In connected car news this week were Tesla, ON Semi, Mitsubishi, Dibotics, Bouncie, NXP, Danlaw, ANSYS, DENSO, ETRI, Sion, WayRay and NERVtech.
Best a’ Tesla
Tesla is working with iAnheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and United Parcel Service Inc to build on-site charging terminals at their facilities.
Tesla notes that the first Model 3 dual motor deliveries are coming in Spring 2018. Elon Musk Tweeted that the Autopilot update is in the final testing phase.
Tesla is pushing out the 2018.4.1 update that adds auto-heating steering wheel, and it also works with voice commands. The Model S tire pressure can be viewed in BAR or PSI units. Easy is improved so that when you park the steering wheel and driver’s seat adjust for easy exit after unbuckling the driver’s seat belt.
CA Gov Orders More ZEVs
Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order to put 5 million zero emission cars on California roads by 2030. California currently has about 350,000 ZEVs in service.
ON Semi for Audi
ON Semiconductor announced that Audi selected the company become part of the German car maker’s Progressive SemiConductor Program (PSCP). The goal of the interdisciplinary semiconductor strategy is to foster innovation along with quality and make the latest technologies available for Audi models early on – satisfying the rapidly changing and developing expectations of customers in terms of performance, reliability, safety and operating convenience.
Mitsubishi SiC Semi with Highest Power Density
-Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has developed a 6.5 kV full silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor module that is believed to offer the world’s highest power density (calculated from rated voltage and current) among power semiconductor modules rated from 1.7 kV to 6.5 kV. The unprecedented power density is made possible by the model’s original structure with integrated metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and diode on single chip and its newly developed package. Mitsubishi Electric expects the module to lead to smaller and more energy-efficient power equipment for high-voltage railcars and electric power systems. Going forward, the company will continue to further develop the technology and conduct further reliability tests.
The dhip area reduced drastically due integrating MOSFET and diode on single chip. Insulating the substrate with superior thermal properties and reliable die bonding technology facilitate heat dissipation and heat tolerance. The 9.3 kVA/cm3 power density is world’s highest among power semiconductors.
Dibotics & ExnotmaitX LiDAR Data Processing
Dibotics and XenomatiX have engaged in open collaboration to jointly elaborate the latest and most promising solution through a solid-state LiDAR data processing system.By integrating LiDAR and efficient point cloud analysis software, this new solution will give autonomous vehicles the potential to process millions of data points per second through a rich 3D perception of the environment.
XenomatiX and Dibotics offer unique key building blocks in the solid-state LiDAR domain.
Dibotics is using this XenomatiX data to create an embedded software solution that can keep up with the LiDAR sensor’s rich data sets. It requires no additional input from IMUs, GPS or wheel encoders which simplifies the integration and development processes, creating a seamless computation of sensor data and real-time processing for autonomous driving.
Sion Power Will Build Licerion Batteries in Tucson
Sion Power, a leading developer of lithium battery technology, announced today production will begin on their patented Licerion rechargeable lithium metal battery in late 2018 from its Tucson facility. The Licerion rechargeable lithium metal technology will offer the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and electric vehicle (EV) markets an unparalleled 500 Wh/kg, 1,000 Wh/L, and 450 cycles when released.
Individual Licerion cells, with dimensions of 10 cm x 10 cm x 1 cm, have a capacity of 20 Ah and offer the highest combination of energy density and specific energy available. At the core of Licerion technology is a protected metallic lithium thin film anode with multiple levels of physical and chemical protection to enhance the safety and life of lithium metal anodes. These anodes are paired with traditional lithium-ion intercalation cathodes..
Nikola Selects Phonenix AZ for Hydro Electric Truck
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Nikola Motor Company today announced the company has selected Buckeye, Arizona for its Nikola Motor Company hydrogen-electric semi-truck manufacturing headquarters facility. The new 500 acre, one million square foot facility will be located on the west side of Phoenix and will bring more than $1 billion in capital investment to the region by 2024.
Bouncie OBD App/Devices Add Speed Bands
Bouncie, a provider of connected vehicle OBD devices and applications that help consumers become smarter and safer drivers, announced the release of Speed Bands, custom color-coded indicators that display the full range of speeds a vehicle travels during a trip.
