Connectivity is increasingly driving adoption and proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs), thanks to their higher software content and electronic architecture. Vehicle connectivity and electrification are inherently discrete concepts, yet they complement and reinforce each other. While connectivity is indispensable for all new vehicles today, EVs simply cannot operate efficiently without it. Automakers are leveraging connectivity to constantly update EVs’ software and add new features and fun...

Currently, although battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are the frontrunners in the race of alternative propulsion methods, they also come with their own set of challenges ranging from issues related to range anxiety and longer battery-recharging time, to raw materials needed for batteries. Hydrogen as a fuel holds immense promise with its clean burning, high-energy density (gravimetric energy density of hydrogen when stored under high pressure or liquid form is about 120 MJ/kg, which is approximat...

General Motors (GM) announced the company’s next-generation advanced driver assistance system (ADAS)—Ultra Cruise—that is designed to ultimately enable hands-free driving in 95% of all driving scenarios. The Ultra Cruise will provide a 360° view of the vehicle through a unique sensor suite and will be launched on the Cadillac Celestiq, a company press release dated 9 March said. The destination-to-destination hands-free system will use more than just ...

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a conductive polymer coating—called HOS-PFM—that could enable longer-lasting, more powerful lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), according to a report in Science Daily, dated 7 March. "The advance opens up a new approach to developing EV batteries that are more affordable and easy to manufacture," said Gao Liu, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Energy Technologies Area. The HOS...

According to a company press release on 1 March, software company CARIAD has launched a new uniform application store in cars of the Volkswagen Group brands. Audi will be the first brand to integrate the store in selected models as of July 2023. In addition to exclusive apps from Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, and other brands, the store will give customers in-car access to content provided by third parties. CARIAD is working with HARMAN, a Samsung company, to create an open ecosys...

Light-emitting diode (LED) was first used as a light source in vehicles nearly four decades ago for center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) function in the 1984 GM Corvette sports car. At that time only red LED light was available, therefore it could be only used for certain rear lighting functions such as taillight and stop light. In the 1990s, lighting companies developed a green LED and a blue LED, which eventually made it possible to create full-color light displays. However, a major breakt...

According to a report by Just Auto dated 28 Ferbruary, engineers at Ford's European operations have discovered by conducting tests that heating surfaces in electric vehicles (EVs), like mats and door panels—rather than using HVAC—could help extend the range and reduce energy consumption. As compared with using HVAC, heat from which is more easily lost when windows or doors are opened. The heated surfaces were tested in an electric E-Transit van on delivery routes where drivers may open an...

Connected car highlights from CES 2023 The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 5–8 January. Organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the annual event has become one of the biggest electronics shows in the world since the first edition in 1967. Participants span across various industries and countries, including automakers, consumer electronics companies, and suppliers, all showcasing new and innovative products and technologies. Giv...

The automotive lighting supply industry further consolidated in 2022 leading to the emergence of a new player. In the first quarter, Plastic Omnium, a major supplier of automotive exterior systems, agreed to acquire the Automotive Lighting Systems (AMLS) business from AMS Osram. The French supplier claimed the acquisition offers significant synergies and value addition to its exterior body system business.  Plastic Omnium further strengthened its presence in automotive lighting when it e...

The CASE megatrends – connected, autonomous, shared and electric – in case you’ve not been paying attention, have been the hot topics of the automotive industry in the past decade. They’ve even given rise to talk of the industry in the whole as the mobility industry rather than the more prosaic automotive industry. But is the CASE narrative running into trouble? Hot on the heels of the news that Ford and VW were exiting their Argo AI autonomous driving technology venture came news out...

The biennial Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'Automobile in French) alternates with the Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2022 edition, which took place from 17–23 October 2022 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, returned in four years after the last one planned in March 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic. The 2022 edition of the show also indicated that automotive shows are becoming a diminishing affair. The list of no-shows included Stellantis’s Fiat, Maserati and Alfa-Romeo brands; VW and ...

The 2022 edition of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) featured a redesigned layout, with the main exhibits and many events indoors at Huntington Place, and other events outdoors in nearby Hart Plaza. Participation was limited this year, with hometown automakers—Ford, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis—carrying the show. Other major exhibitors were Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz. With many other big automakers and brands keeping away from the show, the ma...

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) announced via a press release on 19 July that its researchers had developed a new technology aimed at manufacturing high-performance aluminum components with lower production energy requirements. According to the press release, the new Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE™) technology is designed to eliminate heat treatment steps necessary for the production of high-performance alloys. Unlike the traditional method that require...

