Connected Car News: BMW, RunSafe Security, Zubie, Hexagon, eSync Alliance, ASAM, Asahi Kasei & ROHM

In connected car news are BMW, RunSafe Security, Zubie, Hexagon, eSync Alliance, ASAM, Asahi Kasei and ROHM.

BMW Invests in RunSafe Security

BMW i Ventures t announced its participation in a $12 million Series B funding round for RunSafe Security, a leading cybersecurity firm specializing in software immunization. The investment round was led by Critical Ventures and SineWave Venture Partners and also includes Working Lab Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, HyperLink Ventures, Iron Gate Ventures, Alsop Louie Partners, and NextGen Venture Partners.

RunSafe Security, known for its patented process that protects software from cyberattacks without disrupting developer operations, will utilize the funding to accelerate product development and expand its market reach in EMEA and APAC. The company’s success is evident in its remarkable growth, with back-to-back years of tripling annualized revenue and its solutions have been adopted by industry leaders across various sectors, including aerospace, defense, and energy.

Kasper Sage, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures, stated, “Memory attacks pose an increasing threat to embedded systems within connected devices. RunSafe’s cybersecurity technology immunizes memory-based systems from unknown vulnerabilities and future attacks. BMW i Ventures is committed to advancing safety and security measures across the automotive supply chain and beyond and is excited to partner with Joe and the RunSafe team to support their mission.”

“This investment round will enable us to accelerate our efforts in delivering innovative solutions that protect critical systems from cyber attacks, without the need for extensive code rewrites,” said RunSafe CEO, Joe Saunders.

“RunSafe’s products have been adopted by industry leaders such as Vertiv, Schneider Electric, and GE Aviation, as well as esteemed branches of the U.S. military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force,” added Saunders. “With the expansion of the RunSafe Security Platform, we solidified our position as cybersecurity crusaders, offering automated solutions for SBOM generation, vulnerability identification, and exploit prevention and remediation for embedded software deployed throughout critical infrastructure.”

This investment further solidifies BMW i Ventures’ position as a key player in driving innovation and security within the automotive industry and beyond.

Zubie Connects to Toyota Data Solutions

Zubie, a leading provider in fleet telematics solutions, proudly announces its agreement with Toyota’s commercial vehicle connectivity platform, Toyota Data Solutions. This collaboration marks a significant step in redefining how businesses utilize vehicle data for enhanced fleet management.

The collaboration leverages Toyota’s advanced connectivity platform, offering a suite of class-leading services, including real-time vehicle insights, which align with Zubie’s mission of streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency.

Zubie Direct Connect™ emerges from this collaboration as a groundbreaking service. It provides seamless integration with Toyota Data Solutions, enabling real-time access to essential data like location, fuel level, tire pressure, and odometer readings of participating Toyota vehicles.  This software-based solution requires no hardware installation, offering important vehicle diagnostic information at a competitive price point.

Zubie’s intuitive platform, renowned for its custom reporting and fleet management capabilities, complements Toyota’s advanced technology, providing participating customers with safety, security, and efficiency in fleet management.  The partnership promises scalable and adaptable solutions, meeting the evolving needs of businesses in the digital age.

This agreement between Zubie and Toyota is not just a step forward but a leap towards the future of intelligent commercial fleet management

New Flame Retardant Fabric for Thermal Runaway Protection Lastan

The Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei is introducing a new material solution for enhanced EV battery safety. A flame-retardant and highly flexible nonwoven fabric, LASTAN™ is an outstanding alternative to conventional materials for thermal runaway protection. It can be utilized in top covers, busbar protection sleeves, and other applications within the EV battery pack.

Although electric vehicles are becoming more common worldwide, battery safety is still a major concern for many car users. According to the latest “Asahi Kasei Automotive Consumer Survey,” 34% of non-EV owners in China see improved safety as a primary consideration in buying an electric vehicle. Against this background, global OEMs seek to further raise the safety of EV batteries, and the market for materials to prevent thermal runaway is expected to grow by some 15% annually from 2024 onward, with even further expansion of demand in the future (IDTechEX: “Fire Protection Materials for Electric Vehicle Batteries 2024–2034”).

In this context, there is increasing demand for materials in EV battery cover applications having excellent resistance against flames and particle blasts, as well as good electrical insulation properties. While mineral-based materials are generally used as protection against thermal runaway at present, such materials tend to be heavy and brittle. Being stiff, these materials are difficult to adapt to complex shapes, making processability an issue for automotive OEMs.

LASTAN™ is a non-mineral flame-resistant fabric made by air baking a special acrylic fiber at 200–300°C. It is characterized by high flame resistance and good electrical insulation, which are further improved by a special coating process that also augments abrasion resistance. This allows the material to provide effective protection against particle bombardment from venting gas. With these exceptional characteristics, LASTAN™ has been used for many years as an optimal material for failure prevention and safety in various industries.

Withstanding 1,300°C flames and impact of 200–500 µm particles
Even when a 1,300°C flame is applied, the temperature on the opposite side of LASTAN™ remains below 400°C. While a “limiting oxygen index” (LOI) value of 27 or higher is generally considered to indicate flame retardance, this material has an LOI value of 50 or higher. In UL94 flame retardance testing, LASTAN™ has obtained the highest rating of 5VA. No holes are formed in LASTAN™ even when it is exposed to a flame of 1,300°C for one minute.

In addition to its high flame resistance, LASTAN™ is resistant to high-pressure impact by particles of 200–500 µm. It also provides electrical insulating capacity of up to 3.5 kV at a thickness of 1 mm. LASTAN™ also features outstanding processability, being highly flexible while maintaining its performance characteristics in sheets as thin as 0.8 mm. This makes it easily processed with ordinary tools, contributing to a simplified manufacturing process.

Having integrated production of LASTAN™ currently in Japan, Asahi Kasei is considering production in the United States and other countries in the future. The company will exhibit the new LASTAN™ grade at the North American Battery Show from October 7 to 10, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan.

Hexagon New CAS with 4D Radar

Hexagon, the global leader in digital reality solutions, announced  the newest generation of its advanced Hexagon Collision Avoidance System (CAS), now supporting 4D radar technology, enhanced insights, and interoperability with the Hexagon Personal Alert tagging system. The significant upgrade positions Hexagon CAS as the most advanced collision prevention system on the market.

The upgraded CAS has already been installed in 15,000 vehicles around the globe. Its standout feature is inclusion of advanced 4D radar technology, which enables vehicle-to-object detection and vehicle-to-vehicle alarming in GNSS-denied areas. GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) depends on the use of satellites, and there are areas of mining operations where satellite reception is inaccessible or unreliable. The 4D radar enablement in Hexagon CAS means the select customers who have installed the updated system as part of its initial release now have the capability to help prevent collisions in these challenging areas.

At the same time, Hexagon is introducing CAS Insights—a robust insights platform available for use with CAS—which offers customisable, filterable reports that pinpoint the unique collision-risk issues faced at the customer’s site. CAS Insights provides timely information about device health and identifies high-risk event areas, enabling operations to make targeted interventions for refining their processes and infrastructure to avoid vehicle collisions.

Lastly, the upgraded Hexagon CAS now includes interoperability with the Hexagon Personal Alert system. Personal Alert uses ultra-wideband technology for vehicle-to-person protection. Together with CAS and the award-winning Hexagon Operator Alertness System (OAS), it provides a critical additional layer of safety.

The advanced Hexagon CAS system, already recognised for its simple installation and accurate alarming, retains its EMESRT Level 7 and 8 compliant vehicle-to-vehicle alarms while offering a scalable pathway for safety upgrades to Level 9 protection.

“Our commitment to creating a zero-harm mining environment is at the heart of everything we do, because the most important thing to come out of any mine is the miner,” says James Dampney, Vice President Resource Optimisation and Material Movement at Hexagon. “The enhanced CAS system and its interoperability with other Hexagon safety solutions will provide our customers with the monitoring, interventions and actionable intelligence they need to ensure not only the protection of people working on their sites but also the efficiency and sustainability of their operations. It represents another significant stride towards safer, smarter mining.”

eSync Alliance & ASAM MOU to Explore  OTA SOVD

The eSync Alliance and the Association for Standardization of Automation and Measuring Systems (ASAM) have today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will explore how the respective organizations’ technology could facilitate over-the-air (OTA) service-oriented vehicle diagnostics (SOVD).

