Toronto, Ontario — August 9, 2019 – From a series of driverless shuttles making their way through the Big Apple to big advancements in Volkwagen’s AV technology, Collision Repair has got you covered on all things autonomous and electric in the automotive industry.
Treks in the City
Autonomous vehicles have officially made their way into New York City.
In a 300-acre industrial park in Brooklyn New York, workers and visitors can now hitch a ride around the mile-long loop in a driverless shuttle.
Home to 400 businesses and more than 10,000 employees, the shuttle will reportedly be transporting passengers between the Ferry Stop Dock 72 and Brooklyn Navy Yards’ Cumberland Gate at Flushing Avenue.
The name of the new shuttle system is “Optimus Ride” and according to CEO and co-founder Dr. Ryan Chin, the system will hopefully allow citizens to become more comfortable with the idea of autonomy in vehicles.
“Our system will provide access to and experience with autonomy for thousands of people,” stated CEO of Optimus Ride, Dr. Ryan Chin. “[We are] helping to increase acceptance and confidence of this new technology, which helps move the overall industry forward.”
V Love AV’s
Collision repairers should brace for big changes in their facilities, especially when it comes to working on VW’s. On Tuesday, Volkswagen announced that all 2020 VW vehicles will have some sort of autonomous feature.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only 50 percent of 2019 Volkswagen’s had front autobraking. VW hopes to expand this to all their vehicles by next year to reduce customer collisions.
Other features will include lane-change assistance, blind spot checks, and according to Volkswagen, have Car-Net telematics capabilities in “most vehicles.”
“It goes without saying that we will see various types of driverless cars on our streets soon,” said Volkswagen CEO, Herbert Diess. “Great advances are being made in the necessary technology.”
Drive Green, Get Green
Despite Ontario’s massive drops in EV sales following a provincial wide cut in rebates, the Federal government’s rebate program has been incredibly successful for drivers who are feeling particularly green.
Offering up to $5000 annually, electric vehicle sales have jumped drastically since the rebate launch on May 1.
It was reported that last year, EV’s only accounted for 2 percent of all vehicle sales across Canada.
However this year, it was reported that in May and June of 2019 alone, that number doubled.
Although the number is still small, it accounts for approximately 14,000 electric vehicles purchased annually, saving the atmosphere from a whole lotta pollution and eco-friendly drivers a whole lotta cash.