NODAR, a supplier of stereo vision technology for autonomous vehicles has announced that it has been awarded two additional U.S. patents for its non-rigid stereo vision system, which uses computer vision to automatically calibrate multiple cameras and produce 3D information required for autonomous vehicles to navigate, according to a report published by PRWeb on 6 July 2022. NODAR's long-range, high-resolution, camera-based sensors, when mounted separately, give 360-degree views of an AV...

With the Android Automotive Operating System (OS), Google is set to make the sharpest rise in the infotainment system space in the next five years. From its introduction in 2017 until now, the operating system has already been integrated in 13 vehicle models with many more to follow. The standout feature is Google Automotive Services (GAS). The GAS suite provides options for automakers to embed a series of services from Google, including Maps, Play Store, and Assistant. GAS are offered through a...

Swiss industrial machinery manufacturing company Bühler announced via a press release on 19 May that Swedish automaker Volvo had purchased two of its Carat 840 high-pressure die-casting (HPDC, or megacasting) cells for its factory in Torslanda, Sweden. The cell solutions being delivered will include the HPDC machines as well as the accessory melting furnace and material handling facilities. According to the press release, the Carat 840 HPDC with locking forces of up to 92,000 kN will...

Swedish automaker Volvo Cars announced that it had become the first carmaker to sign up to the SteelZero initiative aimed at increasing demand for carbon neutral steel to decarbonize the global steel industry. As per the company’s participation within the initiative, Volvo will only source 100% net-zero steel from 2050 and will commit to stringent carbon-based steel sourcing requirements by 2030. The company will ensure than 50% of the steel it will procure by 2030 will meet at least one of...

Chinese automaker BYD unveiled its new cell-to-body (CTB) structural battery technology on 20 May when it announced the release of its Seal series of electric vehicles (EVs). The new CTB technology is expected to allow cells of the battery to be integrated directly into the structure of the vehicle instead of into a dedicated pack first. The design will allow the top cover of the battery cover to serve as the vehicle body’s flooring. According to BYD, the new design will allow for a 100%...

Japan’s CHAdeMO association and India will collaborate to develop and establish electric-vehicle charging standard based on the Japanese protocols to reduce installation costs by two-thirds in emerging Asian markets, according to a report published by the news agency Nikkei on 7 May.   Under the partnership, Japan’s CHAdeMO association will assist India’s standards drafting committee, that include automakers such as Mahindra Electric and Maruti Suzuki. The group plans to submit a d...

JiDU, an electric car manufacturing company has disclosed some design details for its concept car's front and twin lidar autonomous driving system, according to a news report published by Pandaily on 18 April 2022. Two front-facing lidars are mounted on the front bonnet of the vehicle. The company's Software Integration Mule Car (SIMUCar) has been upgraded to version 2.0, and its autonomous driving system has been enhanced with lidar sensors that are combined with its high-level autonomous dr...

Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide has successfully completed the test of its robo-bus and robo-taxi autonomous driving in extreme climate environments, according to a press release on 24 March 2022. The company’s autonomous vehicles have been tested in Heihe, China at -25°C and Abu Dhabi at 45°C and both the cities are located in extremely cold and hot places on the earth. WeRide has encountered not only extreme weather but also complex road conditions and signific...

Chinese tech giant Huawei has received approval for a patent number CN114282597, new technology to combine two sensors, a camera device, and radar in the field of autonomous driving, according to a report published by Pandaily on 7 April 2022. Huawei's technology combines two sensors to obtain the obstacles around the vehicle and detect blind spots caused by the blind side of the camera or out of radar range. According to the report, Huawei has published 54 patents related to autonomous drivi...

Toyota Motor’s subsidiary company Woven Planet has planned to advance its autonomous vehicle research fleets using cost-effective camera sensors and eliminating the use of lidar sensors, according to a report published by Reuters on 6 April 2022. Reuters reports that Woven Planet has used low-cost cameras to collect data and train its self-driving system, a "breakthrough" that it hopes will lead to lower costs and increased scale. The company said that in order to develop a robust self-driv...

Luokung Technology, a leading Spatial-Temporal intelligent big data services company and provider of interactive location-based services and High Definition (HD) maps in China, announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Beijing Zhong Chuan Shi Xun Technology Limited, according to a press release published by Luokung on 29 March. The collaboration will strengthen data management system by leveraging on Hongda Jiutong's technological capabilities and Luokung's spatial-temporal big data pr...

Chery’s new research and development (R&D) center in China will focus on accelerating electric vehicle (EV), connected and autonomous technologies, according to a press release published by the Chinese automaker on 25 March. The new technology center is based on China (Anhui) New Energy and Intelligent Connected Vehicles Technology Development and Public Service Platform that aims to design and build vehicles of the future. Chery’s R&D center includes two main components: an incub...

Ford will deliver new Explorer without certain semiconductor chips resulting in the vehicle losing its rear heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controls and hence will be sold at a reduced price, Automotive News reported on 12 March. Consumers will be able to visit their dealership within a year to receive the necessary semiconductor chips to bring up offline features, according to the report.    Significance: A global chip crisis has impacted companies ranging from co...

BMW has revealed details of the new 7 series in the group’s annual conference ahead of the official premiere, according to a press release by the automaker on 16 March. BMW is expected to launch both i7 and 7series in April 2022. Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Development, said, "The new BMW 7 Series is absolutely trail-blazing in every respect. Like no other model, the BMW 7 Series stands for BMW's innovative strength. The all-electric BMW i7 is also the most ...

Bosch and Mercedes-Benz demonstrated an automated valet parking system at InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, according to an official press release on 20 March 2022. The demonstration uses the INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT within the Mercedes-Benz EQS and integrates operation with the smartphone app. Demonstrations were held at the InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles Hotel, an 889-room property located in the tallest building west of Chicago. EQS will be used to demonstrate automated valet par...

The Eclipse Foundation along with several industry majors announced the formation of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group to emphasize and on automotive innovation, according to a press release published by the foundation on 8 March. Partners supporting the open-source foundation include ETAS, Microsoft, ZF among others. The foundation through a “code first” approach, is expected to build one of industry’s first software stacks and related tooling functionality catering to...

Chinese manufacturer of automobiles and auto parts IAT Automobile Tech Co announced on 19 February that it was forming a joint venture (JV), Shenzhen Gecko Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., with three other companies, for the design and development of vehicle skateboard chassis systems. According to Gasgoo Autonews, the JV will have a registered capital of USD1.58 million, with the following companies having the following stake: IAT will contribute USD160,000 for a 10% stake IAT C...

CelLink, a Californian company that has developed a new wire harness to replace traditional wiring harnesses, has closed a USD250-million funding round backed by automotive companies and suppliers, including BMW iVentures, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH, 3M, and Lear.  CelLink says it offers a new way to connect battery cells and packs and transmit power and data to vehicle sensors, modules, and electronic control units (ECUs). The technology is claimed to reduce weight by u...

Power Integrations introduces two new AEC-Q100 qualified, 1700-volt rated ICs to its InnoSwitch 3-AQ portfolio, the company announced in a press release on 14 February. The new devices are industry’s first automotive dedicated switching power supply ICs.     Peter Vaughan, director of Automotive Business Development at Power Integrations, said, "800-V batteries are becoming standard for EVs. Multiple vehicle systems are connected to this powerful electrical source, yet delica...

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) began in 1967 and since then has become one of the biggest electronics shows in the world. The annual event is organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and sees participation from global automakers, consumer electronics giants, and suppliers. Despite being marred by physical cancelations from major companies including Harman, Continental, and BMW due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, CES 2022 saw participation from around 400,000 pe...

Spanish plastics developer Aimplas announces it is now accredited for emissions testing of materials using the 1 m cube chamber process, it said in a press release on 12 January. The testing includes for emissions from plastic materials used in vehicle interiors that rend to harm occupants in the long run from continued breathing in nonsustainable plastics.       Significance: According to Aimplas, laboratories in the facility were the first in Spain to attain internationa...

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an annual affair organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Since the first edition in 1967, the event has become one of the biggest electronics shows in the world with participation from global automakers, consumer electronics giants, and suppliers, showcasing new products and technologies. Despite being marred by physical cancelations from major players including Harman, Continental, and BMW due to an increase in the number of COVID-1...

Automotive rear lighting is undergoing a rapid transition to enable safer driving and enhance the look of a vehicle. Automakers are paying greater attention in designing the lighting system of their vehicles’ rear than ever before, given its growing importance in brand differentiation and personalization. In doing so, they are actively collaborating with their tier-1 suppliers from the early stage of their new model development. Rear lights include taillamps, brake lamps, reverse lamps, tur...

STMicroelectronics has introduced a world-first automotive satellite-navigation chip that delivers high-quality position data required by advanced driving systems, according to an official press release dated 16 November. The STA8135GA, which joins ST's Teseo V family, is the first automotive-qualified global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver to integrate a triple-band positioning measurement engine on-chip, in addition to standard multi-band position, velocity, and time (PVT) and d...

According to a press release published on PR Newswire on 15 November, IAR Systems announced the latest addition to its extensive list of microcontrollers (MCUs) supported by IAR Embedded Workbench for Arm. Support for NXP's S32K3 MCU family is now available. S32K3 MCUs are intended for use in developing body electronics, battery management, and zone and domain controllers. This enhanced MCU support will assist developers in optimizing application performance, maintaining high code quality, and a...

Cadence Design Systems announced the Cadence Safety Solution, a new offering targeting safety-critical applications with integrated analogue and digital safety flows and engines for faster ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 certification, in an official press release dated 19 October. Customers can perform FMEDA-driven analogue and digital verification of safety-critical semiconductors for advanced automotive, industrial, and aerospace applications using the solution, which includes a new failure modes, ef...

Alumobility’s technical study reveals that use of aluminum in the top hat structure can bring the overall weight down compared to steel, it said in a press release on 11 October. The study disclosed that fewer parts can be used in the construction. Alumobility in a conference for Automotive Circle’s annual EuroCarBody stated that the overall top hat aluminum structure provided a 42% weight advantage over the current Audi e-tron electric sport utility vehicle (SUV), which is built from (AH...

Since its inception in 1894, steering wheels have undergone an unending series of innovations. However, there are talks in the industry that they could soon become obsolete with the advent of autonomous vehicles. Today steering wheels have become stylish, thick, often flat-bottomed inspired from race cars, and assist in performing several other tasks than to just ‘steer’ the vehicle. The multifunction steering wheels of today can answer a call, change the speed of cruise control, and change ...

Lighting is becoming the new chrome. It is made possible by use of light-emitting diode (LED) light sources and related optics, which are unlocking new opportunities for design. Light-based applications in cars no longer fulfill only functional tasks, but are also increasingly becoming elementary components of design. Ambient lighting helps amplify the design language, contours key elements of the car interior and reinforces brand identity. The functional role of interior lighting has grown from...

Design trends within the automotive industry undoubtedly spread across the industry like a wildfire, and this can certainly be applied to illuminated grilles and logos as well. Exterior lighting other than headlamps and taillamps is increasingly being used to differentiate vehicles and as a style statement. Presently, lighting such as grille and logo illumination is mostly being used in premium vehicles, including the D-segment and above. The key function of the grille is to provide a gateway fo...

Floor consoles are an indispensable part of modern passenger vehicles. They occupy the space between the front seats of the vehicle and have many utilities and functionalities. The floor console design can be as simple as just providing an enclosure for the gear shifter and parking brake or as complex as having storage bins with armrests that can slide. These days, floor consoles accompany the instrument panels combining the most functional appearance (storage compartments) with ambient lighting...

Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd (SMM) has verified that nickel and cobalt from secondary batteries such as the used lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can be reused as a raw material for cathode material of these batteries through recovery and purification process, the company said in a press release on 16 August. The company said in a statement on Monday that it has developed an innovative recycling process which enables recovery of valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and coppe...

According to a press release issued by Continental Mobility on 11 August, driver assistance systems and automated driving are gaining popularity worldwide. People in China and Japan, in particular, are already open to the benefits of automated driving, whereas people in Germany, France, and the United States are still on the fence. The majority of respondents in Germany, France, and the US indicated that they would be hesitant to hand over control of the wheel to technology. In each of t...

IHS Markit expects to see projection solutions in most of the vehicles in some shape or form in the long term. However, this is possible only when suppliers offer scalable solutions for each car segment. After speaking to a few key suppliers in the area (including Texas Instruments and Osram Continental) regarding this issue, IHS Markit expects majority of the vehicles to feature projection solutions in the long term, starting with static ones, then gradually offering dynamic ones. Scalable s...

The rapid evolution of dashboards is one of the most exciting and visible areas of advancement in automotive technology. A dashboard is a control panel that is located directly ahead of a vehicle's driver, displaying instrumentation and controls. Dashboards also allow drivers to control their car with the turn of a knob and the push of a button. Furthermore, modern digital dashboards also feature infot...

