Testing self driving cars

CHENNAI: The self-drive car rental market in India is eyeing the fast lane and leading players seem to be shifting to top gear experimenting and innovating on the technological front. With the industry expected to reach a size of 3 to 5 billion dollars (Approximately Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore) by 2020, car rental companies are going smart. Companies have started integrating technologies like Driver Behaviour Monitoring (DBM,) and On-Board Diagnostics (OBD,) in their cars, not just in high end sedans, but also in the smaller ones starting from hatchbacks, hoping that technology will fuel growth. Bengaluru-based ZoomCar which claims to have around 75% of the market share started in 2013 with the usual GPS tracking system, but soon realised the potential to evolve technologically. “There are tons of enhancements you could bring on to the platform,” said its Co-Founder & CEO Greg Moran. A speeding alert system enabled via an in-car “black box” helps … [Read more...] about Self-drive car rentals like ZoomCar, Revv are experimenting and innovating on tech front

A partnership between Volkswagen and self-driving vehicle startup Aurora has ended, according to a report by the Financial Times, citing three people familiar with the matter. A spokesperson from VW confirmed the news, telling TechCrunch that “activities under our partnership have been concluded.” VW did not provide any further details. Aurora didn’t provide any details either, accept to say “VW Group has been a wonderful partner” since its early days of development of its self-driving vehicle stack dubbed the Aurora Driver. Aurora, a nearly three-year-old startup that has raised $530 million, develops and supplies the “full-stack solution” for self-driving vehicles. It has existing partnerships with Hyundai, Byton and, more recently, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, as well as several other unnamed companies, which it alluded to in its statement. “As the Driver matures and our platform grows in strength, we continue to work with a growing … [Read more...] about VW’s partnership with self-driving car startup Aurora has ended

In the manicured grounds of a public library in Chandler, Arizona, Liisa Walimaa is waiting for a robot to take her to Macy’s. For a year Walimaa has been a participant in a closely guarded experiment being run by Waymo, a division of Alphabet (née Google), in this suburb of Phoenix that could change the face of global transportation on a scale unseen since we ditched horses for cars. Automated vehicles offer the promise of fewer road fatalities, cheaper rides and greater mobility for the blind and otherwise disabled. They could also cost millions of jobs, threaten public transport spending and upend insurance. Technology companies may love to talk about “disruption”, but what is happening in Chandler is genuinely worthy of the word. There have been setbacks (there will be more) and progress has been slower than first promised, but Walimaa thinks that in five or 10 years, autonomous vehicles will be as viable an option as taking a bike, calling a regular taxi or … [Read more...] about ‘I’m so done with driving’: is the robot car revolution finally near?

One is an automotive titan that has built more than 350m vehicles in an illustrious history spanning more than a century. The other is less than 15 years old and has never made a profit. And yet a 7% surge in the value of shares in electric car firm Tesla on Monday saw it zoom ahead of Ford Motor Company, in terms of its stock market value. As Wall Street closed for the day, Tesla, led by 45-year-old tycoon and futurist Elon Musk, was worth $49bn (£38bn), compared with a paltry $46bn for the empire built by Henry Ford. This astonishing overtaking manoeuvre says as much about the nature of stock markets as it does about these two very different carmakers. The old cliche among stock market investors is that you should “buy on the rumour, sell on the fact” – the idea that investment is more about what you expect to happen in the future than the current state of play. And Tesla, investors believe, is the standard-bearer of a battery-powered future – while Ford … [Read more...] about Tesla charges ahead to overtake Ford in market value

DACIA continues to prove that value still has a place in the hi-tech motoring world. In just five years in the UK, the Renault-owned budget brand has flogged 150,000 cars. And as other firms such as Skoda, Kia and Hyundai move ever closer to Ford and Vauxhall and push up prices, Dacia has been left with the new car bargain sector almost entirely to itself. City cars cost £10,000 these days, superminis from £14,000 and a mid-spec family hatchback will set you back around £25,000. So when the supermini-sized Dacia Sandero starts at £6,995, the Logan estate opens at £8,495 and the Duster SUV is yours from £9,995, it’s a refreshing reminder of what real value for money is all about. Things look just as tempting if you lease or rent, with prices from £70 a month for a Sandero and from £109 for a Duster. Admittedly, the entry models are fairly basic but more than capable of doing the daily commute.Pay a couple of thousand more and you get a Dacia … [Read more...] about Dacia Duster proves value cars can be comfortable and packed with gadgets

        5G is the next big thing in the world of consumer technology and telecommunications.The next-generation wireless technology got a special mention in India’s Union Budget 2018 earlier this month. The government plans to increase the adoption of the technology in the country by setting up 5G centers with assistance from IIT Chennai. The move is a part of the government’s ambitious plan to roll out 5G services across India by 2020.Looking at the progress being made in the field of 5G, a commercial roll-out appears imminent. Only recently, chipset company Qualcomm announced a big partnership with smartphone OEMs such as Asus, Xiaomi, LG, and Sony Mobile for the commercial launch of 5G-enabled phones in 2019.As expected, there’s a huge buzz around the technology that’s set to revolutionise communications in the coming years.What is 5G? Why it’s critical?In simpler terms, 5G is the next-generation wireless technology that … [Read more...] about What is 5G, and why it is such a big deal