrid due out soon to go up against adversaries, for example, the Lexus RX and Acura MDX. 

The Infiniti QX50 Concept will make its reality make a big appearance at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show in January.

Honda To Recall 633,753 Odyssey in the US for Rear Seat Defect

Honda Motor Company will be recalling 633,733 Odyssey minivan in the U,S due to second row can move when passengers don't expect.

They recalling Odysseys made between 2011 to 2016 models, Made Audust 1 2010 and october 1 2015.

The Minivan has a second seat lever which makes the outer seat to move forward to allow access to the inner seat (third row). The company says the release gear could remain in an unlocked position which can make the seats to move when not expected

The Issue was identified through warranty claims, No record of injury or accident so far.
Honda will notify owners about the racal in 2017. Dealers are expected to fix the issue  

This recall was announced on thursday on the national highway 

New blocking technology: Mobile phones could become useless in moving cars in the UK

Mobile phones could be set to automatically stop working in moving cars, making it impossible for drivers to text, call, or send emails at the wheel.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is reportedly considering implementing new technology that would block phone signal for drivers. 

The software would make mobiles virtually useless by disabling any function that requires internet access or connection to a telephone network.

Ministers are to meet car manufacturers and mobile companies in the new year to discuss the plan. 

The move comes after almost one in three motorists admitted to having used their phone while driving, and 17,500 people were taken to court last year.

Campaigners have said they want to change attitudes towards texting and driving; in an RAC survey, a fifth of motorists said they believed it was safe to check social media and send text messages while sitting in traffic, despite it being against the law. 

Earlier this week, Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove, said: “It is time to make using a mobile phone while driving just as unacceptable as not wearing a seat belt or drink-driving.

“We need better education and hardhitting messages to ensure the next generation know what could happen.”

A DfT spokesman said: “We are determined to crack down on mobile phone use at the wheel,

“Our plans to double penalties for this serious crime should act as an incredibly strong deterrent.

“We will continue to explore what more can be done to tackle this crime.”

Smartphone manufacturers have also been urged to create a 'drive safe' mode - similar to the 'flight mode' option, which will block calls, texts and emails and avoid drivers being distracted.  

The government has already cracked down on mobile phone use in cars by introducing tougher penalties for anyone who uses their phone behind the wheel.

This includes automatic bans for new drivers, a fine of £200 and six penalty points.

And if the offence results in a death then a driver can be jailed for life

Six hot car technology trends to watch in 2017

Will your next car talk to traffic lights? Are diesel engines on their last gasp? Have electric vehicles charged into the mainstream?

Those are some of the questions new technologies and vehicles may answer in 2017.

The auto industry’s present is starting to sound a lot like science fiction, thanks to technologies with names like V2X communications, smart infrastructure and e-axles.

Some of what’s on the horizon:

Cars that talk to each other

Cadillac CTS sport sedans will offer a revolutionary system in 2017 that allows them to share information about driving conditions like weather, speed, sudden braking, accidents and more. It’s the beginning of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, a wi-fi-like technology that will eventually be standard on every new car.

“It increases drivers’ awareness of what’s beyond their line of sight,” said Sam Abuelsamid, Navigant Research senior analyst.

It’s also key to “platooning,” which will allow packs of vehicles to drive close together at high speed without slowdowns or accidents.

Audi recently began selling several models with vehicle-to-infrastructure capability, which allows traffic lights to tell vehicles when they are about to turn, increasing safety and enabling stop-start systems to save maximum fuel. Las Vegas is the first American city where traffic lights communicate with cars, but others will follow.

V2X communications, incidentally, essentially means “vehicle to whatever,” a catch-all phrase for upcoming systems linking vehicles to one another, traffic lights, weather information and more. It’s an important part of the web of technologies that will lead to fully autonomous vehicles.

Is diesel dead?

Chevrolet and Mazda will test America’s appetite for diesel cars and SUVs in 2017. Diesel sales plummeted when the technology’s prime purveyor, Volkswagen, got caught up in an emissions-cheating scandal.

