Volvo has developed the world’s first interior radar system for cars

Volvo has introduced a number of important safety features in its vehicles throughout the years including the first three-point seatbelt back in 1959. But now the company has developed something a bit more techy with what it’s calling the world’s first interior radar system for cars. 

Set to debut on its upcoming flagship EX90 electric SUV, Volvo’s new radar system is designed to monitor both the cabin and trunk of a vehicle in order to prevent the car from being locked while anyone is still inside. The idea is to guard against situations where pets or children may be inadvertently trapped inside a car on a hot day, with the car surfacing reminders if it recognizes that there are still occupants inside when being locked. Additionally, the car’s climate control can also be set to stay on if a passenger is detected, further lowering the risk of heatstroke. 

While the thought of leaving a pet or child inside a car on a hot day is unimaginable to most people, it can happen to anyone. In its press release, Volvo cited statistics from the US where more than 900 children have tragically died due to hyperthermia since 1998. 

Volvo’s senior technical specialist for injury prevention Lotta Jakobsson says “No one chooses to be distracted or tired, but we know it can happen. We’re all human and distraction is a fact of life. With the help of cutting edge technology, we’ll support you when you’re not at your best and help you avoid leaving family members or pets behind by accident.”

In order to cover as much of the inside of the EX90 as possible, Volvo says it will use multiple radars positioned in the car’s overhead console, roof-mounted reading lamps and in the trunk that can detect “sub-millimeter” movements. Unfortunately, we won’t get a more detailed idea of how Volvo’s new interior radar system really works until the EX90 is officially revealed on November 9th. But given that the new feature will come standard on the company’s forthcoming EV (where allowed by regulation), we’re hoping to see similar systems become basic equipment on more cars and makes in the future. 

Mercedes says the electric G-Class will arrive in 2024

Mercedes-Benz has revealed when you might be able to get behind the wheel of its electric G-Class. The automaker’s CEO Ola Källenius told members of the media that the vehicle will arrive by the end of 2024, according to Autoblog.

The company announced a zero-emission electric version of the SUV back in 2019 and we got a close-up look at an EQG concept last year. Last fall, Källenius put a prototype of the EV through its paces at Mercedes’ testing grounds in Graz, Austria — that’s where the company typically evaluates the internal combustion version of the G-Class. He seemingly had a positive experience. “From now on, going off-road is electric,” Källenius told reporters.

Making an electric version of the G-Class work was essential for the SUV to stick around for the long haul. Mercedes plans to have an all-electric vehicle lineup by 2030.

Tesla to recall more than a million vehicles over pinchy windows

More than a million Tesla owners will have yet another recall notice to deal with in the coming weeks. On Tuesday the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filed a safety recall notice for numerous late model vehicles from across the EV maker’s lineup because “the window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction,” and as such, “a closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury,” per the notice.

The following models and years are impacted: 2017-22 Model 3s as well as 2020-21 Model Y, X and S vehicles. Tesla has until mid-November to contact affected owners and plans to push an OTA software update to correct the issue. 

Per the Associated Press, Tesla first identified the issues during product testing in August and has incorporated the update into newly built vehicles since September 13th. However, multiple Twitter users have sounded off in response to Tuesday’s announcement, noting that their vehicles have been having nearly identical issues since at least 2021. 

This is far from Tesla’s first safety recall. Over the last two years alone, Teslas have been recalled on account of overheating infotainment systems, camera and trunk defects, separating front suspensions, their “full self driving” ADAS, their pedestrian warning sounds, their seatbelt chimes, software glitches in their brakes, and sundry touchscreen failures. And that’s just in the US. In Germany this past July, Tesla got popped trying to pass off painted-over frame damage on its Model 3s too.

XPeng claims its G9 SUV is the world’s fastest charging EV

Chinese EV maker XPeng is no stranger to boundary-pushing car tech. In 2020, it unveiled the P7 sedan, which featured 200 more miles of EV range than the Tesla Model 3. Today, it’s targeting charging speed with its G9 SUV. The new flagship model can charge at up to 480 kW, allowing it to go from a 10 percent charge to 80 percent in 15 minutes (or 124 miles in 5 minutes). In the US, we’re limited to 350 kW fast chargers at best (and even then, you’ll need a fairly new or premium EV to support that speed). 

Of course, to see that fast charging rate, you’ll need to use one of the company’s chargers in China. XPeng plans to bring the G9 to European markets though, so perhaps 480 kW chargers will follow. 

Beyond its charging tech, the G9 also appears to have just about everything you’d want in a premium mid-size electric SUV. Its design and leather-filled interior evokes luxury car brands, while its dual-motor 4WD models can reach up to a whopping 551 hp. Powered by two NVIDIA Orin chips, the G9 also offers advanced driver assistance with 31 sensors and dual-LiDAR sensors, as well as automatic driving and parking assistance. 

Volvo will unveil the electric EX90 SUV on November 9th

Volvo’s EV range to date has been limited to smaller vehicles like the C40 Recharge, but it’s now ready to tackle the high end. The company has announced that it will reveal the “flagship” EX90 electric SUV on November 9th. While the brand is unsurprisingly shy on details, it claims the new model will offer the best standard safety features of any Volvo to date.

