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Category: transportation – Page 138

Artificial intelligence has possibly been the most popular term in 2023 so far – many industries are starting to explore new problem-solving possibilities thanks to machine learning technologies. The automotive industry isn’t lagging behind with many companies already using AI for different tasks within their research and development divisions. Toyota now announces it is starting to research AI-based car design thanks to its generative artificial intelligence technique developed by the Toyota Research Institute (TRI).

Don’t worry – your next Tacoma truck won’t have a purely AI-designed exterior. Instead, Toyota wants to use the technology in the early design stages where different iterations of a certain project are needed for engineering considerations. Or, simply put, if the automaker decides to build a new large two-door coupe, it could ask AI to generate a number of early designs based on preset parameters. Such is the case with the rendering you see attached at the top of this article – it has been created by artificial intelligence.

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A Tesla software hacker has found an ‘Elon Mode’ driving feature that seems to allow Tesla vehicles with Full Self-Driving to operate without any driver monitoring.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk might have his very own supersecret driver mode that enables hands-free driving in Tesla vehicles.

The hidden feature, aptly named “Elon Mode,” was discovered by a Tesla software hacker known online as @greentheonly. The anonymous hacker has dug deep into the vehicle code for years and uncovered things like how Tesla can lock you out of using your power seats or the center camera in the Model 3 before it was officially activated.

After finding and enabling Elon Mode, greentheonly ventured out to test the system… More.

Elon Musk might be driving FSD hands-free.

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A fascinating eVTOL project is about to come out of stealth, showcasing a “breakthrough HyperDrive propulsion technology” that MagLev Aero claims is “dramatically more quiet, efficient, safe, sustainable and emotionally appealing to the mass market.”

Representatives from the Boston-based company have made their way to the Paris Air Show, where they’re preparing to reveal a very different approach to electric vertical lift aircraft, drawing on the magnetic levitation technology used in high-speed trains.

What we appear to have here is an annular lift fan arrangement. The aircraft’s cabin appears to be surrounded by a huge ring-shaped duct, into which at least one large-diameter, many-bladed fan is mounted.

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Tesla is an interested buyer of a small Germany-based wireless charging startup following the automaker’s indications that it might launch its own EV wireless charger.

Several companies have been working on wireless charging for electric vehicles in recent years, but the technology has never taken off.

There are several issues with it. For example, it’s not as efficient as charging with a cable – though the technology has been closing the gap in recent years. It’s also more expensive, as you generally have to embed a charging pad securely in the ground instead of just mounting a charger on the wall.

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Tesla Inc. has something new to boast about. The electric vehicle maker swept the top four spots on Cars.com’s annual ranking of most made-in-America vehicles.

The four Tesla models — in order of how they rank, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S — are all made at the company’s gigafactory in Fremont. Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas but has its engineering headquarters in Palo Alto, also manufacturers the models at factories in Texas and Nevada.

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Tesla announced it produced 10 million 4,680 battery cells at Gigafactory Texas. It is a good sign for the automaker’s production ramp-up, which relies heavily on the new cell.

The 4,680 battery cell format has taken the industry by storm since Tesla unveiled its own cell strategy at Battery Day in 2020.

The automaker claimed the potential to reduce battery cost by over 50% with the new design; it has been trying to bring it to volume production since, but it has run into some bottlenecks.

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