Autonomy

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.

Sean Harrington describes the Optimus Ride strategy of operating low-speed geofenced autonomous shuttles to reduce costs for communities, provide a shorter wait time than current public transportation and reduce vehicle miles traveled, pollution and traffic congestion.

A quick overview of the autonomous vehicle sector, what it is, why it’s taking so long, where we are now and what’s coming next.

Ford, Argo AI and Lyft are working together to begin commercialization of autonomous Ford Escape Hybrids for ride hailing at scale through the Lyft network by the end of 2021.

Makers of autonomous vehicles are using development tools from leading providers such as Argo AI, Baidu, NVIDIA and Waymo as well as skateboard platforms from Canoo and Coast Autonomous to speed up production.

A consequence of a software defined environment, driven by data, is that process digitalization and model engineering are becoming essential assets at various levels in the automotive industry: from the vehicles to OEMs´ back-end and the mobility infrastructure.

Sensors provide data about the surroundings so AVs can safely share the roads with others and navigate a dynamic environment reliably without the need for driver intervention.

Self-driving vehicles take data from sensors and use it to interpret the surrounding environment.  AI software determines the current situation and location, then controls the speed and plots a path to the target destination.

AVs from GM, Cruise, Audi, Honda, Toyota and Baidu are beginning to trickle out of factories, as the self-driving dream starts to become a reality.  Development time, lagging regulations, varying safety requirements, rare edge cases, and sensor issues are challenges to this emerging industry.

Lately, cybersecurity has dramatically grown in importance in the automotive industry, although in Wards´ opinion it has not been properly addressed yet. In the past 5 years, the several “accidents,” where hackers have been able to take full, or partial, control of vehicles´ functions, are an evident and worrying indicator.

Baidu is aggressively developing a range of AV technologies and businesses including the Apollo Navigation Pilot ADAS platform, a robotaxi fleet based on its Apollo Level 4 platform, OEM sales of EVs in partnership with Geely, and a V2X infrastructure platform called Apollo Air.

Glenn Sanders, Principal Analyst-Autonomous Vehicles at Wards Intelligence, will cut through the hype on where the industry stands with autonomous-vehicle development and the likely path ahead for commercialization, and Luca DeAmbroggi, Chief Analyst-Technologies and E/E Architectures at Wards Intelligence will discuss the transformation to the Software Defined Vehicle that’s required to make it all happen.