Electric Vehicles & Cars - Page 29

Soon Tesla owners will be able to customize their horn sound, with the possibility of also being able to upload their own audio file and use that for a horn.

Tesla Motors owner, Elon Musk took to Twitter yesterday to announce that "Customized horn & movement sounds" are soon to be "coming to Teslas". One of the sounds that Musk teased was "coconuts being one, of course" which seems to be reference to the Monty Python and Arthur's entrance on his imaginary horse. (video located below).

Musk also said that he "will consider" allowing Tesla owners to upload their own audio files to use as horn sounds. While that sounds like a great idea at first, Tesla could have potential trouble with some countries horn standard laws and how that falls under road-safety guidelines. There is also always the potential of Tesla owners changing their horn sounds to blast vulgar language, and while that would certainly be amusing to hear walking down the street, it wouldn't provide necessary road utility.

As it stands, the Tesla EVs of today have power cells with lifespans somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 miles -- but now we could be looking at upwards of 1 million miles thanks to new research.

This is what Elon Musk and Jeff Dahn are talking about in a new paper in the Journey of The Electrochemical Society (JES) which teases we might be living in a world with Tesla EVs that have 1 million mile batteries.

Tesla's battery research arm is partnered with Dahn and his research team, with Dahn explaining: "Cells of this type should be able to power an electric vehicle for over one million miles and last at least two decades in grid energy storage".

All eyes have been on Tesla for years with its growing family of electric vehicles, but now Byton has joined the match with its first EV in the new M-Byte SUV -- and it feels like it's ripped right out of the future.

Byton has used an eye-catching 48-inch display built into the dash, as well as multiple control screens including one built-into the steering wheel itself.

Byton is touting 224 miles of WLPT range (less on EPA scale) from its 72 kWh version of the M-Byte, while the larger 95 kWh model with dual front/rear motors has up to 270 miles of WLPT range. The 72 kWh version has 270 horsepower, while the higher-end 95 kWh model packs 402 horsepower.

What many consider as the car that molded Porsche into what we see today was accidentally auctioned falsely for $70 million, a settlement was later solidified at $17 million.

At the Monterey Car Week in California, bidding started for a super 1939 Porsche Type 64, a car that according to Wikipedia is "considered by many to be the first automobile from what was to become the Porsche company, and a true design precursor to the post-war production model". Looking at the above video we can see that the bidding began at $13 million and then jumped to $30 million, which is where the mistake first began.

When the figure jumped to $30 million the crowd was verbally shocked, it then increased to $40 million, then to $50 million, $60 million and finally settling at $70 million. The announcer then said that he figures were incorrectly projected and that the correct figure is $17 million, the projected numbers then quickly reverted back to the correct figure.

Every owner of a car knows that feeling of when they have misplaced their car keys, well now that worry is over as a Tesla owner has implanted her keys into her own arm so she never looses them again. Will you follow her lead?

A software engineer going by the name of 'Amie DD' has taken key utility to the next level by implanting her Tesla keycard RFID tag into her own arm. Amie DD spoke to The Verge, saying that the implantation actually works and that her arm needs to be about an inch away from her vehicle to successfully unlock it.

Originally, Amine DD attempted to transfer the Tesla keycard software to an existing RFID tag she already had implanted in her arm, those efforts were unfortunately fruitless. Moving on to beat this issue, Amie decided to dissolve the Tesla keycard in acetone and encase the recovered chip in bio-polymer. She then visited a body-modification studio to get the card safely implanted in her arm.

You would think that the US military would be implementing the newest technology possible into their naval force, but actually the contrary is happening.

According to an article coming out of USNI, the US Navy force will be taking a step backwards technology wise and removing touchscreens from their destroyers over the next 18 - 24 months. The touchscreens will be replaced with conventional helm controls and physical throttles.

This decision has been made after the events of 2017 when the USS John S. McCain destroyer collided with container ship Alnic MC which resulted in the tragic deaths of 10 crew members. After an investigation was conducted into who the collision happened it was found that the warships complex touchscreen interface played a pivotal role in the unfortunate crash.

A Tesla electric vehicle owner crashed into a tow truck on a highway in Moscow, seeing his car catch fire and explode. It wasn't a Michael Bay level explosion, but they're pretty big as you can see in the video below.

State TV channel Rossia 24 had video of the Tesla vehicle on the side of the road, "engulfed in flames and thick black smoke". We don't know what model of Tesla vehicle it was, but it's safe to say it doesn't matter - the car is in a bad way in that video. This isn't the first Tesla vehicle to crash, burst into flames, or explode -- but this is one of the downsides to battery-based vehicles.

Alexi Tretyakov, the owner and driver of the Tesla said that his car had Autopilot enabled and his hands-on the wheel, meaning that both Alexi and the Tesla cars semi-autonomous tech didn't see the tow truck, and crashed into it. Not a good look for Tesla right now.

A French inventor has managed to cross the entirety of the English Channel using his recently completed jet-powered hoverboard.

