vehicle | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 14 Apr 2017 20:14:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png vehicle | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 ‘Apple Car’ project lives on, testing permit awarded in California https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/paul-taylor/apple-car-project-lives-on-testing-permit-awarded-in-california/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/paul-taylor/apple-car-project-lives-on-testing-permit-awarded-in-california/#respond Fri, 14 Apr 2017 18:26:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=330468 We all knew that Apple had the hots for cars. First they went after McLaren, then they put 1,000 people working on Project Titan, aka the ‘Apple Car' (but the project had been rumoured to have been shelved due to internal issues at Apple), and now it seems that the company plans to go ahead …

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We all knew that Apple had the hots for cars. First they went after McLaren, then they put 1,000 people working on Project Titan, aka the ‘Apple Car' (but the project had been rumoured to have been shelved due to internal issues at Apple), and now it seems that the company plans to go ahead with autonomous vehicles under one form or another.

Apple has just been awarded a license by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to unleash its driverless test wheelies on the unsuspecting populace of California. The big question is whether Apple has built a driverless car or has it strapped some brains onto a retail vehicle as an aftermarket upgrade. This is the most likely case for Apple right now, as it is definitely not in the car-making business.

Truth be said, the license only confirms that Apple's autonomous vehicle initiative isn't completely dead.

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Apple happens to be a bit late to the party being the last on a rather long list of companies, which include usual suspects Mercedes, GM, Volkswagen, Tesla, Uber, Nissan, Ford and Honda, who have been awarded said permit to commence testing of the autonomous vehicles.

On April 25th, the California DMV will hold another public hearing on Driverless Autonomous Vehicles regulations, after the initial 45-day consultation period, eventually working in some details already garnered from the vehicle testing and their deployment in California.

Information released by the California DMV on autonomous vehicles also reveals that Google has had the lion's share of autonomous vehicle accidents, so far, during the test period.

KîtGuru Says: Autonomous vehicles still have a barrage of legislation to overcome until other States in the USA begin to open up their roads. Buying an autonomous vehicle only to have tell you “Hold the wheel” when you cross a state line sounds like a major no-no.

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Faraday Futures joins high end electric car game https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/faraday-futures-joins-high-end-electric-car-game/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/faraday-futures-joins-high-end-electric-car-game/#respond Wed, 04 Jan 2017 12:54:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=316389 Although many electric car makers are looking to bring the price down for their next models, not everyone is doing so. Electric vehicle startup, Faraday Futures, has opened up its CES show with the FF91, a high-end, electric 4×4 that will cost upwards of $180,000. Although the FF91 isn't set to go into full production …

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Although many electric car makers are looking to bring the price down for their next models, not everyone is doing so. Electric vehicle startup, Faraday Futures, has opened up its CES show with the FF91, a high-end, electric 4×4 that will cost upwards of $180,000.

Although the FF91 isn't set to go into full production until 2018 – after companies like Tesla have released its much more affordable Model 3 – Faraday Futures doesn't think this will pose a problem. When released, it claims that the FF91 will be the most advanced electric vehicle in the world, with a range just shy of 380 miles per charge and a combined horsepower of 1,050, giving it potentially monstrous performance.

faradayff91

The doors of the FF91 will open automatically thanks to smart sensors and heads up holograms will be projected on the windscreen for increased driver awareness. While not planned to enable automated driving at launch, the car will come with sensors and cameras to make that possible in future software updates.

With a modular design and a flexible battery layout, Faraday futures claims that it will be able to quickly iterate upon the base design and will have new models for release shortly after. Presumably cheaper versions too, as the market for high-end electric cars is already reasonably saturated considering the small market for them at this time.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO6Zyitikww']

Reuters reports there is some concern about Faraday Futures though, as with more than a year to wait until its first product, its financial difficulties will not be abated for some time. While it is backed by Chinese billionaire, Jia Yueting, the man does have investments in other electric vehicle companies, so it will be interesting to see where his attention and money goes in the next 24 months.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: That's an unique looking vehicle and a shocking amount of power. It will be interesting to see how capable the FF91 is when released, even if it will be well out of reach of almost all drivers.

