2014 Ram 1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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7 major automakers to build open EV charging network

A new joint venture established by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis will build a new North American electric vehicle charging network on a scale designed to compete with Tesla's industry-benchmark Supercharger network. The 30,000-plus planned new chargers will accommodate both Tesla's almost-standard North American Charging System (NACS) and existing automakers' Combined Charging System (CCS) options, effectively guaranteeing compatibility with the vast majority of current and upcoming electric models — whether they're from one of the involved automakers or not.  "With the generational investments in public charging being implemented on the Federal and State level, the joint venture will leverage public and private funds to accelerate the installation of high-powered charging for customers. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the spirit and requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program." Critically, the automakers involved will have a say in how the charging tech is implemented, guaranteeing that the hardware will play nicely with each automaker's in-house charging systems. Hyundai and Kia, for example, were hesitant to jump on board the Tesla NACS bandwagon earlier this year over concerns that the Supercharger network is insufficient for powering the two automakers' 800-volt charging systems; similar tech is used by Volkswagen and Porsche.  In addition to providing much-needed capacity and high-output charging for America's growing fleet of electric cars and trucks, the new network will integrate seamlessly with each automaker's in-app and in-vehicle features, rather than forcing customers to use third-party tools and payment systems, as is the case with some existing public charging infrastructure.  "The functions and services of the network will allow for seamless integration with participating automakersÂ’ in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience," the announcement said.

Chrysler recalling nearly 141k vehicles over electrical woes

Software glitches that randomly illuminate warning lights and cause instrument cluster blackouts are forcing Chrysler to recall 140,800 vehicles, The Detroit News reports. The automaker is recalling 132,000 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 91,559 of which are in the US. In addition to the Jeep recalls, Chrysler is adding 10,800 2014 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks to the list for similar problems.
Chrysler reportedly says, "Both events occurred infrequently and appeared to resolve themselves by tuning the vehicle's ignition off and then on."
Engineers discovered a problem with the anti-lock-braking system software that causes the instrument cluster display of the Grand Cherokee to illuminate warning lights and black out - even its ABS and electronic stability control systems are affected. To fix the Jeeps, Chrysler will update the vehicle's software.

2021 Ram TRX will get new FCA 'Know & Go' app to educate owners about their truck

FCA has developed a new app called “Know & Go,” and itÂ’s debuting with the 2021 Ram TRX. The purpose of the app is to help owners get more acquainted with and learn about their vehicle without having to dig through the ownerÂ’s manual. Instead, the app allows you to point your camera at certain things within and around the vehicle, and then it brings up information about what your camera is trained on. It uses augmented reality technology to make it work. For example, if you point the camera at the engine bay, youÂ’ll be prompted with a detailed description of the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that makes 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. 2021 Ram 1500 TRX front 3/4 in motion View 53 Photos The few photos provided by FCA show items that the app can read such as your drive mode switcher, off-road pages, paddle shifters and more. ItÂ’ll pull up sections of the ownerÂ’s manual, suggest how-to videos for certain functions and even prompt you to dive into features you might not know existed. Considering how complex and complicated modern cars can be, we imagine this has the potential to enlighten some folks about features that would otherwise go undiscovered. Of course, that also assumes the owner will actually download the app and use the AR technology correctly. FCA says the app is rolling out with functionality for the TRX initially, but says we should expect to see it on other FCA vehicles soon. ItÂ’s very likely still no replacement for reading your ownerÂ’s manual cover-to-cover, but the quick and easy access to information is still a boon in our eyes. 2021 Ram 1500 TRX interior View 21 Photos Related Video: