Aurelia Butler

In the U.S. in 2020, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, vehicle-related deaths of pedestrians were up almost 5 percent—and they rose even more in proportion to the lower number of total miles that vehicles traveled during the pandemic year.Infrastructure weaknesses and poor lighting conditions were partly to blame, but the safety group also blames the growing popularity of larger SUVs and trucks.One New York state senator is proposing a safety rating system for the big vehicles based on how likely they are to hurt or kill pedestrians in a collision.Last year may turn out to have been one of the deadliest years on record for pedestrians. Early projections by the Governors Highway Safety Association say that the total number of pedestrian deaths in 2020 were up 4.8 percent, and that was despite a pandemic-influenced 16.5 percent drop in vehicle miles traveled.

Because fewer of us were driving, the GHSA projects a startling 21 percent increase in the rate of pedestrian deaths per billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT). That would be the largest annual increase in that rate since reporting began in 1975. In raw numbers, the association is predicting 6721 pedestrian deaths, and 2.3 deaths per billion VMT. It will be at least six months until the final numbers are available.The GHSA did find some good news in 2020’s projected numbers: 19 states and Washington, D.C., saw their pedestrian deaths decrease last year. Of those, Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are all projected to have double-digit declines in pedestrian fatalities compared to 2019. The GHSA, which represents the state highway safety offices, found plenty of reasons for those numbers: infrastructure and lighting issues, to begin with. In 2019, three out of four pedestrians were killed at night, and about the same proportion were not at an intersection, according to the GHSA. But as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found in a report last fall, some people out driving during the height of COVID restrictions were taking more risks—a statistically important number of them were driving faster, driving while impaired, or weren’t wearing seatbelts. Distracted driving continues to be a problem. So while some activists and politicians point to the ever-rising numbers of SUVs and trucks, the problem is more complex. Those states seeing declines have SUVs and trucks, too, after all. It is also impossible to ignore some correlation between the increasing popularity of SUVs and the increasing number of pedestrian deaths. According to the GHSA report, between 2010 to 2019, the number of pedestrians killed by an SUV increased by 69 percent, while the number involving passenger cars was up 46 percent. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), pedestrian deaths accounted for 17 percent of car crash fatalities in 2019 as compared to 13 percent in 2010. A small-scale study in 2020 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety demonstrated the increased risk to pedestrians caused by SUVs. “Between 20 and 39 mph, three out of 10 crashes with SUVs resulted in a fatality compared with just five out of 22 crashes that involved cars. So, a pretty significant increase for SUVs,” IIHS spokesperson Joe Young said. While auto manufacturers have taken steps over the past several decades to make SUVs less dangerous in vehicle-to-vehicle crashes, “What this study tells us is that those efforts did nothing for pedestrians,” Young said. Trucks and SUVs Rated 1-5 for Pedestrian Safety?The New York State Senate has introduced a bill, SB 4307, that would require a pedestrian-safety rating for every vehicle, scoring them on a 1 to 5 scale similar to the ratings NHTSA already applies to vehicles. The difference is that this would rate vehicles based on the damage done in collisions with cyclists and pedestrians. The bill’s author, Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who represents Brooklyn, said SUVs and trucks are exactly the reason he’s advocating for a new rating system that would be implemented by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles.”Most people aren’t primed to think about the impact that their vehicle purchases have on the greater safety of people in the environment around them,” Gounardes told Bloomberg. “We hope this will help educate people in a way that will help them see the consequences of their choices.”If this bill were to become law, the ratings would be posted online, and all vehicles for sale in New York State would be required to display the 1-5 numerical rating.Safety Tech on BoardTechnology may help with pedestrian safety. “But we’re not there yet,” Pam Shadel Fischer, GHSA senior director for external engagement, said. The crash technology that’s expected to be adopted on all new cars by 2022 was designed for vehicle-to-vehicle detection. Automated emergency braking and front crash prevention technology, for example, will engage the brakes if a stopped vehicle is detected, but you can’t count on every vehicle to detect the presence of a human in every situation. In addition, lane-keeping-assist technology may alert a driver to a pedestrian, but its strength is in detecting cars.However, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points out, SUVs and other large vehicles are gradually getting safer: “Earlier research had shown that SUVs, pickup trucks and passenger vans were two to three times more likely than cars to kill a pedestrian in the event of a crash. However, most earlier studies were based on crash data collected in the 1970s, ’80s, and’ 90s. Since then, SUV manufacturers have made substantial design changes.”IIHS started testing vehicle-to-vehicle detection systems in 2019, measuring how well they alert a driver to the presence of a pedestrian. Safety-minded SUV buyers can look at the “front crash protection: vehicle to pedestrian” test results for their vehicle of choice on the IIHS website. “Even if these systems can’t fully stop a vehicle, they may slow it down substantially. And that makes a huge difference when you’re talking about a vehicle striking a pedestrian,” commented IIHS spokesperson Joe Young.
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The Audi fast-charging hub concept features its own energy storage, to take advantage of off-peak energy.2.45 MwH of energy storage would be provided by used lithium-ion batteries sourced from old EVs.The premium interior of the concept fast-charging hub, expected to be constructed later this year in pilot form, would feature a lounge with food and drink.With the arrival of the EV age, it has been clear for a long time that the concept of the typical gas station will have to evolve as well, transforming from a tiny convenience store to something suited for longer visits, and able to accommodate more cars over a longer span of time. So far, even countries with the highest rates of EV adoption haven’t envisioned the charging station’s potential, and even domestic Tesla Superchargers can still be quite industrial, tucked away in a corner of a Chili’s parking lot just off the interstate.

