Showing posts with label automobile technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label automobile technology. Show all posts

Friday 19 April 2019

Volvo Cars Warn Each Other of Slippery Roads and Hazards

Volvo Cars Warn Each Other of Slippery Roads
Recently, Volvo cars across the Europe have come up with the features, where Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads or any kind of other hazards. They will do with the help of connected technology.

Well, in the year of 2016, slippery road alert and Hazard Light alert was introduced. It was first introduced in the cars of Volvo’s S90 and V90 in Sweden and Norway respectively. Now, using that alert system Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads.

Now, the European authority has decided that this cloud-based system will be included in the all the new models of the cars and also,they will install the system on the all the existing models according to the company’s CMA or SPA platforms from the models of 2016 and onwards. Therefore, it will be easier for Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads.

MalinEkholm, the head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center stated that “Sharing real-time safety data between cars can help avoid accidents.”

Well, this is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication tech where a cloud-based system will allow the slippery road alert and the Hazard Light Alert system to communicate with other vehicles. For example, whenever a Volvo vehicle, which is equipped with this system, switches on the hazard light, all the nearby Volvo cars that are connected with the cloud service will receive the signal. In this way Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads.

On the other hand, the slippery road alert works anonymously by collecting the information of road surface from the cars that are ahead in the road. They can alert the drivers who are behind them so that they can stay away from unwanted accidents.

This system will be amazingly beneficial in case of blind turns as well as when you will be on the over the crest of the hill.

Lately, several announcements were made by the Volvo cars and the main objective of those announcements was the betterment of the driver behavior along with safer driving. From the year of 2020, not only Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads but they will also confine their speed limit to 180 Kph. It will start in the early 2020s and the company will also install in-car cameras along with other sensors, which will monitor the driver and will permit intervene if they find out that the driver was intoxicated or distracted, risking his own life as well of the others. Thus, you can understand the importance of Volvo Cars warns each other of slippery roads and the number of life it will save.

Finally, the company has announced that they are making safety knowledge easily accessible by providing it to the central digital library.

So, this is how Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads in Europe. This initiative will not only decrease the number of accident but will also promote the better driver behavior. So, in future when Volvo Cars warn each other of slippery roads, you can expect that it will be a significant step for the betterment of Europe.

Monday 12 November 2018

The All New Harley Davidson- LiveWire Electric Bike

LiveWire Electric Bike
This is the generation of electric vehicles. Many companies are in the process of making their own spin off on the modern day fuel powered vehicle. But this time around it is with electricity. In many places still, the electric powered vehicle is in use, so it is not just a concept that is thought of, but now a reality. The latest company to show off its new electric vehicle is Harley Davidson. Harley Davidson now brings us its new and first of its kind- electric powered motorcycle- the LiveWire.

It has been 4 years since Harley Davidson came out with news of the concept electric bike. But now finally the wait is over. The motorbike company is all set to release the LiveWire.

The Launch of the Electric Motorbike- LiveWire: 


The production ready bike LiveWire has been launched by the company at the EICMA motorcycle show held in Italy earlier this week. At present LiveWire is just production ready and will be available at stores only next year.

LiveWire to Save Brand: 


Harley Davidson has a lot riding on the LiveWire. The company hopes that their new electric bike will help revive a drooping brand. LiveWire will not be the only electric bike that Harley Davidson plans on coming out with.

LiveWire will just be the first in a long and successful electric bike lineup that Harley Davidson hopes to launch in coming years. The first portfolio of Harley Davidson electric powered bikes is all set for take- off in 2022.

Encouraging the switch to Electric: 


To make the switch to electric smoother for customers, Harley Davidson plans on starting Level 2 public chargers at dealer locations that will sell the LiveWire.

At present many people are weary of using an electric powered vehicle because of a lack of charging stations but with this initiative, Harley Davidson hopes to remove such notions and get people to buy the LiveWire and its ilk.

What little we Know of the Specs of the LiveWire: 


The LiveWire will be powered by a magnet electric motor that will lower the center of gravity and make it easier for the driver to handle the bike at different speeds and also to make it easier to control when stopped.

The LiveWire will also have two batteries one main one which is encased by a finned cast aluminum housing and a secondary 12 volt lithium ion one that will power the lights, controls, horn and instrument display of the LiveWire bike.

The LiveWire bike will also have seven riding modes 3 of which will be rider defined. The LiveWire bike will also have an adjustable screen above the handlebar which will be used for Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, music and many other features.

The signature Harley Davidson Sound: 


This time around the Harley Davidson sound will not be present as it is an electric powered bike.But fear not Harley Davidson has put in a tone that will increase in pitch and in volume as the Bike increases its speed.

Thursday 12 April 2018

Direct High-Speed Charging of Electric Cars by Solar Panels

Direct Charging of Electric Cars

Charging Electric cars via a solar panel

Electric cars are now the “in thing”. With this fad on the up and up, many are now looking for ways to charge the car in ways that can be energy efficient. The whole point of these electric cars is that they should not take up much fuel and can be charged from renewable sources of energy that does not require the burning of fossil fuels, which would otherwise be the same thing as filling up the car with all fuel. Therefore researchers have now discovered a novel way to charge these electric cars using solar energy.

Researchers are now considering charging electric cars using solar panels. By using this method of charging the cars, people will not only save the environment from the burning of fossil fuels but will also be using a renewable source of energy, this is besides getting tax concessions.

Charging electric cars using solar panels and their problems: 


Present practice in using a solar panel means that charge from the solar panel has to be converted from direct current to alternating current to charge an electric car. This normally would require a 50Hz AC network, to convert the direct current into alternating current.

But this method is not really beneficial for anyone. In that it is not cost effective or efficient. This is because of two main reasons. To convert current to AC involves a lot of costs and needs many steps. Secondly, to convert from DC to AC requires two converters one for the solar panel and the other for the car, again leading to high costs and installments.

What’s the solution then? 


A better alternative as discovered by the researchers is to use a single converter that charges the car from the panels via a DC link which connects to the AC electricity grid.

Researchers then came up with a 10kW converter that has an internal DC link and three terminals that would allow the car to charge both from the solar panel and the electricity grid.

What’s so good about this method is that the integrated DC charger has a higher efficiency and is three times smaller than the current practice.

Another advantage of using this method is that not only will you be able to charge your car, you will now also be able to charge your entire house using this new method. You could also return the electricity back to the grid that is not before first converting it into AC.

The Future of Charging Electric cars: 


This system can be expanded to connect several chargers to solar panels thus expanding its use to business parks and residential areas. The company Power Research Electronics has gone a step further and made this theoretical system a reality by developing a number of high speed charging stations of this type.
In this way electric cars will not only consume less fuel, thereby burning less fossil fuel and in turn less damage to the atmosphere, but will also earn tax concessions by using a renewable source of energy.

