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7 Exciting Car Tech Announcements From CES 2014
The 2014 International CES is well underway, and we are on the floor providing wall-to-wall coverage. In addition to news from Intel, Lenovo, and more, there is plenty of automotive news as well on the convention floor.
The Ford Motor Company has long viewed themselves as a technology company, and now almost all the main automakers are following suit and attending CES. From inexpensive transportation to app stores in the car, here are seven things we have found interesting from CES.
The BMW i3 EV
The BMW i3 fully-electric vehicle.
Outside the convention center, BMW was allowing media to take the all-electric BMW i3 for a spin. We were impressed with the acceleration and interior cabin space, but a little disappointed with the vehicle’s lack of a “creep” mode and overly aggressive regenerative braking. Hopefully there are a few tweaks to the system before it officially gets delivered to customers.
READ: All-Electric BMW i3 Test Drive (Video)
Elio Motors’ 84mpg Vehicle
The Elio Motors vehicle is considered a motorcycle by the United States government.
A $6,800, 84 mpg vehicle sounds a bit like vaporware, but Elio Motors claim they will have a production version of their vehicle on sale in January of next year. The vehicle should be pretty well equipped, and additional options should be inexpensive. Still considered a motorcycle, the Elio will also be able to use HOV lanes and should have a decent crash-test safety rating.
READ: Elio: 84mpg, $8,600 Car Better Than Expected
MyFord Touch AppLink Takes Back Seat to Sync
Ford is still working on development of both Sync and MyFord Touch.
For those with MyFord Touch in their vehicles, they may be wondering why they cannot use AppLink to order pizza or listen to Spotify. It is because Sync’s AppLink still isn’t supported by MyFord Touch. We speak with Raj Nair, head of Ford’s global product development about when it is coming and why it isn’t here yet.
READ: MyFord Touch AppLink Takes Back Seat to Sync
FIA Formula E Electric Race Car
The Formula E race car is 100% electric.
Fully electric vehicles have a stigma attached to them. To help develop battery technology and increase awareness of electric vehicle performance, FIA is launching their Formula E racing series in the fall of 2014. They officially unveil the car and demonstrate its performance in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay.
READ: Formula E Race Car Driven at CES (Video)
Toyota’s Fuel Cell Vehicle
Toyota’s Fuel Cell Vehicle.
Location! Location! Location! Toyota believes they have solved the infrastructure problem plaguing future development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and have a new car that they plan on selling starting next year to take advantage of it.
Google Brings Android to the Car
Google has formed a partnership with several OEMs to bring Android to the car.
Google has partnered with automotive powerhouses like Honda and General Motors to work on an open application platform that will allow people to write an app that works on every vehicle available. This is Google’s largest effort so far to have automakers adopt Android in the vehicle.
READ: Car Manufacturers Team With Google to Bring Android to the Car
Chevrolet Brings AT&T LTE to Their Cars
Chevrolet has partnered with AT&T to bring LTE speeds to their OnStar-equipped vehicles.
In a move that will surely be followed by everyone else, General Motors’ Chevrolet division will be offering LTE in their 2015 vehicles for data. Users who are on a shared bucket of data currently will be able to add their vehicles to their plan, or purchase data specifically for the vehicle. By the 2015 model year it will be nearly universally available.
READ: Chevrolet To Offer LTE Speeds for OnStar and Apps
Be sure to check out our sister site, AutoGeeks.com for more automotive news and updates from the 2014 International CES!
