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As promised, Chevrolet's 2013 Sonic and Spark cars have been updated to support Siri Eyes Free. The bridge is handled through MyLink, a touchscreen interface built into the vehicles. To use the function a person has to connect a cellular-equipped iOS device via Bluetooth; commands are issued by pressing a voice activation button on the steering wheel.
The Chevy Volt is unique among electric cars because it runs on two sources of energy. You have an electric -- a battery -- that allows you to drive gas-free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there's also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go farther. So if you want to drive using only electricity, you can. If you want to drive using electricity and gas, you can do that, too. Feeling all revved up? Check out what this current Chevy Volt driver has to say about his unique driving lifestyle…
The Chevrolet Volt is unique among electric cars because it runs on two sources of energy. You have an electric source – a battery – that allows you to drive gas-free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there's also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go farther. So if you want to drive using only electricity, you can. If you want to drive using electricity and gas, you can do that, too.
GM on Wednesday sought to counter the navigation side of Ford Sync with a unique option depending on smartphones. GogoLink will give Chevy Sonic and Spark drivers in-car, turn-by-turn navigation by using a smartphone app that relays its position and info to the touchscreen in the center stack. It should range from basic points of interest coverage with offline map caching to Google-based local searches, live traffic, and 3D mapping.
GM held a press conference -- the first of CES it boasted -- on Sunday night, which focused on the future of its OnStar in-vehicle enternainment, assistance and connection system. GM has started testing the second-generatio'n of the system with Verizon in a Chevrolet Volt, connecting it to the carrier's 4G LTE network. GM is doing this mainly because it also announced it will release the OnStar API to third-party developers starting in the second half of the year. The devs will have access to an OnStar Advanced Telematics Operations Managment System (ATOMS), which would be an app store of sorts.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) is reportedly looking into the safety of lithium-ion batteries used in electric automobiles. The action identified by Bloomberg tipsters comes in the aftermath of a recent battery fire involving a Chevy Volt. The scope of investigation will most probably include plug-in vehicles from Nissan and Ford, as well as other General Motors subsidiaries.
General Motors has announced that 14 of its 2010-model-year vehicles are now supported by the OnStar mobile applications. The expanded list includes the Cadillac DTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; the Buick Enclave and Lucerne; the GMC Acadia, Yukon, and Yukon XL; and the Chevrolet Avalanche, IMpala, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse.
Chevy tonight kicked off GM's own alternative to Ford Sync. MyLink is designed to pair up with smartphones and will stream audio and handle calls from smartphones over Bluetooth. Like its challenger, it uses voice commands (here handled using Nuance's engine) and will directly control smartphone apps aware of the interface, starting with Internet radio from Pandora and Stitcher.
Chevrolet is offering a sneak peek at its Superbowl TV ads on its Facebook page.One of them, called Status (below), highlights the car's ability to read Facebook's newsfeed content to the driver. Exactly how this is done isn't revealed, though the fine print contains OnStar text so the now data-aware service is involved.
GM and OnStar today sent word that their promised remote control apps have arrived for both Android and iOS devices. The free myChevrolet, myCadillac and OnStar MyLink (all App Store links) titles try to cover every aspect of driving. They can remotely unlock, start or sound the horn on the car as well as access information from the car itself, such as the fuel and oil levels, the tire pressure and the odometer.
GM today expanded its OnStar mobile apps to cover more cars than just the Chevy Volt. Both the Android and iOS apps for the brands will now monitor and sometimes control most 2011 model year Buick, Cadillac, Chevy and GMC vehicles. Drivers will have the option of remotely starting the car, unlocking it or triggering the horn; the approach can work over any Internet connection.
GM today became the second US automaker to add Google Maps support to its in-car GPS. The system behaves somewhat like that of Ford's Sync service and lets owners push directions from Google Maps to the car through OnStar. The approach lets those without a Chevrolet Volt or Android get turn-by-turn navigation info in advance.
GM used the run-up to the Google I/O conference today to add a new feature to its promised Android app for the Chevy Volt. The mobile software will now tie into Google Maps Navigation as well as OnStar: drivers can push directions from Google's GPS to OnStar and use the car's own system for voice guidance. A Volt's own position can be tracked independently of the phone, and Google Maps Navigation can provide directions.
Chevrolet today became the latest automaker in the US to add roving Internet access to its vehicles. The Avalanche, Equinox, Express, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse all now have an after-sale option of an Autonet router that provides a 1.5Mbps connection even at speed. Like the Chrysler option, it accomplishes the feat by sharing a 3G link over a local Wi-Fi hotspot that shares the connection with passengers and those within a 150-foot radius.
MIT scientists led by professor Gerbrand Ceder today said they have developed a new improvement on lithium-ion battery packs that could potentially eliminate the need for long recharge times or, in some cases, for larger batteries. By applying a coating of lithium phosphate to an existing battery design, the researchers steer the ions more directly to the "tunnels" leading to the battery terminal and thus supply a charge much faster than the more passive approach used today.
Chipmaker Intel may get into the battery making business for plug-in electric cars, if the company's former chief executive, Andrew Grove gets his way, according to a Friday WSJ report (membership required). Grove, 72, retired in 2005 but still advises Intel and is urging the current chief executive, Paul Otellini, to diversify the company's business by manufacturing batteries for the auto industry. Grove is a hybrid car proponent and sees it as an emerging market. He believes Intel's large research and development resources could bring down the costs of batteries, which are the most costly component of a plug-in vehicle.