Wednesday 11 April 2018

HumanDrive Project: Mimicking human driving in autonomous vehicles

HumanDrive Project

HumanDrive Project: Human like driving in Autonomous cars

With AI technology and machine learning the latest “in things”, autonomous driving was never that far away. We already see some forms of it on the road, whether it be in the form of autonomous parking or cruise control, all of this has to do with AI and machine learning tech. The HumanDrive project started by Nissan’s European center will test out how autonomous cars face the UK terrain, through country sides and motorways.

The HumanDrive project will feature a 30 month trek across the UK all without the input or intervention of humans. It’s going to be human- like driving without the human behind the steering wheel.

What is the HumanDrive Project? 


The HumanDrive project aims at making the outside world think that a human is driving a car when in reality all the systems within the car will be operated by a machine. The challenge is for the autonomous car to appear like a human is driving it through all types of terrains and through all types of landscapes whether it be through the country side or in crowded towns.

Handing in the reins of the vehicle to a machine, may prove to be a smoother experience for a driver than simply using automated driving for parking or during cruise control.

Using various simulation models and in depth analysis of how drivers behave on the road were the key ingredients when it came to developing automated driving in the HumanDrive project.

By identifying the key ingredients in the HumanDrive project, researchers were able to list the risks and behaviors of human drivers in those scenarios and establish it within the HumanDrive project.

How autonomous should a car be in the HumanDrive Project? 


Studies conducted by researchers on the HumanDrive project was done so as to determine the degree of autonomous driving that people preferred and whether the driving should mimic individual styles. All these studies were directed at determining the level of control in such autonomous vehicles in the HumanDrive project.

Testing of the HumanDrive project: 


Researchers applied an externally created autonomous driving software to a simulation model in order to determine risks and responses in those settings.

Another method of testing had been to develop geo-specific databases that would give the autonomous vehicle a feel of the terrain in which they would be driving.

The HumanDrive Journey: 


The HumanDrive project will kick start its 200 plus mile journey through the UK and culminate in December of next year. The journey will take the autonomous vehicles through the country side and motorways. The whole idea behind the project is to foster confidence in such human-less vehicles and to increase public awareness of them. Another aim of the HumanDrive project is to aid public authorities to benefit from such automated technologies.

The business of automated vehicles: 

Low carbon consumption vehicles and automated vehicles are the future of transport. As the demand for these vehicles increase and more and more people go in for such transport the possibilities of this business sector is enormous. To be more accurate it is 52bn pounds by the year 2035 to the UK alone.

Sunday 31 December 2017

BMW X3 2018: With a King Called X3 M40i

The third generation of the BMW X3 will debut in Frankfurt, but it has already been revealed The German SUV will be manufactured in the United States and promises to be a bestseller Its range part of a 2.0 diesel engine of 190 horses with a price of 51,000 euros

The BMW X3 M40i acts as top of the range thanks to its 360 horsepower

The 2017 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show will witness the presentation of the new BMW X3. A premiere forced by the huge competition in the SUV segment and reinforced by the successes that are reaping the X1 and the X5. Like the latter, it is built on the CLAR platform. However, before its official debut the BMW X3 has been presented in California. The most German SUV is born in America and the BMW X3 M40i is its best example.

It will not be until the next Frankfurt Motor Show when the third generation of the BMW X3 arrives in Europe, but we already know all its details after its presentation at the factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it will be manufactured. Based on the CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform that already uses the X5, the new SUV of the Bavarian firm will be 100 kilos lighter than its predecessor, a figure that should be taken into account if we look at its new measures. Apart from this, its design is more elaborate and complex than in the BMW X1, following the line of the BMW 5 Series or the BMW 7 Series.

To speak of a clean design is to do it of an SUV that will have a fluid design in spite of having a muscled frontal and that transmits power. Its bumper and its traditional kidney-shaped grille (larger) mark the front, although optical groups with LED technology also exude a great personality thanks to its sharper design. The anti-fog lights contribute to this sensation, for the first time with hexagonal shape in an X model. The alloy wheels in black finish give a very sporty touch to its side image, although they are reserved for the BMW X3 M40i variant. Its lines are more sculpted and marked.

In his rear, the BMW X3 marks differences with the X5. However, the third generation of the medium-sized SUV of the brand maintains the tailgate of a piece despite its widened pilots, which is associated with the opening of the moon individually and the opening without hands with sensor. This will allow a much easier access to a large boot that will have different load levels depending on the position of the seats. Its rear is completed by a small spoiler, LED optical groups and a double exhaust outlet. BMW will offer the X3 under three variants: 'xLine', 'Luxury Line' with chrome accents and 'M Sport'. The front or the rims are the main elements that change between each version.

On a mechanical level, the BMW X3 will arrive in the fall with a complete range of propellers that have been revised and that improve the features offered in the outgoing model. The range of the BMW X3 will start with the sDrive20i and xDrive20i versions. The first will not be available in Europe, while the second will be available, but none will arrive before the spring of 2018. In both cases, it would mount a four-cylinder engine associated with a Steptronic 8-speed gearbox.

This propeller offers 185 horses and 290 Newton / meter. Its acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour is set at 8.3 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 215 kilometers per hour. The combined consumption for the European variant is 7.2 liters per 100.

The BMW X3 xDrive30i will arrive at dealerships in December 2017 and will equip a four-cylinder petrol engine associated with a Steptronic 8-gear box. Its power is 252 horses and its torque of 350 Newton / meter.

Accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 6.3 seconds, while its maximum speed is set at 240 kilometers per hour. Top of the range is the BMW X3 M40i with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with the aforementioned 8-speed Steptronic box. Its power is 360 horses and its torque of 500 Newton / meter. Accelerates from 0 to 100 in 4.8 seconds and its maximum speed is 250 kilometers per hour.

For its part, the Diesel range is defined by two models. The first is the BMW X3 xDrive20d with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine associated with an 8-speed Steptronic gearbox. Its power is 190 horses and its torque of 400 Newton / meter. Accelerates in 8.0 seconds from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour, while its top speed is 213 kilometers per hour. Its consumption is 5.4 liters at 100. For its part, the BMW X3 xDrive30d equipped a diesel engine with six cylinders in line with identical transmission that the range of the range. This 3.0-liter engine offers 265 horsepower and 620 Newton / meter of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 in 5.8 seconds, its maximum speed is 240 kilometers per hour and its combined consumption of 6.0 liters at 100.

