Volkswagen has started testing five electric and highly-automated versions of its Golf compact cars on the streets of Hamburg.
The vehicles, equipped with safety drivers as well as lasers, radars and scanners, will navigate a 3 kilometre area in the northern German city, which is also building a new testing ground complete with intelligent traffic lights, according to Bloomberg.
“To make driving even safer and more comfortable in future, vehicles not only have to become autonomous and more intelligent -- cities must also provide a digital ecosystem that enables vehicles,” Axel Heinrich, VW’s head of research said on Wednesday.
VW’s effort is part of the car industry’s race to keep up with Waymo, the autonomous driving unit of Alphabet’s Google, which is widely seen as the leader for future robo-taxis. To advance the effort and save costs, companies are also forming alliances, including BMW’s plan to team up with Daimler on self-driving cars. While most are pushing for cars that’ll eventually be driverless, some like French manufacturer PSA Group have decided to pull back for cost reasons.
Autonomous vehicles are ranked on a scale from one to five, ranging from cars without any assistance systems to vehicles without drivers. BMW has been testing so-called Level 4 highly automated vehicles - the same as VW’s Golfs - in Munich since 2017.
Last month, Volkswagen announced a long-term partnership with US technology firm Amazon to develop an online platform connecting its factories and increase productivity.
The system, dubbed "Volkswagen Industrial Cloud", "will bring together the data from all machinery, plants and systems at the 122 factories within the Volkswagen group", including management schedule software and warehouses, said the manufacturer.
Currently, the IT infrastructure differs from factory to factory. according to AFP.
The 'cloud' should be deployed by the end of 2019, said the world's largest car manufacturer, adding it wants to "optimise production processes and increase productivity".
Long term, it is hoped the system will integrate VW's global supply chain, which involves 30,000 locations and more than 1,500 suppliers.
Increasing productivity is one of the goals of VW's cost savings plan as it embarks on an expensive transition to electric mobility.
The axing of between 3,000 and 5,000 net jobs within the group's main VW brand by 2023, announced earlier this month, is also expected to boost margins.
The group is already cooperating with computer giant Microsoft to create a separate network, called the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud that brings together all of VW's online services, from software updates to car-sharing.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
More on animal trafficking
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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More on Quran memorisation:
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Company%20Profile
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