Recharging your car in twenty minutes

Recharging your car in twenty minutes

The future is now, it seems. Later this year, you’ll be able to almost completely charge an electric car in 20 minutes. We’ve already reached the point where we can do it wirelessly, and now we’ll be able to do it in the time it takes to cook a frozen pizza.

It's as simple as using a single standardized connector that accepts DC fast charging, which was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It’ll be used first by BMW and GM, though Audi, Chrysler, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen are reported to be following suit. Specifically, the BMW i3 and the Chevrolet Spark EV are the first two cars to employ the DC fast charge.

“The DC Combo quick charger changes the game,” said GM’s director of advanced vehicle commercialization policy Britta Gross. “Imagine stopping off for a cup of coffee, plugging in your vehicle at the fast charge station outside, run in for your cup of coffee, 10 minutes, 20 minutes later, you have a fully charged vehicle.”

The charger itself is strikingly simple. It uses a single car connector for AC and DC charging, which means it's compatible with the older, standard AC charging stations. But the DC charging is the fast one, bringing the BMW i3 to an 80 percent charge in 20 minutes.

That’s enough for about 80 miles of driving. Obviously, cars with larger batteries will take a longer time to charge, but the BMW i3 offers a pretty good average estimate. AMAZON GIFT CARD GENERATOR

Read More

Squba, world's first swimming car!!!

Squba, world's first swimming car!!! 

Touted as the "world's first real submersible car", the sQuba was apparently inspired by the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. According to a company representative at the Motorshow, the convertible sports car works just like any regular automobile on land. But once it hits the water, three engines powered by onboard Lithium-ion batteries convert the car into a submersible vehicle capable of going at 6km/h on water and 3km/h underwater up to a depth of 10m. However, unlike Bond's bubble-sealed Lotus Esprit submarine, the sQuba remains open-topped and won't leave your tux all dry and pressed when it gets to land again. 

Not surprisingly, the concept sQuba needs to come with diamond-coated non-slip textile seats and fabrics that drain off water quickly, among other innovations. It's just a pity the exhibitors weren't able to demo the vehicle's underwater capabilities. Now that would really have been a treat for car enthusiasts. 

For the Motorshow, the sQuba will be landlocked. Fortunately, the sQuba isn't the only highlight at this year's event. Car makers also unveiled a handful of new vehicles, including the Subaru 7-seater Exiga, third-generation Honda City and new Nissan Murano SUV. Visitors will also get a chance to see the Honda RA108 Formula One car up close.

Read More

A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

Self-driving cars are the future and various groups are currently working on perfecting their self-driving cars and preparing them for the masses. Oxford University tested out their own self-driving car system recently to much success. It’s able to perform well on regular commutes and in traffic jams, and the team is currently working on a system that will allow their car to easily map surrounding areas. Google’s self-driving car system is doing well too, being able to perform daily tasks with ease, and most of time being able to drive better than humans. A few reports from Google’s team, however, state that there are a few flaws that need to be worked on. While Google’s self-driving car may be able to handle normal driving tasks, it can hit a few roadblocks under certain circumstances. These problems are fixable, but will require much creative thinking amongst the Google team (something they are obviously pretty good at). The 3 issues plaguing the self-driving car system include: Driving in snow, driving in areas with unsuspected changes in the road, and driving in areas where a human is directing traffic.

While driving in the snow, the car’s sensors have a hard time analyzing the lane markers on the road, which it needs to be able to do in order to stay correctly in its lane. When the cars come across an unexpected change in the roads that is not recorded in its mapping system, it becomes lost and is unable to find its way around, or find an alternate route to its destination. And last, while driving through areas where traffic needs to be directed by a human, such as construction zones, the car is unable to analyze the traffic director’s gestures and thus becomes confused.

The engineers are currently working on fixes for these problems, and it may require some out-of-the-box thinking. Development of self-driving cars is advancing further and further and I can’t wait for them be available to the masses. Currently, the prices of self-driving car systems are speculated to cost an arm an a leg, but the teams are working on reducing those costs down to a much more affordable price tag.

[via Business Insider]

Read More

Volvo Introduces the World's First Car Equipped With Pedestrian Airbags

Volvo Introduces the World's First Car Equipped With Pedestrian Airbags

Swedish carmaker Volvo has unveiled the world’s first car with external airbags to ensure the safety of pedestrians and protect them from serious had and neck injuries. The airbag is located under the hood and inflates at the base of the windshield while enabling the driver to see ahead. The new Volvo V40 hatchback goes on sale in Australia today.

In addition to the external airbag mechanism, the new car—which was recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland—also features a pedestrian detection system. Once a pedestrian steps in front of the vehicle, the car’s brakes apply automatically if the driver doesn’t react fast enough. If the sensors detect an imminent collision with a pedestrian while driving at high speed, the airbag pops-up and inflates in a U-shape.

Numbers state that there has been a decrease in pedestrian deaths in Australia, but these still account for 13 percent of all traffic related fatalities. According to Volvo, nearly 12 percent of all road accident deaths in the US are still pedestrian related.

“It’s fantastic technology and every car should have it,” said Harold Scruby, road safety campaigner and the chairman of the Pedestrian Council Of Australia. She pointed out the lack of federal regulations when it comes to pedestrian protection, which is partially to blame for a small number of cars like Volvo V40 on the streets.

Read More

Bosch Automated driving

Bosch Automated driving

Bosch Automated driving a high-performance driver assistance systems, helping drivers reach their destinations safely and more comfortably. In the near future, the advanced system will be able to analyze more complex traffic situations and act either independently or by supporting the driver. Bosch, the German electronics company, is developing solutions with increasing level of automation, for an intelligent forward thinking vehicle. An accident free driving reality.

“With each innovation, we move a step closer to the goal of accident-free and fully-automated driving. With automated functions will reduce the driver’s burden more and more, thereby creating space for productivity, communication or entertainment while driving.” See the video here: http://youtu.be/0D0ZN2tPihQ

Read More