The MOU will see the eSync Alliance and ASAM collaborate in the creation of a technical whitepaper that theorizes how the eSync Alliance’s standardized specification for OTA data exchange can support remote access of ASAM’s API standard for diagnostics in software-defined vehicles. The outcome of the whitepaper will then be taken forward to develop a proof-of-concept demonstration of remote diagnostics using eSync Alliance and ASAM technology.

The standard ASAM SOVD simplifies how we diagnose issues with modern, software-driven vehicles. Typically, vehicle diagnostics has been focused on hardware faults, with limited digital communication achieved through the OBD-II port. However, as computing power in automotive applications increases, it’s vital that automakers and the aftermarket have the tools to effectively diagnose software problems.
Developed to address these challenges, ASAM SOVD provides a unified way to access and diagnose both new and traditional vehicle systems. One of the key benefits of ASAM SOVD is that it’s flexible and can be used for everything from simple hardware checks to complex software updates, without needing separate tools or protocols.

A bi-directional eSync OTA data pipeline standard developed specifically for the automotive industry, eSync technology, when combined with that of ASAM, could create a single uniform approach to facilitating remote vehicle diagnostics in all in-vehicle devices. The eSync OTA solution enables updates to be shared effortlessly to every part of a vehicle, as well as allowing performance and diagnostic data to be recovered.

A cornerstone of eSync’s continued growth is the eSync Alliance, a non-profit trade organization that unites automakers and Tier-1 suppliers to collaborate on creating and validating its OTA standard. Members of the eSync Alliance actively contribute to the development of the specifications, leading to system development that is faster, more reliable, and more cost-effective across the entire supply chain.

ROHM N-channel MOSFETs

ROHM has released N-channel MOSFETs – RF9x120BKFRA / RQ3xxx0BxFRA / RD3x0xxBKHRB – featuring low ON-resistance ideal for a variety of automotive applications, including motors for doors and seat positioning, as well as LED headlights. Sales have begun with 10 models across 3 package types, with plans to expand the lineup in the future.

The automotive sector is seeing a surge in the number of electronic components, driven by the demand for enhanced safety and convenience. At the same time, there is a pressing need for improved power efficiency to optimize fuel and electricity consumption. Especially for MOSFETs essential for switching applications in automotive systems, there is a growing requirement for lower ON resistance to minimize loss and heat generation.

ROHM, which has been supplying low ON-resistance MOSFETs for consumer and industrial equipment, has now extended this technology to the automotive sector. Adapting cutting-edge medium voltage processes to meet the stringent reliability requirements of automotive products allowed us to develop 10 N-channel MOSFET models characterized by low ON resistance.

Offered in voltage ratings of 40V, 60V, and 100V, the new products incorporate a split-gate structure to achieve low ON-resistance, contributing to higher efficiency operation in automotive applications. All models are qualified under the AEC-Q101 automotive reliability standard, guaranteeing exceptional high reliability.

Users can select from among three package types, depending on the application. For space-constrained sets like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), the compact DFN2020Y7LSAA (2.0mm × 2.0mm) and HSMT8AG (3.3mm × 3.3mm) packages are ideal. For automotive power applications, the widely used TO-252 (DPAK) package (6.6mm × 10.0mm) is also available. In addition, ROHM has further enhanced mounting reliability by utilizing wettable flank technology for the DFN2020Y7LSAA package and gull-wing leads for the TO-252 package.

Going forward, ROHM plans to expand its lineup of medium-voltage N-channel MOSFETs to provide even greater miniaturization and higher efficiency in automotive applications. Mass production of the DFN3333 (3.3mm × 3.3mm) and HPLF5060 (5.0mm × 6.0mm) packages is scheduled for October 2024, followed by 80V products in 2025. P-channel products are also scheduled for future release.