Car Tech Update - Tesla teases incredible new software plans

March 23, 2015

Tesla teases incredible new software plans

We live in 2015. And some amazing stuff has happened in the automotive industry, but this may just be the icing on the cake. Elon Musk of Tesla Motors, announced that a software update, dubbed Firmware Version 7.0, will change the lives of drivers everywhere. That's right; your car will soon have to be updated regularly with new features just like your smartphone.

Expected to be ready in about 3-4 months, Firmware 7.0 will have some autonomous driving features based on exterior sensors and GPS that will be highway ready. But here's the most important part.

TESLA PLANS TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW YOU TO CALL YOUR CAR OR HAVE IT PARK FOR YOU.

Your own personal valet. At the touch of a button on your smartphone. We certainly live in exciting times. We'll just have to wait and see if Musk and Tesla can pull through on their amazing innovations.

Read more about updates that are released already here:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097336_elon-musk-tesla-model-s-ends-range-anxiety-with-smart-navigation-trip-planner

Until next time,

Patrick

Car Tech News - Best of Geneva 2015

Today marks the last day of the 85th annual Geneva International Motor Show. The show, located in Geneva, Switzerland, is known as one of the largest conventions for car designers and technology.

The official website: http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/

On their website, you can watch videos of some things that have been unveiled at the show. This ranges from updated versions of current models to the extremely original designs of German students. The rest of this post contains some of the most interesting displays at the show. Enjoy.

1.  EDAG Light Cocoon

  

Edag, a German Engineering firm, has gone to lengths to show the future of car customization. Their car model, which doesn't have many impressive driving features, is still a show stopper. The outside of the car is covered in a translucent, elastic, waterproof material developed by another engineering firm. Underneath the film, the body contains LEDs that can change colors according to the driver's preference.

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2. EXP 10 Speed 6 ... Bentley Sports Car?!

 


Bentley unveiled its plans to bring a sporty coupe to production. Dubbed the "EXP 10 Speed 6", the concept car is still in the works but hopes to compete with other powerful cars of similar class, namely the Mercerdes AMG GT.

Read more here: http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/news/new-exp-10-speed-6-concept-hints-at-potential-bentley-sports-car-7299

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3. The New Audi R8




It wouldn't be a motor show without Audi's beautiful trademark supercar. The new R8 has been redesigned with a few new touches. The amount of carbon fiber used in the chassi of the car has been increased, making the model 145 lbs lighter than before. The standard all-wheel drive can distribute torque evenly between front and back axles. The 5.2 liter engine is now standard, to match the power of Lamborghini's Huracan. The standard model will be V10, but a V8 should be released later, possibly with hybrid plug-in capabilities.

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4. Quant F - nanoFlowcell Technology arrives.



Quant F, the model produced by nanoFlowcell, is an impressive looking car. Their unique flow cells that are powered by salt water are their claim to fame. Apparently, the flow cells can gain enough power to put out over 1000 hp and 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

Read more on their website: www.nanoflowcell.com

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5. Goodyear's Electricity Generating Concept Tires



Goodyear certainly shocked many visitors at the Geneva Motor Show with their incredible innovation. There are two designs that the company has put out. One of the designs is an electricity generating tire and the other is a shape shifting tire that can adjust pressure in certain areas to create either better grip or easier roll. Whether or not these tires have a place in the future of cars is yet to be seen, but Goodyear has big plans to increase with distance that can be traversed by electric cars.

The idea behind the 1st set of tires is that the heat created between the ground and the tires can be converted into electrical work for the battery.

These are just some of the awesome things about this year's motor show, check out the official website for more photos and premieres!

Patrick

Car Business Update - Uber to begin Autonomous Car funding

2/4/2015

Uber Wants To Offer Driverless Rides

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there in the business sector. Google, who previously funded Uber's massive takeover of the taxi cab business, is now competing with their investment company. Google has created their own subcompany to rival Uber (and with a devilishly similar name) called UberCab. On the same token, Uber has partnered with Carnegie-Melon University in Pennsylvania to begin developing autonomous cars.

Well, this could mean two things. Depending on the cost of autonomous car development and production, Uber could be making a profit without too much delay because of their lack of expenses due to not needing to pay drivers. Or, Uber could go under and Google could take over both sides of Uber's business.

Or, this whole "competition" could just be a cover-up for the two companies working together, but simply wanting to make headlines. Either way, it seems to be good news for the development for the autonomous car.

Car Tech Update - Jaguar/Land Rover unveil Revolutionary Windshield

January 7, 2015

Jaguar and Land Rover Create See-Through Pillars




This is just incredible. Cameras that sit outside the car connect to the pillars at the edges of the windshield to create a "transparent" effect. This is such a cool feature and is meant to help with avoiding collisions with pedestrians and other cars. But the other part of this is the blind spot camera, that turns the pillar behind the driver transparent.

Just watch the video. And be amazed.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Quickdraw Video

Hey guys, it's good to be back! Tonight, I took the time to videotape myself while drawing a bright red Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. The results were great. Check out the video below and comment if you liked it!

Car Tech News - Well, Technically it's a Bicycle

Well, Technically it's a rocket powered bicycle.



Francois Gissy, a Frenchman, set a world record for the fastest motor powered bicycle today. He reached a speed of 207 mph and reached that in just 4.8 seconds. Absolutely incredible. And of course, he had to bring his friend along that owned a Ferrari just to beat his ass in a foot race.

Check out my other car tech news!

CAR TECH NEWS

Which city in the United States has the worst drivers?

I'd like to take a poll around the country to ask the question:

Which city in the United States has the worst drivers?

In my opinion, there is only one, indisputable answer. Atlanta, Georgia.

Road rage is not something that I should feel every day. But in Atlanta, yeah, that's what happens. Anyway, I always love to hear stories from people about how bad the drivers are that they've encountered. So feel free to comment and tell me what drivers did to piss you off today.

Also, I know I haven't posted anything in a while. Organic Chemistry and Physics II are like a full-time job. But I do have plans to start a complete design (possibly both interior and exterior) with all the minor details planned out. It's going to be a project that develops over time and won't be a quick one sketch drawing. I'm getting pretty excited just thinking about it.

Til next time,

Patrick.