car

Protect Trump is a headache, so the secret service has bought a armored golf car: the Golf Force One

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That Donald Trump likes golf is not a secret. It spends many hours in some of the fields that its organization continues to manage and, in fact, this sport was A throwing weapon in one of the presidential debates against Biden. It is not uncommon to see the current president driving his golf car, but recently he has seen him with something … strange: a golf car that It looks like the Batmobo And that he has already been nicknamed as ‘golf force one’ in allusion to the imposing Air Force One, the presidential plane. And, contrary to what we can think of first, it is not an eccentricity. The ‘Golf Force One’. A few days ago you could see a curious stamp in the Trump Turnberry field in Scotland, owned by … Trump. The tycoon was about to throw some holes with his son Eric when an army of the typical golf cars was seen accompanying another much more peculiar. It is the one you can see in the following image and that the press soon called ‘Golf Force One’. The minibesty that accompanied Trump In the field a security team formed by controllers for all who wanted to access, as well as different snipers stationed in strategic sites was deployed. Trump was in a conventional car, but this vehicle was followed closely that, as different police sources, affirmed the environment The TelegraphIt was a armored golf buggy. The minibesty. Part of the president of a country is the armored car. In the displacements, the authorities use them as a security component, and if you are Putin, Kim Yong Un (Apart from the car, has a armored train) or the president of the United States, it is evident that you need a armored car. The beast is the presidential armored cara mole that has all types of shields, but also active defensive systems that seem taken from a spy tape. And, obviously, comparisons with Buggy have recently seen there. The vehicle has been identified as a Polaris Ranger xa UTV (‘Utility Task Vehicle’, for its acronym in English), which is basically a robust buggy designed to transport loads on difficult terrain, with traction that is usually 4×4 and with safety systems such as antivuelco cages. Now, this ‘Golf Force One’ is not a Ranger X as it comes out of the factory, but one modified with equipment that is kept secret, but that includes a closed cabin and, at least on the front, a armored windshield. There are no more details, although a White House spokesman confirmed The War Zone that it is a new addition to the presidential fleet of special vehicles. Priorities. Polaris Ranger are not new in US authorities. The base version is sold for $ 20,000 (although Trump’s must cost a lot, much more due to that armor pack) and have been seen in border patrol tasks. Returning to the golf course, he saw the president driving his ‘cart’, but the ‘Golf Force One’ followed him closely. And it is something that is not only logical, but also necessary. In the golf courses there is a very strict regulation on vehicles that can circulate on the grass, since too much weight can ruin it. A armored glass is not particularly light, but a reinforced UTV is still weighing less than the beast and its nine tons. Follow it closely while Trump moves in his conventional car makes sense for a rapid extraction maneuver for any danger, and it is a safety measure more in an environment than It is a headache For your entourage of bodyguards. Polaris models to patrol the border It makes … meaning. A golf course, however private it is, is a huge open space, turning the players into very simple whites. In July 2024, the attempted murder during a rally held in Pennsylvania He went down in history For the powerful photographs that were captured and what resonated worldwide, but although it did not make so much noise, in September of that same year there was a second attempt. While the future president played at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida, another of his fields, an agent of the Secret service He saw something suspicious near the fence of one of the holes: a overshadowed face and the barrel of a rifle. The alleged shooter was caught And he is in prison waiting for trial, evidencing what we comment: a golf course makes you an easy target … and a armored buggy can be a good way to protect the president. In the end, beyond that it is a vehicle with all the meaning, Trump’s picture driving his car while the ‘golf Force One’ and a retahla of conventional buggys follow it is … curious. Images | Polaris, Macgyver Solutions In Xataka | Everything that wanted to be the Tesla Cybertruck without success is the impressive Lamborghini Rezvani Knight

The main car manufacturing countries, exposed in a devastating map that shows the Asian domain

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It depends on what car segment let’s put the magnifying glass, but I know esteem that in 2024 They sold Between 75 and 85 million vehicles worldwide. It is a growth of more than 2% compared to the previous year, and if you have wondered which country is the one that manufactures the most cars, this map responds to perfection and highlights its own name: China. There are also trend changes that should be analyzed. Asian domain. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With data from the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), we can see in blue the countries that dominate cars manufacturing. China produced more than 31 million Of vehicles in 2024, the United States more than 10.5 million and Japan more than eight million. Among the three, 54% of all vehicles built during the past year, but we put the focus on Asia. Apart from China and Japan, India with six million and South Korea with four million are two other countries of that Asian “axis that contribute to the domain of the area in exports worldwide. All have more or less stable production compared to the previous year, being Japan that stars in a 10% decrease in production, but staying between the powers. The opposite case is Thailand, which closes the Top 10 with 1.4 million vehicles produced, assuming a 20% downturn compared to the previous year.

