In connected car news are Tesla, TrueMotion, Volvo, Proterra, Quanergy, Autonomic, Geotab, Cadence, Stratio, Ridecell, Volta, Cepton Tech, Foresight, StoreDot, Synopsys, Hailo 8, Elektrobit, ANSYS and Samsung.
Tesla Fire-Prevention Software Update
Tesla upated software for model S and X cars to deal with the recent fires which the company claims is “out of an abundance of caution.” It fixes settings in the charging and thermal controls. A Tesla Model spontaneously combusted in April in Shaghai, China while another went on fire in a parking lot in Hong Kong.
TrueMotion Telematics with Unipol Italy
TrueMotion, the leading platform for smartphone telematics, announced a new partnership with Unipol Group, Italy’s largest motor insurer. As part of the partnership, Unipol will leverage data-driven insights from the patented TrueMotion platform to power its smartphone telematics programs, starting with Linear’s BestDriver program in Italy. Linear Assicurazioni is the online motor insurance of Unipol Group. The BestDriver program is the first smartphone-only telematics program in Italy driven by an insurance company. Its goal is to educate drivers on the risks of distracted driving.//
CATL & LG Chem Batteries for Volvo & Polestar
Volvo Car Group has signed long-term agreements with leading battery makers CATL and LG Chem to ensure the multi-billion dollar supply of lithium ion batteries over the coming decade for next generation Volvo and Polestar models.
The agreements cover the global supply of battery modules for all models on the upcoming SPA2 and the existing CMA modular vehicle platforms and represent a major step towards realising Volvo Cars’ ambitious electrification strategy.
In 2017 Volvo Cars made the industry-leading commitment that all new Volvo cars launched from 2019 would be electrified. The company has since reinforced this strategy, by stating that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50 per cent of its global sales volume by 2025.
Toyoda Invests IMUZAK
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has invested in IMUZAK Inc., a startup located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, with strengths in optical design and assessment, to accelerate its development of interior and exterior modules for the age of autonomous driving.
Toyoda Gosei’s investment in IMUZAK will give it access to that company’s proprietary findings in the field of optics for the creation of new value as it develops exterior products that are transparent to infrared light using LIDAR* and interior products that use light in equipment operation.
Proterra Energy Fleet
Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, announced the launch of Proterra Energy™ fleet solutions, a full suite of options that enable turnkey delivery of a complete energy ecosystem for heavy-duty electric fleets, including design, build, financing, operations, maintenance and energy optimization. With this comprehensive solution, operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets such as transit bus, school bus, truck and others can lower upfront cost, reduce risk, and simplify the transition to electric vehicles.
Siemens PAVE360
Siemens today introduced the PAVE360 pre-silicon autonomous validation environment — a program established to enable and accelerate the development of innovative autonomous vehicle platforms. PAVE360 provides a comprehensive environment for multi-supplier collaboration across the automotive ecosystem for the development of next-generation automotive chips. PAVE360 also extends digital twin simulation beyond processors to include automotive hardware and software sub-systems, full vehicle models, fusion of sensor data, traffic flows and even the simulation of smart cities through which self-driving cars will ultimately travel.
IATF Compliance for Quanergy
Quanergy Systems, Inc., a leading provider of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors and smart sensing solutions, announced that, based on certification body audits, it has reached compliance with the automotive standard IATF 16949:2016 and the required automotive core tools and product standards. With this compliance, Quanergy has shown its readiness to produce solid-state LiDAR sensors for use in a wide range of automotive applications.
The IATF 16949:2016 compliance assesses quality starting at the conception of product design to its application, requiring a far more stringent and comprehensive assessment than other certification standards. The IATF standard, core tools and customer-specific requirements enable companies to meet important product safety requirements within the automotive industry. These tools consist of FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning Process), PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), SPC (Statistical Process Control) and MSA (Measurement System Analysis).
