Monthly Archives: October 2015


The LG Chem battery plant in Holland, Michigan will probably be producing 1 GWh …

The LG Chem battery plant in Holland, Michigan will probably be producing 1 GWh of automotive batteries before Tesla gets there

The First American Gigafactory Probably Won’t Be from Tesla
Over the past couple of years, Tesla Motors has received a tremendous amount of media attention for the construction of its massive Gigafactory lithium ion (Li-ion) battery production facility in R…


SYNC 3 is now rolling out in new Ford vehicles starting with the 2016 Escape and Focus and it banishes all the stuff people hated about MyFord Touch

I spent a week with a +Ford Motor Company Escape and while I still don't like touchscreens in cars, SYNC 3 is way better than just about any other OEM interface out there.

Review: MyFord Touch is Dead, Long Live SYNC 3!
The week of January 7, 2007 was a hugely important preview of the future of cars and how we would interact them. In the span of three days, there were three major product announcements in three cit…


Review: MyFord Touch is Dead, Long Live SYNC 3!

2016 Ford Escape SE - 27 of 40The week of January 7, 2007 was a hugely important preview of the future of cars and how we would interact them. In the span of three days, there were three major product announcements in three cities that all seemed distinct at the time but the convergence is now becoming clearer every day. The week kicked off with General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz revealing the original Chevrolet Volt concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Later that same day, then future Ford CEO Mark Fields joined Microsoft CEO Bill Gates on stage at CES in Las Vegas to announce the SYNC connectivity system. Finally, two days later Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed the world the iPhone at Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Each of those three products has evolved significantly in the last eight years and with each passing day we get closer to the fusion of them all, potentially in an Apple car. While that latter product is still likely years away from being announced, touchscreen smartphones are now ubiquitous with more than two billion in use around the world. They are so prevalent that we now expect to be able to use them anywhere and everywhere including behind the wheel. While plug-in vehicles currently represent only a tiny fraction of the world’s vehicle parc, they too will likely one day dominate and with the addition of autonomous capability our vehicles may well become nothing more than a place to consume content while being moved around.

(more…)


Once a car is on the road, you're basically stuck with the hardware that shipped

Once a car is on the road, you're basically stuck with the hardware that shipped. That means you need smart software engineers to improve the capability and performance over time

Automakers Will Be More Dependent On Smart Software Engineers In The Future
Ford SYNC3 Voice Prompt (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid) How many people do you see every day using a 20-year-old cell phone or computer? Unless you happen to work at the Computer History Museum or some government departments, chances are the answer is zero. On the other hand seeing cars built prior […]


It doesn't matter how much money Bernie Ecclestone brings in, it's ti…

It doesn't matter how much money Bernie Ecclestone brings in, it's time for everyone involved in Formula one to walk away from this troll

Billionaire Head Of Formula 1 Stands Up For Sepp Blatter And Also Corruption
Formula One is among the top sports in the world, and it is headed by demented flop-haired muppet and megalomaniacal billionaire Bernie Ecclestone. Today he took some time to stand up for ex-FIFA head Sepp Blatter. And for raw, uncut corruption.


After more than 40 years on the road, Honda has injected new life into the Ci…

After more than 40 years on the road, Honda has injected new life into the Civic

2016 Honda Civic Sedan – A Great Starting Point for the Type-R
In recent years, many critics have accused Honda of losing its way. The lightweight, fun-to-drive cars that helped build the Honda reputation from the 1970s through the early 1990s had given way to…