Kia is back at CES after five years and just announced a new modular EV platform called Platform Beyond Vehicles, or PBV for short. These vehicles are still in the concept stage and aren't the kind of cars you're going to go out and buy to get around town or go on vacation — at least, not yet. Instead the PV5, the first vehicle Kia is planning, will focus on business utilities like ride-hailing, delivery and other business utilities.
Probably the coolest thing about the PV5 is how modular it is. Kia showed off four different configurations. The standard is a small van, but you can swap in an extended roof if you need more space. You can also swap the back two thirds out entirely and have it in a pickup truck configuration, and finally there's a taxi configuration focused on transporting passengers. As you might guess, the inside is completely modular to enable these transformations.
Kia didn't mention autonomous capabilities specifically, and shots of the insides of the vehicle showed a somewhat traditional driver seat and steering area. But the company also said it wants to develop a Robotaxi PV5 in partnership with Motional that'll provide an autonomous ride-hailing experience.
Beyond the PV5, Kia also teased the large PV7 and relatively tiny PV1, a pair of vehicles meant to work in conjunction. The PV7 is the largest in the lineup, which gives it more interior space as well as driving range, while the PV1 is mean tot be small and "agile" for last-mile deliveries. The cool thing is that there's a rail system that can link the two vehicles together so you can easily move cargo from the larger PV7 into the PV1.
Kia
As is so often the case at CES, there isn't a ton of detail on when the PBV initiative will move from concept to a product in production, but Kia is already building a dedicated PBV plant in Korea, with plans for manufacturing capacity of 150,000 vehicles in 2025, ramping up to 300,000 at an unknown future date. So it's possible we'll see the first of the PBVs hit the road next year.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kia-announced-a-fleet-of-cute-modular-vans-at-ces-2024-004005807.html?src=rss
For some companies, CES 2024 has started in earnest which means we'll soon get to see major car manufacturers show off what they've been working on. One of those is Honda, with its event live streaming on YouTube on January 9 at 1:30PM ET and features Honda's global CEO and EVP Toshihiro Mibe and Shinji Aoyama, respectively.
What we expect
Honda announced back in December that its new EV series would make its worldwide debut at CES 2024. "Honda will showcase the global EV series models and several key technologies that illustrate the significant transformation Honda is currently undergoing," the company stated at the time. What's unclear is how many new cars will be on display or what types of vehicles they will be.
The upcoming reveal builds on past promises from Honda to shift toward a more environmentally friendly lineup. In 2021, Honda stated its plans to have all car sales be electric or fuel cell models by 2040. The following year, it announced an investment of five trillion yen (about $35 million) into electrification efforts over the next decade. Honda also shared its aim that, by 2030, it will have launched 30 more EV models, and EVs will make up 40 percent of its models.
Tune in to Honda's live stream below to see its new EV series for yourself.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-honda-unveil-its-new-ev-series-at-ces-2024-183012049.html?src=rss
Waymo just announced it’s ready to start testing driverless vehicles on highways and freeways. The experiments start in and around Phoenix in the next few weeks and include the autonomous Jaguar I-Pace SUV. The company had already partnered with Uber to offer driverless taxis throughout the city, but the vehicles were restricted to city streets at low speeds. Now, these robo-taxis will be careening down the highway, bringing us one step closer to a world where we won’t have to sully ourselves with the task of driving.
Unlike the Waymo One service, which is available to regular customers, these autonomous highway tests will only be available to company employees and their guests. This will change when the vehicles have been on the road for a while without any serious incidents. Waymo says the data collected during these tests will be used to provide faster routes throughout the area, with a particular emphasis on Phoenix airports.
The company’s cars had already been allowed on highways, but only with a specialist in the front seat to handle any issues. This next step removes the specialist, for a true self-driving experience. Waymo says it has been incrementally ramping up testing on freeways throughout the past year to get ready for this move.