Yet even with DC fast charging and visits lasting 10 or 15 minutes, it’s likely that gas stations will have to evolve beyond offering a handful of chargers in place of gas nozzles. Audi is working on a concept charging hub for what it calls “premium-level electromobility,” which it intends to show as a fully built concept later this year, ahead of a possible production debut.How does Ingolstadt picture the service area of the future?

Audi

For starters, Audi set out to address the future issue of a lack of charging space at home while also imagining a solution to peak demand on charging infrastructure. The company’s solution is a charging hub that features a monster 2.45 Mwh of energy storage, provided by used lithium-ion batteries. Such a hub would house six charging stations for six cars—a modest number—offering a a charging output up to 300 kW.”That makes output starting at 11 kW per cube sufficient to be able to fill the three storage modules with a total capacity of 2.45 MWh continually and to charge them overnight,” the company says. “Photovoltaic modules on the roof provide additional green energy. This not only makes it easier to select possible locations, it also reduces the planning time required and the costs while also saving resources. In addition, the modular concept provides maximum flexibility and scalability.”The aim is to minimize the hub’s reliance on the local energy grid, instead soaking up juice during off-peak hours and then selling it to cars during peak hours.

Audi

Aside from the technical charging abilities, the concept charging hub would also be a comfortable place to spend some time—that’s the premium-level electromobility half of the equation. The cube-shaped station would feature a lounge area with food and drink suitable for a visit around 20 to 25 minutes—the same time it would take to charge an Audi e-tron GT from 5 to 80 percent at a 270-kW charging capacity.”To make the wait a true premium experience, a lounge will provide Audi customers with the perfect setting for an enjoyable charging stop,” the automaker says. “The upstairs lounge area offers a place to pass the time that is modern and in line with the premium concept, the perfect space and setting for a break with added value. A variety of amenities and a range of snacks, drinks, and non-food items make the charging stop a welcome break.”Audi suggests that such a hub would be modular and pre-fabricated, relying on “flexible container cubes” to house the lithium-ion batteries, with the ability to transport the hub itself (in several pieces, judging by the concept drawing) and install it in locations mostly independent of the capacities of local energy networks. So the hub, featuring its own battery storage, would not be as dependent on local infrastructure as a modern fast-charging station.

