Technology

Car makers are embracing lifestyle hardware as the next step in connecting vehicles with the newest-generation drivers.At the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai displayed apps to remotely interact with the car.There's nothing new in that; car companies have been touting remote apps for years. The difference this year is the focus on linking those apps to "wearables" rather than smart phones (the band/watch is connected to the phone, which remains securely in owners's pocket or handbag).It's all about ease of access and for once car companies are surfing the leading wave of the tech swell, anticipating the arrival of the Apple Watch and the next-gen Android Wear devices will hasten adoption of Dick Tracy-style wristbands.BMW, the most ambitious, integrates some functionality in its i3 electric car, working with a Samsung smart watch and its iRemote software.The functions - from checking the battery level to remotely firing up the aircon - can be accessed using either the touchscreen or by voice recognition.BMW is also researching using the watch to lock and unlock the car's doors using gesture control.BMW says the application "can significantly enhance comfort and convenience not only in the private sphere but also when using the BMW car-sharing program DriveNow".Hyundai's take on how wearables might work includes handing over some of the driver assistance aids to the smartwatch. So it's the watch, rather than the steering wheel, that will vibrate when a driver leaves the lane or another car starts to veer into its space. Likewise, the smartwatch will monitor the user's heart rate and can then automatically stop the car and call emergency services if there are critical changes to the driver's pulse.To varying degrees all of the above systems are production ready, meaning they'll be appearing in vehicles in the near future. Meanwhile, watch this space.

Driving is meant to be fun and technology can now take over when it's not, freeing the driver from the tedium of traffic jams. That's the pitch from Mercedes-Benz at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where car makers present their visions of future mobility.Beyond the expected autonomous driving was a shift towards gesture controls to operate in-car systems and even greater internet-based connectivity, giving the tech-savvy occupants more time to work or socialise.As Mercedes-Benz chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche says: "The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space." Computer-controlled cars are already on the roads - prestige brands use active steering and adaptive cruise control to make the driver's life easier with "semi-autonomous" assistance.Audi showed how that will soon translate into completely hands-free driving by having an A7 Sportback motor 880km from Silicon Valley to Las Vegas. The party trick for the A7 was interacting with cloud-based servers to process data streamed from the vehicle to augment the in-built navigation and adaptively "teach" it about road conditions on the route.Journalists sat behind the wheel during the drive but it was the car that changed lanes, overtook, accelerated and braked on the highways.Audi calls it "piloted driving" and, as with most European makers, insists the autonomous driving is meant to augment the driving experience, not replace it altogether.Benz's take is farther ahead in time and concept, previewing what Mercedes predicts the car will look like by 2030 when most of the world's population will live in cities.Autonomous driving is one of the biggest innovations since the invention of the carDubbed the F015 Luxury in Motion, the concept car dispenses with dash-mounted buttons in favour of a full-width digital dash and a head-up display with augmented reality to show user-defined points of interest on the route.The vehicle's 5.2 metre length houses four swivelling pod-like seats in an open and airy interior intentionally designed to represent a lounge room - or home theatre.Six screens are arrayed around the cabin and can be operated by voice, gesture, eye-tracking or old-fashioned touch (BMW, VW Group and Hyundai are also on board the gesture-recognition bandwagon).The quality of life approach extends outside the vehicle. The F015 scans for pedestrians and, if it determines it can safely stop, will activate a pulsating light from the LED grille (in place of eye contact) to show the pedestrian they've been recognised. A laser then projects a virtual pedestrian crossing, backed by an audible "please go ahead" prompt.When the roads become less congested and more contoured, the driver can swivel his or her seat towards the dash and the wheel will extend automatically for hands-on steering.Benz head of research Dr Thomas Weber says autonomous driving is one of the biggest innovations since the invention of the car."Drivers are relieved of work and stress in situations in which driving is not enjoyable, and the time gained while in their car takes on a whole new quality: the freedom to do other things while driving instead of steering, accelerating and braking," he says.As Ford CEO Mark Fields notes "today there are 25 megacities (with more than 10 million population); by 2030 there will be 41".Anyone who has had to endure peak hour in Melbourne or Sydney - neither of which qualify as megacities - knows how frustrating and time-consuming the process is.Benz and Ford want that time put to more productive, or entertaining, uses. Fields says research shows 39 per cent of Millennials - who are notoriously hard to convince to buy a car - catch public transport because they want to multi-task on the commute to and from work.Car companies are accordingly conceiving cars to let them do just that. Ford chief technical officer Raj Nair says the Sync 3 multimedia system "is another step forward in delivering connectivity features customers most want, and they tell us this kind of technology is an important part of their decision to buy our vehicles".Ford says an average car already produces 25GB of data an hourThis level of connectivity and sensor-based driving is giving rise to "big data" for cars.Ford says an average car already produces 25GB of data an hour and manufacturers are mining that information to assess driving patterns.Sharing the data is an "opt-in" process - Ford provides incentives in the form of discounts - and it is this aspect that third parties are most enthusiastic about.Fields says: "What if you owned a database of all your driving behaviours for all the years since you got your licence? What if this driver score passport could go with you from car to car, no matter the brand? Imagine that you could share that information with insurance companies to get better rates." GM is on the same track and has teamed with a US insurance company to 'provide potential discounted insurance offers" based on a 90-day assessment of driving behaviour."The beauty of this program is that control is in the hands of the customer," GM executive Greg Ross says. "If they wish to participate, we'll inform them of their driving behaviour and then they're able to choose if they want to share their information with an insurance provider."

