Autonomous and Self-Driving vehicle news are Motional, Local Motors, Volvo, Fortellix, Cyngn, ZF and Quantum Co.
Motional RoboTaxi,
Motional, a global leader in driverless technology, and Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) unveil the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi (here after referred to as IONIQ 5 robotaxi), Motional’s next-generation robotaxi.
Based on the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5, which launched to worldwide acclaim earlier this year, the IONIQ 5 robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle that can safely operate without a driver. It’s a zero tailpipe-emissions robotaxi and represents the convergence of the two most transformative technologies in mobility: electrification and autonomy. The fusion of these technologies can make transportation smarter, safer, and more sustainable.
The IONIQ 5 robotaxi is also Motional’s first commercial vehicle and signals a pivotal milestone in the company’s roadmap. Motional will begin transporting public passengers in the IONIQ 5 robotaxi in 2023 through a landmark partnership with Lyft.
The IONIQ 5 robotaxi features a technology-driven design that celebrates the innovation behind the autonomous operation. The vehicle’s sensor suite is prominently displayed across the exterior, easily distinguishing the robotaxi from human piloted vehicles. The robotaxi has more than 30 sensors – a combination of cameras, radars, and lidar – that provide robust 360-degree perception, high-resolution images, and ultra-long range detection of objects for safe autonomous operation in diverse driving environments. The robotaxi will be outfitted with Motional’s proven driverless technology, which includes advanced machine learning systems — trained on decades of real world data — that enables the vehicle to safely navigate challenging and complex driving situations.
Based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform, the IONIQ 5 robotaxi’s interior provides passengers with a spacious, comfortable place to work, relax, or socialize during their driverless ride. The interior will also feature a suite of rider-focused interfaces to allow passengers to intuitively interact with the vehicle during their ride, such as directing the robotaxi to make an extra stop. The resulting passenger experience will set a new standard for driver
The IONIQ 5 robotaxi features a technology-driven design that celebrates the innovation behind the autonomous operation. The vehicle’s sensor suite is prominently displayed across the exterior, easily distinguishing the robotaxi from human piloted vehicles. The robotaxi has more than 30 sensors – a combination of cameras, radars, and lidar – that provide robust 360-degree perception, high-resolution images, and ultra-long range detection of objects for safe autonomous operation in diverse driving environments. The robotaxi will be outfitted with Motional’s proven driverless technology, which includes advanced machine learning systems — trained on decades of real world data — that enables the vehicle to safely navigate challenging and complex driving situations.
Based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform, the IONIQ 5 robotaxi’s interior provides passengers with a spacious, comfortable place to work, relax, or socialize during their driverless ride. The interior will also feature a suite of rider-focused interfaces to allow passengers to intuitively interact with the vehicle during their ride, such as directing the robotaxi to make an extra stop. The resulting passenger experience will set a new standard for drless ride-hailing.Built from the ground-up to be fully driverless, the IONIQ 5 robotaxi was created through partnership between Motional and Hyundai Motor Group. The two companies worked hand-in-hand throughout the development, with each providing critical expertise: Motional in driverless technology and Hyundai in R&D capabilities and global vehicle manufacturing.
The end result is a seamless integration between the vehicle’s brain and body, with the hardware and autonomy working in sync for highly advanced, safe, and capable driverless operation. The IONIQ 5 robotaxi is built on the Group’s E-GMP, for ultra-fast charging and long-range driving, enabling the maximum utilization of Motional’s robotaxi fleet. The IONIQ 5 robotaxi also comes with the Group’s advanced safety and reliability, and is globally scalable, uniquely positioning the robotaxi for cost effective commercialization.
Motional and the Group’s emphasis on passenger safety and comfort is evident throughout the vehicle. There are safety redundancies across every function, such as the navigation, steering, braking, and power, for a safe and smooth ride every time. Motional will also be able to provide Remote Vehicle Assistance (RVA) to the IONIQ 5 robotaxis should they encounter an unusual road scenario, such as road construction or flooding. In such an event, a remote Motional operator could instantly connect to the vehicle and direct it to a new path.
Motional and Hyundai Motor Group will debut the IONIQ 5 robotaxis for the first time publicly at IAA Mobility in Munich, September 7-12. The Group looks forward to sharing more about its exhibit during the show.
AutoGuardian & EMU Partner with Local Motors
AutoGuardian By SmartCone (AutoGuardian), an Ontario-based intelligent mobility solutions provider, and Local Motors, a leader in the design, manufacturing, and deployment of autonomous vehicles, today announced they have entered into a strategic channel partnership. The joint agreement will expand the number of Olli shuttles on public and private roads, bringing autonomous mobility to more communities and enhancing passenger experience while providing safe operations.