As regards its interior, the BMW X3 presents a total renovation. It presents new and more modern finishes under the trademark of the brand, as well as a wide technological endowment that begins with the infotainment system already equipped with the Series 5 and Series 7. The dashboard is completely digital, it has three areas of air conditioning and a touch screen of 10.2 inches with Air-Touch technology that becomes the protagonist in the center console.

The new X3 will feature Head-up Display with integrated browser information. As in the exterior, there are optional packages and different versions to create personalized spaces and everything from the hand of the most complete technological equipment. The third generation of the German SUV equips Adapatito Cruise Control with Driving Assistant Plus.

It also has a lane guidance assistant and the assistant to change lanes as a result of the incorporation of the first semiautonomous driving technologies. All these semi-autonomous systems are included in the so-called BMW Connected Drive and in the BMW Co-Pilot system with complete integration of mobile devices. Some navigation or infotainment functions can be controlled by gestures or by voice commands.

Finally, with regard to its cost, BMW Group has already made public the official prices that will have in Spain the first three versions of the new SAV -Sports Activity Vehicle- of the Bavarian house, all of them with integral traction and two of the which will be Diesel: access to the range will be available with the X3 20d of 190 horses from 51,000 euros, the first six-cylinder engine will be defined by the 30d of 265 horses from 59,500 euros and, finally, the top of the range will be personified in the M40i of 360 horses from 70,500 euros.

Already on the X3 20d there is an exceptional standard equipment among which we find 18-inch alloy wheels, electric tailgate, distance control in front and rear parking, automatic three-zone climate control, LED lights, multifunctional sports leather steering wheel, light and rain sensor, adaptive cruise control with emergency braking function, hands-free, several USB sockets and intelligent emergency call, among others.

Are still pending to be included in the range the basic 20i petrol engine of 185 horses, whose cost is expected to be below its petrol-fueled counterpart, the intermediate power 30i petrol engine of 252 horses, also a few thousand euros more cheap that the 30d and, finally, a powerful X3 M of approximately 430 horses that recently captured one of our collaborators rolling down a Spanish highway with its due dose of camouflage.

Although we have talked about it throughout the article, special mention deserves the BMW X3 M40i as top of the range of the new X3. It is the first M Performance model of the series waiting for the X3 M and as such marks notable differences. It has a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a preparation that allows you to climb laps faster and have a great capacity for recovery. This propeller offers 360 horsepower and a torque of 500 Newton / meter. This propeller is associated with a 8-speed Steptronic gearbox with Launch Control. There is no lack of the xDrive all-wheel drive system.

The BMW X3 M40i is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.8 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour. Their combined consumption is 8.2 to 8.4 liters per 100 kilometers, while the CO2 emissions of this SUV are set at 188 to 193 grams per kilometer. Beyond these data, it should be noted that the X3 M40i additionally presents a special adjustment and several specific details that enhance and accentuate the performance and dynamic qualities of this SUV.

What do we mean? On the one hand is the specific M Performance kit that includes an aerodynamic kit 'M', an M sports exhaust system with outputs with dark chrome finish. This kit also includes specific brakes 'M' and an exclusive setting for the chassis (optionally adaptive), which is essential to take advantage of the variable sport steering. It also equips light tires of 20 inches, while technologically they emphasize the system 'Performance Control'. It should be remembered that the BMW X3 M40i arrives in autumn and has a price in Spain of 70,500 euros.

Saturday 25 November 2017

NeoXCraft: British Company Reveals Its Luxury Flying Car

The future in cars is upon us. We saw flying cars in ‘The Jetsons’, a serial on Cartoon Network, some years ago. The kids were talking about flying cars then. This seems like becoming a reality.

VRCO (Vehicle Redesign Company), has revealed that they will be launching a flying car in 2020. This amphibious car will not only fly in air, but travel on the road as well.

The car is slated to take off vertically. In other words, you can even take off in the NeoXCraft from right outside your home or your place of work.

The NeoXCraft project has been sponsored by investors to the tune of about 500,000 pounds. VRCO is expecting to get another 10m pounds from private individuals. This backing for the NeoXCraft project will help the company in creating these futuristic vehicles as well as get the Civil Aviation Authority to certify it. It will be a big boost in the car manufacturing sector, as there will be no carbon emission, less road congestion and promises to be more efficient.

About 100 orders for the NeoXCraft vehicles have already been placed. They are expected to be ready in the year 2020. Only those who are qualified, will be able to pilot the NeoXCraft.

Features

The NeoXCraft can accommodate two passengers with a maximum of 180kg capacity. It can travel at speeds of 210mph (320 kph) and between 1000ft to 3000ft for an hour. It will be controlled by a computer program and will also have an in-built parachute. The NeoXCraft comes at a cost of 1.5 million pounds ($2 million).

It has 4 high-powered fans that act as propellers, enabling the NeoXCraft to reach its speed of 210mph. At the time of landing, these fans fold down and you can use it as wheels while driving on the road.

Working Principle

The NeoXCraft will take off vertically, making it possible to take off from right outside your home or work place. The 4 high-powered fans act as propellers enabling the NeoXCraft to attain its speed of 210mph. The NeoXCraft is computer controlled and equipped with voice commands to enable flying in the air and driving on the road. At the time of landing, the fans will fold and act as wheels for driving on the road. Parking too is done by the NeoXCraft itself. You need to push a button to convert the NeoXCraft from flight mode to road mode.

It is considered to have a short range for driving and medium range for flying.

If the NeoXCraft proves to be a success, then it will become the much anticipated car of the future. It can be a trendsetter for other models. They will have an autonomous electric program that will help to fly passengers with no driver. It will bring about road decongestion, purer air; free from carbon emission. We will see a future with flying cars, which will actually be the supercars of the sky with all the trimmings of luxury and high-performance.

Saturday 14 October 2017

Rolls-Royce Reveals Plans for Autonomous Naval Vessel

Rolls-Royce unveils plans for autonomous naval vessel

The ship concept is designed to be capable of operating offshore for more than 100 days, will shift 700 tons and will reach speeds above 25 knots.

Rolls-Royce has unveiled plans for a single-role, autonomous navy vessel concept with a range of 3,500 nautical miles.

The ship concept is designed to be capable of operating offshore for more than 100 days, will shift 700 tons and will reach speeds above 25 knots. The 60-meter-long vessel is designed to perform a series of unique role missions, eg patrol and surveillance, mine detection or fleet screening. The heart of the boat is a robust and reliable propulsion system. This combines proven Rolls-Royce experience in gas and diesel turbines with a proven track record in electric propulsion, power storage and propellers.

According to Benjamin Thorp, Managing Director of Naval Electrics, Automation, and Control at Rolls-Royce, "Rolls-Royce is seeing the interest of the major armies in autonomous ships, rather than remote-controlled ones, reduce crew risk and reduce construction and operating costs.