Toyota will give away thousands of patents for its fuel-cell cars in an effort to encourage its rivals to adopt the new technology.It mirrors a similar move by Tesla, which in June removed patents on its electric vehicle technology to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport".Toyota says it will allow royalty-free use of about 5680 patent licences, including 1970 related to fuel-cell stacks and 3350 concerning fuel-cell system control technology.The free patent licences will also include about 290 items related to high-pressure hydrogen tanks.Hydrogen refuelling stations are scarce around the globeThe free licences will be allowed "through the initial market introduction period" of fuel cell vehicles (FCV), which the company expects to last until about 2020.Toyota will open about 70 patent licences related to hydrogen stations - the equivalent of fuel bowsers, and a vital link for drivers - indefinitely for manufacturers and operators.Toyota senior vice president Bob Carter hails the move as promoting more widespread use of fuel cell technology."The first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between auto makers, government regulators, academia and energy providers."By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically." One of the main hurdles to the development of fuel-cell technology is lack of infrastructure. With electric cars, every home is a potential refuelling station. Hydrogen refuelling stations are scarce around the globe.Fuel-cell cars are seen as the Holy Grail of green carsIn Australia, there is next to no hydrogen infrastructure, although Hyundai has installed the country's first refuelling point for passenger cars at its Sydney headquarters, and has imported its first hydrogen-powered car.Toyota's announcement came after it rolled out the world's first mass market fuel-cell car - the four-door Mirai sedan - in Japan.The maker aims to release the car - the name means "future" in Japanese - in the US and some European countries, including Britain, Germany and Denmark, later this year. It hopes to sell more than 3000 examples by the end of 2017 in the US and up to 100 annually in Europe.Fuel-cell cars are seen as the Holy Grail of green cars as they are powered by a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, which produces nothing more harmful than water at the point of use. They also have greater range than electric vehicles.The Mirai can travel about 650km without refuelling, three times further than an electric car, and Toyota says its tank can be filled in a few minutes, as with petrol-engined vehicles. Toyota has invested heavily in hydrogen fuelling infrastructure in California and the north-eastern US, including providing a multimillion-dollar loan to operate 19 hydrogen fuelling stations in California. Another project will develop and supply 12 hydrogen stations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Regarding stop-start functions in cars. We have recently become the proud owners of a new VW Golf which has this function and I have to say that it is close to useless in Australia's tropical north. Even in the bustling metropolis of Darwin, traffic conditions rarely arise where one might be parked at idling for any period. More importantly, in this part of the world air conditioning is not an extra but a necessity. So if the engine stops at a traffic light, the vehicle occupants usually break into a sweat long before the green light appears.

Invisible pillar tech set to boost safety by banishing blind spots.Augmented reality systems could soon remove the blind spots caused by intrusive roof pillars in future Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.Similar to the off-road-orientated transparent bonnet technology showcased by Land Rover at this year’s New York motor show, the augmented reality tech has now found a more mainstream application in see-through pillars.The invisible pillar tech works by taking a live video feed from various angles around the car and displaying the image in real time on a screen which is built into each of the pillars.The system virtually gives the driver a 360 degree view around the car – providing they can peer around the headrests and irritating rear seat passengers. Maybe they can make them invisible too? These screens are also connected to an advanced head-up display device which can highlight obstacles, pedestrians or other motorists via an on-screen alert.The transparent pillars may also be activated via the car’s indicator signals, so when the driver applies their right turn signal to merge, overtake or enter a side street, the pillars on the right side of the car become transparent.Jaguar also says the 360-degree virtual windscreen technology has the potential to be linked with the Cloud to connect the car with road infrastructure and local businesses.For example, the windscreen could display the fuel prices of the nearest petrol station or the number of parking spaces available at a nearby car park. It could probably show your Twitter and Facebook notifications too, but that may be somewhat unsafe.Jaguar Land Rover is also using its virtual windscreen electronics to make satellite navigation systems more user-friendly by projecting a ‘ghost car’ onto the windscreen for the driver to follow to their destination.The aim is to make driving safer by reducing the potential for accidents, said Dr Wolfgang Epple, R&D boss at Jaguar Land Rover.“The Jaguar Land Rover research team is developing this technology to improve visibility and to give the driver with the right information at the right time,” he said.  “If we can keep the driver’s eyes on the road ahead and present information in a non-distracting way, we can help drivers make better decisions in the most demanding and congested driving environments.”

