Chery Chairman Yin Tongyao confirmed previous rumors about Jaguar Land Rover's adoption of Chery's platforms during the interview
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Category: News
BYD’s Denza Z9 GT with over 900 hp spotted in China as it gets ready to launch
The Denza Z9 GT shooting brake from BYD was spotted in China during road tests. The 900-hp Panamera rival will launch in H2 this year.
The post BYD’s Denza Z9 GT with over 900 hp spotted in China as it gets ready to launch appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
BYD’s Denza Z9 GT with over 900 hp spotted in China as it gets ready to launch
The Denza Z9 GT shooting brake from BYD was spotted in China during road tests. The 900-hp Panamera rival will launch in H2 this year.
The post BYD’s Denza Z9 GT with over 900 hp spotted in China as it gets ready to launch appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
Lynk & Co teases Zero electric sedan as it is ready to launch
The Lynk & Co Zero electric sedan was officially revealed in teaser images as it’s gearing up for the market launch.
The post Lynk & Co teases Zero electric sedan as it is ready to launch appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
Wireless phone chargers in cars are awful, but I think we’re turning a corner
Wireless phone chargers in cars have royally sucked for what feels like a very long time at this point. Plenty of them function better as phone heaters than actual chargers (pre-2023 BMWs), ultimately causing your phone to overheat and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to crash. Others are extremely finicky with positioning, causing your phone to constantly toggle between charging and not charging as it moves around the charging mat. Meanwhile, some are straight-up useless because the mat itself is so poor at holding the phone in place that it slides out of the charger entirely – see the photo at the top of this post of an Integra Type S' wireless charger. Obviously, the phone slides past those useless side detents at the first hint of a corner.
It’s bad enough that even though most new cars I test these days offer wireless phone charging, I still bring a cord on nearly every trip. Course, there are some good ones, too. I’ve always liked Cadillac’s cradle (below, left) that hugs your phone so snugly that there’s zero chance it moves and stops charging – ditto for Ram’s (below, right) “Ramcharger.” Really, any apparatus that forces the phone to stay in one place without disrupting charging is a semi-acceptable solution.
But there’s also the charging speed part of the equation. Most new, flagship smartphones have the ability to wirelessly charge at respectable speeds these days. You’re still going to achieve maximum charging speed with the classic brick-and-cord sold by your phone’s manufacturer, but popular, new phones like the iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro can wirelessly charge at up to 15 watts (or 23 watts in the Pixel’s case) on a compatible wireless phone charger. The charging mats in most new cars these days won’t come anywhere near to charging your phone at its potential maximum rate. That leads to very little charging actually being done, as your phone is typically experiencing a high power draw in the car as you use it for navigation and music streaming. Basically, the charger is just barely maintaining charge at that point, leaving you to hop out of the car after a trip with the same battery percentage as when you entered. In many instances, I’ve left the car with even less charge than when I started thanks to such poor wireless charging performance.
All of those above problems were especially frustrating because good wireless phone charging technology has existed (in at-home solutions) for quite some time. Automotive manufacturers simply weren’t putting it in their vehicles. To make things worse, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto has and continues to be touted as a big selling point, but plugging your phone in the old-fashioned way is still the better experience if you actually care to charge your phone.
All the negativity aside, I think we’re finally starting to see a vital shift to improved wireless phone charging in cars. I just hopped out of the totally revamped 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe here recently, and I was stunned at this car’s wireless phone charging performance. Not only does Hyundai provide two cordoned-off (secure) spots to place phones – shown above – but the charging itself was fast! Tesla’s been smartly providing two spots to wirelessly charge both a driver’s and a passenger’s phone at the same time for years, so it’s great to see Hyundai hop aboard that train. Both of the chargers can charge phones at 15 watts (at the same time), and there’s a fan underneath designed to keep things cool and ensure you don’t overheat the phones while maintaining maximum charging speed. CarPlay didn’t stutter once; the phones charged rapidly, and they weren’t even particularly hot when I slid them back in my pocket after the trip.
It was simply the best wireless phone charging experience I’ve had in a car to date. There are lights that stay lit to offer confirmation that the phone is still charging, and I never had to reposition a phone once I set it down. For once, I didn’t miss having a cable at hand, and I also felt like I was able to fully take advantage of the convenience that wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto can offer.
Another OEM that’s seen massive growth in wireless phone charger performance as of late is BMW. The new 5 Series has a fresh design (just above) that works wonders. Only one of the two slots to hold a phone in the cradle will wirelessly charge it, but the new design has venting that allows for heat to dissipate and maintain the fastest possible charging for longer. It works splendidly in action, which is a massive improvement over the almost useless wireless phone chargers BMW put in its cars before the new design.
