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What's up with this thought-controlled BMW i3?

Autonomous driving? A car being controlled by just verbal commands? One pilot program is going way beyond that this year with a car that can theoretically be mind-controlled. UK-based insurance-services company MoneySuperMarket is promoting something called "Epic Mind Drive." The project involves a BMW i3 electric vehicle (nice and futuristic) being rigged up with an autonomous driving system. Only instead of the system watching the road, it involves a person sitting in a seat outside of the car with an electroencephalography (EEG) neuro headset connected to the vehicle. In fact, that headset records brain activity and translates it into instructions. Those instructions are converted to radio frequency that's sent to the car to instruct it to perform various speed and turning duties. Apparently, yes, the car will be mind-controlled. Somehow. If this were intended for real-world use, it would go far beyond the autonomous-driving programs that have been in the works for the past couple of years. Nissan has been real active in that area, with chief Carlos Ghosn saying earlier this year that a "hands-free" car for heavy stop-and-go traffic may be available within the next couple of years. And last year, Google unveiled its autonomous car prototype (though it wasn't nearly as cool-looking as the Bimmer i3) while Tesla Motors has been making noise in that area as well. Besides the i3, MoneySuperMarket has developed the Epic Mind Drive mobile game that uses face-tracking technology to control a car on the screen. The idea with these two whiz-bang ideas is to get drivers to realize that they should think as they drive, it seems. As for the telepathic i3, we're as interested in details as the next website, so we checked out the two videos that are supposed to hype the project. While there is some groovy jazzy-electro music involved, the details of how this works are pretty much nonexistent (16 sensors, think to turn the wheel, and that's about it), so we look forward to hearing more about the project once it's underway. You can check out the videos above and below. News Source: Daily Mail, MoneySuperMarket Green BMW mind control

The most efficient gas or hybrid cars of 2024: Not the greenest, but still very green

Not a single electric vehicle appears on the “greener choices” list assembled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in its annual compilation of the most environmentally friendly cars in the United States. But for potential car buyers seeking an efficient, fairly affordable gasoline or hybrid vehicle this year, the list of 12 cars, trucks and SUVs can help with decision making. Topping this yearÂ’s list was the gas/hybrid Honda Accord, priced at $33,990 with an estimated annual fuel cost of $982. Rank Make & Model Powertrain Vehicle Class Green Score MSRP Estimated Annual Fuel Cost* 1 Honda Accord Gas Hybrid Large Car 62 $33,990 $982 2 Kia Niro FE Gas Hybrid Compact SUV 61 $28,315 $885 3 Mitsubishi Mirage Gas Compact Car 59 $17,955 $1,189 4 Lexus ES 300h Gas Hybrid Midsize Car 59 $44,590 $1,073 5 Lexus NX 350h Gas Hybrid Midsize SUV 57 $43,465 $1,207 6 Ford Maverick Gas Hybrid Compact Pickup 55 $24,900 $1,297 7 Toyota Sienna Gas Hybrid Minivan 55 $39,080 $1,304 8 Mini Cooper Convertible Gas Subcompact Car 54 $35,700 $1,412 9 Toyota Highlander Gas Hybrid Large SUV 54 $40,720 $1,348 10 Kia Soul Gas Small Wagon 53 $21,565 $1,467 11 BMW Z4 sDrive30i Gas Two-Seater 50 $53,600 $1,626 12 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 Gas Hybrid Large Van 49 $43,000 $1,596 13 Volvo V90CC B6 Gas Hybrid Midsize Wagon 45 $59,800 $1,843 14 Ford Ranger Gas Standard Pickup 43 $32,670 $1,968 *ACEEE analysis using EIA data of the annual cost of driving 15,000 miles In making its evaluations, the ACEEE examines each 2024 model based on its cost to human health from air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing and disposal, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity, and vehicle tailpipe emissions. The group also takes into account air pollution associated with EV battery manufacturing. The organization also ranks what it calls the “greenest” cars — it selected the Toyota Prius Prime SE plug-in hybrid is the greenest model of 2024. As well as the “Meanest.Â’Â’ or least efficient vehicle. At the top of that list this year was Mercedes-Benz AMG G63. The group says that the greener choices are those that are available nationwide “with among the lowest environmental impacts in each vehicle class but that didnÂ’t make the Greenest List.

BMW M models will stay rear-wheel drive as long as possible

Don't expect BMW's M cars to go soft any time soon. Carsten Pries, the division's head of product management, wants to focus on at least six cylinders and rear-wheel drive for as long as possible. Pries sees the combination of six (or more) cylinders and rear-wheel drive as defining features of the division. "These are cars that attract new people to the M brand and that is very important," he said to Motoring. He doesn't think it's time to deviate from that strategy yet. "I hope not, because six is part of our DNA. Not only the power, but that hallmark sound that we have." We certainly like Pries' sentiment, but the division's current lineup shows a willingness to compromise the purely rear-wheel drive focus when necessary. For example, the latest X5 M and X6 M already feature all-wheel drive systems, which can send 100 percent of the power to the back at times. Spy shots and rumors heavily suggest a similar option for the next-generation M5, too. The latest M4 GTS proves BMW knows how to tune a fantastic sounding six-cylinder, but there's no reason a well engineered four-cylinder model couldn't be great. The original M3 relied on one to speed around, and it became a performance icon of its period. Pries even admitted in 2014 that a new four-cylinder M vehicle could happen eventually. For now, he isn't ready to introduce a new four-pot model. Pries admits that the division's strategy might need to change someday, but he still expects to create M-badged models. "If the framework changes in the future, we have to look then at what we can do in terms of a proper or decent M offer," he said to Motoring. Related Video: