Bring on autonomy
The pandemic may have provided autonomous technology with the perfect opportunity to prove itself.
Martin Abadi and Erin VanderVeer, counsel and senior associate at Borden Ladner Gervais, respectively, predict that seeing autonomous vehicles providing automated forms of service delivery amid the pandemic will accelerate the global adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs).
In the short term, physical distancing and other restrictions have forced the closure of some vehicle and robotic manufacturing, adversely impacting CAV development. In the long term, however, the COVID-19 pandemic may propel the industry forward,” said Abadi and VanderVeer in an article published to Mondaq last week. “Though a number of CAV companies have had to halt development and testing due to COVID-19, CAVs are carving out a role for themselves in a global community that is shifting priorities, altering habits, and becoming preoccupied with reducing human involvement in everyday tasks.”
The pair predicts that, along with respective government support, the adoption and production of CAVs will be situated in “a promising area of development.”
Coquitlam Charged
EV drivers in Coquitlam, B.C. will soon have more spots to charge their vehicles.
Five more user-pay charging stations serving 10 parking stalls are expected to be added to the city’s charging network by the summer of 2021, bringing the total of city-owned stations to 13. Funded in part with a grant from the Government of Canada, the city said the new facilities will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Coquitlam began ramping up its charging network earlier this spring when six new user-pay stations were installed across the municipality. The city said the new stations target high-demand areas along with neighbourhoods that are underserved by electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The stations are now available for use at the Coquitlam Public Library Poirier branch (three stalls), the City Centre Aquatic Complex (two stalls), the Tennis Centre off Foster Avenue near Poirier Street (two stalls) and at Blue Mountain Park along King Albert Avenue (four stalls).
Each station charges $1 per hour up to a maximum of two hours to help cover the $20,000 cost for the equipment, installation and usage.
The city estimates the annual operating expense for each station will be $8,000, but will bring in a net revenue of $4,000 with the dollar an hour charge.
From Start to Finish
Porsche Cars North America announced the debut of a new digital service, “Porsche Track Your Dream” which allows customers who order a 911 sports car to follow its journey from production in Germany, to its trip across the Atlantic, all the way to its final destination—at the dealership.
Porsche customers receive a unique link once their order is placed. This takes them to the online platform and lets them track their car through 14 milestone events, some of which include: order creation, freeze point for vehicle changes, production updates, vessel departure from Germany, port entry into the U.S., dealership arrival and more.
Complementary to Porsche Track Your Dream, the My Porsche web portal also features a “Behind the Scenes” service, which gives an exclusive insight into production at the sports car manufacturer in Zuffenhausen. US customers are able to follow how their ordered Porsche 911 is being built step-by-step, and cameras are already installed at two relevant stations, with two more cameras being added soon.
The application will be available first for new car customers from the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Switzerland as well as Spain. Other markets will follow in the coming months.
As of now, Porsche Track Your Dream is exclusively available for customer-ordered 911 sports cars. However, future plans include enrolment of the all-electric Taycan. The service is provided by Porsche Digital and was developed in close cooperation with Porsche Cars North America.
