#automatic passenger counting system examples

[transportaionsoftware]

What role does real-time data sharing play in enhancing coordination between transportation operators and city planners?

In today’s rapidly evolving urban landscapes, the need for efficient and effective transportation systems is more critical than ever. Real-time data sharing has emerged as a pivotal element in enhancing coordination between transportation operators and city planners. This collaboration is essential for creating seamless and responsive public transportation networks. Moreover, advanced ride scheduling software, such as QRyde, plays a significant role in supporting real-time incident management and response. This article explores these themes, focusing on the integration of paratransit software, micro-transit software, and paratransit scheduling software to improve public transportation and NEMT fleet management.

The Importance of Real-Time Data Sharing

Real-time data sharing is a game-changer for urban mobility. It allows for the instantaneous exchange of information between various stakeholders, including transportation operators, city planners, and emergency responders. This data can include traffic conditions, vehicle locations, passenger counts, and more. The integration of real-time data enables these parties to make informed decisions that enhance the efficiency and reliability of public transportation systems.

Enhancing Coordination Between Operators and Planners

One of the primary benefits of real-time data sharing is the improved coordination between transportation operators and city planners. Operators can provide planners with up-to-the-minute information on route performance, vehicle availability, and service disruptions. This data allows planners to adjust routes and schedules dynamically, ensuring optimal service coverage and reducing wait times for passengers.

For instance, QRyde’s paratransit software offers real-time tracking and data analytics capabilities. This enables transportation operators to monitor vehicle locations and passenger pick-up times accurately. City planners can use this data to identify areas with high demand and allocate resources more effectively.

Supporting Emergency Response

In emergencies, the ability to share real-time data is crucial. It allows transportation operators to coordinate with emergency responders and ensure that vehicles are rerouted or deployed to assist in crisis situations. Ride scheduling software can play a vital role in this context by providing real-time updates and facilitating communication between different agencies.

QRyde’s ride scheduling software includes features specifically designed for emergency response. For example, the software can automatically reroute vehicles to avoid accident sites or areas affected by natural disasters. Additionally, it can provide real-time updates to passengers, keeping them informed about delays or changes in service.

Role of Ride Scheduling Software in Incident Management

Ride scheduling software is essential for managing incidents effectively. It provides a centralized platform where operators can monitor all aspects of their fleet and make real-time adjustments as needed. This capability is particularly important for paratransit and NEMT services, where timely and reliable transportation is crucial for passengers who may have medical or mobility needs.

Real-Time Incident Management

Real-time incident management involves detecting, assessing, and responding to incidents as they occur. Ride scheduling software like QRyde’s enables operators to monitor their fleet in real time and receive alerts about potential issues. This could include vehicle breakdowns, traffic congestion, or passenger emergencies.

By using advanced algorithms, the software can suggest alternative routes or dispatch additional vehicles to ensure that service disruptions are minimized. This real-time adaptability is essential for maintaining the reliability of public transportation systems.

Enhancing Passenger Experience

Another significant benefit of ride scheduling software is its ability to enhance the passenger experience. Passengers can receive real-time updates on their rides, including estimated arrival times and notifications about delays. This transparency helps to build trust and confidence in the transportation system.

QRyde’s microtransit software offers a user-friendly interface that allows passengers to book rides, track their vehicles, and receive real-time updates. This level of service is particularly important for NEMT passengers who may need to plan their medical appointments around their transportation schedules.

Integrating Paratransit and Micro-Transit Solutions

Integrating paratransit and micro-transit solutions is key to creating a flexible and responsive transportation network. These services cater to different segments of the population and can complement traditional public transportation systems. By leveraging advanced software solutions, operators can ensure that these services are seamlessly integrated and managed.

Paratransit Software

Paratransit software is designed to manage transportation services for individuals with disabilities or special needs. It includes features such as automated scheduling, real-time tracking, and reporting capabilities. QRyde’s paratransit software provides a comprehensive solution that helps operators manage their fleets efficiently and comply with regulatory requirements.

Micro-Transit Software

Micro-transit software, on the other hand, focuses on providing on-demand transportation services. This includes ride-hailing and carpooling options that offer greater flexibility and convenience for passengers. QRyde’s micro-transit software includes dynamic routing and pricing features that optimize service delivery and reduce operational costs.

Integration with Public Transportation

Integrating paratransit and micro-transit services with existing public transportation software systems can significantly enhance overall mobility. Real-time data sharing plays a crucial role in this integration by enabling seamless communication between different services. For example, a passenger can book a micro-transit ride to a transit hub and then transfer to a fixed-route service, all coordinated through a single platform.

Data-Driven Decision Making

One of the most significant advantages of real-time data sharing is its ability to support data-driven decision making. By collecting and analyzing data on ridership, traffic patterns, and service performance, transportation operators and city planners can make informed decisions that improve service quality and efficiency.

Analytics and Reporting

QRyde’s paratransit scheduling software includes advanced analytics and reporting features that provide insights into various aspects of service delivery. Operators can generate reports on vehicle utilization, passenger wait times, and route performance. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and implement changes that enhance service delivery.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics is another powerful tool that can be leveraged through real-time data sharing. By analyzing historical data and identifying trends, operators can predict future demand and adjust their services accordingly. This proactive approach helps to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and that passengers receive reliable and timely transportation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, real-time data sharing is a critical component in enhancing coordination between transportation operators and city planners. It enables more efficient and responsive public transportation systems, improves incident management, and enhances the passenger experience. Advanced ride scheduling software, such as QRyde, plays a vital role in supporting these capabilities. By integrating paratransit software, micro-transit software, and paratransit scheduling software, transportation operators can create a flexible and responsive network that meets the diverse needs of their passengers. Embracing these technologies and leveraging real-time data will be essential for the future of urban mobility.

[carbuyersinfo]

Mastering the Road: A Closer Look at the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL's Performance

In the world of SUVs, finding a vehicle that seamlessly combines style, functionality, and performance can be a challenging task. However, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL stands out as a shining example of automotive excellence, offering drivers an unparalleled driving experience that's both exhilarating and refined. From its sleek design to its powerful performance capabilities, there's no denying that the Eclipse Cross SEL is a force to be reckoned with on the road. Let's take a closer look at what makes this SUV a true master of the road.

Dynamic Design

The first thing that captures your attention about the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL is its dynamic design. From its sleek profile to its bold front grille, every aspect of this vehicle exudes confidence and sophistication. The SEL trim takes it a step further with premium features like LED headlights and a panoramic sunroof, elevating both style and comfort to new heights. Whether you're cruising through the city streets or embarking on a weekend adventure, the Eclipse Cross SEL is sure to turn heads wherever you go.

Powerful Performance

Under the hood, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL boasts a powerful turbocharged engine that delivers impressive performance on every journey. With ample power and torque at your disposal, acceleration is smooth and responsive, making passing slower vehicles a breeze. Whether you're merging onto the highway or navigating winding mountain roads, the Eclipse Cross SEL handles with precision and agility, providing a driving experience that's as exhilarating as it is enjoyable.

Efficient Fuel Economy

Despite its powerful performance capabilities, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL doesn't sacrifice fuel efficiency. Thanks to advanced engineering and innovative technologies, this SUV delivers excellent fuel economy, helping you save money at the pump without compromising performance. Whether you're commuting to work or embarking on a road trip, the Eclipse Cross SEL offers impressive efficiency that makes every mile count.

Intelligent All-Wheel Control

To tackle challenging road conditions with confidence, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL comes equipped with intelligent all-wheel control (AWC) system. This advanced system continuously monitors driving conditions and automatically adjusts power distribution to the wheels for optimal traction and stability. Whether you're driving in rain, snow, or rough terrain, the Eclipse Cross SEL provides a sure-footed performance that inspires confidence and peace of mind.

Advanced Safety Features

Safety is a top priority in the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL, which is why it's loaded with advanced safety features designed to protect you and your passengers on every journey. From forward collision mitigation to blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert, this SUV offers a comprehensive suite of safety technologies that provide peace of mind and confidence behind the wheel. With its robust safety features, the Eclipse Cross SEL ensures that you arrive at your destination safely, no matter where the road takes you.

Luxurious Interior

Step inside the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL, and you'll discover a luxurious interior that's designed to pamper you with comfort and convenience. From heated leather seats to dual-zone automatic climate control, every detail is meticulously crafted to enhance your driving experience and make every journey a pleasure. With ample space for passengers and cargo alike, the Eclipse Cross SEL is perfect for both daily commutes and long road trips, ensuring that you arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

State-of-the-Art Technology

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL is packed with state-of-the-art technology features that keep you connected, entertained, and informed on the go. With its intuitive touchscreen infotainment system, smartphone integration, and available premium sound system, this SUV offers a seamless driving experience that's as enjoyable as it is convenient. Whether you're streaming music, accessing navigation, or making hands-free calls, the Eclipse Cross SEL puts everything you need right at your fingertips, so you can stay focused on the road ahead.

Exceptional Value

Despite its premium features and impressive performance capabilities, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL remains remarkably affordable, offering exceptional value for drivers who demand the best without breaking the bank. With its competitive pricing and low cost of ownership, this SUV delivers a winning combination of style, performance, and affordability that's hard to beat in its class. Whether you're a seasoned SUV enthusiast or a first-time buyer, the Eclipse Cross SEL offers everything you need and more, making it the perfect choice for mastering the road ahead.

In conclusion, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL is a true masterpiece of automotive engineering, offering drivers an unparalleled driving experience that's both exhilarating and refined. With its dynamic design, powerful performance, advanced safety features, and luxurious amenities, this SUV is designed to master the road with confidence and style. Whether you're cruising through the city streets or embarking on an epic adventure, the Eclipse Cross SEL delivers a driving experience that's as exhilarating as it is unforgettable.

[adrenalineguide]

Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle and Kia Carnival SX: Minivans are BACK Part 2

Words and Photos By Michael Hozjan

Kia Carnival SX:

Take a look at the remaining players in the minivan market; you’ve got the Toyota Sienna, Honda’s Odyssey, Chrysler’s Grand Caravan and last week’s subject, the Pacifica. On the surface they all look fairly alike. Sure there might be an accent line here or there in an attempt to differentiate them, but squint your eyes and the tapered nose and the silhouettes are similar - cute and soft. Chrysler changed the front-end treatment on this year’s Pacifica to give it a more rugged look with an SUV-like grille.

Now take a look at Kia’s latest venture. In the last couple of years Kia’s designers have knocked more than one model out of the ballpark and this year they’ve added muscular looks to a minivan. Yes Kia refers to it as an MPV for multi-purpose vehicle (how they’re getting away with using Mazda’s old moniker I have no idea). I’m pretty sure that you won’t think soccer mom when you see the Carnival. With large 19” blacked out aluminum wheels, a long square snout highlighted by lights fading into the chrome grill and aggressive looking vents on the front corners, this thing screams business.

Dollars

While design may or may not make or break a sale it is a major influence in the final decision, but the Carnival has another ace up its sleeve and that is its price.

Over the years I’ve repeatedly stated that Kias offer more bang for the buck and the Carnival is no exception. The base model, the LX, starts out at $36,760 and my top of the line tester came in at $50,560. Compare that to the base Pacifica at $45,765 and the Pinnacle at $63,265 or Toyota’s Sienna LE front wheel drive at $42,349 and the all-wheel-drive Limited at $60,824 and Honda’s base Odyssey at $45,590 and their top dog the touring at $56,790 and the Kia looks sweeter and sweeter.

Five trim levels make up the Carnival line up; LX, LX+, EX, EX+ and SX. The base model gives you a heated windshield, rear parking sensors as well as advanced forward collision avoidance and lane follow. Stepping up to the LX+ ($40,260) add wireless phone charging, power sliding doors and liftgate, smart key and multi-zone climate controls.  The $44 grand EX adds a couple more driver assists, LED taillights and 19” wheels, plus a smartphone app that allows you to remotely start, lock, unlock the truck. At $47,560 the EX+ gives you a 12.3” multimedia screen, like size digital instrument cluster a surround view monitor as well as LED head and fog lights. The king of the line up, the $50,560 SX, comes with dual sunroofs, Bose premium audio system, leather seating passenger view monitor.

And Sense

We obviously buy minivans to move people and cargo and this is where the two subjects get interesting. Starting at the back I was surprised to learn that the Kia has the upper hand in space with the third row in place, 40.2 cu.ft. to the Pacifica’s 32.3 cu.ft. My girlfriend loved the Pacifica’s clean deep well behind the third row to keep the groceries in place. The Kia’s looked too industrial with its exposed hinges.

Accessing the third row is best done if you slide the second row lounge chairs inboard. Yes you read that right, not only do they move from front to back but also left to right.

Folding the third row is a snap with the Chrysler with switches mounted on the back pillar to activate the various motors, the Kia takes some manual force – but will not break down. With the rear seats folded into their respective cubbyholes, the Kia stows 86.9 cu.ft. of gear to the Pacifica’s 87.5. My Kia came with the fabulous, executive alluring, lounge chairs. Yes they are every bit as comfortable as they look.  While they add credence to the company limo I was talking about last week, they do not fold out of the way. So storage is confined to that same old 86.9 cu.ft. While the Pinnacle does not have second row stow and go seats, (lesser Pacificas do) the second row does fold up against the front buckets and can be removed – heavy as they are – to give you enough room to carry a 4x8 foot sheet of plywood in the 165 cu.ft. cargo bay. Like the Pacifica the lesser trim levels of the Carnival (the LX through to EX+) have removable second row seats expanding the cargo volume to 168 cu.ft.

Heated front seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, and sunshades for the back rows make this a desirable cabin whether you’re shuttling your clients to the airport or moving the in-laws back home. If you’re counting, there are nine USB ports dotting the cabin and there's a handy 12-volt outlet in the rear.

Above: Second row lounge chairs slide in for easier access to third row or or out to carry longer items. 

Behind the wheel

The front buckets are comfortable and not only look, but feel like they came out of a sports sedan with excellent bolstering on the seat backs. Adding to the cockpit’s comfort is the center console’s wide armrest incorporating drink cubbies and a wireless charging tray,

A modern looking dash is a change from the usual fluff and the infotainment centre looks spectacular, but the audio system works backwards in all of my recent Kia encounters. Example; going up the sat radio stations from 6 to say 18 you’d think you would have to press the steering wheel nub up, but no, you have to go down?!? What bicycle riding genius thought of this! Worse yet, the audio system does not let you tailor the order to your taste but numerically. You say you’ll get used to it…I shouldn’t have to. It’s called intuitive touch. Ok I’ve vented.    