A certificate that converts any car into a luxury

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In the city-state of Singapore, it is not uncommon that A Toyota Yaris Cross comes out for more than 120,000 euros. And it is that at the purchase of the car you have to add a certificate to circulate through its streets that It has become a luxury object. This certificate can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and it is mandatory to go through the hoop if we want to drive our own car through its streets. The most restrictive system in the world. Since 1990, Singapore forces its citizens to acquire a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) Before you can buy any vehicle. This certificate, which is obtained for auction every fifteen days, can reach 100,000 euros for vehicles with more than 1,600 cubic centimeters or 130 hp of power. The little ones require a certificate of about 72,000 euros. With this, the government intends to keep the car park below 950,000 vehicles throughout the country.

What you rent is not a taxi, but only a driver for your car

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Forget everything you know about taxis and VTC. The new in China is not to rent the services of a vehicle with its driver, but to rent only the services of a driver. The alternative, especially for those who return from a party night, seems perfect. Hello, I need a driver. In this type of service the client performs the request through a mobile app that geolocates, and after confirming the request, the magic arrives. Minutes later comes the driver we had asked and will take us where we want with our own car. These types of applications are known as Dàijià (代驾) (“designated driver”) and are present in the country For years. Skateboards. The curious thing, in addition, is how that driver comes, that when he appears he does it with an electric scooter (or perhaps a compact electric bicycle), something that allows him to move from one point to another in the city where the service operates. Upon reaching your vehicle, that driver or designated driver folds the path and puts it in the trunk. Once it reaches destiny and park your vehicle, take out the stick of the trunk and leave with it. If you drink do not drive. Chinese laws are very hard with drunk drivers, and since 2011 the penalties are severe if the police detect one of these drivers. As in countries like Spain, these drivers are exposed to fines, suspension of driving card and even prison sentences. A social conflict. But it is that in China drinking is a especially important social practice, especially in the business world. Sharing a drink is a way that trust and bonds of union between those who do it. In fact, a traditional toast in China, “Ganbei” (干杯), means “empty cup”, and encourages everyone to finish their drinks even if it is also acceptable to drink only a little. Finishing drinks, yes, is seen as a sign of respect. A perfect solution. That conflict that exists between “having to drink” and driving its car has made this type of services Dàijià They have been located as an ideal solution for each other. A recent statement of the Ministry of Public Security indicated how there had been a significant drop in the number of mortal traffic accidents in the last decade. Li Jiangping, director of the Traffic Management Office, explained that the data is especially positive considering that since 2011 the number of motor vehicles has been increased by 89% and that of drivers by 123%. Millions of journeys. According to the Ministry, the number of accidents in which there were three or more fatal victims had fallen 59.3% since 2012. In that same statement the Ministry indicated that one of the factors of that fall in the accident is that “most people choose to use services of designated drivers after drinking, with the number of requests reaching an annual average of 200 million.” Two giants compete in China for that market. In China there are two great protagonists in this segment. On the one hand it is e-Daijiawhich cleared the land in 2011 upon discovering the service to millions of users. Until 2015 its market share was 90%, but in July of that year Didi launched its own service, Didi Daijiawhich integrated into its own application putting it easier than ever its millions of customers in China. That unleashed a price war that ended up benefiting users and, of course, these services, which have become a unique and interesting alternative to traditional VTCs and taxis. Image | Didi In Xataka | The imminent Tesla Robotaxi will have the worst rivals he could imagine: those who are already developing China

Open the car from the mobile promises comfort. A failure has shown that we may not be the only ones with the key