"Over the next 10 years, Rolls-Royce expects to see the introduction of medium-sized unmanned rigs, particularly in the main armies, as the concept of mixed manned and unmanned fleets develops.".

The largest manned ships will cover multi-role missions. By allowing the composition of the fleet to blend in this way, the marinas will reap the operational and cost benefits of autonomous navy vessel concept.

The initial design features a complete electric propulsion system that requires fewer auxiliary systems (lubrication, cooling system, etc.) and offers better reliability levels than mechanical counterparts. It has two groups of Rolls-Royce MTU 4000 series that provide about 4MW of electrical power to a 1.5MW propulsion unit. An alternative to diesel engines could be small gas turbines, further improving system reliability and reducing on-board maintenance. Azipull permanent magnet propellers, along with a tunnel pusher mounted at the bow, will make the vessel highly maneuverable. To reduce fuel consumption and extend the range of operation, an additional 3000 kWh of energy storage will facilitate efficient low-speed operations and the vessel will also be equipped with photovoltaic solar panels to generate power when the vessel is on hold.

The absence of crew increases the need for very reliable power and propulsion systems. Rolls-Royce's approach is to combine advanced intelligent asset management and system redundancy in a cost-effective way that avoids sacrificing the cost savings and volumes achieved by eliminating the crew. A set of autonomous navy vessel concept support tools, developed by Rolls-Royce, such as energy management, equipment health monitoring and predictive and remote maintenance, will ensure the availability of unmanned vessels.

Many of the technologies needed to make autonomous navy vessel concept ships a reality already exist. Rolls-Royce has created what it believes.

Tuesday 22 August 2017

How Self Driving Cars will Get Your Hands Back on the Wheel

Prevailing Navigation System in Cars

Self-driving cars will be driving themselves very soon on long expanses on the highway and it is left to be seen when the car seems to need you to take the wheel. In Germany, at a Bosch-sponsored event, the automotive equipment supplier had shown a solution which tends to work in the same way to the prevailing navigation systems in cars.

The function had been examined by a passenger who took the passenger seat of a heavily modified Tesla Model S while a Bosch test pilot had taken the driver seat for a demonstration on the test track of the company near Frankfurt, Germany.

As the car reached a section of road where it was permitted for self-driving cars, the centre screen calculated the distance and once in the zone area, the driver pushed two buttons on the steering then and let the car manipulate the driving.

As the car neared the end of the approved self-driving zone, the screen started to calculate the distance to when the driver required to take back control portraying and sounding alerts as they got nearer. The information seemed to be the same as the navigation system showing the distance to the next turn, which most of the drivers would find accustomed.

 

Level 3 Self-Driving

 
This competence signified the next step in driver support to what engineers consider Level 3 self-driving, where humans tend to share control with the car. This is a natural evolution of self-driving cars system from the prevailing adaptive cruise control systems that could regulate the speed of the car in relation to the traffic ahead.

Together with the adaptive cruise control cars progressively is likely to come with lane keeping systems which tends to use cameras in recognizing lane line and steering the car in order to avert it from travelling into another lane. In order to permit Level 3 self-driving cars would have to maintain high definition maps of precise roads.

Technology partners together with automakers could develop maps and also wirelessly modernize them to prevailing cars. When the car tends to driver on a mapped road, it has the potential of taking over the driving and the computer of the car is said to constantly compare what its sensors view with its stored map. Super Cruise technology had been recently demonstrated by Cadillac utilising this methodology that would be made available in the next few years.
 

Easier Driving Environments – Highways/Freeways

 
However, when this technology tends to be made available, high definition maps will not be accessible for every road. Similarly, the automakers could also opt for easier driving environments like the highways as well as freeways for the purpose of self-driving cars instead of suburban or city streets.

One can visualize driving down I-5 on the west coast, I-95 down the east coast or I-80 through the country and after merging on the freeway, your car tells you it can take over and so you permit it to drive for some hundred miles to your exit and then take the wheel for the off-ramp.

There could be issues when the section of high definition mapped road may run out and the driver does not seem to take charge. A solution was shown by Bosch for this type of a scenario. When the driver had not taken the wheel after several audio as well as visual warnings, the car seemed to pull over to the side of the road safely.

In the near future, drivers may be awaken from their nap to find that their self-driving cars are parked in a selected pull-over zone, relaxed though several miles down the road.

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Nuna9 Solar Car Revealed

solar car

Nuna9 - Revolutionary


Nuna9 has been designed differently from anything that has ever been created in the solar racing world and the most significant aerodynamic change is that the nose of the Nuna9 has now become more compact and does not tend to overhang any longer.

 The organisers of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge tend to control the regulations for each edition. The solar panel this year is only allowed to be a maximum of 4 m² in comparison to 6 m² in the earlier race. The team aerodynamicist, Jasper Hemmes, had explained that the design of Nuna9 tends to signify a new step ahead in solar racing.

As a consequence of the change to the World Solar challenge regulation, the need of a smaller solar panel had been utilised on cars of this year. This could mean that they had to make dramatic modifications to the car and eventually they had reached at this exceptional shape. The details of the solar car had not been kept undisclosed till date, from the competitors.

Sander Koot, team captain had stated that Nuna9 is revolutionary and the shape of the car is totally different to the earlier solar cars. They wanted to keep the new shape a secret for as long as possible to refrain from letting the competition in the open.

Take on the Dutch Nuna9


In recent years, the gap between the different teams during the race had been lessening down. They also had seen elements of the earlier solar cars reflected in what the other teams had been in the race. It had been naturally important to them once again in bringing home the world championship title this year.

This was the reason why the TU Delft students have kept the interior of the car away from interfering eyes. Sander chuckled that they do not want to go giving them ideas. After winning the race on various cases as well as the reigning world champion, the Nuon Solar Team is said to be the clear favourite to take the title home in Australia.

The controllers of the race have now been utilising the slogan `Take on the Dutch’ in order to challenge teams from across the world to try and overcome the team from TU Delft. To characteristically direct their winning mentality, the team had intended to mount a lion’s mane on their solar car.

Mane of Lion – Symbolic of Dutch Pride/Glory


Sarah Bennink Bolt, a member of the team had explained that the mane radiates strength and the larger the lion’s mane, the stronger and more invincible he is. The mane of the lion is also symbolic of Dutch pride and glory. The Nuon Solar Team for this year tends to comprise of sixteen students.

They will be defending their world title in October 2017 during the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with Nuna9, their self-built solar car. The TU Delft students had won the race in total of six times inclusive of the last edition of the race in 2015. They had covered over 3,000 kilometres and the track had stretched around Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide.