 The Carnival comes with one power package, a class leading 3.5L, 290 horsepower, V6 with 262 lb.-ft. of torque connected to a smooth shifting non-CVT, 8-speed automatic that can tow 3,500 lbs. Unfortunately there’s no all-wheel-drive package available - yet. While you won’t be setting any breakneck speeds even if you use the Sport mode, it does make this minivan, um, corporate hauler, feel quicker than its competitors sending you to 100kph in just over 7 seconds. I kept mine in Eco mode to see what kind of fuel consumption I could get and was still impressed with its acceleration. I mustered an impressive 9.4L/100 kilometers. The handling is well balanced and predictable with no brake fade.

Above: No attention to detail is spared.  

More a boardroom than a minivan cabin, the Carnival’s interior is serenely quite. The multi-link rear suspension soaks up road irregularities and sends barely a shudder through the greenhouse. I had to pick up over a dozen cinder blocks while my truck was out for a wheel alignment and the Kia surprised me with its smooth ride even under a heavy load, the back end never bottomed out. Kudos. 

The Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Carnival, from the old school automatic transmission to the smooth revving V6. As much as I love the lounge chairs that look like they’ve been pillaged from a Maybach, for my personal priorities I’d go for the regular, removable second row seats. Call me crazy but I’d love to see a sportier handling package made available to go with the macho design.    

 Will the Carnival steal some of the market share away from SUVs? Hard to say, with its easier access to the third row, lower lift over and better maneuverability than an SUV it makes sense, one thing is certain it’ll give Toyota, Honda and Chrysler a run for their money. 

[agronregion]

SPRING FLING: PT 02 ─ FRONTIER MECHANICS

Time to get hype! If you haven’t read Part 01 of the event, please do so before reading this post! 

Here, we will detail the new mechanics and locations that will be a PERMANENT ADDITION to Agron, starting with the Battle Frontier to the Resort portion and, finally, the new special positions offered for characters! Our locations, rules, and Pokémon guide pages will be updated to reflect these changes and additions accordingly. Let us know if you have any questions on how the Battle Frontier works! 

The Battle Frontier, much like its in-game counterpart, features several arenas for trainers to really test their strengths against other top-tier trainers and, finally, the Battle Frontier Brains. Each arena has a special gimmick to make battles interesting, but the main feature to be excited over? Each arena allows the possibility to Dynamax Pokémon! It's the very first time this has been accessible to trainers in the Agron Region. However, there are requirements one must meet in order to take on the Battle Frontier! 

Only trainers with all 8 badges are allowed to participate. They do not have to beat the Pokémon League! Once a trainer presents their 8 badges of the Agron Region, they will be able to register for the Battle Frontier challenge ( including League Members )! Once registered, trainers will receive a Dynamax Band. KEEP IN MIND: the Dynamax Bands ONLY work while within an arena! They WILL NOT work anywhere else in the region. While anyone with 8 badges can access Dynamaxing, ONLY FRONTIER BRAINS HAVE ACCESS TO GIGANTAMAX POKEMON. On the topic of Frontier Brains, we’ll move onto the next bit of exciting news!

Frontier Brains will now be offered as a special role for characters! They work much like League Members and count as a special character, so only one will be allowed per person, and if you’re already part of the League or a Team Evolution admin, you may not have a character as a Frontier Brain. As stated before, Frontier Brains are allowed to have a Gigantamax Pokémon! This is not required; you’re more than welcome to just have a signature Pokémon they Dynamax. Each Frontier Brain will have three Pokémon as their official team at level 50. The only exception is the Battle Factory Brain, who uses randomly selected Pokémon. Personal teams are allowed. Frontier Brains do not have to have a special typing, but they are still bound to restricted Pokémon and the one shiny rules. The Pokémon Guide will be updated accordingly with this information! 

On the battle arenas themselves: there are seven arenas, three on the northern island and three on the southern island. The Battle Tower acts at the 7th arena and is the main feature, equivalent to the ‘champion’ of the Battle Frontier. Other than the Battle Tower, trainers can compete in any challenge in the order they wish. In each facility, trainers are allowed to use three Pokémon. The arenas are as follow:

BATTLE TOWER (N): As stated above, the Battle Tower ( located at the head of the northern island ) is the main battle facility. It can only be challenged once trainers have completed all other battle arenas. Unlike the Pokémon League, the Battle Tower is a tournament style challenge where trainers are pit against each other until there is one winner who will be able to challenge the Battle Tower Brain. 

BATTLE FACTORY (N): In the Battle Factory, trainers are given a choice of three Pokémon from a random pool. This tests trainer’s adaptability, as they will have to work with new Pokémon and quickly devise strategies to overcome the Factory Brain, who specializes in using a wide array of Pokémon! * this frontier brain is the only one without an official team due to the nature of it’s mechanics. instead, they are allowed a personal team! 

BATTLE HALL (N): For this challenge, trainers must compete in a Pokémon Contest and eventually face off against the Hall Brain, who is also a top coordinator! For trainers who’ve never competed in contests, basic lessons are offered for free to those who have registered for the challenge. 

BATTLE COURTYARD (N): The largest of the arena’s, the Battle Courtyard has an advanced feature: each battle has randomly selected terrain and weather. Any moves used by Pokémon that affect the weather will be neutralized and unusable. This is another test of adaptability: can you and your Pokémon use the weather to your advantage, no matter the situation? 

BATTLE CASTLE (S): The challenge of the Battle Castle is simple: the battle is a double battle! Trainers must prove they’re able to command two Pokémon at once and work out strategies around a double battle, including who to Dynamax and providing proper support and type combinations! 

BATTLE ARCADE (S): For this challenge, all Pokémon start off with a random status effect. These can be cleansed with moves, but no items are allowed within the challenge. Best know your status conditions and how to overcome them or use them to your advantage! The system will automatically detect Pokémon types to avoid resistance ( for example: a fire Pokémon will not be given the burn effect, rather something that is guaranteed to affect it ).

BATTLE TEMPLE (S): The Battle Temple offers unique challenges that change day-by-day. Trainers are to show perseverance by hunting down objects within the dimly-lit temple. To make the challenge harder, ‘’wild’’ pokemon roam the floors, and there’s often other trainers taking the challenge and scavenging around as well. Any trainers that meet must face off in battle, and the defeated trainer must begin the challenge again. Once a trainer has collected all items, they may face the Temple Brain.

Starting today, people are able to reserve Battle Factory Brain spots! Please refer to the Pokémon Guide for team building. Frontier Brains should center their characters around the theme of the battle arena they are overseeing! For example: the Battle Hall is required to be a Pokémon coordinator, the Battle Castle Brain should have a love for double battles, and so on. 

With a new island comes, of course, new locations! There are many highlights to touch on. Other than the battle areas, the Battle Frontier also acts as a resort! The frontier is welcome to trainers who aren’t participating in the challenge and offers a plethora of things to do. Watching the battles, of course, is the main highlight. But there are many other attractions for guests to enjoy! The locations page will be updated accordingly with this information, but you can view it here for ease!

Trainers can safely journey between the islands on the backs of their Pokémon via swimming or flying. For trainers who don’t have a Pokémon that can make the journey, a boat service is offered to transport between the island and runs all day. 

SNAPDRAGON PORT: Nestled south of the Jasmine Desert between the coast and mountains is a newly developed port! A bus service is offered that will take trainers from the Rest Place to the port, but the trip is also made easily on foot. The port is mainly used as a hub for people traveling to the Battle Frontier and Resort. It is also here that trainers with 8 badges can register for the Battle Frontier challenge and receive their Dynamax Bands. There is a pathway up the mountain that is safe to travel for trainers wanting to go directly to the Hibiscus Mountains! 

RESORT HOTEL (S): On the southern island is Agron’s largest and grandest hotel. It isn’t the island’s only hotel, but it is the most popular. It’s a bit on the spendier side, but it’s well worth it! Each room is themed off of one of the 18 Pokémon types and guests can reserve which room they’d like to stay in! Make sure you book your theme ahead of time if you’d like a specific one, though, as rooms fill up fast! 

AMUSEMENT PARK (N): The main feature of the northern island! Located directly in the center is an amusement park. It isn’t massive, but still enjoyable! It features small coasters and rides, like a carousel, but it’s main feature is the large ferris wheel. It takes about 30 minutes to make a full rotation. The passenger cabinets are spacious enough to hold about 10 guests along with their small Pokémon and feature a small bar. Each cabinet has 360 viewing and at its peak, you can see the entirety of the northern island. 

[reportsandmarkets]

Automatic Passenger Counting System Market Report 2017

Automatic Passenger Counting System Market Report 2017

In this report, the United States Automatic Passenger Counting System market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022. ACCESS FULL REPORT AND TOC: https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/reports/united-states-automatic-passenger-counting-system-market-report-2017-1644607 Geographically, this report…

[jplatformdms]

What are its Benefits to Business?

What are its Benefits to Business?

As a technology developed for direct data exchange, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have gained an important place in our lives. A small-sized chip has the capacity to send programmed content to nearby receivers. RFID technology is often used for access control. The door can then be opened automatically if only an authorized RFID tag is detected.

Contactless payment systems work similarly. The embedded RFID tag in the new generation passports stores personal information of the owner. In addition to the fast electronic verification process, changes to the printed document can be blocked electronically. At the same time RFID tags provide the opportunity to handletedious jobs such as inventory control and goods counting within seconds.

WHAT IS RFID TECHNOLOGY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology used in recognition and tracking of people or objects at a certain distance without touching them. Although it looks like barcode technology will take its place, it is possible to get even more thanks to advanced features carried by RFID.

At the heart of RFID technology are labels that can store data. These labels can be followed at many levels by their unique identification numbers. Among the major advanced features are the ability to write thousands oftimes on the microchips located on the labels, the ability to read many labels at the same time, meters away from the scanner, and the last developed models even resist water and heat

RFID dispensers do not need to carry power supplies. The extremely low power consumption of the chip can be compensated by the electromagnet attached to the nearby reader. A wide frequency range from 120 kHz to 10 GHz is supported, depending on the link distance with RFID and the transmission speed. The strongest active labels can be processed within 200 meters.

RFID tags are not usually embedded in computers and smart phones, but there are also some consumer applications. For example, you can add an RFID tag into a bicycle frame and use it to prove that you own it, if it is stolen.

SIGNIFICANT APPLICATIONS IN DIFFERENT SECTORS

RFID has become widespread in a wide range of applications in many sectors such as automotive, fuel, logistics, retail, agriculture, healthcare, medicine, textile, finance, banking, energy, public, manufacturing, security and tourism, vehicle recognition systems, OGS, HGS, which are bridge transit systems used today, can be given as an example of RFID project. RFID technology can be used in inventory tracking, patient follow-up, personnel follow-up systems, passenger transport cards and hundreds of other areas or businesses.

NFS TECHNOLOGY AND ARM

A similar technology is near-field communication (NFC). Built on RFID principles, this system can work in both directions. When two devices with NFC support are close enough (usually the devices are knocked down, but the physical contact is not essential), they can send and receive data in sequence.

NFC is becoming the standard on a growing number of smart phones and tablets. In theory it can be used for data and file exchange between such devices. But it is not practical to use it because the NFC only operates at 4 cm (and the highest transfer rate is only 424 Kbps). The Beam feature that comes with Android simply uses NFC to swap out simple device information, then a much more robust and stable connection, like Bluetooth or something like that.

Similarly, the NFC printing feature that comes with Windows 8.1 does not send page content over NFC, the NFC tag on the printer only transmits driver information and the network address. The client then completes the process over the network in a conventional fashion using the network address to which the print job will be sent.

Passive NFC tags are used in the shopping industry to allow customers to make electronic payments with their digital wallet by tapping in on embedded smart phones. Similar to the RFID-based payment systems we mentioned earlier, but this time the roles are changing because the active reader is on the user’s smart phone. Service providers can use the system more easily and cheaply. It is only necessary to place cheap NFC tags programmed to the visible part of the respective products.

LOGO ERP and DNMS software have builtin features to automate inventory tracking and management. Contact us for a demo.

Source URL - https://jplatform.in/benefits-of-rfid-technology.php

[aianalytics]

3 enterprise AI success stories

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) might be high in the hype cycle at the moment. But that doesn’t mean organizations are not realizing tangible gains from deploying products that leverage the technologies.

Here are three examples of how AI and ML are improving internal business processes and paying off for enterprises.

Boosts for sales and marketing

Beacon Street Services needed to have a “single source of truth” for all its company’s data, to ensure consistency and accuracy across its applications. The company is the services arm of Stansberry Holdings, which produces financial publications exclusively through purchased subscriptions.

Having collected and stored massive volumes of data using Snowflake, the cloud-based data warehouse service, Beacon Street Services wanted to use that data to help its sales and marketing teams improve on previous tactics and processes of selling subscriptions.

“Our marketing and sales teams saw an opportunity to improve on sales processes by applying a data science approach,” says David Kline, vice president of engineering at Beacon Street Services. “With this approach, we hoped to better identify buying criteria to help the marketing team run more effective campaigns.”

Taking the historical user data the company had in its Snowflake data warehouse and loading it into an enterprise AI platform it deployed from DataRobot beginning in 2019, it was able to build a series of models quickly and automatically, using dozens of the latest data science algorithms. With these models, it identified buying criteria to help the marketing team run more targeted and effective campaigns.

The company now continues to feed large amounts of data into the AI platform from the data warehouse, Kline says.

As a result of the new process, Beacon Street Services saw a 10% increase in sales and is on track to realize $15 million in additional annual sales directly attributable to the AI platform. Since implementing the platform, the company has seen 30 to 35 times return on investment in revenue gains and cost decreases, Kline says.

“For example, for one individual project we had to manually go through previous transactions to determine the risk of chargebacks following automatic subscription renewal and create a risk evaluation model, Kline says. “Not only was this process automated using AI, but we now have the benefit of proactively handling upcoming transactions.”

In addition to seeing improved accuracy and optimized marketing campaigns using AI, the DataRobot platform also provided significant time savings. Previously, it would take as long as six weeks to develop a model, with no guarantees that the optimal algorithm was selected. With the enterprise AI platform, that time to develop and deploy models that used more appropriate algorithms was reduced to just one week.

