Tesla update delivers autonomous park & summon (video)

With version v7.1 of the software, Tesla Model S is able to autonomously park or be summoned using the key fob. Suitable automatic garage doors can also be controlled by the vehicle. Requires hardware fitted to Model S since October 2014.


Credit: Ricco831/YouTube

Tweaks to the Autopilot system include:

● speed restricted to 5 mph over the listed speed limit

● improved lane following at gaps in lane markings & worn lane markings

More video at:

Jalopnik
http://jalopnik.com/you-can-now-autonomously-park-and-summon-the-tesla-mode-1752037395?rev=1452385634686&utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_twitter&utm_source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Road & Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a27842/telsa-software-update-limits-autopilot-adds-remote-park/

Autoblog
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/10/summon-tesla-model-s-new-autopilot-feature/ / now autonomously autonomous park summon Tesla Model S Tesla Motors software update Model S tweaks car’s car Autopilot feature allowing owners autonomously park summon update v7.1 Autopilot software Model S allow owners instruct cars pull into or out of parking spaces autonomously via key fob Motherboard similar BMW included newest 7 series system required owner manually guide car into the spot all on its own autonomously parking Tesla software in action video James Mejarus standard hardware every Model S built since October 2014 cameras sensors vehicle’s bumpers car will park itself come out of its parked spot upon request garage doors videos YouTube user Ricco831 Model S garage door opener connected garage door via a HomeLink connection car autonomously open garage door park itself close the garage door behind itself park car reverse parked owner summons settings second video customizable settings variable stop distance allowance for parking in tight spaces lined up flat driveways user key fob within close proximity stopped at any point pressing center button key fob update Model S park traditional parking spots perpendicular curb most Tesla charging stations v7.1 software update tweak Autopilot system Model S, restricting vehicle only five mph over listed speed limit person in the driver’s seat roads residential environment without center divider updated software parking upgrades determine types of vehicles around road better lane adjustment passing gaps in road markings highway exits faded markings Autopilot Autopilot semi-autonomous driving future /

Tim Cook calls notion of Apple avoiding US taxes “political crap”

Apple CEO, Tim Cook
Credit: Carlo Allegri/Reuters/The Guardian

Why is he laughing?

Could you make the claim in the headline & keep a straight face?

Apple is doing something similar in Australia & probably your country too.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/19/tim-cook-calls-notion-of-apple-avoiding-us-taxes-political-crap / Apple chief executive Tim Cook dismissed total political crap technology giant avoiding taxes Cook’s remarks CBS 60 Minutes show debate United States corporations avoiding taxes techniques inversion deals company re-domiciles tax base another country Apple saves billions dollars taxes through subsidiaries Ireland declares overseas profit Apple pays every tax dollar we owe Cook told 60 Minutes Charlie Rose excerpts interview released Friday Cook bringing profits back United States of America USA cost 40% reasonable thing to do Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations investigated Apple’s tax strategies company avoided paying $9 billion US taxes strategy involving three offshore units no discernible tax home residence press office subcommittee request for comment Cook’s remarks Apple holds $181.1bn offshore profits more than any other US company owe estimated $59.2bn taxes bring money back to the United States recent study SEC filings showed current tax code industrial age digital age Cook fixed Rebecca Lester assistant professor of accounting Stanford Graduate School of Business Cook’s colorful language frustration lack movement tax reform in Washington companies government game of chicken which one moves first corporations unwilling bring overseas money tax implications want Washington to act Tim Cook frustrated Apple shares closed Friday /

How well does the Tesla Model X work as a tow vehicle? (video)

Tesla Model X SUV
Credit: Green Car Reports/Tesla Motors

Almost no electric vehicles (EVs) are designed for towing. A problem for some.

Only the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV & the Tesla Model X are approved for towing by the manufacturer. “PHEV” in the name of the Mitsubishi stands for “Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle”. Electric-only range is actually quite short, at up to 50 km.

That leaves only the Tesla Model X as an EV with towing capability:



http://ecomento.com/2016/01/06/how-well-does-the-tesla-model-x-ev-work-as-a-tow-vehicle-video/?utm_content=bufferbc541&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer / Tesla Model X owner Max Kennedy hooked heavy 4,850 lb boat trailer drive how towing would impact range EV electric vehicle electric car SUV 4 wheel drive 4WD AWD all wheel drive towing anything heavy reduce range by 50% or more 212 miles range reduced to under 100 miles journey not surprising every vehicle uses more fuel tow a heavy trailer difference Model X vehicle that could replace typical tow vehicle pickup truck SUV refueled quickly towing chores Tesla will need stop at least a half hour every 100 miles recharge battery towing a significant load heavy substantial load Model X owners won’t be towing horse trailer cross country limited range won’t be an issue many had hoped range penalty would not be as great as it is Tesla selling many Model X cars /

First Drive – Chevrolet Bolt 200 mile electric car prototype

Chevrolet Bolt at CES 2016
Credit: Jalopnik

Green Car Reports has driven a prototype of Chevrolete's mass market, ($US30-40,000) Bolt, 200 mile (320 km), range electric car, due for release as a 2017 model.

