Posts Tagged: cars
EVs are way more unreliable than gas-powered cars, Consumer Reports data indicates
Consumer Reports has published an extensive ranking of vehicle reliability, and the results pour cold water on the dependability of EVs and plug-in hybrids. The survey says electric vehicles suffer from 79 percent more maintenance issues than gas- or diesel-powered ones, while plug-in hybrids have 146 percent more problems. The troubles portray the industry’s growing pains with the relatively new technology as the planet sets record temperatures, and scientists warn of rapidly approaching deadlines to thwart global climate catastrophe.
The survey polled CR’s members about issues with their rides from the past year, gathering data on 330,000 vehicles. The publication’s data included models from 2000 to 2023, alongside a few (early launched) 2024 models. CR studied 20 “trouble areas,” including relatively minor issues like squeaky brakes or a broken interior trim and more problematic ones related to the transmission, engine or EV battery. The number of potential trouble areas varies by type: internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles have 17, EVs have 12, traditional hybrids have 19 and plug-in hybrids have all 20.
The publication combined the data with its own track testing, owner satisfaction survey results and safety info. It then averaged it to assign each brand a numerical score (out of 100).
Non-plugin hybrids scored well, with the survey indicating they suffer from 26 percent fewer issues than gas- and diesel-powered vehicles. CR highlighted the most reliable brands in that space, including the Lexus’ UX and NX Hybrid and Toyota’s Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid.
If only plug-in hybrids (PHEV) could enjoy those ratings. Instead, their longer list of trouble spots led to 146 percent more problems than traditional gas-powered vehicles. Lowlights include the Chrysler Pacifica, which scored an abysmal 14 out of 100, and Audi Q5. However, several PHEVs defied the category’s expectations, including “standouts” like the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Kia Sportage. Several others, including the BMW X5, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Escape, scored “average” in reliability.
Fully electric cars and SUVs, the vehicles many automakers aim to fill their dealership lots with by 2030, have mediocre average scores: 44 and 43, respectively. Electric pickups, the newest technology in the bunch, perhaps unsurprisingly scored worse with an average of 30.
Lexus came out on top among EV brands. All but one of its models scored above average or better in CR’s ratings. And the lone exception, the NX, still had an average score. Toyota also did well, including the 4Runner SUV, which CR describes as “among the most reliable models in the survey.” However, its electric Tundra pickup scored poorly. Other EVs with above-average scores include Acura’s RDX and TLX.
Once practically synonymous with electric vehicles, Tesla had overall scores in the middle of the pack (alongside brands like Chevrolet, Buick, Ram, Cadillac and Dodge). CR says the Elon Musk-led company’s EV powertrains tend to fare better than those from traditional automakers. However, Ars Technica notes the company’s reliability scores struggled more with things like bodywork, paint / trim and climate systems.
Regionally speaking, Asian automakers enjoyed the highest average scores in the survey at a healthy 63. European companies were second with an average of 46, while US brands slumped with a somewhat disappointing score of 39.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/evs-are-way-more-unreliable-than-gas-powered-cars-consumer-reports-data-indicates-212216581.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Tesla app outage locked some owners out of their cars
Tesla's app server went down a few hours ago, leading to a worldwide app outage that left owners unable to connect to their cars. For those who've been mostly dependent on their phones instead of their keycards, that means being locked out of their vehicles. Electrek first reported the issue after receiving complaints from Tesla owners on Friday night, and for a while it seemed like the problem only affected drivers in North America. But then, an owner from Seoul, South Korea tweeted at Elon Musk about getting a server error on their app, to which the Tesla CEO replied that he's "checking" it out.
Checking …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2021
Other tweets show owners calling for roadside assistance and delaying their plans for the night. The outage came shortly after the automaker rolled out an update to its application, which Electrek said includes a feature that Tesla had issues implementing. It's unclear if that was connected to the outage, since Musk has yet to follow up on his initial response. Regardless, it looks like the outage is starting to get resolved. Downdetector received as many as 543 reports a few hours ago, but now they're down to less than a hundred.
Being locked out of vehicles could be an ongoing problem as automakers move to cloud services and increase reliance on smartphone apps. As this situation showed, however, it's still wise to carry around a keycard/keyfob as backup just in case.