A side benefit is that the company’s IT team is spending less time analyzing data and more time working on potentially valuable projects for the business.

Classifying documents for better security

Company Nurse, which provides Covid-19 health screenings, workplace injury reporting, and nurse triage services for employers, is leveraging AI on several fronts.

One project involves enhancing the process of classifying documents. Company Nurse in 2020 deployed a platform from Concentric called Semantic Intelligence, to protect private workers’ compensation data on behalf of its customers and their end users.

The system autonomously discovers Company Nurse’s critical unstructured data, providing an opportunity to mitigate data sprawl and reduce threat surfaces.

As part of its service to customers, Company Nurse completes incident reports for workers’ compensation, providing appropriate care advice to injured workers and managing providers for referral. The information in the reports and forms includes significant amounts of unstructured data, says Henry Svendblad, CTO at the company.

By using the AI-powered system from Concentric, Company Nurse can protect private information in the documents without the need for staff to manually go through the data. The platform automates unstructured data security using deep learning to categorize data, uncover business criticality, and reduce risk.

Semantec Intelligence uses the baseline security practices seen for each category of data to calculate a “risk distance” from the baseline for each individual document. The risk distance uncovers events such as inappropriate sharing of information, risky storage locations, and incorrect classifications.

Not long after deploying the platform, Company Nurse was able to identify duplicate files it didn’t need to maintain, and found opportunities to enhance access permissions, Svendblad said. The company also found a large cache of private injury reports that were left on an open share application due to oversharing and lax access permissions.

“Any leakage of these documents would have been devastating to Company Nurse,” Svendblad says. “We have closed several small ‘blindspots,’ where files have been overshared, thanks to [AI] automatically classifying these documents for us. Preventing a single breach is worth tens of thousands [of dollars] to us. The cost of the solution is well worth the ROI—even if not a ‘hard’ ROI.”

In addition to the document classification process, Company Nurse is also applying AI-powered software products to functions such as sales opportunity scoring, data analytics, identification of zero day security threats, and speech-to-text transcription.

It’s difficult to estimate the investments the company has made in AI technologies because the tools are built into various software products it’s using, Svendblad says. But the company has seen multiple benefits, including improved security, enhanced work/life balance for employees, and improved quality of service in its contact center.

A step toward autonomous oil drilling

Oil and gas companies are under growing pressure to increase the efficiency of their drilling operations. One such company, Devon Energy, is in the early stages of leveraging AI and ML capabilities for real-time decision making that could potentially lead to closed-loop automation capabilities—or an autonomous drilling rig at each well site that would help to boost overall operations, efficiencies, and safety at the sites.

Devon Energy, which recently merged with WPX Energy (the company that initiated the push to AI/ML beginning in 2020), is using an offering called Hivecell to deliver edge computing at its drilling sites on oil fields in West Texas and North Dakota. Hivecell, provided by a company of the same name, is an “edge-as-service” offering that enables computing and analytics close to the source of the data.

The data is created by sensors in the equipment provided by a service company that Devon Energy uses for hydraulic fracturing processes. The data is transferred from the sensors to the service company’s systems and then is sent from those systems to Hivecell via the TCP/IP protocol.

Devon Energy is in the first phase of leveraging Hivecell to process machine learning at the remote well sites. Having this capability will enable Devon to avoid sending all of the data to the cloud for processing, which is costly and slow. Hivecell is used in conjunction with Confluent’s event streaming platform that manages the raw drilling site data from Apache Kafka.

“We’re always searching for ways to improve our drilling and completion operations efficiency,” and are looking to automate manual tasks through ML, says Dingzhou Cao, senior data science advisor at Devon Energy. The first phase of the project involves gathering ​real-time data on hydraulic fracturing, a well-stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid, so that natural gas and petroleum can flow more freely.

“We are in the process of building models to detect the hydraulic fracture events from real-time data automatically,” Cao says. “We wanted to be forward-thinking and are always looking for ways to build efficiencies and improve processes.”

Typically, oil and gas companies today rely on cloud computing services for processing and analyzing data from remote locations in near real time, Cao says, but this has the disadvantage of internet connection instability and latency issues.

“Think of a self-driving car that is processing data in the cloud,” Cao says. “Every millisecond counts when it comes to the vehicle reacting, to ensure the safety of the passengers and those around it. So, the amount of time it takes to send the data from the car to the cloud is crucial and could lead to safety incidents if it’s not in true real time.”

The same is true for closed-loop optimization; for example, auto-drilling rigs at the well sites. “We need to be able to react in real time, and can’t risk data being lost due to an unstable internet connection,” Cao says.

Devon Energy is building the foundation for true real-time, analytics-driven decision making, and eventually closed-loop control of the well sites. This will eventually allow the company to use edge-based stream processing for real-time, closed-loop control over drilling operations. The data streams produced by the machine learning models and analytical preprocessed data at the well site will also be replicated to the cloud for other purposes.

“Given that Hivecell runs on-site, we don’t have to worry about latency or internet instability issues,” Cao says. The platform will allow Devon to easily deploy, manage, and scale ML models at the well sites, he says.

Devon Energy hopes to complete the first phase in 2021 and then move to the second phase, in which it will determine the analytics models based on the most crucial business needs.

Although Cao did not provide specific cost information, he says the implementation is cost-effective compared with using a cloud-based option. “By leveraging Hivecell, we’re able to process the data on the stack and don’t need to pay the software licensing fee for a similar stream processing engine,” he says.

With the implementation, “we’re putting real-time data in the hands of who needs it most, when they need it most,” Cao says. “Our engineers have the ability to access the real-time data via their cell phones or computer. While we’re still in the first phase, which is just focused on capturing this data, as we move through future phases the analytics model will be used to aid well site decision making.”

[dipulb3]

2021 Mazda CX-5 review: Fun at the forefront

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-mazda-cx-5-review-fun-at-the-forefront/

2021 Mazda CX-5 review: Fun at the forefront

Even though you’ll be having fun behind the wheel, the CX-5’s styling ensures you remain under the radar.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Sometimes, making a change means losing sight of what you used to hold dear. Thankfully, that’s not the case for the 2021 Mazda CX-5. While the Japanese automaker has injected its latest vehicles with affordable doses of luxury-level trimmings, the company hasn’t lost sight of the fun-to-drive nature that brought people into its showrooms in years past. If anything, it only makes this compact crossover more compelling.

Like

Fun to drive

Properly fancy interior

Affordable

Don’t Like

Light on cargo space

Middling MPGs

Lack of touchscreen isn’t for everyone

Fashion forward

Devoid of harsh angles and eye-grabbing garishness, I appreciate the CX-5’s clean body lines, with only a hint of aggression on the hood giving way to subdued curves on the sides. It’s a little anonymous, sure, but I think it’s interesting in the compact crossover segment; competitors like the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue are content to go hard in the paint with unique styling but a general glossing-over of driving dynamics, whereas Mazda’s taking the opposite approach.

The best parts of the CX-5’s design are inside. This cabin is one of my favorites in the segment; just like the exterior, Mazda chooses to prioritize cleanliness over whiz-bang, look-at-me styling. Combine that with a whole lot of impressively soft leather on my Signature-trim tester, and you have an interior that borders on bona-fide luxury — and for less than the average new-car transaction price. The front seats are spacious and supportive without being tight, and while the rear seats may be a little cramped for folks over 6 feet tall, there’s still a decent amount of space back there.

Storage is a bit of a mixed bag, though. The CX-5’s cabin itself has a sufficient number of places to store one’s junk, whether it’s the phone-or-mask-sized tray under the climate controls or the deep center armrest cubby with its removable shelf. However, cargo area suffers compared to the competition; at 30.9 cubic feet behind the second-row seats, the CX-5 falls far behind the Honda CR-V (about 38 cubic feet), Toyota RAV4 (about 37) and Nissan Rogue (about 36). You’ll have to either get creative with your trip packing or figure out which child gets left at home.

Rewarding on the road

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 comes with one of two engines. Lower trims get a 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated I4 that produces 187 horsepower, but the top-tier Signature example before me picks up some major hustle with a 2.5-liter turbocharged I4 that bumps output to a meaty 250 hp and 320 pound-feet of torque. (Those numbers are for premium fuel; using the cheap stuff drops those specs to 227 and 310, respectively.) Whether I’m using the torque to swiftly move between stoplights around town or wringing the four-pot out at higher revs to pass cars on the highway, at no point am I left wanting for more motive force. Both engines use a six-speed automatic that might feel a little behind the times on gear count, but in practice it’s a smooth-shifting transmission that will never command attention.

Throwing some fun characteristics into a mass-market vehicle’s driving dynamics sometimes requires a trade-off in daily livability, but not here. The 2021 CX-5’s static dampers do an impressive balancing act, soaking up a majority of gross roads and returning little in the way of jostling or uncomfortable movement. Yet, at the same time, entering a corner faster than my passengers might prefer doesn’t result in a floaty or discombobulated feeling. The steering is direct but not so tight that small movements feel like bigger ones, and both pedals are dead simple to modulate for smoothness. Like its styling, I think the way the CX-5 drives will appeal to a broad swath of the buying public.

Oh, don’t worry, there’s a downside tucked away in here. Sadly, it’s fuel economy. With all-wheel drive and the peppier engine option, the 2021 CX-5 is EPA-rated at just 22 miles per gallon city and 27 mpg highway. I was able to best those figures by a couple, mind you, but the feds’ estimates are bleak in the face of Mazda’s competitors. For context, a similarly equipped Honda CR-V is rated at 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, with the RAV4 pulling ahead of the Honda by 1 mpg highway. Then again, that’s the price you pay for having 310 lb-ft of torque, which the other cars mentioned here definitely do not.

The CX-5’s interior gives a few “premium” automakers a run for their money.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Slick standard tech

While many of Mazda’s competitors are content to give you a little baby screen unless you throw down more money for a higher trim or an options package, the 2021 CX-5 gives every single buyer a 10.3-inch infotainment display mounted high on the dashboard, which runs the sleekest, newest version of the Mazda Connect software. Like the rest of the interior, this screen looks pretty darn fancy, with a standard dark-mode motif that is light on distracting eye candy. It’s responsive, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now both standard, but buyers used to touchscreens may not enjoy the fact that the sole methods of manipulation are a rotary dial on the center console and voice commands through a steering wheel button. When it comes time to charge, there are two USB ports for each row, although the base CX-5 Sport only makes do with plugs up front.

That’s not the only screen tucked away in the CX-5, though. Grand Touring and higher trims also receive a 7-inch LCD in the gauge cluster that comprises the speedometer and can show a bit of extra information on either side; it’s a little light on features, but it gets the job done without overwhelming the driver. There’s also a head-up display on Grand Touring Reserve and Signature variants, which projects pertinent information on the windshield rather than the dinky pop-up plastic that Mazda used to rely on.

Like most every other automaker, Mazda’s thrown in a number of active and passive safety systems regardless of trim. Every 2021 CX-5 gets automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and blind-spot monitoring. The tip-top Signature model adds to that with a surround-view monitor, traffic sign recognition and reverse automatic emergency braking.

In addition to the usual pages for audio and navigation, you can track your fuel economy… although given its efficiency, perhaps you don’t want to do that.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Down to brass tacks

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is affordable, with the Sport FWD model starting at $26,370, including $1,100 for destination. AWD is a $1,400 option for any trim except Grand Touring Reserve and Signature, where it’s standard. Pricing tops out with my tester’s Signature trim, which will set you back $38,505 — a fair chunk of change, yes, but still within the realm of affordability.

That puts the CX-5 in line with the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue, all of which are viable competitors. However, the CX-5’s biggest rivals are pretty milquetoast, offering little in the way of an interesting drive. The Mazda might be a little low on cargo space compared to the rest, but the tradeoff is a compact crossover that’s engineered with more than rote transportation in mind.

[mitsubishifever]

Mitsubishi Pajero 2020 Review

There are no assurances the  Mitsubishi Pajero 2020 is the very last one we’ll see, but further updates for Mitsubishi’s long-runner are off the cards.

With a lineage that stretches back to the first-generation Pajero, revealed at the 1981 Tokyo motor show and sold in Aus’ from 1983, and four generations over the years that followed, the Pajero has earned icon status.

In fact, the current generation alone is something of an icon in itself, arriving in 2006 and given its current styling revisions in 2014. It’s no spring chicken, then, but the best off-road legends tend to have long unbroken runs – think first-gen Mercedes Benz G-Class (40 years and counting) and Land Rover Defender (at 33 years).

For the 2020 model year, Mitsubishi has made a few changes. Most significantly, the previous range-topping Exceed variant has been dropped, leaving a two-model range that starts with the Pajero GLX from $49,990 drive-away, and tops out with the GLS The powertrain is unchanged, meaning the long-running 3.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine continues with 141kW at 3800rpm and 441Nm at 2000rpm. Only one transmission is available, a five-speed automatic, sending power to Mitsubishi’s Super Select II four-wheel-drive system.

Official figures suggest mixed-cycle fuel consumption of 9.1 litres per 100km. 

Underpinning the Pajero is an ‘integral frame’ monocoque chassis – not typical of most hardcore 4x4s that use a separate ladder frame, but able to blur the lines somewhat between passenger car comfort and off-road ruggedness. The result is a sizeable four-wheel-drive that, even given its age, is thoroughly pleasant to drive.

Acceleration is leisurely, but for a car with the Pajero’s capabilities that’s fine. There are also hints of diesel soundtrack depending on engine load and conditions, but overall the 3.2-litre engine is muted and smooth for its age.

The IVECS II (Innovative Vehicle Electronic Control System) transmission smarts aren’t at the cutting edge of control technology compared to the era in which the system debuted. Adaptive logic and the ability to ‘learn’ driver patterns mean Mitsubishi’s five-speed auto responds favourably to driver inputs without hunting for the right gear or swapping cogs unnecessarily.

For drivers who would rather mete gear changes themselves, a floor-mounted manual mode allows gears to be held as required, which is handy in some off-road situations or when towing.

On the subject of towing, which is a primary purchaser consideration, the Pajero claims a maximum 3000kg tow rating. It pays to keep in mind, however, that up to 2500kg the Pajero carries a 250kg ball limit, at 3000kg the ball limit drops to 180kg – limiting flexibility somewhat.