BMW to demonstrate fully-automated self-parking i3 electric car at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.BMW is set to demonstrate a prototype system that will automatically park a car in a multi-story car park without the use of GPS or the presence of a driver.Called the Remote Valet Parking Assistant, the technology combines onboard laser scanners with a map of car park's layout to enable the driver to exit the vehicle before it navigates itself through the structure autonomously.The car will then find an empty spot, park, lock itself and then wait to be summoned by the driver when they are ready to depart.The Remote Valet Parking Assistant is controlled via the driver's smartwatch, which also monitors the driver's location so the car can meet them at the car park exit.BMW says the same sensor technology can be used to bring crash-free driving closer to reality. Similar to the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems seen in existing vehicles, the system developed by the Bavarian car brand monitors 360-degrees around the car, and acts to stop the car when it detects an obstacle.BMW will showcase the new technology aboard an i3 - their all-new fully-electric car - bringing together its green drivetrains and driver safety systems.This isn't the first time BMW have dabbled in autonomous driving, however.In 2009 a development version of a modified 330i called the Track Trainer navigated the 22.8km, 154-corner Nordschleife circuit using the ideal racing line and at racing speeds.The BMW Track Trainer has also driven racing-speed laps at Laguna Seca in the US, Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Valencia in Spain as well as the Hockenheimring and Lausitzring in Germany.BMW's autonomous vehicle development continued in 2011, with a development vehicle taking to the motorway between Munich and Nuremberg without driver intervention (although one was present in the car).BMW's self-parking i3 will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs from January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas.

Hyundai installs Australia's first hydrogen refuelling point since 2007.Toyota and Honda may have just unveiled their hydrogen-powered cars of the future, but Hyundai's is here today.Hyundai is installing Australia's first hydrogen-refueling point for passenger cars at its Sydney headquarters, and it has just imported its first hydrogen-powered car.But rather than the spaceship looks of the Toyota and Honda sedans, Hyundai's hydrogen car is based on a family-friendly SUV.The first hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 arrived in Australia two months ago and the company has commenced the installation of a local refueling point.However, hydrogen cars are a long way from showroom reality in Australia as there are currently no other refill stations.Hyundai's will be the first hydrogen refuelling point in Australia since the three-year hydrogen bus trial in Perth ended in 2007."We are excited by hydrogen technology and what it could mean for the future of transport, said Hyundai Australia boss Charlie Kim."However, the challenge of creating and distributing hydrogen through a viable, sustainable network is a significant one."Hyundai says government intervention is required to develop a hydrogen highway."We are not a political entity, nor are we aligned with any political party. However, we have seen in other countries that governments play a crucial role in developing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure," said Mr Kim, whose company has been in discussions with the federal government for two years."The reaction has been very positive. Maybe one day we'll see a 'Hydrogen Highway' built in Australia, like those already in operation overseas," said Mr Kim.Hyundai says, for example, "the 'Hume by Hydrogen' could link Australia's two largest cities via the nation's Capital. It would require four refuelling stations – in Sydney, Canberra, Albury and Melbourne – and could see hydrogen vehicles – including buses – running in and between these cities emitting nothing but water vapour."Experts believe electric and hybrid cars are merely a stepping stone to hydrogen-powered vehicles.They can be refueled in five minutes and can travel about 450km on each tank – both about the same as a petrol car.In ideal conditions,driving purely for efficiency, the Hyundai has travelled 700km on one tank during a test in Sweden.Hydrogen cars have been leased to specialist customers in Japan, Europe and North America, where the refueling points are more common, albeit still growing in numbers.In such cars hydrogen is used to power a "fuel cell" to generate electricity which is then used to either power the electric motor or charge the battery, or both. The only emissions from the tailpipe is water vapour from the fuel cell.In the case of the ix35, the only difference between the hydrogen-powered version and the regular model is that it loses the underfloor space in the boot that usually houses the spare tyre (to house part of the hydrogen system).The Hyundai ix35 went into mass production in South Korea earlier this year and is made on the same production line as the regular model, but is being sold in limited numbers.The car is unlikely to go on sale in Australia as it is left-hand-drive only for now but the company is gauging interest in future models.Hyundai's hydrogen refueling point is due to open early next year and the company says it is happy to allow other brands to use it.At last month's Los Angeles motor show, Honda and Toyota unveiled futuristic-looking hydrogen cars due in showrooms in the next two years, but neither are planned for Australia at this stage. Hyundai's refueling point could change that.

