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Hitting the Books: Why Travis Kalanick got Uber into the self-driving car game
Autonomous vehicle developers have faced myriad similar challenged over the past three decades but nothing, it seems, turns the wheels of innovation quite like a bit of good, old-fashioned competition — one which DARPA was only more than happy to provide. In Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car, Insider senior editor and former Wired Transportation editor, Alex Davies takes the reader on an immersive tour of DARPA’s “Grand Challenges” — the agency’s autonomous vehicle trials which drew top talents from across academia and the private sector in effort to spur on the state of autonomous vehicle technology — as well as profiles many of the elite engineers that took place in the competitions. In the excerpt below however Davies recalls how, back in 2014, then-CEO Travis Kalanick steered Uber into the murky waters of autonomous vehicle technology, setting off a flurry of acquihires, buyouts, furious R&D efforts, and one fatal accident — only to end up selling off the division this past December.
Waze adds gas prices to its consumer-powered traffic app
Waze is a socially-driven traffic app that we've posted about before. Today, the company has released a big update: Gas prices. Now, in addition to browsing socially-driven information about traffic, accidents, and speed traps, you can search your area for the cheapest prices and get directions to the leading gas station. Unfortunately, information is provided by other users, so it can be inaccurate or even absent. If you're living in a city with lots of Waze users (like my own city of Los Angeles), the app can be really helpful in getting you around town. But if you're living in the middle of nowhere, there likely won't be nearly as much helpful or up-to-date information. Still, finding a good deal on gas could save you a lot of money, and Waze is also teaming up with certain gas stations to offer in-app deals occasionally. Traffic apps like Waze are definitely going to need some innovation to stay ahead of Apple's shiny new Maps app due out later this year, and this is a nice start. Waze is a free download on the App Store now.
Delta E4 electric coupe goes out for a spin, carrying lucky humanoid (video)
When was the last time you rode in an electric vehicle almost entirely constructed of carbon fiber and good for 250 miles on a charge? We're laying odds on "never," which is why we turned a shade of violent green when we saw Fully Charged host (and part-time Series 4000 Mechanoid) Robert Llewellyn set foot in just such a car. Delta Motorsport's E4 Coupe, originally designed to win an Automotive X-Prize, is the vehicle we're referring to here, and despite the fact that only one-third of its full projected power was available to coax Mr. Llewellyn firmly into his racing seat (four-wheel drive and regenerative braking are also TBD) and set his teeth on edge, we have to give the man some major props for documenting the experience for us on film. Watch it after the break.
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%
HiPE intros voice-operated Drive-N car PCs with Vista MCE
People have been cramming PC's of all kinds into cars ever since LCD screens became ubiquitous, and even a little before that. HiPE's new Drive-N series of car PCs is designed to ease the usual DIY-grind by sporting a laundry list of features and interface possibilities. The units, ranging in price from $799 for a barebones Via C7 in an amp-style chassis up to $2199 for a tricked-out double-DIN touchscreen monster, all run Windows Vista MCE with the One Voice command system, and can be outfitted with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, XM, and even a rearview camera. The machines can also interface with your car's OBD II unit to let you monitor vehicle diagnostics, as well as clear out some of those annoying error messages you usually have to let the dealer handle. All these features are nice, but nothing can excuse HiPE's lame-o tagline: "Why drive when you can be Drive-N?" Yeah, and why hire a marketing firm when you can just ask your 12-year-old niece?