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Imagine that it is enough to look at the windshield of a car to score its frame number – a 17 -character code visible from outside – introduce it into an internal tool, find out the name of the owner and link that vehicle to a mobile account. From there, you could unlock the doors remote from an official app, without touching a lock or forcing anything. That is fair what a cybersecurity researcher demonstrated After accessing the internal portal used by the dealers of a large car brand. We do not talk about an attack on users or public servants, but about a gap on the business platform that connects the manufacturer with its sales network. A rear door with access to connected functions and personal data. The failure was not in the car, but in the chain that unites everything Behind this finding is Eaton Zveare, who has been tracking vulnerabilities into digital platforms of large brands, especially of the automobile sector. This time it was no different. Zveare discovered that the internal web portal of a known car brand It allowed to modify the behavior of the system from the browser itself. Specifically, it managed to alter the login page code to skip security checks and create an administrator account with national privileges. With that account, access covered more than 1,000 concessionaires in the United States. From there, the problem dimension changed completely. It was not just about accessing internal resources of a concessionaire. The account he managed to generate gave access to the complete system: I could see the data of all the concessionaires connected, act in the name of other users without knowing their credentials and, the most delicate, accessing tools that allowed them to consult information about vehicles and their owners. All that from a platform that, in theory, is reserved for professionals in the sector. Zveare did not force anything, did not installed any malicious software or attacked from the outside. What he found was a badly closed door within a legitimate system. And the most worrying thing is that this door not only allowed him to enter: he offered, from within, a set of tools that nobody outside the manufacturer should control so easily. In the United States, the laws that regulate the sale of vehicles vary by state, but share a common principle: in most of them, Manufacturers cannot sell new cars directly to the consumer. They are obliged to do so through independent dealers, legally protected against direct competition of the manufacturer. That has given rise to a franchised network structure that groups thousands of points of sale and after -sales. Tesla has tried to uncheck that model and sell directly, but it has not been easy. Although he has achieved it in some states, in many others he continues to find legal restrictions that prevent him from selling or even delivering vehicles directly. Your case is the most visible exception, but not the norm. The most delicate is not that this system showed confidential information. The serious thing is that it allowed to act with high privileges, as if one is part of the official structure of the manufacturer. From there, it was possible to assume identities of other employees, intervene on registered vehicles anywhere in the country or access functions designed exclusively for authorized technicians. The portal was designed to give agility to the dealer network, not to resist malicious access from within As we say above, each car has a unique frame number. It is a code of 17 characters – right and numbers – that serves to legally identify it throughout the world. What the average driver probably does not imagine is that this code is visible from the outside, at the base of the windshield, and that in the context of this case it was the entrance key. In a real test, Zveare introduced a visible vin from the outside and obtained the name of the owner. From the portal it was also possible to match the vehicle to a new mobile account. Zveare did not try to drive any vehicles or alter its physical configuration. But with the control that I had, open it at a distance and empty its interior would have been perfectly possible. Today, The name of the affected manufacturer has not been made public. And it’s not because nobody knows. The researcher who discovered vulnerability, does know what brand he was behind the committed portal, but has decided not to mention it in his report or during his defense presentation. Nor Techcrunch, the first medium that echoed the case, has revealed the identity of the manufacturer. It is not something so unusual. In some cases, researchers choose to maintain the anonymity of the company involved by prudence, even when vulnerability has already been corrected to avoid putting third parties at risk: concessionaires, employees or customers who still depend on that system. It can also influence the fact that the compromised platform gave access to entire networks, not an isolated server. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash In Xataka | Bugatti decided not to put speakers in a car of four million euros. His secret is a technique of 1881

Bugatti decided not to put speakers in a car of four million euros. His secret is a technique of 1881

