Volvo and Mercedes-parent Daimler have inked a deal on a new hydrogen truck joint venture, building fuel-cell powered haulage and buses for greener transportation. The 50-50 project will see Volvo Group spend around $650 million to jump in, while Daimler contributes its existing work on fuel-cells.
Mercedes is bringing its autonomous cars to US roads, kicking off a pilot automated ride-hailing project that will see self-driving luxury sedans prowling select streets in Silicon Valley. The Urban Automated Driving project is deploying specially customized Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars, outfitted with special tech from Bosch, that can be summoned via an app and will then drive themselves to the destination.
![EU says BMW, Daimler and VW colluded – threatens billions in fines [Update]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/tailpipe-1-1280x720.jpg)
BMW, Daimler, and VW have been accused of colluding on emissions cheating by the European Union antitrust regulators, the first step in process that could lead to huge fines for the automakers. According to the European Commission, the three car companies worked together to restrict competition around greener internal combustion engines.
Mercedes-Benz has revealed the high-tech production line on which key models like the first EQ electric car, the new S-Class, and its autonomous cars will be built, and it could be more advanced than the vehicles themselves. Dubbed Factory 56, the new plant in Sindelfingen, Germany is about as far away from the traditional vision of manufacturing - or building cars in a tent - as you can imagine.
Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and automotive supplier heavyweight Bosch will start an autonomous ride-hailing service in California next year, offering self-driving taxis. The project will take place in San Jose, the third largest city in California, while the vehicles will be Level 4/5 autonomous, with the ability to drive themselves completely without human interaction.
Bosch and Daimler have been working together to roll out future autonomous cars and have announced that they will source a new AI platform in that effort. Both companies will source the Drive Pegasus platform AI processors and software from NVIDIA. The tech will be used to help autonomous and automated vehicle navigate the complex environment of congested city streets.
Charging up an electric car looks set to get a whole lot easier, with a new Plug&Charge system promising to do away with membership cards, apps, or swiping a credit card. The system turns the electric charging socket on the EV itself into an authentication system, enabling it to communicate with the charger it's plugged into.
We've seen our fair share of concept cars though almost all of them have future consumers in mind. There are, however, some concepts that have a different market audience in mind, a market that craves for the very best that money can buy and have the money to buy it too. The latest show car to come from Mercedes-Maybach is one of those. Dubbed the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, the ultra luxurious show car doesn't skimp on design and materials to deliver a fusion of sedan and SUV, East and West, utility and, of course, luxury.
During the first half of this year, some Mercedes-Maybach customers will receive the first batch of Mercedes-Maybach S-Class vehicles featuring Digital Light, the automaker's futuristic headlights. Daimler announced the plans today, saying the technology is set to enter small series production with the aforementioned S-Class model. The technology will be showcased at the Geneva Motor Show.
VW has yet to claw its way out from under the mess surrounding its cheating diesel cars and may not for a long time to come. Reports are now indicating that Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler might have used software to help it pass US emission tests. The first word of the scandal surfaced from a German newspaper citing confidential documents over the weekend.
Cars are making the jump, some more of a slow hop, to technologies like connectivity, artificial intelligence and the like. These days, car makers talk as much about machine learning and neural networks as they do horsepower and torque. But while they are undoubtedly interesting from a technological perspective, in the grand scheme of things they should take a backseat to the most important element of all: the human element. At CES 2018, I got a chance to sit down with Dr. Annette Winkler, CEO of Smart Automobile, who describes what smart cars ultimately mean.
Thomas Built Buses, a North American Daimler subsidiary, has taken the wraps off its new Jouley electric school bus, the first of its kind for the company. The bus, which has the official moniker "Saf-T-Liner C2 Electric Bus," is scheduled to hits public roads in the United States in 2019, providing emissions-free transportation for students from home to school and back again.