News from the world of automotive technology (Topic)

Automakers are in constant competition. This stimulates the market. Innovations and promising technologies are born here one after another. In this review, we'll take a look at how Tesla is ahead of the competition in the use of artificial intelligence. In other information blocks, we will get acquainted with several original inventions of engineers from Renault, Toyota and EP Tender.

Where the Japanese are lagging behind the Americans

Recently, reverse engineering (research or familiarization with a new program or device) of Model 3 Tesla took place, in which specialists from the Japanese company Toyota took part. At the end of the event, they directly stated that their American colleagues are significantly ahead of them in the development of intelligent systems for cars.

This is Hardware 3. Tesla engineers developed it independently, without outside help. The complex includes two chips with an area of 260 mm2. This computer has a lot of power, which is in demand for unmanned vehicle control, and also serves as an intelligent entertainment center.

A distinctive feature of the platform is its non-universality. The product can only be used with Tesla products.

After a thorough examination of Hardware 3, it was found that all its components were created by specialists from an American manufacturer, no third-party logos were found. This is both good and bad. The downside is the deterioration of the maintainability of US models.

Experts believe that similar technologies in Japan and Germany will appear no earlier than 2025. In the meantime, in their models on electric traction, they use components from several manufacturers and suppliers. This allows to diversify supplies and provide some competition in this area. The French created a small car with an electric motor for trips in the city

For those familiar with the products of the French automaker Renault, it is not difficult to imagine the capabilities of the Twingo model, on the basis of which the electric car was created. The gasoline version has been sold in large circulation around the world - more than 4 million copies.

The electric vehicle was named Twingo ZE. It works well in urban environments.

This is facilitated by its compact size, high charging speed and low cost.

The device is equipped with a LG Chem battery with a liquid cooling system, with a capacity of 22 kWh. One charge is enough for 160 km. If the car is additionally recharged for half an hour, at a station with a capacity of 37 kW, then you can drive another 80 km.

To charge the car battery, you can use an ordinary single-phase outlet. The whole process will take about 8 hours.

The Twingo ZE electric motor has a power of 82 hp. Up to the recommended 50 km / h in the city, it is able to accelerate a car in 4 seconds.

The electric car is expected to be announced on March 3 during the Geneva Motor Show. Its estimated cost is $ 24,000, sales are scheduled to begin later this year. It is assumed that at least 25,000 copies will be sold per year.

Toyota in USA will protect its models from theft

One of the most unpleasant risks for a car owner is theft. Even the most advanced alarm systems do not always protect against it. However, Japanese engineers have already figured out a way to protect Toyota and Lexus cars from theft.

Starting this year, the entire range of the brand will be equipped with a unique anti-theft identifier T-Mark / L-Mark.

This code is a type of marking, which is carried out by microdots from a film with a diameter of 1 mm. A PIN code associated with the VIN number of a particular car is applied to it. This is done on several assemblies and body elements. There can be up to 10,000 such points in total.

The Japanese believe that this approach will reduce the interest of car thieves in Toyota and Lexus models, since it will be problematic to sell the stolen car in the secondary market.

Anyone can check the correspondence of the data in the TCP and on the identifier.

The first model to receive the mark was the Lexus ES. Now the owners of such cars will be able to get a discount of up to 15% on the CASCO policy on the risk of theft.

Employees of a startup from France have come up with a way to increase the autonomy of electric vehicles

Electric vehicles have one significant drawback - a short range on a single battery charge. A startup from France has its own solution to this problem. EP Tender specialists suggested equipping autocars with small trailers with 60 kWh batteries installed in them.

The developers believe that this capacity will be enough so that the car owner does not worry about a lack of energy. Having an additional source of it will allow you to get to the nearest charging station or destination.

This approach will also save time spent on regular "refueling" the vehicle.

The startup plans not to sell, but to lease such trailers, since the cost of one is € 100,000. The rent will need to pay only € 34. Before that, you need to solve the problem of compatibility of a mobile power source with some machine models. It is planned to do this by 2024, when the trailers will start to operate.

The Topic of Article: News from the world of automotive technology.
Author: Jake Pinkman