Connected Car News: Drive 2021, ELMS, Daimler AG, CATL, Nuvve, SureDot, JuiceBar, Ibeo, XL Fleet, Nissan & Richtek

In connected car news are Drive 2021, ELMS, Daimler AG, CATL, Nuvve, SureDot, JuiceBar, Ibeo, XL Fleet, Nissan and Richtek.

DRIVE 2021 AI Forum 6/8

DRIVE 2021, the first industry forum dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation in driver safety, risk mitigation, and fleet management, today announced that it has opened registration for its inaugural event, which will be held on June 8, beginning at 9:00am PT. The half-day Summit, which is free to all, includes an exciting lineup of fleet industry leaders and AI experts and innovators.

DRIVE 2021 will start the conversation around current and long-term challenges and opportunities in driver and fleet management, and how AI-enhanced technology is helping to overcome these challenges today and where it should be focused for the future. Notably, despite miles driven being down over the past year, fatalities have increased, while issues such as driver shortage, training, and churn continue to be a problem. AI can help measurably impact these issues, among others, through capabilities such as predictive collision prevention and automated driver performance enhancement.

Stefan Heck, Ph.D., CEO of Nauto, a leader in AI-native driver and fleet performance optimization, will kick off the event with a keynote address on the current and future state of AI in driver and fleet performance. Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab, the world’s largest telematics provider, will also deliver a keynote address, providing commentary on the use of data and AI in fleets and the potential for ongoing AI leverage and innovation to help meet customer needs. Additional speakers include Keith Foote, VP of Global Engineering at Magna Mirrors, speaking on AI integration in mirrors, and Stephan Durach, SVP, Connected Company Development at BMW Group, as well as former executives from FedEx and UPS.

ELMS Partners with Cox Automotive

Electric Last Mile, Inc. (“ELMS” or “the Company”), a pure-play commercial electric vehicle (“EV”) company focused on last mile delivery solutions, and Cox Automotive Inc. (“Cox Automotive”), among the largest automotive services providers in the world, today announced a new collaboration working towards delivering a more comprehensive service and support ecosystem for ELMS’ Urban Delivery EV customers. ELMS expects to begin production of the Urban Delivery by the end of the third quarter of 2021, making it the anticipated first commercial Class 1 EV officially available in the U.S. market.

The collaboration would give ELMS’ Urban Delivery customers access to Cox Automotive’s industry-leading fleet service knowledge and expertise, supported by its Mobility division’s expansive Pivet fleet marketplace, which includes more than 6,000 service centers and 3,000 partner locations across the country that collectively service millions of vehicles each year. In addition to Pivet’s fixed and high-capacity service centers, fleet customers would have access to Dickinson Fleet Services’ network of more than 800 mobile technicians that will bring service directly to their vehicles.

The proposed collaboration will seek to provide a full scope of service solutions to customers, including factory warranty repairs, preventative and ongoing maintenance, roadside assistance, collision repairs and battery servicing.

Daimler AG Partners with CATL

Today, commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck AG and lithium-ion battery manufacturer and developer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) – both global leaders in their fields – announced the intensification of their existing partnership based on their shared vision of CO2-neutral electrified trucking. CATL will be the supplier of lithium-ion battery packs for the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul battery-electric truck, which is planned to be ready for series production in 2024. The supply will go beyond 2030. The batteries will combine high energy density with ultra-long cycle life as well as fast-charging ability to meet the unique requirements of battery-electric long-haul trucks. In addition, the companies intend to jointly design and develop even more advanced next-generation battery cells and packs for truck specific applications, with a focus on high modularity and scalability in order to support different truck applications and flexible compatibility with future e-truck models.

In 2019, Daimler Truck AG and CATL entered into a global lithium-ion battery cell modules supply agreement for electric series trucks including the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2. In September 2020, Daimler Truck AG announced the eActros LongHaul, which will have a range of about 500 kilometres for energy-efficient transport on plannable long-haul routes.

Nuvve Partners with Stonepeak

Nuvve Holding Corp. a global technology leader accelerating the electrification of transportation through its proprietary vehicle-to-grid (V2G) platform, and certain investment vehicles managed by Stonepeak Partners LP (“Stonepeak”), a private equity firm specializing in infrastructure investing, today announced an agreement (the “Agreement”) to pursue the formation of a new sustainable infrastructure joint venture called Levo Mobility LLC (“Levo”). Upon signing of definitive documents and closing, Levo will utilize Nuvve’s proprietary V2G technology and Stonepeak’s capital to help accelerate the deployment of electric fleets, including thousands of zero-emission electric school buses for school districts nationwide through “V2G hubs” and Transportation as a Service (“Taas”).

