The major benefits of hybrid cars – and the technologies underpinning them

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People buy cars they benefit from – whether it’s merely the compliments they receive on the colour or body or the time it takes off their commute. The problem with this is that they are uninformed about the multiple advantages of owning a hybrid model or how a hybrid works. This article will share the benefits of driving a hybrid vehicle and explain the technology that makes a hybrid unique to the automotive industry.

What is a hybrid car?

A hybrid car is a vehicle...

By Olivia Vanderwal, 18 July 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Best practice, Data & Analytics, Ecosystems.

Jaguar Land Rover to test connected vehicle technologies in over 100 research vehicles

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Jaguar Land Rover is set to develop and trial a large portfolio of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies in a fleet of over 100 research vehicles over the next four years. The initial batch of these vehicles will be tested on a new 41 mile test route on motorways and urban roads around Coventry and Solihull throughout 2016.

Tony Harper, Head of Research, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Our connected and automated technology could help improve traffic flow, cut congestion and...

By Connected CarTech, 15 July 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Driverless.

Chevrolet drops 4G LTE data pricing by up to half

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In order to further boost adoption of 4G LTE, GM’s Chevrolet has ensured a price reduction of 50% in its OnStar data plans for the technology.

Chevrolet is the first automaker to offer 4G LTE connectivity across its entire retail portfolio and the brand has sold more than 2.1 million OnStar 4G LTE-connected vehicles since June 2014. Chevrolet customers have used more than 3 million gigabytes of data in just two years and the figures are only set to maintain an upward...

By Connected CarTech, 06 July 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Contextual data, Data & Analytics.

How a dealership’s customer loyalty can be improved using connected car technology

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Most of us take part in customer loyalty programs of airlines, large retail chains and hotels, but very few use car dealerships’ loyalty programs.  Clients of car dealerships often benefit from such programs even without knowing it, and the programs themselves do not always offer sufficient incentives for clients to return and order services.

Telematics should change this situation by making loyalty programs work for both dealerships and clients and offering discounts to those...

By Robert Schuessler, 06 July 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Data & Analytics, Telematics .

Hyundai unveils connected car roadmap

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Hyundai has become the latest automotive manufacturer to launch its connected car blueprint, collaborating with major networking and IT firms to develop a ‘hyper-connected and intelligent car’ concept.

The roadmap will see Hyundai focus its efforts on the 'Car to Life' initiative, aimed at taking forward the connected car era. The initiative will offer a knowledge hub to users and also enable them to analyse and use that information to improve owners'...

By Connected CarTech, 06 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Data & Analytics, Swarm.

BlaBlaCar announces database deal with MariaDB to boost performance

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Long distance ridesharing service provider BlaBlaCar has announced it is using database provider MariaDB to supplement the company’s exponential growth.

BlaBlaCar is seeing rapid growth as it expands, currently possessing 25 million members across 22 countries, especially in India and Brazil.

Nicolas Blanc, head of platform architecture at BlaBlaCar, is used to enhancing the service for users of its applications while catering to the requirements of development and marketing...

By Connected CarTech, 18 February 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Ecosystems.

Data protection and integration: Connected vehicles on a crash course

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Europe is well on its way to experiencing the benefits of connected vehicles. Mercedes recently unveiled the F-015 self-driving luxury concept car. Not to be outdone, rival BMW successfully demonstrated an autonomous version of the M6 on a racetrack. Volvo, Audi, Renault, and Volkswagen all have similar prototypes.

While self-driving passenger cars have the amazing ability to reduce...

By Stephan Romeder, 20 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Security.

Google reports 13 accidents and 272 failures in its self-driving cars

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The figures are in: Google’s self-driving cars have been involved in 13 accidents and 272 failures in the 14 months ending December 2015, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (CDMV) – but the search giant is again swerving responsibility for the prangs.

The most failures, or ‘disengages’ as the report describes them, per month arrived in January 2015, with 48 over 18,000 miles. April saw 47 disengages, while December 2014 had 40 errors. The...

By James Bourne, 14 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Data & Analytics, Driverless.

AT&T extends connected car agreement with BMW

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AT&T has announced an extension to its exclusive connected car agreement with BMW. The agreement, in place since 2008, has seen AT&T back BMW's ConnectedDrive services and apps. However, the scope of the new agreement will now also include “infotainment” features such as a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The new agreement will see customers, of the all-new BMW 7 Series, being presented with an alternative of a Wi-Fi hot spot running on AT&T's 4G LTE network. A...

By Connected CarTech, 07 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Contextual data, Data & Analytics.

Vinli aims to link the connected home with the connected car

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Connected car software provider Vinli has announced Vinli Home Connect, which aims to integrate connected home platforms with the connected car.

Regular readers of this publication will recognise Vinli after the startup smashed its Indiegogo campaign efforts for making dumb cars smarter through a $99 device back in June. The Vinli on-board platform and device can be used...

By Connected CarTech, 04 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Connectivity, Contextual data, Data & Analytics.