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Bugatti is giving baby steps in the electrification. Although in 2021 they joined Rimac, the company that manufactures the imposing RIMAC Neverait seems that a 100% electric bugatti It is far. Hybridization is another song and, in 2024, they launched the Tourbillona bestiality of 3.8 million euros in the cheaper and extrasty version. But the craziest is not its specifications, but a car of almost four million euros does not have speakers. It has something better, according to Bugatti: the entire interior is a speaker. And the secret is something called piezoelectricity. Tourbillon. As usual in a bugatti, its specifications They are a real madness. It has a total of 1,800 hp thanks to four engines: a 8.3 -liter V16, atmospheric 1,000 hp that works with three electric motors (two in front and one behind) that provide additional 800 hp. Result? From 0 to 100 km/h in two seconds, 300 in 10 seconds and a maximum speed of 445 km/h. It has a total weight of less than two tons, a T800 carbon monozygasco and is extremely exclusive. There are only 250 units that, together with their price, convert the Tourbillon into A collector’s object. And something curious is that the interior is a minimalist, with three great analog dials inspired by the High Watches and a notable absence of speakers. Dials, not screens Piezoelectricity. It is the name of an effect discovered in 1881 and is a property that has materials such as quartz to allow generating an electric charge when subject to mechanical pressure or tension. When an electric field is applied, they are also physically deform and it is something that can be used in several ways. It is what works Some lighters, watches either even renewable energies. And it is also what allows the Tourbillon not to have speakers because, in essence, the sound we hear is nothing more than a series of vibrations that are transmitted in the air. Mate Rimac, the peculiar CEO of the company, is something that has shown Top Gear in this video in which we can see a ‘naked’ tourbillon: A countercurrent. That the Tourbillon does not have traditional speakers stands out with what the brand did with the Chiron. In that, they presumed Tweeters (the speakers that transmit the acute) with Diamond membrane of a quilate, but in this they have removed them. Mate Rimac, current CEO of the brand, ensures that the Tourbillon has a sound quality “from another universe”, and what it does is use quartz piezoelectric crystals and other synthetic materials that vibrate in a controlled way when receiving an electrical signal. The aerospace carbon and the rest of the internal panels of the cabin act as large acoustic diaphragms. And the sum of all these elements is what makes the cabin generate a surround sound. The monocoque works like a speaker. Sound of other level It makes sense. That is: it does not have the cones, Woofersmagnets and coils that make up the traditional speakerswhich is a huge advantage when it comes to significantly reducing weight. In a hyper -sports, it is something crucial, and it is also something that allows you to free space inside. Structural insulation is also improved by not having to create holes of considerable size to embed the speakers and the deterioration factor suffered by the speakers themselves, which are isolated with rubber pieces so that they do not vibrate when the car is running. Although in cars that are more destined to the garage than to the road, it is not a problem too serious either. 100% bugatti. Turning the car into a speaker is unique. Mercedes already experienced changing the location of the speakers with The SL Roadster Frontbasscarrying the doors speakers to the holes of the feet, but still needing traditional speakers. In the case of Tourbillon, it is a change of philosophy and technology. Mate Rimac has stressed that this movement is 100% Rimac-Bugatti philosophy. “If we don’t do it, Who was going to do it?“Rimac says, who has seen how his Tourbillon becomes another example of the Ultraexclusivity of hypercoches And, in a world in which there are authentic beasts of the road, which is calling more attention is not so much that it is a hypercoche … as the car itself is a speaker. And in the interview he launches a couple of errands to Ferrari and Lamborghini. We will see if they respond. In Xataka | Luxury cars manufacturers already react to US tariff

Its sales continue to fall in Europe in the face of the advance of the Asian electric car

