California’s Electric Companies Submit Plans for More EV Charging Stations

California’s leading electricity providers recently released plans to install more than 10,000 EV charging stations across the state. Outlines for these new plug-in points nudge forward efforts to mainstream electric vehicles by growing California’s fledgling network of charging resources.

Last week, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) each submitted proposals to the California Public Utilities Commission asking for funding “to help accelerate the transition to electric transportation.”

Proposed strategies focus on facilitating charge capability for passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as heavy-duty and industrial equipment. If the plans pass, the project would cost electric customers nearly $1 billion in financing fees.
The suggested upgrades have arrived in tandem with California’s upcoming midterm review of its Zero-Emission Vehicle Program. Resulting from recent state senate initiatives in support of sustainability, the ZEV program aims to halt greenhouse emissions by putting 1.5 million clean-energy vehicles on the road by 2025. ZEV efforts fronted by governor Jerry Brown are credited with contributing to California’s swelling plugable car count, which exceeded 250,000 in November 2016.

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Amazon Patent Hints at Self-Driving Car Plans

Amazon is continuing research into self-driving cars, according to a patent filed in November 2015 and newly approved last Tuesday. The patent proposes a fix for issues involving reversible lanes, or lanes that shift direction according to patterns in traffic movement.

Amazon’s patent notes that information on traffic direction in a reversible lane may not be available upon a self-driving car’s approach, which could potentially result in head on collisions. To prevent this, the patent suggests a system which shares data provided by multiple self-driving cars to optimize vehicle routes and plan for possible dangers.    

Besides preventing disasters, the patent’s proposals could solve the efficiency problems reversible lanes currently present to manned drivers. By analyzing traffic in reversible lanes, Amazon’s self-driving cars could develop optimal routes ahead of time, avoiding not only accidents, but major traffic.

Self-driven transportation seems to be a major focus of Amazon’s logistical development. Although the patent reveals little about exactly how Amazon plans to approach the self-driving scene, it’s clear that the tech giant is at least intrigued by the prospect of autonomous delivery systems; Amazon acquired robotics developers Kiva Systems in 2012 and has since begun implementing robotics tech to automate and expand its shipping services.

Also intriguing is the fact that Amazon’s self guided drone program, Prime Air, is spearheading research into self-driving cars. Prime Air’s technical advisor, Jim Curlander, was credited as a co-author of Amazon’s reversible lane patent.

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Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Two years ago Alabama and Clemson fought in one of the fiercest championship matchups college football has seen. Alabama took victory, but Deshaun Watson and his Tigers rested, recouped and roared back in 2016, answering Alabama with a competitive 13-1 season. Again Clemson stood against the Crimson Tide, but this was different. This time the Tide was outlasted. Watson’s touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow during the 2016 season championship’s final two seconds earned Clemson sweet redemption.

So what will happen next year? Here’s a peek at how both team’s lineups will look come 2017’s preseason:

Alabama

Alabama’s strong defense will have some departures to deal with, but its offense looks to swing back stronger. Returning weapons include leading rusher Damien Harris, playoff standout Bo Scarbrough and Calvin Ridley. QB Jalen Hurts will take the field for his sophomore year, commanding what some say could be Nick Saban’s best offensive lineup to date.

Clemson
Clemson faces some heavy losses coming into 2017. The departure of QB Deshaun Watson will likely hurt the most, since the 2016 Tigers rallied behind Watson’s leadership. Losing offensive stars like Mike Williams and Artavis Scott will sting, and Clemson’s defense will also be without talents like Ben Boulware, Carlos Watkins and Jadar Johnson. Competition for the spot of new QB looks to heat up between junior Kelly Bryant, and freshmen Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Golden State Warriors Season Update

With over half of the season already in the books, this would be a good time to check in on the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Basketball fans will note that at this point last season, the Warriors were sitting with an astonishing 48-4 record after starting the season off with a record 24 wins in a row.

The 2016-17 season started with the highest of expectation as the Warriors were able to lure superstar Kevin Durant over in free agency from the Oklahoma Thunder. There was little doubt that a starting quintet that included two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and All-star Klay Thompson joining forces with an offensive juggernaut like Durant was going to create problems for the rest of the league.

The only surprise so far this season is the five losses the team has suffered, with two of those losses coming at home against San Antonio and Houston. However, the Warriors are certainly entitled to an adjustment period while they work on integrating Durant into an offensive scheme that relies on precision passing and outstanding 3-point shooting.

Of course, it’s hard to ask anymore out of a team that is leading the league in scoring at 118.3 PPG and field-goal percentage at .501%. Without trying to place any blame on a specific player, a couple of the team’s early season losses occurred while Thompson struggled to find his stroke and his rightful position on the court. All concerns about his ability to still put up big points were surely set aside when he laid down a scorching 60 points against the Indiana Pacers in less that 30 minutes on the court. That number just missed the NBA record for points per minute as Thompson scored 2.07 PPM versus the record of 2.09 PPM.

As for the rest of the team, everyone seems to be settling in nicely to the new player rotation scheme as laid down by Head Coach Steve Kerr. On the season, Durant holds a scoring edge over Steph Curry, averaging 25.7 PPG while Curry is averaging 25.3 PPG. Draymond Green, continues to be a very important component on a team that has designs for another NBA Championship. It’s worth noting that Green, as a forward, leads the team in assists with 7.3 per game. That’s an amazing accomplishment on a team that is leading the league in assists by a large margin. It’s also a testament to how deep this team is and why they are favorites to take down the league title.

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Google’s Alphabet Inc. Company and Their Self-driving Service

In 2009, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc, began the daunting task of researching and developing autonomous, or self-driving vehicles. This endeavor was aptly titled the “self-driving car project.” By 2012, their autonomous technology had clocked in more than 300,000 miles of driving time on freeways and highways. In the same year, they began to test their vehicles on city streets.

By 2014, Google had developed their own self-driving vehicle prototype, and tested said prototype on public roads the following year. Throw in another 2 million self-driven miles and an additional 1 billion miles of simulated tests with their technology, and, in 2016, the project became its own business entity called Waymo.

It was with the creation of Waymo that Google announced their official intent to join the ever-growing market of automated cars and compete with rivals such as Tesla and Uber. According to CEO John Krafcik, Waymo stands for “A new way forward in mobility,” and that with the concept in mind, they have big plans for the future. He stated that he could see their self-driving technology being used for ride-sharing, transportation, personal-use, and beyond.

In May of 2016, Google partnered with Fiat-Chrysler to begin integrating their minivans with Google’s self-driving system. This pairing proved beneficial for both companies, since Fiat would not have to spend the money developing their own technology, and Google would have more time to perfect their self-driving technology.

As of today, Google is using its autonomous technology in vehicles that are still equipped with a gas pedal and steering wheel, to appease state’s regulations. The goal, says Krafcik, is to get to a point where those elements are not necessary.

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