In connected car news are BMW, GM, Apple, Rivian, Infinenon and Vitesco.
New BMW & MINI App
The My BMW App and MINI App are being continuously expanded and improved, with a total of five updates carried out a year. The apps are growing increasingly important for customers, especially when it comes to electric mobility and vehicle charging.
The new Electric Vehicle Analysis function allows customers who drive a BMW with a combustion engine to simulate how well an all-electric BMW would suit their personal driving profile. To carry out the simulation, the customer selects an electric BMW model as an alternative vehicle in the app. Once the combustion-engined model has made at least 200 journeys and covered a distance of 2,000 kilometres (approx. 1,250 miles), the analysis clearly shows the number of journeys that could have been completed with the selected electric vehicle on a single charge. This is intended to combat the range anxiety and concerns about the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles that are still prevalent* today. For the simulation, the app uses the real-world driving data for the combustion-engined model in question, as generated by the My Trips function. Thanks to this individual database, Electric Vehicle Analysis is able to provide the customer with a sound basis for deciding which drive type to choose in their next vehicle.The function will be upgraded in future to expand the reach of the analysis. Evaluations of the time vehicles are not in use and of long-distance journeys will be added, combined with information on charging facilities and the time required for charging. To use Electric Vehicle Analysis, customers must have a BMW with a combustion engine and BMW Operating System 7 or later and also consent to their driving data being used for the purpose of the analysis.
“Electric vehicles can already be incorporated perfectly into the daily routine of many customers – it’s just that the majority of them haven’t tried it yet,” says Dirk Wiedmann, Senior Vice President Sales Steering and Strategy, Digitalisation. “Our app’s Electric Vehicle Analysis helps our customers to make an informed judgement in their choice of drive system.”
New functions for seamless interaction between vehicle and app.
The latest update introduced a series of features designed to produce a seamless route-planning experience when switching between vehicle and app. Options such as avoiding motorways, ferries or toll roads can now also be set in the app, for example, and are always automatically synchronised in both directions. In addition to this, the My BMW / MINI App with charging-optimised route planning for all-electric vehicles now also makes it possible to add individual charging stops, and these are then synchronised with the vehicle. The apps also notify the user of facilities in the vicinity of charging stations, such as restaurants, cafés, banks and supermarkets, complete with detailed information on them.
New Charging Wallet for managing charging tariffs.
Drivers of electric vehicles are now able to select and manage preferred charging tariffs from a large number of providers in the app’s new Charging Wallet. When the app user selects a charging station, the applicable prices for the selected charging tariffs are shown, depending on availability, allowing the user to choose the cheapest tariff for them.
Wide-reaching app functions are being continuously improved and expanded – with high levels of user satisfaction.
13 million customers around the world use the My BMW App and MINI App, with one million of these based in Germany alone. Both apps have an average rating of 4.8 stars in the App Store.
The apps keep drivers informed of the current status of their BMW or MINI, as well as allowing them to lock and unlock the doors, switch on the climate control, send destination addresses to the navigation system, or use the Remote 3D View feature to call up an image of the vehicle’s immediate vicinity or its interior. They can go to the Services & Store tab to check out the available digital services or obtain ConnectedDrive Upgrades. If the BMW or MINI Digital Key Plus has been set up, previously stored manoeuvres and parking functions can be carried out from outside the car while standing nearby.
Servicing and maintenance requirements can also be managed from the two apps. For example, users receive a push notification if their car needs to be serviced and can make an appointment directly in the app. The app also provides support during the service process, including check-in, service videos, status tracking and payment. Accident and breakdown assistance can likewise be accessed quickly using the app.
Mattel’s Uno for BMW 8/21
Mattel, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAT), AirConsole, and BMW Group announced that Mattel’s classic card game UNO™ will be revealed next week for in-car gaming in Cologne, Germany at gamescom 2024, the world’s largest, leading event for video games. Visitors to the AirConsole booth (Hall 10.1, Stand B028 – C029) will be the first to experience UNO® Car Party! in the new BMW X3, which tailors the world’s #1 card game* for in-car gaming. The game will roll out via the AirConsole platform to over 500,000 BMW and MINI vehicles over-the-air on August 21st.
“We continue to increase the value of the overall digital experience for our customers,” said Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President of the BMW Group Development Connected Company and Technical Operations. “Our partners AirConsole and Mattel are helping make in-car gaming into a new social experience, and I am thrilled to offer a family-favorite game like UNO for this exciting innovation.”
