Autonomy

On Sept. 15, Arm announced a new direction in its IP and technology portfolio to address the transformation of the automotive industry whose center of gravity is rapidly moving toward software, rather than hardware, components.

It appears evident that open-software platforms are of strategic import for the new mobility era. This role is evident not only from different bodies and companies investing in them, but also the effect on regional interests that are characterizing the automotive industry lately, with counterposing economic powers trying to dominate.

Ford’s BlueCruise is a strong addition to the Level 2+ driver assistance sector, scoring a solid “B” in performance and promising more reliable hands-free driving in more locations as the technology evolves.

There has been industry chatter the adoption of Google operating systems is making the GENIVI Alliance unnecessary, but even Google sources say that’s not true.

Ultra Cruise is designed to cover 95% of driving situations and ultimately will be mapped to more than 3.4 million miles in the U.S. and Canada. It will take the driver hands-free from their suburban home’s driveway to the center of town.

Developers and investors are pumping billions of dollars into lidar technology for the chance to score big in this nascent market.  Early adopters getting a jump on the competition with partnerships and production.

Old-school gearheads who love talking about high-performance tires, fuel injectors and transmissions may cringe at the term, but there’s no turning back: The companies famous for making high-performance tires, fuel injectors and transmissions – Continental, Bosch and ZF – are talking about software now, as well as sexy terms such as “middleware.”

Developers and investors are pumping billions of dollars into lidar technology for the chance to score big in this nascent market.  Early adopters getting a jump on the competition with partnerships and production.

The VCSEL-based sensors pick out some tough-to-see objects at some fairly long distances, including a black car more than 150 m away.

Billions of dollars of investment and development are paying off as major robotaxi companies plan to launch commercial ride-hailing services over the next three years.

Autonomous vehicles use AI running on powerful processors to make sense of sensor data to perceive the world around them and chart a safe path to the destination.

Zoox CFO Ilan Hart and Bruce Baumgartner, Vice President of Procurement & Strategic Partnerships, discuss their company, their technology and the future of personal transportation in urban areas.

Next-generation E/E architectures will create new business models for automakers and suppliers. But a Wards Intelligence survey shows few see themselves as pacesetters, and there’s some uncertainty about where the best monetization opportunities are. The massive change in operations, and the associated costs, will put constraints on the timeframe and depth of the changes in infrastructure and vehicle architectures that OEMs will be able to address.