Connected Car News: DENSO, Iteris, Aptiv, Wind River, GM, Panasonic, Jungo & RWE

In connected car news are DENSO, Iteris, Aptiv, Wind River, GM, Panasonic, Jungo and RWE.

DENSO Intros Global Safety Package

DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, announced that it has developed Global Safety Package 3*¹, an active safety system dsigned to improve the safety of vehicles by giving them high sensing capability of their surroundings. This product is used in the Hino Ranger, the Lexus NX, and the Toyota Noah and Voxy, which were released in August 2021, October 2021, and January 2022, respectively.

The Global Safety Package uses the combined performance of a millimeter-wave radar sensor and vision sensor to assist the driver in controlling the vehicle safely. The millimeter-wave radar sensor detects the shapes of road objects, such as vehicles and guardrails, while the vision sensor uses a camera to detect the environment ahead of the vehicle. DENSO has developed the third generation of the Global Safety Package.

In order to eliminate road accidents and achieve stress-free mobility, DENSO believes it is important to not only improve safety products in vehicles using cutting-edge technology, but also develop those products at attractive prices so they can benefit more vehicles. Under this philosophy, DENSO developed Global Safety Package 3 to improve its active safety and driver assistance performance while reducing product size and cost.

Millimeter-wave radar sensor
Product features
With a wider detection angle, longer detection range, and improved speed resolution*², this product helps avoid collisions at intersections, whether with other vehicles or pedestrians. Moreover, thanks to its improved detection capability and reduced size and cost, this radar sensor has fewer installation requirements and can be used in more vehicle types and models.

Points of product improvement

• A wider detection angle and a longer detection range with improvements such as in-antenna design and radio wave transmission efficiency.
• Improved speed resolution by increasing the frequency modulation of radio wave transmissions.
• Reduced size and cost, with the new model using fewer than half the number of parts compared to the previous generation. DENSO achieved this by integrating the antenna and power supply board, simplifying product structure and leveraging multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology, which allows for a smaller antenna with fewer channels to transmit and receive radio waves.

Vision sensor
Product features
The sensor has a wider horizontal field of view to help with collision avoidance at intersections, as well as a longer range to detect road objects in front of the vehicle. This assists adaptive cruise control and lane changes over a broader speed range. Moreover, the product uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve sensing performance and assistance functions, such as headway distance control – the ability to maintain consistent distance between a preceding vehicle – and traffic sign recognition.

Points of product development

• A high-sensitivity, high-resolution imager with a wider horizontal field of view and longer detection range.
• AI technology to identify drivable areas, preceding vehicles, road signs, and other solid objects based on image data. Vehicles and pedestrians in all directions, including those ahead, behind, and to the side, can be detected.
• Reduced product size and cost by taking the following actions: integrating image processing and system control functions, which reduced the number of microcomputers used; adjusted the structural design to control heat emitted from the processor; and reviewed the lens design.

DENSO will continue to develop technology for advanced driver assistance to realize safe and flexible mobility for all people, including drivers and pedestrians, around the world.

Iteris Awarded LA Metro Contract

Iteris the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management, announced that it has been awarded a $6.8 million subcontract by Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) to provide design, implementation and integration support for the upgrade and expansion of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) NextGen bus signal priority (BSP) system, representing the continued expansion of Iteris’ BSP solutions in southern California, a key geographic market.

Under the terms of the three-year subcontract agreement, with Parsons Corporation, Iteris will provide design services, procurement, integration and testing, and make operational the new vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X)-enabled BSP system at an additional 88 signalized intersections along key corridors in the Greater Los Angeles area.

This project will upgrade and expand the largest signal priority project in the nation, and brings total deployments of Iteris’ BSP connected bus solutions to over 600 signalized intersections in the region.

The V2X-enabled BSP system will leverage existing on-bus priority request systems that incorporate GPS-based automatic vehicle location equipment, wireless communications and advanced intersection traffic controller technologies that provide intersection-based priority granting capabilities. This new deployment of the Countywide Signal Priority system is anticipated to be completed within 34 months.

In addition, Iteris will leverage its newly launched asset management service for intersections and arterials to track and maintain the inventory and condition of equipment deployed in the field or warehoused, conduct lifecycle analysis, and monitor asset performance over time.

