In connected car news this week were Skyworks, Hyundai, Bollinger Motors, BlackBerry, Toshiba, Continental, Amazon, Toyota, Hitachi, Cruise Automation and DENSO.
Skyworks LTE Connected Car Platform
Skyworks Solutions announced that ZTE is incorporating various products from its portfolio to power several of their all-in-one platforms for the connected car. Skyworks’ innovative LTE and connectivity solutions help transform cars into rolling Wi-Fi hotspots, enabling vehicle tracking, diagnostics, safety and security features. To support the numerous wireless protocols and frequency bands required by advanced wireless networks, ZTE’s system relies on Skyworks’ integration expertise to deliver a comprehensive solution.
Hyundai Hydrogen CUVs Travel 3 Million Miles
In celebration of National Hydrogen Day, Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell drivers have again surpassed an important threshold, accumulating more than three million miles on the roads and highways of both Southern and Northern California. These fuel cell CUVs have emitted only clean water vapor, and by so doing, have replaced approximately 1,140 tons of CO2 emissions that would have been emitted by vehicles of similar size and capability. Hyundai has delivered more than 150 Tucson Fuel Cell crossovers since its introduction as the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle in the U.S. market in 2014
10K Electric Truck Reservations for Bollinger
Bollinger Motors announced today that they surpassed 10,000 reservations for their B1 all-electric sport utility truck over the weekend. The mark was eclipsed in 60 days by taking pre-orders from interested individuals on the bollingermotors.com website. These pre-orders represent hundreds of millions of dollars in potential revenue for the company from eventual vehicles sales. Fleet orders are not included in that number as those are not being taken until pricing is announced.
Vantage Acquires AMS Vans for Mobility of Underserved
Vantage Mobility International (VMI) acquired AMS Vans, Inc., located in Tucker, Georgia, in pursuit of providing wider access to mobility vehicles. AMS is a leading provider of economy priced wheelchair accessible vehicles (“WAV”). AMS has been a leader in the mobility industry since 1999 as one of the first WAV providers to offer new and used Dodge, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen vans for sale with delivery nationwide at affordable prices.
Together, the two companies can better serve a growing and complex market that significantly helps an underserved segment of society.
BlackBerry QNX Instrumental in China
BlackBerry announced that Yanfeng Visteon, a global Tier 1 automotive supplier, has selected the company’s safety-certified QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters 1.0 software for a digital instrument cluster project with a major Chinese OEM. Terms of the deal are confidential.
BlackBerry’s QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters 1.0 was recently certified by TÜV Rheinland, an independent auditing firm that is globally recognized for functional safety assessments. The QNX software platform has the highest safety certification required by the industry for digital instrument clusters – ISO 26262 ASIL B.
New Toshiba EV Battery Doubles Capacity
Toshiba Corporation announced the development of its next-generation SCiB, which uses a new material to double the capacity of the battery anode. The new battery offers high- energy density and the ultra-rapid recharging required for automotive applications, and will give a compact electric vehicle (EV) with a drive range of 320km*1 after only six minutes of ultra-rapid recharging—three times the distance possible with current lithium-ion batteries. For its next-generation SCiB™, Toshiba has developed a titanium niobium oxide anode material that has double the lithium storage capacity by volume of the graphite-based anodes generally used in lithium-ion batteries.
The energy density by volume of battery is twice that of the current SCiB. The next-generation SCiB™ maintains over 90% of its initial capacity after being put through 5,000 charge/discharge cycles, and ultra-rapid recharging can be done in cold conditions, with temperatures as low as minus 10oC, in only ten minutes.
Free2Move Aggregates Car2Go, ZipCar and TravelCar for Best Deals
Seattle, Groupe PSA will launch of Free2Move, a smartphone-based mobility aggregation platform. With the app’, Free2Move allows users in Seattle to compare the location, characteristics and operating costs of available transportation options, including offerings from Car2Go, Zipcar then TravelCar. Free2Move will also be adding several bike sharing services over the next 60-days, including Ofo Bike, Lime Bike and Spin Bike. The service is positioned to help solve challenges from contemporary trends such as urbanization and digitalization.
3re Eye & Gorilla Safety for ELD
3rd Eye, a pioneer in the development of vehicle safety cameras and radar, and Gorilla Safety, provider of innovative software solutions that automate fleet and safety management, announced the companies have entered into an agreement to provide 3rd Eye an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) solution that easily integrates into 3rd Eye’s fleet management platform. The new relationship will allow 3rd Eye to better serve its customers with the addition of this state-of-the-art, integrated ELD solution.
Effective December 18, 2017, ELDs will become mandatory for motor carriers and commercial drivers by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). 3rd Eye is ahead of the curve with the announcement of its industry-certified 3rd Eye ELD software offering, developed in conjunction with Gorilla Safety.
Mercedes-Benz Joins Justice League
This autumn, JUSTICE LEAGUE, one of the most anticipated superhero movies of all time, will hit U.S. theatres beginning November 17, 2017 from Warner Bros. Pictures – and Mercedes-Benz vehicles will join the League alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash as they race to save the planet from an alien assault of catastrophic proportions. Accompanying DC’s most iconic heroes on the big screen, the new E-Class Cabriolet, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo with its new interior developed for this film, and the G-Class 4×42 will play an integral role in this epic action adventure. Mercedes-Benz will set up a substantial marketing campaign around the film’s theatrical release, including a 30-second TV commercial, print, online and OOH advertising. Activations on social media will also be launching and – for the first time – six exclusive digital comic stories for Mercedes-Benz’ Instagram channels, developed in cooperation with DC‘s Custom Creative Studio. The TV commercial launches on October 6 in the U.S., Europe and China. The first digital comic will release on October 20 on Instagram, with all other stories following in quick succession.
Free Biz EV Chargers in Utah, Wyoming & Idaho
Leaders for Clean Air (LFCA) today announced a partnership with Rocky Mountain Power to increase the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Utah. Available immediately, LFCA is providing qualified businesses across the Wasatch Front a Level 2 EV Charger, free of charge. An online form is provided to register.
Rocky Mountain Power is leading the cleaner technology trend for a healthier environment by providing incentives for an EV charging infrastructure and educating drivers on the benefits of electric vehicles. Through a partnership with LFCA, businesses along the Wasatch Front have immediate access to Level 2 EV chargers.
Green Car Sharing in LA
Green Commuter deployed Los Angeles’s first open all-electric car-sharing service this week. The vehicles are available to the public through the Green Commuter app. Once registered, members can locate and rent Green Commuter Tesla Model X vehicles by the hour or weekend.
Green Commuter is a vanpooling, car-sharing and fleet replacement company based in Los Angeles. The company’s services are centered on zero emission vehicles. Using proprietary technology, Green Commuter leases electric vehicles (EVs) to vanpoolers during commuting hours and to car-share users or companies for fleet replacement the rest of the time.
Yamaha Donates Generators to Red Cross
Yamaha Motor Corp. USA’s, Outdoor Power Equipment Division has announced that it is donating nearly 400 generators to the Red Cross for its disaster relief efforts.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S., is donating both its popular 2000-watt and 2800-watt invertor generator models to the Red Cross to assist in the immediate disaster relief efforts for the stricken island of Puerto Rico that was hit so hard by hurricane Maria.
“The devastation and the impact to so many lives on the entire island of Puerto Rico is simply overwhelming,” said Kim Ruiz, Yamaha’s Senior Vice President. “And as a result, Yamaha is very proud to support the Red Cross’s efforts to help those so much in need through this donation of much needed portable power. We would also like to sincerely thank the Environmental Protection Agency for their swift assistance as well in helping to facilitate this donation.”
The 2000-watt and 2800-watt models are easy to transport, can run equipment needed for various clean-up efforts, and can also run household appliances when necessary and will undoubtedly be useful immediately in areas still without power.
Toyota & Hitachi IoT Platform
Toyota Motor Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd. announced that they will embark on a collaborative creation to build a high-efficiency production model using an IoT platform. These two companies will conduct verification at Toyota’s model plants (Toyota, Aichi Prefecture) starting from this October. Through this verification, they intend to establish a platform using Hitachi’s IoT platform “Lumada”, which utilizes the latest digital technologies such as AI and big data analysis. Using this platform to solve various issues at manufacturing sites allows the PDCA cycle to be accelerated and new issues to be identified and solved from the viewpoint of total optimization, resulting in further improvement in quality and productivity.
