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Ford secures Microsoft for software updates

Ford is dropping Microsoft later this year as its infotainment partner when the Blue Oval switches to the BlackBerry QNX operating system for Sync 3 (pictured above). However, the two companies aren't severing ties completely, because the Redmond, WA, outfit is taking responsibility for Sync 3's wireless updates. Don Butler, Ford Director of Connected Vehicles and Services, announced the deal during a speech, according to Automotive News. "We've obviously had a good, long relationship with Microsoft," he said. "Microsoft understands the automotive environment and the kinds of experiences that we'd like to enable." The ability for Sync 3 to accept Wifi updates was announced as a major feature the new infotainment system, but this was the first mention of how that has been handled. Ford will host the files on Microsoft's Azure Cloud servers, according to Automotive News. Owners will need to give permission to check for new software, and they'll be notified after an improvement's installation. Dealers will install Wifi transmitters to keep vehicles on the lot up to date, as well. Sync 3 is set to replace the much-maligned MyFord Touch later in 2015 on some 2016 model year vehicles, and by next year it should be available throughout the Ford and Lincoln lineups. In addition to the wireless updates, the new system also promises a simplified interface, better voice recognition and faster response times. Ford Motor Company is preparing for vehicle ownership and user experiences of the future with the creation of a global cloud based Ford Service Delivery Network enabling new ways for consumers to interact with cars. Teaming up with Microsoft, Ford will expand connected services for customers around the world using the globally scalable and reliable Azure Cloud infrastructure. Ford and Lincoln owners will benefit from the convenience of new connectivity services keeping them better informed and in control of their vehicle at all times with the expanded availability of features like scheduled remote start, vehicle finder, and vehicle status (fuel or charge level, tire pressure). Building the Ford Service Delivery Network (SDN) on the Microsoft Azure platform enables a common platform for Ford to bring new features and services to market faster, quickly scale up for global implementation, and remain flexible for the future. Starting later this year, the Service Delivery Network will first enable over-the-air software updates for SYNC 3.

Obama Administration wants 200-mile EV that charges in under 10 minutes

When it comes to electric vehicles, you can find issues preventing mass adoption pretty much anywhere. Which is why you can then also look for solutions pretty much anywhere. That's the method the Obama Administration announced yesterday and it involves everything from shorter charging times to more public chargers, from bigger government fleets of electrified vehicles to an "Electric Vehicle Hackathon." The new plan is looking into blistering charging speeds of up to 350 kW. Perhaps most exciting, there was a commitment made to try and increase the speed of fast charging. Today, Tesla's Supercharger network has the fastest public charging available ( up to 145 kW), but the new plan is looking into blistering speeds of up to 350 kW. That's fast enough to recharge a 200-mile EV in under 10 minutes. Another cool future was promised by the Battery500 Consortium goal, which wants to create better batteries that cost under $100 per kWh. There was no actual technology revealed at this time, but announcements like this are about new ways to approach the future, not the nitty-gritty technical details. That's why the new announcement touts the fact that 12 utilities and charging companies have committed to increase their deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure, that there are 35 new partners (businesses, non-profits, universities, and utilities) for the DOE's Workplace Charging Challenge, and that there will be an EV "Hackathon" this fall to, "discover insights and develop new solutions for electric vehicle charging." The White House's announcement comes on the heels of the first-ever Sustainable Transportation Summit (STS). The STS was sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and was held earlier this month in Washington, DC. After all this activity, almost 50 companies and organizations have signed on to the new "Guiding Principles to Promote Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure" document, including the usual suspects: Tesla, BMW, Nissan, Ford, General Motors, Chargepoint, the California Air Resources Board, and the State of California (notably, the usual suspects are also missing). You can read the entire announcement from the White House here, but we've put the Guiding Principles below. The Obama Administration has made strong pushes for electric vehicles before, including proposals to increase the tax credit for EV buyers to $10,000, among other things.

All 25 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars

There is no shortage of lists ranking the best James Bond movies. Ditto lists about the best or worst James Bond cars. I know, I've written some of them. As such, why not combine the two ideas into one new list that ranks all 25 official James Bond movies based exclusively on their cars, or more accurately their car content. I would then pull from my 25 years of James Bond nerddom plus the excellent "Bond Cars: The Definitive History" and our interview with long-time Bond special effects supervisor Chris Corbould to provide tidbits and factoids about the cars and their roles in the movies. And yes(!), this list now includes "No Time to Die," which impresses by adding plenty of car content to the series. It's now available on Blu-ray and download. To determine the list, I considered the inherent coolness of the cars as well as their importance to Bond, film and car history. I considered their importance to the story as well as the quality/excitement of the chases and scenes they participated in. Finally, I tried my best to divorce the car content from my opinions about the movies in general. That my personal list of best James movies looks nothing like this shows I was at least partially successful.     25. 'Moonraker' There are virtually no cars in "Moonraker." None. Oh, there's a gondola on wheels that makes a pigeon do a double-take, but that's not the same thing as a car. Neither is a golf cart. Or an ambulance. Or a space shuttle.   24. 'From Russia With Love' The literary James Bond mostly drove an ancient Bentley, and "From Russia with Love" is the only film in which it appears. It stays parked and the coolest thing that happens (by 1962 standards) is 007 answers its car phone. Thereafter, we get some old cars (even by 1962 standards) driving around Istanbul and a yellow truck. So yeah. Classic Bond film, a must-watch, just not for its car content.   23. 'Dr. No' History records that the first "Bond car" is the Sunbeam Alpine in "Dr. No." The car itself was literally borrowed from a Miss Jennifer Jackson of 53 Lady Musgrave Road in Jamaica for 10 pounds per day for two days during filming. Also, the stunt where it drove under an excavator blocking the road was entirely conceived because the filmmakers showed up to the road they intended to film on and discovered an excavator blocking the thing. Sadly, those are really the only two things interesting about the Alpine, which is a pretty small and dainty thing by Bond car standards.