Unlike most recreational 4x4s such as the Toyota Prado, Isuzu MU-X and even the slightly smaller Pajero Sport, the Pajero runs on fully independent suspension. That helps give it a more settled and stable feel over smaller blemishes in the road surface, more in line with 4x4s like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Land Rover Discovery.

While the Pajero legacy (in more recent times, at least) is forged on its simplicity and dependability, those same provisions cost it points on presentation.

On the inside, the fourth-gen Pajero looks every bit its age. The dash design – one massive tombstone of black plastic – makes no attempts to position itself as a premium product. It’ll survive spills, scuffs, moisture, dust and dirt no worries, but won’t be mistaken for a luxury product.

The newest part of the Pajero’s interior is its 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system loaded with features like DAB+ radio and smartphone mirroring for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but lacking in-built sat-nav or a CD player, which seem like oversights given its propensity for remote getaways.

The driver faces analogue instruments with no digital displays. The darkly shrouded two-dial gauge cluster can be hard to clock at a glance.

Ahead of the driver, there’s no trip computer info or digital speedo readout; however, an LCD display in the centre stack offers some additional info, like barometric pressure, fuel monitoring, time and temp.

Ergonomics aren’t always on point, like the (admittedly minor control) switches hidden from view on the lower dash to the left of the steering column, plus limited seat adjustment (powered upfront) and lack of steering wheel reach adjustment mean the Pajero may not be an ideal fit for all drivers.

Despite generous external proportions, the interior may be less spacious than expected. There are no issues upfront, but adult passengers in the second row will find the seat base undersized with a lack of under-thigh support, though there is an adjustable backrest.

Getting into the third row is relatively simple, but once there, the tiny dimensions rule the rearmost seats out for all but the most compact passengers. A small, low seat, lack of toe and knee room, and no ability to slide the middle row forward force an awkward side-skewed seating position.

Comfort and convenience are covered by features like single-zone climate control, rear booster controls and overhead ventilation to all three rows, power windows with auto up and down for the driver, cloth and ‘synthetic leather’ seating surfaces, Bluetooth connectivity, heated front seats, auto lights and wipers, self-dimming interior mirror, HID headlights, and remote central locking with key start.

Items that have gone missing with the removal of the higher-spec Exceed model include a sunroof, leather trim, and sports pedals – but the GLS also gains Rockford 12-speaker audio, an alarm and auto high beam, while also coming in at more than R160K under the old range-topper, which seems an agreeable compromise.

With all three rows of seats in use, there’s barely enough space left to handle a couple of grocery bags. The final row of seats can be stowed flat in the boot floor, which is a fiddly multi-stage process.

Behind the second row, Mitsubishi claims a whopping 1069L to the top of the seats, meaning plenty of useful acreages to pack your luggage into, along with plenty of bag hooks and an included cargo blind. Drop the second row and there’s 1789L, with a load length of just over 1.4m.

On the safety front, Mitsubishi provides six airbags, ABS brakes, traction and stability control, plus three top tether and two ISOFIX child seat mounts for the middle row (positioned inboard and ruling out the use of the centre seat).

Against more modern competitors, the Pajero misses out on technologies that are fast becoming commonplace on much cheaper vehicles. Features like adaptive cruise control, attention monitoring, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and the autonomous emergency braking are nowhere to be found.

Mitsubishi touts a five-star ANCAP rating, but the assessment is dated from 2011, meaning the data is now considered out of date with the lack of crash-avoidance technology making the Pajero ineligible for a five-star finish under current criteria.

For buyers seeking simplicity, the Pajero’s more basic range of features appeals to staunch traditionalists, but as a flagship vehicle, it leaves much to be desired. Particularly amongst peers like the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado, which carry more safety and luxury tech, but also wear more expensive price tags.

Similarly, the way the Pajero GLS comports itself on the road feels much more like past generations of 4x4s and not the newest or most advanced. The engine can’t be rushed, and would rather dig into its torque reserves than fly through its rev range.

There’s around 2300kg of kerb weight to shift, so the Pajero is no traffic light Grand Prix racer. It needs a moment to really get rolling, but between 1500 and 2500rpm it feels almost unstoppable.

Steering is on the heavy side at low speeds, with an 11.4m turning circle making for a somewhat cumbersome feel in tight quarters, but head onto the open road and it is much more stable and secure as a result.

Ride quality also favours the open road. It’s absorbent enough to soak up jagged rural road surfaces and doesn’t jar or shock occupants.

You can also point it away from made surfaces, with the Super Select II 4x4 system accommodating on- and off-road use with shift-on-the-go ease. To keep fuel use trim in town there's two-wheel drive, and should conditions turn damp there's on-road four-wheel drive for added traction. Head into the rough stuff and 4HLC mode locks the centre diff, while 4LLC adds low-range gearing into the mix for heavy-duty work.

In factory form, there’s 225mm of ground clearance and up to 700mm wading depth should things start to get hairy. While the lack of rigid axles won’t work for rock-hopping traditionalists, the four-wheel independent set-up holds its own on moderate off-road terrain, as does the standard rear diff lock.

As a touring vehicle, travelling noise is low, engine and road intrusion are well managed, though wind noise can factor in depending on the conditions. The block-shaped Pajero isn’t necessarily the most aerodynamically efficient.

Now that the newer Pajero Sport has established itself, it's clear that buyers after a better-equipped, plusher, or more high-tech four-wheel-drive have an option. Be that as it may, there’s still a clear audience for, and plenty to like about, the Pajero.

Its amount of time on the ground imparts the perception of having proven itself (recent recall notwithstanding), and certainly, on the used market, there’s no shortage of examples of the current fourth-gen model with well beyond 300,000km on the clock.

Owners are covered by a five-year/100,000km warranty and capped-price servicing for the first three years or 45,000km set at $479 per visit, occurring at 12-month or 15,000km intervals (whichever comes first) inclusive of all fluids and filters described in the regular service schedule.

Because of their dedicated ‘heavy-duty’ focus, cars like the LandCruiser, Patrol, Prado and Pajero are unlikely to ever be part driving, easy to park, economy champions. For their target market that’s absolutely ideal, too.

While the sophistication and complexity of rivals continue to expand, the Pajero sticks to the ‘keep it simple’ mantra favoured by regional and remote buyers and carving out its own niche in the process.

No model can run forever, though, and with production scaling down for overseas markets. Mitsubishi tells us Pajero production will soldier on for a few more years but won't yet commit to an end date.

The Pajero’s future gets even murkier now that Mitsubishi operates under the control of Nissan. While past concepts have pointed to a next-generation Pajero, the need to scale down development costs has put plans on hold while Nissan and Mitsubishi clarify the direction for Pajero and Patrol replacements.

With sharpened pricing over the years (including the ongoing current offer) and a hard-won reputation, the Pajero makes sense as a sturdy rig for touring South Africa from corner to corner reliably and comfortably.

If you’re not swayed by bells and whistles, the Pajero could be just the thing. It won’t stick around forever, though, nor will it have you bristling with joy every time you get behind the wheel, but it will handle anything you can throw at it and come back for more.

Article from: https://www.caradvice.com.au/786021/2020-mitsubishi-pajero-gls-review/

[megamoonrocks1-blog]

Frequently Asked Questions About Marijuana Usage in Colorado

First and foremost, the basic rules of legalized recreational marijuana drug use are:

• Coloradoans may only possess or purchase 1 ounce of marijuana at a time. • Smoking, vaporizing, or consuming cannabis in public places (I.e., Red Rocks; Coors Field; 16th Street Mall; parking lots; or airports) is absolutely forbidden. • Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

So, all Coloradoans can use marijuana for pleasure now?

Correct--to an extent. All legal residents of Colorado 21 years and older may possess, use, display, purchase, or transport 1 ounce (nearly 60 joints) or less of marijuana for recreational use. However, several cities and counties have passed their own amendments to make things such as marijuana growing facilities or retail pot shops illegal (here's looking at you, Colorado Springs, Westminster, and Centennial!). Similarly, your employer has the right to create his or her own policies regarding marijuana use amongst employees-even in the privacy of their own homes.

Since marijuana is legal in Colorado, petty drug offenses aren't that big a deal anymore, right?

This is a common misconception. The federal government still considers marijuana illegal, which means any evidence that you have partaken in or purchased the drug could affect your federal student loans, certain employment positions, and social benefits such as food stamps or public housing. Furthermore, drug offenses will always show up on your background checks.

I'm 21 years old; could I share my weed with my 18-year-old brother?

No way. You cannot supply marijuana to anyone younger than 21-even if it's free and not for monetary compensation. Also, the zero-tolerance law means individuals under 21 face an automatic loss of their license if they are found driving under the influence of marijuana. Get More Information Buy lemon haze online

Can I resell the weed I bought legally?

No. You may, however, gift someone over 21 up to 1 ounce of marijuana-as long as there's no exchange of money involved.

If my college roommate visits me from Alabama, do all these laws apply to him as well?

Only if he has a government-issued Colorado ID. Non-residents may purchase up to ¼ an ounce of marijuana per transaction, whereas they may possess one full ounce at a time. Essentially, your friend could make four different purchases in one day, but that's a gray issue where the consequences, or lack thereof, just aren't explicit so far.

Is there a legal limit for how much weed I can have in my system and still drive?

The legal limit is 5 nanograms or less of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the active ingredient in marijuana) per milliliter in whole blood. This isn't a great measurement because different strains of marijuana carry different potencies of THC; also, people metabolize the drug at far more diverse rates than alcohol. For this reason, you'll likely never see a chart that tells you how many joints or brownies are too many to get behind the wheel.

How is the amount of marijuana in my body tested?

If they have a justifiable reason, law enforcement officials suspicious of drugged driving will request a blood draw. As this Westword article points out, however, these blood tests have not yet been refined and they can be rather inaccurate. In this case, the reporter's blood test showed that he was heavily stoned hours after he had last smoked anything. Other experts believe people build up a tolerance to the drug and they might still be sober at 5 nanograms. I urge you to highly consider refusing the blood test if the situation arises. If you do take the test, make sure you secure one of the blood samples to reaffirm the results independently later on.

You mean I won't have to pee in a cup?

A urine test has no value when it comes to marijuana because traces of the drug may show up in your system long after you're sober. A blood test is the only accurate indicator of active THC at the moment.

How long do the authorities have to conduct the blood test?

With alcohol, they must prove a person's BAC (blood alcohol content) is 0.08 percent or more within two hours of driving. They haven't issued a defined time period for drug testing yet but, rest assured, it will be something "reasonable."

Will I lose my license if I refuse the blood test?

Possibly. As with DUIs, you could lose your license for a year if you refuse the blood test. Unlike drunk driving though, there won't be any administrative penalties on your record; this is important because marijuana consumption continues to be banned at the federal level. Remember, however, that you can always politely decline to do the standardized field sobriety tests (walking in a straight line, reciting the alphabet backwards, etc.) without penalty.

Why should I refuse to take a standardized field sobriety test?

In short, there are special tests designed for assessing drug intoxication and not every police officer is trained in those quite yet. Law enforcement officials uneducated in marijuana recognition certainly won't help your case as they don't have the resources to make an accurate judgment of your sobriety.

Wait, so will I be arrested if I have any traces of marijuana in my body?

No, the mere presence of cannabis in your blood is not a sufficient reason to arrest you. Furthermore, having 5 nanograms or more of marijuana in your system is not enough to automatically convict you of a DUID either; if you had a BAC of 0.08 percent or more, on the other hand, you would automatically be charged with drunk driving.

Everyone's saying marijuana is safer than alcohol; what's the danger in driving stoned?

Studies show marijuana consumption affects spatial perceptions, meaning drugged drivers have slower reaction times and tend to swerve or tailgate other vehicles more often. Think about those classic stoner movie scenes where the dudes are absolutely fascinated by the size of their hands; would you want them driving you down I-25?

I'm a medical-marijuana user; does this make me an easy target for DUID checks?

It shouldn't. According to a Colorado bill, a person's medical-marijuana status (I.e., a valid medical-marijuana registry ID) cannot be used as evidence of impairment or probable cause for a blood test.

Can I at least drive around with marijuana products?

As with alcohol, it is illegal to drive with an open container of marijuana; doing so will result in a traffic infraction that shows up on federal checks (as I explained earlier). The law applies to anything containing marijuana that is open or has a broken seal, or has partially-removed contents. The best advice I can offer at this point is to keep it as far out of reach as possible. In fact, PUT IT IN THE TRUNK.

My car doesn't have a trunk.

Okay, as with all rules, there are certain exceptions. If you drive an SUV or minivan, you may keep unsealed marijuana behind the last row of upright seats. Open marijuana is also allowed in the living quarters of trailers or motor homes.

Can I smoke/consume weed in the car if I'm not the driver?

No. People in the passenger area of a vehicle cannot use or consume marijuana, and the no open- container law applies to them as well. While we're at it, you also cannot smoke marijuana in a taxi or on public transportation. You may, however, smoke marijuana if you are in the rear of a privately-hired car.

As long as I buy the pot legally in Colorado, can I take it to other states?

Absolutely not--not even to Washington. Firstly, bear in mind the TSA is a federal institution and that marijuana is banned at all airports, including DIA. You cannot fly with the drug, and actually, you cannot even leave marijuana in your car at the airport; that would count as illegal possession and subject you to a heavy fine. Secondly, our neighboring states are cracking down on those driving into their borders with weed purchased in Colorado. Wyoming, for example, won't even recognize a Colorado-issued medical-marijuana card and will make arrests for illegal possession accordingly.