StoreDot Partners with EVE Energy Co.

StoreDot, the pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs),  announces a new framework agreement with its strategic battery manufacturing partner EVE Energy Co., Ltd (EVE) to support the commercialization of StoreDot’s silicon-dominant anode XFC FlashBattery for EVs. The first samples will be available later this year, with a plan for mass production via conventional lithium-ion battery manufacturing lines in 2024.

EVE, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, is one of the top tier suppliers of EV and electricity storage system (ESS) batteries in China. The scope of the new framework agreement includes scale-up activities of StoreDot’s XFC technology, followed by the production of engineering samples targeted at showcasing the technology to EV clients. The framework agreement also covers the intention to set up a joint venture for mass production.

The new deal builds on the existing framework agreement signed by StoreDot and EVE Energy in 2018 to collaborate on a small form factor of StoreDot’s XFC technology. In 2019, this XFC battery was used to demonstrate the world’s first full live charge of a two-wheeled EV in just 5 minutes (see video). In January 2021, another major milestone was reached when StoreDot released the first engineering samples of the small form factor produced at EVE Energy’s facility in China.

JuiceBar Partners with NetZero Micogrid Solutions

JuiceBar, a leading manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the United States, is pleased to announce its newest partner, NetZero Microgrid Solutions (NZM Solutions).  NZM Solutions is committed to sustainability in the transportation sector.  NZM Solutions enables turnkey electrification strategies to support critical infrastructure needs for commercial real estate, fleet operators and transportation companies.

Ibeo Automotive System New Validation Tool

Hamburg-based automotive LiDAR specialist Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH has developed a new automated total solution for the validation of sensors necessary for ADAS and autonomous driving. The ibeo.Reference toolchain also automates and specifies the manual data labeling-process, which is conventionally very personnel- and time-intensive, and thus ensures considerable time and cost savings with consistently high performance. Almost all conventional sensor systems can be referenced. With the ibeo.Reference system, Ibeo is responding to the high demand on the OEM and Tier 1 side in the race for ever more powerful systems.

Today and in the future, automated driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (AD) must be validated in a complex process before they ultimately can be installed in the vehicle, ready for series production. Regardless of the technology of the sensor system (camera, radar, or LiDAR), reference data is required for each system and must be compared with the data acquired during the test process. Ibeo’s recording system is installed on the vehicle alongside the manufacturer’s prototype system and records data in parallel. Furthermore, it can also be used to create scenarios for ADAS or AD algorithm-development.

The recorded data collected in validation drives can be in the low-to-mid thousands of hours. And for every hour of test driving, manual evaluation results in up to 300 hours of labeling activity – a Sisyphean task that is not only tedious and costly but may also be inaccurate in various areas.

XL Fleet Acquires World Energy

XL Fleet Corp., a leader in fleet electrificatin solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, announced the acquisition of World Energy Efficiency Services, LLC (“World Energy”) for total cash and stock consideration of approximately $16 million.

World Energy is a leading provider of energy efficiency, renewable technology, electric vehicle charging station and other energy solutions to customers across the New England region. By leveraging its comprehensive solutions in combination with utility incentive programs, project management and financing, World Energy assists companies throughout all aspects of the electrification process. The company provides full-service EV charger installations, including the assessment of a location’s electrical infrastructure, site layout of the charging area plan and equipment installation.

TomTom EV Announcements

TomTom reinforced its commitment to a cleaner world by driving the EV revolution forward together with partners and innovative technology. TomTom has unveiled a roster of enhancements to its electric vehicle (EV) suite including upgraded range and routing features, and industry-leading data on charging points. This follows today’s announcements of collaboration with Hubject and Eco-Movement – that will improve the EV driving experience. The new TomTom Routing and Range will be available in select electric models from TomTom customers already later this year via an over-the-air-update, and will be further enhanced with the introduction of the cloud-native TomTom Navigation for Automotive.

The deal brings the total global number of charging points on TomTom’s maps to almost 450,000. More than 175,000 of those charging points provide availability information to drivers via the TomTom’s EV charging points service.

Location technology specialist, TomTom , today announced an agreement with Eco-Movement, a leading platform for electric vehicle (EV) charge point data in Europe. TomTom’s EV suite and TomTom’s Maps APIs are now enhanced with Eco-Movement’s high-quality real-time charging information, providing drivers and EV fleet managers with accurate EV point of interest (POI) information faster than ever before.

