Tag: automotive

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Tesla’s lawyers say lack of ‘Full Self Driving’ is not ‘fraud’

Despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s lofty claims surrounding the ‘Full Self Driving’ (FSD) capabilities of the company’s electric vehicles, the EVs haven’t entirely lived up to expectations.

Now, Tesla’s lawyers argue that even though the company’s FSD technology hasn’t lived up to expectations, the pricey feature shouldn’t be considered “fraud.”

“Mere failure to realize a long-term, aspirational goal is not fraud,” Tesla’s lawyers wrote in a November 28th court filing, requesting that a recent class-action lawsuit be dismissed.

“Plaintiffs knew at the time of purchase that their cars were not completely autonomous. And they knew that the timeline towards more complete autonomy was contingent upon numerous factors, including software development and regulatory approval. Yet now they sue Tesla, complaining that their cars are not completely autonomous,” the document continues.

The lawsuit cites several instances where Musk tweeted deadlines for FSD’s final release and Tesla advertisements that paint the feature as more capable than it actually is. For example, back in 2016, Musk said that a Tesla vehicle would be able to drive itself across the United States “by next year,” though that obviously didn’t happen.

The lawsuit, which was filed by California-based Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, also cites instances involving FSD and crashes.

Tesla’s Full Self Driving recently expanded to be available to anyone in North America who “requests it from the car screen” as long as they’ve paid for the pricey $19,500 add-on to the vehicle.

Regardless of where you fall on the Full Self Driving argument, it’s clear that even though it has made tremendous strides since 2015, the feature isn’t quite where Tesla said it would be at this point in its development process. Further, similar FSD systems offered by other manufacturers, including Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and more, are quickly catching up to the EV maker or have even surpassed it in some ways.

Via: Teslarati, CNN

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Google Maps now shows where you can charge your EV the fastest

Electric vehicle (EV) users in Canada who favour Google Maps already have the ability to locate chargers near them.

But in its recent update, the tech giant is now showing EV drivers where the fastest chargers are located.

To access the feature, search “EV charging stations” and pick the “fast charge” filter. Google Maps will show users stations that have chargers 50kW or higher.

Users can also select the type of charger they need under “your plugs.” Along with “fast charge,” the filter will show you the closest fast charge areas for your EV.

Image credit: Google

The feature is available on Android and iOS.

Source: Google

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Tesla wants its proprietary EV connector to be the new North American standard

If you don’t have a Tesla but are an electric vehicle (EV) owner, your car likely takes advantage of the current North American standard Combined Charging System (CCS). On the other hand, the Elon Musk-owned EV company utilizes a proprietary J1772 charger that only works with its own vehicles.

Now, Tesla wants its J1772 connector to become the new standard for all EVs and has renamed it North American Charging Standard (NACS) in an effort to encourage EV charger platforms like Flo and Petro Canada to offer the formerly Tesla-exclusive port at their charger locations. The company has gone so far as to make the port’s design and specification files publically available to download.

Tesla says that its NACS charger features “no moving parts, is half the size, and [is] twice as powerful” as a CCS charger, followed by mentioning that its Supercharger network offers “60 percent more NACS posts than all the CCS-equipped networks combined.” The press release ignores the fact that Tesla has a massive 10-year lead over other EV competitors in the space regarding the number of its vehicles on the road and its substantial charger infrastructure.

The release also says that “network operators already have plans in motion to incorporate NACS at their chargers,” but doesn’t mention any specific charging networks.

Back in November 2001, Tesla launched its “non-Tesla Supercharger pilot” in several countries around the world, allowing non-Tesla electric vehicle drivers to use the EV maker’s charging stations with their vehicles through a CCS charger. Unfortunately, Canada isn’t included in this pilot project.

As legacy car manufacturers like Hyundai and Ford take the EV market more seriously with their respective vehicles like the Ioniq 5 and Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla’s stranglehold on the burgeoning space is rapidly shrinking. For example, Hyundai and Kia (which the latter company owns) hold 15 percent worldwide EV market share (excluding China). Given most of these vehicles already feature CCS ports, it’s unlikely they’ll change direction and bend to Tesla’s will.

In other Musk-related news, the billionaire continues to push Twitter into persistent chaos with nonsensical decisions regarding the platform’s verification system.

Image credit: Tesla

Source: Tesla

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Hyundai plans to offer over-the-air feature updates to all its vehicles by 2025

Hyundai has announced plans to invest $12.6 billion USD (roughly $17.3 billion CAD) by 2030 to make all of its vehicles “software-defined.”

This means that by 2025, all of its new vehicles will feature the ability to receive Tesla-like over-the-air (OTA) updates that offer performance improvements and add new technologies and features. This functionality is coming to all Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles across both EVs and gasoline-powered cars.

Hyundai says that 20 million vehicles worldwide will be registered for its connected car service by 2025. As part of this strategy shift, the carmaker says it will offer ‘Feature on Demand’ services next year that allow customers to “select and purchase” functionality that matches what they want from their vehicle. While microtransactions in a car sound slightly terrifying, I’m willing to shell out a few dollars if this lets me alter my Ioniq 5’s digital dashboard.

To accomplish this, the South Korean vehicle manufacturer will organize its platform into what it calls a “Software House” that includes a vehicle’s electronic/electrical architecture and its data platform/software platform.

Hyundai

The automaker also plans to offer all of its vehicles on two platforms as of 2025: a passenger-dedicated EV platform, eM, and a purpose-built system called eS for cars in the delivery and logistics industries. Hyundai says that its upcoming eM vehicles will feature a 50 percent improvement in driving range from a single charge compared to its current EVs.

Along with this shift, Hyundai has changed the name of its vehicles’ operating system to the very Apple-like ‘Connected Car Operating System’ or ‘ccOS.’ This relates to a partnership with chip maker Nvidia and Hyundai’s upcoming Nvidia Drive infotainment system platform.

According to the automaker, the goal of these changes is, in part, to better facilitate the release of Level 3 Highway driving features in its future vehicles.

It’s also worth noting that as of 2023, all new Hyundai vehicles, including both EVs and standard gas-powered cars, will be compatible with OTA updates.  To clarify, the “software-defined” initiative that includes OTA vehicle performance improvements is tied to 2025, while 2023 is explicitly related to over-the-air updates regarding display screen and navigation maps. Hyundai has offered this functionality in several vehicles since 2018.

This means that the 2022 and 2023 Ioniq 5, for example, will be capable of receiving display screen and navigation map OTA updates, but not new functionality related to vehicle performance.

Image credit: Hyundai

Source: Hyundai

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Ford to introduce iron phosphate battery options for Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning

Ford has announced its plans to introduce new battery options for its Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning electric vehicles (EVs). This new venture strengthens the company’s goals of being more eco-conscious and improving its EV offering by 2026.

Ford is working with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) to add lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP) in both the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning by 2024. These batteries will be made using a similar nickel cobalt manganese chemistry as Tesla. Ford is utilizing these battery packs to help advance the company towards its overall EV goals in the imminent future.

By late 2026, Ford is targeting a build of 2 million EVs globally. In part, Ford is partnering with CATL to “explore a cooperation” to build batteries in North America, China, and Europe. In the U.S., two battery plants have been announced for Kentucky and Tennessee. To further help reach its 2026 goals, Ford is investing $50 billion in EVs.

By “late 2023” Ford aims to build 600,000 electric cars and trucks annually. This is in part thanks to the company’s battery cell capacity, which Ford claims is now at 100 percent. Ford has doubled the capacity at the LG Energy Solution Wroclaw facility in Poland. Additional cell production capacity is also being reached by SK.

Since pulling back the curtain on the F-150 Lightning, the EV has become a core component of the company’s electric lineup. Alongside the Mach-E, Ford’s F-150 Lightning has generally seen a lot of positive feedback in Canada since its launch earlier this year.

Image credit: Ford

Via: The Verge

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A brief history of Tesla, Elon Musk and Steam gaming

Tesla’s latest stunt could be adding PC gaming launcher, Steam, to its electric vehicles (EVs).

The automaker has claimed its car is a gaming powerhouse since it refreshed the Model S’ and X’s interiors. The infotainment system hosts roughly 20 games in the Tesla Arcade app. These apps range from mobile titles like the Beach Buggy Racing 2 and Fallout Shelter to arcade games like Asteroids.

In January 2020, Musk asked his Twitter followers if they’d like to see AAA game The Witcher 3 running on Tesla cars. Tucked in the Model S and X interior refresh photos, Tesla again hinted that The Witcher 3 would come to the vehicles a year later. Then in June 2021, Musk announced that the Plaid tier Model S would even be capable of playing Cyberpunk 2077. An actual release date for either game has yet to appear.

With all of this in mind, take Tesla’s Steam announcement with a grain of salt.

Musk recently tweeted, “We’re making progress with Steam integration. Demo probably next month.”

This is the second time Musk has publically mentioned Steam being featured in Tesla vehicles. The first was a response to IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey on February 22nd, who asked about the release date of Cyberpunk 2077 on Tesla cars. At that time, Musk said the company was deciding whether to bring over individual games or work on the whole Steam experience.

There is still a lot to know about the program when/if it launches. Will it support all Steam games? Can it run on all Tesla cars or only modern ones? There are near endless questions surrounding Musk’s tweet, but as usual, not a lot of answers.

Source: @elonmusk Via: The Verge 

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Tesla’s autopilot head resigns after five years at the EV maker

A pivotal part of Tesla’s success, other than its vehicles being environmentally friendly and efficient, is that its vehicles are autonomous.

Now, the person responsible for leading the development of Autopilot is leaving Tesla. Andrej Karpathy, director of AI  and a key leader of the Autopilot Vision team has announced that he is parting ways with Tesla.

“It’s been a great pleasure to help Tesla towards its goals over the last 5 years and a difficult decision to part ways,” said Karpathy.  “In that time, Autopilot graduated from lane keeping to city streets and I look forward to seeing the exceptionally strong Autopilot team continue that momentum.”