According to an official press release dated 21 July, Terranet, a developer of self-driving car technology, announced that its 3D motion awareness technology, VoxelFlow, has achieved industry-leading latency numbers. Terranet successfully demonstrated VoxelFlow's potential integration with Mercedes-real-time Benz's map streaming technology LiveMap in a joint presentation with Mercedes-Benz, as well as demonstrating VoxelFlow's unrivalled reaction time in a Mercedes-Maybach Benz's S-Class Conf...

Mobileye, an Intel company, has added New York City to its expanding global autonomous vehicle testing program, according to a press release published on The Verge on 20 July. The company's entry into New York City—North America's largest city and one of the world's most difficult driving environments— demonstrates the vast capabilities of its autonomous vehicle technology. Professor Amnon Shashua, SVP of Intel and president and CEO of Mobileye, says: “Driving in complex urban...

Algolux, a globally recognized computer vision software company, has been selected to participate in the AI-SEE project led by Mercedes Benz AG to ensure safe driving in low visibility conditions, according to an official press release on their website dated 21 July. Dr. Werner Ritter, Consortium Lead, Mercedes Benz AG: "Algolux is one of the few companies in the world that is well versed in the end-to-end deep neural networks that are needed to decouple the underlying hardware from our appli...

According to an official press release dated 13 July, BMW Group has launched a quantum computing challenge in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), encouraging researchers and startups to submit innovative quantum algorithms to address specific industrial challenges. BMW stated that it had identified 50 application areas in which quantum computing could be used to benefit the company in the future. It will concentrate on four key areas: sensor optimization for autonomous driving,...

Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone has announced that it is using the Virtual Tyre Development technology for its tires. According to a press release issued by Bridgestone on 17 June, this method allows it to create lighter, more sustainable, and more efficient tyres, in addition to streamlining the tire development process itself, cutting development time, lowering raw materials use, and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Using the proprietary Virtual Tyre Devel...

According to a press release published on Business Wire on 12 July, AEye, the global leader in adaptive, high-performance lidar solutions, announced that its lidar sensor, which is already known for its extreme long-range capabilities, has reached yet another milestone: 1,000-meter range in rain, behind the windshield glass. The test was conducted at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) test track in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the results were confirmed by VSI Labs, an active safety an...

Winbond Electronics Corporation, a leading global supplier of semiconductor memory solutions, announced today the official confirmation that its HyperRAM and SpiStack (NOR+NAND) can be operated with Renesas's RZ/A2M Arm-based microprocessors (MPUs), according to a press release on PRNewswire dated 8 July. Customers of the RZ/A2M can take advantage of Winbond's long-term supply of various types of external memory, such as DRAM, NOR flash, and NAND flash, which are currently in use in embedded ...

A study with self-driving delivery vehicles and pedestrians has conducted in the parking garage of the central Gothenburg shopping center Nordstan, according to a press release on Cision News dated 7 July. This has been investigated by the research project GLAD (Goods delivery during the Last mile with Autonomous Driving vehicles). The GLAD project aims to investigate and create knowledge about trust and acceptance for self-driving delivery vehicles in Sweden. The project is funded by the Swe...

According to a Reuters press release dated 2 July, BMW warned that a chip shortage that has plagued the automotive industry may result in additional lost production, that it showed no signs of abating, and supply would remain tight in the second half of the year. The German automaker’s production was halted at various sites, either on a daily or individual shift basis, resulting in a loss of around 30,000 units so far this year, according to BMW production board member Milan Nedeljkovi...

According to a press release published on PR Newswire on June 24, Peachtree Corners announced that Brodmann17 is the first company to add its technology to Curiosity Lab's Level 3 autonomous test vehicle. Brodmann17 will continue to develop and test its cutting-edge software-only perception technology for assisted driving in real-world scenarios. "We're proud to be one of the first innovators to have added our technology to Peachtree Corners' and Curiosity Lab's autonomous technology developm...

As per press release on Bloomberg dated 22 June, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said in an interview for Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum. “The car becomes so different when it’s driving autonomously.” Volkswagen AG is undergoing the world's largest industrial transformation for the electric-vehicle age, with plans for a half-dozen battery plants in Europe alone, as well as retooling assembly lines worldwide. Nonetheless, its CEO believes that self-driving technology will cause an even ...

Today, a number of ways are available to relieve the strain for drivers and provide comfort driving for long distances. To achieve enhanced seat comfort, one of the ways is via massage seats, however, seat massage systems continue to be a niche comfort feature and a vital contributor to the overall premium image of a vehicle. Seat massage makes use of either electronically actuated mechanisms (electromechanical systems, which actuates the existing four-way power lumbar in a way that provides ...

