In connected car news are Lucid Motors, Lighting Motors, FIC, XPERI, Panasonic, Chevy, Nippon Seiki, TomTom, Silentium, Nuvoton, Ietris and Hella.
Lucid Motors in Palm Beach Florida
Lucid Motors maker of advanced luxury EVs, announced the opening of its newest retail location in South Florida – the Lucid Studio in West Palm Beach at Rosemary Square – on Saturday, January 23. This location is the sixth in a network of Lucid Studios that will grow to 20 locations across the United States by the end of the year. All Lucid Studios are designed to give customers the opportunity to experience Lucid’s advanced electric vehicle technology and reserve their own Lucid Air all-electric sedan.
Lightning eMotors Expands the Charge
Lightning eMotors (“Lightning eMotors” or the “Company”), a leading provider of commercial electric vehicles for fleets, today announced it is expanding to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles from commercial and government fleets.
Three and a half years ago, Lightning eMotors moved its headquarters, manufacturing, and research and development into the nearly one-million-square-foot campus that was formerly used by Hewlett-Packard/Agilent in southwest Loveland, Colorado. Early last year, the company took over the entire building on the campus located at Southwest 14th Street and Taft Avenue, expanding its square footage from 45,000 to 124,000. Now it is adding another 107,000 square feet in an adjacent building, for a total of 231,000 square feet of space for its operations. Lightning has first right of acceptance on more than 500,000 square feet of additional manufacturing space if it determines customer demand requires the additional space.
The New space will be used for manufacturing and development around advanced motorcoach electrification and fuel cell electric vehicles of all classes.
Automation, CNC laser-cutting and powder-coating equipment added, accelerating production, reducing costs, and increasing reliability versus outsourcing.
FIC FCLBS 4 AR HUD
In recent years, FIC (First International Computer) group focuses its core business in automotive electronic design, especially for car manufacturers and Tier 1, Tier 2 suppliers. After years of efforts, FIC has successfully developed full color laser beam scanning (FCLBS) technology for AR HUD product; and in early 2021, FIC was awarded as the CES 2021 Innovation Honoree. Mr. Alex Dee, the vice president of automotive electronic R&D department of FIC group, said: “many of the HUD products out there in the market today are built by applying TFT or DLP technology, and most of them will reduce the display clarity due to the influence of natural light, which will cause the driver’s eyes to be tired easily and the projected images become blur in some way. FCLBS technology is mainly designed to prevent from direct sunlight affecting the projected images, and through the automatic sensing system to detect environment light source and automatically adjust the projection brightness during driving. It gives drivers the most comfortable, clearest and safest imaging effect from any weather while driving.
DTS’s Xperi ISO9001
DTS, a global leader in next-generation audio, imaging and sensing technology, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: XPER) (“Xperi”), announced that Xperi’s FotoNation subsidiary in Romania has achieved ISO9001 Certification. FotoNation is responsible for developing the DTS AutoSenseTM camera-based Occupancy and Driver Monitoring solutions.
ISO9001 certification is the world’s most popular management system standard. The standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, leadership, process approach, and continual improvement. Using ISO 9001 helps ensure that customers receive consistent, good-quality products and services.1
Panasonic HUD Crosses Over to Nissan Rogue
The large-screen HUD (Head-Up Display) developed by Automotive Company, Panasonic Corporation is installed in a new model crossover SUV, the Rogue (released for the North American market in October 2020) from Nissan Motor Corporation (hereinafter Nissan).
The HUD is a system which presents a variety of information such as vehicle speed, navigation instructions, and ProPILOT*1 driver assist information in the driver’s line of sight by projecting it on the windshield. Since the display is projected near the center of driver’s field of view, it reduces the burden on the driver by reducing eye movements and enhances the smooth interaction between driver and system.
- *1 ProPILOT: Driver assistance technology for highway use in single-lane traffic developed by Nissan Motor Corporation
With its expertise in optical technologies acquired through development of digital cameras, Panasonic has applied the high precision free-form mirror and the high-intensity PGU (Picture Generation Unit) to the HUD, successfully providing a large, bright, sharp screen with minimal distortion (field of view: 7 degrees × 3 degrees).
Panasonic’s HUD uses a high precision free-form mirror to which the company applied its lens design and molding technologies originally developed for digital cameras. This minimizes the HUD unit while allowing projection of a low-distortion image on the large screen in the limited space in the vehicle.
Panasonic’s proprietary backlight design for the HUD, which was developed based on the lighting technology for LCDs, provides the drivers with a clear image even under conditions that might have made it difficult to see the display, such as under direct sunlight or while wearing sunglasses.
Panasonic strives to take a leading position in the field of HUDs, which are expected to see widespread use in the future. Leveraging the strength of the development and delivery of HUDs, Panasonic will contribute to the creation of safe, secure, and comfortable driving environments.