The company touts the speed of highway driving over local streets, saying that a trip to Sky Harbor Airport from the northern parts of Scottsdale will be twice as fast on AZ-101 compared to local routes. This is obvious and the reason why highways exist in the first place. Still, customers have long been unsatisfied with autonomous vehicles’ penchant for side streets and slow speeds.
To that end, Waymo hasn’t announced any speed limits for highway driving or if there are any maximum distance limits. Engadget reached out to Waymo for more information and will update this post when we hear back. The company has been offering driverless rides in Phoenix since 2020. It also has quite a sterling reputation when it comes to safety. Waymo's own safety data, as reported byArs Technica, indicated its driverless vehicles traveled over seven million miles in California and Arizona, with only three minor injuries.
Driverless rival Cruise hasn’t been so lucky. In October, a Cruise robotaxi was involved in an incident in which a woman was dragged underneath a vehicle. There have also been reports that the self-driving algorithm had trouble recognizing children. This all led to the CEO resigning, multiple layoffs and, eventually, a hiatus of the service.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-driveless-cars-are-hitting-phoenixs-freeways-at-long-last-180009825.html?src=rss
AI is literally everywhere, so it's not a big surprise to learn that Volkswagen is planning to bring ChatGPT to its vehicles. As part of its CES 2024 announcements, the automaker says that its existing IDA voice assistant will work with ChatGPT across a range of its newer models. VW isn't the first to try this — Mercedes-Benz announced ChatGPT integration in June of last year, so it seems like this is certainly a thing we're all going to have to get used to.
Specifically, VW says that ChatGPT will be enabled in these specific models with the latest generation of the company's infotainment systems: ID.7 (pictured above), ID.4, ID.5, ID.3, the new Volkswagen Tiguan, the new Passat and the new Golf. It'll roll out ChatGPT as as "standard feature" in "many" production vehicles in Q2 of 2024; the company didn't say in which regions, but notes that the feature is only currently "being considered" for the US market.
As for what it can do, it sounds like ChatGPT will be used to enhance the existing capabilities of VW's voice assistant as well as offer some new conversational tricks. VW notes how its assistant can already do things like control the infotainment system, navigation, climate control and other such features. With the addition of ChatGPT, VW envisions interactions with more intuitive, back-and-forth language. That's something we're seeing from companies like Google and Amazon as they explore how to enhance Google Assistant and Alexa, so the same may apply here. VW's press release specifically cites "enriching conversations, clearing up questions, interacting in intuitive language, receiving vehicle-specific information" as things that ChatGPT can enable.
One good thing is that this will all be built into the car without the need for a driver to really set anything up. As you can now, you'll activate the voice assistant — and if the car's standard system can't adequately answer the query, it'll anonymously send it to ChatGPT. The company stresses that ChatGPT doesn't get any information about the vehicle and questions and answers are deleted immediately.
I'll admit that I was initially skeptical of how something like ChatGPT could be used in a car — but if it can in fact better understand and answer queries that are important when you're behind the wheel, I'm willing to give it a shot. VW didn't say if it would have any demos of this new tech at CES this year, but we'll be looking to see if we can experience it for ourselves.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/volkswagen-thinks-chatgpt-integration-will-make-its-in-car-voice-assistant-good-160033466.html?src=rss
Kia is returning to CES for the first time in five years and the company is set to take center stage for a spell by hosting a press conference. You'll be able to watch all the Kia CES 2024 announcements on January 8 at 6PM ET by checking out the livestream below.
What to expect
The company says it will offer interested parties a closer peek at several of its concept models including the EV3 and EV4, as well as the EV9 and EV6 GT. Kia is also promising a look at its first so-called "platform beyond vehicle" (PBV) that's scheduled for mass production in 2025.
Kia describes PBV as a mobility solution that blends "fit-for-purpose EVs with advanced software solutions that will open the door to new businesses and lifestyles." To that end, the automaker will talk through some PBV tech, "its software-defined vehicle strategy" and partnership plans.
