The autonomous technology is now being implemented in the BMW 5 Series ConnectedDrive with an improved version of the 330i tester. Using a system of cameras, radar, and laser scanners, the car brakes, accelerates, passes vehicles, and abides by traffic laws while simultaneously analyzing traffic conditions.

Our main challenge was to develop algorithms that can handle entirely new situations. In principle, the system works on all freeways that we have mapped out beforehand with [a] centimeter accuracy,” said Nico Kaempchen, project manager of Highly Automated Driving. at BMW Group Research and Technology.

The i3 will be the first BMW that comes with the option of a “traffic-jam” feature, which, at low speeds, will steer, speed up and slow down on its own.

Follow the jump for the video.

By: Alexandra Koken

Smartphone apps are wildly popular, and automakers are taking advantage of the technology to integrate automotive technology and handheld technology to meet these new consumer demands.

Buick has released three new apps for both Apple and Android app stores that come bundled as the eAssist Fuel Efficiency games, which help drivers improve gas mileage and driving techniques.

“Consumers today want purposeful technology in the products they buy,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing. “Buick is offering exactly that with fuel-saving eAssist,”

Play it here.

The first of the three apps is Regeneration Road, which focuses on the regenerative breaking, reflecting the amount of energy that would be wasted in a standard vehicle that eAssist reuses as power for the car’s lithium-ion battery. The object of the game is for players to make it through town before running out of gas.

Second in the bundle is Roll and Boost, a game that challenges players on a distance run using one tank of gas and good battery management. This is to show owners how the energy conserved can be later used for an energy boost.

Wind Tunnel Tester is the last of the three apps that gives you the opportunity to be an automotive engineer and modify the car’s dimensions, showing how important aerodynamic design is.

“The driving force behind eAssist’s development was to make great vehicles like the LaCrosse and Regal even better,” said Dan Cottrell, General Motors assistant chief engineer for the eAssist powertrain. “With eAssist we can improve both vehicle performance as well as fuel economy.”

The games come to life on the dash in vehicles like the LaCrosse and Regal models with eAssist information reflected via and “Eco” gauge, allowing drivers to see how efficiently they are operating the vehicle.

-  By: Alexandra Koken

Chevrolet has announced a new app for the Android and iTunes App Store market which will allow Super Bowl XLVI viewers the chanced to play trivia, keep in touch via Twitter, participate in polls and win one of 20 Chevrolets or thousands of other prizes.

The Chevy Game Time app is available to download now.

“This is the first time any company has attempted such a large-scale app, which will enhance the game watching experience and help them engage in the online conversation about the Super Bowl,” said Joel Ewanick, global chief marketing officer, General Motors.

Besides winning random prizes, those playing Chevy Game Time will receive a unique license plate number. When the plate appears during a Chevrolet advertisement during the Super Bowl or online, they win a vehicle.

Not a bad deal.

- By: Omar Rana

Audi has recently revealed the 2012 Audi A3 at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, an improved version of spy shots caught before.

The model’s interior features a dash angled in the driver’s favor, and a new MMI control panel which integrates handwriting recognition. Other highlights include circular air vents, a 7 inch pop-up infotainment system, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. An option for a Phone Box will also be available to mate any cell to the car seamlessly.

Working with Nvidia, Audi developed a new “modular infotainment platform” with a Terga 2 processor, timed at 1.2 GHz to utilize the phone, navigation and internet features via a Multi-Media eXtension board. Expect to see a 1.4 GHz upgrade later with the release of the quad-core Terga 3 processor.

No release date for the A3 has been mentioned yet, although the Geneva Motor Show is a likely option. The German automaker has noted that it will be “launced in many countries very soon.”

- By: Alexandra Koken

Heating and cooling a vehicle requires energy, and until now, there has been little effort put forth to make passengers comfortable rather than filling the space with comfortable air. Commercial airliners heat and cool passengers much more efficiently than cars because they simply direct jets of air to specific places, whereas a car’s air handling system constantly replaces all of the air in the cabin with comfortable air.

