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Don't tell us where you're going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video)
That cute little bugger above certainly looks innocent enough, but it might have been spreading some pretty detailed gossip behind your back. Leaf-driver Casey Halverson was playing around with the RSS reader in his Carwings system when he discovered that it wasn't just collecting feeds from RSS servers, it was also telling those servers his car's current location, speed, heading and even the destination he'd set in the sat nav. Strangely, Halverson's undercover tattletale appears to have halted its indiscretions after he posted the discovery on his blog, but we're surmising there's still hundreds of server logs up and down the country that prove it really happened, not to mention his video after the break. Cue Rockwell, fade to black.
Nissan Leaf rates you against other drivers, creates a high score list for hypermilers
Xbox Live and the Achievement system kind of reinvented the high score list, letting you compete against your friends even when you're roaming solo through a stark, barren wasteland. It looks like Nissan is doing much the same with the Leaf -- but minus the bloatflies and the supermutants. As the cars are now rolling out to eager owners we're learning more about just what its Carwings system can do and another neat trick is the "Regional Rankings" page, where one driver's driving efficiency is rated against others in the area. There are bronze, silver, and gold medals up for grabs but, if you cover the thing with speed tape and only commute downhill, you might just be awarded the platinum award. What does that get you? Why, a little picture of a trophy, of course. What were you expecting?
European Nissan Leaf gets always-on connection, lets you turn up the AC wirelessly
We've already marveled at the Chevy Volt's ability to let you turn up the AC while it's still plugged in to the A/C, courtesy of its OnStar app. Now we can confirm the European model of Nissan's Leaf is getting the same sort of functionality, and it's said to be standard -- no monthly fees like you'll be stuck with on the Volt. We're still not sure who's providing the wireless connectivity in the US, but abroad it comes courtesy of Telenor Connexion, which will enable a mobile phone or PC to access the Carwings Data Center remotely, to check charging status and modify the car's climate controls. In an EV the car's heating and cooling can be two of the biggest sinks for the onboard battery packs, so this ability to get the car up or down to temp while it's still plugged in could help you spend more kW driving and less on acclimatizing. Update: As it turns out Chevy is kindly throwing in five years of free OnStar service to Volt owners. So, it's free there as well.
Nissan Leaf launches in Europe, takes us for a drive
26,000 people can't be wrong, right? That's the current tally of Leaf pre-orders that Nissan has collected from US and Japanese drivers excited by its all-electric hatchback. Yesterday, the car that's built to plug into the same wall outlet as your toaster held its official pan-European launch party -- with the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, and Portugal getting the first deliveries in early 2011 -- and we were on site to grab a few closeup pictures and some precious time in the driver's seat. American drivers should look out for a new set of keys in their mailbox this December, so there's probably no better time than now to give them a preview of what they're getting themselves into. Jump past the break for more on the Nissan Leaf.%Gallery-105887%%Gallery-105918%
Nissan readies pilot for road-cam / slip-hazard alert services
Way back in 2005, we got wind of a Bluetooth-based telematics systems for cars dubbed Carwings. Now, Nissan is gearing up to launch two safety pilots which will rely on -- you guessed it -- Carwings HDD navigation systems. First up is the slip-hazard alert, which marries data from the ITS (Intelligent Transport System) and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) in order to warn drivers of slippery road conditions. In addition to that, the recently concocted road-cam service can "enhance the effectiveness of the alert service by offering drivers a visual image" of surroundings. The company will make the slip-hazard alert and the new road-cam service available to all Carwings customers (in Japan) beginning next month, with the latter hitting first (in November) and the former second (in December). Oh, and did we mention the upgrades will be completely gratis? Because they will be.[Via Wired]
Nissan's Carwings system to read RSS feeds aloud
Wouldn't it be great if your car could actually read information to you? We're not just talking about reciting driving directions (that's so 2001), but rather an audio version of RSS feeds, specifically Yahoo Japan, Sony's So-net "lifestyle blog" and Nissan's travel guide blog. (C'mon Nissan, no love for Engadget Japanese?) It appears that this new addition to the Carwings system, which already provides ho-hum GPS navigation will also pack a 30GB hard drive so you can rock out to Pizzicato Five if you get bored of that mechanical voice. If you attend the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (October 3 - 7) to be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, you can check out the updated Carwings system -- if you do, be sure to let us know how distracting the synthetic voice is while zooming down the road.[Via TechNews]
Nissan prepping "intelligent" transportation safety system
Not content with stopping drunk-driving through technology, Nissan has set its sights on bad driving in general, with the car company set to being testing a new transportation safety system that'll alert you when you're speeding and provide other vital info to keep you out of harm's way. The system, which works in conjunction with Nissan's Carwings service, collects traffic information from other cars and from roadside beacons, relaying pertinent info straight into your vehicle, which will then alert you K.I.T.T-style of imminent danger... or a traffic light. Unfortunately, it looks like it's still a ways off from widespread use, with testing set to being next month Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan and continue through March of 2009, with some 10,000 drivers expected to take part. It seems Nissan hasn't taken into account the fact that the system may already be obsolete by then, what with humans taken out of the equation.[Via Northwest Flordia Daily News]