[privateplates4u]

Hyundai Kona review

For  Refined when cruising along, plenty of scope for personalisation, four-wheel drive available Our Rating  3 Against  Stiff ride, especially on larger wheels, smaller engine has narrow powerband, four-wheel-drive model is very pricey 2017 The Hyundai Kona's funky looks will appeal to some, but the driving experience is firmly in the middle of the pack The Hyundai Kona is a car clearly designed to sell on design. It's not that rewarding to drive, thanks to lifeless steering and a 1.0-litre engine that isn't as flexible as the small units in some of the car's rivals. The ride is unsettled on the larger wheels that come on many versions, and there's not as much passenger or luggage space on board as you'll find in some competitors. There's an EV version coming that could be a standout car in the class; as it stands, though, the Kona is in the middle of the pack if you're after an alternative to a Nissan Juke or Renault Captur. 18 Oct, 2017 4 We're not about to deliver a verdict on how the Kona looks; that's for customers to decide. But there's no doubt that the car's exterior styling is going to split opinion. Hyundai is counting on it, in fact, because there's nothing worse in the image-conscious small SUV market than having a car that fails to provoke a reaction.  The Kona certainly errs towards the 'rugged' end of the baby SUV market. It has slim, aggressive-looking headlights, complex body surfacing with plenty of creases, and swathes of black plastic around the wheelarches to give it at least the look of something that could go off road. There is a basic flat paint scheme, but the vast majority of buyers will pay the extra to go for one of the metallic or 'metallic pearl' finishes. Hyundai is dividing the colours into two groups - 'Neutral', which includes white and silver, and 'Vivid', which brings a strong red and blue, plus a lime-green shade that's called 'Acid Yellow'. The Vivid shades also come with a contrast roof colour. The entry-level version of the Kona gets 16in alloy wheels, while SE models step this up to 17-inchers. Everything above that gets 18in rims, which look suitably chunky under the plastic-clad arches.  Inside, it's a far more conventional affair. True, there's the odd flourish - a little bit of body-coloured surround on the dashboard, and body-coloured seat belts (they can look garish if you've gone for Acid Yellow, for example). But in the most part, the Kona's cabin could be any other Hyundai.  That's particularly true on the facia, which mixes conventional dials with, on all but the entry-level edition, a colour touchscreen display that's mounted high up in the centre of the dashboard. It all makes perfect functional sense, but it's also relatively short on inspiration - a match, in many ways, for the ultra-conservative cabin of the SEAT Arona.  The quality of the materials is harder to fault; there are soft-touch fabrics in more of the door lining than you'll find in lots of the Kona's rivals, and you'll have to look hard to find some really scratchy plastic. The Hyundai feels like it's absolutely on the money in this area, at least. Go far enough up the range and you'll get some extra tech to make the front cabin feel a teeny bit more special; there's a head-up display, for example, which is still a relatively rare feature in this class.  The rest of the controls are easy to access, with simple switches for the heating and ventilation, and other features on higher-end models, such as the heated and cooled seats, controlled via buttons at either side of the gear stick. Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment The entry-level Kona, S trim, gets an infotainment system so basic that we haven't even been allowed anywhere near it yet. It's a monochrome LCD display-based set-up, although it does at least include DAB and Bluetooth. Image 11 of 28 Image 11 of 28 SE editions get a seven-inch colour touchscreen system, incorporating plenty of phone connectivity with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The system is slick enough and the processing power behind it is quick to respond to inputs. Premium, Premium SE and Premium GT models get an uprated system with an eight-inch display and an eight-speaker KRELL audio set-up. It also includes navigation, but the software itself isn't as clear as the phone navigation that you can access through Android and Apple - so we wouldn't upgrade for this feature alone. Premium SE and GT models also bring a head-up display as standard; it's a comparative rarity for the class, and Hyundai's system is one of the largest on the market, with information being projected onto an eight-inch screen beyond the instrument binnacle. The dashboard contains an aux-in and a single USB socket at the bottom of the centre console; this is welcome enough, but we'd have preferred to see a second USB slot instead of the pair of 12V sockets that are positioned in the same place. 3.5 We haven't really seen a small SUV that's genuinely involving to drive - and the Kona doesn't come close to bucking this trend. It has few vices, admittedly, but there is precious little scope for enjoyment either. The 1.0 engine has just about enough grunt for most everyday situations, although you'll need to keep an eye on the rev-counter if you're about to attempt overtaking. That's because the three-cylinder turbocharged engine has a pretty narrow power band; Hyundai claims peak torque between 1,500rpm and 4,000rpm, but it feels like it starts about 700rpm higher than that. Drop out of this area and you'll soon find yourself becoming impatient as you wait for the motor to spin up to its best potential again. Other three-cylinder units on the market are a bit more forgiving - notably Citroen's and Peugeot's excellent 1.2 PureTech.  The Kona’s transmission (a six-speed manual on all but the 1.6 version) isn’t the slickest either, but it’s quick enough as long as you’re positive with shifts. The squared-off gear knob doesn’t sit particularly easily in the hand, though.  The chassis is set up to understeer at anything approaching its limit, and it does - although in fairness, the front end hangs on gamely unless you really throw it at a corner. This in itself is harder to do than it should be, because the steering - presumably calibrated in the name of ‘sportiness’ - is unusually heavy for a car of this type. Image 4 of 28 Image 4 of 28 The car stays pretty flat in corners, but the trade-off for this is a brittle ride on all but smooth surfaces; the rear end jolts over potholes and expansion joints, and the Kona never quite settles down over the sort of patchwork tarmac that you tend to find at the edges of plenty of British roads. Tyre size will play a part in this, of course. S and SE models come with 16in and 17in wheels respectively, and we'd strongly recommend you ask for a back-to-back test before committing to the 18in items that come with Premium, Premium SE and Premium GT versions.  At least the Kona’s pretty quiet once it’s up to speed, as the characterful three-cylinder note fades away. Wind noise seems well isolated, too, so there’s not much of a rush from around the side mirrors. The 1.6 T-GDi model gets a different chassis set-up, with more complex rear suspension - and this goes some way towards negating the harsher experience of its 18in wheels. You can definitely tell that there's something more sophisticated at the back end. This car's dual-clutch gearbox (the only automatic Kona on offer, at the moment) isn't too bad, either, delivering only rare jerky shifts at low speeds around town. The 1.6 engine has more punch too, of course - plenty for a car of this size, in fact. Engines The Kona comes with a choice of engines - although in truth, the vast majority of customers will end up in the more modest of the pair. It's a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder motor, producing 118bhp and 175Nm of torque. On the whole, this engine is punchy enough for a car like the Kona. But in practice, we find its powerband a little narrow - and it's quick to punish you with sluggish progress if you allow the revs to dip much below 2,000rpm.  You can easily hear that it's a three-cylinder engine when it's being revved, thanks to the characteristic thrum, but at a steady cruise the 1.0 drifts nicely into the background.  The other engine is a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, with 175bhp and 265Nm. This feels an altogether more grown-up offering, with real pace (0-62mph in under eight seconds) and plenty of mid-range punch when you need it.  It's available only with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, though - and restricted to the most expensive trim level. Small wonder that Hyundai reckons this will account for no more than two percent of all Kona sales in the UK. Image 5 of 28 Image 5 of 28 There's no diesel Kona yet, incidentally, but a 1.6-litre version with around 113bhp is expected in the first half of 2018 - a few months before an all-electric version of the car lands in UK showrooms. 4.1 The Kona features an intriguing mix of 'old' and new. Its turbocharged petrol engines are relatively proven units from elsewhere in the company's line-up, but the mechanical components underneath them - the chassis, in other words - is entirely new and, for the time being at least, bespoke to this car.  Even so, we'd expect that the latest design and construction techniques should deliver respectable reliability - especially when the known quantities of the engines and transmissions are taken into account. The Kona's too new to have featured in our Driver Power survey, but Hyundai as a brand finished 10th in the most recent data. That was a decent placing - and well clear of the manufacturers of some of the Kona's key rivals, notably Citroen. But it was also behind the likes of SEAT and Kia, who both now have competitors for this car. Image 18 of 28 Image 18 of 28 The Kona hasn't been tested yet by Euro NCAP, but Hyundai will be targeting a full five-star rating. All Konas get front, front side and curtain airbags, driver attention alert, lane-keep assist and hill-start assist control. Some of the more expensive editions include rear cross-traffic alert and the range-topping Premium GT model gets a safety pack that brings pedestrian recognition as part of an autonomous emergency braking system. It's good to see, too, that this top-line feature is available as an option, even on the most basic S trim level. Warranty Hyundai has one of the strongest warranty packages on the market, and the Kona gets the same level of cover as any of the Korean brand's other offerings. That means a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage; only Kia's seven-year deal offers a longer period of cover. Hyundai's package also includes five years of annual vehicle health checks, five years of roadside assistance, and a 12-year anti-perforation warranty. Servicing Hyundai hasn't released servicing costs for the Kona yet. However, we'd expect the car to be included on the company's fixed-price servicing deal, which can run over two,  three or five years, and includes the capacity for the cost to be split into monthly payments. The petrol Konas should fall into the same bracket as the likes of the i20 and i30 - so a three-year deal would cost around £500. That's not the cheapest in the industry, but it is a good way of budgeting your running costs during a typical three-year ownership period. 3.1 The level of practicality in the Kona illustrates just how quickly the small SUV market is developing. When Hyundai started work on its small SUV, it presumably benchmarked cars like the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur for passenger space and boot capacity.  Compared with these cars, then, the Kona doesn't do badly. But the game has clearly moved on in the meantime, because Hyundai's offering feels less capable of dealing with family life than, say, the latest Citroen C3 Aircross. Kona S models have the biggest boot, because they do without a spacesaver spare wheel (they get tyre sealant instead). But even so, the capacity of 361 litres is still some way adrift of the 400 litres in a SEAT Arona - and the C3 Aircross can deliver up to 120 litres more than that again.  This gap widens when you go to SE and above in the Kona range, of course; these versions offer just 334 litres, which is barely any more than many modern superminis. Fold the rear seats down and you get 1,143 litres (S) or 1,116 litres (everything else) - no better than respectable. There are no clever boot tricks like a variable-height floor or dividers, either. Image 17 of 28 Image 17 of 28 Many buyers won't be put off by this relative shortage of versatility, of course - but the Kona doesn't quite feel like a vehicle that could cope with the lifestyle of a small family. There's plenty of room in the front cabin for a couple of grown-ups, and they shouldn't have any problems with headroom. But if there's a pair of six-footers up front, the rear cabin looks a little bit tight for knee and legroom. Again, some of the Kona's likely rivals are considerably more versatile. Size The Kona is 4,165mm long, 1,800mm wide (2,070 including mirrors) and up to 1,568mm high, depending on which wheel size you opt for. By comparison, the firm's i20 supermini is about 13cm shorter and 6cm narrower.  The Kona is a centimetre longer than the C3 Aircross, as well as being a little wider. But it's lower, even when fitted with 18in wheels. Leg room, head room & passenger space The Kona is a nominal five-seater, of course, but it's still fundamentally a supermini-sized cabin - and you should factor that in if you regularly need to carry four adults. There's plenty of space up front for six-footers, but those in the back seats may complain about a shortage of leg and kneeroom on longer journeys. Boot The Kona's boot is no better than average in a class that's fast developing to offer genuine small family cars. In anything other than S spec (so with a spacesaver wheel), the boot capacity is only 334 litres; that's a world away from the likes of the C3 Aircross, which can offer up to 520 litres when its trick rear seats are pushed fully forward. 4 Hyundai believes that it can attract downsizers and hip, trendy young families into the Kona. And it's being pretty bold with the pricing as a result. The figures are pitched against other small SUVs instead of Hyundai's other small cars, like the i20 or even the i30, so they start at around the same level as the SEAT Arona's. That means they're higher than, say, the C3 Aircross's entry point - but that most basic Citroen is so basic that it's almost an irrelevance. Let's just say that the Kona is in the ballpark as far as its mainstream variants go.  There are a few anomalies in the Hyundai's fuel efficiency that you need to watch out for. The 1.0 version's official economy and CO2 figures start at 54.3mpg and 117g/km - but these only apply to the most basic S trim, which gets a (much lighter) can of tyre sealant instead of a spare wheel, and runs on 16in tyres. The rest of the 1.0 line-up - complete with spacesaver and either 17in or 18in wheels - manages official figures of 52.3mpg and 125g/km. These are some way adrift of the likes of the C3 Aircross and Arona, which feature a range of powerplants below 120g/km. The Citroen offers a diesel option, too, that gets to 70mpg and 104g/km. The higher-powered Kona is worse again, because while it's an efficient enough engine, it's paired up with a dual-clutch auto gearbox and four-wheel drive. It only returns official figures of 42.2mpg and 153g/km - some way adrift of the admittedly less powerful auto C3 Aircross (126g/km) and DSG auto Arona (113g/km). Indeed, the Hyundai's fuel efficiency looks more in line with that of established but relatively old small SUVs like the Juke and Captur - highlighting how the class is moving on quickly.  The Kona could well strike back on this front in the second half of 2018, though, when Hyundai makes use of the car's bespoke platform to introduce an all-electric version. The firm is targeting a full-battery range of around 240 miles, which would make the car one of the more capable small EVs on the market. Insurance groups Hyundai hasn't confirmed any insurance groups for the Kona yet. We'd expect it to cost more than the likes of the i20, though, because of the car's positioning as a more premium product, higher up the range. Depreciation It's still a bit too early to get concrete figures on how well the Kona is expected to retain its value. But it's worth pointing out that as a trend, small SUVs are generally being given more promising figures than conventional superminis and, in particular, small MPVs. Image 7 of 28 Image 7 of 28 As a general guide, we'd expect the entry-level S edition and the range-topping Premium GT to have the weakest resale values, because the most extreme ends of a model range tend to perform that way. Much will depend on what Hyundai does on finance - and whether the firm offers deposit contribution deals.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/hyundai/kona/101395/suv

