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LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 6th 2009 at 4:53AM

If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break.

Read - ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle
Read - ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car

Continue reading LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

Toyota's FT-EV II concept sports steampunk interior, joystick controls

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 22nd 2009 at 8:45AM

Toyota's FT-EV concept was tiny, quirky, electric powered -- and honestly a bit predictable. Its successor, the FT-EV II, takes that staid design and sends it way out there, leaving the exterior unchanged (some gold detailing adds a touch of flash) but dialing up the intrigue on the inside. The traditional wheel and pedal controls have been replaced by a gilded mechanical joystick contraption that would look appropriate on a Victorian-era rocket ship (had any such thing actually existed) leaving more legroom and what looks to be a more ergonomic driving experience. It's a control scheme the company used previously on its i-Real concept... chair... thing, but this is the first Toyota with doors to rock it. Will those sticks and all that brushed metal and faux-ivory still be there when this car releases? Not a chance, sadly.

[Via Slashdot; image courtesy of Autoblog]

Toyota's plug-in hybrid Prius gets pictured, detailed further

by Darren Murph posted Sep 13th 2009 at 4:01PM

The future, kids -- we're living in it. Sensationalism aside, we are pretty jazzed to hear that Toyota's long-awaited, much-teased plug-in Prius hybrid will be making its bona fide debut to the public next week. The image above is expected to be near-final, though we're reserving judgment until we see if the actual model on stage is plastered with 80s era stick-on graphics. Of note, the Hybrid Synergy Drive system has been upgraded for this whip, enabling it to slowly rocket from 0 to 62 without using a drop of gasoline. Once there, it can cruise for up to 12.5 miles in electric mode, and should you need to juice it back up, it'll take 1.5 hours when charged from a 230V source. Further details are expected to flow as Frankfurt heats up, though the whole "not shipping to retail until 2012" kind of puts a damper on our excitement.

Toyota moves its two millionth hybrid vehicle, Ma Earth tips her hat

by Darren Murph posted Sep 6th 2009 at 11:13PM

It's incredibly hard to believe that the original Prius went on sale a full dozen years ago, but as the debatable face of the hybrid reaches its third generation, Toyota as a whole is celebrating the sale of its two millionth hybrid. As of August 31st, global sales of the automaker's hybrid fleet has surpassed 2.01 million, and as of now, there are 13 hybrids in the company's lineup. Later this year, Lexus (the outfit's luxury brand) is set to see its fourth hybrid hit the streets, and it's been said that Toyota could have a hybrid version of every motorcar it sells by the end of the next decade. Not like it'll matter -- we'll all be cruising around in Jetson-mobiles or Tesla Roadsters by then, anyway.

Toyota develops breathalyzer ignition-interlock, BJ McKay promises to hack it

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 31st 2009 at 4:51PM

Shoving breathalyzers into MIDs and PNDs has been all the rage overseas for quite a while, and now it looks like Toyota itself is getting in on the act. The breath-alcohol ignition-interlock system features a handset that detects alcohol on your breath (if any) and snaps your mug with a digital camera. Depending on your level of "fun" (that is, alcohol consumption) the thing can be set to alert you (in case you forgot about those three Iron Citys) or lock the vehicle's ignition altogether. In addition, it can be used to monitor vehicles of commercial fleets and notify the boss if the driver shows up sloshed. Testing of the device commences September 1st, and will go through November 30. Historians agree that had this technology been available thirty years ago, the 1970s CB radio craze could have been avoided altogether.

[Via Yahoo!]

Continue reading Toyota develops breathalyzer ignition-interlock, BJ McKay promises to hack it

Toyota's humanoid robot was born to run

by Laura June posted Jul 31st 2009 at 10:46AM

We essentially can't get enough of advanced robots doing things that look human -- probably in the same way we can't get enough of pretending our dog understands English. Anthropomorphism aside, Toyota's humanoid running robot is really impressive. It's got a super impressive sense of balance, and he's quite fast on his feet -- running at an average of 7 km an hour (yes, that's faster than ASIMO can run), too. We can say with 100 percent certainty that we'd like to hang out with this guy -- check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Toyota's humanoid robot was born to run

Toyota's giant solar flowers popping up across US to bring good will, free WiFi, and charging stations

by Ross Miller posted Jul 21st 2009 at 1:47AM

Now here's a smart marketing campaign. In an effort to raise awareness / interest in its 2010 Prius, Toyota planted five 18-foot tall "solar flowers" in Boston's Prudential Plaza and provided free Wi-Fi and electricity that was "partially powered" by the solar panels attached to the petals and stem. The so-called "Harmony Between Man, Nature and Machine" just disappeared from Boston but will next germinate in New York, followed by Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. We're not exactly in the market for a car right now, but we promise to think about it while we lovingly enjoy the free laptop charge and internet access.

[Via PhysOrg]

Read - Flickr set from Boston
Read - Schedule

Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair boast fastest brainwave analysis yet, most stylish EEG cap

by Ross Miller posted Jun 30th 2009 at 3:13AM

Mind-controlled wheelchairs are becoming all the rage these days, but before you start letting your thoughts wander elsewhere, this latest from researchers at the Brain Science Institute (BSI) -- Toyta Collaboration Center have what they claim is a system that'll control the ride using brain waves analyzed every 125 milliseconds, which it boasts bests the competition by several seconds. Testers using the wheels and EEG cap system have achieved accuracy up to 95 percent which, as you can see in the video after the break, will make cubicle obstacle courses a challenge of the past. So what mindset do we have to be in to trigger the flames?

