Christmas is coming early for Jaguar customers, with a complimentary software update to its I-Pace SUV likely to bring more range to the already impressive luxury EV.The earliest buyers of the I-Pace have logged more than 80 million kilometres in their utility vehicles, and the automakers logged tonnes of data from those trips. Its also taken in data gleaned from the I-Pace racing series, such as battery management, thermal systems and all-wheel-drive torque improvements.The result is a software update that should offer 20 more kilometres of range, for a total of 470 in real-world driving.The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY has generated a huge amount of data for us to analyse and those marginal gains, derived from competition on the track, are now being applied to customers cars to further enhance their driving experience, says I-Pace vehicle engineer Stephen Boulter.The new software updates optimise the powertrain control systems to improve efficiency and allow I-PACE drivers to travel even further on a single charge without any hardware changes it really is a case of the vehicle getting better with age.Instead of an over-the-air update like a Tesla, however, youll actually have to take your I-Pace into a dealership to have it installed. However, the software that will be installed at the dealership will allow future updates to be made
Origin: Jaguar software update may net better range for I-Pace SUV
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Hyundai Autron’s next-gen autonomous car software to be powered by BlackBerry
2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N LineBrian Harper / Driving Hyundai is tapping Canada-based tech company and former cellphone giant BlackBerry to help develop its advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving software. Does this mean the next Elantra will be getting a trackball control for its center screen!? Doubtful. What it does mean is Hyundai Motor Group’s software research and development company, Hyundai Autron, will use BlackBerry’s QNX OS for Safety system, already embedded in over 150 million cars on roads today, to build “competitive automotive and mission-critical systems in a cost-effective and safe manner.” This could impact features like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure, smartphone connection and more. “Hyundai Autron develops the Hyundai Motor standard software platform based on the international AUTOSAR standard,” said Dae-Heung Moon, CEO at Hyundai Autron, in a press release. “Powered by BlackBerry QNX technology, together we will deliver ADAS and autonomous driving software platforms that will set a new standard for the automotive industry.”BlackBerry was a major player in the cell phone market of the 2000s (RIP, BBM) but stopped making its popular keyboard and trackpad devices in 2016. Today the Waterloo, Ontario-based company focuses on software solutions and outsources production of phones to partner companies.BlackBerry will demonstrate what this new standard looks like when it showcases the QNX OS for Safety at CES in Las Vegas in January 2020.
Origin: Hyundai Autron’s next-gen autonomous car software to be powered by BlackBerry
Mercedes-Benz facing €1bn fine over emissions software
Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is facing a fine ranging from €800 million (£740m) to €1 billion (£925m) for diesel emission-related violations, according to German magazine Der Spiegel. Der Spiegel reports the German motor vehicle authority, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, has discovered software deemed to be illegal under existing European Union law fitted to various Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class diesel models, including the popular C220 CDI and E220 CDI. The software is claimed to allow diesel-powered C- and E-Class models to achieve lower NOx and CO2 emissions in controlled climatic conditions at pre-set speeds on a rolling road during testing than in practice on public roads. Der Spiegel says Daimler has been ordered to recall up to 280,000 vehicles. A fine of up to €5000 per vehicle is being considered by the Stuttgart public prosecutor, the German magazine claims. A spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office said the investigation into possible diesel emission fraud by Daimler was continuing and would not be concluded before the end of the year. Daimler has declined to comment while the investigation is ongoing. In June, the German motor vehicle authority ordered Daimler to recall 60,000 GLK diesels, bringing the total number of diesel vehicles recalled by the German car maker in relation to software irregularities to more than 760,000. Daimler also faces prosecution by US authorities. In 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency asked its Mercedes-Benz division to explain high emissions levels in various diesel models. Prosecutors in Germany have enacted administrative orders to impose fines on Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche for diesel emission cheating. In May, the Stuttgart prosecutor fined Porsche €535m and supplier Bosch €90m. This came on the back of the Braunschweig prosecutor imposing a €1bn fine on Volkswagen and the Munich prosecutor fining Audi
Origin: Mercedes-Benz facing €1bn fine over emissions software
Tesla updates software after parked car caught fire in Hong Kong
Tesla is rolling out a software update for two of its electric vehicles, including the flagship Model S, to beef up battery safety as part of a probe into a vehicle fire in Hong Kong. The over-the-air updates will revise the charge and thermal-management settings for the Model S and X, Tesla said in a statement. The company said it’s acting “out of an abundance of caution,” insisting the vehicles are 10 times less likely to experience a blaze than their gas-fueled equivalents. A Tesla Model S suddenly caught fire in a parking lot at San Po Kong Plaza on May 12, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported. Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has confirmed it’s investigating a fire, without identifying the make of the car. Recent vehicle fires have raised concern over the safety of electric vehicles in China, the top market. In 2018, the country recorded at least 40 fire-related incidents involving new-energy vehicles, which includes pure battery electric, hybrid plug-in and fuel-cell vehicles, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation. In its statement, Tesla said it had a team in Hong Kong to support its customer and establish the facts. “While our investigation with authorities is ongoing, we have found that only a few battery modules were affected and the majority of the battery pack is undamaged,” Tesla said. NIO, a Tesla rival, said last month one of its ES8 electric vehicles caught fire in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi’an while being repaired. Tesla earlier confirmed it was examining an incident in Shanghai after a car bearing the company’s logo was shown in an April social media video emitting smoke before bursting into
Origin: Tesla updates software after parked car caught fire in Hong Kong