Mattel, AirConsole and BMW Group have transformed UNO into a playable connected game in a brand-new environment: the car. Whether a family is at rest during a road trip or a group of friends stop to figure out their next move, stationary drivers can use AirConsole’s unique game controller system to connect any passenger to the game using their personal devices. Up to four players can experience the game that brings people together through its simple, universal gameplay that transcends languages and cultures. Vehicles must be in park to enable gameplay.
“UNO beautifully illustrates the strengths of AirConsole with a game accessible to everyone, a bespoke integration to the car hardware and our phone-controlled gaming experience,” said Anthony Cliquot, CEO of AirConsole. “Each player can secretly see their own cards on their phone while playing on the infotainment system of the car. This is an experience that would be impossible to achieve using only touchscreen or bluetooth controls on the infotainment system.”
“UNO is perfect for in-car gaming because it’s highly engaging and brings people together,” said Erika Winterholler, Head of Business Development, Digital Gaming at Mattel. “Its simple rules are easy to learn and endlessly captivating, making it ideal for both short pit stops and extended play sessions. UNO’s social nature turns every journey into a fun experience, and we’re so excited to bring this spirit to consumers in an innovative way with our partners at BMW and AirConsole.”
Since 2022, the partnership between the BMW Group and AirConsole has been pioneering in-car gaming, bringing intuitive and innovative gameplay to BMW vehicles through the AirConsole platform. Its selection of games has grown since the introduction of AirConsole, with popular games such as “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, which launched as an in-car world premiere in collaboration between Sony Pictures Television, BMW Group and AirConsole. AirConsole is available in current models with BMW / MINI Operating System 9 in combination with BMW Digital Premium / MINI Connected Package and with BMW Operating System 8.5** in combination with BMW ConnectedDrive Professional.
Over the past five decades, UNO has maintained its legacy as a game with wildly unpredictable fun, spirited competition, and inclusivity. UNO continues to surprise and delight fans through innovative offerings from top-line physical products, mobile games, live gaming events and premium collective card games; inclusive gameplay through products like UNO Braille and culturally relevant product from fan-created UNO memes to the UNO Artiste series featuring the artwork of artists from yesterday and today.
*Source: Circana/Retail Tracking Service/G10/JAN-DEC 2023/Games Excl Trade Card Game Subsegment/Projected USD
**Available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA. In Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia only available with Personal eSIM and BMW Operating System 8.5. Not available in BMW 2 Series Coupe, 3 Series and 4 Series.
TX Attorney General Sues General Motors
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued General Motors for its false, deceptive, and misleading business practices related to its unlawful collection and sale of over 1.5 million Texans’ private driving data to insurance companies without their knowledge or consent.
This action follows Attorney General Paxton’s June 2024 announcement that he opened an investigation into several car manufacturers regarding allegations that the companies had improperly collected mass amounts of data about drivers directly from the vehicles and then sold the information to third parties.
“Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We will hold them accountable,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Companies are using invasive technology to violate the rights of our citizens in unthinkable ways. Millions of American drivers wanted to buy a car, not a comprehensive surveillance system that unlawfully records information about every drive they take and sells their data to any company willing to pay for it.”
General Motors used technology installed in most 2015 model year or newer GM vehicles to collect, record, analyze, and transmit highly detailed driving data about each time a driver used their vehicle. General Motors sold this information to several other companies, including to at least two companies for the purpose of generating “Driving Scores” about GM’s customers and selling these scores to insurance companies. General Motors deceived many of its customers when it compelled them to enroll in its products, including OnStar Smart Driver, as part of its vehicle “onboarding” process and told them that failing to enroll would result in the deactivation of their vehicle’s safety features. Unbeknownst to customers, however, by enrolling in GM’s products, they were “agreeing” to General Motors’ collection and sale of their data. Despite lengthy and convoluted disclosures, General Motors never informed its customers of its actual conduct—the systematic collection and sale of their highly detailed driving data.
The investigation was part of a broad data privacy and security initiative launched by Attorney General Paxton in June 2024 to ensure that companies respect Texans’ privacy rights and enforce privacy protection laws.