The brand has been teasing out some of its EV ambitions over the last year or so. For instance, we test drove the EV9 concept, which has seven seats and a large cargo space. In October, Kia offered more details on the EV3, EV4 and EV5 before providing a closer look at the first two of those the following month. It seems like it won't be too long before the public can get behind the wheel of at least one of these vehicles.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-kia-show-off-five-new-evs-at-ces-2024-230047828.html?src=rss
Automaker Hyundai is one of the many companies that are holding a press conference at CES 2024. You'll be able to find out more about some of the brand's intentions starting at 4PM ET on January 8. You can watch the livestream below.
What to expect
Hyundai has already shed some light on what it will be focusing on at CES 2024. The automaker says it will share a blueprint for its vision of a hydrogen-powered energy ecosystem. Among other things, Hyundai will reveal a modular hydrogen toolbox that it says will help forge a clean hydrogen value chain.
It's also looking beyond mobility to make people's everyday lives more comfortable with the help of "human-centered innovations." The company has pledged to share plans regarding software and artificial intelligence related to its theme of "Ease every way."
In addition, Hyundai Mobis (the parts and service supplier for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia) says it will unveil 20 new pieces of mobility tech that are ready to go into mass production. Those include what it claims are the world's first in-vehicle rollable display and swivel display. In addition, it plans to show off a transparent display for cars that uses "holographic optical elements" tech.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-hyundai-ces-2024-press-conference-210053396.html?src=rss
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered airlines to temporarily ground some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for safety inspections after an Alaska Airlines plane lost a cabin panel during a flight on Friday with about 180 people on board. The plane, which had only been in service since November, according to the New York Times, was able to safely land back at Portland International Airport in Oregon, where it had taken off from. There were no major injuries, though the Alaska division of the Association of Flight Attendants said workers described “explosive” decompression in the cabin and reported one flight attendant sustained minor injuries.
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”
Immediately following the incident, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci put out a statement saying the company would be grounding its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft for what it expects to be a few days as it conducts safety checks. “Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” Minicucci. The FAA order extends the grounding to “approximately 171 airplanes worldwide” that are either operated by US airlines or in US territory.
Minicucci also said that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened with Flight 1282 and “we will fully support their investigation.” The plane had been on its way to Ontario, California. Reuters, citing FlightRadar24, reported that the blowout occurred at around 16,000 feet. In social media posts shared with Reuters and the NYT, passengers can be seen sitting right next to the gaping hole and the fully exposed sky.
Boeing's 737 Max was previously grounded for almost two years after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. All 189 people on board the plane were killed in the 2018 crash in Indonesia, and another 157 died in the 2019 crash in Ethiopia. In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in a settlement with the Department of Justice to avoid criminal charges over the crashes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/faa-grounds-roughly-171-boeing-737-max-9-planes-after-a-cabin-panel-blew-out-during-flight-210331403.html?src=rss
Tesla is recalling 1.62 million vehicles in China over the same Autopilot safety issue that forced it to upgrade two million vehicles in the US. As before, fixes will be done will be via free over-the-air (OTA) updates to add features that ensure drivers pay attention while using Tesla's driver assistance system. It affects nearly every Tesla ever sold in the country, including imported Model S and Model X vehicles along with Model 3 and Model Y EVs made in China.
According to China's State Administration for Market Regulations (SAMR), drivers may "misuse the level 2 combined driving assistance function, increase the risk of vehicle collision and posing safety risks." Like in the US, the OTA update will incorporate additional controls and alerts that encourage drivers to continue monitoring the vehicle when Tesla's Autosteer function is engaged.
Tesla is also recalling 7,538 imported Model S and Model X vehicles to fix a problem that may prevent doors from unlocking in the event of a collision — an issue also addressed earlier in the US. That recall will be done via an OTA update as well, with no need for customers to go to Tesla stores.
