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Hacker jury rigs Amazon Echo into voice-controlled remote start

A lot of automakers have smartphone apps to start, lock, or unlock a connected car. Some automakers will even let you do that with a smartwatch. Then, there's YouTube user Jryanishere, who decided to use Amazon's chatty Echo voice-controlled, internet-connected information thingy. Yes, we said thingy, because we aren't really sure how else to describe the Echo. While the Echo system has received a hearty ad campaign – featuring Alec Baldwin asking Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, questions and ordering socks – we think this might be the first really useful thing we've seen it do. Using a MacBook, a Raspberry Pi, an Echo, an OBDLink plug-in, and his 4G LTE-equipped GMC, Jryanishere has basically made a voice-controlled remote-start system. Now, like so many voice-controlled things, this strikes us more of an extravagance than something that's functionally worthwhile. After all, the remote start on the a GMC keyfob isn't exactly rocket science. You can check out the Echo in action up top. Jryanishere gives a pretty thorough breakdown of how the setup works in the video above, but if you're at all into this sort of technological mischief, you'll want to watch (and check out the hilariously detailed blog explaining the job). Related Video:

Diesel-powered 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra get big price cuts

General Motors is reducing the price difference between its diesel-powered light-duty pickups and their gasoline-burning counterparts, according to a recent report. As of September 3, 2020, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 benefit from a $1,500 price cut when they're ordered with a turbodiesel under the hood. Enthusiast website GM Authority first reported the news after looking at internal documents sent to dealers across the nation. It wrote the discount applies to in-stock and in-transit units of the Silverado and the Sierra (pictured), and it added dealers will begin receiving amended window stickers on September 8. And, it's not just a quick, easy way for General Motors stores to clear out 2020 inventory. Incoming 2021 models will benefit from it, too. Chevrolet's cheapest diesel-slurping 2020 Silverado, a double-cab LT with two-wheel drive, now starts at $44,000 once a mandatory $1,595 destination charge enters the equation. For context, the same configuration costs $38,795 including destination when it's ordered with the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which is the smallest and cheapest engine on the roster. Selecting the more efficient engine option costs buyers $5,205. At the other end of the spectrum, the crew-cab High Country with a standard cargo box and four-wheel drive is now priced at $59,690. Walk a block to the GMC store, and you'll need to spend between $44,470 (double-cab SLE with two-wheel drive) and $61,685 (crew-cab Denali with a regular cargo box and four-wheel drive) for a diesel-powered Sierra. It doesn't sound like either company is making major mechanical changes to the trucks for 2021. Both are powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six Duramax engine, which makes 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Rear-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic transmission come standard, and four-wheel drive is offered at an extra cost. In its most efficient configuration, the Silverado returns 23 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg in a mixed cycle, impressive numbers for a body-on-frmae pickup that's as heavy as it is capable. Ram's diesel-powered 1500 posts EPA estimates of 22, 32, and 26, respectively. Ford pledged the recently-unveiled 14th-generation F-150 will offer a turbodiesel engine, too, but its fuel economy figures are not available yet.

U.S. Army purchases GMC Hummer EV for Light Recon Vehicle testing

The military has been analyzing alternative powertrains for a while, and working with GM vehicular products in that field for at least seven years. In 2016, we got a look at a rebodied Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain developed by GM and the US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center. In 2017, the automaker created its GM Defense division, winning two contracts for conventionally powered trucks in 2020 and 2021. The Detroit Free Press reports that alt-energy is heavy in the frame, the Army having opened a bid for an electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (eLRV). Ten companies showed up with product for a demo last year, at least two of which were electric. The U.S. military's largest branch already purchased a single Canoo EV for testing, now it's also bought a new GMC Hummer EV. It's possible that the specific capabilities of an EV are responsible for the Army's quest. The branch canceled its previous LRV program in 2016 that intended to replace the Scout HMMWVs, which were purpose-built versions of the ubiquitous old Hummer. Military.com wrote that the parameters for that search were a rig that could "carry six soldiers, with a total payload 2,100 pounds. The vehicle must not exceed 11,669 pounds so it can be carried internally or sling-loaded by a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The vehicle must be capable of mounting a weapon system, such as a 30mm cannon, which can engage targets accurately at a range of at least 1,000 meters." Last November, CNBC reported GM Defense was working on a Hummer EV-based military vehicle. Hummer being Hummer, it's likely GM began exploring the martial route once it greenlit the return of the brand. Last year, Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told CNBC, "Electrifying the non-tactical fleet, that’s a no-brainer," but the search for an eLRV signals an eye on something more intense than shuttling troops. Breaking Defense reported in 2020 that the Army was "working with a non-profit consortium of more than 200 companies and universities developing clean transportation technologies, CALSTART." Task and Purpose said the Army's brief for eLRV missions was, "'enhanced mobility, lethality, protection, mission load capacity, and onboard power' for six soldiers to conduct both mounted and dismounted reconnaissance and surveillance missions for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams." That's not necessarily frontline service, but it's not necessarily a garrison shuttle, either.