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Porsche chief is no fan of self-driving cars
Porsche might be embracing electric cars and hybrids, but it's not about to welcome autonomous driving tech with open arms. Company chief Oliver Blume has utterly rejected the prospect of a self-driving Porsche, arguing that its owners are the sort who want to drive themselves. The executive doesn't pull any punches, either -- he says it's about enticing as using a "Rolex for boiling eggs," and adds that an iPhone (or rather, its technology) belongs "in your pocket, not on the street." Tell us how you really feel, Oliver.
Google's self-driving simulator helps it refine its cars
Google's self-driving simulator apparently plays a big role in the development of the company's autonomous vehicle technology despite its cadre of cars being tested on actual roads. In its latest project report, the tech leviathan has revealed that it travels 3 million virtual miles every single day -- enough to circle the equator five times every hour -- to refine the features of its self-driving software. That simulator requires loads of computing power, but if there's any company with the data centers capable of keeping it running, it's Google.
Tesla hires veteran from AMD, Apple to make self-driving tech
If there was any doubt left that Tesla is serious about self-driving car tech, it all but disappeared this week. The company has confirmed to Electrek that it recently hired processor design veteran Jim Keller to lead its Autopilot hardware engineering team. He's not only responsible for some of AMD's key architectures (such as the Athlon K7 and the upcoming Zen), but helped make Apple's A4 and A5 chips -- you know, the ones that powered everything from the original iPad through to the Apple TV.
Apple and Google surprise Daimler with their progress on cars
You'd think that the head of Daimler would have little to worry about from Silicon Valley right now given his company's technological progress, but there is apparently a good reason to be nervous. CEO Dieter Zetsche tells Welt am Sonntag that a visit to tech companies in the Valley left Daimler convinced that Apple and Google "can do more and know more" about cars than previously thought. That's no mean feat when Google's self-driving car efforts are still rough around the edges, and Apple hasn't even acknowledged its plans -- what do you know that we don't, Dieter? He's glad that the companies have "more respect" for Daimler's work than he suspected, but something tells us that Mercedes-Benz will be stepping up its game regardless.
Tesla hopes cars will drive themselves cross-country by 2018
Tesla only just introduced the ability to summon your car from its parking spot, but it already has much, much larger ambitions. Company chief Elon Musk is predicting that the Model S' just-introduced Summon feature will work anywhere within two years, or around 2018. As he puts it, you could ask your electric vehicle in New York City to meet you in Los Angeles -- so long as you could afford to wait a couple of days, you wouldn't have to budge. The company's snake-like automatic chargers would keep the EV running on these lengthy journeys.
Tesla's Model S now drives up to meet you
When Tesla first unveiled its semi-autonomous driving upgrades for the Model S, it made much ado over the ability to summon your car -- you wouldn't have to go into the garage (or walk across a large parking space) just to get moving. Well, that option is finally here. The newly available 7.1 update adds a Summon feature to the Autopilot that has the EV drive itself to meet you, or park in typical spaces. It'll even open and close your HomeLink-compatible garage door. You have to be within 39 feet of your target for this to work (it won't fetch your car from the back of the company parking lot), but you may never have to grapple with narrow parking spaces again.
Ford wants you to know it's serious about self-driving cars
CES doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but already Ford has talked up its new project with DJI to launch drones from moving vehicles, as well as impending updates to its Sync 3 connected car platform. The automotive giant is also using the biggest tech show of the year to reaffirm its commitment to self-driving vehicles, announcing that it plans to add 20 more Ford Fusion Hybrid cars to its autonomous armada in 2016. According to Ford, tripling the number test vehicles in its garage would give it the biggest fleet of any outfit working on self-driving technology.
Volvo is making a media streaming system for autonomous cars
We've all thought the exact same thing: when self-driving cars hit the mainstream, I'll be able to catch up on Game of Thrones during my commute. In reality, however, lawmakers are preparing to make sure your full attention is on the road even when you're not driving. Still, it's a good dream -- and Volvo and Ericsson are working on a streaming platform designed specifically for autonomous vehicles.
GM and Lyft team up to create self-driving vehicle network
Lyft and General Motors may be runners-up in their respective industries, but a partnership between the two could significantly boost both driverless vehicles and ride-sharing tech. The companies announced a joint venture to develop a network of autonomous cars, a first for a ride-sharing company and automaker. In the short-term, GM will provide vehicle rentals and its OnStar network to Lyft drivers, while Lyft will offer perks to GM drivers, presumably via trips for vehicle owners. In the long term, however, the companies plan to develop "a network of on-demand autonomous vehicles" developed by GM that might one day pick you up from the curb.
Rumor: Google and Ford will announce self-driving car hookup at CES
While Google's doing well developing driverless cars on its own, it's still teaming up with Ford for a new self-driving vehicle venture, according to Yahoo Autos. Since neither corporation has confirmed the information yet, we still don't know the exact details of the partnership. Yahoo, however, says the two are building cars using Google's technology and describes the collab as "a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing." If you recall, Bloomberg reported a few days ago that Google wants to spin off its self-driving car division and turn it into an Uber-like business (without the driver) under Alphabet.
Google reportedly plans to spin off its self-driving car business
Google's self-driving car technology might not remain Google-branded for much longer. Bloomberg sources claim that Google plans to turn its autonomous car business into a separate outfit under its parent company Alphabet's wing. Reportedly, Google hopes that the division will become a ride-for-hire business, a bit like Uber minus the driver. Since self-driving cars aren't street legal outside of testing, the vehicles might initially be limited to driving around colleges, large office campuses and other "confined" places where walking can sometimes be a hassle.