Apple Music for Rivian
Apple and Rivian announced that the industry-defining automotive maker will be bringing Apple Music’s premium, immersive Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos® natively to Rivian customers. Beginning today, Apple Music will also be available in all of Rivian’s electric vehicles for drivers with an Apple Music subscription. Thanks to Connect+, Rivian’s vehicle streaming and connectivity subscription, it will be available anywhere the vehicle drives.
Apple Music’s deep integration into Rivian’s software platform enables listeners to easily search and browse through its catalog of over 100 million songs and over 30,000 expertly curated playlists, enjoy access to its global live-streaming radio stations and more.
For Rivian customers seeking an even more immersive sound experience in Second Generation vehicles, they can select Rivian Premium Audio, a Rivian-designed sound system, which enables Apple Music’s Spatial Audio thanks to Dolby Atmos. The experience delivers astonishing audio that reveals more depth, clarity, and details in your favorite music.
“With the introduction of Spatial Audio, Apple Music elevated the listening experience for music fans around the world and gave artists a new way to make and think about their music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “We’re excited to bring this experience natively to Rivian drivers, along with all the beloved features and human-curated content that make Apple Music the best destination for music lovers.”
“We care deeply about bringing a seamless, top sound quality experience. Thanks to this significant technical collaboration with Apple’s engineers, our vehicles offer an incredible audio entertainment experience that enhances the daily adventures of Rivian customers,” said Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s Chief Software Officer.
More than 90% of Apple Music listeners have experienced Spatial Audio, and plays for music available in Spatial Audio account for nearly one-third of all plays. The number of songs available in Spatial Audio has more than quadrupled over the last two years. Rivian owners with Apple Music subscriptions can immediately enjoy an ever-growing selection of music in Spatial Audio from some of the world’s biggest artists spanning all genres, including hip-hop, country, Latin, pop, and classical.
Availability
- All Rivian vehicles now have access to Apple Music natively, starting today via the latest Rivian software update.
- Apple Music’s Spatial Audio is available in all First Generation Rivian vehicles and Second Generation vehicles with Rivian Premium Audio.
- To stream Apple Music in any Rivian, from anywhere, Apple Music subscribers can sign up for Connect+, available at $14.99 a month, or annually for $149.99.
- A two-month free trial of Connect+ is available starting today, or at vehicle delivery for new Rivian owners, along with a free trial of Apple Music of up to 90 days.
Infineon Intros 8 New Chips
Infineon Technologies AG today announced the expansion of its Bluetooth ® portfolio by eight new products in the AIROC™ CYW20829 Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4 microcontroller (MCU) family, featuring Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) and modules optimized for industrial, consumer, and automotive use cases. The high integration of the CYW20829 product family allows designers to reduce bill-of-material (BOM) cost and device footprint in a wide variety of applications, including PC accessories, low-energy audio, wearables, solar micro inverters, asset trackers, health and lifestyle, home automation and others. Product designers also benefit from Infineon’s rich development infrastructure and commitment to robust security, with support for secure boot and execution environments and cryptography acceleration to safeguard sensitive data.
The latest automotive part in the product family, the AIROC CYW89829 Bluetooth Low-Energy MCU, is ideal for car access and wireless battery management systems (wBMS) applications, due to its robust RF performance, long range and latest Bluetooth 5.4 features including PAwR (Periodic Advertising with Responses). The dual ARM ® Cortex ® core design of the chip family features separate application and Bluetooth Low Energy subsystems that deliver full featured support for Bluetooth 5.4, low-power, 10 dBm output power without a PA, integrated flash, CAN FD, crypto accelerators, high security including Root of Trust (RoT), and is PSA level 1 ready.
“Infineon offers one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of IoT solutions. Our Bluetooth solutions offer robust connectivity and the latest features,” said Shantanu Bhalerao, Vice President of the Bluetooth Product Line, Infineon Technologies. “Our automotive AIROC CYW89829 Bluetooth LE MCU, and versatile AIROC Bluetooth CYW20829 LE MCU deliver ultra-low power and a high degree of integration for a better user experience across various applications in automotive, industrial, and consumer markets.”
Infineon has been working with customers to design with current products in the CYW20829 family and has received positive reviews:
“The Infineon CYW20829 is the leading Bluetooth part in the market, which has passed the latest Bluetooth 5.4 certification,” said Kevin Wang, CEO of ITON. “CYW20829 has very good RF performance, supports PAwR and LE Audio. These features bring more possibilities in consumer and industrial markets.”
