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Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
What if AI disappeared from automotive today?
There's an oddly sombre mood in the automotive world today. Artificial Intelligence — the very brain behind our 'smart' vehicles — seems to be playing hide and seek. Or maybe just gone AWOL (Absent without Leave). It's ironic, really. AI has been blamed for everything - from being too charming and chatty, to knowing us too well, to guiding us a little too precisely. But what if - just for a moment - it vanished? No prompts, no nudges, no voice reminders. Just a wheel, an engine, and us. Imagine stepping into your vehicle and silence. No cheerful 'Good morning!' greetings. No auto-adjusted seats. No music queued to your mood. No ambient lighting that lifts your spirits during the 7 am traffic crawl. Instead, the cabin sits silent – just a machine drives. 'We would still be able to reach our destination,' says Heather Dawe, Chief Data Scientist and Head of Responsible AI, UK, UST. 'But it would stop trying to fix itself, stop making sure the cabin was perfect for each driver. No more music preferences, route suggestions, or warnings that we are about to crash. For many of us, particularly those who have not experienced more analogue forms of driving, it would be a shock.' 'The vehicle would no longer greet us cheerily,' Dawe adds. 'It would be a sullen machine. Maybe we would find that peaceful. But many of us would miss the optimism AI injects into daily drives.' 'Vehicles would lose their sixth sense. Safety systems like ADAS would go silent, infotainment would rewind to a decade ago, and predictive maintenance would return to hoping for the best,' says Santosh Singh, President & Global Head Marketing & BE, Tata Technologies. Multitasking would be back with a vengeance - balancing a roadmap on our knees or placing it in our co-passenger's hands - just to replicate the seamless turn-by-turn navigation that's now second nature now embedded intricately in our dashboards. That calm AI voice? Gone. That confidence in an unknown route? Fading fast. Worse still, we would have to remember things. Like actual routes. Our spatial awareness would be tested without those guiding parking lines on reverse cameras. Time to reacquaint ourselves with side mirrors and old-school gut instinct, rusty skills for most drivers today. 'Parking would become a spectator sport again, and drivers might rediscover the lost art of arguing over directions,' says Singh. 'It is a reminder that AI is not just a feature—it is the foundation of modern mobility.' But while consumers might suffer a slight existential crisis without their AI buddy, the real chaos begins behind the scenes. The loudest 'I miss you' would echo through manufacturing plants and R&D labs. 'Connected, self-driving cars would become unusable overnight. While we may be rid of a few complex chips, development timelines would stretch, launches would delay, and engineering teams would face renewed pressure,' says Aditya Joshi, COO, SA Technologies. AI is no longer optional. It's central to how the automotive sector thinks, builds, and competes. 'Without it, we would fall behind, drastically,' points Joshi. 'Predictive maintenance, intelligent route optimisation, and personalised riding experiences in EVs - all gone,' Kunal Gupta, Co-founder & CEO, EMotorad. 'AI enables smarter diagnostics, energy efficiency, and user feedback loops. Losing it? - would compromise safety, efficiency, and innovation.' And the impact doesn't end at four wheels. Sravan K Appana, Co-founder & CEO of iGowise, reminds us that the journey of intelligence in mobility has only just begun. 'Automobiles have evolved for nearly 200 years - from clunky metal boxes to smart, responsive mobility solutions,' he says. 'AI today may feel like it's limited to voice commands, infotainment suggestions, touchscreens, and climate presets, but tomorrow it'll be the foundation for autonomous navigation, personalised safety, and shared urban mobility, especially in compact EVs like two and three-wheelers.' So, if AI really did vanish today, we might still reach where we are going. But the journey - both literal and figurative - would be less safe, less smooth, and certainly less smart. For now, let's just be thankful AI only went on a fictional holiday. It's still here - possibly listening to you right now - learning your habits, saving your sanity, and ensuring you don't park into a wall. So go ahead, wish it well. Happy AI Appreciation Day. Give your virtual assistant a shoutout — it deserves it.
