Volvo joined forces with Epic Games, the company that created the Fortnite franchise, to give its next-generation cars a faster infotainment system with vastly improved graphics. Using technology gleaned from the world of gaming promises to unlock a long list of new features.
Don't expect to see a Fortnite-themed display in the XC90's replacement; the partnership isn't going that far. Volvo explained that it will use the Unreal Engine, a real-time 3D creation tool developed for industries outside of the gaming world, to develop the digital interface it will program into future additions to its range. This technology will allow it to deliver richer colors, sharper renderings and new 3D animations.
Good graphics aren't worth much if the software is annoying to use, so Volvo will power its next infotainment system with the third-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms designed by Qualcomm. We're told that the end result is a system that's over twice as fast as the one Volvo currently uses, and whose graphic generation and processing capacities are up to 10 times faster. Volvo hasn't released a video of the software in action yet, but we won't have to wait long to see it: the feature will debut in a new flagship model due out by the end of 2022.
This isn't the first time that Volvo has enlisted the help of a technology company to design an infotainment system. Its current cars (like the C40 Recharge) are fitted with Google's Android Automotive OS infotainment system. And, the worlds of gaming and in-car technology have collided before: Nissan notably asked Polyphony Digital, the company behind the Gran Turismo franchise, to design the GT-R's display.
Android Auto users are in line for a fairly sizable update coming soon. Google revealed a totally new look and design for Android Auto at its Google I/O event last week, and the main takeaway is newfound flexibility.
Car makers are not exactly consistent with the various screen sizes and orientations used in vehicles. Many favor a widescreen format, while others prefer a vertically-oriented portrait format, and there are so many others in between. This was problematic for Android Auto previously, because it wasn’t designed to fill the screen perfectly with every possible screen shape. Plus, a fancy split-screen function was only supported for a small number of vehicles. Now, however, Google says it has fixed the issue. Android Auto will now conform to fit whatever size and shape your car’s screen is, be it tall and skinny or short and wide. And, a new split screen function should work on every vehicle.
Beyond the better integration, the Android Auto look itself is refreshed to bring it more in line with the latest Android software you see on phones. The fonts, shapes and general UI should now look more familiar to those with Android phones running stock Android software.
The aforementioned split-screen mode gets a new design for this version of Android Auto, too. Google says that the data it has collected on how people use Android Auto shows that folks primarily use it for navigation, media and communication. Therefore, the split-screen view now consists of three tiles for those three things. This means that you can see your nav, current media and any missed communications (texts, phone calls) all in one place at all times. Of course, you can also just enlarge any one of those if you prefer to keep the focus on one particular app, like navigation.
Google’s final announced change for this new Android Auto is better Assistant integration. The car will proactively suggest replies to text messages from friends, or allow you to quickly share an arrival time with a person of your choice. It’ll even recommend music options.
All of these changes are slated to roll out “in the coming months,” so if you’re an Android Auto user, keep a lookout for a new look and new features hitting your car’s infotainment system this summer.
There’s good reason why Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are putting the nail in the coffin of automakers’ own smartphone platforms: They work. Prior to the platforms’ rollouts, automakers struggled to marry their in-car touchscreens and knob-and-display infotainment systems with smartphones. Such media player interfaces were and continue to be confusing, frustrating or glitchy.
Enter CarPlay and Android Auto, which use software to largely mirror what’s on a driver’s device – in a streamlined and relatively safe auto-centric way – on a car’s infotainment screen. They include the apps and interfaces owners of the devices already know and appear the same on every in-dash display – whether in a Bentley or a Buick.
What type of phone do you need for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
CarPlay is compatible with the iPhone 5 going forward, without needing a separate app. Android Auto, on the other hand, requires downloading an app for devices with Android 9 or below, while devices with Android 10 and later don’t require a separate app.
What apps are available for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay?
Both platforms include native apps for familiar features such as phoning, messaging, music, maps, audiobooks and podcasts, and leverage their parent company’s voice assistant for hands-free functionality. They also integrate popular third-party apps for music streaming, messaging services, navigation, parking, shopping, sports and even EV charging.
More than 600 vehicle models now offer CarPlay, and more than 500 are now compatible with Android Auto. The platforms are also available in aftermarket head units, and in 2018, Mazda added CarPlay support to vehicles from 2014 model-year vehicle forward by way of a dealer-installed upgrade for vehicles equipped with the Mazda Connect system.