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“The charging hub embodies our aspiration for the electric era and highlights Audi’s commitment to ‘Vorsprung durch Technik.’ A flexible high-performing HPC charging park like this does not require much from the local electricity grid and uses a sustainable battery concept. Our customers benefit in numerous ways: from the ability to make exclusive reservations, a lounge area and short waiting times thanks to high-performance charging. This is consistent with the premium concept,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Audi board member for Technical Development.Of course, being a concept of premium-level electromobility, it’s clear such a thing would not be inexpensive to build even with retired lithium-ion batteries from vehicles. So users will definitely have to pay for the premium lounge part of the deal. And with a relatively small number of cars to be accommodated at any one time, Audi says car owners would need to make exclusive reservations to visit it. So this would not be a large service area off the freeway that can host dozens of vehicles at once—the aim is a far more exclusive, with amenities akin to a luxury dealership waiting lounge. We also have to wonder just how many Audi EV owners would not simply charge the car at home at its dedicated charger. This already sounds like a small percentage, but may not be so in the future when those who only have curbside parking will be forced to seek stations elsewhere.Audi plans to roll out the hub pilot later this year, and is currently searching for a suitable site for this concept in Germany.

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McLaren has released a version of the Elva with a windshield, but it still doesn’t have a roof.The addition adds a claimed 44 pounds.It has the same 804-hp twin-turbocharged V-8 engine.We respect the purity of purpose of the McLaren Elva, the stripped hypercar lacking any form of physical weather protection. But we have more difficulty understanding McLaren’s announcement of a version that will have a windshield, but still no roof. Isn’t that missing the point a little?

The actual logic behind the half-naked Elva is a more prosaic one. It is illegal to sell a car without a windshield in some parts of the world, and some states in the U.S. The company says it also anticipates that some buyers in less restricted markets will also prefer to the additional security of safety glass over the modest protection offered by the unadorned Elva’s clever Active Air Management System, which uses ducts and vents to divert airflow to create a low speed ‘bubble’ around the passenger compartment. McLaren anticipates the screen will add around 44 pounds in weight.

McLaren

The rest of the Elva is unchanged, with an 804-hp version of McLaren’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8. The company claims that the car accelerates to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and to 124 mph in just 6.8 seconds. The company makes no claims about the new car’s top speed, but we would be surprised if the windshield didn’t improve its high-speed aerodynamics. Yet the addition doesn’t improve the car’s looks; instead, it just emphasizes just how striking the unglazed version appears. McLaren originally planned to produce up to 399 of the Elva, each with a $1.7 million base price. That production figure has been substantially reduced, as the company began to realize the limited appeal of a car with so much performance and so little weather protection. McLaren has now pledged to make no more than 149. That figure still seems high compared to the limited-to-12 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar—which does have a windshield, but no roof—and the limited-to-88 Aston Martin V12 Speedster which is equally naked.
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Infiniti announced that the 2022 QX60 will make its production debut June 23.The company also shared a teaser photo of the SUV’s dashboard.The new QX60 will have the same new transmission as the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, a nine-speed automatic.The new-generation 2022 Infiniti QX60 will arrive in its final form on June 23 before going on sale in the U.S. later this year. Infiniti has already shared the basic design of the new three-row SUV thanks to the QX60 Monograph concept car, and confirmed that it will use the same 3.5-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic transmission as the related 2022 Nissan Pathfinder.

A new teaser photo shows a glimpse at the QX60’s interior, suggesting it will use nicer materials and updated technology compared with the dated current model. The image shows a dashboard with quilted leather trim and a large infotainment screen. We can also see three physical knobs that seem to be for audio and climate controls.

Infiniti

We don’t expect the production-spec QX60 to look too different from the Monograph concept. The biggest changes will likely be to the headlights, taillights, door handles, and wheels. Its V-6 engine will produce 295 horsepower and Infiniti promises a towing capacity of up to 6000 pounds. It will also offer the ProPilot Assist set of driver-assistance features as an option.We’ll find out more on June 23, and the 2022 QX60 will go on sale in the U.S. this fall with a starting price that should be around $45,000.
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