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Elon Musk has plans to send people way beyond Mars https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/elon-musk-has-plans-to-send-people-way-beyond-mars/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/elon-musk-has-plans-to-send-people-way-beyond-mars/#respond Mon, 19 Sep 2016 11:23:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=306513 Space X CEO Elon Musk is one of the world's leading proponents of colonising other worlds, but he may not stop at sending people to Mars. The Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) design, which is said to be capable of transporting 100 people to the surface of the red planet, could potentially go much further. Musk …

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Space X CEO Elon Musk is one of the world's leading proponents of colonising other worlds, but he may not stop at sending people to Mars. The Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) design, which is said to be capable of transporting 100 people to the surface of the red planet, could potentially go much further.

Musk and Space X's goals over the past few years have been much more focused on getting hardware out of Earth's atmosphere on a tighter budget and they've had many successes. However the ultimate goal is to get to Mars and to colonise it, which is why the MCT design was put together, but purportedly it has the potential to take people further, so Musk may not settle for Mars.

Although Mars is likely to be the best place to begin colonising other worlds, there are many other places in our solar system that could potentially become home to human life in the future. The Moon is a possibility, as are Titan, Callisto and even dwarf planets like Ceres (thanks Ars).

The details for what Space X really has planned with its (potentially renamed) Interplanetary Colonial Transporter is something that we'll learn a lot more about later this month. Space X executives will break down the ultimate plan to get people to Mars and beyond at the International Astronautical Congress on the 27th, but Musk did hint at a potential topic of discussion by pointing out that MCT can do much more than take people to Mars.

Any such ship would likely take several launches and some in-space construction to put it all together, but it may be that in just over a week's time we'll know just how long it may be before a real human settlement begins to take shape on another world.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I've seen people complain before that we're a generation that will miss out on space travel, but we are very likely to see the first human flag driven into Martian soil and likely a habitat of some kind along with it. It's an awesome time to be alive. 

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Tesla stock blossoms despite reporting losses https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/tesla-stock-blossoms-despite-reporting-losses/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/tesla-stock-blossoms-despite-reporting-losses/#respond Fri, 12 Feb 2016 10:03:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=283884 Off of the back of its announcement on a final price for the Tesla Model 3, the electric car firm announced that it had once again made a loss: $107 million for the quarter closing out 2015. It also reported plans to spend upwards of $1.5 billion on investment in 2016, even though it only …

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Off of the back of its announcement on a final price for the Tesla Model 3, the electric car firm announced that it had once again made a loss: $107 million for the quarter closing out 2015. It also reported plans to spend upwards of $1.5 billion on investment in 2016, even though it only has $1.2 billion in the bank. Despite these claims though, the stock rose five per cent on optimism about the Model 3.

Tesla did not have a strong 2015. Throughout the year it lost almost $900 million (£620 million) and delivered just 50,000 cars, despite launching the Model X – for which numbers of fulfilled pre-orders are still woefully low. The stock dropped by over a third throughout the same 12 month period, with CEO Elon Musk losing upwards of $3 billion from his own personal net worth.

And yet despite all of these issues, Tesla is optimistic, the man at the head of it is confident and stock-holders are rewarding them for it.

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Source: Wikimedia

“Investors look at Elon, and some say he's a promoter or that he steps over bounds with what he promises,” said Robert W. Baird analyst Ben Kallo (via Reuters). “But his track record is pretty good. That's why he still attracts the type of institutional investors he does.”

Part of that optimism comes from expectations of the Model 3. The $35,000 fully electric car will be the most affordable, high-performing electric car yet released and could usher in a new audience of buyers for the company. Indeed Tesla has pledged to ship 500,000 cars a year by 2020, many of those Model 3s.