Stateside, the NHTSA has kept its investigation into Autopilot safety controls open as it monitors Tesla's fixes. The regulator said last August that it was opening an investigation into Autopilot following 11 crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018 that resulted in 17 injuries and one death. In a letter to Tesla sent shortly afterward, the regulator requested detailed documentation on Autopilot to know how it ensures that human drivers will keep their eyes on the road while Autopilot is engaged and whether there are limits on where it can be used.
Earlier this week, Tesla said that it delivered a record 1.8 million EVs around the world. Over half of those (944,779 EVs) were sold in China, making it the company's biggest market by far. Tesla's Shanghai plant can produce up to 1.1 million Model 3 and Model Y cars a year for the Chinese market and exports to Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-to-recall-162-million-vehicles-in-china-over-autopilot-safety-controls-112013422.html?src=rss
Tesla has unveiled its EV delivery and production figures for 2023, and the company had another banner year — but it has Chinese rival BYD close behind. Elon Musk's company produced 1.846 million EVs last year and delivered 1.809 million, besting 2022 deliveries by a wide 38 percent. Those figures include 494,989 EVs produced last quarter and 484,507 delivered.
Tesla's originally projected it would sell 2 million vehicles in 2023, but revised that figure downward in its October 2023 earnings call. It did exceed analyst expectations for Q4 2023, though, according to CNBC.
Tesla built 476,777 Model 3 and Model Y EVs last quarter and delivered 461,538 of them. Those include sales of the refreshed "Highland" Model 3. While Elon Musk predicted last quarter that the Model Y would become "the bestselling car on Earth," the company didn't break down sales between its two most popular models. The company sold 18,212 "other models" consisting of Model S and Model X EVs. There are no sales figures yet for the Cybertruck.
Tesla has battled some negative press with its EV lineup, particularly around its Autopilot system, which has seen regulatory scrutiny in the US and other countries. EV sales no doubt received a boost from several price drops over the last year as well, with the Model 3 and Model Y most recently dropping to $38,990 and $45,990, respectively. Tesla chalked up the price drops to "economic uncertainty, higher interest rates, and shifting consumer sentiment" in its October earnings call.
One of Tesla's biggest markets is China, but the company is facing stiff competition there from another EV giant, BYD. That company announced sales of 3.02 million electrified vehicles in 2023, including 1.6 million were fully electric cars and 1.4 million hybrids. Most of BYD's EVs sell at significantly lower price points that Tesla's cars, however.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-says-it-delivered-a-record-18-million-evs-in-2023-082906995.html?src=rss
Xiaomi, a Chinese brand once synonymous with affordable smartphones, is now attempting to make an even bigger splash with its first-ever electric car. Unveiled at a Beijing event earlier today, the Xiaomi SU7 — pronounced "soo-chee" in Chinese — is a sedan based on the company's very own Modena Architecture with HyperEngine electric motors of up to 21,000rpm, as well as chassis stamped by its die casting machines with a clamping force of 9,100 tons — beating that of Tesla's apparently. The line will come in two flavors: the dual-motor all-wheel-drive SU7 Max, and the single-motor rear-wheel-drive SU7.
It'll be a few more months before Xiaomi announces the prices, but it's already claiming that the SU7 Max has a range of up to 800km (497 miles; according to China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle aka CLTC), as well as a 0-100km/h acceleration of just 2.78s, both of which apparently beating Tesla's Model S and Porsche's Taycan Turbo. This is partly thanks to battery maker CATL's generous 101kWh 800V high-voltage platform, which offers a 220km range with just a 5-minute charge, or 390km in 10 minutes, or 510km in 15 minutes. The base model, however, only supports 400V charging for its smaller 73.6kWh battery, which has a range of up to 668km or 415 miles.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi hired talents from the auto industry to realize this project. Most notably, CEO Lei Jun claimed that Tianyuan Li, formerly of BMW's iX series and iVision concepts, offered himself to Xiaomi's auto design team. Li was also joined by James Qiu, who had previously worked on Mercedes-Benz's Vision EQXX design. They later recruited Chris Bangle, a BMW veteran, to be their design consultant.