Chevy Bolt EUV & EV Premiers @ Disney World Bubble
Realizing the dream of an all-electric future will require more than just technology — it’s about having the desire, imagination and ingenuity to build a better tomorrow. As Chevrolet takes the next steps on its journey to a zero-emissions future, the brand is teaming up with Walt Disney World® to reveal the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Bolt EV and show how magic can take place when the imagination is electrified. Join Chevrolet on Sunday, Feb. 14 to watch the journey unfold.
The 2022 Bolt EUV and Bolt EV will be available this summer.
ON Semi ILS for RSL SoC
ON Semiconductor, driving energy efficient innovations, announced the availability of the Intelligent Locating System™ for the RSL10, the industry’s lowest power Flash-based Bluetooth® Low Energy radio System on Chip (SoC). Provided in a user-friendly CMSIS-Pack format, the solution allows manufacturers to design ultra-low-power indoor asset tracking applications with Direction Finding features and advanced Angle of Arrival (AoA) technology.
The Quuppa Intelligent Locating System is a powerful technology platform for location-based services and applications. Its unique Direction Finding methodology and positioning algorithms enable real-time tracking of tags and devices, with centimeter-level accuracy even in challenging environments. Quuppa technology allows positioning updates to be sent up to 50 times per second, providing a reliable and versatile Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) solution for all industries.
The RSL10 Quuppa AoA RTLS Tag CMSIS Pack is available as part of a comprehensive asset management development ecosystem from ON Semiconductor and technology partners. Designed to provide manufacturers with flexible deployment options, the ecosystem features a range of RSL10-based solutions including sensor development kits and software resources. For turnkey solutions, ON Semiconductor has collaborated with Tatwah sa to develop a portfolio of Bluetooth tags and beacons including the recently-added Quuppa Trackable Tags.
Nippon Seiki’s HUD in Porsche Taycan
Porsche’s long-awaited electric luxury sports car – known as the “Taycan” – launched in January 2020 to worldwide acclaim. With incredible acceleration, precise handling, and styling that both advances and retains Porsche’s signature look, the Taycan quickly set new benchmarks in performance, safety, and immersive driving.
One distinctive feature of the Taycan that was brought into June option this year is a windshield head-up display (HUD), which projects relevant and important information directly in the driver’s field of vision. To create this groundbreaking HUD projector and bring it to market within a short timeframe, Porsche collaborated with Nippon Seiki, one of the world’s leading automotive HUD suppliers.
Nippon Seiki selected EB GUIDE from Elektrobit (EB) to provide a suitable tool for HUDs software and graphical framework. As Nippon Seiki already had several years of positive experience creating advanced cluster instruments with EB GUIDE – an award-winning HMI development toolchain from EB – it quickly became the preferred tool to realize the HMI for the Porsche HUD.
TomTom Joins Autoware Foundation
TomTom, the leading independent location technology specialist, today announced that it has joined the Autoware Foundation. Autoware is a non-profit organization supporting open-source projects that accelerate the development of autonomous driving technology.
TomTom will support the Autoware Foundation by creating a turnkey open-source interface to TomTom AutoStream. This will enable users and developers of Autoware to scale their applications by accessing TomTom’s global coverage of high definition maps. AutoStream is an innovative map delivery service that automatically streams the latest map to the car in real-time, ensuring automated vehicles drive with up-to-date map content.
Silentium Cancels Road Noise for Hyundai Mobis
Silentium is ramping up global rollout of its Active Road Noise Cancellation (ARNC) technology after being selected by global automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis as its preferred ARNC software provider. Silentium offers proven broad-band ARNC across an unprecedented spectrum of frequencies – from 20Hz up to 1kHz.
By collaborating with Hyundai Mobis, Silentium is now working with several tier one automotive suppliers, and with some in production programmes for global OEMs. Three production models equipped with Silentium’s ARNC technology have already been released to the market.
After several years in development, Jaguar and Land Rover were the first carmakers to announce integration of Silentium’s ARNC software in three of their new vehicles in October 2020. Having signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year, Silentium and Hyundai Mobis are now collaborating on a global vehicle production programme for an unnamed brand, with more automotive projects in the pipeline.
Active Road Noise Cancellation (ARNC) has become more than a luxury in automotive – health-focused consumers now demand products that prioritise occupant safety and wellbeing. Removing unwanted noise and creating a more pleasant acoustic environment will become a point of brand differentiation for car brands.
Silentium’s technology also offers vehicle manufacturers a way to reduce their reliance on costly passive noise damping and insulation materials, and reduce vehicle weight – an increasingly important R&D factor as the industry enters a new era of electro-mobility.
Silentium’s ARNC is similar to that found in a pair of high-end noise-cancelling headphones, but more advanced as it manipulates a larger amount of air. Up to six strategically positioned accelerometers on a vehicle’s chassis monitor unwanted road noise and send a signal to an on-board control unit with Silentium’s software, which plays an equivalent anti-noise signal through the vehicle’s speaker system. The pressure waves from both the unwanted exterior noise and manufactured anti-noise reach occupants’ eardrums at exactly the same time and cancel each other out.
