Just arrived at the Cenex LCV 2017 event and having a first look around. There are lots of interesting innovations on show, here are just a few examples.
Alcraft’s electric car (model):
Ubitricity’s lamp post charge point:
Claytex driving simulator:
Roborace driverless racing car:
Electric JCB digger:
MagTec electric/hybrid garbage truck:
Electric buses:
[Update: Part 2]
Apple’s development of autonomous driving technology, following a major refocussing and scaling back of its auto project last year, is way behind its main competitors, a source familiar with autonomous vehicle technology and who has seen their tech told Business Insider.
They say that Apple’s autonomous technology, a field CEO Tim Cook described as the ‘mother of all AI projects’ in June, is only about at the stage where field-leader Google ‘was three years ago.’
He added:
‘Apple is just trying to play catch-up.’
Apple’s autonomous project, once a sprawling team aiming to create a revolutionary self-driving Apple Car, is still transitioning following massive layoffs when the immediate plan to build an Apple Car was abandoned as too ambitious last year. Google had also made a similar less-drastic change of course around the same time, shelving immediate plans to re-invent driverless cars with no steering wheel or pedals towards working more closely with OEMs on conventional cars. It also spun off the division into its own company called Waymo, allowing it to diverge its business model away from that of Google, and also signifying the huge promise Google sees for the technology.
Apple’s autonomous scheme, part of its internal Special Projects Team, according to the source is still suffering from confusion of its purpose, with an underdeveloped concept of how it is to use the technology and monetise it. However, it is hiring again following the period of mass-culling initiated by new leader and Apple veteran Bob Mansfield, particularly for those with autonomous vehicle software experience. This presumably means poaching people from other firms – with more than 250 companies and startups working on self-driving technology. However, talent is scarce and fiercely competitive, with seven-figure salaries not uncommon.
Similar to how Google developed a shuttle service around its Googleplex campus in Mountain View, California at the early stages of its self-driving programme, Apple has set up a commuter car service for employees to test its autonomous technology between Apple’s Infinite Loop campus and the nearby town of Palo Alto, California.
Three years ago, Google’s programme – which is now rapidly approaching commercial deployment – still had lots of kinks to work out – including the ability to detect open manholes on streets and read traffic lights in glare of very bright sun.
Read more: Autovista Group
The Korean automaker finally puts its focus on batteries, rather than hydrogen, to power the car of tomorrow.
Hyundai has often proclaimed that hydrogen will power future generations of cars, even as other manufacturers believe that it is too early to make such claims, especially since the rise of electric cars has come to pass. Despite recently announcing a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, BBC reports that Hyundai has decided that it needs to pivot in order to remain competitive in the electric market during the coming years.
The Korean manufacturer is no stranger to electric cars, though its current long-range offering, the Ioniq, only delivers around 124 miles of range. This sandwiches its EPA-rated range between the BMW i3’s 114 miles and the Volkswagen e-Golf’s 125 miles. Though it may be ideal for the urban commuter, this is hardly long range when compared to equivalent gasoline-powered vehicles. If Hyundai wants to remain in competition with the next generation of EVs, they will need to work on matching the range of the Tesla Model 3 or Chevy Bolt.
Hyundai can’t be happy that their plans for a hydrogen-powered future seem to be falling short. The company put forth plenty of effort marketing their hydrogen fuel-cell Tuscon, including elaborating on the shorter fill-up time compared to an EV, as well as the potential for longer range. Its downfall, however, isn’t necessarily due to the price or uncommon nature of the fuel cell, but rather the availability of hydrogen fill-up stations. In fact, the United States Department of Energy only charts 38 hydrogen fill-up stations in the entire country, primarily localized in California.
Source: The Drive