Fujistu and Autonomic Infrastructure
Fujitsu and Autonomic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Smart Mobility, announced a joint collaboration to offer OEMs(1) worldwide a fast and flexible solution to support the automotive industry’s transformation to mobility-as-a-service(2) models. Leveraging Autonomic’s expertise in cloud services for connected vehicles and Fujitsu’s capabilities in technology integration and experience in the automotive space, the companies will initially deliver the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC) and Fujitsu systems integration services to Ford Motor Company, followed by a rollout to other automakers globally.
Autonomic’s TMC gives car makers and developers the infrastructure to build customer experiences for connected vehicles. Supported by Amazon Web Services, the TMC connects diverse elements of urban mobility systems (connected vehicles, mass transit, personal mobile devices, city infrastructure, and service providers) with the goal of orchestrating a safer, more efficient and sustainable transportation network. With the TMC, Autonomic delivers a flexible and secure platform that provides automakers and other developers the building blocks necessary for connected mobility applications ranging from self-driving car routing, management of large-scale fleets, transit planning and more.
Mitchell Updates Dynamic Testing
Mitchell, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty (P&C) claims and Collision Repair industries, announced updates to its dynamic special test coverage within the Mitchell Diagnostics™ solution through a partnership with Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, enabling Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibrations for dozens of popular vehicle models and expanding Mitchell’s leadership in supporting proper and safe repairs.
Dynamic calibrations are often required following front-end repairs or windshield replacements. Unlike static special tests, dynamic calibrations do not require targets, and often require a highly specialized diagnostic device along with the need to drive the vehicle during the process. Features of dynamic special tests available on Mitchell Diagnostics include:
– Built-in dynamic calibration routines for forward-facing collision avoidance systems
– Easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions to assist technicians
– Ability to pause and resume routines if driving is interrupted during the calibration
Vehicle makes addressed by the dynamic special tests include best-selling models from BMW, Chrysler/Jeep, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Volvo.
Geotab Supplies California
Geotab, a global leader in IoT and connected transportation, today announced it has been awarded a single-source Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to supply the State of California and participating local government agency fleets with a fully integrated, best-in-class telematics solution. As part of the State’s goal to promote a reliable, environmentally responsible and cost-effective fleet, Geotab’s award-winning technology will be available to all state, municipal and county fleets.///
Having recently announced the launch of its GO9 telematics device, Geotab’s solution is unique to the industry, equipping fleets with the ability to do more with their data today and into the future. Through this new contract, Geotab has the opportunity to equip California state and municipal agency vehicles with its award-winning fleet management solution. Adding to the company’s recent contract-winning portfolio, Geotab announced earlier this year that the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded the company the largest telematics contract in history, right on the heels of the industry leader becoming the first telematics company to receive FIPS 140-2 validation for its cryptographic library.
Cadence Tensilica Vision Q7 DSP
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. expanded the high end of its popular Tensilica® Vision DSP product family with the introduction of the Cadence® Tensilica Vision Q7 DSP delivering up to 1.82 tera operations per second (TOPS). To address the increasing computational requirements for embedded vision and AI applications, the sixth-generation Vision Q7 DSP provides up to 2X greater AI and floating-point performance in the same area compared to its predecessor, the Vision Q6 DSP. The Vision Q7 DSP is specifically optimized for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), a technique commonly used in the robotics, drone, mobile and automotive markets to automatically construct or update a map of an unknown environment, and in the AR/VR market for inside-out tracking.
Munich RE & The Floow Partner
Munich Re, one of the world’s leading reinsurers, and telematics provider The Floow, with U.S. headquarters in Detroit, have reached an agreement for a global partnership.
With this deal, The Floow’s portfolio of solutions and capabilities can be provided to insurance clients around the world while also strengthening Munich Re’s telematics consulting offering. Combining The Floow’s data collection, refinery and scoring solutions with Munich Re’s insurance product and actuarial expertise will deliver a superior solution for insurance clients globally.
