Colorado is perfect for adventurous drivers that want to taste the freedom of a winding mountain road. It is also home to one of the most prosperous cities in the Midwestern area, Denver. Automobiles had played a large part in Coloradan history since the late 19th century when the first Denver-built car was displayed at a bicycle show. Colorado was the home of the first truly successful electric car: the Fritchle. The Fritchle was a luxury electric car that debuted in around 1908. It was far more torquey than the gasoline vehicles it competed against but suffered from a poor battery life and a lack of charging points in most towns. It was designed with the upper-class Rocky Mountain socialites in mind and saw great success as a point-to-point hopper for partygoers and wealthy shoppers.
The automobile is still significant in the Rocky Mountain state. Here is a quick roundup of the latest auto news coming out of Colorado.
The Dawn Of Colorado’s Internet Of Roads
Colorado is pioneering a new system of smart highways. Funding has been released for 500 miles of high-tech connected highways in the state. This ‘internet of roads’ is based on the ‘internet of things’ concept. Essentially, vehicles, cameras, and traffic signals will all communicate with each other in order to make journeys quicker and reduce accidents on Colorado’s busy highway system. Automobile manufacturers already produce cars with the ability to connect to networks, so the work largely revolves around improving the highways themselves. Expect companies like Root Insurance to lower prices for some customers once the new smart highways are installed, and accident numbers decline.
Smart highways are already in place in some states. Wyoming currently has a small stretch of highway upgraded, and the results have been very encouraging. The project uses V2X technology – which stands for Vehicle To Everything. Vehicle to Everything communication between vehicles and highway sensors allows drivers to be warned of hazards in real-time, and also transmits data that can be used by other vehicle drivers. In theory, the more people that are equipped with it, the better the service on the roads will be.
Amazon’s Electric Vans Begin Delivering
The first wave of electric delivery vans have begun to work routes in the Denver metro area. Their limited 150-mile range means that they will likely stay within city limits for the foreseeable future. Denver is one of 16 cities that the ecommerce giant has selected in which to trial new environmentally-friendly vehicles. Although Amazon is electrifying its fleet very quickly, it will have its work cut out if it wants to reduce the negative effects that its business model has as a whole on the environment. The vehicles themselves are produced and designed by Rivian – a company that Amazon has made significant investments in. Rivian has been gathering interest in Colorado because of their focus on trucks and SUVs – the two most popular kinds of vehicles in the Rocky Mountain state.