Some interesting technical details are now available:

● flat battery under the floor, abandoning the space-robbing T-shaped battery pack the Volt inherited from the EV1

● front-wheel-drive

● performance is good – GM claims 0-to-60-mph in less than 7 seconds

● passenger volume of 94.4 cubic feet is larger than the Nissan Leaf (92.4 cubic feet) & even the 94 cubic feet of the externally much larger Tesla Model S

● cargo volume 16.9 cubic feet

● Michelin self-sealing tires instead of spare tire or inflator kit^1,2

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101705_first-drive-chevy-bolt-ev-200-mile-electric-car-development-vehicle

http://jalopnik.com/the-chevrolet-bolt-is-exactly-what-tesla-motors-wanted-1751470440

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2016/01/07/first-drive-chevrolet-bolt-is-a-shocker-that-might-convince-you-to-buy-an-electric-car/

http://www.cnet.com/products/2017-chevrolet-bolt/

Tesla plans to release their Model 3, with similar range & price, in a similar time-frame. It will also have free access to the Tesla Supercharger network for the life of the vehicle.³ Given a choice between two otherwise-similar vehicles, easy, free, long distance travel is likely to tip many buying decisions.
__________

¹ Michelin’s self-sealing tires appear to make a spare, inflator kit or run-flat capability, superfluous.

² Tire Business: “Michelin claims self-sealing tire technology could be a game-changer”, http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20110620/ISSUE/306209976/michelin-claims-self-sealing-tire-technology-could-be-a-gamechanger

³ Hitchhikers Guide 2 Tech: “More about the third generation Tesla electric vehicle”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/more-about-third-generation-tesla.html

/ production version 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV engineering development vehicles drove affordable 200 mile electric cars broad mass market Chevrolet Chevy let journalists drive integration vehicles test latest versions software GM's Bolt EV team Volt drive ride Chevrolet Bolt EV production car Nissan Leaf 2017 Chevy Bolt EV twice the range passenger space more modern interior Bolt EV drove Las Vegas parking-lot course uncloaked spy shots last year's Detroit Auto Show concept upright five-door hatchback blunt nose very short front and rear overhangs Bolt EV chief engineer Josh Tavel shortest overhangs of any vehicle in GM's global lineup Orion Michigan assembly plant Bolt EV platform suspension components body structure flat battery pack under the floor 2017 Chevy Bolt EV development GM LG Chem partnership engine transmission innovative crash engineering stubby nose lower cradle traction motor driveline upper cradle power electronics frontal transverse energy transfer absorption highest safety ratings Volt like silver vertical hatch opening spacious load bay 16.9 cubic feet cargo volume portable 120-Volt charging cord under load bay Bolt EV users owners recharge large battery pack 240-Volt Level 2 charging no spare tire inflator kit first car market to use the latest development of Michelin's self-sealing tire technology run-flat tires seal around any nails other small punctures cabin thin front seats extra inch rear legroom seating four adults sit comfortably five-passenger passenger volume two segments larger car's exterior size Pam Fletcher GM's executive chief engineer electrified vehicles short overhangs Bolt EV is wide interior space suitable long distance travel by four Chevy Bolt EV electric car prototypes testing traction electric motor engine Bolt easy to park flat floor seats comfortable occupants sit upright dashboard fully digital 8-inch instrument cluster behind steering wheel central 10.2-inch touchscreen display console graphic design user-configurable displays Bolt EV GM's new digital rear-view mirror standard rear-facing camera wide 80-degree image crisp digital display replaces mirror glass General Motors GM Chevy Bolt electric car 200 mile range enclosed test course development Bolt accelerated acceleration cornered relatively flat 17-inch alloy wheels steering positive self-centering action no motor or electronics whine audible brake feel consistent regenerative friction braking Bolt EV left-hand paddle Volt driver increase regenerative braking rate one-pedal driving Low mode one-pedal driving General motors GM variable-regen paddle accelerator paddle one-pedal driving development team felt combined long range affordability functionality performance connectivity GM engineers Bolt EV /

34623km, 3258 litres of fuel NOT burned, 8466kg CO2 NOT polluted

Adis Cengic tweeted about his non-polluting electric car:

2015 stats: 34623km, 3258 litres of fuel NOT burned, 8466kg CO2 NOT polluted #sustainable #transport @TeslaMotors pic.twitter.com/zDhOHTYVOA

— Adis Cengic (@adiscengic) January 2, 2016

Tesla retweeted, @ which point, a nay-sayer chimed in:

@TeslaMotors @adiscengic But how much CO2 to generate the power plants to charge the cars?

