Toronto, Ontario – In this weekly electric and autonomous vehicle report, B.C. rolls out faster electric vehicle charging stations; and LG announces the future of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) councillors in cars.
Rural-area rollout
B.C. Hydro recently announced plans to install faster electric vehicle charging stations in the areas of Surrey, Manning Park, Tumbler Ridge and Mackenzie.
Once installed, the stations will add as much as 180 km worth of range to the average EV in just ten minutes of charging time.
The new stations will also be the first from B.C. Hydro to offer power sharing, which will allow two different vehicles to use the same unit to charge at the same time.
B.C. Hydro’s president, Chris O’Rieley said “both current and prospective electric vehicle owners have said they want improved coverage in more rural parts of the province in order to address range anxiety” and he wanted to note that B.C. Hydro is “listening to feedback from our customers.”
The new charging stations will be unveiled this fall with more to arrive in 2024.
Hands-free relaxing
In a recent announcement made by LG, the company announced that their future autonomous vehicles will be offering massaging seats as well as an A.I. function that can offer counselling services to drivers.
During an event at IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany, LG showcased their prospective AV and stated that the intention of their new model is to give drivers more “me time on the road.”
LG CEO, William Cho, said that LG’s ambition is to redefine self-driving cars into “a personalized digital cave” for its occupants.
LG further stated that they are shifting their focus toward enhancing the sensory aspects of future AVs rather than just focusing on the driving mechanics.
LG’s vision for these mobile experiences is currently a concept, but it centres around three foundational concept themes collectively known as “Alpha-able”: Transformable, Explorable and Relaxable.
Alongside A.I. models and self-driving features, LG finished by discussing the possibility of including augmented reality into their self-driving vehicles as other automakers are also currently discussing.