This is not a hardship often for heating the car, but for cooling, the compressor has to work pretty hard. In a combined venture between GMC, the US Department of Energy, the California Energy Comission, Delphi Automotive and the University of California at Berkeley, GM’s Jeff Bozeman is using the GMC Terrain as a pilot project to make the HVAC systems in cars more efficient.

This is accomplished with intelligent test dummies, which mimic human temperature preferences. In short, GMC say they have significantly improved the air handling system in the 2012 GMC Terrain.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

A keynote is scheduled for January 10 for Mercedes-Benz USA, along with Daimler AG to showcase the brand’s current and upcoming technology, focusing on the mbrace2 communications platform.

Mbrace2 provides a multitude of features in the areas of information, entertainment, safety, automotive care and personal assistance. Within these areas, users can find cloud-based apps for navigation, traffic, concierge services, speech recognition and automatic crash notifications, just to name a few.

Connectivity is also a big area of concentration, with features like Send2Benz, which gives drivers to connect to their friend’s Benz’s and will navigate them to wherever they may be. Vehicle location, locking and unlocking features, plus valet parking protection are also among the included highlights.

The Mercedes-Benz technology also has an upcoming iPhone app called DriveStyle to turn phone features into car features.

This is some impressive innovation that certainly sparks curiosity of what could possibly be next.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Ford plans on making a huge statement at this year’s Detroit Auto Show with a massive interactive display that doesn’t intend to be overlooked.

The display is designed to showcase Ford’s vision of what is next for in-car vehicle technologies, a vision based on trends that provide insight into consumer’s evolving needs. The Ford Living Connected Experience should prove to be a heavily engaging one, as it features five separate stations, each proving more information on the automakers technological future, including Living Green, Changing Population Demographics, and Emerging Technologies.

At the end of the Experience, visitors are invited on to an elevator, with seating for 12 that takes them 20 feet high into “the Cloud”. Inside, a 360-degree film is played as a visual showcase of Ford’s upcoming in-car technology.

If that isn’t quite enough for you, Ford also includes an augmented reality experience where visitors get to play trivia games to plan an “Escape”, experience the Mustang on the dyno, and even drive with Motorsports star Ken Block.

“We are constantly challenging ourselves to come up with new and exciting ways to engage our visitors from the moment they step foot on the Ford show stand,” said Darrell Bryja, director of Global Auto Shows and Events. “Auto shows offer us valuable time with customers to inform them of Ford’s newest products and technologies.”

Ford’s marketing plan is proving to be successful, and as the brand moves forward with its technologies, consumers are sure to catch on to the technological advancements being made. This year’s display at the auto show will also feature a Blue-Oval Card, the first-ever, which provides additional content at the show, and the ability to share the experience with friends and family. The card will also feature information on the upcoming Ford Fusion, which is scheduled for reveal on Monday January 9th during the Ford press conference.

- By: Alexandra Koken

The lab’s focus will be on current technologies such as EcoBoost, MyKey, Sync, and inflatable rear safety belts, along with future technologies. More details will be announced by Ford President and CEP Alan Mulally on January 11 at the International CES for the Innovation Power Panel keynote.

“Silicon Valley represents a deep and dynamic technology neighborhood and is far from Dearborn,” said K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader for open innovation with Ford Research and Innovation. “With so many opportunities and so much potential, our new lab will allow us to scout new technologies and partners in their own environment and continue our expansion beyond the traditional automaker mindset to drive innovation for a better mobility experience.”

Employees at the lab will be a modest number of locally recruited outside professionals and some brought in internally to act collectively as the Research and Innovation team. Some of the areas that will be researched include personal mobility, which focuses on consumer trends, open sourced hardware in collaboration with Bug Labs for Hyperlink technology, an OpenXC research platform for cloud-based applications, and new ways to use sensors on vehicles.