In 2016 Musk claims that Tesla will deliver as many as 80 per cent more than the year before, and he has promised Tesla will turn a profit. It will need to fix its supply issues with the X to make that possible, but the Model 3 could make a big impact if early interest is any indicator of demand.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do any of you plan to order a Model 3? It's a bit rich for me off of the bat, but there is a near £5,000 subsidy you can enjoy. 

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Tesla Model X officially unveiled, has ‘bioweapon defense mode’ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-model-x-officially-unveiled-has-bioweapon-defense-mode/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-model-x-officially-unveiled-has-bioweapon-defense-mode/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2015 09:40:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270042 Although we've seen concept imagery and teasers for Tesla's Model X 4×4 electric car, it was only officially unveiled and launched in the early hours of this morning at an event in the U.S. Tesla debuted the vehicle itself along with a laundry list of features, announcing that the first six reserved cars would be …

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Although we've seen concept imagery and teasers for Tesla's Model X 4×4 electric car, it was only officially unveiled and launched in the early hours of this morning at an event in the U.S. Tesla debuted the vehicle itself along with a laundry list of features, announcing that the first six reserved cars would be delivered today. Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk, also announced that although the car is expensive, lower cost versions will be released in the future.

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Beyond the fact that it's electric and therefore has all of the low-noise, cheap running, high-acceleration benefits of that system, the new Model X is said to be the safest SUV ever made. Musk said that the Model X has a five star rating in just about every safety category. Due to the low centre of gravity – with all of the batteries in the floor of the car – rolling it is almost impossible. We were told that even if you drove it off of a cliff, it would probably roll a little and then land on its wheels.

It even has an air-tight, high powered filtering system, so that you won't be hit by any particles or gases that you don't want. Musk really wasn't kidding when he showed off the vehicle's “bioweapon defence mode.”

“If there’s ever a bioweapon attack,” Musk said (via TruckYea). “the safest place is your car. We figure you shouldn't have to think if you’re in an emergency.”

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUz_EXSmp9w']

It's also very intuitive. Ultrasonic scanners will detect when you're walking up to the car and at what angle, and will open the respective door for you. Once you've sat down and applied the brake, the door will close without you ever touching it. The sensors are actually hidden under the bodywork too, which means you get all that functionality with a clean look.

Performance wise, the Model X is no slouch either, as with 259 horsepower in the front wheels alone, the additional 502HP in the rear seems almost overkill. With more than 700lbs of torque, this 4×4 can do 0-60 in just 3.2 seconds, with an 11.7 second quarter mile. That's if you engage ludicrous mode of course, but all Model Xs can hit 155 miles per hour if needed.

Overall range is said to be 257 miles, and it can operate off road really well too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As awesome as this car seems, I want to see how much of this tech Tesla can cram into the much more affordable Model 3 it's set to unveil next year.

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Apple plans to release its own cars by 2020 – report https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/apple-plans-to-release-its-own-cars-by-2020-report/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/apple-plans-to-release-its-own-cars-by-2020-report/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2015 02:00:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=236710 Apple has always been a rather creative company, which developed tens of devices many of which never reached the market. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, he cancelled the vast majority of projects to focus on promising ones. Nowadays Apple’s product lineup is broader than ever. However, the company is not …

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Apple has always been a rather creative company, which developed tens of devices many of which never reached the market. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, he cancelled the vast majority of projects to focus on promising ones. Nowadays Apple’s product lineup is broader than ever. However, the company is not standing still and plans to enter a completely new market for itself, the market of cars, as early as by 2020.

Bloomberg news-agency reports citing its sources that Apple has been secretly working on a car for some time now. Last week the Financial Times also revealed Apple’s ambitions to enter the market of automobiles. Although Apple does not have any experience or technologies necessary to build vehicles, it has $178 billion in cash and can buy loads of patents, specialists and building blocks for cars. The news agency claims that the consumer electronics giants plans to build an electric vehicle and release it as early as in 2020.

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At present General Motors and Tesla are working on electric cars that can go more than 200 miles on a single charge and cost less than $40,000. The two companies intend to introduce such automobiles in 2017, hence, Apple will not be the first to the party.