“Improving safety, efficiency and sustainability for all modes of transportation is a priority for Iteris, and the cities and state agencies with which we work throughout the U.S.,” said Scott Carlson, vice president and general manager, Mobility Professional Services at Iteris. “Our commitment to and continued involvement with LA Metro’s Countywide Signal Priority Program is a testament to the efficiency of our vehicle-to-infrastructure approach to mitigate traffic congestion and improve the environment throughout southern California metropolitan areas, as well as nationwide.”

Iteris’ asset management service for intersections and arterials is a key component of the ClearMobility™ Platform, the world’s most complete solution to continuously monitor, visualize and optimize mobility infrastructure. ClearMobility applies cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to help ensure roads are safe, travel is efficient, and communities thrive.

LA Metro is one of the largest public transportation agencies in the country, serving nearly 10 million transit riders a year, covering over 83 square miles of Los Angeles County communities.

Aptiv Buys Wind River

Aptiv PLC, a global technology company focused on making mobility safer, greener and more connected, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Wind River® from TPG Capital, the private equity platform of global alternative asset management firm TPG, for $4.3 billion in cash.

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge. Used on over two billion edge devices across more than 1,700 customers globally, Wind River’s software enables the secure development, deployment, operations and servicing of mission-critical intelligent systems. This edge-to-cloud software portfolio spans the aerospace and defense, telecommunications, industrial and automotive markets and is anchored by Wind River Studio, a highly versatile, comprehensive cloud-native intelligent systems software platform that enables full product lifecycle management for edge-to-cloud use cases. Wind River generated approximately $400 million in revenues in 2021.

GM Intros CarBravo for Used Cars

General Motors introduced today CarBravo, a new way to shop for used vehicles. CarBravo will elevate the shopping, buying and ownership experience by offering used-vehicle customers access to an expansive inventory, an omnichannel shopping experience and exclusive ownership benefits.

“CarBravo will give customers more choice and access to shop significantly expanded inventories of both the dealer and a national central stock of GM used vehicles. Importantly, the program features will also  be offered on non-GM used vehicles,” said Steve Carlisle, GM executive vice president and president of GM North America, “CarBravo is designed to provide customers the convenience to shop how they want, where they want – online, at the dealership or both.”

CarBravo will also deliver a seamless customer experience through GM’s new digital retail platform (DRP).  The DRP will provide a simple and transparent shopping interface featuring clear dealer pricing, vehicle history reports and 360-degree views of the vehicle. All CarBravo vehicles will be inspected and reconditioned to meet standards set by GM. Customers can receive guaranteed online offers, from the industry standard Black Book, to buy their vehicles even if they do not purchase a vehicle through CarBravo.

Peace of mind is built into CarBravo with standard warranty coverage on all vehicles, an extensive nationwide network of dealerships for service and maintenance, and wide-ranging ownership benefits that include roadside service, courtesy transportation, and OnStar and SiriusXM trials on eligible vehicles¹ throughout the ownership lifecycle. CarBravo leverages the assets of GM, GM Financial and the GM dealer network to create a flexible, modern shopping and buying experience. Customers can also take advantage of at-home test drives and home deliveries, where available at participating dealers.

“Used vehicles are a significant part of our business,” said Todd Ingersoll, dealer principal of Ingersoll Auto in Danbury, Connecticut, whose dealership participated in the CarBravo pilot. “We are excited to join GM in exceeding our customers’ expectations and continuing to provide a world-class experience.”

Dealer enrollment begins immediately, and the consumer launch is expected to begin in spring 2022.

Panasonic Corp. New Motor

Panasonic Corporation announced today that its Industry Company has commercialized a low-loss and high vibration-resistant surface mounted automotive power inductor [1] (PCC-M15A0MF series). This 15.6 mm square inductor meets the market needs for larger working currents and smaller ECU (Electronic Control Unit) board sizes, which are called for with the increasing performance of automotive device functions. The product will be mass-produced starting in January 2022.

Jungo Intros VuDrive

Jungo (TASE: JNGO), a global supplier of in-cabin sensing AI software, and a leading DMS supplier, introduces VuDrive, a complete aftermarket solution for fleets, Telematic Service Providers (TSPs) and distributors, providing camera-based driver monitoring, road risk analysis, video recording and cloud services.