— Scott Clark (@flyingtiger1) January 4, 2016

Not sure what, “generate the power plants”, means, or how much CO₂ (carbon dioxide) that would produce, but Adis Cengic tweeted again about the CO₂ NOT produced by his electric car:

Zero -0- 100% renewable energy by #hydropower in #sogn #norway https://t.co/3KbDKgg37S

— Adis Cengic (@adiscengic) January 4, 2016

Norge (Norway,⁰ where Adis Cengic lives) has 98+% hydro electricity,¹ plus some wind.²

Few places in the world are supplied by a grid with a carbon footprint as small as Norway. Running an EV on a substantially fossil-fired grid, the issues are quite complicated,³ but will still produce less CO₂ than a fossil fueled car.⁴
__________

⁰  Wikipedia: “Norge”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norge

¹  Hitchhikers Guide 2 Tech: “Nissan Leaf second generation”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/04/nissan-leaf-2013.html

²  Wikepedia: “Renewable energy in Norway”,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Norway

³  HHG2Tech - Long: “Why does an electric car generate less carbon dioxide than a petrol powered one?”, http://hhg2t-long.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/why-does-electric-car-generate-less.html

⁴  Hitchhikers Guide 2 Tech: “Settled: electric vehicles are cleaner than their fossil-fuel-burning cousins”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/its-settled-electric-vehicles-are.html

/ Tesla Model S electric car charge recharge Supercharger LiIon lithium ion battery electric vehicle EV generates carbon dioxide CO2 pollutants internal combustion engine ICE coal burned generate electricity short answer long answer take into account all CO2 generated fuel mined pumped the rubber hits the road well to wheels accounting many jurisdictions significant fraction electricity generated non-fossil fuels energy used delivering petrol diesel fuel tank of an ICE exploration petroleum oil drilling transporting raw petroleum well head refinery refining raw petroleum fuel transporting fuel from refinery to vehicle long transportation distances transportation raw petroleum refining capacity countries USA raw petroleum imports enormous quantities feed demand coal typically requires little processing generation steam turbine power station crushing to a suitable size removal of dust transportation often virtually eliminated siting power station adjacent to a coal mine regenerative braking EV is driven ICE wasteful solution slowing moving vehicle throw the energy away radiating the kinetic energy stored in the moving vehicle heat through the brakes regenerative braking uses the electric motor in an EV generator convert kinetic energy electricity return it to the battery EVs are substantially off peak coal fired power does not throttle well run at a substantial fraction of its maximum capacity 24/7/365 electricity providers sell electricity cheaper off peak rate during some hours of the night EV charged significant carbon neutral element electricity used would otherwise be converted to heat in the grid car owner off peak rate electricity providers market energy off peak pricing often requires that devices be hard wired more aerodynamically efficient petrol powered EVs fitted with low rolling resistance tires EVs are an enabling technology renewable energy renewable energy supply often intermittent solar only when the Sun shines wind only when the wind blows development is in progress smart grid take power from the batteries of EVs renewable sources city's vehicle fleet electric storage batteries smart grid enable 100% renewable electricity EVs use zero fuel when stopped at lights in traffic ICE idles when stopped in traffic starting from cold ICE produces disproportionate pollution catalytic converter reaches operating temperature petrol powered vehicles run rich after a cold start EV less CO2 other pollutants the further it is driven renewable sources of electricity being installed round the world small amount of pollutants EV charged from grid will reduce over time more renewable generation capacity is installed ICE has a larger CO2 footprint the further it is driven as an ICE wears efficiency falls fuel consumption increases carbon footprint becomes bigger oil industry utilised sources of petroleum require more & more energy to produce offshore drilling Canadian oil sands tar sands USA oil shale source of fuel quantify one barrel of oil invested oil exploration drilling pumping produced 100 barrels 1970s one barrel invested produced about 25 barrels Jay Hanson barrel of oil natural gas petrol gas gasoline tar sand greenhouse gasses barrel of final production of conventional oil gasoline tar sands Toyota Prius carbon footprint General Motors Hummer Al Gore completely circumvent fossil fuel use buy green energy EV owner green electricity electricity provider installing renewable capacity EV owners EV Jay Hanson Bruce Pile Al Gore electric cars smart grid electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions /

Faraday Future big reveal – revealed what?

