Connected Car Detroit kicked off with a keynote by Keynote from Ankit Jain, Senior Director & Head of Ola Play, Ola. TomTom made two major announcements about the Alfa Romeo STELVIO and HD maps covering most of the United States’ interstate road. Delegates also learned about security from a FBI expert.
Jain noted the success of Ola. Founded in Jan 2011 by IIT Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola (formerly Olacabs), is India’s most popular mobile app for personal transportation. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto a mobile technology platform. Ola Play gives riders of Ola services in India a range of infotainment options with music, HD video and radio as well as payment options and loyalty program.
TomTom and Alfa Romeo announced that the all-new Alfa Romeo STELVIO, the iconic Italian brand’s first ever sports utility vehicle (SUV), will include TomTom navigation, software and maps, globally.
TomTom navigation is integrated in the Alfa Romeo STELVIO dashboard, through the two Connect NAV systems with 6.5” and 8.8” screens, developed by high-end automotive component manufacturer, Magneti Marelli.
STELVIO drivers will benefit from TomTom’s state-of-the-art NavKit Engine, including future software releases. Additionally, TomTom’s superior turn-by-turn navigation, automatic zooming, advanced lane guidance and slope data will enhance the driving experience.
The system will be progressively launched on all the main world markets in 2017 on all the versions presented.
TomTom reported it completed the expansion of its High Definition (HD) Map product to the entire mainland US interstate network, now covering over 185,000 kilometres** of interstates and highways across the country.
With the availability of over 246,000 kilometres of the TomTom HD Map coverage globally, TomTom is further increasing its leadership in location technology for autonomous vehicles. In Las Vegas in January 2017 it was announced that the majority of attending OEMs are evaluating TomTom HD Maps, and at the Geneva Motor Show this month, it was announced that the TomTom HD Map is being used in the Volvo Drive Me project – an autonomous driving pilot with real people on real roads.
“It’s a significant milestone to have completed the full interstate road network in the United States, which is crucial both strategically and commercially,” said Willem Strijbosch, Head of Autonomous Driving at TomTom. “Combined with the great traction these products are receiving from our partners in the industry, and our recent acquisition of Autonomos, this is a further testimony of the scalability and efficiency of our approach to enabling autonomous driving.”
The latest expansion brings TomTom’s global HD Map and RoadDNA coverage to 246,000 kilometres, including:
- Interstates and highways in 48 U.S. states plus Washington DC (185,000 km).
- Motorways in France (33,000 km);
- Autobahn network in Germany (28,000 km)
TomTom HD Map and RoadDNA are two revolutionary, highly accurate digital map products helping automated vehicles precisely locate themselves on the road and plan manoeuvres, even when traveling at high speeds.
Also at Connected Car Detroit, Special Agent David Martin spoke at a panel discussion, “Protecting the Connected Car.” David Martin is a Special Agent on the FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force, where he specializes in computer forensics, network traffic analysis, incident response, and malware analysis for computer intrusion investigations. David is also a member of the FBI’s Cyber Action Team, which deploys to the scene of major