New wireless phone chargers like those described above from Hyundai and BMW give me hope that the rest of the industry will continue to better their chargers, too. It’s simply a shame when a big chunk of real estate in the center console is taken up by a charger that you don’t even want to use, and when done properly, you know a charger can be a notable boon to the in-car tech experience. I think we’re slowly moving along the correct track after a number of failed attempts. Cooling and holding the phone in place are the two biggest roadblocks to move past, and once we’re there, then I might just be able to leave the cord at home for good.
GM seeks to patent a system that evaluates your mental well-being
General Motors has applied to patent a technology that takes driver-monitoring to a new level. The automaker outlined a system that analyzes the driver's behavior by reading data sent by onboard sensors — and can have the car take over if it detects unsafe behavior.
Filed in November 2022, and published in May 2024, the patent describes a "vehicle occupant mental well-being assessment and counter-measure deployment" system. The technology was developed by a General Motors subsidiary named GM Global Technology Operations, and it aims to intervene when it detects that stress — regardless of where it comes from — can affect the driver's ability to operate the car.
What's considered unsafe behavior depends at least somewhat on how you drive. The system first records data points to establish a profile of your driving habits. It then uses this information as a baseline to decide when you're driving erratically. For example, it detects your stop-start frequency, hard braking, hard accelerating, hard cornering, and excessive honking. Existing technology enables some of these features: The system knows whether you're obeying traffic signs, whether you're tailgating, and how strong of a grip you've got on the steering wheel.
The system can take several actions if it decides something isn't right, including asking the driver to perform "a mental health exercise," to call a friend or a family member, or to seek therapy from a trained professional. It can even initiate a call to "a trained advisor" on its own. Alternatively, it can leverage the onboard electronic driving aids to "autonomously [control] one or more driving functions of the vehicle."
General Motors hasn't commented, and it hasn't revealed when (or even if) it plans to deploy this driver-monitoring system. Keep in mind that a patent application isn't a guarantee that the technology it describes will see the light at the end of a production line. Toyota once patented a "shape-morphing fuselage for an aerocar" yet the new Land Cruiser was unveiled without wings or a flight mode.
NASA wants to build a floating railway on the moon
NASA's "Moon to Mars" project aims to establish a human settlement on the surface of the moon and ultimately reach the Red Planet. Making it happen safely and comfortably requires setting up an infrastructure that could include a floating railway used to move tools and materials.
The technology is called Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT), and it's described as "a durable, long-life robotic transport system." NASA has identified two main use cases: It can transport regolith mined for construction purposes, which would save astronauts the trouble of flying in cement and cinder blocks from Earth, and it can move payload such as tools from the lunar base to other landing zones or outposts.
You're on the wrong track, literally and figuratively, if you're picturing a big locomotive and a mile-long string of graffiti-ridden train cars. In some ways, it's closer to the Rainbow Road level you find in nearly every version of Mario Kart. The FLOAT system relies on unpowered magnetic robots that levitate over a three-layer flexible film track, according to NASA. One is a graphite layer that allows the robots, which have no moving parts, to float using diamagnetic levitation. Another is a flex-circuit layer that generates the electromagnetic thrust that moves the robots down the tracks. The third is optional: It's a thin-film solar panel that makes power for a hypothetically nearby lunar base.
One of the advantages of this system is that it rolls out — it almost sounds like a big rug. There's no need to prepare the ground, which saves time and leaves the surface of the Moon relatively intact, yet a large-scale FLOAT system will be capable of moving over 200,000 pounds of payload several miles per day. It will be fully autonomous, too, so don't look for a "moon train conductor" job offer on LinkedIn.
Engineers have several hurdles to clear before the FLOAT system becomes a reality. The next step is to design, build, and test a sub-scale prototype and investigate what effect factors like temperature, radiation, and lunar regolith simulant contamination have on the system's performance. Manufacturing-related questions need to be answered as well. You can't build the FLOAT system with off-the-shelf parts.
The FLOAT system is one of several ideas NASA selected for Phase II of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project, whose goal is to encourage the development of new technologies that might lead to breakthroughs in space exploration programs, including "Moon to Mars." Another idea is the Pulsed Plasma Rocket, which could put a human on Mars. The spacecraft is capable of making the trip to Mars in about two months, according to simulations. Alternatively, it's powerful enough to transport heavy spacecraft across the galaxy.
