Audi raises the bar on regenerative energy
Audi claims its upcoming E-tron electric utility vehicle will deliver “enormous” power and high efficiency. It will also offer zero-to-100 km/h sprints in less than six seconds and a 400-km range per charge, though not likely both at once. Along with the E-tron, Audi will introduce its most efficient kinetic energy-capture system yet, able to return to the batteries equivalent energy to drive almost the same distance it’s driven downhill. The automaker demonstrated its claim on a continuous 30-km drive down Pikes Peak in Colorado, where it recuperated “more than 70 per cent” of its operating energy input needs, and fed “so much energy back to the battery” that each kilometre downhill brought about an additional kilometre in range.
Smart homes beget smarter cars: E-commerce company Amazon has incorporated key functions of its Alexa smarthome/infotainment system into a voice-activated command program for automobiles. Called the Alexa Auto Software Development Kit, it includes support for smart home controls such as adjusting temperature, lighting and door locks, streaming media, weather news and other Alexa features, including making calls from phones, GPS navigation and making searches for movies, restaurants and businesses. Alexa is slated to appear in more vehicles later in 2018 as automakers, including BMW, Ford and Toyota, integrate it into their production systems. Toyota is building Alexa into its Entune 3.0 system, reports technology culture web magazine The Verge, while other companies, including Anker and Garmin, are creating aftermarket products that plug into older vehicles.
Ford “exo-vest” lifts line workers: After real-world tests at its Michigan assembly plants, Ford is fitting production-line workers in 15 plants around the world with powered exoskeletons to aid repetitious lifting and to provide a boost in situations that involve physical exertion. Called the Ekso-Vest, it both reduces worker fatigue and lessens the chances of on-the-job injuries by providing lift assistance of 2.4 to 6.8 kilograms to each arm. Ford said it’s not uncommon for assembly-line workers in various positions to lift items weighing as much as a watermelon above their heads hundreds of times per shift. The “vest” fits body types ranging in height from five-foot-two to sixfoot-four. Ford said it is working with vest maker Ekso Bionics on other helpful workplace technologies.
Insurance group says selfdriving cars not road-safe yet: Autonomous vehicles still have a distance to go before they’re ready for public use, says a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance-industry lobby group. IIHS tested a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz, two Teslas and a Volvo with Level-2 self-driving technologies, none of which it determined are yet ready for the road. Each system, it said, made mistakes in testing that could have resulted in collisions had their drivers not intervened. Mistakes recorded included drifting over lane lines even with active-lane control engaged. Testers reported often feeling uncomfortable with the systems’ performance around curves and over crests. The tests are part of ongoing efforts to develop a ratings system for all autonomous vehicle systems.
AI car-matching helps buyers who don’t know what car brand they want: Online classified car ad website Cars.com said it’s “getting with the times” and adopting a buyer-vehicle matchmaking algorithm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help car buyers locate the vehicle of their dreams. The software treats people as individuals, said Tony Zolla, Cars.com chief product officer, with each person having unique emotional nuances, being “not just site users.” The new search feature, he said, is aimed at the more than 70 per cent of shoppers who haven’t yet decided on a make and model of vehicle. An overwhelming majority are undecided on make and model, Zolla said in a statement, “yet nearly all online car search experiences force people to select make or model as the first step in their journey.”