EVs

Watch Android Automotive OS take over the GMC Hummer EV’s dash

By Michael J. Moody 7 months ago

Google may not sell a car, but it does have an increasingly large footprint on the dashboard, with Android set to become your digital car key and even your dashboard OS on models like the Hummer EV. Announced at Google I/O 2021 today, the newest Android Auto and Android Automotive OS functionality further blurs the distinction between your phone and your car or SUV.

Android Automotive OS is taking over the Hummer EV dashboard

GMC’s reboot of the Hummer as an all-conquering electric super-SUV is set to turn some heads on the road, what with its futuristic styling, but inside it’s Android Automotive OS that’s calling the shots. So far both Google and GMC have played that fairly close to their chests, but at I/O 2021 we’re seeing the first run-through of what to expect.

What’s particularly interesting is how different GMC’s implementation looks, compared to what we’ve seen

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Government approach to EVs ‘a game of snakes and ladders’

By Michael J. Moody 8 months ago

The government has been criticised for its patchy and inconsistent approach to electric car adaptation with SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes declaring it “a game of snakes and ladders”.



a blue car parked in front of a house: Peugeot e-2008 EV

© Provided by Motoring Research
Peugeot e-2008 EV

Although the government has urged the phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 – the most onerous target for any industry – recent cuts to the Plug-in Car Grant are the latest hurdle faced by the car industry.

While ministers say they are working with industry, said Mr Hawes, “for automotive, the policy is just ‘end the sale’.

“The government seems to have the automotive industry in its sights, but seems to have lost sight of the one vital player in this deal: the consumer.”

This is reflected in the take-up of electric cars, with private buyers registering just 4.6 percent of electric vehicles in 2020, compared to 8.7

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Apple Car Would Be Welcomed by Parts Maker Pivoting to EVs

By Michael J. Moody 8 months ago

Bloomberg

Fight Between Commodities Giants and Shippers Leaves Seafarers Stuck

(Bloomberg) — A standoff between commodities giants and shipping companies is prolonging the labor crisis at sea, with an estimated 200,000 seafarers still stuck on their vessels beyond the expiration of their contracts and past the requirements of globally accepted safety standards. In an effort to keep deliveries of food, fuel and other raw materials on schedule, some of the big commodities firms are avoiding hiring certain vessels or imposing conditions that may block relief for exhausted seafarers. The companies are trying to steer clear of crew changes, which have become far more expensive and time-consuming during the coronavirus outbreak. In an effort to keep shipments on schedule, some firms have asked their shipping partners to guarantee that no change will take place, according to emails and contracts reviewed by Bloomberg.Those requirements risk worsening a labor crisis already in its

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Lexus to preview design direction for EVs with new concept

By Michael J. Moody 10 months ago

Current Lexus models have some of the biggest grilles of any vehicle in production, with the design, known as the spindle grille, having grown to become a signature trait of the brand.

But battery-electric vehicles don’t require huge openings at the front so Lexus has decided to rethink how it can redefine its brand-defining grille as it prepares to rollout EVs.

We’ll get a preview of the new look for Lexus’ future EVs via a concept set to be unveiled this spring. Lexus revealed a new teaser shot of the concept on Monday, which looks to show the vehicle’s rear. An earlier shot showed the front of the concept, which looks to feature a sealed-off spindle grille forming the front fascia. We’ve already been given a taste of the design direction with 2019’s LF-30 Electrified concept.

The new concept’s reveal will mark the arrival of a new generation of Lexus

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