Toyota has added an electric motor at the rear wheels of a new 2019 Prius hybrid model, giving the car all-wheel-drive for the first time. The 2019 Toyota Prius AWD-e was due to arrive at Toyota dealerships early in the new year. Without needing a centre differential to distribute power to all four wheels, the third motor powers the rears at launch, up to 10 kilometres per hour, “and then whenever needed by traction, up to 43 mph [70 km/h],” according to alternative-vehicles webmagazine Green Car Reports.
Autonomous-driving simulator “assesses the unexpected”
Seeking to better understand how humans will interact with self-driving cars, British company Ansible Motion has developed a simulator that provides a safe and repeatable environment to test and validate the driver-assistance and autonomous technologies being fitted to new vehicles almost daily. Ansible says the driver-assistance-systems market is set to grow by $70 billion US within five years, fuelled by vehicle manufacturers pushing for increasing levels of autonomy to address emerging legislation [and] the issue of how real people might react “to a car receiving more notifications, or even taking control from the driver. We are able to test what the driver and occupant reactions will be … well in advance of cutting any metal.”
Smile, Waymo vandals, you’re on camera
Police in Chandler, Arizona, have documented at least 21 times in the past two years where people have harassed self-driving vans operated by Waymo and their human test drivers. “People have thrown rocks at Waymos [sic],” reports the Arizona Republic newspaper. “The tire of one was slashed while it was stopped in traffic. The vehicles have been yelled at, chased and one Jeep was responsible for forcing [Waymo] vans off the road six times.” Waymo has been testing its self-driving vehicles in the Chandler area since 2016. Resistance appears futile, however
Waymo vehicles use radar, lidar and cameras to navigate, “so they capture footage of all interactions that usually is clear enough to identify people and licence plates.”
Audi plans to stream movies into self-driving cars
Without the responsibility of driving, what ever will vehicle occupants do to pass the time? Audi is getting ahead of the curve by turning the car into an “amusement park,” with a new on-the-road entertainment format and movie-theatre experience “for all the senses” inside a luxury sedan. The automaker said ahead of technology show CES, set for this month in Las Vegas, that its future vehicles will be broadly connected to provide the ingredients for an “entertainment space,” turning a car ride into a digital-entertainment experience. “Thanks to piloted [autonomous] driving, occupants will have ‘free’ time in the car, in which they can use the next generation of in-car entertainment.” A new technology format, The Audi Immersive In-Car Entertainment, allows occupants to watch movies or other content provided by streaming services, calling it “the next generation drive-in movie theatre.”
BMW, Porsche test three-minute ‘charging jolt’ for EVs
In the quest to cut charging times, BMW, Porsche and partners have developed an EV charging station that can “jolt” their cars with enough power in three minutes to drive 100 kilometres. In the race to make battery-powered cars more convenient, the ultra-fast prototype charger has a 450-kilowatt capacity, more than three times that of Tesla’s Superchargers, reports business magazine Automotive News Canada. Test vehicles specifically developed to take that much power in such a short time also recharged to 80 per cent capacity in 15 minutes, half the time it takes a Tesla Supercharger to deliver a similar charge. A new cooling system was developed for test vehicles to withstand the system’s full electrical surge.
New battery plant to cost $1.7 billion US
A new battery plant in Jackson County, Georgia, will create more than 2,000 jobs at a cost of $1.7 billion US, battery developer SK Innovation announced in mid-December. The plant will allow SK “to work with the growing automotive industry in the Southeastern United States,” said CEO Jun Kim.
That’s a fast charger
California’s first 350-kilowatt fast-charging station has opened in a San Francisco Premium Outlets shopping location. Joining eight 150-kW chargers are two 350-kW units, capable of recharging an EV battery pack in 20 minutes, or providing up to 320 kilometres of range in 10 minutes.
Take the bus
With the goal to achieve 100 per cent electric operation by 2040, California’s Victor Valley Transit Authority has ordered seven 12-metre-long New Flyer Excelsior Charge electric buses. New Flyer, based in Canada, has sold 77 of the new all-electric buses across California to date, reports alternate-vehicles website Green Car Congress.