Some automakers were initially, and until recently, reluctant to allow Apple and Google into their dashboards – Toyota in particular objected to owners’ usage data being shared automatically with Apple and Google. At the time of this writing, Tesla is the only major automaker that has shunned the platforms and stuck with a proprietary system.
What's the difference between wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
In most cases, a device needs to be connected to a car’s smartphone-integration USB port. (This port might be labeled as such in your car or designated by a white outline.) But with the introduction of iOS 9 in September 2015, more than 20 automakers now offer wireless CarPlay, while Android had already cut the cord in March 2015. (A handful of automakers offer wireless CarPlay only.)
Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto can’t use a Bluetooth connection, and instead require connecting to a vehicle via Wi-Fi. No, this doesn’t mean they chew through the data allowance for an in-car Wi-Fi hot spot. Since the platforms are data-intensive, they need this more robust connection to the car’s infotainment system.
One downside of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is a Wi-Fi connection more quickly drains a device’s battery. Of course, you can always plug the device into a USB charge-only port, and if your car has wireless device charging and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto you get the best of both worlds.
Do Apple CarPlay and Android Auto get updated?
In addition to their simplicity and familiarity, one of the biggest advantages of CarPlay and Android Auto over automakers’ smartphone-integration platforms is they’re routinely refreshed through software updates. While a handful of automakers offer over-the-air software updates for their infotainment systems, for all but Tesla it’s not as easy and seamless and having your smartphone update while you sleep, and getting new and enhanced features.
For example, along with adding wireless capability, the iOS 9 update allowed car companies to develop apps that let car occupants operate vehicle-specific features such as climate controls. Subsequent updates added features such as support for third-party navigation apps like Waze and for food ordering and parking services apps.
With the release of iOS 13 in 2019 came one of the biggest changes to CarPlay: a Dashboard feature with a split-screen option that can simultaneously show maps, media info and calendar items. It also added a Settings app that lets users switch between light and dark modes, adjust album art in the Now Playing screen and enable a Do Not Disturb feature.
Last year CarPlay added the availability to unlock a car and start the engine with an iPhone for certain 2021 models. The feature also allows sharing digital “keys” with family or friends and will even work for up to five hours after an iPhone’s battery is dead.
Android Auto has also been consistently updated. Google initially didn’t allow third parties to integrate mapping apps with Android Auto, reserving the platform for its own Google Maps and Waze. But now third-party mapping apps such as Sygic and TomTom AmiGO are available.
In late 2016 Google added the option to run Android Auto as an app on an Android device. In this case, that means via an embedded Android Automotive OS, which so far only a few vehicles run, notably Polestar EVs.
At the beginning of 2018, Google announced the addition of Google Assistant to Android Auto, while in July 2019 the platform got a UI overhaul. Last summer, Android Auto got a major upgrade that added being able to personalize the launch screen directly from your phone, a A-Z quick scrolling feature for lengthy catalogs of songs and contacts list and integration of EV charging, parking and navigation apps.
What limitations do Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have?
Neither system is a complete replacement for a car’s “native” infotainment system. If you want to listen to the radio, be it terrestrial or SiriusXM, you need the car’s interface. Same if you want to change various vehicle functions. Navigation apps such as Google Maps are also reliant on data to be able to search for a new destination and map a route – if you’re in an area without service and haven’t pre-downloaded map data (most people don’t even know you can do that), you won’t have a navigation system. That’s one reason why carmakers continue to offer native navigation systems, although some, such as new systems by Mercedes, offer augmented reality directions in the central screen or head-up display that you definitely won’t get with Google Maps.
What Apple CarPlay can do, or can’t do, also depends on the car. Some lock out CarPlay’s ability to look through Playlists in the music app while the car is in motion, for example, requiring you to select something using Siri. Others, however, keep everything available to you at all times.
What's the difference between Android Auto and Android Automotive OS?
We've already described Android Auto, but you're going to increasingly see the term Android Automotive, which is not the same thing. Instead of providing just an interface to control your smartphone through the car's infotainment system, Android Automotive is in fact the entire infotainment system. It is effectively an operating system created by Google that car brands can customize with their specific designs or "skins" that can control everything a car's native system normally would. So, think changing a radio station or customizing drive mode settings. Android Auto is still needed to communicate and control smartphone apps, and although CarPlay was not yet compatible at the time of this writing, it will in the future. You can see more about Android Automotive and its early adoption in the 2022 GMC Yukon below.
The 2023 Ram ProMaster is here, and it’s sporting a bunch of great upgrades over the outgoing model.