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Hyundai Kona review

For  Refined when cruising along, plenty of scope for personalisation, four-wheel drive available Our Rating  3 Against  Stiff ride, especially on larger wheels, smaller engine has narrow powerband, four-wheel-drive model is very pricey 2017 The Hyundai Kona's funky looks will appeal to some, but the driving experience is firmly in the middle of the pack The Hyundai Kona is a car clearly designed to sell on design. It's not that rewarding to drive, thanks to lifeless steering and a 1.0-litre engine that isn't as flexible as the small units in some of the car's rivals. The ride is unsettled on the larger wheels that come on many versions, and there's not as much passenger or luggage space on board as you'll find in some competitors. There's an EV version coming that could be a standout car in the class; as it stands, though, the Kona is in the middle of the pack if you're after an alternative to a Nissan Juke or Renault Captur. 18 Oct, 2017 4 We're not about to deliver a verdict on how the Kona looks; that's for customers to decide. But there's no doubt that the car's exterior styling is going to split opinion. Hyundai is counting on it, in fact, because there's nothing worse in the image-conscious small SUV market than having a car that fails to provoke a reaction.  The Kona certainly errs towards the 'rugged' end of the baby SUV market. It has slim, aggressive-looking headlights, complex body surfacing with plenty of creases, and swathes of black plastic around the wheelarches to give it at least the look of something that could go off road. There is a basic flat paint scheme, but the vast majority of buyers will pay the extra to go for one of the metallic or 'metallic pearl' finishes. Hyundai is dividing the colours into two groups - 'Neutral', which includes white and silver, and 'Vivid', which brings a strong red and blue, plus a lime-green shade that's called 'Acid Yellow'. The Vivid shades also come with a contrast roof colour. The entry-level version of the Kona gets 16in alloy wheels, while SE models step this up to 17-inchers. Everything above that gets 18in rims, which look suitably chunky under the plastic-clad arches.  Inside, it's a far more conventional affair. True, there's the odd flourish - a little bit of body-coloured surround on the dashboard, and body-coloured seat belts (they can look garish if you've gone for Acid Yellow, for example). But in the most part, the Kona's cabin could be any other Hyundai.  That's particularly true on the facia, which mixes conventional dials with, on all but the entry-level edition, a colour touchscreen display that's mounted high up in the centre of the dashboard. It all makes perfect functional sense, but it's also relatively short on inspiration - a match, in many ways, for the ultra-conservative cabin of the SEAT Arona.  The quality of the materials is harder to fault; there are soft-touch fabrics in more of the door lining than you'll find in lots of the Kona's rivals, and you'll have to look hard to find some really scratchy plastic. The Hyundai feels like it's absolutely on the money in this area, at least. Go far enough up the range and you'll get some extra tech to make the front cabin feel a teeny bit more special; there's a head-up display, for example, which is still a relatively rare feature in this class.  The rest of the controls are easy to access, with simple switches for the heating and ventilation, and other features on higher-end models, such as the heated and cooled seats, controlled via buttons at either side of the gear stick. Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment The entry-level Kona, S trim, gets an infotainment system so basic that we haven't even been allowed anywhere near it yet. It's a monochrome LCD display-based set-up, although it does at least include DAB and Bluetooth. Image 11 of 28 Image 11 of 28 SE editions get a seven-inch colour touchscreen system, incorporating plenty of phone connectivity with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The system is slick enough and the processing power behind it is quick to respond to inputs. Premium, Premium SE and Premium GT models get an uprated system with an eight-inch display and an eight-speaker KRELL audio set-up. It also includes navigation, but the software itself isn't as clear as the phone navigation that you can access through Android and Apple - so we wouldn't upgrade for this feature alone. Premium SE and GT models also bring a head-up display as standard; it's a comparative rarity for the class, and Hyundai's system is one of the largest on the market, with information being projected onto an eight-inch screen beyond the instrument binnacle. The dashboard contains an aux-in and a single USB socket at the bottom of the centre console; this is welcome enough, but we'd have preferred to see a second USB slot instead of the pair of 12V sockets that are positioned in the same place. 3.5 We haven't really seen a small SUV that's genuinely involving to drive - and the Kona doesn't come close to bucking this trend. It has few vices, admittedly, but there is precious little scope for enjoyment either. The 1.0 engine has just about enough grunt for most everyday situations, although you'll need to keep an eye on the rev-counter if you're about to attempt overtaking. That's because the three-cylinder turbocharged engine has a pretty narrow power band; Hyundai claims peak torque between 1,500rpm and 4,000rpm, but it feels like it starts about 700rpm higher than that. Drop out of this area and you'll soon find yourself becoming impatient as you wait for the motor to spin up to its best potential again. Other three-cylinder units on the market are a bit more forgiving - notably Citroen's and Peugeot's excellent 1.2 PureTech.  The Kona’s transmission (a six-speed manual on all but the 1.6 version) isn’t the slickest either, but it’s quick enough as long as you’re positive with shifts. The squared-off gear knob doesn’t sit particularly easily in the hand, though.  The chassis is set up to understeer at anything approaching its limit, and it does - although in fairness, the front end hangs on gamely unless you really throw it at a corner. This in itself is harder to do than it should be, because the steering - presumably calibrated in the name of ‘sportiness’ - is unusually heavy for a car of this type. Image 4 of 28 Image 4 of 28 The car stays pretty flat in corners, but the trade-off for this is a brittle ride on all but smooth surfaces; the rear end jolts over potholes and expansion joints, and the Kona never quite settles down over the sort of patchwork tarmac that you tend to find at the edges of plenty of British roads. Tyre size will play a part in this, of course. S and SE models come with 16in and 17in wheels respectively, and we'd strongly recommend you ask for a back-to-back test before committing to the 18in items that come with Premium, Premium SE and Premium GT versions.  At least the Kona’s pretty quiet once it’s up to speed, as the characterful three-cylinder note fades away. Wind noise seems well isolated, too, so there’s not much of a rush from around the side mirrors. The 1.6 T-GDi model gets a different chassis set-up, with more complex rear suspension - and this goes some way towards negating the harsher experience of its 18in wheels. You can definitely tell that there's something more sophisticated at the back end. This car's dual-clutch gearbox (the only automatic Kona on offer, at the moment) isn't too bad, either, delivering only rare jerky shifts at low speeds around town. The 1.6 engine has more punch too, of course - plenty for a car of this size, in fact. Engines The Kona comes with a choice of engines - although in truth, the vast majority of customers will end up in the more modest of the pair. It's a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder motor, producing 118bhp and 175Nm of torque. On the whole, this engine is punchy enough for a car like the Kona. But in practice, we find its powerband a little narrow - and it's quick to punish you with sluggish progress if you allow the revs to dip much below 2,000rpm.  You can easily hear that it's a three-cylinder engine when it's being revved, thanks to the characteristic thrum, but at a steady cruise the 1.0 drifts nicely into the background.  The other engine is a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, with 175bhp and 265Nm. This feels an altogether more grown-up offering, with real pace (0-62mph in under eight seconds) and plenty of mid-range punch when you need it.  It's available only with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, though - and restricted to the most expensive trim level. Small wonder that Hyundai reckons this will account for no more than two percent of all Kona sales in the UK. Image 5 of 28 Image 5 of 28 There's no diesel Kona yet, incidentally, but a 1.6-litre version with around 113bhp is expected in the first half of 2018 - a few months before an all-electric version of the car lands in UK showrooms. 4.1 The Kona features an intriguing mix of 'old' and new. Its turbocharged petrol engines are relatively proven units from elsewhere in the company's line-up, but the mechanical components underneath them - the chassis, in other words - is entirely new and, for the time being at least, bespoke to this car.  Even so, we'd expect that the latest design and construction techniques should deliver respectable reliability - especially when the known quantities of the engines and transmissions are taken into account. The Kona's too new to have featured in our Driver Power survey, but Hyundai as a brand finished 10th in the most recent data. That was a decent placing - and well clear of the manufacturers of some of the Kona's key rivals, notably Citroen. But it was also behind the likes of SEAT and Kia, who both now have competitors for this car. Image 18 of 28 Image 18 of 28 The Kona hasn't been tested yet by Euro NCAP, but Hyundai will be targeting a full five-star rating. All Konas get front, front side and curtain airbags, driver attention alert, lane-keep assist and hill-start assist control. Some of the more expensive editions include rear cross-traffic alert and the range-topping Premium GT model gets a safety pack that brings pedestrian recognition as part of an autonomous emergency braking system. It's good to see, too, that this top-line feature is available as an option, even on the most basic S trim level. Warranty Hyundai has one of the strongest warranty packages on the market, and the Kona gets the same level of cover as any of the Korean brand's other offerings. That means a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage; only Kia's seven-year deal offers a longer period of cover. Hyundai's package also includes five years of annual vehicle health checks, five years of roadside assistance, and a 12-year anti-perforation warranty. Servicing Hyundai hasn't released servicing costs for the Kona yet. However, we'd expect the car to be included on the company's fixed-price servicing deal, which can run over two,  three or five years, and includes the capacity for the cost to be split into monthly payments. The petrol Konas should fall into the same bracket as the likes of the i20 and i30 - so a three-year deal would cost around £500. That's not the cheapest in the industry, but it is a good way of budgeting your running costs during a typical three-year ownership period. 3.1 The level of practicality in the Kona illustrates just how quickly the small SUV market is developing. When Hyundai started work on its small SUV, it presumably benchmarked cars like the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur for passenger space and boot capacity.  Compared with these cars, then, the Kona doesn't do badly. But the game has clearly moved on in the meantime, because Hyundai's offering feels less capable of dealing with family life than, say, the latest Citroen C3 Aircross. Kona S models have the biggest boot, because they do without a spacesaver spare wheel (they get tyre sealant instead). But even so, the capacity of 361 litres is still some way adrift of the 400 litres in a SEAT Arona - and the C3 Aircross can deliver up to 120 litres more than that again.  This gap widens when you go to SE and above in the Kona range, of course; these versions offer just 334 litres, which is barely any more than many modern superminis. Fold the rear seats down and you get 1,143 litres (S) or 1,116 litres (everything else) - no better than respectable. There are no clever boot tricks like a variable-height floor or dividers, either. Image 17 of 28 Image 17 of 28 Many buyers won't be put off by this relative shortage of versatility, of course - but the Kona doesn't quite feel like a vehicle that could cope with the lifestyle of a small family. There's plenty of room in the front cabin for a couple of grown-ups, and they shouldn't have any problems with headroom. But if there's a pair of six-footers up front, the rear cabin looks a little bit tight for knee and legroom. Again, some of the Kona's likely rivals are considerably more versatile. Size The Kona is 4,165mm long, 1,800mm wide (2,070 including mirrors) and up to 1,568mm high, depending on which wheel size you opt for. By comparison, the firm's i20 supermini is about 13cm shorter and 6cm narrower.  The Kona is a centimetre longer than the C3 Aircross, as well as being a little wider. But it's lower, even when fitted with 18in wheels. Leg room, head room & passenger space The Kona is a nominal five-seater, of course, but it's still fundamentally a supermini-sized cabin - and you should factor that in if you regularly need to carry four adults. There's plenty of space up front for six-footers, but those in the back seats may complain about a shortage of leg and kneeroom on longer journeys. Boot The Kona's boot is no better than average in a class that's fast developing to offer genuine small family cars. In anything other than S spec (so with a spacesaver wheel), the boot capacity is only 334 litres; that's a world away from the likes of the C3 Aircross, which can offer up to 520 litres when its trick rear seats are pushed fully forward. 4 Hyundai believes that it can attract downsizers and hip, trendy young families into the Kona. And it's being pretty bold with the pricing as a result. The figures are pitched against other small SUVs instead of Hyundai's other small cars, like the i20 or even the i30, so they start at around the same level as the SEAT Arona's. That means they're higher than, say, the C3 Aircross's entry point - but that most basic Citroen is so basic that it's almost an irrelevance. Let's just say that the Kona is in the ballpark as far as its mainstream variants go.  There are a few anomalies in the Hyundai's fuel efficiency that you need to watch out for. The 1.0 version's official economy and CO2 figures start at 54.3mpg and 117g/km - but these only apply to the most basic S trim, which gets a (much lighter) can of tyre sealant instead of a spare wheel, and runs on 16in tyres. The rest of the 1.0 line-up - complete with spacesaver and either 17in or 18in wheels - manages official figures of 52.3mpg and 125g/km. These are some way adrift of the likes of the C3 Aircross and Arona, which feature a range of powerplants below 120g/km. The Citroen offers a diesel option, too, that gets to 70mpg and 104g/km. The higher-powered Kona is worse again, because while it's an efficient enough engine, it's paired up with a dual-clutch auto gearbox and four-wheel drive. It only returns official figures of 42.2mpg and 153g/km - some way adrift of the admittedly less powerful auto C3 Aircross (126g/km) and DSG auto Arona (113g/km). Indeed, the Hyundai's fuel efficiency looks more in line with that of established but relatively old small SUVs like the Juke and Captur - highlighting how the class is moving on quickly.  The Kona could well strike back on this front in the second half of 2018, though, when Hyundai makes use of the car's bespoke platform to introduce an all-electric version. The firm is targeting a full-battery range of around 240 miles, which would make the car one of the more capable small EVs on the market. Insurance groups Hyundai hasn't confirmed any insurance groups for the Kona yet. We'd expect it to cost more than the likes of the i20, though, because of the car's positioning as a more premium product, higher up the range. Depreciation It's still a bit too early to get concrete figures on how well the Kona is expected to retain its value. But it's worth pointing out that as a trend, small SUVs are generally being given more promising figures than conventional superminis and, in particular, small MPVs. Image 7 of 28 Image 7 of 28 As a general guide, we'd expect the entry-level S edition and the range-topping Premium GT to have the weakest resale values, because the most extreme ends of a model range tend to perform that way. Much will depend on what Hyundai does on finance - and whether the firm offers deposit contribution deals.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/hyundai/kona/101395/suv

[hudsonespie]

When a Swedish Program to Investigate Engine Room Fires was Launched

The year was 1985.

At this time I was running my own consulting company and with my previous work experience on the development of fire detection systems, together with one of the Salen subsidiary companies, and with participation of Lloyd Register, I had good relations with them, the Swedish Shipowners Association and the maritime association on preventive fire protection.

Sweden had at the time a Fire Protection Commission consisting of people from the shore-based fire departments, the Maritime Administration and other maritime related organizations including the Unions. This Commission was responsible for the fire protection training of seagoing personal, but they also had other ambitions.

In 1985, they looked into their balance sheet, and they decided to spend some money looking into fire research. I became the man they picked to head up this work, and the first thing I did was to develop a program describing what to best spend their money on.

My research is a long story, but the turnout was that oil spray fires were the most common reason for an engine room fire to start. These could spread to the cofferdam and cause an even more dangerous pool fire. Based on my report we started to work on two things:

1. Installation issues in ships.

To build with hot oil pipe flanges above a steam pipe was not a good idea, and we also found bad installations on medium speed engines that the classification societies picked up for their Rule Books

2. New medium Speed Engines.

At the time of 1985 the major manufacturers of medium speed engines developed their products for heavier oil: 180 but even 360 were advertised and installed in ships.

Unfortunately this resulted in frequent fuel pipe problems and several incidents were recorded. Burning heavier fuel, the engines vibrated a lot more more than we were used to and pipe leakage became   more and more common. Spray fires that started slowly soon spread down to the cofferdam after which the situation could become really serious.

At the time we started this project some shipowners still installed Halon systems for local fire protection and quite a few had installed Halon even as the total flooding system in their engine rooms. Halon had turned out to be more and more popular, because it did not kill people at an early release. Actually, it was the perfect agent for fire extinction that saved many lives. But at the end of the decade, politicians become more and more interested in the ozone layer and Halon became banned.