The French inventor is named Franky Zapata, and in the above video we can see him getting into his jet-powered hoverboard deemed "Flyboard Air". The board uses five small jet engines and just like most jet engines, they chug fuel. This means that Zapata had to stop at a boat in the middle of the channel to refuel his board.

According to Reuters, Zapata managed to make it 35 kilometers (21 miles), starting at Sangatte, France and landing at Saint Margaret's Bay in Dover, England. "For the last five to six kilometers I just really enjoyed it. Whether this is a historic event or not, I'm not the one to decide that, time will tell." said Zapata. Zapata has been working on the hoverboard machine for the last three years, but this isn't his only project, Zapata is also working on flying cars.

Tesla cars already have some really cool features and now there is some more apps teed up to soon be released on the electric cars. Tesla owners will soon be able to enjoy Netflix and YouTube in their glorious surround sound.

The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk announced on his official Twitter account that Tesla's will soon gain the "Ability to stream YouTube & Netflix when car is stopped". It is unclear when these new video streaming services will be hit Tesla's, but Musks notes that when they do the apps will be incredibly immersive and create a "cinematic feel due to the comfy seats & surround sound audio."

Even though Musk says that YouTube and Netflix will only be available when the car is stopped, he does mention inside the Twitter thread that "When full self-driving is approved by regulators, we will enable video while moving". At first this inclusion of video streaming in a car seems like it could cause potential dangers for drives on a distraction level, especially if its being used while the driver is in motion. When used responsibly though, such as waiting to pick up a friend from a location, video streaming really could be a great way to pass the time comfortably and enjoyably.

Not only do we have the 2020 Tokyo Olympics coming next year where we'll see a gigantic push for 8K which will be the new standard for TV, streams, and video -- but the country will be pulling out autonomous taxis, drones, and AI during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Airbus, Aeroports de Paris and the Paris Transport Authority are looking at ways of deploying autonomous flkying taxis for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which would autonomously fly passengers from Charles de Gaulle Airport into the city. I can't even imagine a future like that, but it seems we're seeing it being taken seriously for a huge event with so many eyes on it -- reporting on autonomous flying taxis, the actual possible future of travel.

While it's being pushed as a time saver we know it'll only really appeal to those with deeper pockets who want to experience this, as well as the rich and famous. The normal bus or trains from the airport to Paris will take around an hour, so the time saving element -- as well as like Buzz Lightyear famously says in Toy Story that he's "falling, with style". You would definitely be arriving into Paris in style, in an autonomous flying taxi like a boss.

Computex 2019 - One of the most unique experiences of Computex 2019 this year would have to be my trip in the world's first smartphone driver assistance app that was assisting a car driving on the highways in Taiwan.

This is part of the VIA-AI package that is an open source platform to advance the development of self-driving applications, so that they're built quicker and keeping us even safer in the self-driving cars of the future. The company reached out and asked if we'd like to have a ride in the world's first demonstration of a smartphone driver assistance app... and it was quiet the ride.

Elon Musk is one of those people that gives off the "why not" vibe, and something to reinforce that observation is the newest addition to the line of Tesla vehicles. A ported version of Studio MDHR's Cuphead.

Yes thats right. The side-scrolling shoot 'em up game created by Studio MDHR will soon be ported over to the Tesla Model 3, Model S and Model X. Why may you ask? because why the hell not. Musk commented on the port saying "Cuphead, we've got working, [The developers] have been helping us make it work. It's a cool game. It's insanely difficult. It's sadistically difficult. It's a twisted plot. It's dark. It looks like some cute little Disney thing and you're like, 'This plot is very dark."

Musk has previously spoken out about attempting to get the Unity game running on his line of Tesla vehicles, and it seems that goal has been somewhat achieved since Cuphead was developed using Unity. According to Maja Moldenhauer, who is one of the developers at Studio MDHR, the ported version of Cuphead is "looking nice and clean". Cuphead is planned to launch on Tesla's everywhere sometime this summer.

CES 2019 - Harley-Davidson has just unveiled its new LiveWire electric motorcycle with pre-orders opening up ahead of its release in August, where it will cost $29,799 - not too bad considering its the first electric motorbike from the company famous for motorcycles.

The new LiveWire has some wicked takeoff speeds where it will go 0-60MPH in 3.5 seconds, and it'll do so with a "futuristic" sound. Harley-Davison is bringing bikes into 2019 with LTE connectivity inside of the LiveWire that will let you remotely check on your bike, retrieve service numbers, and you'll be able to see if someone is trying to hijack your ride. If someone does, don't worry - it can be tracked with its built-in GPS.

Harley-Davidson says its new electric motorbike is good for around 110 miles of urban riding, but there are other bikes from Zero Motorcycles that push further up to 163 miles riding around the city. The LiveWire takes its own market with its power, tech (especially LTE) and super-styled looks.

Elon Musk has just unleashed a Christmas surprise for Tesla owners, with a few new Easter Eggs included in the latest over-the-air update to its fleet of electric vehicles. One of them includes the ability to fart, yes fart, on-demand.