The SU7 is about the same size as the BMW 5 series, coming in at 1,440mm tall, 1,963mm wide and 4,997mm long. You get three color options: the signature "aqua blue," gray or olive green. In his event, Lei highlighted the seemingly generous leg room as well as trunk spaces — 517L in the back and 105L in the front.
At the launch event, Lei highlighted details like the "water droplet" head lamps, each of which resembled the Chinese character for "rice" (which is the "mi" in "Xiaomi"), as well as the halo rear brake light consisting of 360 LEDs. The exec also pointed out that his team went with the half-hidden door handles, because the more flush handles are apparently harder to use in cold weather.
Xiaomi
Just as Xiaomi teased earlier, the SU7 offers a HyperOS in-car entertainment system, which is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8295 processor and takes just 1.49 seconds to boot. You can access your media, adjust your seats or even control your Xiaomi appliances via the 16.1-inch 3K central screen, as well as optional Xiaomi Pad tablets which can be mounted on magnetic ports (up to 22.5W output) behind the two front head rests. The UI on the central screen allows for up to three split windows for multitasking, and you can even cast your Xiaomi phone's screen to it for a seamless experience. As for music and video entertainment, it'll be complemented by the 23 internal Dolby Atmos speakers.
Lei also mentioned opening up the Xiaomi CarIOT ecosystem to third parties, with one example being a smart booster car seat which can remind you if its seat belt isn't fastened. The exec added that even iPhone users can tap into some of the Xiaomi car features, with support for wireless CarPlay and AirPlay connectivity, as well as iPad-mounting for rear passengers.
Much like Volkswagen, Xiaomi already knows that car owners still prefer to have some physical buttons, so it's kept a few for climate control, as well as two extra buttons — one for toggling the spoiler (Lei said this is largely for showing off), and one for adjusting the body height (to avoid scratching the bottom, if needed). You can also get an optional row of buttons mounted beneath the central display.
Xiaomi
The SU7 will have autonomous driving capabilities, too, thanks to its Xiaomi Pilot platform powered by up to two NVIDIA Drive Orin processors (the base model only has one) and an array of sensors. These include a top-mounted Lidar, with a visual range of up to 200m and pixel accuracy of down to 0.1m — the latter meaning better detection for thinner and smaller obstacles. In a series of video demos, Xiaomi showed how the SU7 could navigate through a busy live street with mixed obstacles, as well as performing valet parking on its own, and even parking itself in a robotic car park with tight spaces. Being a Beijing-based company, Xiaomi claims that the SU7's sensors can cope with snowy and rainy climates, too.
Lei added that his company aims to complete autonomous driving tests in 100 cities across China by the end of 2024, though it's unclear how soon the local authorities will open up autonomous driving nationwide.
In addition to future software updates, Xiaomi also teased its upcoming HyperEngine V8s with a record-breaking 27,200rpm, all tucked inside a stronger silicon steel housing to keep the motor in check. This is apparently already mass-production-ready, with plans to equip this in cars by 2025. The company then teased further with a next-gen electric motor tech based on carbon fiber, which will apparently be capable of a whopping 35,000rpm, but this won't be ready any time soon, apparently.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi has yet to share prices for the SU7 line, though Lei already hinted that they will be expensive — which is subjective, of course. We shall find out in a few months' time, and hopefully by then we'll know about availability outside China as well, but we wouldn't count on a US launch any time soon, if ever. Meanwhile, you can get the Xiaomi 14, 14 Pro smartphones and the Xiaomi Watch S3 eSIM in their limited edition colors — either aqua blue or olive green — to match the upcoming SU7.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xiaomi-says-its-su7-ev-can-outperform-porsche-and-has-more-tech-than-tesla-095637762.html?src=rss