“We see enormous appetite for the development of usage-based insurance propositions by our clients
Stratio AI for OEMs
Stratio is bringing AI to vehicles by applying machine learning models that analyse millions of data points per vehicle and day. Stratio works with OEMs during the vehicle testing phase to launch more reliable vehicles to market faster, lower warranty claim fraud costs and expand aftersales revenues.
The company raised 3M€ to bolster its global footprint in key markets across Europe, UK, US, India and Singapore. Stratio is on track for a 500% revenue growth in 2019 and is pushing the transformation of the automotive industry towards a zero downtime future.
Ridecell Powers GIG Car Share
Ridecell Inc., the leading platform for shared and autonomous mobility operators, announced that an enhanced version of its mobility platform designed for the unique requirements of EV fleets is now powering a major expansion of GIG Car Share, the free-floating car sharing service powered by AAA Northern California. With 260 all-electric Chevy Bolts, the now fully operational service in Sacramento California is the nation’s largest all-electric car share fleet. A central component of the green mobility strategy adopted by the City of Sacramento, GIG Car Share will help the city reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and increase traffic flow.
The all-electric GIG Car Share service was formed through a collaboration between GIG Car Share, Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America, and the City of Sacramento. The service allows drivers to pick-up and drop-off one of 260 all-electric Gigs anywhere inside a 13-square mile HomeZone for as little as $0.40 per minute which includes street parking, charging, and insurance.
5G Antenna
Cutting-edge 5G antennas pioneered by Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) will soon connect people, machines and devices more reliably and faster than ever thanks to ANSYS. Standardizing on ANSYS simulation solutions enables RFS engineers to slash simulation time from four days to one hour — speeding their antennas to market and driving global adoption of 5G.
Antenna designers must satisfy next-generation 5G standards, comply with a variety of demanding operator and country-specific requirements, and integrate 4G and 3G architectures for legacy users. Together, these specifications require hundreds of different designs to build the hundreds of thousands of antennas mounted on cell towers and building rooftops — ensuring maximum coverage for users worldwide.
Volta New Design
Volta, the industry leader in developing innovative and highly-used electric vehicle charging networks, today revealed a dramatic new visual direction with the debut of a completely reimagined charging station to go with its revolutionary business model. The design embodies a decade of experience in building charging infrastructure that is economically viable, free to drivers and optimized for the rapidly growing electric vehicle community.
The station cuts a slim airfoil-like silhouette with design focused on both the experience of the user and the impact to the community. Throughout the charging process, the station communicates real-time status using emotive and intuitive external lighting. A Volta signature, the station incorporates high-resolution 55-inch displays to showcase content from sponsoring partners as well as community-oriented messages.
Foresight
Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. , an innovator in automotive vision systems, announced the signing of a distribution agreement with Cornes Technologies, a leading Japanese trading house. According to the agreement, Cornes Technologies will have exclusive rights to promote and sell Foresight’s QuadSight™ system in Japan. Cornes Technologies, a renowned trading company, plays a significant role in establishing and developing commercial links and trade between Japan and the rest of the world.
Cepton Partners with Dataspeed
Cepton Technologies, Inc., a provider of 3D LiDAR solutions for automotive, industrial, security, and mapping applications, announced a partnership with Dataspeed Inc., an industry leading autonomous vehicle (AV) solution provider, to bring Cepton’s high resolution, long-range and compact LiDAR solutions to AV developers. Through the partnership with Cepton, Dataspeed’s customers will now have access to Cepton LiDAR technology for the development and deployment of autonomous applications.
The compact design of Cepton’s LiDAR sensors enables them to be integrated directly into the body of a vehicle, providing Dataspeed’s customers with advanced 3D perception without impacting a vehicle’s design. At the AutoSens Detroit event on May 14-16, 2019, Dataspeed will be showcasing a Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Cepton’s LiDAR technology and Dataspeed’s highly engineered by-wire system.