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What Tesla It is not going through its best moment In Europe it is no secret. Elon Musk’s company still resents of the fleeting, although media, controversial and Extremely changing support From his CEO to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the unstoppable advance of the Chinese electric car. The latest data reflects: sales in the main markets of the old continent remain in free fall. Although not everything is bad news. The data. The most important European markets for Tesla (and for the car market in general) are the United Kingdom, France and Germany. In these countries, the fall in Tesla’s registration, a strong indicator of sales, has been pronounced. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing Image | Charlie Deets According to information shared by Reuters and Bloombergonly in July the enrollments fell 60% in the United Kingdom, 55% in Germany and 27% in France. The rest of the countries They do not fall short: 86% in Sweden, 52% in Denmark, 62% in Holland, 58% in Belgium, 5% in Italy and 49% in Portugal. On the whole. If we look at the full photo, the figure is even more striking: Tesla sales have fallen 45% In the ten European markets that, together, accumulated 80% of Tesla sales in Europe during the first half of the year. In other words, Tesla’s sales continue to go downhill in the most important European countries. So far this year, the sales of Elon Musk’s firm have fallen a third in the old continent. And there are no countries in which it grows? Yes, Spain and Norway, to be exact. In Spain, Tesla car registrations increased by 27% (702 cars) in July, which represents a 1.1% growth so far this year. It is a percentage that does not accompany the growth of the electric car market in our country: 89.6%. In Norway, a country in which 97.2% Of the cars sold in July they were electric, increased 83% or what is the same, 838 cars. Image | Xataka Byd advances Tesla on the right. As it could not be otherwise, Asian manufacturers have taken advantage of the situation to continue eating the toast to Tesla. According to the data of the Jato consultancy of those echoing from The countryonly in the month of June Byd sold 15,565 cars in Europe of which 9,153 were electric (132% more). The semiannual figure is much more interesting: 41,270 electric cars, 143% more. The panorama has changed a lot. Best selling cars. The good news for Tesla is that, despite the fall in sales, the best -selling electric car continues to sign during the first semester of the year: the Tesla Model and. He Volkswagen ID.4 He is closely followed with a dangerous and threatening second place. The photo, however, is very different if we look at our country. Best -selling electric cars in July | Image: ANFAC The Spanish case. If we take a look at the most recent data from the ANFACwe will see that the best -selling electric cars in July have been the TOYOTA BZ4X (604 units), the Byd Dolphin Surf (531 units) and the KIA EV3 (493 units). It is not until the fourth position that we find a Tesla, Model 3, with 456 units sold. The Tesla Model and, meanwhile, falls to the tenth position. Plug -in hybrids best selling in July | Image: ANFAC In the accumulated January-Julio, Tesla goes quite well stopped. The Tesla Model 3 is the best selling electric with 4,545 units. They are followed by Model and (3,282 units) and KIA EV3 (3,206 units). In plug -in hybrids, the undisputed leader is the Byd Seal U.whose sale in July added 738 units (1,616% more). Cover image | Martin Katler In Xataka | Elon Musk has suggested his next goal: “Countries that do not manufacture their own drones will be vassal states”

Volvo does not start with the electric car and believes that his big problem is in Spain

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They said that “there was no future for internal combustion engines” from 2030. Last year they softened their expectations. And now they confirm that the transition to the electric car has been choking to the point that it will not be possible if in countries such as Spain a serious plan to electrify the country does not go ahead. Yes, we talk about Volvo. “It’s very difficult”. These words of Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo, summarize the feeling of the company with respect to the electric car. In an interview with the German media Die Zeitasked about the slow transition to the European electric car, which was expected faster, Samuelsson has responded to the following: There must be a clear sign that at a given time it is changing to electric mobility. But, of course, if there is no load infrastructure, especially in southern Europe, it is very difficult to implement it. A general concept is needed. Therefore, I can also imagine classify new hybrid vehicles with plug -in and long -range technology. In addition to southern Europe, a region in which Spain is undoubtedly, the CEO of Volvo also points out that “in certain regions of the world it is complicated for us, for example, in the west of the United States, with its own particularities. We probably need a few more years there. For electric mobility to succeed.” More loaders. With both answers, Samuelsson points directly to the load infrastructure as the main stumbling block to achieve the expected impulse with electric mobility. In the case of the United States it is evident. Tesla created a recharge network that held its first sales. Now, with your own loaders, your network is so good that has made manufacturers adapt to your bet. And in Spain we also have lessons to learn. Although we have improved and in Xataka We support that with the current volume of electric cars the reliability of the loaders than the pure power, According to ANFAC’s latest electromobility barometerin June 2025 we barely covered 17.5% of the total loaders that we should have installed at the end of the year. Tranquillity. Having a dense and reliable recharge network remains the main concern of those who do not dare to make the leap to an electric car. The ultimate goal is to be able to leave home without having to plan a route but that, right now, is not possible. And not only is it not possible, besides With a small battery electric carit is essential to be clear where, when and for how long to stop. Without a doubt, when one takes an electric car for a while it does not take time to adapt to its demands. Acquire the necessary knowledge to Do not pass hardships It is simple but that entrance barrier is still too high for those who want to disburse 30,000, 40,000 or 50,000 euros in a car and want to forget to pass anxiety for autonomy. But, above all, it is especially complicated among those who are looking for an electric car of 20,000 or 25,000 euros and know that they will have to Pay with some discomfort Your low price. What happens with Volvo? The problem for Volvo is that their electric cars do not advance to the expected rhythm and their plans were to stop selling combustion engines in 2030. In 2021, just four years ago, they said that “There is no future for internal combustion engines”. However, in 2024 they have had to admit that the transition to the electric car is being resisted more than the account and They already advanced that it was likely to maintain hybrid cars in the market for a longer time. Again, The low sales in the United States were key. Now, its CEO uncheck getting pressure so that countries take the initiative and put their efforts to create a solvent recharge network. Is something done? Yes, something is being done. First, countries have to give an acceleration to the recharge network forced by the European Union itself which has designed a plan to have fast loaders in the main routes of the continent in the short and medium term. In addition, you work to oblihar that the new loaders have Your own payment TPV systemwhich should facilitate adoption to the electric car. Right now, it is still necessary to have a good number of applications on the mobile if you load with different companies. And the government is also working for make cargo plugs visible With a new signaling on the roads. The ultimate goal is to go through the drivers that Spain is not a wasteland without loaders and that can be traveled with relative tranquility. One last curiosity. For Samuelsson “no, we were not too fast (about the jump to the electric car). For us, as a rather small company, the fully electric vehicle market is large enough.” Words hide a defense of their own legacy. The current CEO of the company already held this same position between 2012 and 2022. That is, the commitment to sell exclusively electric cars in 2030 was yours. After a small hesitation period, Samuelsson returned from his retirement to re -direct the Swedish company. A company that, on the other hand and by preference of its own CEO, is increasingly China: I want more cooperation from Volvo (with Geely). I want Volvo to remain independent, that is, with the headquarters in Sweden and that it is cited in the Swedish bag. But I also want to increase the value, the interest of the owners, and therefore more exchange within the holding company, to save money and introduce new technologies more quickly. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Spain already has its first national map of cargo points for electric cars. We have tried it and we have opinions

