Apple Prevented Volkswagen From Exhibiting Wireless CarPlay at CES

[Rigby]

I think that's just the car itself, though, not including the hydrogen production, which in my understanding is REALLY inefficient through current means. I guess there are some biological/organic means of production being experimented with? Otherwise, I think the overall efficiency would be quite low.

Most commercially used hydrogen today is produced by steam reformation from natural gas. Efficiency is actually pretty good (about 80%, if I remember correctly). Electrolysis is slightly less efficient, but it is actually one of the more efficient methods to store surplus energy that cannot be used immediately (e.g. from solar cells or wind mills during off-peak times). I recently read an article about decentralized solar-powered hydrogen production sites that are currently running in Germany as part of a pilot program. Pretty cool stuff. With the cost of solar cells rapidly dropping, there may come a time where a lot of surplus electricity is available that needs to be stored somehow ...

For a fair comparison with battery-driven cars, you also have to consider their well-to-wall efficiency. Given that most electricity is today still produced from burning fossil fuels, EVs probably aren't all that efficient either if you look at the end-to-end process ...

 

[tdiaz]

Volkswagen has more pressing things to worry about.

 

[CraigJ]

You know what I'de really like VW to demo? CarPlay working without bugs on the MIB II system in the 2016 Golf. Another thing that would be great is to not have to make an appointment at a dealer to get a firmware update. There is this thing called the Internet that I think maybe they haven't heard of. You've been able to download updates for BMWs for years (at least 6 that I am aware of)
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Volkswagen has more pressing things to worry about.

That's their (100% self inflicted) problem, for which I have zero sympathy.

 

[SuperMatt]

Why does anybody need it to be wireless? Don't we want to charge our phones while driving anyway?
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For a fair comparison with battery-driven cars, you also have to consider their well-to-wall efficiency. Given that most electricity is today still produced from burning fossil fuels, EVs probably aren't all that efficient either if you look at the end-to-end process ...

As the grid moves to more renewable sources, your electric car keeps getting more and more environmentally friendly. I have family and friends with solar on their roof now so the electric car could be totally solar powered.

 

[Soccertess]

was it really wireless, or was VW just hiding the wires..

And that's ok. It's not like VW invented it, they can show off their own crappy interface

 

[TechRemarker]

Pretty crazy the author of this post suggests Apple stopped it because they wanted control rather than the blatant obvious reason... that Apple does not want their name in the headlines with VW who currently has horrible brand association because of ongoing diesel scandal.

 

[macs4nw]

.....Hydrogen cars are their big focus and its a lost cause. Battery electric is where its at and they're ignoring that area. It takes enormous energy to compress and transport hydrogen. Its a horribly inefficient, complex and expensive fuel to use rather than use batteries to store electricity for which there's already infrastructure in everyone's home.

Indeed, as of now and with current technology, affordable cars for the masses, running on HFCs still have so many obstacles to overcome that they are at least a decade or more away.

However, unless we solve the obstacles to the as yet elusive nuclear fusion 'nirvana' before such time, 'hydrogen' cars definitely have a future; the current hurdles to their successful future mass adoption are not insurmountable, and I for one laud companies with the sagacity and foresight to pour millions upon millions into making practical HFC vehicles a reality in the not-too-distant future.

 

[BruiserB]

Maybe it was because VW was set to run the Android Auto commercials I saw several times yesterday.

 

[MacBergin]

If for some reason (ha) I was actually considering a Toyota in the near future, their decision to not include Carplay in new vehicles has made Toyota drop off my radar for sure.

 

[fm_carv]

Nothing to do with VW's emission scandal?

I do think so.

That's total BS!

a quick look at Apple CarPlay website and iOS 9.3 new features page and all images of CarPlay are taken in a Volkswagen Golf...all of them!

www.apple.com/ios/carplay/

www.apple.com/ios/preview/

Surely if Apple didn't want to be connected with VW these photos would have been taken down.