Thursday 3 August 2017

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Hypercar Gets Closer To Production

The Aston Martin Valkyrie


Aston Martin and F1 team Red Bull Racing had revealed their innovative hypercar dubbed AM-RB 001 in July 2016. At the Geneva Motor show, the real name of the car had been eventually disclosed to the world - `The Aston Martin Valkyrie’.

It comes charged with crafting a road car built exceptional invention partnership with Red Bull and Aston Martin wherein the collaboration had designed a car similar to which has not been seen till now. The designer Marek Reichaman of Aston Martin and Adrian of Red Bull Racing have been working together on all aspects of the project striving to make sure that the care is totally useable as well as enjoyable as a road car though with the potential of performing like no other road car on a race track.

For those interested in driving experience, a track-only version is in progress and the probable performance is in line with the prevailing LMP1 Le Mans sports prototypes. Valkyrie tends to continue the tradition of `V’ cars of Aston Martin that had started in 1951 with the Vantage and had been selected as a name to distinguish high performance variants of the present model, the DB2. It continued this lineage in the Virage, Vanquish and Vulcan.

Fabricated Around Lightweight Carbon Fibre Structure


The Valkyrie, fabricated around a lightweight carbon fibre structure tends to have thorough aerodynamics which is said to deliver unique stages of down-force in a road-legal car wherein most of the down-force has been produced through the underfloor aerodynamics.

The same had been constructed by David King together with his team for purpose-built facility developed for the original hypercar, the One-77 of Aston Martins. The Valkyrie is said to be a hybrid, a reunion of a 6.5-litre V 12 with a type of electric powertrain developing more than 1,000 horsepower. There is a bespoke seven-speed paddle-shift transmission coupled to the all-new engine.

It has been designed and manufactured to the specifications of Ricardoto Red Bull Advanced Technologies, where the gearbox would be an appropriate partner to Cosworth’s V12 engine. Besides assigning the ultimate road-legal car, the Valkyrie also tends to boast of a lightweight hybrid battery system provided by Rimac. The Croatian company, recognized as the world leaders in high performance battery technology, has also showcased its competences with the innovative Concept-One which is said to be the first and the fastest electric hypercar in the world.

AM-RB 001 Needs Braking System


Comprising of a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1 – 1 horsepower for each kilogram of kerbweight, the AM-RB 001 needs a braking system which tends to be more than equal of its powertrain. Alcon and Surface Transforms, together tend to be responsible in supplying the lightweight, high performance brake calipers together with carbon discs required in delivering the stopping power.

Electronic experts, Bosch, Transmission Control Unit –TCU and Electronic Stability Programme – ESP has been entrusted with developing bespoke engine Control Unit – ECU, to permit maximum efficiency, performance together with dynamic control while UK light manufacturer, Wipac is in charge for the full LED headlamps and tail lamps of the hypercar.

Around 150 road-legal Aston Martin Valkyries would be constructed inclusive of all outstanding models with an additional track-only versions of 25, have been planned. The first deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019.

Friday 21 July 2017

First Tesla Model 3 Electric Car Rolling Off Production Line

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 Electric Car


The much anticipated first lower-cost Tesla Model 3 electric car would eventually be rolling off the assembly line for the public, awaiting a `concluding checkout’. Its new owner, Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk had recently tweeted that `Production Unit 1 of Model 3 has now been built and will go through the last checkout, when he unveiled the image of a real Model 3.

The one-man marketing machine who had also taken on a huge, high profile battery project in Australia and runs a privateer space company Space X had shared some images of the Model 3. Tesla is said to be working on a restricted production run of the Model 3 electric car and the first 30 new cars are estimated to be delivered to consumers by July 28.

In numerous Twitter posts, Musk has mentioned that the California-based company would be producing 100 cars by August and over 1,500 in September. It seems that they could reach a target of 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in December. A European launch is anticipated at a later date but Tesla had estimated a delivery of vehicles for new reservations would be taking a year or longer.

 

Attain Highest Safety Ratings



Model 3 is considered to be a most important step for Tesla and would come up at a price of around $35,000 in the US which is less than half the cost of its Model S saloon car. It tends to attain 215 miles (346 km) of range for each charge though will be available for as little as $27,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. It has been created to attain the highest safety ratings in each classification.

Its design is said to match that of a pre-production car which had been on display last year, before the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. Tesla is said to hold a party for the handing over of the first 30 Models 3s to US customers on 28th July just as it had done for launches of the Model S as well as Model X in the past inclusive of the launch of the Model S in London in June 2014.

The Model 3 is considered to be the third model in the present range from the company which comprises of Model s and Model X, a crossover SUV which had been delivered to the customer nearly 18 months later than scheduled.

First Mass-Market Vehicle


The limiting of options of Tesla for the Model 3 to choice of colour as well as wheels had been made in an attempt to hurry on the manufacturing and reduce the production problem it had undergone in the past with an over-complicated list of choices for its Model X. Musk expects that the Model 3 would be the first mass-market vehicle of Tesla that would put strain on its prevailing support system together with dealerships of which there seems to be few in contrast to normal rivals like General Motors that had built over 10m cars during the same time when in 2015, Tesla had produced around 84,000 cars.

Friday 30 June 2017

Students Present Solar Car for 5 Occupants

Stella Vie – `Car of the Future’


The Students at Eindhoven University of TechnologyTU/ehave presented a solar car for 5 occupants known as Stella Vie.The team has been considering this car as a source to secure its third world title at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia (8-16 October) where it expects to highlight the prospective of solar powered family cars.

The new solar powered family car that had been unveiled recently is said to be the successor of Stella Lux and the Stella will be entered in the Bridgestone World Solar challenge in Australia later this year according to the announcement on the website of the university by TU Eindhoven solar team.

The most amazing fact regarding this car is that for the first time, it has been equipped to carry five occupants, instead of four and seems to be much more efficient than all the solar cars before it. The car has the potential of a range of around 1,000 kilometres on a summer’s day in Netherlands with few solar panels on its roof. As per the students, Stella Vie, a reference to daily family life is said to be `the car of the future’. Being powered by the sun, it has the tendency of reaching a speed of around 130 kilometres per hour.
 

Smart Navigation System


  The car comprises of new, smart technology such as parking navigation system which tends to take account of the position of the sun while parking.The car’s smart navigation system also tends to utilise the updated V2X technology to caution the driver regarding the upcoming traffic condition, enabling a safe and a much more efficient voyage.

 In order to save energy still further, Stella Vie tends to gently shove the user to drive efficiently as possible by giving refined feedback via a built-in lighting system that is inclined to caution the driver by turning red if they seem to brake too fast or speed up too violently.