Volkswagen’s premium car unit Audi has deployed artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor its supply chain and other areas for sustainability, the company said in a press release on 17 June. Started off as a pilot project in October 2020, Audi’s AI tools serve as digital early warning radar for the supply chain, ensure greater transparency, monitors feeds in 50 languages spoken across 150 countries and overlooks social issues, environment, and cybercrime. The carmaker said it has outline...

Electric vehicle (EV) battery technology firm Enevate said on 16 June that the company has developed XFC-Energy technology, which can cut down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from manufacturing batteries by up to 27%. The company said that its trade-marked XFC-Energy technology fetch said results when compared with the current conventional lithium-ion EV batteries across lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxides (NCA) and nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC) compositions. “These accomplishment...

Michigan-based automotive supplier BorgWarner Inc. aims to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035, the company said in its 2021 Sustainability Report released on June 15. Redrawing its targets to become carbon neutral by 2035, BorgWarner has extended its goal to reduce carbon emissions relative to sales from 2015 to 2030 by 50 percent and energy use relative to sales by 37%. It managed to achieve 17% reduction in its scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity ...

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are light-emitting panels made from organic (carbon-based) materials that emit light when excited by a current. OLEDs can be used in taillights and interior lighting, delivering a homogeneous light. When used in taillamps, in each unit, two electrodes—at least one of which is transparent—incorporate various extremely thin layers of organic semiconductor materials. OLED lighting has immense potential, but its high cost of production remains a big challeng...

Huawei Technologies plans to develop driverless passenger car technology by 2025, according to a press release on Reuters dated 11 June, as the world's largest telecommunications equipment company diversifies its business in the face of US sanctions. “Our team’s goal is to reach true driverless passenger cars in 2025,” a senior executive at Huawei’s smart vehicle unit, told an industry conference. Significance: Numerous startups, automakers, and huge technology compa...

The 2020 Premium Audio Consumer Study asked more than 2,000 participants around the world questions regarding audio features and technology to understand consumer sentiment toward feature desirability, willingness to pay, and general interest in the respective technologies. Results indicated sound technology like surround sound, 3D sound, and active noise cancellation were most important and features that respondents were most willing to pay for. The Sony brand was most recognized as an audio br...

As per Reuters press release on 26 May, Tesla continues to favor camera-based Autopilot for its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in North America starting in May. Tesla shared a blog post to further clarify about Tesla Vision and what it means for its Autopilot feature. It said, "We are continuing the transition to Tesla Vision, our camera-based Autopilot system. Beginning with deliveries in May 2021, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built for the North American market will no longer be equipped with...

Automotive interior design will continue to be driven by efficiency, lightweight, comfort, and safety. The interiors are getting more complex day by day and their designs are required to meet various safety regulations, material compliance, weight reduction requirements, and higher noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance. Ultimately, the removal of the need for a driver (with the advent of autonomous vehicles) means these vehicles are likely to be oriented in a face-to-face layout eithe...

LEDs, which are efficient and cost effective, are the dominating light source when it comes to automotive lighting applications. Another interesting technology that developed slowly is the laser light. At present, laser lights are mainly used for high-beam applications in conjunction with some other lighting technologies, usually LEDs. The laser technology is quite expensive, so its market is niche. Laser is seen in premium vehicles and is generally available as an optional feature. Laser hea...

In response to the global semiconductor shortage, Ford Motor is redesigning automotive components to use more accessible chips, Jim Farley, chief executive, said on 13 May at Ford's online annual shareholder meeting. He also said the company is weighing other strategies for the future, including building a buffer supply of chips and signing supply deals directly with the foundries that make the wafers used in semiconductors. Farley said that about 60% of the chips used in Ford's vehicles are ...

In a May 10 press release LG Electronics announced via their website that its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) front camera had obtained ISO 26262 certification from TÜV Rheinland, a global test and certification agency in Germany. LG Electronics has become the first company to receive certification on a key self-driving component from TÜV Rheinland. “Our organization is extremely happy and blessed to be LG’s partner in this kind of project, as LG is one of the most success...

Israeli startup StoreDot has announced that it has been approved, together with the Israeli Electric Company (IEC), by NASA to conduct the first space-based research and development program into new battery materials. According to a press release issued by StoreDot on 5 May, the company stated that its extreme fast charging (XFC) technology will undergo two weeks of rigorous testing in zero gravity conditions in February 2022. In a specially devised experiment, coin cells of StoreDot’s sili...