Starting on the design front, Ram gave the ProMaster a new (thoughtful) front end. The headlights are positioned out of the collision zone in a direct frontal crash now to save them in the event of an accident. Plus, the bumper has an integrated step that allows you to step up and either clean the windshield or swap wiper blades far easier. The headlights themselves are also improved. Standard halogen lights provide 15% more range of light, and optional LED headlights provide 50% more range.
The popularity of black appearance packages has made it into the van world now, too, as this ProMaster is available with exactly that, blacking out grille, badges and wheels. Lastly on the appearance side of things, Ram introduced two new colors: Ceramic Gray and Spitfire Orange. Ram says these colors were designed specifically with its #vanlife customers in mind. Unfortunately, no images of these colors were available upon this story’s publishing.
A new extra-high roof option is available for 2023, adding 10 inches over top of the previous high-roof option. Additionally, Ram is offering a new roll-up door in case that would fit a customer’s lifestyle better than a traditional rear door. It’s made of anodized aluminum to be easier to use.
There are 19 configurations available in total for the 2023 ProMaster including three roof heights, three wheelbases and four vehicle lengths. Every single one of them will come equipped with the Pentastar V6 (just like before) that makes 276 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. All of the vans are also front-wheel drive only. And lest you forget, Ram is still planning on releasing its electric ProMaster in 2023 — Amazon will be taking delivery of thousands of those electric vans next year.
Interior and tech upgrades are aplenty for the 2023 ProMaster. For example, the ProMaster uses the latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system. The standard display is a 7-inch screen, but you can tack on an optional 10-inch screen. That means it has wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. You can spec a wireless phone charger, and the interior features both USB-A and USB-C ports.
Safety and convenience features are made readily available. Standard safety equipment includes collision warning, crosswind assist, drowsiness detection and traffic sign recognition. You can tack on nice extras like an auto-park feature, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-centering, auto high-beams, front parking sensors, cornering lights and rain-sensing wipers.
One excellent feature that is available on any trim of ProMaster is a new digital rearview camera mirror. Flip it into digital mode, and you’ll get a total unobstructed view rearwards. Many vehicles offer this sort of mirror these days, but it’s great to see it in such a visibility-challenged vehicle.
Ram says its updated ProMaster will be available to buy in the third quarter of 2022, but it didn’t provide pricing for any of the models.
The Spotify Car Thing is officially on sale for the masses. Its limited-release trial periods are over, and now anyone can buy it for $89.99.
The little music player’s premise remains the same. It’s meant to bring deep Spotify access to older cars that don’t have today’s convenient Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity features. It features a touchscreen, a dial, preset buttons and voice control. The interface is a car-friendly copy of the Spotify app on your phone with big icons meant to make inputs easier than what you might get tapping away on your smartphone.
Some updates for Car Thing are coming based on Spotify’s learnings in the year-long trial period it’s gone through. For example, it’s developing a Night Mode for the screen, and an “Add to Queue” command is also coming. The latter is key if you and your friends are trying to build a playlist via voice command for a long road trip. We’re a little surprised it didn’t have a night mode to begin, but at least Spotify is integrating it now.
If you want a Car Thing, make sure you have the proper hardware to make it work — you’ll also need to be a Spotify Premium user. It requires a power source (12V outlet or USB outlet), and you also need to be able to connect your phone to the car’s audio system by way of Bluetooth, USB cable or aux cable, since the Car Thing doesn’t hook up to the audio system. If your car is old enough that it doesn’t have any of those, then you’re out of luck — of course, you can always install a newer head unit to gain access to a number of those connectivity options, but that costs even more money.
Every car forum has threads devoted to broken infotainment systems. As vehicles pile on the tech controlled through infotainment systems, it's inevitable that every automaker will get its time in the spotlight — or the courts — to deal with the innumerable traps hidden in ginormous amounts of code found in the average modern car. Now it's Mazda's turn, but only for certain Mazdas from the 2014 to 2017 model years, and only those in the Seattle area able to pick up National Public Radio station KUOW.
A piece in the Seattle Times explains that something in the HD Radio signal KUOW sends is nearly bricking the infotainment systems in these vehicles. The common thread is that after the inciting incident, the radio will only play KUOW. And, since the screen will only play the Mazda wake-up animation repeatedly, owners have lost access to their navigation, Bluetooth, reversing camera and vehicle information.