“We don’t know what consumer demand for diesels (is), because the largest traditional provider can’t sell them,” IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley said.

Diesel powered versions of the popular Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan and Mazda CX-9 family crossover SUV could show whether the technology — which delivers high fuel economy and excellent performance — has a future in the U.S.

The Cruze and CX-9 will certainly be the most fuel-efficient non-hybrids in their classes, but will the people who lined up for VW diesels buy them? Will they even know Chevy and Mazda want their business?

“Chevrolet and Mazda will have their work cut out finding diesel buyers and telling them new options exist,” Brinley said.

Autonomous vehicles in the real world

Fiat Chrysler is building an intriguing part of the future in its Windsor, Canada, assembly plant, which will produce about 100 autonomous Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivans as part of Google’s vehicle development project.

Google won’t sell any of the self-driving minivans to the public, but they will rack up countless miles testing the technology’s readiness and safety in the ultimate family vehicle.

Critics have mocked minivans as boring, but the Google Pacificas are an exciting look into the future.

Google chose the Pacifica as its production-vehicle test bed in part because the minivan’s size makes it ideal to carry the myriad sensors autonomous driving requires.

The Pacifica’s height also makes it a tall platform to give sensors the best possible view of the van’s surroundings.

The great test of the technology may be whether Google is confident enough to allow testing of its self-driving minivans by independent evaluators.

Demand for electric cars will face a crucial test this year, as the Chevrolet Bolt brings a new level of affordability and practicality to the technology.

The Bolt’s EPA-rated range of 238 miles on a single charge and base price just under $30,000 after tax incentives should put the roomy, zero-emission hatchback in competition not just with other environmental heroes, but family vehicles like the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata and Ford Escape.

Other electric cars, including the Kia Soul and Volkswagen e-Golf, are increasing their ranges dramatically, though not nearly to the Bolt’s level. And don’t forget Tesla’s eagerly awaited 3, which aims to challenge the Bolt for the longest range at the best price.

“Electric cars are getting better thanks to more energy-dense batteries,” said Bill Visnic, Society of Automotive Engineers editorial director.

If EVs don’t move into the mainstream this year, you have to wonder whether the technology will ever make the leap.

48 volts strike like lightning

How does a hybrid car that costs a mere $500 more than a base-model sound to you? Shock absorbers that turn the energy generated when a wheel hits a pothole into more miles per gallon? Superfast heated seats and steering wheels?

That and more is on the horizon as automakers adopt 48-volt electric systems. Excluding hybrids, modern vehicles use 12-volt systems. The more powerful 48v units enable a range of features for more comfort, better performance and improved fuel economy, but at a lower cost and with less risk than hybrids’ 300v systems.

“The German manufacturers are likely to bring 48-volt systems to market first. Mercedes’ all-new engine family uses 48V electric superchargers,” said Lindsay Brooke, editor-in-chief of Automotive Engineering, the magazine of the Society of Automotive Engineers. “Forty-eight-volt systems offer a lot of bang for the buck, including hybrids that give you 70% of the benefit of current high-voltage systems for 30% of the cost.”

The Bentley Bentayga luxury SUV is the only vehicle currently sold in the U.S. with 48-volt features, an adaptive suspension. Look for that to change soon.

Electrifying axles for fun and fuel economy

How do automakers simultaneously meet soaring demand for SUVs and rising fuel economy standards? Suppliers are lining up to sell them electrically powered axles. Already available on the Volvo XC90, BMW i8 and plug-in hybrids and the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, e-axles, as they are called, will show up on a number of new vehicles soon, including the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid.

Adding a rear e-axle to a front-wheel drive vehicle can improve performance, handling, and foul-weather ability at lower cost and with less fuel consumption than conventional four-wheel-drive systems. Expect to see more of them, particularly as 48v electric systems become more common.

“It’s a rare fusion of technologies that can simultaneously offer engineering benefits and give buyers some of today’s most desirable features,” SAE editorial director Visnic said.