Latest news with #safetySystems
The Verge
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Verge
BMW iX3 prototype drive: your next-gen EV is nearly here
There's a fight for control going on inside the cockpits of many modern cars. Enable all the active safety systems in a Tesla, and it'll do most of the steering for you. But if it makes an errant turn or meanders a little too far this way or that in the lane (and trust me, it will), you're left wrestling the wheel out of Autopilot's virtual hands. Assistance systems from other manufacturers do better at ceding control whenever you feel like taking over, but BMW is about to take that to a new level with the first car built on its upcoming Neue Klasse platform. It includes an advanced driver assist system that the company says is a proper symbiosis, where the car's sensors and systems don't fight with or yell at you but instead work with you to make driving safer and less stressful. I sampled this suite in a prototype of BMW's iX3, the first electric SUV on the Neue Klasse platform, designed from the ground up to offer more range, better handling, and way more smarts. BMW is promising 400 miles of range from a new battery architecture that can charge at up to 400 kW. That means adding something like 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, but there's a lot more to it than that. Better brains At the core of the iX3's safety system is a computing platform that BMW calls a 'superbrain.' That's an evocative term for a Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride chip, but it does offer far more power than anything the company has put on the road before. That's paired with a more advanced sensor suite, with better cameras and higher-fidelity radar sensors, all combined to give a better view of the world around. One of those key sensors is the driver monitoring suite, which can detect where you're looking and whether you're paying attention while behind the wheel. Plenty of cars offer some degree of monitoring like this, usually nagging you with beeping and blinking unpleasantries when your eyes linger on a roadside distraction for too long. The iX3 goes beyond that by using eye-tracking technology to not just complain, but actually improve your experience. If you're driving down the highway and BMW's highway assistant is active, it'll steer itself and even change lanes. In some current BMWs, you can just look in the mirror to initiate a lane change. The iX3 takes that a step further by proactively putting on the turn signal for you should you take the wheel and change lanes yourself. Yes, finally, a BMW designed to tackle the most common preconception about BMW drivers: they never signal before changing lanes. Try to change lanes manually without checking the blind spot, the lane-keep assistance system will resist the change and try to keep you where you are. But, if you've looked first, the car won't resist your control at all, as you've proved to it that you're doing your part. The car will detect your attention in other ways, too. I had a chance to drive next to a dummy pedestrian standing partially in my lane. Without any input from me, the car came smoothly to a stop. But, when I tried again, steering slightly to the left and showing that I was paying attention, the car allowed me to move out of the lane without resistance. Smooth driving, smoother stopping I also got a chance to sample the other brain inside the new iX3, which the company has unfortunately labeled 'Heart of Joy.' This in-house developed processor aggregates all the traction, stability, and electric motor management functions that are typically handled by a dozen different processors sourced from a dozen different suppliers and scattered throughout the car. Unifying all that has some significant implications. The car can more quickly and seamlessly manage power to the dual motors that give it 400 horsepower and all-wheel drive, so when I was sliding the camouflaged prototype around a wet test track, it felt like the stability and traction control systems were working to help me, rather than just trying desperately to slow me down. But when it was time to pause the action, something almost magical happened. On a test track, I was told to close my eyes and let the iX3 bring itself to a stop. That process of deceleration was so smooth that I genuinely couldn't tell when the wheels had stopped rolling. The new systems controlling those electric motors allow more precise application of the regenerative braking function. That not only means smoother one-pedal driving, but the kind of perfectly controlled stop that'll keep your passengers from getting jostled at every red light. An irresistible EV? Ultra-smooth stopping is a small thing, but it really does increase the comfort of driving around in the iX3. By the end of the day, I was blown away by everything BMW's new EV brings to the table. And that's on top of the big, dashboard-spanning Panoramic Vision display, which runs from one pillar to another to provide a customizable and interactive information display. The big question, though, is whether any of this will be enough to convince the largely EV-skeptical luxury car buyers out there that all this is good enough to finally make the switch away from internal combustion. The company's gas-powered X3 is consistently one of its top sellers, and while that isn't going away, BMW clearly has high hopes that the iX3 will bring that kind of sales success to its battery-powered efforts. But it's just the first of multiple models planned on this Neue Klasse platform, all with the same combination of tech and finesse. If they're successful, maybe the world can finally put that BMW blinker stigma to bed for good.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volvo Trucks introduces automatic speed limitation for increased safety
