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Audi increases budget for ‘electromobility,’ other sustainable mobility
Audi AG says it is pushing ahead in its transformation to a provider of networked and sustainable premium mobility, with about half of its total budget for 2021 to 2025 of about €35 billion, or some €17 billion, allocated to those areas. “Technological leadership in electric-powered and fully networked driving is the aim of the supervisory board and management board,” said Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Audi AG. Those sums take into account VW Group synergies. For example, development and implementation of electric platforms takes place across group brands. Audi and Porsche are developing the premium platform electric (PPE), and Audi uses group technology of the MEB modular electrification platform. For the implementation of Roadmap E, a €15 billion total will be split €10 billion for electromobility (full electric) and €5 billion to hybridization. By 2025, Audi will expand its e-portfolio to about 30 models, of which about 20 will be powered entirely by electric batteries. For “digitalization” and software, Audi also benefits from group cooperation. Software development by the group’s Car.Software organization now led by Audi CEO Markus Duesmann combines and extends the group’s knowhow. The software unit is creating a unified operating system that includes development of automated driving functions. “We are not cutting back on the substance of products and are giving full priority to expenditure on electromobility and software development,” reinforced Duesmann.
Hispano Suiza reveals sportier Carmen Boulogne
Boutique manufacturer Hispano Suiza, owned by the Peralada Group, has launched a second model, a sportier evolution of its Carmen. The Carmen Boulogne is a fully electric hypercar designed, developed, and manufactured in Barcelona, Spain, of which only five will be made. The Boulogne name dates back to 1921, when Hispano Suiza made a racing version of its high-performance H6 Coupé for the George Boillot Cup, an endurance race around the French city of Boulogne it won from 1921 to 1923. The new car delivers 820 kW and 1600 Nm (1180 lbft) for acceleration of 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 2.6 s and an electronically limited maximum speed of 290 km/h (180 mph). It weighs 60 kg (132 lb) less than the Carmen at 1630 kg (2998 lb) thanks to the optimization of structural elements such as the suspension, carbon-fiber subframe, new CNC parts, and a carbon fiber roof. Powered comes from four permanent-magnet synchronous motors, two on each rear wheel, controlled through vectoring systems developed with Formula E expertise. The design, engineering, and production was aided by QEV Technologies, a company specializing in the development of electric motors and motorsports. The car’s 80-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, designed and produced in-house, provide a driving range of up to 400 km (248 mi). A capacity of more than 80 kW DC means the car can be CCS2 fast-charged from 30-80% capacity in only 30 min. Carmen Boulogne pricing starts at €1.65 million and its handmade production requires about 12 months. Only five Carmen Boulognes will be built, joining just 14 units of the Carmen, with the first units to be delivered in 2022.
Sono Motors partners with Team Rosberg Engineering on chassis development
Solar mobility provider Sono Motors has announced it is cooperating with Team Rosberg Engineering (TRE) GmbH for the development, simulation, and production of a suspension and chassis system for its Sion electric car. The companies are joining forces throughout the development process, from the design and simulation of components and the manufacturing of a functional prototype chassis, to the development of the series-production chassis system. They are particularly focused on the design of a safe and robust subframe that provides crash safety while meeting the installation space requirements of the solar-powered Sion. Founded by Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg, TRE—a joint venture with IAV GmbH—is leveraging its expertise from motorsports for the development of passenger vehicles. It has been advising Sono since 2018 on a suitable axle concept for the series vehicle. “With a German supplier, we have short delivery distances and short delivery times,” said Jona Christians, Cofounder and CEO of Germany-based Sono Motors. Nico Rosberg, TRE shareholder and son of the founder Keke Rosberg, added that “as a sustainability entrepreneur, it is a particular concern of mine to contribute our expertise to the development of Sono Motors’ Sion and to further develop the future of alternative mobility concepts.” TRE CEO Eckardt Döhrer reinforced that TRE’s more than 20 years of experience in chassis development would aid the Sion’s development and “help shape technological progress in future-oriented mobility concepts.” The Sion is planned to enter production in 2022. For more on Sono, visit www.sonomotors.com/de/story.html/.