AImotive announced on company website on 1 May that its aiSim simulator has been certified to TCL 3 according to ISO 26262:2018 by TÜV-Nord, claiming to be the world’s first ISO26262 certified comprehensive automated driving simulator for the development of automated driving solutions. By relying on its in-house developed simulation tool, Almotive has created a unique continuous integration—continuous delivery software development pipeline for safety critical automated driving softw...

Today in France, Renault CEO Luca de Meo and the Renault brand shared a few images of the Mégane E-TECH electric hatchback, including an Android-focused center stack, at its “Renault Talk” event, according to a company press release on 6 May. The company also released the picture of the logo as it will appear on the back of the Mégane E-TECH Electric. Significance: The Electric Mégane E-TECH Electric was revealed as a gorgeous “evision” prototype in October 2020 as a show car, and ...

Arriver has started to optimize and deploy state-of-the-art next-generation software for visual perception and drive policy on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride Platform. Arriver is porting the Drive Policy software to the Snapdragon Ride Platform with Lane Support System (LSS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) as initial functionalities, with more being added at a rapid pace. “This is a first proof-point of our scalable platform approach for deployment ...

The Mobility House (TMH) has a new add-on module called “grid-friendly charging” for its ChargePilot energy management system as per the press release on company’s website dated 4 May. TMH says the feature enables grid operators to intelligently control multiple charging stations and help charge point operators save money. Additionally, operators of the charging infrastructure would benefit from reduced grid usage fees from EUR60 to 120 per year and per charging point As part of the ...

Volkswagen of America, Inc. has come out with the results of a survey it conducted of 1,000 sport utility vehicle (SUV) owners and 500 SUV shoppers. The company announced the results in a press release on 22 April, according to which, while most of them had not driven an electric vehicle (EV), they are more interested than they were a year ago. Six in ten shoppers in the market for an SUV said they would consider an EV, while four in five say more EVs on the roads can help the environmen...

The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has licensed its award-winning artificial intelligence software system, the Multinode Evolutionary Neural Networks for Deep Learning (MENNDL), to General Motors (GM) for use in vehicle technology and design, according to the company's website on 28 April. This is the first commercial license for MENNDL and the first artificial intelligence (AI) technology to be commercially licensed from ORNL. “MENNDL leverages compu...

Automotive seats are an important part of a vehicle as it provides comfort to the passengers and the driver. Consumers expect the vehicle cabin to be cooled or heated rapidly to a comfortable temperature, which was conventionally achieved using heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. However, with advancements in HVAC system technology, heated/cooled seats are also being offered to pr...

Light projection can be used to transform a vehicle and its surroundings. Not only does light have the ability to increase safety and functionality but it also offers manufacturers the ability to differentiate their vehicles with lighting design and create customizable driving experiences. Nowadays, a number of cars, mostly premium, are offering what is called projection lighting. Such technology can be used for light carpets, for instance,&...

Magna enters a new era in its sustainability journey with its announcement to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2025 in Europe and by 2030 globally. “While sustainability has long been ingrained in Magna’s culture, this decade will be our most decisive yet as we accelerate our efforts to protect the planet for future generations,” said Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri. “We believe achieving carbon neutrality is both a social responsibility and a business imperative in the fight a...

MARELLI will be present for the first time at Auto Shanghai 2021 since its integration of Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli in 2019, according to 21 April. The company will exhibit e-Axle from its Electric Powertrain business unit, which integrates the e-Motor, inverter, and gearbox into one component. “Stators, rotors, e-Motors, inverters, and battery management systems with distributed architecture are also on display at the booth.” In addition to the electrification products, MA...

NVIDIA unveiled the next generation of AI compute for autonomous vehicles, NVIDIA DRIVE Atlan in a news press on 20 April. It can perform 1,000 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of performance, and an estimated SPECint score of more than 100 (SPECrate2017_int)—greater than the total compute in most robotaxis. Atlan is a technical marvel for safe and secure AI computing, fusing all of NVIDIA’s technologies in AI, automotive, robotics, safety, and BlueField data centers. Significa...

Vayyar Imaging, a global leader in 4D imaging radar, announced in a company blog post dated 19 April, that it became the world's first and only company to comply with in-cabin radio frequency standards worldwide, after receiving the FCC waiver for operation of 60 GHz radar inside US vehicles The tier-2 supplier's globally approved reference design is also EU ETSI-compliant and JP TELEC-certified, making it the first universal 60 GHz in-cabin solution on a single SKU. Significance: The...