Nissan’s interactive puppet entertains fussy babies so parents can drive
Before parenthood, it's near impossible to fully understand just how much a child takes over your once-freewheeling life. Sometimes you can't even get a moment of peace when you're driving. That's where Nissan's Iruyo, a fuzzy doll that can entertain a baby, comes in.
When your humble scribe was growing up, kids just rode seatbelt-less and moved freely around the car, station wagon cargo area, or pickup bed. Then some genius decided to install airbags everywhere so that babies have to be strapped into the back seat facing the rear of the car. Yes, this is the safest option, but it doesn't change the fact that it makes it nearly impossible for a lone parent to see what the kid is up to without perfectly angling a bunch of mirrors like you're trying to bounce lasers.
Trying to soothe an upset baby while driving can be a major distraction. For a whole year and a half, they can't even talk to indicate what's wrong. According to Nissan's research, more than 80% of parents driving solo with a child said they couldn't comfort their babies when they cried.
To solve this problem, Nissan developed Iruyo, a plushie that resembles that red haired monster from Bugs Bunny. Described as an "Intelligent Puppet," it's strapped to the car in view of the baby and works with a smaller matching doll, called Baby Iruyo, that rides up front with mom or dad.
The Baby Iruyo acts like a mic, picking up the parent driver's words and transmitting them to the Iruyo riding in the back with the baby. The big Iruyo then moves in accordance with the parent's voice, waving, doing a little dance in rhythm with the parent's singing, or playing peek-a-boo.
Iruyo, which is Japanese for "I'm here," also uses facial recognition tech to see when the baby is sleeping. When the kiddo closes their eyes, it transmits that back to the Baby Iruyo in front, which then closes its eyes to let the parent know junior is off to slumberland.
Nissan found that 90% of babies pay attention to Iruyo's movements, and that the emotional state of more than half the babies in their study improved when interacting with the doll, even when strapped into the carseat.
Nissan developed a few variations of Iruyo as well. There's one with white fur and one with pink. Each color Iruyo also gets three different looks — plain, wearing a beanie, or wearing glasses.
For now, Iruyo is still an experimental item, but Nissan says it will do some trials in Japan and take feedback from customers. Who knows, maybe you can have an Iruyo of your very own someday. Now if they could only figure out how to prevent food from getting all over the upholstery.
Indy Autonomous Challenge reveals improved and faster race car at CES 2024
Autonomous racing is still in its infancy, but there’s a new race car meant for the Indy Autonomous Challenge that was just revealed at CES 2024. It’s called the IAC AV-24, and it’s designed to be far more capable than the AV-21 that universities have been racing for the past few years.
In case you weren’t following along, the Indy Autonomous Challenge is a competition for colleges and universities around the world to develop and race each other in autonomous cars on real racetracks. This next generation of autonomous open-wheel cars will be taken to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monza and the Goodwood Festival of Speed to compete for big cash prizes.
The teams/universities that enter this latest phase of competition will need to develop their artificial intelligence “drivers” to pilot the car and try to win races. This new car platform should allow entrants to push further and go faster than they could before thanks to newer and better hardware and software systems. New equipment includes a Luminar 360-degree long-range lidar system, Continental 4D radar sensors, IAC custom drive-by-wire system (allows for independent actuation of front and rear brakes), Marelli race control and real-time data interface, improved GPS and a whole lot more. The “robot” that competitors will program to drive the vehicle has better functionality, too, as the IAC says it’s vehicle chassis agnostic, allowing even more use-case applications. A new simulation tool will even allow possible entrants to train and test their AI driver without having to buy a car and to test it in the real world, opening up more possibilities for competitors.
Ultimately, this series should help push the boundaries of where we’re at with high-speed automation and lead to innovations and enhanced features in this space. In a way, it’s just like old-fashioned motorsports in the knowledge transfer from the racetrack to the road, but in this case, the knowledge gained is simply in a different form.
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CES 2024 Live: News from Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Sony, Mullen, Vinfast and more in Las Vegas
We've gotten a lot more automotive (and related) news from CES 2024 than we were expecting. There's been a ton of fun news and cool reveals as the show really gets going into high gear. With major reveals, updates and news from huge automakers and brands like Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Sony, Mercedes-Benz and Vinfast, there's plenty to keep automotive enthusiasts interested this year in Las Vegas.
We've already seen a few new vehicles (two-wheeled and four-wheeled), AI tech, infotainment upgrades, autonomous technology and even new tires. If that's not enough, we've covered electric boat motors from Mercury, autonomous tractors from John Deere and a couple flying car/drone/copter things.
And we're not done yet. We'll also be bringing you live impressions from the event covering everything from debuts to random musings from the floor. And you can follow all the action live right here.
