Lotus Self-Driving Technology Will Be Out Of This World CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Lotus Self-Driving Technology Will Be Out Of This World
Lotus Self-Driving Technology Will Be Out Of This World
Jun. 05, 2022 4:24 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Industry News / 1 Comment Tesla isn't the only space-adjacent OEM anymore. For those who don't know, both Volvo and Lotus are owned by a Chinese holding group known as Geely, or Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, if you've got an extra second to get the pronunciation down pat. Both brands have committed to a greener, more technologically-advanced future for themselves, as evidenced by cars like the Lotus Eletre and Volvo XC40 Recharge. Both are motivated by electric motors instead of gas ones and feature a number of advanced driver assists. So, what do you do when you need to make those driver assists more advanced? You go to space. Geely has announced it conducted its first successful satellite launch on June 1. Nine total satellites were shot into orbit via the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. Those satellites are there to help provide more accurate navigation for the brand's vehicles, like Volvo and Lotus. Lotus Geely Volvo Volvo Of course, Geely and its subbrands aren't the only automakers in space. Far from it. Tesla has its adjacent SpaceX, after all. SpaceX currently has more than 2,000 satellites in orbit, providing StarLink internet. Geely plans to have far less than that. The Chinese brand says it'll have another 63 satellites in orbit by 2025, with that number eventually climbing to around 240 in the coming years. The satellites themselves will be providing hyper-accurate positioning support for the brand's self-driving cars. Geely has said its network will also be used for other commercial functions, much like those SpaceX satellites. For example, the Geely satellites will provide communications services for the Asian Games come September this year. Lotus Volvo Volvo Volvo As we've heard, space is getting a little crowded. Take a look at any current map of in-orbit manmade space objects to see what we're on about. However, Geely says that won't be an issue. The new satellites will have an operational window of five years, after which they'll simply drop out of the sky, disintegrating in the atmosphere, leaving no debris behind. Evidently, that means we can expect more driver-assist tech in Volvo and other Geely-owned vehicles in the coming years. Unfortunately, Geely didn't specify in what capacity, aside from the location-tracking capabilities of the satellites. We imagine those specifics will be coming from Geely's brands over the coming months and years. Volvo Volvo Volvo Volvo Join The Discussion
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Volvo XC40 Recharge Lotus Eletre Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top