Connected Car and embedded chip news this week included Tesla, Mobileye, OmniVision, Wrench, Intersil, Hyundai Mobis and TomTom.
Tesla Hack & Update
Tesla Motors pushed out its software update to 8.0 that includes:
- Tesla cars will not allow reengagement of Autosteer until parked if user ignores repeated warnings to keep hands on steering wheel.
- Autopilot will used radar to detect objects the camera doesn’t.
- Cabin overheat protection will cool the cabin when the interior temperature is above 105 degrees. This should keep kids and pets safe.
- Improved voice commands.
Before the software update, hackers in China remotely cotnrolled of brakes, lights and other systems of a Tesla Model S from a 12 miles away. The hackers from the Keen Security Lab demonstrated vulnerability of the car’s “CAN Bus” system. Tesla pushed out a software patch to fix the problem immediately.
Mobileye & WABCO ADAS for Commercial Trucking
WABCO Holdings and Mobileye announced that they are joining forces to develop solutions for commercial vehicles that leverage advanced emergency braking ADAS functionalities and Mobileye’s REM technology that provides real-time data for precise localization and high-definition lane data.
The solutions will combine Mobileye’s leading vision system and mapping technology with the control and actuation technologies from WABCO’s portfolio of electronic braking, stability and emergency braking systems in combination with capability for active steering control.
New OmniVision Imagery
OmniVision Technologies, supplier of advanced digital imaging solutions, announced the OV491 and OV495, two new companion chips that deliver exceptional performance and advanced features in combination with OmniVision’s portfolio of automotive RAW image sensors. The OV491 is a compact image signal processor (ISP) companion chip specified to enable best-in-class image quality in surround view system architectures. The OV495 contains the same ISP features but is also equipped with electronic distortion and perspective correction, making it an ideal solution for rear video mirror and camera monitor system (CMS) applications. The OV491 and OV495 are both compatible with OmniVision’s OV2775, OV10650, and OV10640 automotive image sensors.
Intersil Analog Video Decoders
Intersil Corporation, a provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, announced the industry’s first four-channel analog video decoder with MIPI-CSI2 output interface that supports the latest generation of SOCs and application processors used in automotive around view systems. The ISL79985 is the newest member of Intersil’s market leading video decoder family, and replaces up to nine discrete components with a single chip to preserve critical board space. It delivers superior four-channel analog decoding performance for generating 360-degree around view video to detect objects around the vehicle and assist drivers with backup and parking.
Wrench On-Demand Mechanics
In May Seattle-based Wrench executed a soft beta launch to test consumer demand for its new on-site car repair service and to ensure the efficacy of its innovative solution. After servicing more than a 1,000 cars, the Company emphatically got its answer and is immediately expanding its service throughout the greater Seattle-Tacoma-Everett metro area. Wrench is also preparing to expand its service to other western metro markets beginning with Phoenix this Fall.
Wrench allows people to schedule their service online or via their app with upfront fixed price quotes. A Wrench mechanic will perform the service at the customer’s home or office, saving people on average 2-3 hours of travel and service time. Wrench services all types of cars and trucks and all mechanics have passed background checks and are ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified.
Inter-Seat Air Bag
Hyundai Mobis announced that it completed the development of an inter-seat airbag, which reduces head injuries to passengers by more than 80% during a lateral collision.
An inter-seat airbag is basically intended to protect passengers on the opposite side of the contact point. In case of a lateral collision, the passenger near the contact point can be protected by the curtain airbag or the side airbag, but the person next to him/her may sustain a critical injury as he/she bumps their head against the other passenger’s shoulder or head, or the seat due to inertia. As these kinds of cases have been continuously reported, the European automotive safety evaluation program, Euro NCAP, stated back in 2014 that it strongly recommends inter-seat airbags.
TomTom for Subaru Infotainment
TomTom has been chosen by Subaru to be the global maps and navigation supplier for their next generation infotainment platform. The global platform will launch first in North America with the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza. HARMAN International, the leading audio and infotainment supplier, is the Tier 1 system provider.
Tesla X is Owned by Rich People
Edmunds.com analyzed at all 5,523 Model X registrations recorded by Polk during the model’s first nine months on the market, and compared them to all 4,242 Model S registrations during the sedan’s first nine months of sales. Among Edmunds’ findings:
- In the first nine months of its life, only 14 percent of Model S buyers were women. The Model X, on the other hand, has more than doubled that figure, with women making up 30 percent of its buyers.
- Generation X, the forgotten generation sandwiched between Baby Boomers and Millennials, is the most important demographic for Tesla, but especially for Model X. Three out every five Model X owners are between the age of 35 and 54, compared to only about half of Model S buyers.
- The West Coast (California, Washington and Oregon), which had accounted for 64 percent of Model S sales, is proving less dominant for Model X; these states accounted for 55 percent of the X’s sales. Wisconsin has shown the most notable increase of any state in the U.S. The Badger State, which made up a paltry 0.3 percent of Model S buyers in the sedan’s first nine months, accounted for two percent of Model X sales.
- Neither Model X nor Model S falls within the price range of the average car shopper, but Tesla’s audience has only grown wealthier since the SUV’s introduction. Model X is selling to a slightly more affluent audience, with 87 percent of buyers having reported income in excess of $100,000, compared to 78 percent of Model S buyers.
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