Based on Jungo’s award-winning and patented CoDriver AI software, VuDrive’s dual-camera is an end-to-end AI video analytics solution for driver safety, including real-time driver monitoring alerts, road risk analysis, cloud services for fleet managers and APIs for TSPs to integrate into their own cloud. The VuDrive hardware is easy to install, affordable and without long term commitment.

VuDrive provides fleets real time alerts on risky driver and road events, and enables viewing complete safety information and driver scoring, both aggregated and per event, which includes real-time all driver notifications, video clip recordings of both the cabin interior and the road. This enables fleets to identify and improve risky drivers, and prevent potential future accidents.

VuDrive offers an affordable price and a flexible business model and is now generally available worldwide to fleets and TSP’s.

“VuDrive offers fleets an opportunity to ramp up their drivers safety levels, using world class AI that enables real time in-cabin and road alerts, aggregated driver scoring, and easy to use cloud services,” said Ophir Herbst, Chairman of Jungo. “VuDrive is now generally available, based on affordable hardware and subscription services, enabling AI video telematics at scale, and already proving to increase safety across multiple fleets.”

VuDrive is already deployed by fleets in various geographies.

Audi & RWE Using Batteries form E-Audis

Audi and RWE are breaking new ground together to drive the energy revolution forward – RWE has brought an energy storage facility on stream in Herdecke, Germany, that uses used lithium-ion batteries from Audi electric cars. With the help of 60 battery systems, the new type of storage facility on the site of RWE’s pumped-storage power plant on Lake Hengstey will be able to temporarily store around 4.5 megawatt hours of electricity.

The decommissioned batteries provided for the project come from Audi e-tron development vehicles. After their first life in the car, they still have a residual capacity of more than 80 percent. This makes these “second-life batteries” perfect for use in stationary power storage systems. Depending on how they are used, these batteries still have up to ten years of remaining service life. In addition, they are significantly cheaper than new cells. And that’s what a second life is all about – the carbon emissions generated during battery production are sustainably distributed over two lifetimes (one in the car and one as electricity storage).

RWE has already built a 160-square-meter hall in lightweight design for the 60 battery modules, which weigh around 700 kilograms, on the site of its pumped-storage power plant in Herdecke. The installation of the battery systems inside the hall was completed in October. Individual components were brought on stream beginning in November.

RWE expects to begin marketing the storage capacity of its second-life battery storage system in early 2022 – initially to support the power grid as part of frequency maintenance. After that, the company plans to flexibly test other marketing methods.

The findings from the reference storage facility in Herdecke will help RWE build and operate larger storage facilities based on EV batteries in the future. These facilities use an innovative technology in which two modules are connected in series, increasing the operating voltage and reducing costs.

Fuelman for EVs

Fuelman Inc., introduced a solution allowing fleet customers to pay for electric vehicle (EV) charging, accurately track all EV charging events, and reimburse employees for at-home charging. The new solution is available to all Fuelman customers as businesses add EV vehicles to their fleets.

“As businesses increasingly look to adopt EVs, the fueling landscape becomes more complex, which in turn makes fleet management more difficult,” said Alexey Gavrilenya, Group President of North America Fuel at FLEETCOR. “We are at the forefront of the energy transition by providing an enhanced, comprehensive management and payment platform to help customers efficiently manage fleets with any fuel mix.”

For Fuelman customers, the EV solution can be added to existing physical fleet card or a virtual EV companion feature can be issued to customers. These cards, whether virtual or physical, can be used for payment in popular EV charging apps within any charging network where Mastercard is accepted.

Driven by a need for businesses to reimburse employees who charge their company EV at home, FLEETCOR is partnering with Motorq, a leading connected-car data and analytics company, to capture charge event data directly from electric vehicles. This new platform leverages data captured from electric vehicles to track every charging event, at every charger type and location. The new solution captures home charging events, tracks usage, calculates costs and manages expense reimbursement, which removes impediments to widespread EV adoption for fleets.

“As a leader in commercial fleet management and payment solutions, we can provide our customers convenience, fraud controls and data insights, no matter where or how they fuel,” said Keagan Russo, President, Fuelman and North America Local Fleet. “Enabling EV charging payment, data, and home reimbursement for all of our Fuelman fleet card customers allows us to help customers manage their fleets moving forward.”