Posted 05/22/09 at 04:56:42 PM by Andy Salisbury

Earlier this week Hitachi Ltd. and Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd. announced a new battery that they claim has the world’s highest power density.

The new lithium-ion battery has 4,500W/kg power density, a number that clocks in at about 1.7 times the output of their current batteries. The increase in power allows for smaller size, and is thanks to a new manganese cathode and a unique battery structure. The structure employs thinner electrodes, a new power collection method, and more effective configurations.

Hitachi plans to make this technology available for notebooks and cell phones once the automotive industries have had a chance with it, but there’s no official word as to when we could see this technology implemented on a grand scale.

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Posted 04/16/09 at 12:30:31 PM by David Murphy

Open-source software is a pretty familiar concept to most geeks.  But what about an open-source car?  The idea is more than just a theoretical mash-up of computing terms and the automotive world.  Quite a few companies are working to bring the collaborative nature of open-source idea generation to the pavement, and some of their prototypes certainly blow the best of today's automarket right out of the water.  At least, they're pretty stunning in the design department.  Because that's the problem with a piece of hardware as complicated as an open-source car -- a concept is one thing, but execution seems to be a bit more difficult than creating a piece of software.

Pop the clutch and click the link to speed into the world of open-source vehicles!

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Posted 04/15/09 at 06:04:10 PM by Andy Salisbury

Thanks to some obvious inspiration from Apple, it looks like the Nartron Corporation is going to bring a very iPhone inspired dashboard to Chrysler’s 200C concept car.

The 200C concept will feature a next-gen dashboard system, dubbed iQ Power. Thanks to iQ Power, drivers of the car will be able to use “any smartphone” as a smart key for the car (primarily used to unlock doors and even view a video stream of the car’s interior). And, thanks to some big colorful controls and cover-flow for browsing album art, it’ll no doubt be easy for iPhone users to feel right at home in this environment. iQ Power will even feature a wireless tablet that allows passengers to send music recommendations straight to the driver’s console (though, it seems like a simple tap on the shoulder would work well too).

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Posted 03/30/09 at 05:04:53 PM by Andy Salisbury

I love Twitter. I think it’s a lot of fun, it’s a great way to keep track of those that you find most interesting, and now it appears that it will help you let the world know just what you’re up to… while you’re on the road!

According to Gear Live, Twitter will be implemented into OnStar by using text-to-speech conversion to help you update your status on the go. “While in your vehicle, you can use OnStar to submit and retrieve tweets (messages) via your Twitter account. Using OnStar’s Voice-Activated Hands-Free Calling system, and having your voice converted into text, you can provide updates which would appear in the ‘What are you doing?’ section of your Twitter homepage. It is also possible to listen to a tweet that was sent to you by someone else after it has been converted into voice. You can send and receive tweets without having to type or read anything.”

It’s expected that this can be a great tool for asking the world where the best cup of coffee in downtown San Francisco is, and waiting to hear the responses (for example). Moreover, it’s a great way to just let your followers know what you’re up to without having to endanger those around you. Eliminating the danger of feverishly typing out your 140-character updates while steering with your knees is mighty slick.

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Posted 03/13/09 at 02:54:09 PM by Andy Salisbury

Driving with cruise control is a pretty nice luxury. The added bonus of not having to worry about using your feet to adjust the speed is pretty gratifying, but what if you could forget about using the gas and break altogether? The masterminds behind Sentience are looking to make this a reality.

Reportedly, Sentience will analyze the best route for you to get from point A to point B, and will then take care of all needed acceleration and breaking for the plotted trip. This will be done through GPS and mapping data that will recognize roundabouts, speed bumps, corners, and yes, speed limits.

What’s more, is that it’s being claimed that this system will save 5-24 percent of fuel on a trip, and could be available as early as 2012.

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Posted 03/05/09 at 04:19:21 PM by Andy Salisbuy

With the introduction of four new specialized Atom processors (as well as two new system controllers to accompany them) Intel is looking to put their wildly popular Atom processor into more platforms. Notably, they’re making a push for internet-pones and in-car devices.

The processors, which are made from the same 45nm manufacturing process as their siblings, aren’t too different from the others that already exist. The processors, which will clock between 1.1GHz and 1.6GHz will consume very little power, and fit perfectly into a whole myriad of industrial options.

So who knows, perhaps in the coming years not only your computer, but your car might have Intel inside.

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Posted 02/17/09 at 02:30:26 PM by Andy Salisbury

In the land down under they’ve got a lot of neat things that are all their own, the John Butler Trio, dingoes, babies for them to eat, and now holographic car salesman. PDM, Australia’s number one digital media company has just launched the first life-size “Holographic Virtual Assistant” at the Audi Centre Sydney, Rosebery.

The holograph works with 3M’s dynamic Vikuiti rear projection film and rear mounted photo projector technology. Given Vikuiti’s particular digital content abilities, it’s allowed PDM to convert a 10mm thick piece of Perspex into a virtual, talking person.

The virtual assistant provides most of the essential information that one would need when looking to buy an Audi. What the dealership is offering, and targeted information depending on who is in the building at that time is all provided.

According to Allan Brinck, the Dealer Principal, “The Audi brand prides itself on innovation and quality and being a progressive brand, we are once again leading the way with this cutting-edge installation.  We have been aware of PDM’s track record of innovation in the Australian marketplace for quite some time.  The Virtual assistant is a great way for us to connect with our customers and a great example of Audi’s progressive brand coming to life.”

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Posted 06/26/08 at 05:21:28 PM by Steve Klett

Do yourself a favor: make sure your car is up to code by this July—no broken headlamps or taillights, up-to-date registration, etc. – and, oh yeah, make sure you pick up a hands-free Bluetooth device for your cell phone. On July 1st a new law will go into effect in California making it illegal to talk on a wireless phone while operating a motor vehicle. If you are 18 or older, and you want to use your phone while driving, you will need to use a hands-free device – no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts” about it—and there will be no grace period either.

We put a dozen of the newest Bluetooth devices through the wringer to help you find the right one for your car-talking habits. All of the devices were tested with one phone along the same stretch of highway at the same time of day, and call clarity was compared via voicemail recordings.

Read on to find out which ones made the grade.

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