Networked Car

Cab hailing app Easy Taxi and navigation app Waze have announced a partnership aiming at facilitating mobility and responsible driving in the Philippines, Singapore, and Brazil.

Easy Taxi said the promo to all subscribers from all networks, both in Manila and Cebu where it has 3,000 taxi units and 1,000 units, respectively.

Announcing the First Annual Connected Cars Study that seeks to provide an overview of the connected car market, Kaspersky Lab said motorists can no longer ignore safety concerns about the communications and Internet services included in the new generation of connected cars.

EasyDrive is now said to be the fastest system in toll road access in the country compared to other electronic payment systems such as EasyTrip for NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and e-Tap, also in Cavitex, noting that payment transactions using the RFID sticker only takes three to six seconds.

With almost 54 million wearable devices shipped in 2013, according to analyst firm ABI Research, it is no wonder that wearables have grabbed the attention of the automotive industry.

The GrabCar app is included in the current free GrabTaxi mobile app itself that is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry devices. Users can select the GrabCar option to narrow down the search for GrabCar vehicles that provides an authorized private driver.

Despite falling short of previous expectations, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) actually are progressing at a much faster pace than hybrid cars did during the same stage of their deployment, paving the way for higher demand as more EV options arrive on the market this year and beyond.

The global auto industry will see more than 370 million smartphone apps integration software units in-use by 2020, according to a recent report by research firm IHS.

Sen. Bam Aquino has filed Senate Bill Nos. 2150 and 2151, which grant fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to manufacturers and buyers of electric, hybrid, and alternative fuel vehicles (AFV).

While drivers in highly automated vehicles must take control of the vehicles after a short time, fully automated driving will allow them to sit back and let the car do the work, at least on freeways.