In a ground-breaking collaboration, Volvo Cars, protective gravity sports gear manufacturer POC and Ericsson will present an innovative safety technology connecting drivers and cyclists for the first time ever at International CES in Las Vegas (6-9 January 2015).
The technology consists of a connected car and helmet prototype that will establish 2-way communication offering proximity alerts to Volvo car drivers and cyclists and thereby avoid accidents. No car manufacturer has previously put a stake in the ground to help address the problem by using Connected Safety technology – until now.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7404151-volvo-life-saving-cycling-tech/
The Air National Guard is proud to announce the return of the Air National Guard Mobile Experience. The hands-on, immersive experience takes attendees on a journey through life in the Air Guard by letting them participate in simulated challenges that replicate real-life experiences of Air Guard men and women during Basic Military Training (BMT), technical training and on drill weekend. Through simulation, attendees will learn how they can serve their country while maintaining a fulfilling civilian life, by serving one weekend a month and two weeks a year near their home. The Air National Guard Mobile Experience includes five separate touring vehicles that are designed to educate Americans about Air Guard’s dual role in serving our nation and local communities. The touring vehicles will travel nationwide through November, and visit fairs, festivals, air shows, music and sports events, including Reebok Spartan and Lucas Oil Motocross races.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7250851-air-national-guard-mobile-experience-interactive-tour-2014
The Lincoln Continental, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Toyota Avalon come out at the top of a group of six large cars recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The three cars qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK+, the Institute’s highest award. The Tesla Model S, the Chevrolet Impala and the Ford Taurus fall short of any award because they each earn only an acceptable rating in the small overlap front test.
Vehicles qualify for either the TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award if they have good ratings from IIHS in five crashworthiness tests — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — and an available front crash prevention system that earns a superior or advanced rating. To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK+, a vehicle also must come with good or acceptable headlights
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
AutoTrader.com® is releasing a new app that gives car shoppers and enthusiasts the ability to experience new vehicles online without physically touching a mouse, keyboard, mobile device or computer screen.
Driver’s View by AutoTrader.com is the first automotive app to be released for Leap Motion. The Leap Motion Controller creates a 3-D interaction zone around a user’s computer, allowing actions on the screen to be precisely controlled through natural hand and finger movements in the air. The Driver’s View app gives users a three-dimensional sense of walking around the exterior of a new vehicle and sitting in the driver’s seat, all controlled by a series of simple hand movements in front of their computer screen.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59578-autotrader-releases-first-automotive-app-for-leap-motion-controller
The 2014 Brand Image Award winners, based on annual new-car buyer perception data, are announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. The Kelley Blue Book® Brand Image Awards recognize automakers’ outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public. Award categories are calculated among luxury, non-luxury and truck shoppers.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7065452-kelley-blue-book-2014-brand-image-award-winners
Today, Fleetmatics celebrates its 10th anniversary as a leader in the global SaaS-based mobile workforce industry, saluting a decade of several major milestones. To date, the company has approximately 523,000 vehicles under subscription, over 24,000 global businesses, 27 billion miles tracked and more than 62 billion data points collected to provide key benchmarking and business intelligence insights for companies looking to better manage expenses, employee productivity and customer satisfaction.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7237751-fleetmatics-celebrates-10th-anniversary/
When it comes to tire development and technology, the road generally goes from the racetrack to the cul de sac. A great example is Yokohama Tire Corporation’s new passenger tire, the AVID Ascend®, which features orange oil, a special technology born on the track, and which can be seen discussed in the following video: http://youtu.be/TtrgVa7DHYQ
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59183-yokohama-tire-corporation-passenger-tire-avid-ascend-features-orange-oil
2017 Renault Zoe
Renault has introduced a new Z.E. 40 battery for ZOE. At the same, ZOE owners can benefit from a range of new connected services and equipment upgrades. Order books for the new ZOE line-up are open. The new ZOEs fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery are made at Renault's Flins plant in France and will be available for delivery before the end of 2016.
Double the range for even longer journeys
As the pioneer of all-electric mobility and Europe's number one seller of electric vehicles, Renault has stepped up its innovation programme and the deployment of its Zero Emissions strategy.
Fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery, the Renault ZOE now delivers a record NEDC driving range of 400km, which is twice the distance delivered by the model at the time of its original launch.
The new Z.E. 40 battery has a real-world range of 300 kilometres in urban or suburban areas, for example.
The range permitted today by the ZOE is the longest of any mainstream all-electric vehicle and motorists can take advantage of this step forward now.
The ZOE is the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe and provides a real alternative to internal combustion-engine cars, since average daily commuting distances are well within the ZOE's capabilities.
The new battery removes the final psychological barrier that stands in the way of buying an electric car since ZOE users can now travel further and enjoy a wider variety of driving situations without worry about charging. This makes weekend trips a real possibility.
The Z.E. 40 battery's charging rate is similar to that of the standard battery, so 'topping up' doesn't take long at all. For example, just 30 minutes are required on average to charge the battery for an extra 80 kilometres of driving range when plugged into one of the many public charging points in operation in Europe. The ZOE continues to be equipped with the Quick Charge function to take full advantage of the maximum capacity of fast charging points located predominantly along motorway corridors.
An innovation that doubles battery capacity with no increase in size
The ZOE's new Z.E. 40 battery boasts 41kWh of useful energy, equivalent to almost double the storage capacity of the ZOE's standard battery (22kWh of useful energy).
Developed in close partnership with LG Chem, the battery uses high-energy density lithium-ion technology.
Renault and LG engineers have succeeded in increasing storage capacity without making the battery any bigger or a lot heavier. It was optimised by working on the chemistry of the cells in order to increase their energy density, rather than stacking additional battery modules, a commonly used technique.
This major new technology has been developed while ensuring the battery's reliability or safety.
The battery's large storage capacity ensures longer range for the ZOE thanks to the meticulous work that went into integrating the battery in the vehicle. The electronic management system of the battery optimises the ZOE's energy use on the move, while the new air circulation system maintains the temperature of the ZOE's battery at a constant level, making the car economical to run in very hot or very cold weather.
Thirteen out of 16 new booster seats for 2017 earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest rating of BEST BET, bringing the total number of boosters on the market with that designation to 118.
The BEST BET rating means a booster provides good safety belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV. Boosters that are rated GOOD BETs provide acceptable belt fit in almost any vehicle, while those rated Check Fit could work for some children in some vehicles. Seats designated "Not Recommended" don’t provide good belt fit and should be avoided.
Just over half of 2018 model vehicles evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are available with headlights that do an adequate job of lighting the road at night and limiting glare for oncoming drivers, but most good-rated headlights are optional or bundled with other features that can raise the price of the vehicle.
Since IIHS released its first headlight ratings for passenger vehicles in 2016, most manufacturers have focused on improving this key safety component. That year, only 2 of 95 headlight systems on 2016-model vehicles evaluated earned a good rating.
For the 2018 model year, the best-available headlights on 32 of 165 models evaluated earn the highest rating of good, and the best-available headlights on 58 models earn the second-highest rating of acceptable. Thirty-two models have only marginal-rated headlights, while poor-rated headlights are the only ones available for 43 models.
Twenty-two vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest safety award for 2014, TOP SAFETY PICK+, thanks to a high level of protection in crashes and the availability of front crash prevention technology to avoid many collisions in the first place. An additional 17 earn TOP SAFETY PICK by meeting the crashworthiness criteria alone.
IIHS is using new criteria for the awards this year. TOP SAFETY PICK requires good performance in the Institute's moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests and, for the first time, good or acceptable performance in the small overlap front test introduced in 2012. The same level of performance in those tests, along with at least a basic rating for front crash prevention, is required for the higher accolade, TOP SAFETY PICK+.
