Image Courtesy of Audi

To offer “transparency” Audi is rolling out a 2-way audio/video system to be used to support direct communication between customers and technicians. This will be used in England first and is marketed as “Direct Reception”. For the details, read the official Audi press release below.

Audi’s official press release follows:

NEW ‘DIRECT RECEPTION’ SYSTEM GIVES INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANICS OF AUDI

Pioneering new interactive audio visual system enables Audi customers to watch and communicate with Audi technicians as they work

• AudiDirect Reception system allowing customers to be more closely involved in work undertaken on their cars is currently being rolled out across Audi Centre network

• Technician wears ‘Audi Cam’ which links to monitor in service reception, and communicates via two-way audio link

• Aim is to maximise ‘transparency’ and instil even greater confidence by providing conclusive proof of problems in ‘real time’

• Fixed price servicing option now in place for A1 models

• Fixed price for five key maintenance jobs for A3, A4, A6 and TT models in excess of 36 months old and up to 2.0-litres in capacity

Candid cameras will soon be focused on all Audi Centre service areas as part of a new Direct Reception initiative being rolled out across the network that will enable Audi customers to view in ‘real time’, and communicate with, technicians as they carry out diagnosis and repair work.

From the comfort of the Audi Centre reception area customers will have direct audio visual access to their cars as they are worked on by technicians equipped with ‘Audi Cams’ and two-way audio links. They will be free to talk to the technicians directly, and service advisors will be on hand to answer any questions that arise. The aim is to provide full exposure to the investigative and corrective work undertaken, maximising ‘transparency’ and instilling even greater confidence not only in the legitimacy of each diagnosis but also the quality of workmanship demonstrated by Audi trained technicians.

Customer feedback from Direct Reception pilot schemes has been overwhelmingly positive, with all participants polled so far confirming that they would recommend the service to others.

Commenting on the new initiative, Director of Audi UK Jeremy Hicks said: “Service departments throughout the industry are often accused of baffling customers with science – by offering ours full exposure to the work undertaken on their cars, and the ability to talk through that work with the technician involved, our aim is to demystify the process as fully as possible. We want to ensure that everyone who entrusts their Audi to us for servicing and repairs knows exactly where they stand and exactly what to expect.”

As well as offering a straightforward, substantiated prognosis on the condition of every car, Audi Centres can also provide the added reassurance of fixed price maintenance to owners of A3, A4, A6 and TT models that are over 36 months old and powered by engines of up to (and including) 2.0-litres in capacity. Seven of the tasks carried out most frequently to these cars are covered by a fixed, all-inclusive and highly competitive price that applies nationally.

The tasks include major and minor services (£249 and £99 respectively), clutch replacement (front-wheel-drive £599, quattro £799), front and rear brake pad replacement (£99 front, £99 rear), front and rear pad and disc replacement (£229), front wiper blade replacement (£39), brake fluid change (£49) and cambelt replacement (£349).

Fixed price service plan for A1 customers

Buyers of the new Audi A1 premium compact hatchback can also specify an optional fixed price service plan which, for a one-off payment of just £250 (when the car is programmed to adhere to the long life service regime), will leave them safe in the knowledge that their servicing needs are covered financially for the first five years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first).

All scheduled servicing, including brake fluid changes, is taken care of over this period, and any labour and parts (excluding items subject to wear and tear) involved are covered by a two-year Audi warranty.

Online service booking

Servicing for all Audi models can now be booked online by visiting www.audi.co.uk and clicking on ‘owners area’.

FORD ADDS GOOGLE MAPS ‘SEND TO SYNC’ SERVICE TO BEAM DRIVING DIRECTIONS INTO CAR; NO EXTRA COST

• Ford adds Google Maps to its ‘Send to SYNC’ feature, allowing drivers to send destinations from Google Maps to their Ford vehicle through the cloud-based SYNC® Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI) app
• Drivers download destination information into the vehicle via their Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones; the information will be processed into audible turn-by-turn directions, eliminating the need to bring printed maps into the car and helping drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road
• ‘Send to SYNC’ launches later this month and will be available for existing 2010-11 models equipped with SYNC TDI; no extra hardware, software updates or costs are required

DEARBORN, Mich., June 8, 2010 – Drivers who enjoy the convenience of Ford SYNC® with Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI) soon will be able to select a destination on Google Maps and send it to their Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicles.

‘Send to SYNC’ is a new capability added to the Ford Service Delivery Network, the company’s cloud-based architecture, which provides a suite of voice-activated services accessible through a customer’s mobile phone.

“Printing paper directions from a website is a relic in our digital age,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions Organization. “With Send to SYNC, you can map a destination at home, at work – wherever you have connectivity – and when you get to your car, it already knows where you want to go. It’s convenient and it eliminates the waste and distraction of paper maps, conserving resources while helping drivers keep their eyes on the road.”

The SYNC TDI application leverages a customer’s mobile phone voice plan and the vehicle’s integrated GPS receiver to deliver location-based services, such as driving directions or business searches, and on-demand information such as horoscopes, news, movie listings and stock quotes. Since these services, including the new Send to SYNC functionality, are cloud-based, no vehicle updates are required and they will be available to all owners who have registered for TDI services through www.syncmyride.com.