Musk replied to Karpathy’s tweet in an affable manner, which might mean that there is no bad blood between the two, and Karpathy isn’t a statistic in the 3.5 percent workforce that Musk wants to layoff. 

Before Karpathy, former Apple executive Chris Lattner occupied the role, for a short six-month stint. Since taking over the role in 2017, Karpathy has overseen the development of the Tesla autopilot feature. However, it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses.

U.S. safety regulators are currently investigating Tesla’s Autopilot feature after a Model S accident left three passengers dead. Read more about it via the link below:

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: @karpathy

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B.C. government to install 20 new electric vehicle chargers in Langford

British Columbia’s provincial government has revealed it will install 20 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the province through funding provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

Jonathan Wilkinson, the Minister of Natural Resources, says that DB Land Acquisitions Inc. will install 20 Level 2 EV Chargers in Langford, British Colombia as part of the $49,000 EV infrastructure investment.

An additional $50,968 was contributed by DB Land Acquisitions, bringing the project total to $99,968.

This is a step forward for the Canadian government’s $680 million Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program plan that aims to ensure that all light-duty cars and passenger trucks are zero-emission by 2035.

In May 2022, the Government of British Columbia received $3.5 million to install 810 EV chargers across the province by October 2023.

Since 2015, the Canadian government has invested $1 billion in EV affordability and charger accessibility, and currently offers a $5,000 federal rebate for Canadians purchasing electric vehicles.

Canada’s 2022 Budget proposes a $1.7 billion investment to extend the federal EV purchase incentive program until March 2025, followed by a $400 million investment in Natural Resources Canada to extend the program to March 2027.

So far, over 136,000 Canadians have taken advantage of the federal incentive to purchase a zero-emission vehicle In Canada.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Sources: Government of Canada

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A phone-as-key unlock vulnerability in Teslas can allow attackers to drive off with your vehicle

Researchers from the NCC Group have found that it’s possible to steal a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y through its Bluetooth Low Energy signal detection, and the vehicle’s phone-as-key unlock mechanism is to blame.

According to the report, the attack, classified as a ‘Relay Attack,’ not only works on Tesla vehicles, but also on smartphones, laptops, smart locks and a range of devices that employ the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard.

The attack typically needs a team of two, with one person situated near the in-ambush vehicle, and the other in close proximity to the owner owner’s phone that they use as a key to unlock their Tesla. Both attackers need to have an active internet connection to pass requests.

The attacker near the Tesla approaches the vehicle, impersonating as the phone-as-key device, which prompts the vehicle to send out an authentication request. The request is relayed to the attacker, who then passes it to the vehicle owner’s device. The legitimate phone-as-key device passes on the credentials to the attacker near it, who then relays it to the attacker near the vehicle. Finally, the credentials are then relayed to the car, prompting it to unlock.

It’s worth noting that the attack doesn’t necessarily need a team of two, and rather, just a relaying device hidden somewhere near the vehicle owner’s authentication device can successfully complete the attack. The NCC Group experimented with the vulnerability on a 2020 Tesla Model 3 using an iPhone 13 mini.

“The NCC Group was able to use this newly developed relay attack tool to unlock and operate the vehicle while the iPhone was outside the BLE range of the vehicle. In the test setup, the iPhone was placed on the top floor at the far end of a home, approximately 25 metres away from the vehicle, which was in the garage at ground level. The phone-side relaying device was positioned in a separate room from the iPhone, approximately 7 metres away from the phone. The vehicle-side relaying device was able to unlock the vehicle when within placed within a radius of approximately 3 metres from the vehicle,” reads the report.

To avoid a similar attack on your vehicle, it’s recommended that you use the PIN-to-drive feature, which will prevent bad actors from driving your vehicle off, in case they’re able to pull off a successful BLE attack.

Learn more about the vulnerability here.

Image credit: The Telegraph

Source: NCC Group Via: TechRadar

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Developer releases Tesla Carplay workaround on Github

CarPlay is coming to Tesla vehicles, at least indirectly.

Michał Gapiński, a Polish developer, showed off a CarPlay hack working in a Tesla Model 3 back in January, where he said he is working on polishing the software.

Later in February, he uploaded a hands-on/preview of the software running on the Tesla Model 3/Y, with the software built on a custom build of Android 12, running on a Raspberry Pi. Now, Gapiński has polished the software and uploaded it to Github for all Tesla drivers to use.

To make Carplay work in your Tesla, you’ll need an Ethernet cable, a microHDMI to HDMI cable, an LTE modem and a Wi-Fi access point.

The way the software works is that the in-car browser connects to the Android 12 build on Rasberry Pi with a Wi-Fi access point. The browser then displays the familiar Carplay interface with features like Apple Music, Maps, and the calling UI, with all the features controllable with the steering wheel button to get the complete Carplay experience while driving.

While Tesla has consistently refused to add highly-requested Carplay support for a while now, Gapiński’s workaround is a boon for those looking to take advantage of Carplay’s simplicity in their Tesla.

Learn more about the project and how to get Carplay on your Tesla here.

Image credit: Michał Gapiński

Source: @mikegapinski