From Eindhoven University of Technology, the team comprising of 23 students would be defending its world title in this forthcoming bi-annual, solar-powered car competition which tends to run 3,000 kilometres through the wilderness of Australia.The Eindhoven team had won the title in 2013 in the Cruiser Class with the Stella. The team would be competing in the Cruiser Class, for practical cars, where judging would be based on technical innovation, battery consumption together with the number of occupancy on board.
 

Solar Team Eindhoven – Contribution to Clean World


  Teams from Delft as well as Twente have been competing in the Challenger Class in the contest for the quickest solo occupant car. The Solar Team at Eindhoven have already portrayed to the world that there is a possibility of constructing an energy competent family car.

The team have designed Stella Vie to slowdown an impeccable steadiness between aerodynamic and aesthetic design and is createdto be more efficient than its forerunner, the Stella Lux.The Vie tends to increase the aero- dynamicity of its earlier siblings by 9%.

The Solar Team Eindhoven tends to make its contribution to a clean world and the main focus is to create a solar car which will be ready for the market in the future. One can imagine a world where cars would no longer require fossil fuels, a world where cars tend to be energy positive.

Thursday 25 May 2017

McLaren 720S Review: Mono-Live

McLaren 720S

720S - Unmatched By Rival Ferrari 488 GTB

You can settle back for some automotive theatre by pushing the start button in the McLaren 720S where the carbon fibre pod before your eyes seems to swivel through 90 degrees illuminating a mass of digital instruments.

Towards the entre a portrait-style infotainment system comes to life as your shoulders tend to pulsate to the launch cycle of 4.0-litre, twin turbo V8. This is followed by a heated growl from two exhausts, which has been mounted waist-high towards the rear, signalling the start. It is said to be a performance which is unmatched by the rival Ferrari 488 GTB. While coordinating with insiders of McLaren it was learnt that they had underestimated the importance of this kind of theatrics when they had launched their initial production car, in 2011.

The strangely named MP5-12C.McLaren had been considered to be the best Ferrari’s heritage and passion with production competence. Need for affected behaviour for the 720S had further been complex by an issue of McLaren’s own making. The company’s 200 mph mid-engined supercar known as the 570S already disapprovingly acclaimed is priced at £143,250. The 720S begins at a price of £208,600.

Apparent Difference – Styling

Director Haydn Baker, vehicle line director had informed  that when a customer tends to walk in a showroom and views both the cars; they had to give them a reason to gravitate to the 720S. Considering how fast the 570 tends to be, that appeal had to be about more than pure performance’.

 The most apparent difference had been the styling. Though several of the manufacturers tend to create a family of appealingly similar cars such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, the 720 as well as 570 seem to be radically different. Out of the two, the 720S is said to be more `Marmite’, where one expecting to discover conventional headlights, will find two gaping `eye sockets’ designed to assist channel air to the radiators.

Baker had mentioned that they wanted to make a statement with the headlights and also wanted the sides of the car to be very clean. The 570’s side air scoops utilised in cooling the engine had also been replaced by a channel running along the top of the bodywork – where it tends to meet the window glass and an added unobtrusive intake low down behind the door.

New Track Telemetry System

The signature airbrake of McLaren that tends to be fully deployed in about 0.5 seconds is also said to be present and accurate. It has been claimed by the engineers that the 720S is twofold as smoothly competent, has been defined by the ratio between adverse drag and appropriate downforce as the 650 model it tends to replace.

The 720S tends to debut McLaren’s new Track Telemetry system utilising GPS, three cameras together with a series of sensors comprising of throttle angle and lateral/longitudinal G-force in order to record circuit lap data.

 The driver can review the data, comparing various laps utilising the central infotainment screen or download it for later study. It is superb considering it as a tool for improving driver performance

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Metal as Fuel? These Canadian Scientists are Working to Make it Happen

Can we turn metal into fuel? Canadian scientists are just doing it.

The fuel as we known petroleum and gas will be over in next two decades and we have very little time come up with an alternative. So as per the mainstream technology news some of the Canadian scientists have found of turning the metal into fuel for vehicles in near future.

The researchers from the McGill University have been aggressively studying the combustion capabilities of the metal that also for over a decade. An experiment conducted by them last week in the space has helped in bringing a new twist to their hope of turning metal into fuel.

How this study has helped the scientists?

The technology news has affirmed that the reason behind conducting the experiment in space has the scientists in understanding the way practices react in weightlessness state. Using metal as a fuel is still a farfetched and unusual concept which seems to be an exclusive matter of science fiction but still it can be turned into reality. One of the researchers present in team named Andre Higgins has been studying and working on the concept of turning metal into fuel over two decades.

Collectively they had found that turning metal in powder can help in creating fuel which can be fed to the burner. This fuel will be highly efficient and it will help in releasing more energy and heat per litre of iron power than what is achieved today with a liter of gas.

Quite interestingly the residue in form of iron oxide can again be collected using a vacuum to act as the fuel again. Higgins proudly states this theory as the closed loop system which has higher efficiency than the bio fuel as well as the modern day fuels used in the vehicles.

Saving the planet with green fuel

Metal fuel will not be a ‘green’ fuel and the threat to the Mother Nature and global climate changes will be aggravated if we bring the metal fuel in daily usage. Technology news further shed light onto how researchers will be employing a noble way of recycling the metal fuel with closed-loop system.

These researchers have studied the metal fuels for over a decade which has helped in understanding how it can be brought into fruition for the benefit not the smaller vehicles like cars but also the large vehicles like ships and trains.

A state like Canada which has abundant of metals will certainly see the economic benefits of the shipping metal fuel to other countries. Countries suffering from acute air pollution like China will benefit from the truly closed loop system of the metal fuel.

The biggest benefit of the metal fuel is that it works in closed system wherein the materials will go around and around without causing any harm to the environment. Technology news also brought a revelation that metal fuels isn’t a new thing as NASA has already been using about 16 percent Aluminum powder for its space shuttle’s rocket boosters for quite some time.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Flying cars: A 1950s dream takes to the skies without the rules to stay airborne

Flying car
A sports car with swivel wings that can get in the air: What acted like a year ago is now reality. The Slovakian flight car has a wonderful Technology can now be pre-ordered and is scheduled to take off in three years.

In Monaco, Aeromobil – the Flying cars company from Slovakia presented the final design of its flight car, which will cost between 1.2 and 1.5 million euros and will be delivered from 2020 onwards.

Aeromobil, the Flying car has the technology should be transformed into a plane in less than three minutes. The wings can be folded away for travel on the road. This company has an idea to build upto 500 copies of its first model. Like other competitors, the aircraft may only be launched and landed on conventional airfields or other areas explicitly released as an aircraft.