Danlaw Through Glass V2X DSRC Antenna
Danlaw, Inc. announces the release of itsThrough Glass Integrated V2X Antenna. This antenna pairs with DSRC devices to enable vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. Traditional aftermarket antennas, require drilling holes or passing cables through window and door openings, which risks damaging vehicle seals. Danlaw’s unique dual-radio, glass-mounted antenna eliminates the risk of damaging the vehicle by using a coupling pair to pass DSRC signals between the vehicle’s interior and exterior. The easy-to-install antenna can be mounted on the rear, front or side windows using automotive grade glass adhesive. This flexible installation allows the shortest cable route to the V2X device, thus reducing signal losses due to cable length.
The design incorporates an integrated GNSS antenna on the interior coupler. Optional cellular, Wi-Fi, and other antennas are also available on request.
NERVtech Driving Simulation
NERVteh’s simulator features a fully-adjustable driving platform and greater than 180-degree curved screen viewing, with a patented motion platform that allows motion in X, Y and Z axes. This design allows enhanced vertical movement, which simulates real vehicle suspension and varying road surfaces. The driving simulation can feature customized terrain, weather and driving conditions along with edge case scenarios and driver distractions.
With distracted driving and the prospects of self-driving cars posing unknown risks on the road, NERVteh’s advanced simulators provide safer, risk-free environments to gain valuable data and insights on how humans respond to dangers while driving.
ANSYS Engineering Simulation
The next generation of ANSYS industry-leading engineering simulation simplifies workflows and ensures accurate results, enabling users to deliver revolutionary products while reducing costs and time to market. ANSYS 19 empowers engineers to develop groundbreaking products, from autonomous vehicles to smarter devices to more electric aircraft, at an unprecedented pace.
ANSYS 19 delivers enhancements across the entire industry-leading portfolio – from structures to fluids and from systems and semiconductors to electromagnetics. Long-time users will notice dramatic improvements in time to solution while new users can take advantage of state-of-the art functionality.
Aquantia Multi-Gig Networking Autonomous Suite with NVIDIA Xavier
Aquantia Corp., provider high-speed, Multi-Gigabit Ethernet connectivity solutions, introduced a suite of products targeted at autonomous vehicle platforms. Earlier today, Aquantia also announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to provide Multi-Gig networking support for the NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier and DRIVE Pegasus platforms. These high-performance computing platforms featuring Aquantia Multi-Gig networking will be available to automotive partners starting in the first quarter of 2018.
AQcelerate Automotive product line includes the following high-performance networking devices, which all support data rates up to 10GbE:
- The AQV107 Multi-Gig PHY
- The AQVC107 PCIe Multi-Gig MAC+PHY Ethernet controller
- The AQVC100 PCIe Multi-Gig controller (MAC only)
Moving to Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving requires a new network architecture that can support, High-bandwidth, high level redundancy, simplification and security.
DENSO New Standard Vision Detects Pedestrians @Night, Cyclist & More
DENSO Corporation, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, today announced it has developed a new standard vision sensor that detects pedestrians at night, cyclists, road signs, driving lanes and other road users. Working in conjunction with a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the new vision sensor allows automobiles to automatically activate emergency braking when obstacles are identified, helping reduce accidents and improve overall vehicle safety. It is featured in the 2018 Toyota Alphard and Vellfire, which were released in January this year.
The sensor improves night vision by using a unique lens specifically designed for low-light use, and a solid-state imaging device with higher sensitivity. These innovations help the sensor better identify other road users and different-shaped road signs, such as triangular, rectangular, and octagonal signs used in Japan, Europe, and the United States. An improved white-line detection algorithm and road-edge detection algorithm also broaden the operating range of lane-keeping assistance and lane departure alert functions, while a 40% size reduction from previous models reduces costs and makes installation easier.
ETRI Aldebaran5 Processor 4 Self-Driving Cars
The Processor Research Group at ETRI has announced the development of Aldebaran5, a processor for self-driving cars. Aldebaran5 features 9 cores to provide high computing power as well as safety mechanisms to ensure reliability for automotive applications, while exhibiting industry leading power efficiency (~1 watt) and a tiny form factor (smaller than the size of a nail head.)
Codenamed Aldebaran5 after the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus, the chip is a significantly upgraded version of its predecessor. Nine cores provide ample computing power, 4 of which are dynamically programmable to operate for performance or for reliability. Safety features adhering to international standards ensure reliability with 99% detection coverage of faults and malfunctions and includes recovery mechanisms to mitigate potential negative effects.