Parking inspectors, rogue mechanics and some of the worst driving is being captured on in-car video.Dash cam sales are booming as the technology becomes a useful tool in gathering evidence for insurance claims and court cases for road rage attacks.A Facebook page called Dash Cam Owners Australia is achieving cult-like status and has more than 200,000 likes.Research conducted by Slater & Gordon Lawyers shows 54 per cent of Victorian drivers backed the use of dash cams and 39 per cent who did not have one wanted one.But Victoria Police has urged caution with the devices."Police are aware of cameras being used in private vehicles to record driver behaviour and there is the potential for this footage to be used in prosecutions for traffic offences," Victoria Police spokesman Ben Radisich said."However, police are also concerned that the technology could pose a distraction to drivers."Distraction is one of the biggest killers on our roads and drivers need to remain alert and drive responsibly at all times." Dash Cams Australia expects to double its sales this year and sell more than 20,000 of the devices.A woman managed to beat her parking fine after her dash cam recorded when she arrived at the car space, and a mechanic was caught thrashing a client's car on a test drive, unaware the whole thing was filmed.Earlier this month, vision emerged of a truck driver's camera filming a Holden Commodore swerving across four lanes of traffic on the Princes Highway and showed how the truck narrowly missed crushing it and the occupants.Slater & Gordon motor vehicle accident lawyer Craig Lynch said he expected an increase in the use of dash cam footage in Victorian courts similar to how phone camera footage was being used in some cases.He said in-car footage was admissible evidence in a court case, as long as it was not used to film a private activity."At the end of the day, it will always be for the judge to determine the weight given to the use of dash cam footage in evidence," Mr Lynch said.Dash Cams Australia recorded a 20 per cent jump in sales in October with 1200 units sold.Sales manager Nick De Fazio said footage had been used to settle insurance claims when there were conflicting stories and were also a deterrent in road rage incidents."The amount of road rage is going through the roof and people want proof to show police," Mr De Fazio said.