Drivers of vehicles equipped with TomTom’s EV charging points service will enjoy numerous benefits, including detailed user-friendly addresses; helpful information on opening times and accessibility; charging speed; accepted charge cards and subscriptions; as well as real-time charge point availability.

“Our deal with Eco-Movement will provide drivers of electric vehicles powered by TomTom’s EV suite with a seamless navigation experience. From optimized routes, to suitable, available, working charging points, that match drivers’ needs – TomTom is always simplifying and enhancing the driving experience”, said Antoine Saucier, Managing Director, TomTom Automotive. “With our growing number of easy-to-use EV navigation solutions, leading global charging point coverage, and ultra-fast real-time availability data, TomTom is driving the e-mobility push towards an emission-free future.”

TomTom’s high-quality EV POIs will further enhance the EV driving experience with TomTom’s location technology. The latest TomTom EV Routing and Range technology uses a broad catalogue of factors to plan the best routes, precisely predict range and calculate a reliable estimated time of arrival (ETA). These factors include current and maximum battery level; driving speed; road type and gradient, as well as traffic and charging point information.

TomTom, announced an extension to its relationship with Hubject, an e-mobility digital specialist. Hubject has established the world’s largest cross-provider platform for electric vehicle charging. TomTom’s EV suite and TomTom’s Maps APIs now receive more information related to charging point locations, connector types and, critically, availability, helping drivers and EV fleet managers to save time and avoid stress.

Nissan LEAF V2G

The ‘i-rEzEPT’ project for the integration of electric cars into public and private power grids has delivered convincing interim results. For a year now, the project’s participants have not only been meeting their mobility needs with a Nissan LEAF, but have also been using the electric car as a temporary storage system in their homes as a power grid for self-produced electricity. In a short film, the project partners provide an initial interim review.

As part of the field test, electric car pioneer Nissan has equipped 13 homeowners from all over Germany, who already have a photovoltaic system, with a 100% electric Nissan LEAF and a suitable charging station. The aim is to make the best possible use of the household’s supply of self-generated solar power, relieve the public power grid and at the same time reduce the operating costs of the electric vehicle.

Making use of the Nissan LEAF’s unique bidirectional charging capability, often referred to as vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G for short), participants can use the vehicles to store solar energy generated on the roof of their house in the battery and, if necessary, transfer it to the household or feed it into the public grid.

Nissan launched the “i-rEzEPT” project together with Bosch.IO and the Fraunhofer Institutes IAO and IFAM. The venture is also supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the electromobility funding guideline with a total of €2.39 million.

“Electric cars should be charged when electricity from wind or solar energy is available”, says Stefan Sonntag, Program Manager E-Mobility at NOW GmbH, a subsidiary of the Federal Ministry of Transport. “i-rEzEPT is testing just that and enables using the energy not only for green driving, but also for powering your own home.”

Richtek ISO26262

Richtek, a leading analog IC manufacturer, has completed the ISO26262 functional safety design flow system. It is announced that it has obtained the ISO26262 ASIL-D certificate by “SGS TUEV SAAR” today (the world’s highest functional safety standard for automotive electronics). Since the launch of the first AEC Q100 automotive IC in 2013, Richtek technology continues to advance in the direction of design quality improvement, through high-reliability design verification and IATF 16949 certified automotive IC supply chain manufacturing. Achieve the quality and reliability goals of automotive products, now it has officially entered the global automotive electronic advanced safety system supply chain, became the first analog chip manufacturer in Taiwan to obtain the ISO 26262 road vehicle functional safety process certificate.

Due to the rapid development of advanced driver assistance systems and vehicle electrification, advanced smart car electronic products have become the main trend in the development of the passenger vehicle market in recent years. This has attracted many international semiconductor manufacturers to actively invest in the automotive electronic semiconductor industry. Among them, the reliability and safety of the product are the two most important basic inspection indicators for automotive semiconductor quality certification. The second edition of the functional safety standard ISO26262 issued in 2018 is to check whether the automotive electronics supplier meets the safety standard level ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level) in the design verification requirements for certification indicators of the program.

Obtaining the ISO 26262 process certificate has established the integrity of Richtek’s product functional safety development. The product design and development process includes functional safety requirements application, safety mechanism development, safety function verification and history of development and production information. We can undertake various index requirements of international automobile manufacturers and system factories, and become a trustworthy partner. Richtek designs different