In 2016, everything is connected. People can talk to cars, cars can talk to phones, and cars can even talk to houses. But what if your car could talk to your city?
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication (V2I) is one of the buzzing trends in the automotive industry right now, and with its ability to reduce driver stress and improve traffic flow, it’s easy to see why. Audi has just thrown its name into the hat by announcing its first foray into V2I in the United States.
Throughout December, the automaker will use Las Vegas as the launching pad for its Traffic Light Information service, which uses data from the city’s traffic management systems to improve the commuting experience. How does it work? Put simply, Traffic Light Information calculates how long it will take for a signal to change from red to green and displays the time on the instrument cluster. This allows the driver to relax, take a sip of coffee, or quickly craft a text message without constantly looking at the red light and willing it to turn green.
The “time-to-green” feature is the only function available as of this writing, but Audi says it will eventually integrate traffic management information into start/stop systems, navigation, and certain predictive services to improve efficiency. One example could be a recommended cruising speed to maximize the number of green lights a driver can make without stopping.
Traffic Light Information is included with an Audi Connect Prime subscription and is currently available on select 2017 A4, Q7, and Allroad models. It’s only available in Las Vegas for now, but Audi is currently working to expand the service to other municipalities.
As automakers continue to invest in V2I, third-party app makers like Connected Signals are committing to the technology as well. You can read more about the Connected Signals project in Eugene, Oregon here.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.