Here are ten of the hottest car-related gift ideas for this Christmas.If you're shopping for a car fanatic who's already got the full range of apparel from their favourite V8 Supercar team, and that racecar drive experience you bought last year made them car sick, there’s plenty of new toys around to help enrich their daily commute or tickle their tech fancy.Here are ten of this year's hottest automotive gift ideas for Christmas.1. Apple CarPlay Apple CarPlay enables iPhone users to access selected smartphone functions including phone calls and text messages, music and satnav seamlessly, while minimising driver distraction from the road. Set to arrive in selected Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Ferrari models in coming months, CarPlay will eventually spread across several other brands. Apple CarPlay can also be added to your existing car via a range of new aftermarket in-car AV systems from Pioneer; priced between $1100-$1999.2. Digital breathalysers While it’s best to avoid drinking at all before hopping behind the wheel, circumstance or Australian hospitality often get in the way. A personal breathalayser can’t give you ultimate assurance compared with the finely calibrated units used by the Police, but can be handy guidance before you grab the keys after 'a couple of bevvies'. Personal breathalysers range in price from about $140-$600 and vary in terms of accuracy and data storage.3. In-car WiFi Many luxury cars are now available with built-in WiFi internet connectivity these days, but adding a WiFi hotspot to your car is easier than you think. All you need is a mobile WiFi dongle and data reception to create an on-board WiFi hotspot for up to 10 devices.In-car Wi-Fi is the next magical step beyond in-car DVD players for keeping all aboard content on long journeys. Like mobile phones, pre-paid and ongoing plans are available, and priced according to usage.4. Performance apps and GoPro integration Smartphone apps for measuring your car’s performance are nothing new, but some cars are now integrating these functions into the car’s multimedia interface. BMW and Mini have gone a step further by teaming up with action camera brand GoPro to enable control of the camera via the in-dash screen and iDrive controller, and works with selected ConnectedDrive interfaces from 2012 onwards, plus an iPhone 4 onwards. The BMW/Mini system isn’t available in Australia just yet though, as its still waiting to pass local driver distraction/safety rules. Fingers crossed.5. Smart watches Ever since David Hasselhoff was able to communicate with KITT via his wristwatch in the early 80s, many of us have yearned to be able to do the same.While we’re edging closer to car being able to find their own parking spaces, Mercedes-Benz showed off a Pebble smartwatch concept at CES in January that would allow your car to at least communicate with you. The Mercedes smartwatch offers info such as vehicle location and fuel level, plus navigation features and social media interaction. At the very least, it would help you find your Merc in an airport carpark. It’s not here yet, but not too far off.6. Dash cams Dash cam footage is taking the internet by storm, offering a look at epic crashes and near misses in living, moving colour. These digital video cameras that are designed to be mounted behind your windscreen and record your movements on a continuous loop. One of several dash cams on the Australian market is the Navman MiVue 388, which includes GPS tracking, speed info, and can automatically save the footage if a collision is detected. The Navman MiVue 388 retails for $249.7. Heads-up displaysMore and more cars are coming with built-in heads-up displays, where speed and navigation info is projected onto the windscreen ahead of the driver, helping the driver keep their eyes on the road ahead. There are several smartphone apps available to make your phone screen project this info, but the Polaris HUD Plus keeps your phone free for phone duties, and uses built-in GPS to project speed, speed and red light camera alerts and a time display onto your car’s windscreen, with the only requirement being a 12V power source. The Polaris HUD Plus retails for $149.50.8. Wireless phone chargers The first new car models with built-in wireless phone charging have started to trickle onto the Australian market, but the technology is also available for any car with a 12V power source.An induction charge-capable mobile phone is still a key ingredient, but several wireless car chargers have hit the market to eliminate fumbling with cords or aligning fiddly dock connections. Induction charging generally takes longer than corded charging, but examples like the $109.95 Nokia CR-200 are available now.9. Engine data readers If you like to get your hands dirty but mourn the simplicity of your old HQ Holden, you can still get an idea what’s going on inside a modern computer-controlled engine with an engine data reader. Units like the Actron OBD2 Auto Scanner can help you clear ‘check engine’ warning lights and advise of numerous other issues by connecting with your car’s OBD2 diagnostic port. It can also display throttle position, coolant and transmission temperature in real-time, and is ideal for the modern-day auto DIYer. The Actron OBD2 Auto Scanner retails for $199.10. Pressure washer – underbody attachmentPressure washers are an evergreen Christmas gift idea for whoever scores car washing duties in your household. However, 4WD fans, boat or caravan owners and aspiring rally drivers have always needed to get down and dirty to clean their undercarriage, regardless of the pressure at hand. Karcher is now offering an attachment to help reach the deepest nether regions of your vehicle, and is mounted on wheels to help eliminate wet tracksuit pant knees forever. The Karcher Under Car Chassis Cleaner retails for $179.

Want to be chauffeured home by a self-driving car? We’ve taken it for a road test.I’ve just done a lap of Silicon Valley in a self-driving car so secret we had to leave our camera phones behind. No photos or video allowed: only these carefully selected hand-out shots.With two trained technicians in the front seat of this Mercedes-Benz development vehicle we did a 15 minute loop not far from Apple headquarters.The inside of the car appears normal except for the extra cameras on the dashboard and in the windscreen, the giant computer screens giving a detailed view of the system at work, and the loud whirring of a massive computer stashed in the centre console.After the press of a button, the driver took his hands off the steering wheel and the car took control. Literally.Eight radar sensors and five cameras help it spot other cars, traffic lights and stop signs.The GPS navigation tells the car what the speed limit is, and the automated driving system does the rest from there, including braking, steering and accelerating.The technology is still in the early stages of development, so at times the brakes are bit sudden and it feels like you’re being driven by a taxi driver with a heavy foot.The steering isn’t as smooth as a human’s touch, but for a first effort it’s impressive.The only time the system got tricked was when we merged onto a freeway on-ramp. Two lanes merged into one, and a car in the other lane sped up to overtake, so our car hit the brakes.The only time the system got tricked was when we merged onto a freeway on-ramp.We could have been rear-ended but the car decided that stopping was the best option.Besides, our trained driver was ready to take evasive action if needed.But when it came to merging from the ramp and onto the freeway proper, it did a better job that most Saturday morning drivers.The next step: getting the technology to learn who has right of way at four-way intersection.But make no mistake: the technology to create the automated car is close to reality, due in showrooms by 2020.But will it be legal by then? No-one knows.The most likely scenario: it will still be the driver’s responsibility to avoid a crash and not break the law. And that includes drink driving. You’ll still need to be under 0.05 even if you own an autonomous car.To end any arguments before they may arise, Mercedes also plans to have cameras with a 360-degree view record the last 30 seconds before a crash.