DTS says its world’s first occupant monitoring solution designed into 2021 vehicles
DTS, which made its name as a leader in audio, but also specializes in imaging and sensing technology and owned by Xperi Holding Corp., says its AutoSense will be the world’s first occupancy-monitoring solution (OMS) to be designed into passenger vehicles. Projected to be on the road in 2021, the system is designed to improve the safety and in-cabin experience of vehicle occupants. It is said to be effective even if occupants are masked, and includes child-seat detection, child-presence detection, occupant detection, emotion detection, and passenger authentication. And it includes a driver-monitoring solution (DMS). “The increasing level of automation in vehicles and upcoming vehicle safety mandates in Europe, as well as three recent proposed U.S. congressional vehicle safety acts, highlight the growing importance of increasing a vehicle’s sensitivity to both driver and occupants to prevent distracted driving, impaired driving and the possibility of leaving a child or pet in a hot car,” said Jeff Jury, Xperi SVP and General Manager, Automotive. AutoSense is designed to work in all driving conditions, is platform-agnostic, and offers automakers a solution for these potential dangers as well as with complex occupant sensing technology that is right in the sweet spot of anticipated mandates for autonomous vehicle production. It uses a single camera and leverages the company’s image-processing and artificial-intelligence experience to sense, in real time, the presence of occupants and objects. The technology can also enable personalization of infotainment recommendations.
Integrity Security Services and Unex collaborate on secure V2X communications
V2X (vehicle-to-everything) system provider Unex and Integrity Security Services (ISS), the embedded security solution subsidiary of Green Hills Software, have announced a partnership to focus on ensuring that vehicles and roadside equipment can reliably exchange authenticated messages. With V2X emerging as a key component in the rise of connected and autonomous vehicles, security issues are primary concerns. For example, hackers may tamper with or send fake messages, such attacks including fake red-light violations and traffic chaos attacks, which might lead to traffic jams and crashes. The ISS Certificate Management Service for securely delivering V2X and C2X digital certificates is said to be the only security credential management system (SCMS) purpose built to be secure and scale to meet the needs of today’s largest transportation fleets, networks, and ecosystems. It enables Unex’s V2Xcast service-oriented architecture to manage bootstrapping, enrolment, and acquisition of certificates and send protected messages. “ISS’s expertise in V2X PKI benefits Unex to deliver secure, reliable, two-way authenticated messages among vehicles and roadside equipment,” said JY Ou, Unex VP R&D. “This partnership provides pre-integrated, secure intelligent transportation elements allowing for safer, smarter urban mobility networks,” added David Sequino, ISS Co-Founder & CEO.
CNXMotion brake-to-steer technology enhances safety for highly automated driving
Leveraging building blocks from its parent companies Nexteer Automotive and Continental, CNXMotion has developed BtS (brake-to-steer) technology for an additional layer of directional control for highly automated and autonomous vehicles. For those applications, steering systems feature multiple protective layers to ensure a steering safety net. BtS uses the brake system to steer the vehicle while simultaneously controlling its speed. In a fully autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel, the technology will negotiate a commanded path until a safe pull-over can be achieved. It offers a cost-effective way for automakers to achieve safety needs by leveraging the existing braking and steering systems. “As we progress toward higher levels of automation in vehicles, secondary, and tertiary redundancy becomes crucial in executing successful minimum risk maneuvers,” said Hiren Desai, Head of Strategy, Autonomous Mobility and Safety, Continental North America. Cross-domain functionalities such as BtS are enabled by, and housed on, existing hardware, like Continental’s MKCx brake-by-wire systems, eliminating the need for additional, costly components. “While steering traditionally manages the lateral control of a vehicle, BtS enables braking to contribute to lateral control as well,” said Robin Milavec, Senior Vice President, Executive Board Director, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer, Nexteer Automotive. Originally developed for steering redundancy in Level 4+ autonomy, the feature can be adapted to assist a driver in multiple scenarios for lower levels while a driver is still present.
New IDTechEx study finds 3D LiDAR market at tipping point
A comprehensive assessment by the experts at IDTechEx of 3D LiDAR (light detection and ranging), with a focus on the automotive sector, reveals that, while the market has expanded, the next few years will prove crucial for all stakeholders. LiDAR is an optical perception technology that uses laser light to map objects and landscapes, producing a three-dimensional point cloud of targets. When it is used in conjunction with other sensor technologies and artificial intelligence, GPS, and/or neural networks, it assists the driver or even allows vehicles to navigate without a human driver. The report, “Lidar 2020-2030: Technologies, Players, Markets and Forecasts,” provides an analysis of more than 100 key players in the global market, and of the technologies and forces likely to shape that market in the next decade. The firms range from founders such as Velodyne, established producers like Luminar and AEye, Tier 1 automotive suppliers including Valeo and Magna, to startups. It concludes that, while each manufacturer claims to offer a unique and innovative product, in practice the landscape is cluttered. The authors explain the options available and determine their relative complexity and likely impacts on product development and positioning. They also consider how various markets for lidar are likely to develop in the short and long terms. To find out more, visit www.IDTechEx.com/Lidar.
