Intelligence

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.

“Cockpit of the future” stirs images of giant pillar-to-pillar screens and lavish immersive user experiences. Those are coming in ultra-premium luxury EVs as soon as this year, but in the world of high-volume personal vehicles and commercial trucks, there will be many different cockpits of the future, delineated by purpose, segments and price. Many won’t have screens at all; they will be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

A top LG North American executive talks chemistries, materials, recalls and cost in a wide-ranging interview.

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.

The charging software and services provider owned by oil giant Shell sees more and faster charging in the future, as well as a healthy fleet business materializing.

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.

The U.S.’s second-largest fast-charging network after Tesla continues to grow, with a recently announced plan to double its charger count. Meanwhile, EA is finding the process to install infrastructure is getting easier and hoping the Biden infrastructure plan rewards its work.

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.

Is the ICE age over? Not so fast. Despite the sudden urgency to develop and sell battery-electric vehicles, internal-combustion-engine-powered light vehicles aren’t going away any time soon. During this monumental shift in automotive propulsion, automakers and their suppliers are pulling out the stops to reduce emissions and squeeze ever more efficiency out of ICEs as the century-old technology evolves in the age of electrification.