Built on the company’s patented Micro Motion Technology (MMTTM) platform, Cepton’s LiDAR delivers unrivaled performance and resolution at a low cost. Cepton also recently unveiled its Vista-EdgeTM LiDAR Evaluation Kit, a plug-and-play device with all necessary software and tools pre-installed to view and analyze the LiDAR’s 3D point cloud of data. Cepton’s LiDAR solutions provide 3D perception with a range of 200 meters and a 120-degree field of view, powering all levels of autonomous applications at an accessible price point.
ZF Acquires Simi Realty Motion Systems
ZF plans to expand its network of cooperations and investments by acquiring 90 percent of the shares in Simi Reality Motion Systems GmbH. The company and its 35 employees have decades of experience in image-based 3D systems for the recording and analysis of human movement. This knowledge is highly valuable in the development of systems for occupant recognition. These systems are a fundamental element for integrated safety in autonomous driving.
ZF’s investment in Simi will expand the competence it already has in occupant safety systems such as seat belts, airbags and steering wheels. Together with sensor systems for environment and interior recognition and the corresponding software, ZF is the most broadly based supplier in the market for automotive safety technology.
StoreDot’s Superfast Charging
StoreDot is developing a new type of electric-car battery consisting of proprietary organic compounds – based on the innovative materials used in its flash battery for mobile devices. The EV flash battery will enable a charging experience which is very similar to fueling a gasoline car.
EV flash battery’s remarkably fast charging rate is achieved due to StoreDot’s novel materials and new battery structure. The electric vehicle will have a pack comprising of hundreds of EV flash battery cells that can store enough energy for a full EV range on a 5-minute charge. For a 300-mile car, this translates to 60 miles of travel range on a 1-minute charge.
StoreDot’s core technology incorporates chemically synthesized organic molecules of non-biological origin. These innovative molecules demonstrate uniquely tunable optical and electrochemical properties, which allow for enhanced performance of energy storage devices.
This optimized charging ability is achieved through an innovative electrode structure containing proprietary organic polymers with Metal Oxide compounds of the cathode that trigger the redox reactions. This solution enables ions to flow from a modified anode to a modified cathode at a speed that is much faster than existing technologies. Together with a proprietary separator and electrolyte, this new architecture delivers a high current and low internal resistance, with enhanced energy density and a prolonged battery life.
Syopsys and Elektrobit
Sopsys, Inc. and Elektrobit (EB) announced a collaboration to accelerate automotive electronic systems development using virtual environments. The two companies are collaborating to bring together Synopsys Virtualizer Development Kits (VDKs), EB operating systems, development and test tools, and complementary expertise to enable pre-silicon and pre-Electronic Control Unit (ECU) hardware availability and software development. The combined solution accelerates system testing cycles and enables automotive tier 1 and OEM companies to transition from physical to virtual system testing.
Synopsys VDKs deliver fast simulation of ECU hardware from individual processors to full automotive electronic systems (virtual ECU). EB is using Synopsys VDKs to port its AUTOSAR operating systems, featuring EB corbos and EB tresos product lines, to new automotive processors from leading semiconductor vendors up to 12 months before silicon availability. The integrated solution has been used to establish a virtual development environment demonstrator, bringing together a virtual ECU based on NXP’s high-performance S32 Automotive Processing Platform with tools from EB and Synopsys. This solution enables system analysis and visualization, configuration and update management, test drivers, and system management. The solution enables automotive developers to increase interactive software debugging productivity and accelerate testing cycles by deploying the solution in regression. Leading tier 1 and OEM companies have deployed the joint solution for applications ranging from automotive control to autonomous driving and gateway.
Tesla Worker Awarded Settlement
A Tesla Factory janitor has finally received justice after a careless employee crashed and pinned PARRIS Law Firm client, Teodora Tapia between two bumpers while she was mopping up a puddle of water. On Friday, May 10, 2019, PARRIS Law Firm attorneys settled the personal injury lawsuit against Tesla, Inc. for $13 Million. Teodora was represented by attorneys R. Rex Parris, Khail A. Parris, Bruce L. Schechter, and Eric N. Wilson of PARRIS Law Firm.
