Editor’s Note: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL)
Tesla hacker threat (The Sun Daily)
Though known the world over as a successful industry-changing electric vehicle, the Model S appears to have a weakness in its supposedly secure Application Programming Interface or API. George Reese, a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S owner and executive director of cloud management in Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL), states that the REST API system’s authentication protocol is easily hackable. The system is in fact a web-based portal that allows owners to perform menial tasks such as checking the car’s battery status or even operate cabin features such as the air conditioning and honk. While users are required to login using an email addresses password, the API system also stores these login data.
GM Custom Mobile App Helps Earn Customer Trust (InformationWeek)
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is using technology to try to overcome this skepticism and also improve showroom efficiency. In January, the company launched its Dealer Sales Assistant (DSA) app for iOS and Android tablets, and dealers have deployed the sales tool to more than 8,000 U.S.-based GM sales associates. With a few taps, the app lets sales consultants access information that includes vehicle inventory, specs, accessories, trim packages and towing capacity. The goal of putting that information on a phone or tablet was to “get sales representatives closer to the customer, out from behind the desk,” says Les Copeland, CIO for General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) North America IT.
Ford S-MAX Concept will measure your heart rate from the driver’s seat (Pocket-lint.com)
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has unveiled a glimpse of future car tech at the Frankfurt Motor Show with its new S-MAX Concept. The intelligent motor will be able to read your heart rate, thanks to an ECG Heart Rate Monitoring Seat. The S-MAX Concept will feature Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s SYNC with AppLink tech as well as the heart rate monitoring seat. While it may seem like a gimmick at this stage, future implications could mean a car that detects a heart attack before it arrives and brings the car safely to a stop. Since the S-MAX already has a Pre-Collision Assist system that brakes when about to crash this idea isn’t far from a reality.
How Green Is a Tesla, Really? (Slate Magazine)
The knock on electric cars has always been the same: They’re great for the environment, but they’re pokey and impractical, and nobody wants to buy one. The stunning success story of the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S has, improbably, flipped that equation. It’s blazingly fast, surprisingly practical, and everyone wants to buy one. But now some critics are asking: How green is it, really? The quick answer: If current trends hold, it could be pretty darn green in the long run. But as of today, the calculation isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Depending on whom you ask, what assumptions you make, and how you quantify environmental impact, the answer could range from “greener than a Prius” to “as dirty as an SUV.”
General Motors revs up volunteer work across US (Westport-News)
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) employees are gearing up for a week of volunteering across the United States. The Detroit automaker says its second annual “teamGM Cares Week” kicks off Monday and incorporates about 75 projects. Michigan projects include blight-fighting and cleanup projects in Detroit’s Brightmoor and Morningside neighborhoods on Thursday and Friday. Last month, workers from Lansing made and served meals at the Ronald McDonald House. The company says about 3,560 volunteers who tracked their efforts last year recorded roughly 37,800 hours of service. The General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) Foundation provides a $200 grant annually to eligible nonprofits each time an employee contributes 50 hours of service to the organization.
Is Tesla really worth $67.12? (CNBC.com)
