Vehicle Development News - June 2019
Nissan’s world first next-gen driver assistance system
Nissan has unveiled new driver assistance technology, combining navigated highway driving with hands-off single lane driving capabilities.
The technology will debut on the Japanese-market Nissan Skyline in mid-2019.
Designed for ramp-to-ramp highway driving, the new system engages with the vehicle’s navigation system to help manoeuvre the car according to a predefined route on designated roadways. The system also enables hands-off driving while cruising in a single lane.
At this stage the technology is only available in Japan.
Hyundai NEXO Fuel Cell named a ‘game changer’
The Hyundai NEXO Fuel Cell vehicle has been named as a ‘game changer’ at the British Autocar awards, in recognition of its zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell technology.
A panel of industry experts chose NEXO for ‘defying conventions to bring unexpected benefit for buyers’
The Hyundai NEXO does not only produce zero emissions but also cleans the air of particulates - NEXO also has an advanced air purification system which filters 99.9% of very fine dust. The car has also been awarded the Bio Environmental Seal for its sustainable interior using bio fibres throughout the vehicle.
The Autocar ‘Game Changer’ awards are handed to cars that bring new, higher standards, or for defying conventions to bring unexpected benefits for car buyers.
The NEXO is already on sale in Europe, with an Australian launch slated for late 2019.
When will vehicle pollution become a pariah
When will it be socially unacceptable to drive a car with a tailpipe?
A twitter poll has revealed that 23 percent of respondents, said it is already socially unacceptable. That was the second highest number of responses in this year's Earth Day poll.
The largest number of respondents, 44 percent, chose 2030 as the tipping point. That marries up with forecasts of when a wider variety of electric cars will be available. However 21% said by 2040 (or later) and a staunch 11 percent, said it might never be socially unacceptable,
GM confirms plans for an electric pickup truck
Despite what may have been suggested during the recent federal election campaign, electric vehicles will not see the end of the weekend trip.
First Tesla, then Ford, and now General Motors. GM has recent confirmed that it definitely has plans to build an electric utility (pickup) vehicle.
The news came directly from CEO Mary Barra and follows small hints the automaker had an electric pickup truck in the pipeline. Most importantly, it follows years of Tesla teasing a future electric pickup truck and Ford's confirmation in January that it has an electric F-150 on the way.
Although Barra confirmed the future model, she didn't elaborate on a launch timeframe or any other details.
RAV4 to be first Toyota to receive no-cost Apple CarPlay/Android Auto retrofit
Toyota Australia has confirmed that, from the fourth quarter this year, it will add smartphone-mirroring technology to select models, including the fifth-generation RAV4 SUV that has just entered showrooms.
While Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support will be progressively rolled out as standard equipment, owners of current-generation Corolla’s and Camry’s, as well as early adopters of the new RAV4, will be able to have the technology retrofitted.
The Japanese brand said the retrofit will be available via its dealer network with only a “quick visit” to a local dealership required to have it installed.
Unlike its rival Mazda Australia that offers a similar service for about $500, Toyota said its version will come at no cost to RAV4 owners, but it is still evaluating if existing Corolla and Camry owners will also receive it for free.
Several years ago I asked Toyota about having more commonality in dash board design and controls as a road safety measure.
They didn’t like the suggestion because they said their designs were unique and the best.
Now they are accepting that people want familiar controls.
Toyota Australia’s move leaves Nissan as the only other top-10 brand to not offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, although it is understood that the Leaf battery-electric vehicle will be its first model to have it when it arrives in July.
Audi introducing its traffic signal information system in Europe
Following a series of successful deployments across the USA, Audi is now introducing its traffic signal information – or TSI service to the European market, with initial systems installed in Germany, with further cities to follow from 2020.
Audi customers in the USA have been using the TSI service since late 2016, making it the first automaker worldwide to offer network connection between its production models and traffic signals in cities. the TSI system provides a ‘time-to-green’ function, which offers a countdown that shows the seconds to the traffic signal’s next green phase. The service is available at more than 5,000 intersections across the USA.
Audi has also developed another system which shows the driver the ideal speed for reaching the next traffic signal on green.
Audi is aiming to install both systems in further cities in the USA and Europe as well as Canada and parts of China in the coming years.
I wonder if when you create a better traffic flow for one group of people, does that mean that pedestrians, or people from side streets, will get fewer opportunities?
Usain Bolt's mobility company unveils an EV
Since stepping down from the Olympic spotlight in 2017, sprinter Usain Bolt, who is still the fastest in the 100- and 200-metre events, has turned to investing, and one of his first endeavours is U.S.-based electric mobility company Bolt Mobility.
Bolt unveiled a prototype for an electric minicar at a tech show in Paris and started accepting reservations. The EV is called the Bolt Nano, or B-Nano for short.