[Via Switched]

Continue reading Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair boast fastest brainwave analysis yet, most stylish EEG cap

Automakers agree on common plug to recharge electric vehicles

by Darren Murph posted Apr 19th 2009 at 4:24PM

Just hours after General Motors put forth a proposal for a standardized plug for electric vehicles, in flies this. German energy firm RWE has stated that a cadre of respected automakers and energy firms have all come together in agreement on a three-point, 400-volt plug that will enable electric cars the world over to be recharged anywhere, regardless of which recharging station they stop at. Caroline Reichert, an RWE spokeswoman, noted that the idea here is to ensure that "a car can be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France." We're told that the agreement includes nods of acceptance from the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel, and while there's no time frame for when it'll be introduced, we're pretty stoked to hear that at least something has been decided upon.

Touch Tracer Display gives 2010 Prius speedometer a new look

by Darren Murph posted Mar 9th 2009 at 10:23AM

Not like you didn't already know everything there was to know about the 2010 Prius, but in all seriousness, here's a snippet we'll bet you weren't aware of. Autoblog has pointed out that Toyota's next-generation hybrid will sport an all new Touch Tracer Display that will enable steering wheel commands to appear atop the speedometer whenever a button is pushed. The upside? Rather than glancing down at your wheel (and thus, away from oncoming traffic), you'll be able to see the options while keeping your head up and eyes on the road. Naturally, we'd expect this little innovation to spread far and wide across Toyota's fleet in the not-too-distant future.

Toyota's hydrogen-powered FCHV gets inspected

by Darren Murph posted Feb 13th 2009 at 12:28PM

Just in case you haven't heard enough in regard to green automobiles today, Toyota's FCHV has been broken down good fashion and photographed by our pals at AutoblogGreen. The hydrogen-powered SUV sports a pretty sophisticated get-up-and-go system, which is comprised of four separate storage tanks in order to keep the hydrogen compressed to 10,000psi. Once the compressed gas leaves those tanks, it passes through regulators that "reduce the pressure to something the PEM fuel cell stack can process." The bottom line? This thing can traverse some 350 miles on a fresh fill. If your ears just perked up, give the read link a visit to get yourself more acquainted.

Toyota claims plug-in Prius averaging 65 mpg

by Paul Miller posted Feb 3rd 2009 at 9:43AM

Not only does the impending plug-in Prius poop rainbows and chill out with unicorns, it's also doing pretty good for itself in "real world" MPG testing. Toyota claims they're hitting 65 mpg on average, 10 mpg higher than the brand new 2010 Prius "regular," and credit that fancy new lithium ion battery, which lets the car store up a lot more energy than an average hybrid. They also claim that this didn't involve any special hypermiling techniques, the drivers were instructed to drive like any other vehicle.

Battery wars: automakers seek profits in supplying EV parts

by Darren Murph posted Jan 28th 2009 at 10:23AM

We already knew that Daimler was looking in Tesla's direction for electric vehicle batteries, but we certainly didn't know that those passing glances were only the beginning of an underground battle for supply chain supremacy. As automakers struggle to move cars from lots, it's being reported that some -- Toyota, Tesla, Daimler and Nissan, in particular -- are looking to parts fulfillment for profit. Toyota already has an edge on its rivals by being one of the only companies to actually produce its own batteries, and if demand begins to outstrip supply, other car makers could come running in hopes of stocking up. Of course, you've also got Nissan ramping up production in order to equip some 200,000 electric / hybrid vehicles annually over the next few years, so who knows if all this scheming will eventually backfire. Though, if one firm can somehow figure out how to make their battery stronger, more potent, lighter and cheaper -- well, we needn't tell you how that would play out.

[Image courtesy of AutoBeYours]

Next-gen Prius now official, uses solar panels to keep car cool

by Ross Miller posted Jan 13th 2009 at 11:23AM

The very shoe-like 2010 Toyota Prius has made its official debut at this week's Detroit Auto Show. The company estimates it'll have a 50 MPG rating -- up from 46 MPG in the previous model -- and there's a bigger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine for improved highway mileage. In addition to Power and Eco driving modes, EV Drive will let you run on battery alone for about a mile, which if nothing else should provide a little extra push for getting to the gas station when you've held off for too long. One of the coolest (literally) new features is the optional solar panels in the moonroof that will generate power for circulating air and keeping the interior temperature from going too high. If that's not enough, there's a remote-controlled A/C system that can run on battery alone and lets you set the temperature before you get in. Check out the read link for more specs and the full press release.

Video: Toyota unveils FT-EV concept, details plug-in Prius, you won't see either for awhile

by Tim Stevens posted Jan 11th 2009 at 10:07PM

While we were living large at CES in Las Vegas yesterday, Toyota's people were up in Detroit, working hard to amp up the crowd at the North American International Auto Show. The world's largest auto maker fulfilled promises by giving more information about an upcoming electric car, showing off a concept called the FT-EV. Based on the iQ ultra-compact, which is currently available in Japan in petrol-powered guise, the battery version has a range of just 50 miles, making it suitable only for those living in those most urban of suburbs. Hopefully it gains a bit more stamina before it (or something similar) goes into production in 2012. Toyota also gave some further information about its impending plug-in Prius, indicating that before the end of the year it will lease 500 prototypes to consumers to act as mobile beta testers prior to the full release of the car. Only 150 of those will be available in the States, though, so you can go ahead and leave "Install extra outlet in garage" low on your to-do list for another year or so

Continue reading Video: Toyota unveils FT-EV concept, details plug-in Prius, you won't see either for awhile