WeRide, the mainland Chinese autonomous vehicle startup has received a permit to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in San Jose, California. Backed by Nissan, Renault, Mitsubishi, the company is also testing its autonomous vehicles in mainland China’s southern city of Guangzhou. WeRide is the first startup in the world holding autonomous test permits in both mainland China and the United States. Significance: Automakers and technology firms are investing billions of dolla...

Ford unveiled BlueCruise, a hands-free highway driving system that is SAE Level 2 driver-assist technology, similar with Tesla Autopilot.  Via over-the-air software updates, BlueCruise will be offered later this year on the 2021 F-150 and the 2021 Mustang Mach-E models equipped with the available Ford Co-Pilot360™ Active 2.0 Prep Package. Beyond the 2021 F-150 and the 2021 Mustang Mach-E, additional Ford vehicles will also receive BlueCruise hands-free driving technology, while cu...

High-tech company Optodot Corporation, Boston, MA, United States, has added a cutting-edge US patent to its portfolio of more than 90 pending and issued battery patents worldwide. This new patent titled “Methods of Producing Batteries Using Anode Metal Depositions Directly on Nanoporous Separators," was issued on 16 March, as U.S. Patent No. 10,950,837. This new IP is directed to Optodot’s NanoPore Electrode Coated Separator (ECS) technology, defining an advanced design and manufacturin...

Automotive human-machine interface (HMI) is evolving amid a growing focus on connectivity and automated driving in new vehicles. These days, automakers are offering new vehicles with multiple options through which drivers or passengers can give commands to get a function done. While switches and knobs are present in the car since the first one was produced over 100 years ago, modern vehicles also feature touchscreens, touchpads, voice assistants, haptics, and gesture control, which are used freq...

Seat belts, along with airbags, are the most effective occupant safety systems that reduce the severity of injuries in the event of high-impact crashes. Seat belts secure occupants of a vehicle against harmful movement during a collision or a sudden braking. According to data by Insurance Institutes of Highway Safety (IIHS), seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in the United States in 2017. IIHS estimates that for drivers and front passengers, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by ...

Earlier in March, Volkswagen, and Japan-based automotive components supplier, NSK, formed a partnership between their steering divisions to further the level of innovation in automotive steering technology. Today, even with a commoditized component such as the steering system, automakers and suppliers are collaborating to create advanced technologies. This push to innovate even among considerably mundane chassis components comes from a place of futureproofing. The global automotive industry is g...

Volkswagen (VW) expects 50% of its vehicles sold in Mainland China to be electric by 2030, according to a report by China Daily. This is part of VW's ACCELARATE strategy. The brand will be unveiling at least one EV per year to reach its new electrification goal. Significance: Volkswagen launched ACCELARATE strategy on 5 March to increase digitalization, new business models, and autonomous driving. Apart from e-mobility, ACCELARATE also highlights software integration and digital experience as...

The US-based electric vehicle (EV) startup Fisker Inc has decided to abandon its plans of developing solid-state batteries for its cars, The Verge reported on 26 February citing the founder of Fisler Inc, Henrik Fisker. “It’s the kind of technology where, when you feel like you’re 90% there, you’re almost there, until you realize the last 10% is much more difficult than the first 90. So we have completely dropped solid-state batteries at this point in time because we just don’t see it ...

Faradion has partnered with Phillips 66 to develop advanced anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, the company announced in a press release on 25 February. The new anode material is claimed to be lower in cost and offer higher performance. “This agreement brings together Phillips 66’s strengths in hard-carbon anode material and Faradion’s sodium-ion technology for a high-performance, sustainable next-generation energy storage technology. Our aim is to further accelerate large-scale indu...

One of the key arguments that proponents of highly automated vehicles have been making over the past 10 years is that such vehicles will deliver unparalleled level of safety and drastically reduce traffic crashes. Such vehicles will be mostly driven by their autonomous driving system, which will be able to tackle driving situations more efficiently than human drivers, thereby reducing the possibility of accidents and contributing to safer mobility. Companies developing autonomous vehicles are...

Automakers have been offering head-up displays (HUDs) that project key driving information such as speed, turn-by-turn navigation, and warning signals on a vehicle’s windshield or onto a transparent panel in the direct vision of the driver for over 30 years. However, the system has seen rapid market penetration in the last 10 years. Originally designed for military aircraft, HUD systems reduce drivers’ distractions by helping them to focus on driving without the need to look at their vehi...