Research and development to integrate neural network acceleration hardware in order to provide artificial intelligence capabilities are near completion and expected to be announced within the year.
BMW Stakes DriveNow
With the acquisition of Sixt SE’s stake in DriveNow, the BMW Group continues its systematic development as a customer-centric mobility company. Today’s signing is subject to approval by antitrust authorities. With this move, the world’s leading provider of premium mobility is offering customers efficient, sustainable mobility solutions from a single source.
Independently of the acquisition of the Sixt stake in DriveNow, the BMW Group and Sixt will continue their successful long-standing partnership through delivery of BMW and MINI vehicles for the Sixt fleet.
Fair Buys Uber UnFair XChange Leases
Fair and Uber today announced a new partnership that will provide drivers in the U.S. with flexible and long-term access to vehicles through Fair. With an intuitive mobile app and straightforward monthly payments, Fair gives customers the freedom to have a car for as long as they want and turn it in at any time. Concurrently, Fair will be acquiring the active lease portfolio of Uber’s subsidiary Xchange Leasing, which includes existing lease contracts and vehicles.
Tractica Reports Rev for Autonomous Trucks
According to a new report from Tractica, worldwide revenue from sales of autonomous trucks and buses reached $84 million in 2017 and the market will continue to develop at a strong pace over the next few years with more competition within the industry, providing significant opportunities to various industry participants, and reaching global revenue of $35 billion by the end of 2022. During that period, the market intelligence firm forecasts that annual unit sales will increase from approximately 343 vehicles in 2017 to 188,000 units in 2022.
BP Invests in FreeWire for Fueling EVs
BP announced that its venturing business has invested $5 million in FreeWire Technologies Inc. (FreeWire), a US-based manufacturer of mobile electric vehicle (EV) rapid charging systems, and plans to roll out FreeWire’s Mobi Charger units for use at selected BP retail sites in the UK and Europe during 2018.
Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive, BP Downstream, said: “Mobility is changing and BP is committed to remaining the fuel retailer of choice into the future. EV charging will undoubtedly become an important part of our business, but customer demand and the technologies available are still evolving.
WayRay SDK Challenge
WayRay, a Swiss pioneer of holographic AR displays for cars, launches the True SDK Challenge for developers. The participants across the globe are welcome to join the development competition to create the AR applications for cars.
VR, AR, and mobile app enthusiasts can share their vision for AR apps for cars, pitching their ideas and designs online by March 31, 2018. The most visually and technologically innovative concepts will be shortlisted by the jury of renowned professors and industry experts by May 31, 2018.
The top 30 finalists will receive cash prizes of $2,000–$5,000 and join the True AR Hackathon in the USA to create an AR app prototype with the True AR SDK by WayRay. The hackathon winners will be granted $10,000–$40,000 and the brand new Navion devices. Date and exact location of the hackathon will be announced later.https://wayray.com/sdk/challenge.
NXP Expand Ethernet Portfolio with BMW
NXP Semiconductors N.V expanded its Ethernet portfolio which includes the Ethernet switch. Together, these products will help automakers deliver high-speed Ethernet networks with the small electronic footprints required for highly connected and increasingly autonomous vehicles.
NXP is actively driving the standardization of Ethernet for vehicles and is bringing the next generation to the market. Top carmakers have begun to use the new Ethernet solution for next-generation car models. NXP has leveraged its network technologies and experience to deliver Ethernet speeds of up to 100 mbps for leading carmakers.
The BMW Group was among the first to bring Ethernet to the road. By co-founding and taking a leading position in OPEN Alliance SiG, and establishing Automotive Ethernet as a non-proprietary standard, NXP has contributed significantly to enable 100 mbps Ethernet-based architectures for pioneering manufacturers, including the BMW Group. The flexibility of NXP’s enhanced Ethernet portfolio allows scalable platform concepts to meet the network requirements of the BMW Group and the automotive industry.
Scania Partners with Haylion
Scania will collaborate with Haylion Technologies, which focuses on solutions for the Chinese transport industry in the areas of autonomous driving, electrification and connectivity.
Scania and Haylion Technologies will join forces in the field of non-fossil fuel powered, mainly electrified, vehicles, autonomous driving and urban bus transport. The common aim is to expedite the commercialization of autonomous driving applications and sustainable transport.
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