Author Archives
Nexar CityStream Uses Smartphones to Crowd-Sourced Mapping Data for Cities and Self-Driving Cars
May 9, 2017 – The battle for autonomous car supremacy is being fought on many fronts and waged with billions spent on sensors, software and artificial intelligence. But essential to self-driving technology is precise and detailed mapping of not only roads but also transportation infrastructure and the vicinity in which autonomous vehicles operate. That’s why money is also being […] [Continue Reading]
GM Offers Bolt EVs Via Maven for Drivers in the Growing Gig Economy
May 5, 2017 – The so-called gig economy is growing, and General Motors wants to provide vehicles to meet the needs of its members. In keeping with the transient nature of this emerging workforce, GM has launched a new service called Maven Gig that offers Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle on a short-term basis for people who need temporary wheels […] [Continue Reading]
Self-Driving Cars Take on Boston’s Bad Drivers
April 27, 2017 – Anyone who has ever driven in Boston knows that the city’s drivers aren’t the most cautious or courteous. And data backs it up: In 2014 and 2015, Allstate insurance ranked Beantown motorists the most likely to have an accident based on the insurance company’s study of claims in the 200 largest U.S. cities. This makes […] [Continue Reading]
Nissan To Provide Data For Mobileye’s Real-Time Mapping Platform
April 26, 2017 – Mapping software is a crucial element of self-driving technology. That’s a major reason Google took an early lead in autonomous car tech and why a trio of German automakers spent $3 billion to purchase the mapping giant HERE. While Google and HERE have teams of dedicated vehicles out mapping the worlds’ roads and their surroundings, […] [Continue Reading]
Jaguar ReRun App Lets F-Type Owners Record and Share Their Driving Highlights
April 24, 2017 – There’s no lack of ways to capture a great drive or hot laps using action cameras, and GoPro cams have become as de rigueur as driving shoes for track-day denizens. Automakers have been getting in on the action-camera craze by either incorporating the technology into cars or integrating GoPros with existing infotainment systems. Chevrolet makes […] [Continue Reading]
Hyundai Bets on Pairing Vehicles with Voice Assistants Via Blue Link
April 18, 2017 – Like other automakers, Hyundai is betting that pairing its vehicles with third-party voice assistants via the Blue Link telematics system will appeal to today’s connected consumers. And the Korean automaker is also wagering that car owners may pay for cloud-based features such as remote access to vehicles and navigation after getting them for free after […] [Continue Reading]
Inaugural Empire State of Mobility Conference at the New York International Auto Show
April 17, 2017 – The C3 Group held its inaugural Empire State of Mobility Conference in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show on April 12. The event focused on the role of public-private partnerships in the smart mobility space and drew stakeholders from the automotive, technology and financial community as well as policymakers and researchers. The conference […] [Continue Reading]
Connected Car Data Is the New Oil
– Last November, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich stood on stage at the LA Auto Show and proclaimed, “data is the new oil.” This is not a news, of course. For years, tech companies from Google to Facebook have drilled for data shared by connected devices and tapped into geysers of cash. Now that cars are becoming […] [Continue Reading]Conversation with Bill Ford on Smart Mobility at SXSW 2017
March 29, 2017 – At SXSW Interactive 2017, C3 President and Cofounder Doug Newcomb had the pleasure of appearing onstage with Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford. The hour-long conversation covered topics ranging from Ford’s ambitious Smart Mobility initiative to the business culture that Bill’s great-grandfather and company founder Henry Ford fostered and still resonates today. The onstage […] [Continue Reading]
Trump’s Fuel Economy Standard Cuts Could Cripple Innovation
March 21, 2017 – As part of sweeping efforts to reduce regulation and boost business, last week President Trump announced plans to relax fuel economy standards. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which were implemented decades ago but accelerated under President Obama, call for automakers to reach a fleetwide average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. In typical […] [Continue Reading]
How Data Can Help Cities Hone Deployment of Self-Driving Cars
March 10, 2017 – If the vision of the future according to many automakers and companies like Uber and Google is accurate, we’ll see self-driving cars buzzing around cities soon. Ford, for example, plans to have fully autonomous vehicles available for ride-sharing in urban areas in just four years, and Uber has already been pushing the boundaries of the […] [Continue Reading]
Human Drivers Could Go the Way of Elevator Operators
March 6, 2017 – As NPR pointed out in 2015, “every new automatic device that enters our lives, from automatic doors to escalators, has had to face this awkward moment where people are skeptical and maybe scared.” When the first public railway opened in England in 1825, for example, people thought the human body wasn’t made to withstand travel […] [Continue Reading]
Transportation Secretary to Auto Industry: ‘Educate Skeptical Public’ about Self-Driving Tech
March 1, 2017 – As car companies, tech firms such as Google and ride-sharing giant Uber continue to pour money and resources into self-driving technology, a large unknown is how the Trump administration and its new Transportation Secretary will approach autonomous car regulation. With so much at stake, companies investing in self-driving technology are eager to learn whether the […] [Continue Reading]