Nuvoton & Green Hills Software
Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan, a leading maker of semiconductors for automotive HMI applications, and Green Hills Software, the worldwide leader in embedded safety and security, announced today the immediate availability of Green Hills Software’s INTEGRITY® real-time operating system solution for the Nuvoton Gerda® family of automotive SoCs (system-on-chips). The combined solution is a cost-optimized platform for OEMs and Tier 1s to build safe and secure, high-performance instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and e-mirrors.
Good functional safety begins with unassailable security, and with the approaching UNECE WP.29 cybersecurity management system requirements, Green Hills Software is uniquely positioned to provide the best-in-class solution for both ISO 26262 automotive functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434 automotive cybersecurity with its INTEGRITY RTOS and development tools.
Peter Mertens, automotive industry veteran and investor, has participated in a pre-seed investment of the Israeli start-up V-HOLA Labs (VHOLA) and joined its board. The start-up develops solutions for measuring, monitoring and reducing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in fully or hybrid electric vehicles. EMR is becoming a growing health concern as the automotive industry speeds towards electrification. VHOLA’s technology brings two types of solutions. One is an aftermarket vehicles’ radiation detector which will measure and record the cabin’s electromagnetic field levels, helping Fleet managers to analyze their vehicles behavior over time, targeting B2B such as school buses fleet at first. The second is an integrated solution implemented at vehicle’s design, helping OEMs in preventing harmful radiation peaks by regulating the energy flow and EMR throughout the vehicle’s lifetime. The core technology is patent pending.
Iteris Launches VantageCare
Iteris, Inc. the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management, today announced that it has launched VantageCare™, a new managed service for smart mobility infrastructures operated by state and local transportation agencies.
VantageCare is a software-enabled smart mobility infrastructure managed service that utilizes process virtualization to continuously and proactively monitor intersections and arterials that are equipped with Iteris’ advanced detection sensor systems.
Transportation agencies using Iteris’ VantageCare to augment their existing traffic management operations will receive data-driven analysis and management reports to improve performance at key signalized intersections equipped with Iteris detection technology. The solution helps agencies proactively identify and address a variety of opportunities to optimize detection.
VantageCare is a key component of Iteris’ ClearMobility™ Platform, the most complete solution for continuously monitoring, visualizing and optimizing mobility infrastructure around the world to help ensure that roads are safe, travel is efficient, and communities thrive. The ClearMobility Platform applies cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to achieve safe, efficient and sustainable mobility.
New Hell Of A Light from Hella –Hella Flatlight
Smaller, more efficient, better: The miniaturisation trend is also unstoppable in the automotive industry because it reduces installation space and weight and thus ultimately saves energy. “In addition, a car must have character and emotional appeal above all,” says Dr. Frank Huber, who as HELLA Managing Director is responsible for the lighting division. “Manufacturers are therefore looking for new design options more than ever. This is why the lighting and electronics specialist is launching HELLA FlatLight technologies, a new lighting innovation for rear combination lamps that combines functionality and design.
The HELLA FlatLight concept takes styling, function and performance to a new level. This is made possible by an innovative light guide concept which is based on micro-optics. These optical lenses are smaller than a grain of salt. The optics, which are only a few micrometers in size, allow the diffraction properties of light to be exploited. “This will fundamentally change light signatures as we have known them,” says Dr. Huber.
Another major advantage of the new concept is that less energy is required compared to other technologies. Thus, only one watt is required to reproduce all tail light functionalities. Direction indicator, brake and tail light can be implemented in just one optical element. Until now, individual chambers were necessary for this. In addition, multi-colour combinations, such as those required for tail light/direction indicator or daytime running light/direction indicator, are also possible in just one element. In addition, the shape of the individual optical elements can be freely designed. Complex welcome and farewell scenarios can not only be designed via the HELLA software interface, but also implemented directly. In addition, fonts, logos and other graphics can be added.
The structure of the HELLA FlatLight, which is only a few millimetres thin, offers greater design freedom. The implementation with micro-optics (FlatLight µMX) is only one possibility to build the rear combination lamp. Depending on the customer’s wishes and requirements, other technologies can also be used, such as nanoparticles. These enable, for example, three-dimensionally curved optical elements that can follow a vehicle contour even better and thus lead, among other things, to a reduction in installation space and weight savings.
HELLA has been successfully driving technical development in the rear combination lamp sector for decades. In 2001, the company integrated the first LED light guide rods into headlamps and rear combination lamps and has continued to develop the technology. HELLA is now setting a further milestone with the FlatLight approach. The company is currently intensely discussing this with customers and planning to bring the new technology to market within the next three years. The first variants of this lighting innovation have already been released for series production.