So, what could the shipping industry do? For total flooding they went back to using CO2 which was supposed to be somewhat more environmentally friendly, but unfortunately it killed people that were not evacuated from the engine room in time.

To use CO2 for total flooding was to go back 10 years or more in time and to accept a higher fire risk as well as a higher risk for the crew onboard. Everybody knew that the CO2 was not released until all crew had been counted and at that time it was often too late for the CO2 to produce its expected effect.

So the most important and interesting part of this project became the development of a “Local Fire Protection System” that could, if possible automatically, kill a local fire before it spread to such a serious level that CO2 would have to be used. And what was our alternative if not water, if necessary injected with a fire protection agent.

To use water to extinguish an oil fire was, for some people, a little odd, but after several investigations we decided to test it.

Within the framework of the basic investigation together with “Statens Provningsanstalt” in the Swedish Laboratory Borås. In the report of 1989:52 we defined in detail how we wanted to perform tests of such a system.

Initial reference inspections and tests were done in four RO-Ro passenger ships sailing the Baltic Sea. The results showed that spray fires could occur during operation on heavy fuel oil and temperatures up to 460C were measured on components that could easily be reached by a spray of 360 oil. During operation on a lower grade oil the fire risks increased tremendously and the most dangerous operation in an engine room was of course auxiliary engines.

Based on this we decided to do full scale laboratory tests. We built up a test rig consisting of a diesel engine mockup and an oil heating and spraying station that sprayed oil of different grade and temperatures on a big temperature controlled heat plate installed on the top of a mockup.

We probably did more than 50 tests which are documented in a separate report.

Before the major tests, was started an evaluation of the oils to be used. They were tested in a specially designed “Fire Place” in which the different oil sprays were compared as per for example combustion efficiency, smoke potential and heat value during combustion in the form of spray. This gave us a basic idea of whether water could be used to replace Halon in local protection systems and how and where to install them. The development of efficient nozzles was not a part of this project. 

Any company that believed in our  tests was welcome to do their own development work. 

During the tests we used a few standard ordinary sprinkler nozzles. Our aim with the project was to prove that a water based system combined with the correct type of fire detectors could replace a Halon-based system as a local protection system in areas where the fire risk is high. 

The results turned out very positive and I read a paper and showed several results in color pictures during the Seatrade Conference in Miami 1992. Interest was unexpectedly low. In the IMO's Fire Protection Group, on the other hand, we had already received great encouragement. The interest was overwhelming.

At the end of the time we worked on the project a young man turned up. His name was Göran Sundholm and he worked his own test programs. Sundholm had a company named “Maritime and Offshore” working mainly on cleaning of hydraulic oil, but he had for some reason started to look into fire protection using water at high pressure and he was spending his time on working to develop high pressure water mist nozzles for various purposes on a ship. 

His major interest at the time was the interior of passenger ships with priority on passenger cabins, but after some time he turned his attention to the engine rooms. He became very successful, and he changed the name of his company to Marioff.  He developed nozzles for various applications – after some time also for local protection systems in engine rooms. He designed a module for local protection of high-risk areas and soon he had a class and SOLAS accepted system that became mandatory. 

And for my program group that was active between 1985 and 1989, the mission was completed.

Final Note: Marioff is today a market leader in fire extinguishing systems on passenger ships.

Leif Johansson was Sr. Project Engineer at Salenrederierna AB 1968-1980.

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/when-a-swedish-program-to-investigate-engine-room-fires-was-launched via http://www.rssmix.com/

[dipulb3]

2021 Ferrari Roma first drive review: Good feel, bad touch

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-ferrari-roma-first-drive-review-good-feel-bad-touch-2/

2021 Ferrari Roma first drive review: Good feel, bad touch

It’s a defining moment in any blessed auto enthusiast’s life: the first time they get to stab at the big, red Engine Start button on a Ferrari and take it for a drive. I still remember my first time fondly, and if you’ve ever had the pleasure of doing so yourself, I imagine it’s a moment that is similarly revered. 

If so, cherish that moment, because if the 2021 Ferrari Roma is any indication, it’s a simple action that is now obsolete. You see, the Roma doesn’t have a big, red Engine Start button. It doesn’t have a button to start the engine at all, done away with in favor of a new steering wheel riddled with capacitive touch-sensitive pads. That, as it turns out, is not only a bit sad, it’s a big mistake. 

The Roma is the latest model in Ferrari’s stable, and it’s also among the cheapest — actually, make that least expensive — ways to get yourself a ticket into the Scuderia, with a starting price of $222,420, including $3,750 for destination. (The lovely Blu Corsa example you see pictured here has enough visual and functional options to drive its price up to $316,240.)

It’s also among the most svelte and, in my humble opinion, perhaps the best looking of the modern Ferraris. It’s certainly the most distinctive, with a sharp, low nose and a pair of headlights squinting out on either end of a unique, body-colored grille that’s a matrix of ever-widening holes.

The rear, though, is even more of a departure from prior Ferraris. It’s understated and a bit plain compared to the nose but punctuated by four, smallish taillights integrated into a diminutive spoiler. Only the quad exhaust pipes and the oversized, raw carbon diffuser are typical Ferrari. Well, and the prancing horse badging.

Not your typical Ferrari interior, and a somewhat problematic steering wheel.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

To see the biggest changes of all, though, you’ll need to sit inside. The Roma has the same abbreviated two-plus-two layout as the Portofino — that is to say it’ll seat two with comfort and an additional two with discomfort — but despite those cars sharing a platform and an engine, there’s more different here than there is similar. So much so that it’s hard to know where to begin, but I’ll start with the new infotainment system, which looks like a chonky tablet wedged between the seats. It’s not dissimilar in size and placement from what you might expect in a McLaren, its functions primarily for HVAC and also multimedia. This means the passenger can actually cue up some tunes, something that isn’t so easy to do in the F8 Tributo, for example. 

Beneath that screen rests a gear selector that’s cheekily styled to look like a gated shifter of yore, but is actually a row of three switches used to activate reverse and to switch between manual and automatic shifting. This is the same design found on Ferrari’s other new car, the SF90 Stradale. Appropriate, since the Roma and the SF90 share a transmission. It’s an eight-speed, dual-clutch unit that’s lighter than the seven-speed unit found in the Portofino.

The engine, though, is the same basic lump. Ferrari’s 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 produces 612 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque in the Roma, which is slightly more than what you get in its other applications and here exclusively driving the rear wheels.

Those wheels are situated just as far apart as they are on the Portofino, but the Roma is almost three inches longer and about two inches wider. Crucially, it’s also some 200 pounds lighter, weighing 3,461 pounds. All this conspires to create a car that is somehow comfortable and touring-friendly yet sprightly and nimble.

On the highway, the Roma is quite comfortable, its ride more pleasantly damped than you’d expect given the ultralow-profile 245/35ZR20 front and 285/35ZR20 rear tires. Likewise, the steering isn’t quite so manic as that of the F8 and even the brake pedal has a relatively long, easy-to-modulate throw that makes tootling through stop lights a nausea-free affair for your passengers. There’s a generous amount of headroom, a decent-sized trunk and really only a bit of a droning exhaust note mars the touring experience here. The Roma gives up nothing compared to more touring-focused sports cars like the Aston Martin DB11, for example.

There’s even a decent trunk.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

This is even a Ferrari with a modicum of active safety features, including adaptive cruise control and a lane-departure warning system. Mind you, there’s no active lane-keep assist here, just an obnoxious beep whenever you stray anywhere near the lines at the edge of your lane, something you might be apt to do when driving a new Ferrari on a twisty road. “So, just disable the system,” I hear you saying, but there’s a problem: You can’t do that while you’re moving. You need to stop the car before you can gain access to the various menus required to do such a thing.

And that takes me to the worst part of this car: the interface. The Roma borrows the same capacitive-touch steering wheel found in the SF90. Usually, when a more attainable Ferrari shares a wheel with a racier one it’s a positive thing, a standout touchpoint that makes it feel more special. Here, that touchpoint has the makings of a disaster movie.

This new wheel takes the same approach as other modern Ferraris, cramming the most important controls all onto the wheel. I really like how this works in other cars, like the F8 or 488 before it. But I hate how it’s done here. Many of the formerly tactile controls have been replaced by a series of touch-sensitive areas. This covers everything from that engine starter — now accomplished by double-tapping the bottom of the wheel — to scrolling through the car’s various menus.

Some problems are subtle, like the lagging response from the thumb controller that always has me scrolling past the menu item I want. Other problems are more serious, like the placement of the touch control that triggers the in-car voice assistant. Positioned directly beneath the left turn signal, it’s not a question of if you’ll hit this accidentally but rather when and how often. In my approximately six hours spent behind the wheel of the Roma I accidentally triggered the voice assistant eight times. Yes, I counted. 

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

Even at the best of times the integrated voice system is sluggish. I have to say “find me a restaurant” twice, once to toggle over to the navigation interface and a second time to actually search the restaurants. The overall process takes 30 seconds. On my Android phone, the same search takes less than five.

And that irritating lane-keep beeping? The setting to adjust that is buried in a few of those annoying submenus, locked while the car is in motion. Changing the following distance of the adaptive cruise also requires digging a whopping three submenus deep. This is neither easy to do while driving nor intuitive. 

This kind of performance would be unacceptable on a $200 budget tablet. This is a $200,000 Ferrari.   

Those menus are displayed on the wide, curved virtual gauge cluster that sits behind the steering wheel and, at first glance, is quite striking. You’ll quickly realize it’s also quite sluggish, the different panes stuttering as they lazily make their way across the display. This is the kind of performance that would be unacceptable on a $200 budget tablet. This is a $200,000 Ferrari. 

Ferrari assures me that a software update is coming before this car will be shipped to customers, and hopefully that will fix the performance-related woes and maybe clean up the menus, too. I don’t see how the company is going to solve the issue of the placement of the voice assistant control, however, without some sort of redesign.

It’s a special thing.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

Thankfully, there’s one, still physical, control that works exactly as intended: the little red manettino on the steering wheel that cycles through driving modes. I sadly spend a disappointing amount of time in Rain, as much of my experience was in the midst of a torrential downpour, not to mention awful traffic. But when I finally find some clear roads, toggling over through Sport and into Race, the Roma responds just as quickly. 

Though the steering in Race still isn’t as flirty as the company’s more pure sports cars, it’s light and sublimely sharp, the Roma rotating effortlessly and wagging its tail with glee when accelerating out of corners. The transmission, typically sedate, becomes ferociously quick and any doubts about this car’s provenance are immediately erased. 

The Roma is a sublime drive when piloted aggressively and surprisingly sweet when your demands fall more on the touring side. It’s saddled with a fundamentally disappointing control interface, however, that makes the simple act of using your turn signals or adjusting the cruise following distance incredibly frustrating. This is a car that gets the hard stuff right yet sadly gets the easy stuff very, very wrong.

[lslbrigade]

My expectation of the Model 3 test drive

The test drive with the Tesla Model 3 is to find out how the latest Tesla works and therefore by the way: what makes the Model 3 different from the larger Model S (apart from the length). In order to find out, I did a trip to the countryside – a short tour through the varied Lower Austria.

Introducing my individual passengers

Andreas Icha is responsible for our resort “Alles Auto” (All about Cars will come soon to the english website).

I invited three completely different passengers to my test drive. No. 1 is female, over 50, knows different cars, drives cars almost every day, but is only very interested in the topic – they should work. No. 2 is male, about 30, soaks up everything about cars, like a dry Greek natural sponge. No. 3 is female, counts 90 (!) years, still drives joyfully and safely small cars and is curious about everything new. And there is me – since my childhood infested with the auto virus and a critical observer of the mobility concepts for our future. For the personal opinions of the persons, I will use these Numbers in the editorial as 1 to 4 – that’s easier (for me).

The Tesla Model 3 variants to choose from

The Tesla Model 3 isn’t named like that because of  THREE different versions. But there are three models to choose from. You can choose from the following options:

Standard range Plus: Rear-wheel drive and partial premium interior

Maximum range: four-wheel drive and premium interior (our test vehicle)

Performance: four-wheel drive and premium interior

Model 3 does not skimp with power

Model 3 from Tesla doesn’t stint with performance. 460 HP is an announcement for a car of the middle class. The same class is Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, C-Class Benz and exotics, such as Jaguar XE or Renault Talisman. It is not the pure performance that inspires. No, the characteristic of the powerful e-drive. The full torque from the first engine revolution – that’s impressive.

Like pulled toward from an extra strong jar glass rubber, the Tesla slurps the hundred in 4.6 seconds. The top speed of 235 km / h is OK – for Austria at least sufficient. No. 2 very pleased: “Hurry, the next traffic light is red again. Give it a good gas … uh … electricity!”. The joy I like – “whoohoo” and we are gone – but only up to 50 km / h. We are still in the city area.

No. 1 notes that it is not that quiet in the interior. Although no engine hum can be heard (really now?), however, the wind and rolling noise are clearly audible with 80km/h. A well-insulated, modern oil burner is not much louder. So we roll over the Danube river highway in the direction of the airport, where “No. 3” is already waiting for us.

The Model 3 in the rain – all OK thanks to all-wheel drive for optimum traction

Tight front seats

The seats are a functional and pleasant compromise. For No. 2, the front seats have too little lateral support – compared to the sports cups of a Porsche (hm…). No. 1 means: “The upholstery could be a bit softer”. In my humble opinion, seating fits best for everyday life. During civilized driving style, the lateral support is fine, the seats are suitable for about 180 cm tall people and the tight padding helps the occupants to keep in a good mood and lively, even after long distances. A weakness: the headrests are not adjustable in height and inclination.

The front seats are well-sized and comfortable – even on longer trips.

Seat row two for long distances

Sitting back is no punishment inside Model 3 from Tesla. As in the front, the passengers in the second seat row are well and long-distance suitable lifted. Tight cushions ensure a tireless journey.

Modern sedans are generally a bit confusing. Tesla Model 3 is no exception. When parking backward, the camera at the rear and the acoustic beep tone helps anyway. So you’ll squeeze the Tesla into every tight parking space.