When users visit Google Maps on the web to find locations, they will have the option to send a selected destination to their Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle via a “send” menu on the site. Once in the vehicle, the driver connects to SYNC TDI using the “Services” voice command, and when prompted, confirms the request to download the Google Maps destination into the vehicle.

The optimal route is calculated in the cloud using the latest traffic information, downloaded to the vehicle and navigation guidance begins. If the vehicle is equipped with a map-based navigation system, the destination point is downloaded directly to that system, which then calculates the route based on the in-vehicle navigation preferences set by the driver.

“Our cloud-based service network is helping deliver constant improvement for our customers, and has become a key reason why Ford leads the industry with SYNC,” said VanDagens. “We’re proud to be working with Google to bring this new capability to SYNC.”

The Google Maps ‘Send to SYNC’ capability launches later this month. Ford is currently the only automaker offering this capability without requiring a paid subscription to a telematics service.

Ford previously announced the same feature for MapQuest (owned by AOL), which will launch later this year.

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Note: when building PCs, it is best to use a grounding wrist band to protect electronic
components from an  electrostatic discharge (ESD).

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Stealth Computer's LPC-450FS

Check out this fanless PC built on a small form factor from Stealth Computers. Let’s see, small, rugged, fanless, 12 volts…. seems like good platform for in car computing to me!

Stealth Computers offers a lot of specialized and small form factor computers, but this one really seems to be a good choice for automotive applications.

The fanless feature is nice because you don’t have to worry about the cooling fan pulling in those dust bunnies that tend to breed under the seat and other nooks and crannies of a car.

The extruded aluminum chassis and the shock mounted 2 1/2″ hard drive is no doubt a rugged package. If you want it even more shock resistant you can get a solid state drive and have no moving parts!

I have not used or reviewed this PC but it looks promising to me. Here is a link so you can read more about the LPC-450FS unit and I have included some of the specs below:

• 12 VDC Operation, ideal for mobile/field
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 3D Graphics with 16×9 Capability
• Built-in Gigabit LAN, USB 2.0,
• 1394a Firewire, Audio, Serial and Video Ports
• Low Profile Rugged Aluminum Chassis 6.1″(W) x 10.0″(D) x 2.17″(H)
• Slim Slot Loading Optical Drives
• Solid State Hard Drives (SSD) optional
• Windows Vista & XP Pro Compatible,
• Intel Celeron M440, 1.86GHz Processor
• 1MB Cache, 533MHz FSB
• 80 Gig HDD SATA (2.5″)
• DVD/CD-RW Drive
• 1GB RAM SO-DIMM
• On-board Video & Audio
• Standard Price: $1095

As the story goes, Simon and Steve develop an application for their BlackBerry Storm to steer a modified remote control car. They set up a make shift race track in their office and turn “another day at the office” into a RC car extravaganza. I am OK with the video so far.

Now, Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren Formula 1 team contacts Simon and Steve about their BlackBerry application. This is where I start to question if this is a fake or not.  I doubt that this car is actually being driven by the BlackBerry, but how? Maybe a midget laying on the floorboard? Maybe a real remote control, likely laptop based, sitting off camera? You watch the video and see what you think.

Mobility 2088 - Part of Honda's Power the Dream Series

Honda produced a neat documentary where the question was, “What will transportation look like in 80 years? This film is part of their “Dream the Impossible” documentary series. No doubt that digital technology will be a major player.

Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” project is a series of well produced (high dollar) documentaries that are thought provoking. You can view all  the documentaries in the highest available quality at this link.

Dream The Impossible
Documentary Series

Honda is a company founded by a dreamer. And we are a company that believes in the Power of Dreams.

Honda has a rich history of making impossible dreams come to fruition. And because the lessons of the past help guide our future, there is a simple humanity found in even our most complex products.

We wanted to document our advancement as a company through film to give you a better understanding of the people behind our products. Please join us as we uncover Honda through the candid approach of the documentary film process.

View “Mobility 2088″ in the highest quality from Honda’s site

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some of the expected features are:

• An application that could track your peregrinations and estimate your total carbon emissions.
• Remotely starting a car
• Resetting its alarm with an iPhone
• Unlocking the doors with an iPhone (commands could be sent to the car over the Internet)
• Cars equipped with blind-spot-detection video cameras could be programmed to take a picture of anyone near the car during a break-in and then e-mail it directly to a cellphone or computer.

Here is an article on this at the New York Times

Rinspeed's iChange

iPhone Integration

A recent  CarTech Podcast included information about a new project at Rinspeed that really starts to push the technology boundaries. While the folks at Rinspeed are know for their innovation, they really pulled out all the stops for this new concept car called, iChange

While the car does all kinds of interesting things, such as changing its’ shape based on the number of passengers, the part that caught my attention was the integration of the Apple iPhone with the car.

An iPhone is docked into the dashboard and becomes part of the car’s control and display system. You actually start the phone by pushing a start button on the iPhone. After the car is running, the iPhone is then used to display information about the car.  Being able to take your car’s main control system with you and put it in your pocket definitely takes car security to a new level!

This car is complex and there is no way this post can cover it, so I have included several resources for those that want to see what lots of money and out-of-the-box thinking can produce.

Clip from CNET’s CarTech Podcast

Download audio file (rinspeed_iphone_car.mp3)

Rinspeed Press Release

Link to a Rinspeed Video on iChange