In order to drive and fly with the vehicle, the pilots must have both a driving license and a pilot license. Aeromobil deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2020, commented Stefan Vadocz- Chief communication officer. The company is already accepting pre-orders now. Until such aircrafts become the mass transport means, sometime should pass! Government is working around the world on to regulate the operation of unmanned drones and driverless cars in the future.

However, small airplanes for passenger transport are currently considered an exciting topic in the aviation and IT industry. Aeromobil is not the only company that relies on flying cars for super-richs. In addition to the Dutch company PAL-V, which has recently offered its model "Liberty" for sale, Terrafugia - the Flying cars company is also working on a similar hermetic car and plane.

The US Company was founded by five MIT graduates. For a $ 10,000 deposit, Terrafugia – the Flying cars company is already making reservations for its two-seater flight "Transition". Terrafugia is targeting first deliveries for the year 2019.

Aeromobil with 750 km range

According to this Flying cars company, the vehicle operates in a wonderful technology with standard gasoline already fulfills all necessary regulations for road and air traffic. With wings folded backwards - similar to an insect - it should also find sufficient space on every normal parking lot and thus be suitable for everyday use.

Able to take off, the wings must first be extended, which is to be done within three minutes, according to AeroMobil. Then the driver or plane needs only a meadow, on which now 8.8 meters wide flight car is accelerated to 130 hours kilometer, then ascend to the sky. There, speeds of up to 360 kilometres per hour are to be reached, on the road the maximum is about 160 kilometres per hour. The AeroMobil, driven by a hybrid engine and a propeller in the rear, could fly a distance of 750 kilometers fully, says the Flying cars company.

Aeromobil also works on a flight and vehicle for urban transport. Together with the Audi subsidiary Italdesign, Aeromobil is developing a passenger cell, which is to be flown through the city by autonomously controlled and electrically operated drones.

The Uber service has recently brought on board an expert on flying cars, which has been able to take off and land precipitously for decades on smaller vehicles. However, it does not want to produce its own flight cars, but sees itself as an "acceleration catalyst" for the newly-formed flight car industry.

In other words, its customers should first take conventional over-vehicles to a flight taxi stop in a residential area. From this "Vertiport" customer could then fly to the next stop near their workplace.

Friday 31 March 2017

Car Genie: AA Device Predicts Car Breakdowns Before They Happen

Car Genie
It is quite risky if our car suddenly collapses or breaks down. Most of the car owners know that it is not possible to detect any potential breakdown in advance. But, now, you may be able to get rid of such risk, while you are driving your car. With the significant development in automobile industry, there is an introduction of a special tool, Car Genie. It helps in predicting the breakdown prior to anything happens to you.

You know that many of the modern car engineering experts have tried to reduce the risk of breakdowns, while manufacturing the vehicles. However, Automobile Association of the United Kingdom has attempted to give the utmost assistance to the car owners with its new tool, Car Genie. This company works with the aim of reducing the incidents of car collapse as much as possible.

Use Car Genie in a simple way-

The latest device Car Genie, allows self-installation process, and it is to be plugged to the on-board diagnostics point of a vehicle. Users have to install software, which enable them in realizing the probability of breakdown. The system has an ability to interpret EOBD of a vehicle instantly. Then, it delivers all the data to the related software. It also gives notification, which may be seen by driver after or before operating the car.
Car Genie has turned out to be the most advanced product of AA. The company has taken the right step to prevent customers from vehicle breakdown risk. This device will be accessible exclusively to AA associates from May in 2017.

Trials arranged by AA to test the product Car Genie-

Almost 10,0001 car drivers have been involved for the trial of this new tool. AA may also show much data to prove that they are striving to assist drivers in making out the faults at a very early stage. These faults include battery degradation and overall condition of vehicle.

At the time of making experiment, all the faults are tracked in cars of users, and they are related to ignition system, EGR and also air flow. With the identification of faults, it is also possible to analyze the system faster and find out the remedy immediately.

It may save the car owners from hazards and inconvenience, while they are on the highway. Moreover, after sending notifications and recommendations, the company may also provide support by calling their members. They help drivers in repairing the issue.

Within few minutes, as the users can get advice, they may continue the trip again. The outcomes of trial have revealed that almost 49 percent of drivers comprehend problems with vehicle. 66 percent of the vehicle users know the way of driving automobile economically. However, 47 percent of the car owners have informed that Car Genie is good to make their driving safer than before.

As the app collects data on location and driving mode of users (such as, speed, acceleration or braking), some skeptics may consider it to be a privacy risk. But, it is hoped that most of the car drivers will accept it in future.

Thursday 2 March 2017

When Test driving Car Opt for Technology Testing

car
For long we had been going for test drives while checking out the driving experience and stability of the vehicle but in upcoming people will be indulging in testing the integrated technology as well. Over the years the in car infotainment and the navigational systems has gone through huge improvements in the recent times. A study has indicated that the average cars plying on the US roads are more than 11 years which means that more people are likely to upgrade to upgrade their vehicles in upcoming years. Currently people have inculcated the habit of connecting or pairing their devices in-car entertainment or navigational system to keep track of their movement to play music on the go.

Here are some of the tips which will help in taking out modern cars on a test drive:

Spend more time with car: Taking a good through at the technology present at your disposal will take more than 40 minutes. So spend more time with the car, find out whether your phone is compatible with it or not, check-upon the voice commands, carefully analyze the navigational system and get dig deeper to get acquainted with all the features.

Make sure your phone is updated: It is necessary to keep your phone updated with latest version of operating system when you go out to check new cars. Make sure your apps are also updated so can get easily recognized by the technology present in the cars.

Be sure about your likes & dislikes in technology: Only six percent of the cars sold in last year had touchscreen display along with the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but this figure to cross over 50 percent in next three years. Apple CarPlay brings a range of features but it does have some limitation which includes no support for the Waze traffic app or the Google Maps. Therefore a user has to spend some in understanding the different features, functionalities and offering of different infotainment and technology brought by the automobile maker.

Don’t settle on one car: There is no need to blindly settle on the one car you have liked first. Go forward to check other cars available in the market and don’t forget to perform the traditional test drive as the real driving test still matters.

Focus on the safety: Safety is still a grave concern for the automobile so do check the features r technology like lane departure systems, blind-spot system and backup cameras. Different cars have different kind of sophisticated system such as lane departure system comes loaded with different features like some beeps loudly while changing lanes while others simply buzzes the seats.

Opt for such technology which adds value to the amount you are spending: Not everyone wants Spotify or need voice commands to make use of different apps and integrated technology. If someone doesn’t want to be bothered by the slew of technology marvels then opting for a stripped down model will be wiser choice.

