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Rimac Verne robotaxi presentation failed

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Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac Automobili, presented the first Croatian self-driving taxi, Verne. After several attempts to call a vehicle via the app, Verne did not come on stage. The reason was a problem with the brake.

“Today we presented Verne, the car, the infrastructure. The car is one of the elements of the ecosystem. We make the car ourselves and are building a factory near the campus. We will produce cars for the whole world. We are now two years away from the next phase, when driving around Zagreb starts. We had “We had a problem with the brake, the car wouldn’t start. It’s a completely different car, the dimensions are like a Golf, but the interior is made to be more comfortable and spacious,” said Rimac.

Rimac Automobili has been collecting funds for the development of self-driving cars for a long time, and one of the largest investors in this project is the European Union with 179.5 million euros. The project encountered several obstacles from the very beginning, so the completion plans were postponed and the promised number of vehicles planned to be produced was reduced.

It’s clear that the self-driving Verne requires more testing and development before it gets a chance to go on the street. “We will be improving the system for years, but we are already at the stage where autonomous driving is more advanced than any driver. We are testing in Zagreb, and in other cities we will have hundreds, even thousands of cars. The price will be lower than with Uber and Bolt. We have contracts with cities from England, Austria, 30 additional cities are planned,” said Mate Rimac.

Source: Index.hr

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Rimac Verne robotaxi presentation failed
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2025 BMW X3 (G45)

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The Bavarian manufacturer has revealed the fourth generation of the X3 which is now bigger, better equipped and with a mild hybrid system and a new plug-in drive option, the BMW X3 G45.

With a refreshed two-volume body, the new X3 is slightly larger and wider than its predecessor (G01) but with the same wheelbase. It comes with new 19″, 20″ and 21″ rims, but also a few details that are reserved for the most powerful version of the M50, whose cabin is decorated with special seats and elements in the familiar colors of the M division. The car is spacious and now offers a luggage space of 570 liters. When when it comes to price, the new generation ranges from 65,230 to 82,500 euros.

The X3 has received upgraded petrol options with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, and the plug-in petrol option has also been upgraded. Each X3 comes paired with xDrive and an 8-speed automatic transmission, with the M50 at the top of the range powered by a 3.0-L inline-6 ​​turbo gasoline engine assisted by a mild hybrid system that produces 398 hp (297 kW) and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm) of torque. That’s enough power to push the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The BMW X3 (30e) is powered by a 2.0-L four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine combined with an electric motor for a total output of 299 hp (223 kW) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. It is equipped with a 19.7 kWh battery that ensures a range of up to 90 kilometers (WLTP) without the assistance of an internal combustion engine. Another option is a 2.0-L four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine with 255 hp (190 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.

The cheapest option is a 2.0-L four-cylinder turbo petrol with 190 hp (142 kW) and 229 lb-ft (310 Nm) of torque, which is enough to get the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.8 seconds with the top speed of 215 km/h (133 mph).

Diesel fans will have to settle for just one option, a 2.0-L four-cylinder engine with 197 hp (147 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.

Source: BMW

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2025 BMW X3 (G45)
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Are autonomous vehicles safer than vehicles driven by human beings?

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Are autonomous vehicles safer than vehicles driven by human beings? Some research shows they are, but there are always exceptions. An analysis of over 37,000 traffic accidents showed that only 2,100 cases involved vehicles with a high degree of or complete autonomy. Also, it should be pointed out that some data in the accidents that occurred are not complete, but it was enough to establish that the computer is a better driver than a person.

The research was conducted by Mohamed Abdel-Aty and Shengxuan Ding from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and they took as an example situations with pedestrians that are most often cited when talking about the bad characteristics of autonomous driving. When a man was behind the wheel, 15% of collisions were with pedestrians, and when the vehicle was controlled by a computer, only 3%. Also, 1/5 of accidents occur due to human carelessness, while in as many as 3/4 of direct collisions, the cause is human.

The advantage of the computer is particularly pronounced in conditions of poor visibility when a person can see barely 10 – 15 meters in front of the vehicle, while the sensors show the condition up to a hundred meters in front of the vehicle. However, the sensors are not reliable in some situations, so the presence of the driver is decisive and safer in such circumstances, e.g. during sunset and sunrise. During the analysis, an additional problem was that both man and computer drive too well in today’s cars, so there is a possibility of a collision every 100 thousand kilometers.

Human beings have one great advantage, and that is situations when they will better assess and react, such as unforeseen circumstances. This is not the case with a computer, which will often block an ambulance or someone’s free access to the road.

Source: Deutsche Welle