Faraday Future FFZERO01 Concept
Credit: Daily Mail/akami

Revealed – not a lot, really.

● they have an ugly high performance electric concept car (1,000 hp, 0-60 mph under 3 seconds, top speed over 200 miles per hour claimed)

Claims include:

● battery is mounted under the floor

● “variable platform architecture” allows them to vary wheelbase, track, crush zone, battery packs, number of motors (front, rear, 1, 2, 3, 4), quickly & cheaply to address various markets (roadster, luxury performance sedan, crossover, mass market, compact, subcompact etc.) without designing a new vehicle from scratch

● “very fast” – faster than other companies – hard to tell, since they have no marketable product at the moment, but claim to have been founded 18 months ago & to have its first vehicle on the market in 2 years

● subscription plan will provide customer with a range of vehicles according to need

Big reveal


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3384914/Mystery-electric-car-startup-unveils-prototype.html

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10711164/faraday-future-ffzero1-concept-car-announced-photos-ces-2016

Faraday Future web site
http://faradayfuture.com/ / Faraday Future California based electric car company operating in stealth mode past year and a half first big splash eve of CES unveiling unveil FFZERO1 high-performance high performance concept car sinewy machine looks race track claimed 1,000 horsepower 0-60 time under three seconds top speed over 200 miles per hour all purely theoretical numbers just a concept limited production design features glass roof clear view white carbon fiber interior more novel ideas smartphone mount center of the steering wheel Halo Safety System supports driver’s head neck helmet feeds driver water oxygen instrument panel designed gather biometric data driver FFZERO1 Faraday Future first production car potential Faraday upcoming billion-dollar Nevada factory concept’s underlying platform Variable Platform Architecture touted highly customizable platform very modular flexible basis change size platform Nick Sampson senior VP Faraday R&D engineering press conference change number power drive systems change physical size electrical size battery packs bigger larger packs smaller packs electrical physical size modularity modular battery architecture unique anybody else in the industry platform built flexibility Faraday operating unusual business model subscribe plan access autonomous vehicles different types needs subscriber request cargo vehicle sporty sedan Faraday Future Southern California headquarters version virtual reality simulated racetrack designers studio design process CES Oculus Rift headsets programmed show off FFZERO1’s performance separate motors at each wheel FFZERO1 production car FFZERO1 isn’t a production car concept version platform Faraday spokesperson Stacy Morris four motors one-seater hypercar design battery pack concept adaptable strings of batteries rows of batteries removed or added placement of the motor shifted within the platform vehicle front-wheel rear-wheel all-wheel drive biggest best battery cell suppliers in the world design architecture battery packs in house Tesla model S Panasonic packs Tesla designing packs control systems Faraday declined to disclose cell suppliers are source Faraday’s substantial funding mystery strategic partnership Chinese media firm LeTV billionaire Jia Yueting Forbes reported primary investor company’s new $1 billion, 3 million-square-foot factory two separate companies leveraging expertise technology and content Morris LeTV Faraday’s diverse funding strategy other sources of funding main markets USA China global launch strategy automakers enter market joint partnerships association with LeTV China LeTV maker of smartphones connected TVs media support Faraday Future’s develop content consumption autonomous cars Faraday Future break ground factory north of Las Vegas futuristic tourist destination We are moving fast showing a high-performance vehicle 550 employees Southern California bringing a car to market quickly as possible quality priority doesn’t have a real product Faraday nimble structure edge over traditional automakers opportunities can change plans quickly type of organization dynamic flexible react to need adaptable and flexible deliver a real electric vehicle buy subscribe to factory completed launch actual car within the next couple years /

Never turn your back on big cats

Credit: Big Cat Rescue/YouTube

Sharks too:
http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/hes-behind-you.html / human beings believe top food chain victim victim’s friends friend relative relatives natural order attack attacks aberration aberrations predators’ predator normal behaviour sharks fish mistake mistaken experiment human swimmers seals seal turtles turtle Dr. Erich Ritter Shark Research Institute American charitable foundation attack data prove proof sense shark’s point of view approach would detect detected mistake experiment results publish published Animal Cognition scuba divers kneel seabed site Bahamas reef sharks divers stationary direction travel front kneel kneeling body shapes shape person divers knelt alone back to back pairs pair camera surface 12 metres above recorded record statistics statistician colleague Raid Amin University of West Florida analyse 312 encounters approaching shark passed behind undetected back lion tiger cheetah leopard panther leopard jaguar puma mountain lion stalk chase hunt eat predator predatory predation animals wild instincts video never make good pets big teeth top predator /