Skip to content

adas

ADAS Distractions

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
ADAS Distractions
Loading
/

As Nicole and her spouse are riding the rails in Europe, Tanya Gazdik is back with the Land Rover Defender 130 and the Mercedes-AMG SL63. Sam has thoughts about Ineos Grenadier and Robbie has something he can’t discuss until next week. Tanya and Sam drove the Polestar 3 this week and share their first impressions. Elektrobit’s Dr. Mortiz Neukirchner has developed a taxonomy for software defined vehicles. More vehicles are getting in-cabin radar sensors to make sure no one is left behind. The IIHS says ADAS is leading to driver complacency. Maserati needs marketing help and Waymo may be turning to Hyundai for its next robotaxi. Links Software defined vehicle levelsIn-cabin radar for rear seat detectionIIHS study says drivers more distracted using ADASIIHS ADAS safety ratings Polestar 3 first driveMaserati Marketing, does it exist?Waymo and Hyundai may collaborate on robotaxis Wheel Bearings has launched a… Read More »ADAS Distractions

No Real Safety Benefit

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
No Real Safety Benefit
Loading
/

This week Sam has been driving the 2024 Ford F-150 Tremor. Nicole had the Mazda CX-70 and Robbie has just started on the Mercedes-Benz EQS For 2024, Toyota has improved the abysmal charging performance of the AWD bZ4X and Electrify America is piloting an 85% charge limit. Nissan has launched an off-roady-ish Rogue that now has hands-free driving assist. Ford unveils its 2025 Dakar challenger and Mazda is putting a Rav4 hybrid system into the CX-50. Ford has launched a new EV in Europe that looks like the Polestar 2 and bears the name of a 1970s sports coupe. Tesla’s market share continues to decline and partial automation systems don’t seem to help safety. Wheel Bearings listeners get an extra 3 months for free when they sign up for ExpressVPN at https://www.expressvpn.com/wheelbearings Links Toyota Improves bZ4X chargingNissan Rogue Rock CreekFord Raptor T1+EA pilots 85% charging limitEarly… Read More »No Real Safety Benefit

What Are the SAE Levels of Automated Driving? Think of the Hands, Feet, Eyes and Brain

Back in March 2022, I wrote an article for Ground Truth Autonomy, an informational site from Argo AI about automated driving. Unfortunately, Argo went out of business in October 2022 and with it the site, but thanks to the Internet Archive, the content still lives. I’ve decided to repost my article here – Sam One of the many things I learned in my two decades in the engineering profession is that communication is not a strength of most engineers — at least to those that aren’t engineers. They tend to use way too many technical terms to express concepts in ways that come across as an alien language to non-engineers. That’s why a standard definition of automated driving levels developed by a bunch of engineers inevitably became misunderstood and misused by marketers, policymakers, and even industry leaders. But there are better ways to express what… Read More »What Are the SAE Levels of Automated Driving? Think of the Hands, Feet, Eyes and Brain

Just Get the XL

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Just Get the XL
Loading
/

Nicole is out this week but we have Tanya Gazdik from Media Post sitting in with Robbie and Sam. Tanya has been driving the Toyota Corolla hatchback, while Sam finally discusses the Kia Soul he forgot to review last week along with the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. Robbie had the Ford Maverick Lariat Tremor and has thoughts. In the news, Ford creates a new subsidiary to develop hands-free driving assist systems from the remnants of Argo AI. The VW ID3 gets a mid-cycle refresh and VW Group is going to build a new factory in South Carolina to produce Scout electric trucks and SUVs. Tesla has finally started opening up its Superchargers to non-Tesla vehicles and there have been lots of unusual features in cars over the years. Finally, Sam talks with Chrysler brand chief Chris Feuell. Links VW ID3 refresh Latitude AI Charging non-Teslas… Read More »Just Get the XL

Eyes On The Road

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Eyes On The Road
Loading
/

This week we have special guest Kelly Funkhouser, director of automotive technology at Consumer Reports to explain how they conducted their recent test of advanced driver assist systems. Some of the assumptions Sam made about what they actually evaluated were wrong and the results make a lot more sense now. In the garage, Nicole has been driving the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD while Sam got a Cadillact CT4-V Blackwing with a manual gearbox, just ahead of an eight-inch snowfall. Fortunately the Cadillac was on winter tires and did just fine. In the news, Ford is teaming up to supply hybrid power systems for the 2026 Red Bull Formula 1 cars. The IRS has corrected its weird classifications for electric vehicles eligible for clean vehicle credits. It’s trivially easy for thieves to steal older Hyundai and Kia models equipped with a key and they want… Read More »Eyes On The Road

Broncos Big and Small

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Broncos Big and Small
Loading
/

This week, Sam has a comparison of two of the first electric pickup trucks, the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T. Roberto, has the Kia Stinger and drives the new Lunar Rover in GM’s simulator. Nicole has the Ford Bronco Sport at home and drove the new Bronco Raptor in California. Cadillac will build its new electric flagship the Celistiq at a facility on its Warren, Mich tech center campus. NHTSA drops the first batch of data on crashes while using assisted and automated driving systems and you’ll never guess who had the most crashes. Sony is forming an EV joint venture with Honda. Sam also answers lots of Lightning listener questions. Links Sony Honda joint venture Cadillac Celistiq production NHTSA ADAS/ADS data dump Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of… Read More »Broncos Big and Small

The Deer Ran Into Me

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Deer Ran Into Me
Loading
/

This week on the show, Roberto reviews the Kia Soul rental car he had on Kauai last week, Nicole drives the baby Range Rover, the Evoque, and Sam discusses the new eighth-generation Volkswagen GTI. In the news, Chevrolet teased out upcoming hybrid and electric versions of the Corvette and all of GM’s Ultium platform EVs are getting a heat pump energy recovery system as standard equipment. Dodge is expanding its lineup with a compact crossover called the Hornet which we’ll see in August and Nissan is working on a new ADAS system using Luminar lidar. Finally, a dealer in Colorado has opened a used car store that only sells hybrids and EVs and we answer some questions. Links Electrified Corvettes GM Ultium Energy Recovery System Dodge Hornet New Nissan ADAS with lidar Colorado dealer that only sells used EVs and hybrids Wheel Bearings has launched… Read More »The Deer Ran Into Me

It Grows On You

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
It Grows On You
Loading
/

This week in the garage, Sam takes a road trip in the Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid, Nicole drives the Ford Explorer XLT and Roberto samples Volvo’s first electric-only model the C40. The embargo has finally lifted on the drive impressions of the BMW i4 M50 and Robbie shares his thoughts on this new German electric autobahn machine. We also discuss the augmented reality heads up display in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and AAA testing of driver assist systems in bad weather conditions. As usual, we wrap with some listener questions. Links AAA ADAS testing Robbie’s BMW i4 first drive Mercedes-Benz Augmented reality HUD Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

Episode #040 – The ADAS and Autonomous Landscape

Podcast Archives
Podcast Archives
Episode #040 - The ADAS and Autonomous Landscape
Loading
/

Between Sam travelling last week and Dan’s family stuff, we weren’t able to get it together for a fresh regular episode of the show. We promise to get back to regular programming in the next couple of days. However, in the meantime, here’s a special episode. As part of Sam’s gig as a senior analyst at Navigant Research, he does a lot of speaking at conferences. This week he did the opening keynote at the TU-Automotive ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles conference in Detroit where he discussed the ADAS and Autonomous Landscape. https://automotive.knect365.com/adas-autonomous-vehicles-usa/   Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia