Technology

Volkswagen has continued the drip-feed of information about the 2020 Mk8 Golf, revealing details about the car's 48V mild-hybrid powertrains. Initially, the mHEV (that'd be mild hybrid electric vehicle) system will be mated with a 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines and a DSG, but Volkswagen says the tech will eventually spread to "the entire fleet", and claims it's good for a 0.4L/100km improvement in consumption.

Tesla is constantly making headlines with the small features embedded in its infotainment system. Some are silly, like the inbuilt whoopee cushion, others are very clever. A Model 3 owner has discovered one of the clever ones, posting an image of an automated message about a faulty part on Reddit. "An unexpected condition has been detected with the Power Conversion System on your Model 3. A replacement part has been pre-shipped to your preferred Tesla Service Centre," the message said.

Starting later this year, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) will begin offering cars with an online 'ecosystem' headlined by an infotainment system running Google's Android operating system, and using cloud services from Harman, part of the sprawling Samsung conglomerate. Cars equipped with the new system will have a new Android-based infotainment setup with over-the-air updates, built-in app support, satellite navigation, automatic emergency calling, and smartphone connectivity.

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are coming. With recent government policy announcements honing in on a 'green' future, there's some misinformation about charging an EV and how long they actually take to charge. While this isn't a deep dive or a technical analysis, we've aimed to break down how charging works (in very basic terms) and how long you would expect each of the EVs on the market in Australia to charge.

Volvo will add sensors to detect drunk drivers and distracted drivers, announcing all vehicles on the SPA2 platform will be fitted with advanced driver monitoring technology from the early 2020s. Subaru already has a driver-monitoring camera in the Forester, designed to force owners who take their eyes off the road to pay attention, but Volvo is promising to take things a step further, by using the semi-autonomous systems in its vehicles to take control.