Tesla may offer remote access to your car’s Autopilot cameras
As helpful as Tesla’s Sentry Mode may be, it doesn’t provide much insight from the car’s cameras until there’s an incident. What if you could take a peek at any moment? You just might. Electrek reports that code sleuth Green has discovered hints at r…
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UK might ban sales of fossil fuel cars as early as 2030
The UK might soon move up its ban on sales of combustion engine cars — yes, again. The Financial Times and the BBC both claim Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a ban on fossil fuel car sales by 2030, five years ahead of the most recent targe…
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Cars are coming to ‘Fortnite’
At long last, Epic Games is adding regular old cars to Fortnite. The aptly-named Joy Ride Update will introduce four vehicles — the Islander Prevalent sedan, Victory Motors Whiplash sports car, OG Bear pickup truck and Titano Mudflap six-wheeler –…
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Intel’s Mobileye will test self-driving cars at up to 80 MPH in Germany
Intel’s Mobileye self-driving division has received regulatory approval to test its vehicles on German roads, Intel announced. With a safety driver at the wheel, it can shake down its systems on city streets and the Autobahn at up to 130 km/h (81 mph…
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Toyota recalls 752,000 Prius cars over flawed hybrid software
If you drive a Prius from the past several years, there’s a distinct chance you’ll have to take it in for service. Autoblog reports that Toyota has begun a safety recall for 752,000 of the vehicles worldwide, 267,000 of them in the US, due to a flaw…
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US House panel will discuss self-driving cars next week
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Bosch is finally making LiDAR sensors for autonomous cars
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NASCAR could introduce hybrid race cars by 2022
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Paris is testing ‘noise radar’ that will automatically ticket loud cars
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Ford bought a robotics company to boost its self-driving cars
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Canadian province will prohibit sale of gas-powered cars by 2040
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Microsoft and MIT can detect AI ‘blind spots’ in self-driving cars
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Patent describes how Lyft’s self-driving cars might communicate
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Tesla is adding classic Atari games to its cars
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Senators investigate safety procedures for autonomous cars
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Didi Chuxing receives permit to test self-driving cars in California
You might not hail a ride from China's Didi Chuxing unless you visit Mexico, but there's still a real chance you'll see its vehicles on the road. California's Department of Motor Vehicles has issued an autonomous vehicle testing permit to Didi's Ame…
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Uber CEO discusses self-driving cars and food delivery by drone
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Ford’s decision to kill most of its cars was inevitable
American drivers have made up their mind. Bigger is most certainly better and the Ford Motor Company has reacted. This week the automaker announced that over the next few years it would be phasing out all its cars (except for the iconic Mustang) in f…
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Uber reportedly reduced the number of sensors on its autonomous cars
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Fragmentation in self-driving cars will eventually be a problem
If you remember the '80s, you were probably amazed that you could walk up to a computer, type the following in BASIC and something would happen: 10 PRINT "Robbie is rad" 20 GOTO 10
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Waymo cars won’t ask for human help during emergencies
Waymo has begun testing truly autonomous vehicles that don't even need to hand off control to human drivers in dangerous situations. Alphabet's autonomous car development arm has shown off the latest version of its Chrysler Pacifica minivans at an ev…
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Mercedes is building smarter headlights for its cars of the future
In a dark garage at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, a flat gray S-Class illuminates a white screen at the end of long hall. The headlights blast on and while the light is bright, it's not that impressive. Then Stefan Toepfer, el…
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Stanford built a ‘4D’ camera for cars, robots and VR
A team of Stanford scientists have created what could be the perfect "eye" for autonomous vehicles and delivery drones thus far. It's a 4D camera that can capture nearly 140 degrees of information, allowing it to gather more information than conventi…
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Researchers find a more effective way to test self-driving cars
It's tricky to test self-driving cars. Even if you have hundreds of thousands of miles under your belt, it's still difficult to account for every possible real-world peril. Researchers think they can fast-track that experience, however. They've devel…
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BMW, Intel and MobilEye will test self-driving cars later in 2017
BMW, Intel and MobilEye just gave a roadmap for some of their self-driving car plans. The trio expects to test autonomous cars on roads sometime in the second half of 2017. About 40 modified BMW 7 Series sedans will start roaming American and Europea…
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Volvo’s self-driving cars will hide from UK ‘bullies’
If you could see that the car in front of you was being driven autonomously and therefore navigating in an ultra-safe manner, how would you react? Would you treat it as you would any other road user or be more inclined to torment it, knowing it would…
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Weekly Rewind: A mega tech merger, Paris bans cars, and more
In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week.
