‘Connected Vehicles’ May Improve Efficiency of Route Maintenance and Improve Safety
Drones and programmed cars of the future could spot potholes and other road damage, transmitting the information directly to Highways England, the government body responsible for roads.
In a report published on Wednesday, Highways England, said “connected vehicles” could improve the efficiency of route maintenance, while simultaneously improving safety.
Jim O’Sullivan, the body’s chief executive said: “We are delivering a record £15bn of government investment to give people safe, efficient and reliable journeys, and provide businesses with the links they need to prosper and grow.
Read the original article at The Guardian.
Some Hybrid Vehicles Can Save Thousands
Vincentric, LLC announced the 2017 U.S. Hybrid Analysis results today with 26 of the 65 hybrids evaluated, or 40%, having a lower total cost of ownership compared to their closest all-gasoline powered counterpart.
Since 2012 the percentage of cost-effective hybrids has steadily decreased, with the trend changing in 2017 as the rate increased 16 percentage points compared to the 2016 Vincentric U.S. Hybrid Analysis.
“Our study showed a significant increase in the percentage of hybrids that can save buyer’s money over five-years when compared to an all-gas counterpart,” said Vincentric President, David Wurster.
Update Your Connected Car Just Like Your Smartphone
Just like smartphone makers, automakers from BMW to Subaru plan to upgrade their vehicles with over-the-air updates.
Connected cars owners can schedule less, time-consuming updates of some features.
IHS auto analyst Stephanie Brinley says that over-the-air updates must also overcome dealer resistance. “That will be an issue,” she says, “because bringing cars into the shop for service is where dealers make a lot of revenue.”
Read the original article at The Detroit News.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network Does Not Include Commercial Drivers
Tesla recently released a new policy called Supercharger Fair Use, which prohibits new commercial drivers from using the network of charging stations.
The expansion of its network of charging stations is needed to reduce heavy user traffic.
A Tesla spokesperson said that the company does “encourage the use of Teslas for commercial purposes,” and that they will work with drivers to find other places to charge their vehicles. The policy carve out an exception, saying that some stations might be excluded, depending on local circumstances.
Read the original article at The Verge.
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