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GM has filed a patent for autonomous driver-training technology, as first reported by Motor1.Instead of a human instructor, the system evaluates and trains novice drivers using various methods.GM’s system can give greater control to the driver-in-training if they achieve a high enough score.Human driving instructors might soon be replaced by computerized ones. No, not full-blown robots, but rather autonomous vehicles. That’s the idea behind the driver-training technology that’s described in a patent that General Motors filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as first reported by Motor1.
GM’s patent describes autonomous technology that doesn’t require a living, breathing driving instructor. Instead, the system is designed to evaluate and train novice drivers by using a combination of sensors for the car’s autonomous features as well as monitoring how the driver-in-training operates controls such as the accelerator, brake, and steering. The system also uses a processor with a driving algorithm stored in the car’s memory. By comparing the trainee’s manual inputs with recommended driving instructions, the processor calculates a score.
USPTO
From the sound of it, the score that GM’s autonomous driver-training feature calculates is similar to a grade given by a human instructor. The patent states that this score can be shared with third parties, too. Most importantly, it’s used to determine if the driver meets predetermined thresholds. It then selectively gives the driver greater control of various vehicle functions based on how their score compares with the preset thresholds. That sounds a lot more intuitive than the trial-by-fire method of letting young Kyle or Kelly learn how to navigate busy intersections or merge onto the freeway before they’re fully prepared.
While we’re not entirely sure if this system will be offered on personal vehicles, the patent points out that the technology could be used as part of a fleet for driver-education purposes. It also mentions the possible advantages of using autonomy to teach new drivers versus human instructors. Not only can real people be prone to bias, the patent suggests, but traditional training techniques might be more expensive and less efficient than autonomous techniques. We also don’t know if GM has any kind of timeline for rolling this technology out to the public, but it is encouraging to see that in the future the technology can be used to train people how to drive rather than mainly taking that ability away from them.
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After teasing the vehicle earlier this month, Mitsubishi revealed the D:X concept van.The stubby little MPV features wraparound glass, a plug-in-hybrid powertrain, and panoramic seating for up to six. The D:X concept alludes to the future of the beloved Delica van, introducing an electric four-wheel-drive system. The grass is always greener on the other side. unfortunately for us, the other side is across the Pacific Ocean. That’s because after releasing a teaser earlier this month, Mitsubishi has fully revealed the new D:X concept van. According to the manufacturer, the new concept is “designed to hint at the Delica of the future.” Future DelicaThe teaser earlier in the month left a lot to the imagination, only really displaying a dust-covered, rear-three-quarters view of the concept. Now we can see the endearing concept in all its chunky glory. Outward visibility is fantastic thanks to wraparound glass from the windshield to the D pillar, along with a front-mounted camera that provides a virtual “see-through” hood. The latter display extends from the base of the windshield to show information like road conditions (or off-road conditions) and turn angle for the front tires. MitsubishiThe D:X combines off-roader characteristics like a raised suspension, short front and rear overhangs, and all-wheel drive with more classic minivan or MPV traits like sliding doors and seating for six. Inside, the D:X features a 2+2+2 layout with panoramic seats that can rotate as well as move up and down. Front and rear skid plates and side-step protectors should offer protection for a bit of off-road performance as well. Without Getting SpecificMitsubishi didn’t delve into the specifics of the powertrain, save confirmation that the D:X features an electric four-wheel-drive system and is propelled by a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. The company also confirmed that the van can be used in an EV mode for short daily commutes or a hybrid mode for longer distances.MitsubishiAs things stand right now, Mitsubishi’s North American lineup is fairly scant and does not include the Delica van this concept alludes to. No matter how much we pine for it, we really don’t expect Mitsu to bring the new version stateside when it eventually goes into production. What a shame. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More
The updated mid-size truck will fit between the F-150 and upcoming Maverick, and we could get a high-performance Raptor model in the States, too. More