Google hires the lead for Tesla's semi-autonomous driving tech
Apple and Tesla aren't the only two tech companies grabbing each other's staff to fulfill their automotive dreams -- Google has quietly hired Robert Rose, the lead for Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot program. It's not clear what he's working on besides software at Google Robotics, but it won't be surprising if he's working on self-driving cars. He's unlikely to be working for Boston Dynamics, whose staff are relatively independent from the Google mothership. One thing's for sure: Tesla will notice his absence. Rose was the lead engineer for some of SpaceX's earlier rocketry and reported directly to Elon Musk while at Tesla, so this clearly wasn't a trivial move.[Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Ford first to test self-driving cars in Michigan's fake city
The University of Michigan recently built the 32-acre "Mcity" proving ground so that automakers could test autonomous vehicles with zero risk to the public. Since the faux city is in US car country (and far from Silicon Valley rivals like Google), it's only fitting that it was broken in by a small Dearborn outfit: Ford. The automaker tackled Mcity in its latest Fusion Hybrid self-driving car, freshly equipped with four LiDAR sensors for real-time 3D mapping. While Ford has tested its vehicles extensively on public roads, "every mile driven [at Mcity] represents 10, 100 or 1,000 miles of on-road driving in terms of our ability to pack in the occurrences of difficult events," said U of M professor Ryan Eustice.
Apple poaches NVIDIA's artificial intelligence leader
Apple's widely rumored electric car may not be fully autonomous, but it may well have some smarts. The company has hired Jonathan Cohen, who until this month was the director of NVIDIA's deep learning division -- in other words, a form of artificial intelligence. Cohen's LinkedIn profile only mentions that he's working on a nebulous "software" effort at Apple. However, his most recent job at NVIDIA centered around technology like Drive PX, a camera-based autopilot system for cars that can identify and react to specific vehicle types. While there's a chance that Cohen could be working on AI for iOS or the Mac, it won't be surprising if he brings some self-driving features to Cupertino's first car, such as hands-off lane changing or parking. [Image credit; NVIDIA, Flickr]
Self-driving cars will be tested on Canadian roads in 2016
Hey, Canadians -- you're not going to sit on the sidelines while the US experiments with self-driving cars. Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has approved autonomous vehicle testing in the province (the first in the country) starting on January 1st, 2016. It's not clear who'll be the first to trial robotic cars, but it won't be surprising if Google and big automakers are part of the mix. This is an important step forward, regardless of who shows up. Besides taking Canada a bit closer to hands-free transportation, the clearance also prevents at least some Canadian companies from heading south to test their self-driving tech. When there are nearly 100 related projects in Ontario alone, that's a pretty big deal. [Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Rinspeed's latest concept is a self-driving sports car
Most prototype self-driving cars are designed for comfort, not performance. After all, wouldn't you want to take the wheel if you really wanted a thrill? Rinspeed thinks there's a case to be made, though: it just teased the Σtos, an autonomous sports car concept. The vehicle still has a steering wheel for those hands-on moments, but the controller automatically retracts into the dashboard when you're content to let the car do all the hard work. Two curved widescreen displays also move closer into view in this mode, and there's even a drone (complete with a landing pad) that could deliver goods or record your adventures on camera.
Recommended Reading: Rick Moranis on the 'Ghostbusters' reboot and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Rick Moranis Isn't Retired (He Just Doesn't Know How to Change His Wikipedia Page) by Ryan Parker The Hollywood Reporter When the new version of Ghostbusters arrives in theaters next year, a lot of the stars from the 1980s movies will make appearances in the film. Rick Moranis isn't one of them. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis explains that "it just makes no sense" to him and dishes on what he's been doing for the last two decades, including his iOS 9.1 woes.
Daimler tests a self-driving, mass-produced truck on real roads
Daimler's dreams of self-driving big rig trucks just took one step closer to reality. The automaker has conducted the first-ever test of its semi-autonomous Highway Pilot system in a production truck on a public road, driving an augmented Mercedes-Benz Actros down Germany's Autobahn 8. While the vehicle needed a crew to keep watch, it could steer itself down the highway using a combination of radar, a stereo camera array and off-the-shelf systems like adaptive cruise control. The dry run shows that the technology can work on just about any vehicle in the real world, not just one-off concepts.
Apple car targeted to launch in 2019, says WSJ
Details have been rather scarce on Apple's rumored electric car project, but there's some new info today. Wall Street Journal reports that Cupertino is "accelerating" the codenamed Project Titan effort, internally calling it a "committed project." What's more, WSJ's sources indicate Apple is aiming to ship the first vehicle in 2019. Yes, that means you'll have to wait a while to get behind the wheel, but we should be hearing more detailed info soon enough, especially when the company begins testing on public roads. Perhaps what's more interesting, though, is the report says the first car won't be fully autonomous, despite that type of system being part of the long-term plan.
Honda will test self-driving cars on California streets
Honda just took a big step toward getting its self-driving car technology on to American roads. The automaker has quietly received the approval needed to test its autonomous cars on California streets, letting these robotic rides venture beyond a closed-off facility in Concord. The company is relatively late to the party -- Audi, Lexus and other brands have had the state's A-OK for a while. Still, we're not going to knock Honda when this will eventually lead to more variety in hands-off vehicles.