- By: Alexandra Koken

GM’s OnStar will start giving some developers access to its proprietary application program interface (API) to create mobile applications designed to interact with OnStar’s range of services.

OnStar services are enabled by its cloud platform known as Advanced Telematics Operating System – otherwise known as ATOMS.

“Research shows that the amount of mobile applications for the Android and iOS platforms is likely to double in the next 12 months,” said OnStar President Linda Marshall. “Customer demand is driving a new marketplace for a variety of automotive applications.

“With this step we believe we can broaden our portfolio, grow our business and enable our customers to achieve additional functionality from their vehicle using their computer, smartphone, tablet or other devices,” Marshall said.

OnStar will offer access to its API in the first half of 2012. Developers interested in the API should contact OnStar at developers@onstar.com.

- By: Omar Rana

As of yesterday, all U.S. BMW Online users now have Yelp access from their vehicles, with added features for automotive use.

Yelp is a popular website that allows people to search for tons of local businesses, and get reviews and ratings from local people. It is also the first app to be available with BMW’s updated online system. BMW drivers with the Assist Convenience Plan, navigation, and BMW Online service already have access to the app.

Features for the BMW version of Yelp include a Category search function, allowing users to browse through sections like shopping or restaurants, sorted results which feature star ratings and distance, and added details including location and contact information.

Reviews are a big part of Yelp and the app incorporates this with a feature that lets users view the 3 latest ones, and gives the option of having the car read it to them automatically.

- By: Alexandra Koken

LED lights are loosing their luxury segment exclusivity as automakers are finding them to be more efficient than traditional bulbs and more accessible due to price drops.

Designers are also exploring the other benefit to using them, which is that they just look really good on cars. Audi is a perfect example of this, with its LED use for some model’s daytime running lights and taillights, as is the Dodge Charger with its full taillight LED display.

Taillights “have become a style statement,” says Steffen Pietzonka, a vice president of marketing for Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., which produces LEDs for Audi. Pietzonka adds, “Over the next four years, a lot of entry-level and mid-sized vehicles will have LEDs. It offers huge styling opportunities.”

Kia has even begun to take advantage of the light’s styling opportunities with the 2012 Soul, and L.E.K. Consulting of London predicts this will be an increasing trend. LED taillights are expected to be gracing the rears of 29 percent of North American produced vehicles by 2016, a 10 percent increase from the 2011 model year.

Popularity with headlights isn’t expected to take off as fast, as L.E.K. is only predicting 1 percent of North American made cars to have them by 2016.

Xenon headlights, another growing lighting trend, should be in about 12 percent of 2016 models. These lights were first seen on the 1991 BMW 7-series, and are more popular in Japan then the U.S., where the blue shade is not favored.

Another advantage to LED lights is a safety improvement, as the lights are more responsive, at 200-milliseconds, alerting other drivers to breaking quicker. Additionally, they do not produce light from heat as other lights do, so they require less energy.

Although the LED lights are becoming less expensive, they are still considerably more, as a halogen light costs roughly $20, xenons are between $60 and $80, LED lights costs about 3 times more than the xenon lights do.

Major suppliers such as Hellon and Visteon are still pushing the lights for mass-market cars, as technology is currently in the works for a passive cooling system which would make them more affordable.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: AutoNews

It seems like German automakers are always ahead of technology development. BMW optical systems designer, Hanafi Abdul, says that the next-generation of headlights will feature laser lighting technology. While the laser lighting technology is currently previewed on the i8, Abdul said that BMW could debut the system much earlier – the company just has to find the right applications for it.

What are the advantages of laser lighting? For one, laser lighting offers more range than the current LED lighting systems that have become quite popular. They are definitely brighter (1,000 times brighter) and much smaller (100 times smaller) than LED headlamps.