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Nissan Offers Cheap Hybrid Electric Cars

Nissan e-note
Global warming, awareness to ditch one’s own vehicle and opt for public transport, governments bid to reduce the amount of cars from the roads and more regulations is making it tough for the car manufacturers to get more customers. Nissan is a Japanese automaker which is making leaps in the automobile sector with its affordable and powerful vehicle portfolio. However in a bid to keep its revenue coffers filling up; it has decided to move away from traditional by focusing on all electric or hybrid cars. This will help Nissan in manufacturing greener vehicles at the same time lowering the costs.

The first electric car for Nissan

Nissan started it mass market entry with the battery-electric vehicle called Leaf which was launched in 2010. Currently this car is the coveted world’s top selling electric vehicle but this car simply failed to reach the initial targets. Till today it has sold only 250,000 units on global scale which are not a great numbers when we take time taken into the equation. The major reason attributed to the sales failure of the all electric car has been revealed by the CEO Carlos Ghosn is that ‘going all electric is expensive affair’. Therefore Nissan is focusing on nearly electric car manufacturing for upcoming years which will help in saving more on the costs as well as it will help in fending off the competition from the rivals.

Nissan is embarking on the journey of creating gasoline-hybrid technology of next level rather than concentrating on fully battery powered vehicles with zero emissions ratings. Nissan will have to best the major competitors like Toyota which is known for making astonishingly awesome hybrid cars and the most notable one is Prius.

Nissan is taking a Hybrid Detour

This isn’t the first time Nissan is thinking of developing hybrid cars. In 2010 Nissan has invested in a limited range of hybrid cars wherein it was able to ship only 95,000 by March in the same year and its global sales stood at 5.4 million units. Nissan has its eye on the world biggest automobile market and it will be focusing only on affordable electric car for China. Nissan R&D is also working on a vehicle which will be able to run on electric power generated right from the ethanol.

Nissan has kick started its e-Note program wherein it will be building a compact hatchback which will possess the same motor from the Leaf but it will be a hybrid vehicle. This E note vehicle will give direct competition to the General Motors Chevrolet Volt which effectively switches to the gasoline engine when battery is running low. The e-Note vehicle will be sold at a starting price of $15,777 and its availability is currently limited to Japan only but quite interestingly this vehicle is 40 percent cheaper than the 2010 Leaf. Nissan has stressed that it has go for cheaper price point for its hybrid vehicle in order to attract new buyers or to get them to upgrade to completely electric car in future.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Lack of Cyber Security Poses Threat to Modern Cars

car
Cars have evolved so much from being a machine only used for transportation to an all-round smart transport system, integrated with accurate navigation, music and cameras. But as all good things have their own vulnerabilities, equipping cars with accessible technology risks the danger of it being hacked. All cars manufactured in EU should be connected via emergency Call (eCall) services by the month of April in 2018. However these simple mobile devices are not built strong enough to keep away hackers and malicious programs. A research conducted by Hebert Leenstra at the Cyber Security Academy in Hague on Automotive industry, inclines that car manufacturers should take the lead on protecting people from increasing cyber threats.

Modern day cars, including cars that can self-drive are in constant connection with its surroundings. Microchips have been used in almost every car system which controls the basic functioning of the car such as navigation system, music system and managing the car engine. Microchip uses Wifi, Bluetooth, and 4G/5G services to communicate to other cars or networks. A hacker can easily gain access to the car’s network via the internet. The most vulnerable part is the CAN bus where all the vehicle’s ICT systems are stored. A hacker who has gained access to the CAN bus can virtually control the car such as changing speed and applying brakes.

Everything wrong with modern cars

There are some basic flaws and defects in the ICT structure of modern day vehicles that can be exploited by hackers. The entertainment system is often linked with the engine in most of the cars even though there is no apparent reason for these two to be linked together. Also modern day cars rely on using the internet for their navigation systems which can easily be hacked.

What can be done to improve Cyber security?

The research carried out by Leenstra has identified several steps that car manufacturers can take to protect their customers. The first thing car manufacturers should do is change their Can bus design so that essential and non-essential systems are separated making them less vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The government needs to reevaluate their policy that prevents car manufacturers from providing extended support to car software, security and firmware updates. The implementation of the update, which is done via the internet or by a USB stick, should also be reviewed as the UDB device can hold back all kinds of information.

A broader approach could be taken by governments, dealers and insurers in spreading knowledge and information about cyber security. Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC) established in the United States have taken an aggressive step to stop Cyber-crimes. All parties within the ISAC share information and experiences regarding Cyber-attacks, which Europe can learn from and adapt.

The ICT structures of the modern day cars needs to be completely revamped to ensure customer safety. With the incidents of hacking becoming more frequent, it is necessary to implement measures as soon as possible.

Saturday 4 February 2017

Forget Snow Chains Use This Remote Controlled Claws

Remote Controlled Claws
The difficulty that one has to face while moving their vehicle on snow and ice is a major problem. There have been many instances when people have complained of this issue and do not even hesitate to pay a higher price for the cars that can move on snow-fed grounds without any discrepancy. Since, the grip cannot be produced on snowy platforms hence the car forbids to move forward. There is always a need to fit in snow chains or spikes to the tyres so that the grip can be developed.

An engineer called Peter Gross from Czech has found out a constructive resistance to this problem that will insure drivers with optimum grip on the surface covered with snow so that they can be saved from a troublesome situation where they have to fit in chains or spikes to the tyres to overcome the problem. This engineer has unveiled a contraption whose structure is like a doom that easily slips over the hubcap of the car, and smartly flicks out on a press and holds the tyre that provides desired grip on the grounds of snow and ice which enables the car to glide easily.

This innovative formula is structurally mechanized that sticks accurately to the wheel of the car and works with the help of a remote control using its four arms to get hold of the tyres by putting up spikes of steel for icy grounds and grips of plastic for snowy surfaces.

The engineer assures that his invention is not at all huge weighing just 6 kilograms and is very easy to deal with. He has also made a promotional video which highlights the features of this device depicting that how smoothly it works without leading to any hassle as on a press it adjusts properly to the wheels and saves you from the tension of snowy and icy grounds.

The Czech engineer said that he got the idea of inventing such a life saving device while he was getting ready for a business meeting. He accepted that he used to curse the entire universe when he had to make things fall in place in the middle of a filthy road adjusting his tyres to such adversities. This was the time when he hatched this plan to make the life of the drivers a bit easier.

The device is designed in such a manner that it will easily glide on to the wheels with a thickness of 15–18 inches. The contraption will fill utmost confidence amongst many who wish to go for winter vacation to a snowy place. A revolutionary device that will save the life of the drivers from all sorts of errors related to unfit surface to glide on. This snow grips is the ultimate solution that gives you the power to explore the world without experiencing any buffering. It is undoubtedly a major innovation in the field of automobiles that insures you a smooth journey.