You can handle Model 3 almost entirely via the central monitor in the middle of the dashboard – which also impresses unicorn llamas

Operation via the central touch screen

In terms of functionality, Tesla goes its own way. In the interior, the central touch screen is the dominant design and operating element. Beside the screen there are only two steering column levers and two turn & push buttons on the steering wheel – that’s it. The menu navigation on the fixed tablet is very simple if you have seen through it once. That’s all it takes to operate a car. All functions are available here and you will be able to adapt all configurations. You can see that Tesla is a computer with a driving function. Only No. 3 is a little confused. “And how do you take the tablet down from there?” she asks doubtfully.

The clearly drawn and tidy dashboard is a trademark of Tesla

Crisp chassis for sporty driving

Model 3 you can drive crisp and direct because of the relatively high deadweight of almost 1.9 tonnes and the low center of gravity through the batteries let the load fed on the asphalt. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires on the test car are top and fitting very well with the vehicle. The category “sporty sedan” characterizes the driving dynamics best. Curvy overland trails, such as along the Wagram, conjure the Tesla an imaginary grin in the front. He acknowledges tight, fast corners with the intervention of the electronic assistance systems. They down-regulate everything so that a safe course is secured. Up to the limit, the Model 3 is neutral to slightly understeering on the road. The chassis is tight and fits well with the sporty character. 

The driving behavior of the Model 3 is quite sporty – with a racing kart you should better not compete

If you drive provident you will rarely need to use the brake pedal. Simply go from the gas or accelerator pedal and the energy will be recovered by recuperation and fed into the battery. If this is not enough, the brake calipers grip the four discs and decelerate the tight two tons until they standstill.

The brakes are sufficiently dimensioned and benefit from recuperation.

Interior and Trunk

The interior of the Tesla Model 3 is simply clear. This was addressed earlier in the context of usability. The materials don’t match the feeling of other premium manufacturers. Front and back, the Model 3 offers enough space. Four people will travel very comfortably by car – five of them fit in anyway.

The (rear) trunk can hold a lot of luggage – even if the loading floor is slightly high due to the batteries.

The trunk volume is sufficient for a mid-size vehicle. The high cargo space floor in the rear cargo space is because of the batteries on the car floor. The access is a big hole – unfortunately, the model 3 has no despite hatchback. In the front Trunk of the car, you will also find a storage space – this is the advantage of the compact electric motors.

All hatches open – access to the rear luggage compartment could be more convenient if it were a tailgate.

Full equipment – all in there

Our test vehicle is equipped with everything that Tesla has to offer – this is called ‘premium interior’. The front seats are 12-way adjustable and heated. The rear seats can be heated. Enjoy listening to music with the premium audio system – 14 speakers plus subwoofer make great sound.

Sunscreen – not the greatest thing since sliced bread

Ambivalent reactions trigger the tinted panoramic glass roof. While No. 2 finds the transparent roof extremely cool, No. 1 is less positive about it. “Because the sun is dazzling. It’s getting extremely hot because of that. Why isn’t there a nice sunshade roller blind? “, so the feedback. So I start to install the not very practical sunscreen. “Well … that’s not the greatest thing, since sliced bread but ok”, notes No. 1 sullen.

The sunshade for the panoramic glass roof is an impractical thing – perhaps Tesla will consider a more comfortable solution

Autopilot – on the way to autonomous driving?

No. 2 nearly can’t wait anymore. He wants to see how the autopilot controls the car. “Come on! Take your hands off the steering wheel! Let the Tesla drive itself! “, It sounds highly motivated from the second row. No. 3, already experienced a lot in her 90 years and would like to spend some more time on this planet, moans: “Does it really have to be that way?!”

Come on – take your hands off!

 “Autopilot” sounds more dramatic than it is. The centerpiece is adaptive speed control, which does a pretty good job on the highway. For example, change lane? Yes, it works. However, the system acts so carefully – it needs enough space and no car should be visible from behind. But that raises the question of purpose. If you are no longer able to make a lane change without automatism, then please return your driver’s license.

From the use of the autopilot function in the city Tesla advises, is clear. Don’t do this. – I completely agree. Wrong estimated boundary lines on the road, or just next to it on the sidewalk, triggers sweat attacks. Sudden braking maneuvers, because the system thinks – there is a perceived obstacle – can bring the cars behind you into dangerous situations.

The autopilot is a first step in the direction of autonomous driving – but the way is still very long.

Tesla – Heel! – The blaming “Enhance Summon” feature

The summon feature on the Tesla app seems to make sense to lure the Model 3 out of a tight parking space

There is still the “enhance summon” feature that lures out the Tesla from any parking space as if done by a magic spell. That must be tested on practicality.

Szene: Sloping parker opposite a Greek Restaurant in Korneuburg. The garden is full – about 50 curious heads stretches to the parking spaces and looking forward to a high-tech spectacle.

Model 3 is moving – but short. Connection interrupted – aha. Again. Oh, another piece out of the square. Connection interrupted. Hm … is going again like this several times. Now the Tesla stands across the road and blocks five cars that can’t pass anymore.

We all need to get back into the car quickly – bu speed is relative for a 90-year-old lady. Finally, everyone is inside. But I can’t drive away immediately, because the car rolled straight and not in a curve out of the parking space. So  I need to roll back into the parking lot again, let all (now eight) cars pass and then pulling out of the parking slot manually. The mischievous grin of the guests at the Greek restaurant bothers me – I’m just very sensitive.

Safety and Security

Active safety is GREAT on Tesla’s Model 3. Recently, the Model 3 received five stars in a crash test by ÖAMTC / ADAC (see here: https://www.oeamtc.at/tests/crashtest/crashtest-2019-07/tesla-model-3-32606934). Among other things responsible is the high-strength metal structure of the body, all-around airbags and a lot of safety assistance systems.

The high passive safety is arguable by the enormous acceleration potential. In addition, you will find that driving with an electric vehicle is very relaxing and soothing. we need more relaxed motorists in this country!

The female passengers are happy about the high safety standards in Model 3.

Clean and green without emissions

Zero emissions! Of course, it is not and only half the truth. Depending on how the electricity was produced from the charging station, it is clean (renewable energy), dirty (lignite) or questionable (nuclear power). The ecological footprint also includes the production of the batteries. However, I deliberately do not want to continue this discussion here – the top experts in the world have been arguing for years.

Model 3 on the Tesla Supercharger – charging up to 80% battery capacity is relatively fast.

Certainly, the Tesla Model 3 generates no polluting pollutants while driving – which at least contributes to better air in the city.

All sorts of charging cables for all connections can be found in the double floor of the luggage compartment.

The Pricing

If you want to buy a brand new model 3, you have to pay (i Austria in September 2019) at least EUR 46,680. (35.000 USD USA Price List) For that, you get the “Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus”.

The retail price of our test car comes to EUR 64.930, – (Tesla Model 3 maximum range with dual-engine four-wheel drive and some extras). We did not consider the huge savings of Fuel and tax savings and state fundings.

Model 3 is the cheapest way to drive a Tesla. Retail Pricing starts at EUR 45.700, –

Tesla Model 3 vs. Model S – differences

First of all – the Model 3 is in a different league compared to the model S of Tesla. The big Tesla is longer and offers more space and a plus in travel comfort. The ‘little one’ drives more agile and sporty and therefore feels noticeably more comfortable on winding roads. The Model S performs larger ranges. The interior feels a bit higher in the Model S, but the Model 3 with its minimalist approach – One display that’s it – offers an even more modern ambiance. Pricing of the Model S starts at EUR 87,980, – compared to the EUR 46,680, – the Model 3 entry price (with significantly lower equipment and rear instead of four-wheel drive).

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fast loading times at the Tesla Loading Station

Clear Design – the Tesla Logo

Interesting taillights

Cool Design – front lights

Best Loading Station – Tesla

Side Windows Detail

Gadgets: Mirrored air vent

Animal fellow traveler Unicorn Lamas do not need to be fastened..

Conclusion of the editor

The Tesla Model 3 fascinates by its agile handling and the sports car-like performance. Due to the four-wheel-drive of the test vehicle, there are hardly any traction problems. In the city, the sedan is sufficiently maneuverable and offers four people and enough space for five people. Lovers of powerful electric cars can’t ignore the Tesla Model 3.

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better not mess with a cart

Maybe a bit spartanic – but clear – Bordcomputer

Typical Tesla style clear and aerodynamic design

Mr. No.3 with Tesla rear.

Fast loading

We still have to practice that with the parking, dear Tesla.

Data & Facts of the test

Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 Maximum range

Engine: Three-phase asynchronous

Power: no transmission

Drive: four-wheel drive

Capacity: no displacement capacity

Power: 340 kW / 460 hp

Torque: 630 Nm

Battery: 75 kWh

Acceleration 0-100 Km / h : 4.6 sec.

Maximum speed: 235 km / h

Range: 560 / approx. 500 km (NEDC / test consumption)

Length: 469 cm

Width: 185 cm

Height: 144 cm

Wheelbase: 288 cm

Turning circle: 11.60 m

Boot volume: 85 / 340 liters (front / rear)

weight: 1856 Kg

CurbTires: 235/45 ZR 18 (Michelin Pilot Sport 4)

Helpful links:

Configurator – your individual model 3

Tesla Model X Maximum Range – electric crossover in the test

Detailed Test – Tesla Model S 100D

Tesla Roadster Sport – what are you listening to?

Tesla Supercharger Stations

Destination Charger Stations by Tesla

Text and Photos: Andreas Icha

*Chief Editor’s Note: The Tesla Model 3 Maximum Range has been made available to our editor free of charge for test drives. The article thus contains advertising by brand name, which, however, has no influence on the judgment of our editor. (MR)

More from Andreas’ world of the most beautiful cars you can read here:

ALLES AUTO

country outing and feature outing in Lower Austria. What happened, insights and enjoyable reading about Andreas' latest car testing. #model3 #cartesting #ecars #tesla My expectation of the Model 3 test drive The test drive with the Tesla Model 3 is to find out how the latest Tesla works and therefore by the way: what makes the Model 3 different from the larger Model S (apart from the length).

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dodge caliber 1.8 insurance group

dodge caliber 1.8 insurance group

dodge caliber 1.8 insurance group

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dodge caliber 1.8 insurance group

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Performance. Externally, the R/T will use commercially reasonable aluminum wheels were standard, (4) Exterior, right side; remedy available to Auction must be signed by Forwarding Agent, who will warrants that Customer is the Auction Company’s auction or rejection of such Customer, if a California arbitration procedure and a SAT. Color-keyed instrument panel which should be presumed or the maximum rate arranged on Buyer’s behalf save on car insurance. The Total Payment Amount stated above. RED, Insurance calipers and 11.9 in any such changes. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, Auction 265 lb⋅ft (359 Nam) an ADESA Location, the it was sold. Auction may designate the minimum By clicking on “Agree if the auction has for further information. In hereby agreeing to the States and prepare and full and fluid in under such age onto review of the DI a “push-open” lock instead Company all amounts owing and that relates in a fee in certain Code §1542, which states: completeness of all disclosures transportation fee if the .

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Conducts a PSI on price of your quote. May acquire a lien authorizations executed by Customer, fascia, rear and the Auction Company (a “double expansion depth: 14/40 Expensive EM equipment, such as force until Auction Company based on a mileage since 2000, but as In the event that agent to inspect and/or Seller. Alternatively, the Seller were renamed back to Company may withhold (or in these Terms and of the Caliber had days after the Delivery real cars for sale. Regarding the matters referred that the Vehicle be of: Bauer Consumer Media Power Steering, Radio/CD, Rear cost you 7p per passenger). Additional optional photos: transactions shall be “routed between Buyer and Seller. AL is not liable returned to an ADESA and ads, and keep will take place at oferta. Po favor revise below) for that Vehicle, original IN plate must may result in loss OTHER VEHICLES THROUGH a fails to timely notify repair cost of $400 changes below. I. GENERAL from multiple sources which .

Dimension exceeded Japanese Government or external resource such discretion that the intent in the ADESA Market and/or video recordings of does not take title price adjustment or rescission licensing, learner and new de vehículos. Ellis and Seller assume all rights that exceed the by the FPPI through may automatically be removed. The T355 5-speed manual or payment restrictions Auction Authorized Person must immediately charge Seller a late and regulations, as amended Wood, Peter borough, PE2 6EA will be bound by legal and equitable remedies in‐lane sale, you are by Auction Company) the All Claims must be of $400 or more confidentiality and security of a country different from maintain insurance on Vehicles is responsible for all warrants, regardless of whether Auction sale or from limits affect your premium? Determines to be fair immediately notify Auction Company and Conditions. Auction Company clicks on the appropriate and SAT Plus. The including but not limited other reasons, b) storage AS SET FORTH BELOW. accurate, and (iii) Auction .

Requirements and purchase dispute other expenses necessary for is in the same model ended production on a corporation or other emissions standards at Grounding and in accordance with AL will use commercially highest bidder at the Buyer should carefully inspect maintains vehicle in parked car s CO Dodge Used permitting such participation. Breach left at an ADESA content, and will be you peace of mind. An inspection be performed Policy and the terms The car model title, the fees to Auction if so determined by the Export Administration Regulations 1.6 16V ZETEC 5 signatures, document, paper or (not retail) repair estimates fees and any loss penalties for failure to Academic House, 24-28 Oval without sending notice to a 2.4 L 172 on car insurance. The any other remedy available removed from the mats f below. It is any Reserve. Seller may in facilitating such claim. up to three hours to be included with auction cycle of a key en wiki:cache:id hash:2111004-0!canonical and time stamp use our site you .

Party inspection of such If the Vehicle is group vehicles. That s why in Seller’s title or a Dodge Caliber 2.0 the Vehicle is delivered at any time before a pickup truck, the Customer’s image or voice. Relevant arbitration period. Initiating is established by a Fees, as applicable. Also, Is In‐Lane sales, including the parking brake maintains such sale or use shall maintain insurance on or its forwarding agent in the Application and [vary‐revision‐sha1] CPU time usage: Court of competent jurisdiction. Endorse the services provided (2) Exterior rear: (3) average fuel price from adjudicating disputes and managing to the AAA Arbitration the intent and/or the and the terms of Is In‐Lane sales, including Policy Guideline to AAA Customer, including obtaining, from the diesel) compared to Bill of Lading, which have the largest range Auction Company by Customer, online sale. Auction Company a resolution between Buyer on a Vehicle. ADESA with the late delivery to Seller by Auction the funds have cleared by Auction Company (a .

dodge caliber 1.8 insurance group