Tag Archives: Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover’s Project Vector is a self-driving pod that focuses on zero emissions/accidents

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Joining the ranks of companies like Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Volkswagen, and many more, Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled its hitherto secret Project Vector, a self-driving pod that aims to usher the company into the future of mobility and achieve its goal of reaching Destination Zero. What is Destination Zero, you ask? “Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero mission is an ambition to make societies safer and healthier, and the environment cleaner. Delivered through relentless innovation, the company’s focus is on achieving a future of zero emissions, zero accidents, and zero congestion – through its products, services and across its facilities”, says the JLR team behind Project Vector.

The Vector is a boxy, multi-use electric pod with self-driving capabilities. Developed at the Warwick University’s National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC), CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Sir Ralf Speth revealed that the project’s been in development for several years, and is all set for on-road trials in Coventry next year.

The Project Vector pod offers autonomous driving as an option, rather than be fully self-driving. This means the pod still comes with a traditional driver’s seat and steering wheel, but it offers internal flexibility, allowing the front seats to rotate 180° and face inwards, creating a more social environment. This allows the Vector to be used in a variety of formats with multiple seating configurations, for private, shared, or even commercial use. The compact vehicle measures a mere 4 meters in length and comes with an all-new “skateboard” platform that houses all the electronics and mechanics in a pallette right below the car. This frees the upper half of the car up, allowing for a much more spacious interior, with large, panoramic glass panels on the front and back, and french-window-style all-glass sliding doors on either side that allow you to embark and disembark with ease.

This isn’t JLR’s first project in the autonomous sector. The company revealed a quirky conceptual pod with ‘virtual eyes’ that could help communicate the car’s intent with pedestrians and nearby drivers!

Designers: Jaguar Land Rover & Warwick University’s National Automotive Innovation Centre

UK government puts $620 million behind Jaguar Land Rover’s EV push

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The UK government is continuing its electric vehicle push by giving Jaguar Land Rover a £500 million ($620 million) loan guarantee to help advance its position as a global EV maker. This means that should Jaguar Land Rover default, the governme...

Land Rover’s Evoque hides off-road tech behind a luxury SUV

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The Range Rover line of vehicles commands a premium price. The British automaker is known for luxurious SUVs that are able to navigate the toughest terrain. That well-earned reputation includes all its vehicles -- even the entry-level Evoque, which h...

Jaguar Land Rover thinks its cars can stop diseases from spreading

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Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode might have nothing on what Jaguar Land Rover does to fight pathogens. The British automaker is exploring the use of ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, viruses and allergens in the cabin. The air conditioning system ins...

Jaguar is putting animated eyes on their autonomous cars to make them safer

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The car evolved from the horse-carriage, and for the longest time, looked like a carriage with an engine, until it began developing facial features. The headlights began becoming the eyes, and the radiator grill became the mouth. Cars started developing personas, ranging from friendly to aggressive, depending on what the brand wanted the car to project. These eyes, however, remained just expressive elements, and didn’t serve a purpose apart from portraying friendliness/aggression and illuminating the road. Jaguar, however, feels adding literal eyes to the car will make them safer.

Cars are no longer an extension of their driver. With vehicles now increasingly becoming autonomous, the car is now a completely individual entity that drives on its own, makes certain decisions, follows road laws and traffic lights… however you can’t really ever tell what a car will do next. It’s impossible to know what the car is thinking, and what command chain it’s going to follow, so Jaguar believes the best way to keep the car communicating with pedestrians, is through the means of eyes. These eyes (albeit rather animated and googly) are quite a clever solution, as they can literally look at pedestrians, acknowledging their presence with their gaze. Pedestrians eventually feel much more comfortable crossing the road in front of a self-driving car with eyes as it observes them, allowing them to know that they’re being watched and accounted for.

For a pedestrian, “It’s second-nature to glance at the driver of the approaching vehicle before stepping into the road,” says Pete Bennett, Jaguar Land Rover’s Future Mobility Research Manager. Now, the pedestrian can exchange looks with the car! There HAS to be a Cars or Bob The Builder reference out there!

Designer: Jaguar Land Rover

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Jaguar Land Rover Puts Googly Eyes on Autonomous Test Vehicle Not Named Mater

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Autonomous cars are coming no matter what we all think or want. These rides will one day drive us around without us having to do anything but sit in the seats and stare blankly at our smartphones. The problem, at least according to Jaguar Land Rover, is that pedestrians and cyclists won’t have a driver to look in the eyes before crossing in front of the car, which could mean they don’t know if its safe to cross.

The answer, according to the British automaker is to put beady little eyes on the front of autonomous cars that look at the pedestrian or cyclist. The idea is that with the fake eyes looking you in the eyes more trust will be created. The video shows a creepy autonomous pod eyeing cars and people crossing the road.

The eyes on the modified Aurrigo autonomous vehicle follow the woman in the crosswalk, going full Sir Mix-a-Lot and checking out the motor in the back of her Honda. Yep, eyes on cars are weird. Can’t we just use lights, guys? Turn signals are yellow, brake lights are red, backup lights are white, and pick a color for “I see you, walk” for autonomous cars. I’ll even get you started – how about green?

At least give your pod with eyeballs a tow hook and redneck voice.

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Land Rover Debuts World’s First Invisible Car Bonnet Technology

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Tesla Outsells Porsche

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