As you can see from Kevin Pereria's tweet, one of the Easter Egg's in the new update are called Emissions Testing Mode, which gives drivers six different fart noises to choose from. This is an awesome troll for people who haven't read this news, or don't own a Tesla as you'll get a Tesla vehicle owner driving their friends around trolling them with fart noises... coming from THE CAR. Hat tip, Mr. Musk.

The six different fart sounds are themed around Musk's companies and marketing, including:

Volvo has been working on autonomous car technology for a while now, and has just announced that it has inked a deal that will see six of its autonomous trucks carrying limestone from a Brønnøy Kalk to a Norway port, which is a 3-mile or so journey.

Most of these deals for trucks at mines would involve a fleet of trucks being made, and then deployed to the mine where the mine would get drivers in and using the trucks. This deal is Volvo's first end-to-end autonomous offering, where it means the mining company is paying Volvo for each metric tonne its autonomous trucks are delivering. This means that Volvo will want to make its trucks the most efficient they can, as they won't be paid if they fail or are filled with problems.

The new autonomous trucks are already being tested in Norway, with the full service going live towards the end of 2019. Volvo Trucks' Director of Autonomous Solutions, Sasko Cuklev said: "It is exciting to reach this point where we introduce autonomous solutions. By working in a confined area on a predetermined route, we can find out how to get the best out of the solution and tailor it according to specific customer needs. This is all about collaborating to develop new solutions, providing greater flexibility and efficiency, as well as increased productivity".

Over the next 12 months we're going to see the explosive launch of 5G connectivity, with Qualcomm already out and ahead of the competition with its Snapdragon products and 5G modem designs, but NTT DoCoMo along with Mitsubishi have set world records with their 5G trials.

The two Japanese giants teamed up to run 5G connectivity tests in outdoor trials in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture, where the world's first 5G transmission that exceeded 20Gbps using one terminal. At a distance of 32.8 feet (10m) the tests hit a peak speed of 27Gbps, while at 328 feet (100m) away the connection was still an incredible 25Gbps. The proof-of-concept 5G trials used a single mobile terminal, and 500MHz of spectrum within the 28GHz band.

NTT DoCoMo and Mitsubishi Electric used a 16-beam spatial multiplexing in "line-of-sight conditions, where massive-element base-station antennas on the wall of a building directed beams to mobile-terminal antennas installed on the rooftop of a vehicle" reports Mobile World Live.

Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to tease that in the upcoming Tesla V9.0 release that is 4 weeks away, that Tesla owners will enjoy "some of the best classic" Atari games as Easter Eggs in the new Tesla update.

Jordan Golson replied to Musk on Twitter saying there should be specific classic Atari games like Ms. Pac-Man, naturally. Food Fight, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Tempest, and Missile Command in the update. Musk replied saying that he's hoping to include the "last three" in this release, which means we should expect Pole Position, Tempest and Missile Command.

Musk continued, adding that with Pole Position it'll be "linked to actual car steering" but made sure to add that this is "while stationary" so that people don't think you'll be flying down the highway in your Tesla playing Pole Position at the same time. Because that would end in a disaster.

Tesla would have to be one of the most interesting and quirky companies in the world, but I think this new stunt takes it to the next level.

The company unveiled its new Limited Edition Tesla Surfboard over the weekend, which the company says was designed by the Tesla Design Studio in collaboration with Lost Surfboards and Matt "Mayhem" Biolos, the surfboard shaper for World Surf League Championship athletes.

Tesla uses a "mix of the same high-quality matte and gloss finishes used on all our cars. The deck is reinforced with light-weight "Black Dart" carbon fiber, inspired by the interiors in our cars, and featuring tonal logos in subtle contrast gloss". The company notes that the Limited Edition Surfboard will fit comfortably inside of their Model S, X, and 3 vehicles either inside, or outside of the car.

Pininfarina, the Italian car design firm that created the iconic look of the Ferrari, announced back in March it was working on its own electric hypercar, and now we have more information on what to expect.

The new electric hypercar is expected to cost a huge $2 million, hit 60 miles per hour in under two seconds, and have a top speed of 250 mph. The all-electric hypercar is expected to have a range of over 300 miles, and charge up to 80% capacity in a super-fast 15 minutes.

Pininfarina calls its upcoming electric hypercar the PFO, at least for now, with the Italian firm using ethically sourced natural woods and paints that are free of chemical ingredients. Pininfarina will be showing off PFO to VIP guests during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance next month, but after that it'll be under wraps until the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019.

NVIDIA will be putting its Drive Pegasus self-driving AI platform to good use with a new announcement from Daimler and Bosch that teamed up for self-driving taxis that will be powered by NVIDIA's technology.

Remember that Daimler is the parent company of Mercedez-Benz, so we're not messing around here. NVIDIA's impressive self-driving technology is capable of a huge 320 trillion operations per second, with the self-driving AI technology to be used to power level 4 and 5 vehicles that will be used as self-driving taxis.

The companies will be putting the self-driving taxis onto the roads of Silicon Valley for testing in 2019, with NVIDIA set to work with Daimler and Bosch to build the system required for the self-driving ride-hailing service... think next-gen Uber, where there's no human driver in your vehicle... but do you leave a 5-star rating? Heh.