MAMA members were recently invited to attend two virtual lunch meetings to learn about some of the most innovative automotive gadgets available on the market today.
Emporia Energy, who previously gave a presentation about its consumer-facing charging equipment in the spring and was a sponsor of our 2022 Spring Rally at Road America, returned in late October to share details about the company’s newest home-use Level 2 charging station—a game changer for older homes limited to 100-amp electrical service or less. Until now, homeowners had to hire a professional electrician to increase their home electrical panel to a 200-amp service, costing thousands of
dollars. But Emporia’s latest Level 2 charger with Load Management allows homeowners to not have to upgrade their home’s electrical service anymore. CEO Shawn McLaughlin explained to MAMA members by continuously monitoring the total electrical usage of the home, the system automatically reduces power to the EV charging unit if a high load from other electrical sources is detected. When you plug in your electric vehicle, for instance, the system will begin charging at the maximum set rate. If, however, it’s a hot summer day and your air conditioning unit powers up, the Load Management computer will instantly reduce the EV’s charging rate to prevent any overloading on your home system and tripping a circuit breaker. Once the extra load is finished(the air conditioning unit cycles off), the system will automatically increase the charger rate once more. This all happens seamlessly: you’ll never know the charging rate was temporarily reduced. Best of all, the unit itself retails for only $599.
In a second virtual lunch meeting held in early November, MAMA members were introduced to Nextbase’s all-new line of
dashcams. Nextbase first joined MAMA a few years ago at our 2021 Spring Rally at Road America, partnering with Mitsubishi to not only showcase their lineup of dash cams but also a capable Outlander modified for the Rebelle Rally, in which members were able to take on the off-road course. This time, Nextbase’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Chuh, returned to chat about the company’s new "Nextbase iQ,” dashcams that integrate AI-powered technology and full 4G connectivity to offer buyers features previously only available as expensive built-in car options. Like Tesla’s Sentry Mode, for instance, the iQ’s Smart Sense Parking uses proximity and G-Force sensors to record when anyone is near your vehicle. It even sends video updates to your smartphone in real time. Another feature, Emergency SOS, will automatically alert emergency services with your location and other potentially-lifesaving details following a serious accident—great for older or less-optioned vehicles that are not already equipped with SOS services. The most useful feature, however, might be Guardian Mode: it notifies vehicle owners or parents based on specific triggers, like speeding, erratic driving, and GPS boundaries, to keep you alerted when your vehicle is left with a valet, mechanic, or most importantly, a family member. Pricing is equally as impressive, starting at just $499 for 1080p resolution, $599 for 2K, and $699 for ultra 4K.
For auto journalists, learning about car-related gadgets and tech betters our understanding of the
entire automotive landscape. MAMA-arranged meetings, whether virtual or in-person, help members from around the country and into Canada keep up with all the latest trends. We thank both Emporia Energy and Nextbase for their insightful presentations, engaging Q&A sessions, and continued support of MAMA.!
