Verdict Email The issues you care about
Tomorrow’s transport
Future transport news and insight into the emerging transport solutions changing the way we move across the globe. Verdict covers everything from driverless cars and drone taxis to supersonic planes, hyperloop and beyond. We are on the brink of another transport revolution, and technology is driving the changing world of travel.
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22 Feb
London launch of Citymapper Pass raises data misuse concerns
Travel tech firm Citymapper has announced a London travel pass designed to rival the Oyster card.
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19 Feb
EV battery tech in campers gives an off-the-beaten-track experience
The Nissan x OPUS camper uses second-life EV batteries to power off-grid activities so that passengers can stream boxsets on a projector screen in even remote parts of the world for seven days.
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15 Feb
Self-driving cars have miles to go before they reach full autonomy, says watchdog
Companies such as Google’s Waymo are testing robot cars on Californian public roads, and reports to the Department of Motor Vehicles there show that human intervention is needed on average every 14 miles.
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14 Feb
The Netherlands comes out on top for autonomous vehicle readiness
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are undoubtedly the biggest change facing the global automotive industry, but although the hype surrounding the technology is at its height, when it comes to their implementation, some countries are more prepared than others.
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13 Feb
Autonomous cars stride ahead with ability to predict pedestrian movement
Self-driving cars are learning how to recognise and predict pedestrians’ movements with better accuracy, by focusing on people’s gait, body symmetry and foot placement.
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12 Feb
Programming autonomous vehicles brings out the best in drivers, study suggests
People are more likely to program an autonomous vehicle to behave cooperatively with other cars than if they were driving themselves, a US study suggests.
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5 Feb
Electric Nation completes world’s largest EV smart charging trial
Although the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is essential to lower carbon emissions, the rise in their number could put extra pressure on the national and local electricity grid.
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28 Jan
Volvo self-driving cars green-lit for tests on Swedish public roads
The Swedish Transport Agency Transportstyrelsen has given Volvo self-driving cars venture Zenuity approval to begin testing driverless cars on public roads.
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25 Jan
Most Brits would feel unsafe in a self-driving car – here’s how to change that
As the self-driving car revolution chugs along, it appears that the British public isn’t quite ready to take things into second gear.
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24 Jan
AI brings 186 million features to maps for autonomous vehicles
Computer vision-powered mapping startup Mapillary has successfully put more than 186 million features on a global map, a vital step in the move towards wide-scale use of autonomous vehicles.
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9 Jan
In-vehicle technology influences more than 50% of all new car purchases
With technology expected to have a revolutionary impact on the automotive industry, car manufacturers have been focusing their attention on developing the vehicles of the future in recent years, with driverless technology, electric vehicles and smart features at the forefront of research and development.
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7 Jan
700m virtual personal assistants expected in vehicles by 2023 – here are the three main types
Virtual personal assistants (VPAs) such as Siri and Alexa are expected to proliferate vehicles over the next five years, with markets analytics company IHS Markit forecasting some 700 million software platforms to be in cars by 2024.
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4 Jan
Nissan to unveil “ultimate connected car experience” I2V at CES 2019
Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan has created an augmented reality (AR) interface that allows drivers to “see the invisible”, by blending the real and virtual worlds to create an in-car experience that is both safer and more enjoyable for drivers.
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4 Jan
Kia unveils driverless car concept that responds to your emotions
A driverless car that can read how you feel and adjust the environment through all five senses is being unveiled by Kia at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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4 Jan
TomTom gets into the driverless car game
TomTom made its name with GPS car navigation products in the 2000s, but now the Dutch company is collaborating with automotive components manufacturers DENSO and Delphi Technologies on autonomous vehicles.
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3 Jan
Hyundai unveils walking car ahead of CES 2019
With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicking off next week, many companies are preparing to unveil their cutting-edge products and services.
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2 Jan
Modular driverless car has swappable bodies for deliveries, taxi services and beyond
A modular driverless car with a body that can be quickly swapped out for different uses is being showcased at CES 2019.
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18 Dec
Elon Musk’s Boring Company tunnel is about to open– but its real impact will be above ground
The first ever Boring Company tunnel will open later today in California after a delay of a week, offering an unprecedented view of Elon Musk’s novel approach to urban transport.
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7 Dec
Connected car market expected to be worth $225bn by 2025
The connected car market is expected to be worth $225.16bn by 2025, according to a report by Allied Market Research.
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6 Dec
Success of the automotive industry depends on Silicon Valley partnerships
It’s about 2,500 miles from the spiritual home of the automotive industry in Detroit, Michigan, to the heart of the tech world in Silicon Valley – but the gap between the two is narrowing rapidly.
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3 Dec
Urban air mobility in the UK: When could flying taxis arrive in London?
As many commuters will be all too aware, London is currently the most congested city in Europe, with drivers on average spending around 72 hours stuck in traffic every year.
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29 Nov
UK air passengers are increasingly embracing tech on the move
UK travellers are embracing innovative digital travel tools to make their journeys run more smoothly, a recent survey has found.
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23 Nov
Nearly 1.2 million driving jobs at risk from driverless cars
Although fears that automation could lead to widespread job loss are now thought to be largely unfounded, with the technology thought to instead lead to changes in the nature of jobs rather than unemployment, jobs that are centred around driving are preparing for disruption from driverless vehicles.
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23 Nov
Meituan Dianping halts ride-hailing expansion as increased regulation holds the market back
Chinese digital services app Meituan Dianping has confirmed that it has no plans to expand its ride-hailing service beyond its two pilot cities, Shanghai and Nanjing, having halted its attempts to challenge leading taxi app Didi Chuxing in the region.
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20 Nov
Volvo self-driving trucks deal shows post-ownership isn’t just for consumers
Volvo Trucks has announced a landmark deal to supply its self-driving trucks to a Norwegian mine.
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7 Nov
Lilium cements drone taxi ambitions with Airbus and Audi hires
Lilium, the aviation startup developing an on-demand drone taxi service, has announced a number of key hires in the automation and aircraft spaces.
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6 Nov
Autonomous sports cars: Aston Martin CCO on the “autonomous luxury future”
With fully driverless cars expected to be on UK roads as soon as 2021, the move towards self-driving cars appears to be inevitable.
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30 Oct
World’s first in-car WiFi announced by Bentley
Luxury car giant Bentley has today announced what it claims is the world’s first “super-fast, reliable and secure” in-car WiFi system.
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23 Oct
Are incumbents being overlooked in the self-driving car race?
You’ll be forgiven for thinking that the global driverless car race is dominated by tech startups.
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22 Oct
As Addison Lee announces self-driving taxis, is London ready to go driverless?
Private hire taxi company Addison Lee has announced it is partnering with self-driving software company Oxbotica to deliver self-driving vehicles to the capital by 2021.