Promising to save police forces and taxpayers thousands of operating dollars per vehicle per year, Ford has introduced hybrid power and new officer-safety technologies as standard equipment in the 2020 Police Interceptor Utility (PIU), which is based on the redesigned Ford Explorer. With a claimed 41 per cent fuel-economy improvement over the current PIU with a 3.7-litre gasoline engine, the new hybrid (which combines electric drive with a 3.3-litre V-6 engine to make 318 horsepower) was rated by Michigan State Police as the second-quickest interceptor available among the current crop of competitors. At the top is another Ford, a 400-horsepower non-hybrid equipped with a 3.0-litre turbocharged V-6. For officer safety, Ford’s factory-installed Police Perimeter Alert monitors nearby movements around the vehicle. When motion is detected, the system automatically turns on the rear camera, sounds a chime, raises all windows and locks the doors.
Infiniti concept extends ‘Japanese sensuality’
With its own platform designed specifically to accommodate electric power, the Infiniti QX Inspiration concept represents the brand’s plans for high-performance electrified vehicles wrapped in a new design language that is “infused with Japanese DNA.” Infiniti showed the futuristic concept vehicle at the 2019 Detroit auto show in mid-January. New electric platforms developed by the brand allow for “spacious, lounge-like interiors,” Infiniti said in a statement. The QX Inspiration’s cabin was hand-crafted using traditional techniques and a choice of materials inspired “by a subtle Japanese sensuality.” It follows the Japanese hospitality principle of ‘omotenashi’ in creating a welcoming environment “while assisting drivers and connecting occupants to the world around them.”
Hyundai, Kia demo automated valet
Automaker siblings Hyundai and Kia have developed a fully automated valet system that uses self-driving technologies to enable a vehicle to recharge itself at a charging station after a drive, then park itself, and to come when it’s called. The automakers said in early January the system could be launched along with Level 4 self-driving technology as soon as 2025. Level 4 cars still have steering wheels and pedals for human use, but can otherwise drive themselves. Hyundai and Kia have partnered with self-driving tech company Aurora Innovation and expect to have their first autonomous cars on the road in various “smart” cities within about three years, en route to having a fully autonomous Level 5 self-driving car with no driver controls on sale by 2030, said automotive lifestyles webmagazine Motor Authority.
Dandelion rubber sourced for tires
Continental Tire in Germany has opened a $40-million US facility to research the farming and extraction of rubber from dandelions in Russia, as an alternative to rubber trees from tropical trees. The tire manufacturer plans to introduce the raw material into serial production within a decade to grow an increasing amount of its natural rubber demand from the dandelion plant. Rubber extraction from Russian dandelions will allow Continental “to meet the rising global demand [for rubber] in an environmentally compatible and reliable way,” said Nikolai Setzer, executive board member. About 20 employees with backgrounds in agricultural sciences, chemistry, and production and process technology will research plant cultivation as well as developing, setting up and operating machines to process dandelions.
Well done, Norway
Half of all new passenger cars sold in Norway in 2018 were either fully electric or plug-in hybrid models, according to “new global economy” monitor, Quartz. The Norwegian Road Federation called the trend to electrics in that country a global record.
