Google and Fiat Chrysler self-driving car partnership to double Google’s self-driving car fleet.
Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) has announced it was teaming up with Google on self-driving technology. It is the first time Google has worked directly with a car maker to integrate its technology into a passenger vehicle. Around 100 new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans will be equipped with Google’s technology, more than doubling Google’s current fleet of self-driving test vehicles. ”This collaboration with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is the first time we’ve worked directly with an automaker to create our vehicles. FCA will design the minivans so it’s easy for us to install our self-driving systems, including the computers that hold our self-driving software, and the sensors that enable our software to see what’s on the road around the vehicle,” said Google on the project’s Google+ page. ”The minivan design also gives us an opportunity to test a larger vehicle that could be easier for passengers to enter and exit, particularly with features like hands-free sliding doors.”
Google has conducted discussions with a number of car manufacturers, including General Motors, according to Bloomberg.
Google’s and FCA’s engineering teams will work together at a facility in southeastern Michigan.
A win-win deal
Google’s self-driving cars have driven over 1.5 million miles on public roads since the project started in 2009. They are currently being tested in Mountain View, CA, Austin, TX, Kirkland, WA and Phoenix, AZ. By partnering with FCA, Google will be able to test its self-driving system in larger passenger cars for the first time. Fiat will uniquely engineer the vehicles, instead of retrofitting existing ones. Fiat, on the other hand, gets the opportunity to catch up on self-driving cars, an area where the car maker has been perceived as lagging behind. “Working with Google provides an opportunity for FCA to partner with one of the world’s leading technology companies to accelerate the pace of innovation in the automotive industry,” said Sergio Marchionne, FCA’s chief executive officer in a statement.
Self-driving cars: $20 billion in insurance premiums wiped off by 2020
Autonomous driving (AD) cars are set to reduce the number of car crashes by 80% by 2035, according to the NHTSA. But while self-driving cars represent a major opportunity for the tech and automotive industry, other sectors might be negatively impacted by this technological shift. As a consequence of AD introduction, car insurance premiums could indeed plummet, said Volvo in an unrelated statement. A total of USD 20 billion in car insurance premiums could be wiped off globally by 2020, according to research by Swiss Re and HERE.
IIot News recap: Microsoft buys Solair, smart city ICT infrastructure revenues to soar
Microsoft boosts IIoT offering with Solair acquisition
By acquiring Italian-based Solair, and integrating the company’s IoT customization and deployment solutions into its Azure IoT suite, Microsoft can further enhance its IoT offering for the enterprise. Microsoft has not disclosed how much it paid for Solair. Founded in 2011, Solair has already implemented its technology with a number of large customers, including Italian espresso machine manufacturer Rancilio Group.
A fourth of US car owners in favor of connecting cars and smart home devices
Mobile operators and insurance companies, with assets in both the connected car and smart home markets, are set to benefit from the convergence of these market segments. Indeed, according to new research by Park Associates, 27% of U.S. car owners say they would like a feature that lets a connected car communicate with smart devices in their home, such as smart garage door openers and door sensors. The analyst firm also found that 61 percent of car owners would prefer to bundle car data with smartphone data under a single billing plan.
Technavio: Booming smart city ICT infrastructure market to generate $712 billion by 2020
Rapid urbanization and connected lifestyles require a new game plan for cities. No matter how little consumers actually understand about smart cities at this point, it is all going to happen one way or another, generating considerable ICT infrastructure revenues. According to a new forecast by Technavio, the global smart city ICT Infrastructure market will indeed exceed USD 712 Billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 17% during the forecast period. The largest market for smart city ICT infrastructure in 2020 will be the Americas (USD 264 billion) , followed by EMEA (USD 242 billion) and APAC (USD 206 billion).
San Diego SmartCity Hackathon kicks off smart city innovation program
San Diego wants to tap into the public and private sector to develop solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the quality of life for residents. As part of a larger innovation program, the city will be arranging a smart city hackathon beginning the weekend of 20-22 May at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). “The main goal for San Diego SmartCity Hackathon is to crowdsource the most innovative technology solutions from our private and public sectors in the City of San Diego, including tech, academia, corporations, independent software developers, designers and others,” said Daniel Obodovski, San Diego SmartCity Hackathon organizer in a statement.
