Self-driving Ford Fusion one step closer to reality: report
Ford Motor Company says it will deliver a Level-4 self-driving car by 2021, meaning it will be able to drive itself in more or less ideal road conditions. A more capable Level-5 car that can completely replace a human driver — even in severe weather — will follow in four years’ time, in 2025, the company said in late December. Ford will continue tests it has been conducting since 2013, using mid-size “next-generation” Fusion Hybrid-based prototypes equipped with the company’s newest autonomous technologies. Electrical controls are closer to production-ready, Ford said, but it concedes that its Virtual Driver System isn’t quite there yet in terms of having the same level of dependability as humans to make decisions and carry them out.
Aftermarket takes up electrified pickup charge: The idea of hybrid pickups and larger vehicles is catching on with aftermarket outfitters have taken on the cause. Recently, Workhorse of Loveland, Ohio, unveiled its own electric pickup with a range of 130 kilometres, and a 500-km-plus range using an onboard gasoline-engine power generator. Now, Boston-based XL Hybrids has pulled the wraps off its XLP product line, an upfit for halfton pickups. The company says the system delivers a 50 per cent improvement in overall fuel economy. Its XLP solution will build on the existing XL3 hybrid powertrain, which has logged more than 56 million kilometres in vehicles for fleet customers including Coca-Cola, reports ChargedEV’s webmag.
Next-gen Hyundai Fuel Cell plays catch-up on range: Hyundai is planning a secondgeneration hydrogen-fuel-cell tall wagon with a new powertrain that could improve its range by 30 per cent. The new model will arrive within two years, riding on its own dedicated platform, says alternative vehicle website, Green Car Reports. The current fuel cell, which rides in the Tucson’s last-gen platform — adapted to accommodate the new technology — has a range of 425 kilometres, putting it well behind the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell’s 585-km range, and the 500-km range of the Toyota Mirai. The next-gen Hyundai model will arrive in January 2018, priced around $50,000 US. The launch is timed to coincide with South Korea’s hosting of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Solar roadway not without cost: The first kilometre of solar highway has been installed in France, the first step in a five-year plan to install 1,000 kilometres of solar roads. About one million kilometres of highways in France could potentially be converted to solar power, but the plan is still very much a demonstration project given the high cost of the technology itself, notes automotive lifestyles magazine Motor Authority. “That 1.0-kilometre stretch ... cost taxpayers $5.2 million [US], and we’re talking only a single lane!” About 2,800 square metres were built, enough to generate electricity for 20 homes. The government will test the solar roadway for durability and whether it can be a viable alternative to renewables such as wind power.
California enlists utilities in charge to electric cars: The Golden State is involving electric utilities in the push to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, having them install and operate much of the state’s charging infrastructure. In mid-December, the Public Utilities Commission approved a $130-million US plan for Pacific Gas and Electric to deploy 7,500 electric-carcharging stations on its service areas in Central and Northern California. Alternative-vehicle website Green Car Reports said the plan specifies that PG&E deploy at least 15 per cent of the new charging stations in disadvantaged communities, and increase that amount to 20 per cent. The commission announced earlier a further 5,000 charging stations statewide in projects led by utilities Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.