Weathernews Inc and Toyota have joined forces to begin a verification test in Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi prefecture, Japan. According to a statement issued jointly, “In this verification test, the wiper operating status of Toyota’s connected vehicles being driven in the designated regions is visualized as a map and compared with actual weather data.” By analyzing wiper usage there is a way to determine the locations where it is raining or snowing.
With the launch of the Crown and Corolla Sport in June of last year Toyota has begun a large-scale rollout of connected vehicles via a Data Communication Module (DCM). Toyota can gain from this test a knowledge of wet road conditions ahead. Rain increases the chance of a road accident by a factor of four compared to a typical sunny day. This should be particularly helpful with rain that forms in the troposphere which is undetectable by today’s weather radar.
Weathernews said in its statement, “In recent years, the growing severity of weather phenomena and the resulting damage have become a societal issue, and there is an unprecedented demand for local, immediate weather information, as well as information on how to respond. To meet these needs, it is necessary to determine more detailed and accurate weather conditions in real-time.” The statement continued, “Toyota and Weathernews began an initiative that aims to use Weathernews’ weather data and Toyota’s connected vehicle data to improve the accuracy of weather observation and forecasts and increase driver safety.”
This shows forward thinking as industry players begin utilizing the vehicle data that is already being acquired. It’s reasonable to expect that feedback from wheel sensors and onboard exterior temperature sensors could detect slippery conditions as well. The current technology in place shows potential for opening a new path for detecting all types road and environmental conditions.
Weathernews, headquartered in Chiba, a prefecture just west of Tokyo, was founded in 1970 to provide weather routing services to oceangoing vessels. Over the next 15 years the company expanded into aviation weather services and also tracks weather for catering companies who plan outdoor events. Weathernews envisions itself as a weather information exchange platform partnering with a variety of different industries to improve weather reporting and forecasting.
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.