A car rental company has fined a customer with 100 euros for smoking behind the wheel. The only problem is that he never did

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Should you smoke inside the car? The debate is a pédiagudo and has gained strength in Spain in recent weeks after the balloon was dropped that smoking could be prohibited from the wheel in our country. The reasons wielded range from the health of the rest of the passengers (especially if the driver travels with children) to the possible distractions that a cigarette can cause. But where Smoking is prohibited It is in rental cars or in shared car services. That is what a driver has discovered to whom a company the carsharing platform Thousandsvery widespread in Berlin, has punished with 100 euros of sanction because it ensures that it briefly smoked up to four times. However, the driver alleges that this is not possible. He says not only that he has not smoked in the car, he emphasizes that he is not even a smoker. A black box for smokers The story is brought by our German companions of Gamestar Tech. They explain that, as in Spain, neither in their carsharing vehicles is allowed to smoke. To control it, cars have a small smoke detector that launches a sound warning when it records that someone inside the vehicle is smoking. According to the company, this notice rang up to four times on a three -kilometer journey that lasted 10 minutes. The driver does recognize that the detector rang but defends himself by ensuring that he is not a smoker and that, of course, he did not smoked inside the car. In your article, Gamestar Tech It shows the activity peaks registered by the smoke detector in which the four, supposed, smoke snacks that the driver expelled. The sanction on the part of the company is 100 euros but the driver says he has no intention of paying it. To try to get rid of the fine, the sanctioned contacted thousands, the carsharing company, but these were limited to showing the report with the four peaks of activity. As in the case of defective AI When reviewing the damage to a rental car, we are facing the evidence that the driver and the company are in unequal positions because one has alleged activity records and the driver has no way to prove that it is A “non -smoker”. Although the case of this driver is the last one, it is not much less unique. In social networks You can read similar complaints of other drivers who have had problems with the service of Miles, ensuring that the detector began to whistle without having reasons for it. In all testimonies a sanction is mentioned by the company of 100 euros. Some even point out that they have charged this amount up to three occasions. In the case of thousands, the detector is designed by Bosch and it is common to find them in rental vehicles. In the Consumer Information Association Austrian highlights the case of a driver who lived a similar situation. This time with a rental car and an economic punishment that reached 300 euros. The Bosch system boasts to be able to discern if a person has smoked or simply has a smell of tobacco impregnated in clothes. Therefore, I should be able to discriminate if really The driver has given or not a draft to cigarette. In addition, they claim to use artificial intelligence to send a signal to the center that manages fleets when the detector has been activated to give notice and, thus, to be able to manage the car cleaning more quickly. Photo | Thousands Mobility and Hans Isaacson In Xataka | Smoking ends on the terraces and beaches: socially makes sense, scientifically not so much