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Transport plans considered for Wānaka
The Wānaka community has been petitioning the ORC for a public bus service for years. Photo: ODT The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is working on its plan to spend a considerable amount set aside - $250,000 - for Wānaka transport. The funding had been removed from the council's plans this year, but was since reinstalled on the council's budget for the next financial year. The original aim of the ORC was to partner with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to assess the need and costings. But when the agency withdrew its co-funding, the council pulled out. ORC general manager planning and transport Anita Dawe said it would be guided by NZTA on how to spend the funds and where. Anita Dawe. Photo: supplied "The money will be spent on developing a business case, using guidelines from NZTA. It will not, at this stage, provide actual services, which would need to be subject to funding decisions through the next annual plan." The council will consider whether to discontinue free children's bus fares (5-12 years), increase adult fares from $2 to $2.50 and several other public transport changes at its meeting this week. The council's hearings panel for transport is recommending discontinuing free fares for children, increasing the adult fare from $2 to $2.50 and setting child and youth discounts (5-18 years) to 40% off the adult fare (i.e., $1.50). The fare increases are recommended to take effect from September 29, 2025. The plan's hearings panel also recommends moving to a zone fare structure once ORC completes further analysis and modelling. Ms Dawe said no timeframe had been indicated for the recommended change yet. The decisions are a result of ORC's review of the Otago Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). The RPTP attracted 549 public submissions, and hearings were held in May. In addition to fare changes, the panel has made recommendations on several potential new public transport services frequently raised by submitters. "Many submitters indicated their support for some type of community transport to facilitate better intra-regional connections. The panel recommends the council maintains support for community transport as written in the plan, with the timing and scale of any future community transport programme to be decided in future council meetings." The council has included funding for an Upper Clutha- Wānaka business case that would seek to understand the demand, location and viability of public transport in Wānaka. The workshop will include a briefing on how the programme has been prioritised following confirmation of funding levels and what the timeframes are expected to be for delivery of designs and construction works. Feedback is sought from the elected members around the "public concern" aspect of the policy ratings. The Queenstown Lakes District Council submitted to ORC's draft 10-year RPTP. The weight of local feedback undoubtedly helped reverse its earlier decision to scrap a public transport business case for the Upper Clutha in its annual plan. Wānaka-Upper Clutha is the fastest growing ward in the Otago region, followed closely by Cromwell. The Wānaka community has been petitioning the ORC for a public bus service for years.
Otago Daily Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Transport plans considered
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is working on its plan to spend a considerable amount set aside — $250,000 — for Wānaka transport. The funding had been removed from the council's plans this year, but was since reinstalled on the council's budget for the next financial year. The original aim of the ORC was to partner with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to assess the need and costings. But when the agency withdrew its co-funding, the council pulled out. ORC general manager planning and transport Anita Dawe said it would be guided by NZTA on how to spend the funds and where. "The money will be spent on developing a business case, using guidelines from NZTA. It will not, at this stage, provide actual services, which would need to be subject to funding decisions through the next annual plan." The council will consider whether to discontinue free children's bus fares (5-12 years), increase adult fares from $2 to $2.50 and several other public transport changes at its meeting this week. The council's hearings panel for transport is recommending discontinuing free fares for children, increasing the adult fare from $2 to $2.50 and setting child and youth discounts (5-18 years) to 40% off the adult fare (i.e., $1.50). The fare increases are recommended to take effect from September 29, 2025. The plan's hearings panel also recommends moving to a zone fare structure once ORC completes further analysis and modelling. Ms Dawe said no timeframe had been indicated for the recommended change yet. The decisions are a result of ORC's review of the Otago Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). The RPTP attracted 549 public submissions, and hearings were held in May. In addition to fare changes, the panel has made recommendations on several potential new public transport services frequently raised by submitters. "Many submitters indicated their support for some type of community transport to facilitate better intra-regional connections. The panel recommends the council maintains support for community transport as written in the plan, with the timing and scale of any future community transport programme to be decided in future council meetings." The council has included funding for an Upper Clutha- Wānaka business case that would seek to understand the demand, location and viability of public transport in Wānaka. The workshop will include a briefing on how the programme has been prioritised following confirmation of funding levels and what the timeframes are expected to be for delivery of designs and construction works. Feedback is sought from the elected members around the "public concern" aspect of the policy ratings. The Queenstown Lakes District Council submitted to ORC's draft ten-year RPTP. The weight of local feedback undoubtedly helped reverse its earlier decision to scrap a public transport business case for the Upper Clutha in its annual plan. Wānaka-Upper Clutha is the fastest growing ward in the Otago region, followed closely by Cromwell. The Wānaka community has been petitioning the ORC for a public bus service for years.
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
ORC To Consider Public Transport Changes
Otago Regional Council (ORC) will consider whether to discontinue free children's bus fares (5-12 years), increase adult fares from $2 to $2.50, and several other public transport changes at its meeting this week. The decisions are a result of ORC's review of the Otago Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). The RPTP attracted 549 public submissions, with hearings held in May this year. ORC General Manager Regional Planning and Transport Anita Dawe says, 'In a report being presented to the Council this week, the hearings panel for the RPTP are recommending discontinuing free fares for children, increasing the adult fare from $2 to $2.50, and setting child and youth discounts (5-18 years) to 40% off the adult fare (i.e. $1.50 fare). The fare increases are recommended to take effect from 29 September 2025.' 'The plan's hearings panel also recommends moving to a zone fare structure once ORC completes further analysis and modelling. Ms Dawe says no timeframe is indicated for this recommended change yet. In addition to fare changes, the panel has made recommendations on several potential new public transport services frequently raised by submitters. 'Many submitters indicated their support for some type of community transport to facilitate better intraregional connections. The panel recommends the Council maintains support for community transport as written in the plan, with the timing and scale of any future community transport programme to be decided in future Council meetings.' There were a number of submissions requesting new public transport services connecting Wanaka and Upper Clutha, Wanaka and Queenstown, and Oamaru and Dunedin, Ms Dawe says. Others asked for services connecting Dunedin and Dunedin Airport, Balclutha, Outram and Central Otago. 'The RPTP recommendations include Council consider these potential new services in the future and accelerates introducing public transport services for Wanaka to a six- to ten-year timeframe.' The panel acknowledged community interest in rail solutions, but concluded there is not the evidence base to include rail in the plan in any great detail. However, minor changes to language from the draft plan have been recommended to reflect sentiment and support study in this area. The panel appreciated many submitters acknowledging the public transport challenges Otago faces, including the constrained funding. The report will be presented to ORC's council meeting this Wednesday (25 June). The report and full agenda are now online, under Meetings on The council will publish the final version of the plan incorporating the recommended changes later this year.
Scoop
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Lawnmower Racers Battle It Out At Fieldays: 'Cheapest Motorsport You Can Do'
There are several rural sporting competitions at agricultural events: shearing, wood chopping and the tractor pull. And for the first time this year, lawnmower racing is coming to Fieldays in the form of the Red Bull Cut It competition. Barry Dawe from the New Zealand Lawnmower Racing Association told First Up the sport has been gaining popularity around the country because of its accessibility. The machines are modified ride-on mowers with the cutting blades removed. Dawe said the engines range from 400cc to 1000cc. "They're pretty big engines and and people tend to think oh it's only a lawnmower engine, but you think of a 500cc motorbike, that's the sort of torque these things have got," Dawe said. "So there's some angry mowers here." Racers sit either on, in, or around the mower and they are not strapped in, Dawe said. Race day is Saturday and the mowers are on display through the week. "So we've got a slightly smaller track than we normally race on, but we've made it so we can do lots of drifting, lots of noise. We've got a jump," Dawe told First Up. "We've got some CO2 cannons that are going to go off. So it's going to be a great old day. We've got over 30 mowers here and we're going to rip up the ground." He said the track is lined with hay bales, and they have tried to make it as wide as they can to allow for passing and drifting. "You don't have to go over the jump, but obviously, if you do, you'll probably get some bonus points and maybe win a trophy." And there's enough straight to get up a bit of speed. About 50 or 60km/h, Dawe said. "We have people from Hawke's Bay, a couple from Taranaki, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty. There's a big contingent down there in Christchurch as well, but obviously it was a bit far for them to travel up. "It's the cheapest motorsport you can do in New Zealand. You don't have to spend a million bucks. You can if you want, but there's no point because the competitiveness is limited [because] you're racing on grass. "It evens everybody out, so even the big motors on certain tracks will be no faster than the small motors. It's all about how you drive and the fun of tinkering." As part of the event, hairdressing and barbering students from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology will be there with their blades offering haircuts. "And we've got a wheel of fortune that you can spin through," Dawe said. "So once you spin the wheel, you get different haircuts ... We've got skullet, mullet, fade, buzz, undercut and a 'joker', which is the hairdresser's choice. "You walk up here, spin the wheel and you never know what you're going to get. But everyone's a winner."