GM has launched a new educational tool called EV Live to answer customers’ questions about electric vehicles and how to charge them.The site is open to all—you can ask about charging, range, and even non-GM products, though they’re happy to discuss GM vehicles and technology.On evlive.gm.com, users can schedule a live session with a real person.Other carmakers have various means of educating and informing potential electric-vehicle buyers about EVs, but none has gone as far as General Motors’ new EV Live. Through an online web address, evlive.gm.com, anyone who wants to can schedule a meeting with a living, breathing, walking, and talking product expert who can answer just about any question or concern you may have about electric cars. More on EV LiveThe experts can also literally take you inside any of GM’s various electric-car offerings, from a Bolt EUV to a BrightDrop commercial vehicle, all from a space inside GM’s Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. EV charging questions are open for discussion, too. “Anybody can access it—it’s always available, and it’s free,” said Hoss Hossani, GM’s vice president of the EV Ecosystem. “It’s not just for GM customers. It’s really for anybody. It’s basically an interactive education platform.”A potential customer uses EVLive online on a tablet.GMAnd the answers cover the whole of the EV universe, delivered by a real person.”There’s a lot of content on the site,” Hossani said. “The ideal experience is to actually speak with one of our EV Live specialists that are real humans. These aren’t avatars or bots or ChatGPT AI. Behind the scenes is a real human being. You can see them on video (they can’t see you), and you can ask them literally any question you have about EVs: charging, range, batteries, longevity, sustainability, recyclability, cost of ownership. They’re really there to help demystify EVs for the masses. And for folks who are on the fence, or maybe they don’t believe in EVs altogether. So that’s the gist of what EV Live is all about.”We Put It to the TestI got to try it out. A technician in a big hotel meeting room in Los Angeles showed me the EV Live experience on a large TV screen. Most people will be watching this on their phones, though you can connect to it on any internet-capable device. Immediately I was whisked virtually into a studio in wonderful Warren, Michigan, and there was a confident and friendly EV expert. She showed me around the EUV Bolt, pointing out a few features.I asked a question I’ve heard many times: How can I charge an EV if I live in an apartment? “Oh gosh, we have lots of solutions,” said Jen, the EV specialist on the screen. Know Your StuffJen told me that she herself wants to buy a Chevy Bolt EUV. In her apartment complex there is a charging hub for residents, with three charging cables available, she said, and that at some workplaces there are charging outlets that allow EV owners to charge while at work. And if that doesn’t do it for you, there are more fast chargers being built all the time. For public chargers, you can get an EVGo credit of $500, Jen said. I asked about BrightDrop, GM’s commercial-electric vehicle. Jen recommended I set up a tour with Trish, the EV Live BrightDrop specialist. GM offers a lot of EVs, with more coming soon.GMThere are separate GM EV Live studios for Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. “We have this very seamless handoff between the EV Live studio and, for example, the Chevy studio if you want to find out more about the Equinox that’s coming out—whether it’s a gasoline Equinox, or the electric Equinox—this studio is meant to be focused on that education, around EVs.”EV Live is not the only way for customers to become educated about GM EVs.”Every General Motors customer, if they have a Chevrolet, they have a myChevrolet app. If they’ve got a GMC, they have a myGMC app,” said Hossani. “People are initiating a live call or looking to go deeper than the information we’re providing on the website, which is the whole point, to allow us to have deeper conversations that are more personalized to your individual use case.”Why this? Why now? Last year 6 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. were electric. That could be a tipping point.”Based on what we’ve seen in China and in Europe, once you hit that 5 or 6 percent of new-vehicle sales being EVs, you start to see an acceleration,” said Hossani. “So the next five years, we’ll see it become a tipping point. I see a lot more people getting into electric over the next five years than we did over the last 10.” Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed Ford, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since. More
Jeremy Clarkson has been working with Amazon Prime’s streaming arm since he left the BBC and Top Gear in 2015. However, that relationship is not likely to last into 2025, Variety reports. Citing its own sources, Variety claims that Amazon Prime Video is “likely” planning to stop working with Clarkson after already-ordered episodes of his two programs, Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour, wrap in 2024. Under the expected plan, Clarkson would finish out his existing agreements with the company before both parties move on at the end of the deal. That would likely mean a third season of Clarkson’s Farm and four more episodes of The Grand Tour.Better TimesThe decision is a response to Clarkson’s widely derided column about Meghan Markle, which blamed her for the actions of her husband, Prince Harry. Clarkson took particular heat for a reference to a scene in Game of Thrones, suggesting that Markle be “made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her.” Clarkson apologized for the column a few days after it ran, then again on Instagram Monday. In the second apology, he also announced that he has already apologized to Markle and Prince Harry directly.”Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry,” Clarkson wrote in his Instagram apology Monday. “So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.”While no change in plans has been formally announced, Amazon called off an upcoming press conference to promote Clarkson’s Farm shortly after the Variety report was released Monday. More