While trying to move a European version of a Tesla Model S to a separate location within the warehouse, the defendant, Joseph Aguilar mistakenly put the car into drive and crashed into Teodora, crushing her lower extremities. Because of the European layout of the Tesla that Aguilar was driving, and the fact that he wasn’t certified to operate the vehicle, Aguilar lost control of the vehicle leaving Teodora permanently disabled. Teodora is now unable to work or provide for her family.
“While Teodora will never be the same, this settlement will help provide for her ongoing care and the needs of her family,” said PARRIS Law Firm attorney Khail A. Parris. “Tesla must take greater care for its employees in the future, but we’re relieved our client will be able to care for herself for many years to come.”
Hailo-8 Processor
Leading AI chipmaker Hailo released today the Hailo-8™, the world’s top performing deep learning processor. Hailo is now sampling its breakthrough chip with select partners across multiple industries, with a focus on automotive. The chip is built with an innovative architecture that enables edge devices to run sophisticated deep learning applications that could previously run only on the cloud.
The Hailo-8™ processor, which features up to 26 tera operations per second (TOPS), significantly outperforms all other edge processors with area and power efficiency far superior to other leading solutions by a considerable order of magnitude – all at a size smaller than a penny, including the required memory. By designing an architecture that relies on the core properties of neural networks, edge devices can now run deep learning applications at full scale more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably than traditional solutions, while significantly lowering costs.
According to preliminary results comparing Hailo-8™ to Nvidia’s Xavier AGX, which runs NN benchmarks such as ResNet-50, Hailo-8 consumes almost 20 times less power while performing the same tasks.
Samsung ISO Cert
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced that it has received the ISO 26262 certification for functional safety in automotive components from TÜV Rheinland, a globally renowned third-party testing, inspection and certification company.
The accreditation of Samsung’s new functional safety management system ensures that the company’s advanced automotive semiconductors, such as processors, image sensors, memory and light emitting diode (LED) solutions, satisfy the industry’s rigid safety standards throughout the product development process.
Silicon Mobility in Shanghai
Silicon Mobility, the technology player powering control solutions for a cleaner, safer and smarter mobility, announced the opening of a subsidiary in Shanghai, China. This subsidiary will provide support for local customers. It will be headed by Vincent Cruvellier, co-founder and vice president of operations for Silicon Mobility. He will lead Silicon Mobility’s supply chain and quality.
Silicon Mobility is changing the game of electrification by providing an automotive semiconductor control solution which extends by 30% the range of electric vehicle, divides by two the cost of electronics and shortens by 10% the battery charging time. Silicon Mobility offers a complete end to end solution which includes semiconductors and applications for the control of the key elements of the electrified powertrain.//
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) today announced that its custom and analog/mixed-signal (AMS) IC design flow has achieved certification for Samsung Foundry’s 28nm FD-SOI (28FDS) process technology. This certification ensures that mutual customers of Cadence and Samsung Foundry will have access to a highly automated circuit design, layout, signoff and verification flow that enables efficient custom design at 28FDS.
Samsung Foundry & ANSYS
Customers of Samsung Foundry and ANSYS are enabled to meet low power and high performance demands of next-generation 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), high performance computing (HPC) and automotive applications thanks to Samsung Foundry’s latest certification of ANSYS’ multiphysics solutions for 5nm low power early (5LPE) process technology.
Samsung certified the ANSYS® RedHawk™ family and ANSYS® Totem™ multiphysics solutions for its latest 5LPE process technology. The certification includes extraction, power integrity and reliability, signal and power grid electromigration (EM). To support multiphysics needs in advanced nodes, the certification also includes thermal analysis and signoff with self-heat and statistical EM budgeting (SEB).
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