Matternet Partners with Mercedes-Benz Vans for Drone Delivery
Matternet, developer of autonomous drone logistics systems, announced a strategic partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans and a multimillion dollar investment in the company to create the future of delivery. Through the partnership, Matternet and Mercedes-Benz have joined forces to create an integrated delivery solution that will transform how people receive lightweight goods on demand. Matternet has also unveiled its second-generation drone, Matternet M2.
Amazon Alexa car2go Skill
The new car2go skill for Amazon Alexa, car2go NA brings fun and practicality to reserving a car2go vehicle via simple voice commands. Whether it’s from the shower, while cooking a meal, juggling flaming hatchets or any other activity that requires hands-on attention, car2go’s new skill for Amazon Alexa is ready to help. All that’s needed is a car2go membership and an Alexa enabled device, then you can enable the car2go skill for Alexa.
Mouser Electronics Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, announces a series of compelling e-books that provide in-depth views of leading-edge technology featured in the Shaping Smarter Cities series, part of Mouser’s award-winning Empowering Innovation Together™ program.
The Shaping Smarter Cities series features exclusive videos, articles, and blog posts about how engineers on three different continents created technology-based solutions to some of most pressing problems of crowded cities. The following e-books provide a deeper dive into the technologies shown in the series, looking at how the world’s best engineers and experts foresee innovations shaping humanity over the coming years.
Octo Cited in Gartner Report
Octo has been cited in the 31st August Gartner report entitled: How to Achieve Digital Business Excellence by Mastering Pervasive Integration which states, “To make customer experience, IoT, ecosystems, intelligence and IT systems work together, a digital business technology platform must effectively interconnect all these subplatforms at scale. Application leaders should implement a pervasive integration strategy to succeed in digital business.”
This report has been created by Gartner analysts Massimo Pezzini and Yefim V. Natis. Mr. Pezzini will be presenting on the report on Thursday 5th October at the 2017 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, which is currently underway in Orlando, Florida. The symposium began on Sunday October 1st and will run until Thursday 5th October.
Cruise Automation Involved in 6 Car Crashes
Cruise Automation, reported to the California Department of Motor Vehicles that its self driving cars where in six crashes in the state in September and reported that none of automated vehicles were responsible.
The accidents did not result in any injuries or serious damage, according to the GM reports. Cruise claims that all the incidents were caused by the other vehicles.
DENSO Expanding TN Location
DENSO is expanding its U.S. footprint with a $1 billion investment in its Maryville, Tennessee location. The investment is part of DENSO’s commitment to advancing automotive innovation in North America, and will significantly increase the role North America plays in the global trend toward vehicle safety and electrification.
Barrett-Jackson Donates Proceeds from Super Snake to Las Vegas Strong
Barrett-Jackson will rally around Las Vegas first responders and those affected by the recent tragedy with several initiatives during the 10th Annual Las Vegas Auction at the Mandalay Bay Resort on Oct. 19-21, 2017. The entire sale price of a rare 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake to be auctioned will go to a special fund that supports Las Vegas first responders.
CNXMotion Opens in Grand Blanc, Michigan
Nexteer Automotive and Continental officially opened the new location of their joint venture CNXMotion (pronounced: Con-Nex-motion) in Grand Blanc, Mich. The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by executives of both parent companies as well as local officials.
CNXMotion focuses on the advancement of motion control systems and actuator components for automated driving. It occupies a 19,000 square foot facility and will employ approximately 30 staff by early 2018. The team is headed by Kevin Burns, General Manager and Matt Hagans, Controller and Business Development Manager, who are former Nexteer and Continental employees, respectively.
Continental Donates $50,000 for Mexico Earthquake Help
Continental has announced that it is donating more than $50,000 to support the relief efforts in the areas affected by the September 19 earthquake in Mexico. In addition, Continental employees in North America are encouraged to donate money to benefit this cause and this amount will be matched by the company.
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