In connected car news this week were NVIDIA, Tesla, Volvo, Nuro, HyreCar, Lyfts, Quanergy and Infineon.
NVIDIA Ready to Help Tesla
NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC reporters that if Telsa’s plan to switch to AI chips developed in-house do not work out, he will be happy to help out.
New Mobility for Cox
Cox Automotive is bringing together its investments and solutions supporting the future of mobility with the formation of a new business division: Mobility Solutions Group. For years, Cox Automotive has been investing in technology and services that position the organization to deliver advanced fleet management solutions and support evolving consumer mobility. The new business division, which is focused in part on mobility as a service, will house these solutions and investments, as well as newly-acquired Clutch Technologies, a technology platform powering subscription access for the automotive industry.
New Polestar Torque Upgrade
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has introduced a new Polestar-developed software upgrade that increases torque distribution to the rear wheels of Volvo cars equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD), for more dynamic driving.
The optimisation software, developed by Volvo Car Group’s new electric performance brand Polestar, increases the amount and frequency of torque distributed to the rear wheels, improving steering with enhanced turn-in, better control and engagement when cornering, and improved traction when pulling away, delivering a more engaging drive.
Kroger & Nuro
The Kroger Co. and Nuro announced Scottsdale, Arizona as the city for their self-driving grocery delivery pilot.
Earlier this summer, Kroger, America’s largest supermarket retailer, and Nuro, maker of the world’s first driverless delivery vehicle, announced a partnership to begin testing grocery delivery using Nuro’s robots. Through the new self-driving delivery vehicles, customers will receive their groceries at their curb – safely and quickly. The fee for delivery is $5.95
HyreCar Rideshare Program for Dealers Expands
HyreCar Inc. the carsharing marketplace for ridesharing, announced that it is expanding its unique car dealer focused “path to ownership” program with car dealerships in six cities throughout the United States, potentially adding upwards of 500 vehicles to the platform. Rideshare drivers are now able to rent and drive-to-own vehicles that are listed on the HyreCar platform by participating dealers.
HyreCar’s aim is to meet an overwhelming dealer demand to enter the mobility as a service (MaaS) industry throughout the U.S. The HyreCar-DriveItAway alliance is now executing a unique dealer program that gives participating dealers the opportunity to offer vehicles to new ridesharing drivers for temporary use, as a means to generate funds towards a down payment for vehicle ownership.
In cooperation with a national ridesharing company, HyreCar’s partner DriveItAway is installing customized sign-up kiosks inside participating dealerships, where potential rideshare drivers can apply to drive. Once approved, drivers can participate in the “Drive for your Down Payment” program. With this program, new driver candidates are provided a temporary vehicle by the dealership, through the HyreCar dealership platform, to raise money through rideshare driving, for a down payment to buy the vehicle of their choice, regardless of past credit history.
Faraday Future in China
Evergrande Health, that invested $2 billion in EV startup Faraday Future, reportedly took over the Chinese operations of the electric vehicle startup.
Lyfts for Car Dealers through Fortellis
Lyft and CDK Global , a leading enabler of end-to-end automotive commerce, announced they are partnering to provide auto dealers with a state-of-the-art customer transportation solution. The solution, which integrates directly into dealer workflows, is designed to reduce a significant area of cost for dealers while improving the customer experience.
By integrating Lyft’s Concierge web-based ride-dispatching platform with the CDK Dealer Management System (DMS) through the revolutionary Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange™ platform, dealer service departments will be able to easily dispatch Lyft rides directly from their service application.
While hundreds of dealerships leverage Concierge to dispatch Lyft rides for their service customers today, this marks the first time the Lyft API has been integrated directly into a DMS for seamless access.
SpotHero Partners with BCD Travel
SpotHero for Business, North America’s leading corporate parking reservation service, and BCD Travel, a top global travel management company, today announced a partnership at the Global Business Travel Association Convention 2018.
The new partnership integrates SpotHero for Business’ parking solution with BCD Travel’s SolutionSource, a marketplace of authorized technology partners, and TripSource a trip management platform. As of today, SpotHero for Business now appears in SolutionSource, which means BCD clients can work with their account managers to set up parking expense management in a few simple steps, giving travelers an easy way to find, book, and save on parking. SpotHero for Business will be available in the TripSource mobile app in the next phase of development.
Parking has been a long-overlooked category of travel management expenses. Now through SpotHero for Business’ tech-enabled solution, travel management companies can reduce the cost of corporate parking for businesses and travelers.//
C&K Launches New Switches
C&K, one of the world’s most trusted brands of high-quality electromechanical switches, today launched its new KSC PF switch, aimed at giving designers a next-generation switch solution that is compact yet resilient to water ingress – and made to be potting friendly.
Designers of applications in the automotive and medical device industries often need to ensure that the switches and components they use can withstand harsh environments – including liquids that could leak in during everyday use, or during the after-use cleaning process, that could irreparably damage the products. The KSC PF switch is the first in the industry to be constructed to meet the size and performance requirements of products with small surface areas, while also withstanding harsh elements such as liquid and vibration.
Quanergy Warranty
Quanergy Systems Inc., a global leader in the design and development of LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions, announced that it will offer two-year standard warranty on its best-in-class mechanical M8 LiDAR sensor sold worldwide. The new warranty highlights Quanergy’s commitment to world-class LiDAR sensors, and applies to all M8 sensor orders placed and shipped on or after August 7, 2018.
C&K’s KSC PF soft actuator tactile switch combines a compact SMT form factor (6.2 x 6.2 x 5.2mm) with a potting-friendly extended cage, which improves potting level tolerance, enables faster production and increases quality. Potting is often necessary to ensure complete protection even when a sealed switch is used – but potting levels are typically difficult to control in production. In addition, the traditional method of using a flat switch top risks the possibility of the potting compound moving inward and blocking the actuator. By incorporating an extended cage, this issue is avoided.
The M8 has broad application potential, ranging from transportation and industrial automation to 3D mapping, robotics and perimeter security. In January, Quanergy announced the M8’s use in Cisco’s Connected Roadway Initiative, which aims to use smart city technology to improve traffic flow and ensure pedestrian and vehicle safety. Recently IP69K certified, the sensor has also passed many stringent requirements for automotive use including ISO 16750 automotive system qualification.
Infineon Tech & JD Partner for IoT
Infineon Technologies and JD group have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at creating an efficient and secured smart IoT (Internet of Things) ecosystem accelerating towards the vision of smart life. The two companies will combine Infineon’s leading technology expertise in the semiconductor solution field and the local market insight and network of JD, China´s largest online retailer.
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