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Volvo Trucks launches a new service which enables the activation of automatic speed limitation in predefined geographical areas. The main objective is increased safety. Safer truck traffic in busy city areas, less damage within the truck depot and less stress for drivers who will know they will not accidentally exceed the speed limit. These are the main benefits of Safety Zones, Volvo Trucks' new digital service. Volvo is one of the first truck manufacturers to launch a service of this kind. Using Safety Zones, transport companies can set speed limits for each truck as it enters a predefined geographical area, a technology often referred to as "geofencing". When the truck is operated within the area, acceleration above the zone speed limit is restricted by the engine. The truck actively brakes to reach the zone speed limit if it enters the zone with a higher speed. "With this service, a transport company can secure that the speed of the vehicle is kept low. For example, in a harbor or at a logistics center, or in areas with a lot of people and traffic moving about like busy city centers and around schools," explains Johan Rundberg, product manager at Volvo Trucks. "The aim of the service is to make the traffic environment safer and to reduce stress for the driver. At Volvo, we continuously develop our safety systems with the purpose of taking steps towards our long-term vision of zero accidents with Volvo trucks." The fleet manager defines the geographical zones on a digital map, configures the allowed speed limit and has full control of which zone should be used for each truck. The driver will see in the instrument display that he or she is in a speed-limited zone and what the maximum speed is. Safety Zones is a subscription service and part of Volvo Connect, Volvo Trucks' interface for digital services for all customers. In the Volvo Connect portal, the fleet manager will receive an event notification whenever the truck enters or leaves the zone, and if the driver violates the maximum speed. The new service is available on Volvo's heavy-duty trucks Volvo FH, FM and FMX Euro 6 and with electric drivelines. This includes the new Volvo FM Low Entry, a truck that comes with electric drive only and which is especially suitable for traffic in city areas. The service is available as of June 2025 for new trucks and as of September 2025 for existing trucks. Facts: Safety Zones A service in Volvo Connect, Volvo's digital service platform, that combines vehicle positioning with rules set for specific zones on a map. The telematic unit onboard the truck transmits its GPS position and receives instructions set by fleet management. Customized speed limits can be set from 20 km/h and above. Up to 300 zones can be active in a truck. The service automatically sets and limits the cruise control to the maximum set speed in the zone. Volvo Connect Positioning service is a prerequisite for Safety Zones. Available on Volvo's heavy-duty trucks Volvo FH, FM and FMX Euro 6, and trucks with electric drivelines (produced later than autumn 2022), including Volvo FM Low Entry. How Safety Zones works: When entering a zone, the truck will automatically brake to meet the set speed limit. The driver is notified in the instrument display. For safety purposes, the driver can override the speed limit by doing a kick-down on the accelerator pedal. If the driver uses cruise control, the speed cannot be set to a speed higher than the zone limit. Entering, leaving, override and speed violation events are shown to the fleet manager in Volvo Connect. LINK to high resolution images Press images and films are available in the Volvo Trucks' Media Hub: For more information, please contact:Helena LindMedia Relations Director, Volvo 76 5536257 This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: Volvo Trucks_Safety Zones_final VT SafetyZones 2025 2 Safety Zones 1 VT SafetyZones 2025 3 VT SafetyZones 2025 5 Volvo FM Low Entry View original content: SOURCE Volvo Trucks Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
To steal today's computerized cars, thieves go high-tech
