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Filed under: Etc. , Euro , Tech , BMW Thirty different auto manufacturers and technology companies are partners in a group called Car 2 Car Communication Consortium . The point is to create cars that talk to each other -- but instead of swapping secrets only with other cars of the same brand, the group wants to create vehicles that can speak to any other car, truck, or motorcycle on the road. As one would expect, there are a number of things needed to successful implement the idea. The most important hurdle has just been cleared with the announcement that all parties have agreed on the European radio frequency that vehicles would would use to communicate. Ultimately, the consortium wants to create the ability for a Car 2 Car equipped vehicle to warn any nearby vehicle of an icy patch on the road, or for a motorcycle nearing an intersection to notify you while you're behind the wheel. Now that the consortium has a common channel to use, it only needs to decide on a common language. Esperanto...
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Filed under: Euro , Green , Tech , Audi Audi's stoplight detection system, called Travolution, has been given the go-ahead for expansion in the company's hometown of Ingostadt, Germany. Travolution establishes a connection between a red light and a vehicle, so that as a specially equipped car moves toward a red light at an intersection, stop light gantries fitted with communications modules can let the car know when the light will turn green. The car then lets the driver know what speed he should maintain in order to pass through the intersection without having to brake for the light and then accelerate again. The system's promise is in streamlining traffic flow, increasing gas mileage, and reducing emissions. An additional twenty A5 and A6 Avant models are being added to the fleet of cars with the technology, and fifty more stop lights will be fitted with modules. If you're in Inglostadt and you want to save time and money on your commute, follow the Audis. [Source: Audi...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Euro , Tech var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/When_you_re_bored_with_one_color_car_use_tape'; When a BMW 335i owner in Munich became bored with his black coupe, he hired a team to wrap it in white tape. Two days later, he drove home in his refreshed "Alpine White" coupe (with an M3-appearing black roof). No, it's not normal tape. It's a special 3M wrap, and the process is known as "foiling." Apparently, the German military has been using the process (with an olive drab tape) for some time now. Likewise, the process is popular with race teams and taxi companies. Available in countless colors, the tape itself is thick enough to protect the paint from minor chips and nicks, and it can be left adhered to the surface for 3-4 years without damage (!). Adhesion isn't a problem either, as the tape can even withstand an automatic car wash without peeling off. Thanks for the tip Frank. Gallery: Foil Tape Paint Job ...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Euro , Tech , BMW , Toys With all the tools installed on mobile phones these days (to say nothing of the ones trying to use them in traffic), there's plenty of ways to keep yourself productive while waiting for an appointment, a train, a date... whatever. Unfortunately, none of them enable you to improve your lap time on the Nürburgring. Fret not, dear gearhead, for Hands-On Mobile is coming to the rescue. The mobile software company has partnered with both BMW AG and Nürburgring GmbH to develop BMW Racing, a new video game for cell phones. The game will allow mobile gamers to drive any of six different cars - including the M3, M5, M6 and BMW Sauber F1.08, all fully licensed - around a virtual Nordschleife in two different player modes. The game will be available from participating mobile carriers in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America this summer, while we pray American carriers pick up the game, too. Press release after the jump. [Source: Hands...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Etc. , Euro , Tech , Lifestyle Dutch inventors might have ushered in the return of the full-service station. Yet like so many other things being taken out of the hands of flesh and blood people, the new full-service could be an all-robot affair. The robot -- called the Tankpitstop robot -- is affixed to the bowser, and if it recognizes the make and model of car, and your gas cap doesn't need a key, it will open everything up and start pumping. The creation is the brainchild of a gas station operator who said he saw a robot milking a cow, and figured that a robot could fill a car. Heck, if robots can build cars and fill their fluids, we figure there's no reason why they can't fill a tank. The question now is how to let drivers know that the robot knows how to fill your car. What you don't want is to pull up in your freshly-waxed ride and hear the robotic equivalent of "Hmmm, let's try this..." As it stands, the robot costs €75,000...
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Filed under: Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Tech , BMW , Mercedes Benz Reports out of Munich are that BMW and Mercedes will be getting very cozy when it comes to cooperation. Earlier this year, Mercedes said "nein" to some sort of tie-up with BMW , even as Daimler was eying MINI motors for its upcoming A- and B-Class cars. Unnamed sources, though, have told the Financial Times Deutschland that BMW and Mercedes are not only looking at cooperating on engines, but they could also be open to developing assemblies like "axles, steering gear or drive systems." BMW is being driven by the desire to cut costs. One can only assume that Mercedes, for all of its protestations, has the same thing in mind. Every carmaker is coming out with a raft of smaller cars to serve multiple purposes, among them: meet CO2 emissions and CAFE standards, put on a green face on for the public, and, of course, increase volume by selling more inexpensive vehicles. While we're sure consumers would...
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Filed under: China , Euro , Japan , Tech , DaimlerChrysler , Mercedes Benz Daimler is apparently getting tired of sourcing its turbochargers from outside companies, so it's enacting a three- to five-year plan than will make it one of the top three producers of our favorite power-adder. The automaker currently gets about 50-percent of its turbos from IHI Charging Systems International in Japan, which produces about seven-percent of snails worldwide. Just Mercedes-Benz diesel models account for over 500,000 turbos used each year, and Daimler is right in thinking that demand for blown engines will continue to grow as consumers look for more fuel-efficient models that create similar power to their naturally aspirated counterparts. The goal is to produce 600,000 units per year - up from 500,000 in 2006 - in a joint effort with a company based in Italy. The move will solidify Daimler as a leader both in manufacturing and technology that should pay dividends as more consumers look to turbocharged...
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Filed under: Etc. , Euro , Tech , BMW There's a variety of flavors of in-car networking standards that corral the large number of embedded computers and nodes present in the modern automobile. BMW Research and Technology, an R&D division of BMW, has found Internet Protocol up to the tasks that the other standards currently perform. BMW engineers used a standard PC and connected it up to the expected gear -- ECUs, engine and chassis control systems, even a multimedia server for the entertainment system. The reasoning behind using IP versus the more specialized protocols is to anticipate future needs and requirements, as well as reducing costs. Costs drop because fewer specialized components are needed, and the new version of IPv6 is even better than the more than fine performance from IPv4. It's a little spooky to think that your fly-by-wire throttle could be trying to chat with the engine using the same technology that we use to send instant messages, but IP proved itself capable...
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Filed under: Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Tech Connaught's getting help from a fellow British sports car maker to get the Type-D to market next year. Caparo's vehicle engineering division, which does much the same thing as Lotus - supplying parts and engineering services to customers, will build the steel and composite chassis for the Type D. Caparo will also supply the body panels to Connaught, and production is planned to begin in June 2008. Connaught's original plan was to have a supplier based outside the UK provide chassis and superstructure, but Caparo managed to win the deal instead. We're sure fans of British iron are pleased that the Type D will be a properly English endeavor, and we're anxiously awaiting our chance to sample the uniquely-styled high performance ride. We wonder if Lucas will be tapped as the supplier for electrical components (not that it would matter - it's not the bad old days anymore)? [Source: Autocar] Read | Permalink | Email this...
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