No one believes it's an NPR conspiracy. Yet. The Seattle Times spoke to a few owners, a couple of dealers, Mazda and Xperi, a company making the software HD radio runs on. Mazda fingered the culprit as the station transmitting image files without an extension, say for an album cover, that Mazda's media software tries and fails to process, with tragic results. Mazda didn't say why this issue is only happening on the model years at issue, nor why this specific software can't work around a file extension error, which have existed as long as there have been files.
The story is one of those that might make you shake your head and offer a tragic chuckle for the unfortunate, then look at your car outside and wonder, "How long until you do me like this?" The little snafus seem likelier every day, given that we weren't joking about the amount of software in today's cars. Way back in 2009, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers wrote, "It takes dozens of microprocessors running 100 million lines of code to get a premium car out of the driveway, and this software is only going to get more complex." That's about four times the amount of code needed to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, almost 70% more than all of the code that runs Facebook. This was before the all-out race for driver convenience features, vehicles becoming digital nodes and the industry's quest to catch up to consumer electronics software cycles. Imagine how many more lines have been compiled in 13 years, and how many more are to come (Level 3 autonomy, anyone?).
Before you do that, though, check out the Seattle Times story. And kudos to Mazda for stepping up take care of affected vehicles while everyone tries to figure out what's happening.
Mitsubishi Electric is showing the latest version of its EMirai concept vehicles. The EMirai series has made recurring appearances at CES, showing off the company's — which is a separate entity from Mitsubishi Motors — latest driving technologies. The newest iteration, whose complete name is the EMirai xS Drive Concept, is scheduled for debut at CES 2022.
Past EMirai concepts ("Mirai", like the Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, means "future" in Japanese) have focused on technologies such as driver biometrics and augmented reality to make help alleviate the task of driving. The EMirai xS Drive continues on this theme with two primary advancements.
In the realm of biometrics, the concept monitors the the driver with a near-infrared camera to detect their health. It not only checks on drowsiness, but emergency situations where an autonomous intervention may be required. It does this by keeping tabs on the driver's respiration rate and pulse, as well as checking for sudden changes in facial expressions like the closing of eyelids or opening of the mouth. If an emergency is detected, the car will take over and park to prevent accidents.
This seems to be geared towards elderly drivers, which tend to live in rural and suburban areas in Japan where public transportation isn't always an option. Mazda recently released a similar technology in Japan as well.
The system can also detect passengers, including children, using radio waves. By not relying on a weight sensor embedded in the seat like in some modern vehicles, the system can detect a child even if he or she is hiding in a footwell.
The EMirai xS Drive also uses a Mitsubishi Electric High Definition Locator to operate adaptive headlights. Operating in conjunction with the driver monitor above, it turns the headlights to better illuminate the direction where the driver's head is turned, such as a curve or slope ahead.
The system also looks for other hazards, like pedestrians who may be crossing a dark road, and uses the adaptive headlights to cast more light on those subjects. It also looks for vehicles approaching from behind, and projects a warning onto the road surface ahead, within the headlight beam spread, so the driver knows what's behind without shifting focus onto a rear-view mirror.
It appears, though, whereas past EMirai concepts have been built around an actual show car, the latest evolution is just a four seats and a dashboard in a standalone cockpit. While Mitsubishi might be on the name of the concept, this is not intended to be an exclusive feature to Mitsubishi Motors' vehicles. The Mitsubishi Group is so vast, with interests in everything from banking to mining, that Mitsubishi Electric will likely develop this solution for use in any brand that is willing to buy the technology.
One of the obstacles to a fully autonomous future are the roads upon which theoretical autonomous vehicles would drive. Cameras and sensors use the painted lane lines to help them trace a path and help cars stay in their respective lanes. If you’ve ever driven a car with some level of lane-keeping or lane-following assistance, you might’ve noticed that without any lane markings, the system becomes relatively useless.
So, how does one improve matters so you can use driver assistance features in more situations? The answer is relatively simple in concept. Road operators need to maintain our roads better and with driving assistance features in mind. Honda knows this too, and it’s just devised a system to aid road workers in doing exactly that.
The Honda Research Institute is officially beginning a road condition monitoring pilot program. What does that mean? It means that Honda has devised a program that runs on its cars to constantly monitor and evaluate lane marking conditions. Using GPS, sensors and cameras, Honda’s pilot program cars will drive around and collect data on the state of our lane markings. Specifically, the program will be evaluating Ohio’s state of affairs. Honda hasn’t said if it will extend the program beyond Ohio yet, but if successful, we don’t see why it couldn’t expand.