“That’s the inflection point — the proving ground — that brings on the electric age,” Steve LeVine, author of “The Powerhouse,” a book about the automotive battery industry, said on Bloomberg TV on Thursday. “Now you have Apple coming in and this is critical mass. Was GM really going to be able to match Tesla? Apple can.”

Tesla’s success in creating a startup car company has demonstrated that the customary barriers of entry into the auto industry are not as hard to overcome as initially thought. As a result, with tons of cash in its pockets, Apple can clearly solve the vast majority of problems. With electric vehicles Apple does not need a lot of traditional car technologies, therefore, it is not that behind companies like BMW or Daimler. At present Apple’s car team includes 200 employees and the company is actively hiring various additional engineers and experts. Nonetheless, the target to release its first car in 2020 seems to be too aggressive.

“If you’re starting from scratch, you’re probably talking more like 10 years,” said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group. “A car is a very complex technological machine.”

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Although Apple may be developing a car and may plan to release it in 2020, this does not mean that the company will actually do that. Apple has been working on its own TV-set since 2010, but so far has released nothing.

Apple did not comment on the story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It will be very interesting to see whether Apple manages to build its own car without teaming up with existing automakers. While the company has experience in many fields, cars are indeed very complex devices. Moreover, in addition to development of a car, Apple will need to design a way to manufacture it in high-volumes, which is also tricky. While Foxconn Electronics, the company’s main production partner, said some time ago that it would explore car manufacturing, actual status of the project is unknown.

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Falcon Hypersonic Vehicle bombs out near Mach 20 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/faith/falcon-hypersonic-vehicle-bombs-out-near-mach-20/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/faith/falcon-hypersonic-vehicle-bombs-out-near-mach-20/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:24:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=55781 We all think that moving around at 600 mph in a plane is quite normal, but hardly any of us will ever get to travel at more than 720 mph (Mach 1). In the USA,  boffins at the DARPA advanced project slab have been toying with vehicles that can go a little quicker. Around 20x …

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We all think that moving around at 600 mph in a plane is quite normal, but hardly any of us will ever get to travel at more than 720 mph (Mach 1). In the USA,  boffins at the DARPA advanced project slab have been toying with vehicles that can go a little quicker. Around 20x quicker. KitGuru dons a pressure suit to investigate.

In the past, the future was supersonic. The embodiment of that fantastic future was Concorde, a gorgeous plane designed to deliver passengers across the globe in a flash. While regular passenger jets take around 8 hours to move people from London to New York, the Concorde was capable of delivering 100 people in much less time. The record was set in 1996 at 2 hours 52 minutes.

But Concorde is now history.

So what does the future of high speed travel look like?

Welcome to the edge of space and then some. Set dreams to maximum. Deployment on the left - flight on the right.

Well, according to the fine folks at DARPA, it could well be shaped like the Falcon Hypersonic vehicle.

Once they have ironed out a few issues, that is.

A rocket leapt into the air Thursday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base, carrying one of the cool Hypersonic Falcons inside and, once it had achieved the right altitude/attitude, it opened up to deploy the vehicle.

Unfortunately, 9 minutes into the flight – which reached speeds of up to Mach 20 (around 14,000 mph in old money) – the ground staff lost contact with the ship. As part of an automatic safety procedure, the Falcon politely nose-dived into the Pacific to avoid a tragic accident.

Given the shape of the world, if you achieve 14,000 mph, then you can reach almost any spot on the planet in 1 hour.

We like the Falcon: It's this kind of science that captures the imagination and has us all dreaming of a better tomorrow.

Remember when $6M would buy an entire programme? Now it's probably the flight crew's annual salary.

KitGuru says: While we'd love to believe that the USA delivers peace and love at 20x the speed of sound, KitGuru is aware that troops and armour and high-explosives are the more likely first passengers. Still, the prospect of heading off to the airport at 11am for a lunch time meeting in Sydney – and being back for your 4pm golf slot in the afternoon is very appealing.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forums.

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