Under the strategic agreement, Local Motors will provide AutoGuardian with the autonomous, electric, and 3D-printed Olli shuttles for customer deployments. AutoGuardian will provide day-to-day operations and supervision of the autonomous shuttles. AutoGuardian and Local Motors will collect data and stakeholder feedback to systematically expand the operational design domain of first-mile/last-mile autonomous vehicles.
The partnership begins with two deployments in Canada, including Whitby, Ontario which was announced last week. This pilot integrates cutting-edge smart infrastructure along the route to help create safer roads for pedestrians, cyclists, transit passengers, and other road users. AutoGuardian is a unique operator in that it started with intelligent infrastructure solutions to increase safety for vulnerable road users but now has pivoted to include autonomous shuttle operations, as AVs can get people to their destination in a safer, smarter, and more eco-friendly way.
In an effort to highlight its commitment to technology, Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology announced plans to deploy autonomous shuttles this school year and to open a new research and development space at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The Olli is an advanced car shuttle manufactured by Local Motors and current plans call for two Ollis to be in operation on campus later this year.
One of the shuttles that will be transporting students and faculty later this year will be on display tonight outside Rynearson Stadium for EMU’s first football game of the season. The Eagle Shuttle, as it is called on campus, is built by Local Motors as part of the Olli autonomous vehicle platform.
MU’s vehicle laboratory at ACM will support ongoing research in the area of autonomous vehicle cybersecurity. EMU began moving into the space at the start of the fall 2021 semester.
Cyngn & Arilou
Cyngn, the industrial autonomous vehicle technology developer, today announced a partnership with Arilou Automotive Cybersecurity, the leading automotive cyber security provider. The partnership will ensure the continued protection and security of Cyngn’s autonomous vehicle deployments.
“Arilou has a decade of experience in researching and developing cyber-security solutions dedicated to the automotive environment. They are experts in embedded, mission-critical cyber security, and are experienced at developing reliable, high-end, defensive cyber security solutions for even the most complicated of systems,” said Cyngn’s CEO Lior Tal. “By partnering with Arilou, Cyngn adds vehicle network level cybersecurity to DriveMod, our modular industrial vehicle autonomous driving software, which is part of the Enterprise Autonomy Suite.”
“We are very excited about being able to offer our insight and expertise to this emerging market,” said Arilou CEO Ziv Levi. “Thanks to Cyngn, autonomous vehicle deployments will become increasingly common across industrial use cases. Through this partnership, Cyngn now sets the highest standard of automotive security for fleets across material handling, logistics, mining, and construction.”
In most cases, Arilou’s cybersecurity solutions will work invisibly, maximizing the uptime of these industrial autonomous vehicle fleets.
ZF coASSISTs with Dongfeng
ZF has launched its next generation mid-range radar to support advanced ADAS safety functions and enhance the available ZF coASSIST semi-automated system on the Dongfeng Aeolus Yixuan MAX in China./
Volvo Invests in Fortellix
Volvo Group Venture Capital AB has announced a new investment in a leading company in the field of measurable safety for driver assistance and autonomous vehicles. Foretellix Ltd was founded in 2018 by a team of verification and validation pioneers whose mission is to make automated driving systems safe and efficient.
One of the main challenges of autonomous systems is deciding when a product is safe enough to commercialize. This is what Foretellix is tackling with its verification platform. It uses intelligent automation and big data analytics tools which coordinate and monitor millions of driving scenarios to ensure that the autonomous vehicle behaves correctly under all possible driving conditions, including edge cases.
In addition to the Volvo Group Venture Capital investment, Volvo Autonomous Solutions formed a closer partnership with Foretellix earlier this year with the aim of jointly creating a coverage-driven verification solution for autonomous driving that operates both on public roads and in restricted areas.
Quantum announces reference architecture for Autonomous Driving Systems and Industrial AI/ML application development
Quantum Corporation announced the release of a new end-to-end reference architecture for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Driving (AD) systems. By enhancing the acquisition, movement, storage, and curation of the data necessary to develop autonomous vehicle software, the unique architecture is designed to address the specific needs of every stage of ADAS/AD development. It enables autonomous vehicle developers to unleash the power of their data and spearhead the next era of self-driving innovation.
The vast amount of data generated during autonomous vehicle development illustrates the scale of challenges faced by AV manufacturers. The test vehicles typically capture terabytes of sensor data per hour generated by multiple video cameras, LiDARs, and Radars. ADAS/AD development systems rely on collecting and processing these large amounts of unstructured data to build sophisticated Machine Learning (ML) models and algorithms, requiring intelligent and efficient data management. By utilizing the new end-to-end reference architecture, developers take advantage of Quantum’s complete portfolio of end-to-end data management solutions that deliver the level of performance, capacity and scalability required for ADAS/AD systems.