Category: Car stuff
Hyundai develops ‘digital key’ for locking/unlocking Kia via smartphone
Hyundai Motor Group has announced the development of a ‘Digital Key’, which allows users to unlock and start their Kia vehicle via their smartphone. Replacing a traditional physical key, the new Digital Key can be downloaded via an app and used by up to four authorised people. The Digital Key can be downloaded via a…
Geneva Motorshow: Audi to launch several new TFSI e hybrid models
Audi is launching new hybrid cars at next week’s Geneva Motorshow. Badged TFSI e, the models will be hybrid variants of the A6, A7 Sportback, A8 and Q5 models forming part of the car manufacturer's plans to offer 20 'electrified' models in the line-up by 2025. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) offer the obvious advantages…
Is Tesla Dog Mode a good idea? No, say animal charities RSPCA and Blue Cross
Animal charities have expressed ‘serious concerns’ over Tesla’s Dog Mode which is designed to keep pets cool in unattended cars. RSPCA and Blue Cross worry that the technology could fail and promotes the wrong message. The software update, which has been made available on all Tesla models this week, allows owners to leave the air…
Ford ‘lane keeping’ bed rolls selfish sleepers back to their side of the mattress!
Ford has invented a prototype bed that automatically rolls selfish sleepers back to their side of the mattress whenever they stray into the other half. The car maker has adapted the lane-centring assist technology used to ensure drivers remain in the middle of their lane into a concept dubbed the Lane-Keeping Bed, in a bid…
Humans help AI software to ‘detect blind spots in self-driving cars’
Blind spots in the artificial intelligence (AI) of self-driving cars could be corrected using input from humans, new research claims. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and tech giant Microsoft has developed a model which first puts an AI system through simulation training before putting a human through the same…
Save children ahead of motorists in driverless car crash, says AA survey
It's a dilemma that hopefully not many of us will have to face. But, perhaps reassuringly, most motorists would want children’s lives to be prioritised ahead of their own in a driverless car crash, a new survey suggests. More than 21,000 AA members were asked what they would want a fully automated car to do…
Jaguar Land Rover self-driving pods light the way
Jaguar Land Rover is trialling an alternative way to guide pedestrians and other road users about where its self-driving vehicle is going, by projecting a light onto the ground in front of it. The British automotive firm has added the technology on autonomous pods developed by Aurrigo for the UK Autodrive project in order to…
CES 2019: The year when smart vehicle technology took centre stage
Martyn Landi/PA Car and other vehicle concepts are transforming CES from a traditional gadget convention into something much more diverse, writes Martyn Landi... The technology on display at CES increasingly involves cars and other vehicles, with the gadget show becoming more diverse in the products showcased as a result. Some vehicle…
Bose to put QuietComfort RNC noise-cancelling technology into cars
Bose wants to use the noise-cancelling technology found in its headphones to block out sounds from outside cars. The leading audio brand has developed a way to eliminate noise created by rough roads, using accelerometers and microphones to measure vibrations. Software and algorithms can then calculate an acoustic cancellation signal to be played through the…
New Nissan LEAF 3.ZERO e+ Limited Edition offers range up to 239 miles on single charge
Nissan has launched two new versions of its LEAF electric vehicle, offering higher output, more choice and a longer range. The LEAF 3.ZERO – priced from £31,095 including the £3,500 UK Government Plug-in Car Grant – features a 40 kWh battery. New body colours and two-tone colour combinations will complete the choices. Customers can place…