The trick is an improved “understanding” of both the driver and the environment. The EX90 will supposedly include a cutting-edge sensor array that includes cameras, radar and LiDAR on the outside. In the cabin, more cameras and capacitive steering wheel sensors will detect inattentiveness and take gradually more drastic actions to protect you, including stopping the car at the side of the road and calling for help.

Some of these safety concepts aren’t new. Systems like GM’s Super Cruise check that your eyes are on the road, while Tesla cars will disable Autopilot and come to a stop if you don’t put your hands on the wheel. Volvo is clearly hoping it offers the best safeguards of the bunch, though, and LiDAR might provide an advantage over rivals like Tesla (which doesn’t use LiDAR) and Lucid (still a relatively small brand).

It’s safe to say the EX90 will represent a change of tack. Instead of competing with the Tesla Model Y and other ‘entry’ luxury SUVs or crossovers, Volvo is more likely to aim squarely at the high end. This vehicle could serve as a halo product that draws EV buyers to the brand, even if they ultimately buy something more affordable.

Hertz to purchase 175,000 General Motors EVs over the next five years

Hertz is once again growing its EV fleet, announcing Tuesday that it has struck a deal with General Motors to purchase 175,000 electric vehicles from the automaker’s Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop brands over the next five years. Customers will see the first offerings, namely the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, arrive on Hertz lots beginning in the first quarter next year. 

The deal, which runs through 2027, will bring a wide variety of models to Hertz’s growing EV herd. Between now and 2027, the rental company expects its customers to drive about 8 billion miles in said EVs, preventing an estimated 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released. Hertz plans to convert a quarter of its rental fleet to battery electric by 2024. 

This news follows Hertz’s 65,000-vehicle order from Polestar in April, which the performance EV maker has already begun deliveries on. An earlier announcement in 2021 had many believing that Tesla would be supplying the Hertz fleet with 100,000 vehicles, worth an estimated $4.2 billion, was quickly kiboshed by Tesla CEO, Elon Musk. Hertz is already planning to rent 50,000 Tesla EVs to Uber drivers, which now operate in 25 North American cities, there’s no word on whether GM’s vehicles will be offered under similar terms.

For folks who are already in line, having ordered a GM EV and are waiting on delivery, don’t fret. This deal with Hertz shouldn’t impact your existing delivery date. “Our first priority is delivering vehicles to customers holding reservations,” a GM rep told Engadget via email Tuesday. “GM is installing capacity to meet demand from all customers, with annual capacity in North America rising to more than one million units in 2025.”

Ford thinks Bluetooth LE can keep pedestrians and cyclists safe from cars

One good thing that came out of the pandemic is that more people picked up cycling. In the first three months of 2021, American consumer spending on bikes and cycling accessories increased by 34 percent year on year to $8.2 billion. However, the pandemic also saw more die and suffer injuries while biking. According to the National Safety Council, 1,260 cyclists were killed in 2020, a 16 percent increase from 2019.

It’s a problem that Ford thinks technology can address. On Monday, the automaker announced it’s working with Commsignia, PSS, Ohio State University, T-Mobile and Tome Software to explore how a smartphone app could warn drivers of pedestrians and cyclists they may not see. As someone sharing the road with a car, you would install the company’s software on your phone. With the help of Bluetooth Low Energy, vehicles with Ford’s Sync infotainment system would see you as “beacons.” If the car then determines there’s the potential for a crash, it will warn the driver using audiovisual cues.

According to Ford, its approach has a few advantages. One is that Bluetooth LE is nearly ubiquitous. The technology has been part of the Bluetooth protocol since 2009, meaning every modern smartphone has access to it. If you own a Ford vehicle, you won’t need to bring your car to a dealership for a hardware upgrade since the Sync system features Bluetooth compatibility. The other advantage of using Bluetooth LE is that your car won’t need to see pedestrians and cyclists before it can warn you. Ford and T-Mobile are also working on a version of the app that uses 5G instead of Bluetooth LE.

In practice, the company’s approach is reminiscent of the COVID exposure notification apps some countries and states deployed at the beginning of the pandemic. As you may recall, those also used Bluetooth LE. However, despite backing from Apple and Google, they were never effective due to low usage. In Canada, for instance, the federal COVID Alert app was only downloaded 6.9 million times and logged 63,117 positive tests. Put another way, nowhere near enough Canadians downloaded the software to make it an effective contact tracing tool. Ford’s app is likely to experience some of the same issues. 

As an avid cyclist, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen riding their bikes at night without an LED light to make themselves visible to traffic. On the other hand, statistics suggest motorists have been driving more aggressively in recent years, leading to the aforementioned increase in cyclist deaths as well as vehicle crashes. Any kind of intervention would be welcome, but Ford’s app isn’t likely to be a meaningful solution if it ever comes to market. While the Bluetooth LE solution to COVID had only one uphill climb, apps like Ford’s have two: adoption by cyclists and adoption by automakers.