When an engineer wanted to cross Africa by car, he invented a wooden. It would be the beginning of its end

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In one of his picturesque life, Tony Howarth had a revolutionary vision: Create a perfect car for Africa. A cheap, resistant, easy to repair and that could be made locally with sustainable materials. His project, baptized as ‘Africar’, promised to change transportation in the African continent forever. However, what began as an altruistic dream It ended up becoming a legal nightmare which led its creator directly to prison. From a filmmaker to engineer with a mission: to manufacture the perfect car for Africa Image: Silodrome Howarth was not any businessman. Graduated in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, had developed since childhood A passion for mechanics which led him to build his own fuel injection system for his motorcycle when he was barely ten years old. However, it was his recognized career as a photographer and filmmaker that led him to devote himself to this peculiar project. And is that Howarth has traveled more than 130 countries, experiencing in the first person the difficulties of African land roads. During his trips through Africa in the 70s, Howarth realized that Western vehicles were not designed for the extreme conditions of the continent. Earth tracks, deep potholes and the lack of specialized workshops turned any breakdown into a capital problem. In addition, the programmed obsolescence of the Western car industry made the spare parts more and more difficult to achieve. An inspiration of the Ford Model T Image: Silodrome The concept of Africar was inspired by the legendary Ford Model T, a vehicle that had been designed precisely for the roads without asphalting from Rural America of the early twentieth century. Howarth understood that what Africa needed was something similar: A simple, durable and that could be repaired by local mechanics No need for sophisticated equipment. Its design was revolutionary for its simplicity. The chassis was built with stainless steel tubes to avoid corrosion, while body panels could be manufactured with local materials such as laminated wood impregnated in resin, aluminum or even plastic. The chosen engine was the Citroën GSA Boxer Propulor Refrigated by air that offered reliability and ease of maintenance. An expedition that changed everything Image: Lancslive In 1984, Howarth built three prototypes of Africar for an ambitious expedition that would be documented by Channel 4: A journey from the Arctic Circle to the African Ecuador. The three vehicles-a ranchera, a pick-up and a six-wheel model-demonstrated their worth crossing thousands of kilometers of extreme land. During the journey, Africar exceeded evidence that left a Land Rover Series III that accompanied them. Their long -running independent suspension and their high distance to the ground allowed them to overcome obstacles that stuck more conventional vehicles. The fatal error Image: Lancslive The success of the expedition opened the doors to investment. In 1986, Howarth founded Africar International Limited in LancasterEngland, and began to capture capital of private investors. However, He made a mistake that would end his project and, later, in prison. Concerned about the dependence of the Citroën engines, which could be obsolete at any time, Howarth decided to invest the money of investors in developing their own engine. It was a logical decision from the technical point of view, but catastrophic since the financial. The funds were exhausted before completing the development, and the clients who had paid in advance did not receive their vehicles. The situation became unsustainable when investors discovered that the prototype shown in a Christmas presentation of 1987 was actually an empty shell: without engine, with the doors stuck and still wet paint. A bitter ending and a legacy that endures Image: Silodrome In July 1988, the Police intervened and Africar International Limited ceased its operations. Howarth fled to the United States in a desperate attempt to get the financing that saved the project, but it was useless. In 1994 he returned to the United Kingdom, where He was arrested immediately. Tony Howarth declared himself guilty of a fraudulent crime and five to obtain goods through deception. Was sentenced to 15 months in prison. In his own words, the prison experience “was like being in a British boarding school.” Although Africar never manufactured in series (it is estimated that only one and six specimens of production were built), Howarth’s idea did not die with him. His concept has inspired other African entrepreneurs, such as the creators of the Mobius in Kenyathat resumed the vision of a car designed for the region, despite Its economic difficulties. Cover image | Silodrome In Xataka | The list of 2025 most reliable cars has left us the most unexpected surprise: the best car does not have Toyota or Honda

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