In connected car news this week were Hyundai, Aperia Tech, Halo Connect, BioHiTech and Saki Corp.
Hyundai Invests in H2 Co’s
Hyundai Motor Company announced key investments into three hydrogen companies – Impact Coatings, H2Pro and GRZ Technologies – to strengthen its leadership position in the global hydrogen fuel cell ecosystem.
Impact Coatings AB is a leading supplier of PVD[1]-based coating solutions for fuel cells, offering coating materials, machines, and services. The Swedish company’s ceramic coatings are cost-efficient substitutes for precious metals used in fuel cell production. Under the new joint development agreement, Hyundai and Impact Coatings will jointly research and develop a new generation of materials, processes and equipment for a variety of applications, including fuel cells and hydrogen production.
[1] Physical Vapor Deposition
H2Pro
H2Pro is an Israeli startup that developed the E-TAC (electrochemical, thermally active chemical) water splitting technology, which is efficient, affordable, and safe. H2Pro’s technology will allow Hyundai to lower the cost of hydrogen production, which will in turn reduce the price of hydrogen for customers. This marks Hyundai’s second investment into the startup since Hyundai CRADLE Tel Aviv first announced the partnership in November 2018.
GRZ Technologies
GRZ Technologies is a company based in Switzerland specializing in energy storage in hydrogen form. Its technology stores hydrogen more safely at lower pressure with higher density, while its proprietary compression technology is also more affordable. Hyundai’s agreement with GRZ will accelerate the company’s efforts to commercialize hydrogen infrastructure for greater accessibility to customers.
Halo Connect Expansion
Aperia Technologies Inc., a leading supplier of tire management solutions that improve the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicle tractors and trailers, announced an expansion of Halo Connect, its industry-first tire analytics platform that enables commercial fleets to virtually eliminate unplanned tire-related downtime. Introduced in limited quantities earlier this year, Halo Connect now features precise vehicle location and service insights, in addition to tire tread depth and replacement tracking to further simplify fleet tire maintenance decisions.
BioHiTech Turns Vehicle Wasteinto Fuel
BioHiTech Global, Inc. a technology and services company that provides cost-effective and sustainable waste management solutions, announced that it has entered into a contract with a national waste management services company to help a leading international automobile manufacturer achieve sustainability goals at one of its North American vehicle production plants (the “Production Plant”).
Under the terms of the contract, all non-recyclable waste generated at the Production Plant will be transported to BioHiTech’s Martinsburg HEBioT Facility for processing. The Martinsburg HEBioT Facility diverts as much as 80% of waste from landfills by utilizing a patented high efficiency mechanical and biological treatment process (“HEBioT Process“). The HEBioT Process results in the production of an EPA recognized renewable fuel that can be used as a partial replacement for coal. The 56,000 square foot Martinsburg HEBioT Facility is completely enclosed and fully automated with no waste or odors being exposed to the outside environment. The Company estimates the contract will result in the diversion of over 1.1 million pounds of waste from landfills annually.
New Saki X-Ray Inspection
-Saki Corporation, an innovator in the field of automated optical and X-ray inspection and measurement equipment, introduces a compact, lightweight, inline 3D-CT automated X-ray inspection machine, the 3Xi-M110, for inspection of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). The 3Xi-M110 reduces the dose and exposure to X-rays during inspection and features new soldering quality inspection functions for PCB assembly applications. Saki will demonstrate the PCB inspection capabilities of the 3Xi-M110 at productronica 2019, being held in Munich, Germany from November 12-15, in stand A2.259.
Saki’s new X-ray inspection system ensures the quality of hidden solder joints for bottom-electrode packages, such as BGAs, LGAs, and QFNs, which are found in advanced embedded devices, telecommunications, and automotive products. Saki’s Planar Computed Tomography (PCT) provides precise volumetric measurements and shape reconstruction to find voids, head-in-pillow (HiP), and other defects that are extremely difficult to identify.
The 3Xi-M110 hardware platform is 1,380mm wide and weighs 3,100kg, making it 40% lighter and reducing its footprint by 25% over its predecessor. Manufacturing floorspace is saved, it’s easy to install, and production-line operation is significantly improved. Although the cast iron frame is lighter in weight, it maintains the rigidity needed for stable operation and accuracy, while the imaging range has been optimized to handle board sizes up to 360 x 330mm (W x L). For larger 360 x 510mm (W x L) boards, 2-step image capture is available.
One of the most significant features of the new system is Saki’s revolutionary X-ray tube, which can reduce X-ray exposure up to 70% by powering on the X-rays only at the moment of image capture. An exposure dose simulator allows the user to monitor the radiation dose. Based on that information, the method and magnification for releasing the X-rays can be set. The new X-ray tube design does not require periodic maintenance or spare parts, and the built-in monitoring system reports when the tube needs replacing.
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