Of course one of the main and probably most important benefits is that laser lighting systems are twice as efficient as LED systems and can actually increase fuel-economy on a car.

- By: Omar Rana

While Cadillac will discuss the research methods behind the creation of CUE, OnStar will unveil its research in the 4G LTE cloud connected vehicle space, reveal future expansions in the mobile application arena, and make announcements about  OnStar FMV, its aftermarket rearview mirror that contains all of OnStar’s key functions for older vehicles.

A nice little nightmare for NHTSA’s Ray LaHood will be OnStar teaming up with Verizon Wireless 4G LTRE for in-vehicle streaming content sharing for vehicle occupants.

The technology will be demonstrated in a Chevrolet Volt research vehicle and will include include:

• Cloud-based streaming of entertainment and information content throughout the vehicle
• Rear seat infotainment management
• Video chat

- By: Omar Rana

A patent has been given to Google for a potential design of a car switch that would allow a driver to turn autonomous driving off and on.

Approved by the USPTO, the patent, #8,078,349, expands upon the technology of Google’s autonomous cars and the change from human driver to autonomous. In order to accomplish this, the patent says that a GPS locator and sensors would work together to pick up a landing strip and provide an exact location for the car to enable the autonomous switch.

The technology is anticipated for industrial vehicles and for cars to park themselves, and may be reliant on Google Maps.

Behind the project is Nathaniel Fairfield and Christopher Urmson of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: Conceivably Tech

“As demand and interest in the GE WattStation continues to grow, we’re excited to give our customers an easy way to purchase the charger,” said Sergio Corbo, chief marketing officer for GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions business. “We believe the product is well-suited to an online purchasing experience.”

The GE WattStation Wall Mount provides a full-cycle charge to a 24 kWh battery in only 4 to 8 hours, whereas plugging an EV into a standard electrical outlet in your house (or anywhere else) would require 12-18 hours to provide the same level of charge.

The GE WattStation comes equipped with built-in fuses to provide overload protection in the event of a fault occurrence. Of course its also very portable for both indoor and outdoor locations. It stands just 24 inches tall, 16 inches wide and 6 inches deep.

Prices as listed on Amazon.com? $1,099.

Check it out here.

- By: Omar Rana

In an extreme aim to prevent distracted driving, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended a ban on text messaging or using a mobile phone while driving – that includes headsets or portable speakers, aka Bluetooth powered solutions as well.

“Too many people are texting, talking and driving at the same time,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said. “It’s time to put a stop to distraction. No call, no text, no update is worth a human life.”

Kelly Nantel, an NTSB spokeswoman, said that system built into cars like GM’s OnStar system or Ford’s SYNC would not be affected by the ban.

Your thoughts? Have your say in the poll below.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoNews

Audi offers the A8 with some Google Earth integration, but until now, it was just that, Google Earth in a car, but now Google’s Street View is part of the system, which has also gotten an audio upgrade.

Many people do not have 4,000 songs on their iPod, now though, the Audi connect services offer 4,000 internet radio stations as part of their Audi music stream app.

Like many other in-car satellite navigation systems, the infotainment system preloads navigation data once you choose your route, but in this case, the Google Street View images pertaining to the route are pre loaded as well thanks to 3G wireless internet.

Google Earth images and Street View, weather, news, Audi traffic information online or Audi music stream, directly into Audi’s optional MMI navigation plus.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

Apple iPhone users have access to features that include a Force Meter, Condition Check, and Digital Sports Instruments.

Condition check will do the driver the favor of monitoring weather, fluids and Sport Button status. Force Meter gives acceleration information in detail and Digital Sports Instruments expand gauge functionality. Drivers can also get information like engine output, acceleration, and the status of the car, all available on a color, high-res display.

Updates are available via the iPhone, which will update to the latest version when it is connected to the car. It is required that the model be equipped with Visual Boost, navigation, and Connected options.

- By: Alexandra Koken