Car and comms companies join 5G forces

Audi has teamed up with BMW, Daimler and a number of top names in the electronic, communications and computer industries to develop high-speed wireless communications for cars, writes Brian Byrne.

Under the banner of 5G Automotive Association, the partnership includes Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm.

The 5G technology will support vehicle-to-everything communications and connected mobility solutions, both of which are especially applicable to connected automated driving.

Christoph Voigt of Audi has been appointed Chairperson of the Board and Dino Flore of Qualcomm has been appointed Director General of the Association.

The 5GAA will support and work with national and regional initiatives, such as the European Connected & Automated Driving Pre-Deployment Project.

A phone to match your Aston

So you have your Aston Martin. But an iPhone doesn't cut it to match the car in the style stakes. Too common by far, too.

Fear not. Enter Vancouver-based luxury phone designer Mobiado, and the Grand 350 Aston Martin. The machined aluminium case protects a 2.36" 271-carat sapphire cystal screen with 16 million colors, stainless steel keys, quad-band antenna, Bluetooth, micro USB connector, GPS and more.

Price? If you have to ask, you don't own a current Aston. Anyhow, they're not telling, yet.

German motorists want to be wired

Close to half of young motorists in Germany want their car to be connected to the Internet, according to a recent poll by the country's IT organisation Bitkom, writes Brian Byrne.

Beyond the 40 percent of under-30s who said they were positive towards the idea, the overall response across all age groups was 24 percent in favour. Between 40-65, it was one in three, while little interest was shown by those over 65 who responded.

Women were less interested than men in being connected as they drove.

Traffic lights to manage engines?

So, how would you like it if that red traffic light automatically stopped your engine?

That might be on the cards if a patent applied for in the US results in a computer system that would have the traffic lights 'manage' engines stopped in the queue at a red.

The system would stop the cars' engines, and restart them in sequence at what it judges to be the optimum time for each in order to move on efficiently and save fuel while stopped.

The patent has been applied for by IBM on behalf of four inventors from India, one of whom lives in Florida.

The idea is based on the concept of 'networked' vehicles, a matter that is attracting an increasing interest among manufacturers of motor vehicle communications systems.

For anyone interested, the actual patent application can be read here.

EMI causing car problems?

There's a lot of talk around that electromagnetic interference can be causing issues with the electronics of cars, causing problems like unintended acceleration.

It is generally denied by carmakers, who say their electronics are sufficiently shielded against EMI. But the suggestions persist, even into courtrooms.

This article in USA Today is a good resume of the situation.