These days, cars are computer centers on wheels. Today's vehicles can contain over 100 computers and millions of lines of software code. These computers are all networked together and can operate all aspects of your vehicle. It's not surprising, then, that car theft has also become high-tech. The computers in a vehicle can be divided into four categories. Many computers are dedicated to operating the vehicle's drive train, including controlling the fuel, battery or both, monitoring emissions and operating cruise control. The second category is dedicated to providing safety. These computers collect data from the vehicle and the outside environment and provide functions like lane correction, automatic braking and backup monitoring. The third category is infotainment systems that provide music and video and can interface with your personal devices through Bluetooth wireless communications. Many vehicles can also connect to cellular services and provide Wi-Fi connectivity. The final category is the navigation system, including the car's GPS system. Computers in one category often need to communicate with computers in another category. For example, the safety system must be able to control the drive train and the infotainment systems. One difference between the network in your car and a typical computer network is that all devices in the car trust each other. Therefore, if an attacker can access one computer, they can easily access other computers in the car. As with any new technology, some aspects of today's cars make it harder for thieves, and some make it easier. There are several methods of stealing a car that are enabled by today's technology. One of the high-tech features is the use of keyless entry and remote start. Keyless entry has become common on many vehicles and is very convenient. The fob you have is paired to your car using a code that both your car and fob know, which prevents you from starting other cars. The difference between keyless entry and the remotes that unlock your car is that keyless entry fobs are always transmitting, so when you get near your car and touch the door, it will unlock. You had to press a button for old fobs to unlock the car door and then use your key to start the car. The first keyless fobs transmitted a digital code to the car, and it would unlock. Thieves quickly realized they could eavesdrop on the radio signal and make a recording. They could then 'replay' the recording and unlock the car. To help with security, the newest fobs use a one-time code to open the door. One method of stealing cars involves using two devices to build an electronic bridge between your fob and your car. One person goes near the car and uses a device to trick the car into sending a digital code used to verify the owner's fob. The thief's device sends that signal to an accomplice standing near the owner's home, which transmits a copy of the car's signal. When the owner's fob replies, the device near the house sends the fob signal to the device near the car, and the car opens. The thieves can then drive off, but once they turn the car off they cannot restart it. Carmakers are looking to fix this by ensuring the fob is in the car for it to be driven. The network used by all computers in a car to communicate is called a controller area network bus. It's designed to allow the computers in a car to send commands and information to each other. The CAN bus was not designed for security, because all of the devices are assumed to be self-contained. But that presumption leaves the CAN bus vulnerable to hackers. Car thieves often try to hack into the CAN bus and from there the computers that control the car's engine. The engine control unit stores a copy of the wireless key code, and thieves can clone this to a blank key fob to use to start the victim's car. One method is accessing a car's onboard diagnostics through a physical port or wireless connection meant for repair technicians. Thieves who access the onboard diagnostics gain access to the CAN bus. Another network hacking method is breaking through a headlight to reach the CAN bus via a direct wiring connection. Modern thieves also try the USB hack, which exploits a design flaw in Hyundai and Kia vehicles. This is more of an old-style hot-wiring of a car than a high-tech computer issue. It is named the USB hack because when thieves break into a car, they look for a slot in the steering column. It turns out that a USB connector fits into the slot, and this allows you to turn on the ignition. So all someone has to do is break the window, insert a USB connector and start the car. This technique has become infamous thanks to a loose affiliation of young car thieves in Milwaukee dubbed the Kia Boyz who have gained notoriety on TikTok. Hyundai and Kia have issued an update that closes the vulnerability by requiring the fob to be in the car before you can start it. Given there are so many different car models, and their complexity is increasing, there are likely to continue to be new and creative ways for thieves to steal cars. So what can you do? Some things are the same as always: Keep your vehicle locked, and don't leave your key fob in it. What is new is keeping your vehicle's software up to date, just as you do with your phone and computer. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University Read more: How Ukraine has defended itself against cyberattacks – lessons for the US US autoworkers may wage a historic strike against Detroit's 3 biggest automakers − with wages at EV battery plants a key roadblock to agreement Four strategies to make your neighborhood safer Doug Jacobson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
