Pearl, a new startup entering the aftermarket automated features for cars space

Alex Webb for Bloomberg:

Founded by a team of Apple veterans, Pearl Automation Inc. said Tuesday that its first product, a rear-view camera, will be available in September in the U.S. After the camera, which is similar to those that come standard on many new autos, the startup plans a slew of devices that can be built into your car to bring it up to speed with the latest driving capabilities.

There are new startups entering the AV and automated features for cars space every other week. I just can’t but wonder:

For how long is it going to be profitable this market?
How long before the market gets regulated and the party is over?

Also, the US has a long tradition of tinkering around with their cars. However, this is far from “normal” in Europe beyond the tunning culture and the plug and play aftermarket gadgets.

It is going to be interesting to watch how this market develops.

Faraday Future goes AV

Russ Mitchell of Los Angeles Times reports that Faraday Future, the recently created company that aims to revolutionize the market of electric vehicles, wants to enter the AV space like any other car manufacturer:

Electric car maker Faraday — based in Gardena, with additional offices in Silicon Valley and an assembly plant outside Las Vegas — is planning to build vehicles designed like high-end Italian sports cars with a space-age twist, judging from the concept car it unveiled in Las Vegas in January.

I don’t think that a car designed like “high-end” Italian sport cars is going to be that relevant when talking about automated features but… You never know!

George Hotz’s $1,000 aftermarket self-driving car kit

Michael Zelenko, writing for The Verge:

Unlike Tesla, Hotz says, Comma.ai is committed to building a product for the general public — or as he likes to put it, deliver “ghost riding for the masses.” For less than $1,000 Hotz promises to sell a kit that will let customers transform dumb cars into smart, self-driving ones. Installation will be a cinch, he says — no more difficult or time-intensive than building a piece of Ikea furniture. Though he’s vague about which cars the final product will work on — “if your car has electronic stability control and electronic power steering, there’s a chance we could make it work; it won’t work on your ‘72 Chevy” — he’s confident it’ll ship by the end of the year.

I’m really curious about Hotz’s aftermarket strategy. I do understand the beauty of transforming your 2014 car into a self-driving car. However, I am not sure that such kit will not terminate the guarantee of your vehicle. Let’s find out at the end of the year if everything works as expected.