Honda will use four grades for lane markings: green, yellow, grey and red. Green and yellow means “ideal to good.” Grey means there are no markings, and red means “need repair.” The rankings are paired with latitude and longitude data, video clips and images. It’s all then sent over to the Ohio Department of Transportation, and we can then hope the government decides to fix the areas needing repair. Of course, our faith in road operators to maintain roads properly in this country is not absolute, but at least Ohio will have a better grasp of what needs doing.
“Real-time, high-accuracy roadway data captured from connected vehicles has the potential to improve the process of identifying, reporting, and more quickly repairing hazardous road conditions,” says Paritosh Kelkar, scientist at Honda Research Institute.
In addition to reporting lane conditions to Ohio, this system has the capability of reporting a warning to other Honda vehicles. Your Honda could theoretically access the lane marking data in real time using an internet connection and your GPS coordinates and warn you when a section of poor markings is coming up, prompting you to take back full control from the lane-following system.
Lastly, Honda teases out that it could expand this program to “monitor other types of road conditions.” What those other conditions are, we don’t know yet.
Anytime there’s a new automotive show, our ears perk up. This time, it’s a sitcom called “American Auto.” It’ll be airing on NBC, and the network just released the show’s first promo clip that you can watch above.
NBC’s description of the show can be found directly below.
“Set in Detroit, the corporate executives of Payne Motors are at a crossroads: adapt to the changing times or be sent to the junkyard. Shaking things up is the new CEO, whose leadership, experience, and savvy are only slightly offset by her complete lack of knowledge about cars. Luckily, her team has some of the best minds in the business — when they aren’t fighting or trying to outwit each other. From the corporate office to the factory floor, the crew of Payne Motors is driving home the laughs.”
Sound interesting? At the very least, we’re intrigued to see where they take this show. The short clip depicts a scene in a boardroom where execs are working out what vehicles they’ll sell in the future. Longtime "SNL" star Ana Gasteyer is the CEO of Payne and lead of the show. We get to see the Ponderosa, which is supposedly Payne’s big idea for a future autonomous vehicle. It’s a sedan rocking a combustion engine up front with some big, gaudy wheels at all four corners. Will that make production? Who knows!
If you want to check out “American Auto,” NBC says it’s airing a special preview episode on Monday, December 13, at 10 p.m. ET. It’ll be available the following day on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.
Mercedes- Benz DIGITAL LIGHT: Die revolutionäre Scheinwerfertechnologie DIGITAL LIGHT mit nahezu blendfreiem Fernlicht in HD-Qualität und mit mehr als zwei Millionen Pixel Auflösung steht für höchste Präzision, optimale Sicht des Fahrers nahezu ohne Blendwirkung sowie für Performance, Fahrassistenz und Kommunikation. Mercedes- Benz DIGITAL LIGHT: The revolutionary headlamp technology DIGITAL LIGHT with almost dazzle-free main beam in HD quality and a resolution of more than two million pixels represents highest precision, optimal view for the driver almost without dazzling effect as well as performance, driver assistance and communication.
In case you aren't familiar, adaptive driving beams are fully explained in this story here. But in short, they’re the trick headlights we see in many European cars that can adapt their high beam illumination based on the surrounding environment. The system uses cameras and sensors to pick out other cars on the road, and is able to trace a perfect, darkened opening for the other cars, while still throwing out high beam-like light everywhere else. In a way, your brights never fully turn off. They only dim their beam in the select spots necessary so as not to blind other drivers. The headlights also dim their beam when directed at road signs as you approach them so as not to dazzle the driver with a bright reflection. There’s potential for much more, too, as some manufacturers have designed headlights that can project warning signs onto pavement, swivel up to highlight pedestrians entering the road, highlight lane changes and more. You can watch a video example of everything we described below in an Audi demonstration of the tech.
We’ve been missing out, but that’s about to change.
So, how has this tech finally found a path to legality? For years it’s been barred due to outdated regulations in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The exact language that held manufacturers back specifically states that headlights must have a dedicated low beam and dedicated high beam to be compliant and road legal. The new infrastructure bill changes that by laying out the following in a headlamps section: “to allow for the use on vehicles of adaptive driving beam headlamp systems.”
This request comes in the form of a direction to amend FMVSS No. 108 to include the adaptive driving beams provision, and the bill allows for two years to get it done. So yes, we could theoretically be waiting another two years, but no longer than that.
In addition to making adaptive driving beams legal, the infrastructure bill also says that testing of headlight performance will now be required. It doesn’t go much further than that, but we suspect it’ll resemble the headlight testing currently done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
