Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Sakti3. Sakti3 is one of several small companies working on alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries found in most electric vehicles today. Paul Sancya / AP Photo
Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Sakti3. Sakti3 is one of several small companies working on alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries found in most electric vehicles today. Paul Sancya / AP Photo
Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Sakti3. Sakti3 is one of several small companies working on alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries found in most electric vehicles today. Paul Sancya / AP Photo
Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Sakti3. Sakti3 is one of several small companies working on alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries found in most electric vehicles today. Paul Sancya / AP Pho

The six start-ups attempting to change the way you drive


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A veteran computer scientist hates sitting in his car at stop lights, so he creates software that makes the experience less annoying. And an aeronautics expert believes that flying cars should not be science fiction. It is no secret that technology is changing the car industry. The major carmakers, as well as Google and possibly Apple, are laying the groundwork for the first driverless cars.

Meanwhile, a number of engineers and entrepreneurs have started their own companies to tackle other motoring challenges. Here are six start-ups that want to change the way you drive:

Connected Signals

Entrepreneur and computer scientist Matt Ginsberg hates red lights. So he started Connected Signals, based in Oregon in the United States, to collect real-time data from cities that synchronise their traffic signals. The company’s smartphone app tells motorists if an upcoming signal is about to change colour. It shows drivers how long they will have to wait if a light is red – and chimes a warning just before it turns green.

The app helps to prevent distraction, unnecessary acceleration and delays, says Mr Ginsberg. BMW has added it to its driver display. Mr Ginsberg also sees an opportunity in selling data for motoring systems that shut off a car’s engine to save petrol during longer red lights. One hurdle is getting the raw data from individual cities: He has agreements with about 100 US towns and hopes to cover half of the country by 2017.

Parkme

Sam Friedman and Alex Israel missed the start of a movie because they could not park. That is when the two young men, friends since primary school, decided to launch ParkMe in Los Angeles. It is one of several start-ups with smartphone apps that help drivers to find, reserve and pay online for parking spots. But it has gone further than most in solving the data hurdle: ParkMe boasts parking information from 1,800 cities around the world, much of it collected via live feeds from ticket dispensers at commercial and municipal lots.

ParkMe also gets street parking data from meters that accept credit cards and from cities that use pavement sensors for parking enforcement. While it uses the data in its apps for drivers, ParkMe also sells it to planning agencies and car companies, including Audi, for their navigation systems.

Metromile

That little diagnostic port under your car’s dashboard is not just for mechanics. It can provide useful information for drivers and insurance companies, too.

Several start-ups use matchbox-sized devices that plug into the port and send information on a car’s performance to the driver’s smartphone. MetroMile, a start-up in San Francisco, goes further. It sells car insurance on a pay-per-mile basis, using a similar device to verify the miles driven.

Other insurance companies are trying similar devices to track drivers’ behaviour, but MetroMile says it will not penalise a customer for speeding or slamming the brakes. The company promises significant savings for people who do not drive much.

Cruise

You do not need to wait years to enjoy autonomous driving. At least that is the premise behind Cruise Automation’s “highway autopilot” kit.

Cruise engineers have retrofitted some recent Audi models with prototype kits consisting of rooftop sensors, a computer in the trunk and controls that fit behind the steering wheel. Cruise Automation’s founder, Kyle Vogt, says the system will keep a car within its motorway lane, while steering around curves and maintaining safe distance from other vehicles.

The software engineer hopes to deliver the first Cruise kits to customers this year.

Sakti3

Most electric vehicles on the market only go about 160 kilometres on a charge. A better battery is the industry’s “holy grail”, says Quin Garcia of Auto Tech Ventures, which funds motoring start-ups.

Sakti3, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is among several start-ups trying new approaches to lithium-ion batteries. Ann Marie Sastry, the founder and a former engineering professor, was invited to a White House event this month to explain her ideas for making powerful batteries more cheaply.

It is not enough to come up with an idea for a new battery, says Ms Sastry. “If you can’t make it cost-effectively, you can’t have an impact.”

She is using computer simulations to design processes for making solid-state batteries that are lighter and hold twice the energy, providing more range. Appliance-maker Dyson and General Motors have invested in Sakti3.

Terrafugia

Terrafugia, a privately backed start-up in Massachusetts, admits on its website that flying cars have become a pop-culture symbol for dreams that do not come true. Carl Dietrich, its chief executive, wants to change that.

Two years ago, he and his co-founders – all MIT graduates – impressed observers at a Wisconsin air show by flying a gasoline-powered light plane the size of an SUV, which can fold its wings and meet legal requirements for motorway driving. The company hopes to deliver a version to customers in 2017, at an anticipated price of US$279,000.

Terrafugia is also working on a concept for a sleeker, electric-powered vehicle with rotors for vertical take-off. But Mr Dietrich says it will take years to achieve his goal to build a car that does not require a pilot’s licence to fly. “Our first product is very much an airplane that can be driven,” he says. “But it’s putting our company in position to make a car that can fly.”

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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

The biog

Marital status: Separated with two young daughters

Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo

Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian

Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness

Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

TEST SQUADS

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.

RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

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