Apple, once intent on developing its own self-driving car, has signed a deal with Volkswagen to develop an autonomous shuttle for use by Apple employees on its California campuses, reports the New York Times. The self-driving T6 Transporter vans aren鈥檛 expected to hit the roads until next year, by which time they鈥檒l be retrofitted with Apple鈥檚 own self-driving technology and interiors designed by the company. According to the newspaper, Apple had originally intended to build its own car, but the cost and complexity of building and developing vehicles became an issue. The Times reported that Apple turned to Volkswagen after partnership offers were made to, and rejected by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and China-based automaker BYD.
Four-cylinder engine can run on just one
The turbocharged four-cylinder engine set to power some 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks will run on all four cylinders or on as few as one, depending on driving demands. The 2.7-litre turbocharged engine can deliver full power 鈥� 310 horsepower and 348 pound-feet of torque 鈥� to accelerate or haul loads, but can run on just one cylinder under low-load, steady-state cruising, coasting, and on downhill grades. General Motors will continue to offer Silverados equipped with six- and eight-cylinder engines. Fuel efficiency, towing and payload numbers have not yet been released. Pricing, fuel economy and other statistics will be announced closer to launch in the fall.
Ford facility specializes in weather extremes
Ford鈥檚 new Environmental Test Centre in Essex, England, 鈥減uts all the world鈥檚 weather under one roof,鈥� from desert heat and Arctic cold, from Category-5 hurricanes to high altitudes and humidity. The facility enables Ford engineers to test forthcoming vehicles, from a small Fiesta to a two-tonne Ford Transit van. Now fully operational, engineers can work on up to 10 different vehicles at a time. Testing covers comfort, safety and durability, as well as electrical performance, braking, air conditioning, trailer towing, cabin heating and traffic-jam situations, among others. They also analyze the effects of high-speed winds on exterior parts, check robustness against rain and snow, and measure how fast a windscreen defrosts at different temperatures.
鈥淜inetic鈥� batteries spin up energy storage
An Israeli company has developed an energy-storage technology that is powered by kinetic batteries using a flywheel. Chakratec says its kinetic batteries are superior to chemical ones because they don鈥檛 lose capacity. Over a 20-year lifetime, the batteries can be charged and discharged from tens of times to hundreds of thousands of times, said CEO Ilan Ben-David. By incorporating battery storage into direct-current fast-charging stations, the Chakratec system can smooth out energy demand and reduce the need to upgrade electrical distribution infrastructure, especially in areas where the grid is weak. Further, he said, it 鈥渙bviates the need for upgrading the power grid,鈥� enabling rapid deployment of fast EV-charging systems almost anywhere.
Mass production of hydrogen-fuel-cell tanks
Toyota predicts global sales of fuel-cell vehicles to increase tenfold after 2020, 鈥渢o at least 30,000 per year from today鈥檚 3,000.鈥� To prepare for that growth, the company announced in late May two new facilities in Japan, a new building near its original automobile factory for expanding fuel-cell-stack production, and a new line in an existing plant to manufacture high-pressure hydrogen tanks. The fuel-cell stack generates the on-board electricity from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to drive the electric motors. The high-pressure tanks are needed to store the hydrogen fuel. Toyota said manufacturing both components at greater scale is 鈥渃ritical鈥� to achieving lower system costs and wider availability for growth and sales of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Under pressure
Decision making in engineering and how engineers perform under pressure to make decisions when faced with vast amounts of complex data will be studied by the Infiniti Engineering Academy. Findings will be used to help engineers and motorsport teams optimize their decision-making processes.
Replacement Leaf batteries
Nissan is starting to offer rebuilt Leaf battery packs for older models of the all-electric sedan, for drivers in Japan whose battery packs have begun to deteriorate. They will sell for less than $3,000 US. Nissan is looking to eventually extend the service to North America.
Better rear-view cameras
Canadian auto supplier Magna International is teaming up with Renesas Electronics Corp. to develop a more cost-efficient 3D-surround-view system for entry-level and mid-range vehicles. The new camera will allow automakers to incorporate 3D camera technology more broadly across their lineups.