“CYW20829, with perfect RF performance, flexible API, and good long-range features, provides a good solution for commercial lighting, industrial IoT, and more,” said Cai Yi, CEO of Pairlink.
“Earlier this year, the Bluetooth SIG released version 5.4 of the specification with new features: Periodic Advertising with Responses and Encrypted Advertising Data. These features implemented on Infineon’s CYW20829 chips allow Addverb to develop a secure monitoring and controlling system for a fleet of wireless robots in the industrial warehouse, satisfying safety requirements,” said Tapan Pattnayak, Chief Scientist at Addverb, a global leader in robotics.
Availability
The new products are available in a range of variants, each with its specific characteristics and focus applications.
Products currently in production are:
- CYW20829B0000, in a 56QFN SoC package, 6×6 mm, designed for PC accessories, remotes, ESL, and low-end BLE MCUs
- CYW20829B0010, packaged in 56QFN SoC with a dimension of 6×6 mm, suitable for gaming accessories and LE Audio products
- CYW20829B0-P4EPI100 and CYW20829B0-P4TAI100 modules, both with a dimension of 14.5×19 mm, suitable for long-range, asset tracking, power tools, and generic Bluetooth LE use cases
Sampling now are:
- CYW20829B0021, in a 40QFN SoC package, 6×6 mm, suited for industrial and long-range applications
- CYW89829B0022, in a 40QFN SoC package 6×6 mm, designed for wireless BMS and car access
- CYW89829B0232, in a 77BGA SoC package, 7×8 mm, suitable for wireless BMS and car access
- In the second quarter of 2025, samples are expected of the CYW20829B1230, which will be available in a 64 Ball BGA SoC package with a dimension of 4.5×4.5 mm and suitable for wearables, power tools, and asset tracking
Vitesco Gains GaN Efficencies
Vitesco Technologies, a leading supplier of modern drive technologies and electrification solutions, has selected GaN to improve the power efficiency of its Gen5+ GaN Air DCDC converter. The CoolGaN™ Transistors 650 V from Infineon Technologies AG significantly improve the overall system performance while minimizing system cost and increasing ease of use. As a result, Vitesco created a new generation of DCDC converters that set new standards in power density (efficiency of over 96 percent) and sustainability for power grids, power supplies, and OBCs.
The advantages of GaN-based transistors in high-frequency switching applications are considerable, but even more important is the high switching speed, which has been increased from 100 kHz to over 250 kHz. This enables very low switching losses, even in hard-switched half-bridges, with minimized thermal and overall system losses. In addition, Infineon’s CoolGaN Transistors feature high turn-on and turn-off speeds and are housed in a top-cooled TOLT package. They are air-cooled, eliminating the need for liquid cooling and thereby reducing overall system costs. The 650 V devices also improve power efficiency and density, enabling an output of 800 V. In addition, they feature an ON-resistance (R DS(on)) of 50 mΩ, a transient drain-to-source voltage of 850 V, an I DS,max of 30 A, and an I DSmax,pulse of 60 A.
“We are delighted to see industry leaders like Vitesco Technologies using our GaN devices and innovating with their applications,” said Johannes Schoiswohl, Senior Vice President & General Manager, GaN Systems Business Line Head at Infineon. “The ultimate value of GaN is demonstrated when it changes paradigms, as in this example of moving from a liquid-cooled system to an air-cooled system.”
With GaN Transistors, Vitesco Technologies was able to design its Gen5+ GaN Air DCDC converters with passive cooling, which reduces the system’s overall cost. The GaN devices also allow for simplified converter design and mechanical integration. As a result, the DCDC converters can be flexibly positioned in the vehicle, reducing the workload for manufacturers. The use of GaN also allows the power of the converters to be scaled up to 3.6 kW and the power density to be increased to over 4.2 kW/l. The Gen5+ GaN Air DCDC converters offer an efficiency of over 96 percent and improved thermal behavior compared to the Gen5 Liquid-Cooled converters. They provide a two-phase output of 248 A at 14.5 V continuous. The phases can be combined to achieve the maximum output power. Still, it is also possible to switch off one phase under partial load conditions and interleave the switching frequency between the two phases. In addition, by switching the input of two phases in series, the converters based on the CoolGaN power transistors 650 V can be used to implement 800 V architectures without exceeding the maximum blocking voltage of the device. The converters also feature an isolated half-bridge topology consisting of a GaN-based half-bridge, a fully isolated transformer, and an active rectifier unit for each phase.