The post Weekly Rewind: A mega tech merger, Paris bans cars, and more appeared first on Digital Trends.
Ford’s genius co-bots can build cars, make coffee, and even give massages
At a production facility in Cologne, Germany, Ford is using machines called co-bots to help fit shock absorbers onto Fiestas. The co-bots work alongside humans and can even be programmed to make coffee.
The post Ford’s genius co-bots can build cars, make coffee, and even give massages appeared first on Digital Trends.
Forget driverless cars, London is going to test automated pods as a public transportation option
The London borough of Greenwich is set to be a test site for the GATEway project’s driverless public transportations pods. Anyone can apply to be a part of the trials, and survey data is also being collected to analyze popular public opinion about the concept.
The post Forget driverless cars, London is going to test automated pods as a public transportation option appeared first on Digital Trends.
6 hypermiling cars that get over 100 miles per gallon
By Cat DiStasioFuel efficiency is one rating that can really set a car apart from the pack. Although you can't yet walk into just any dealership and drive away in a vehicle that gets more than 100 miles a gallon, there are some sweet rides out there…
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RockScout brings Spotify to cars with MirrorLink systems
It is now possible to listen to your Spotify playlist in your car thanks to a new app called RockScout. With it, all MirrorLink-compatible in-car systems can now access Spotify.
MirrorLink lets you use you car’s dashboard buttons to control your phone. It is much easier to control your phone using the car’s buttons rather than trying to play around with your phone while driving.
Since RockScout works with MirrorLink systems, it will bring Spotify to many more car infotainment units. Spotify already works with Android Auto and CarPlay. If you have a MirrorLink system in your car and want to try it out, download RockScout for Android.
Press Release:
BEAVERTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Starting today, Spotify Android users can bring the Spotify mobile app to their dashboards via MirrorLink® RockScout, a simple download that makes participating Android music apps MirrorLink-compatible. The Car Connectivity Consortium, creators of MirrorLink, made the announcement as more and more apps become available in the MirrorLink ecosystem.
“MirrorLink provides a simple way to bring Spotify into the car and on the dashboard so listeners can access their favorite music in a manner suitable for the driving environment.”
“Spotify is obsessed with figuring out how to bring music into every part of your life, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing,” said Lawrence Kennedy, Sr. Product Owner for Automotive at Spotify. “MirrorLink provides a simple way to bring Spotify into the car and on the dashboard so listeners can access their favorite music in a manner suitable for the driving environment.”
RockScout leverages Media Browser Service, a standard Android API, to make Android audio apps compatible with MirrorLink. MirrorLink compatibility means apps are driver-aware and controllable via touch and rotary-knob infotainment systems. The Android application can be enabled without further development or integration, and the solution is free and open-source.
“Spotify’s compatibility with MirrorLink is a great moment for both brands, based on Spotify’s undeniable popularity among music lovers and the sheer size of MirrorLink’s global install base,” said Alan Ewing, President and Executive director of the CCC. “In a larger sense, RockScout represents a major advance for MirrorLink by providing drivers with extended access to some of the most popular music and audio apps of all time.”
To download RockScout, click here. To download Spotify for Android, click here. For general information, please visitwww.mirrorlink.com.
About the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)
The CCC is dedicated to cross-industry collaboration in developing MirrorLink® global standards and solutions for smartphone and in-vehicle connectivity. The organization’s 100 members represent 70 percent of the world’s auto market, 70 percent of the global smartphone market and a who’s who of aftermarket consumer electronics vendors. For further information, please visitwww.mirrorlink.com.
Contacts
Finn Partners for the CCC
Katrina Estrella, 415-692-3058
katrina@finnpartners.com
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