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Volvo at CES announces Ride Pilot autonomy coming to California, deeper Google integration

Volvo just made a number of technology announcements at this year’s CES. We learned more about the companyÂ’s efforts toward autonomy, and in the near term, VolvoÂ’s infotainment system is getting some noteworthy updates. WeÂ’ll start with autonomy, and the system that Volvo is calling “Ride Pilot.” Volvo says itÂ’s working with the autonomous driving software company Zenseact and Luminar to bring more autonomy to its future vehicles. Today, it announced that the “Ride Pilot” system that will ultimately arise from this collaboration will first be offered to customers in California before rolling it out in other regions. Volvo is limiting initial use to California, because it says "the climate, traffic conditions and regulatory framework provide a favorable environment for the introduction of autonomous driving." The system will take full control of the car when it's on. That means the driver can do what they want, not limited to reading, writing or working, Volvo says. "The name ‘Ride PilotÂ’ implies what the driver can expect: when the car is driving on its own, Volvo Cars takes responsibility for the driving, offering the driver comfort and peace of mind," Volvo explains. ItÂ’ll be available as an add-on subscription service to a fully electric SUV that will be revealed later this year. How much it will cost per month or per year is still a mystery, but you wonÂ’t be able to factor it in with the standard purchase price of the vehicle. Said EV will be equipped with five radars, eight cameras and sixteen ultrasonic sensors. Testing for the above autonomy system is set to take place in California by the middle of this year, and itÂ’s already ongoing in Sweden and across Europe. Only once Volvo says it's verified for use on highways will this feature be available to subscribe to. Volvo does not provide a year estimate on the initial rollout. Google and Android Automotive update Volvo cars with the Google-based Android Automotive infotainment system will soon be integrated with the Google Home ecosystem and Google Assistant-enabled devices. This should give you greater ability to control your car with any Google Assistant device in your home. You could theoretically set charging scheduling (for an EV or PHEV), lock your doors or start the car via voice command — for more sensitive commands like unlocking the car, Volvo says it will require a two-factor authentication.

Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover, announces all EV sales will be online-only

Volvo plans to become an electric car brand, with EVs making up half of sales by 2025, and all sales by 2030. Volvo has now also announced that as part of its electric future, it will move all vehicle sales to online-only, and will expand its customer services. The first car to be sold online-only will be the all-electric C40 Recharge, which the company showed off in a sneak peek during in the “Volvo Moment: Recharge” video above. The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is a fastback-style “crossover coupe” with an upright stance. It features a 78-kilowatt-hour battery providing 260 miles of range, according to Volvo. With electric motors front and rear, it'll do 0-62 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. Volvo claims a 0-80% charge in 40 minutes. It will be VolvoÂ’s second car (after the XC40 Recharge) using the Google Android Automotive Operating System for its infotainment, much like that introduced on the Polestar 2. The C40 will also be completely leather-free, signaling a move away from leather for all Volvos in the future. To begin, the Volvo C40 Recharge is available for order online at Volvo Studios in New York, Milan and Tokyo. Volvo C40 Recharge View 35 Photos Along with sales going completely online, Volvo will expand its Care by Volvo program beyond vehicle subscriptions to offer a complete care package. Customers can enjoy greater convenience, with the package covering insurance, warranty, maintenance, roadside assistance and even home charging options. Volvo cars can still be custom ordered, but it will also offer a number of pre-configured packages for faster delivery of its vehicles to customers. Pricing will be pre-fixed, removing the need for haggling with a dealer and wondering if youÂ’re getting the best price for your vehicle. Dealers arenÂ’t being put out to pasture, though; Volvo says its retail partners “remain a crucial part of the customer experience and will continue to be responsible for a variety of important services such as selling, preparing, delivering and servicing cars.” Volvo intends to become fully climate neutral by 2040. To help with that, it will adopt some of the same practices as spinoff brand Polestar, by enacting full transparency in its supply chain, and using blockchain technology for sensitive raw materials like cobalt. Volvo will also perform on-the-ground audits to ensure everythingÂ’s on the up-and-up in its supply chain. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Everybody's doing flying cars, so why aren't we soaring over traffic already?

"Where's my flying car?" has been the meme for impending technology that never materializes since before there were memes. And the trough of disillusionment for vehicles that can take to sky continues to nosedive, despite a nonstop fascination with flying cars and a recent rash of announcements about the technology, particularly from traditional automakers. Earlier this month, Toyota applied for an eye-popping patent for a flying car that has wheels with spring-loaded pop-out helicopter rotors. The patent filing says the wheels/rotors would be electrically powered, while in on-land mode the vehicle would have differential steering like tracked vehicles such as tanks and bulldozers. At an airshow in July, Aston Martin unveiled its Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle it developed with Rolls-Royce. Aston says the Volante can fly at top speeds of around 200 mph and bills it as a luxury car for the skies. Audi used the Geneva Motor Show in March to unveil a flying car concept called the Pop.Up Next it developed with Airbus and Italdesign. If the Pop.Up Next, an electric and autonomous quadcopter/city car combo, gets stuck in traffic, an app can be used to summon an Airbus-developed drone to pick up the passenger compartment pod, leaving the chassis behind. Audi said that the Pop.Up Next is a "flexible on-demand concept that could open up mobility in the third dimension to people in cities." But Audi also acknowledged that at this point it has no plans to develop it. The cash-stoked, skies-the-limit Silicon Valley tech crowd is also bullish on flying cars. The startup Kitty Hawk that's backed by Google co-founder Larry Page announced in June that it's taking pre-orders for its single-seat electric Flyer that's powered by 10 propellers and is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. The current version can only fly up to 20 mph and 10 feet in the air and has a flight time of just 12 to 20 minutes on a full charge. The Flyer is considered a recreational vehicle, so doesn't require a pilot's license. Uber says it plans to launch its more ambitious Elevate program and UberAIR service in 2023. "Uber customers will be able to push a button and get a flight on-demand with uberAIR in Dallas, Los Angeles and a third international market," Uber Elevate promises on its website.