ADAS and AD

Connected car: car manufacturers caught between high-tech and hurdles

Connected vehicles offer more safety, comfort and efficiency and are an important component of the mobility of the future - according to the promises of the automotive industry. However, the realization of this vision requires far more than the further development of vehicles. The hurdles that manufacturers have to face range from connectivity, cyber security and data protection to infotainment. The right alliances are crucial in order to fully exploit the potential of connected vehicles and not reduce them to mere means of transportation due to a lack of connectivity.

Wi-Fi at the heart of the connected car

Wireless communication is an important cornerstone in the evolution of automotive technology. The rapidly increasing volumes of data generated by applications such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) systems are driving innovation in wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular. The increasing demands of the connected car have been met with a series of specialized releases, from       Wi-Fi 5 to       Wi-Fi 6 and 6      E to the soon-to-be-released Wi-Fi 7 technology. With each of these leaps, bandwidth, data throughput and efficiency increased. This article looks at the evolution of Wi-Fi in the automotive industry and shows how developers can get the most out of the new releases.

Software Defined Car

Complete digital twin as a system-of-systems for software-defined vehicles

Traditional methods for the development of hardware and software in the automotive industry will no longer be sufficient in the future. The software-defined vehicle (SDV) is already here, but the development processes in the automotive industry are still firmly anchored in the past. Today's vehicle already uses 100 million lines of software code, and this number will increase exponentially for the SDV. This high speed of new developments, the increasing complexity of ADAS and SDV and the introduction of zone architectures for the age of autonomous vehicles pose an enormous challenge. A complete digital twin enables OEMs and other players in the automotive industry to break away from the traditional linear design flow.

Software-defined storage solutions for the automotive industry

Automotive companies are facing major challenges in order to keep up with the competition for the mobility of the future. These not only concern the technology in the vehicle, but also the information technology behind it and, in particular, the enormous amounts of data that are generated and processed during development. Automotive companies therefore need storage solutions that are flexible and scalable, do not exceed the budget and do not place an additional burden on their own IT department. Software-defined storage solutions, which combine the advantages of open source systems with those of supported enterprise software, are proving to be suitable for this.

Systems: Optoelectronic

OLED touch displays redefine user interfaces in vehicles

For buyers of new cars, the size and number of displays is the first indication of a vehicle's technical content and innovation. The screen size is becoming the new performance feature in the purchase decision. Regardless of the type of engine - internal combustion, hybrid or electric - the size of the display influences the perception of the vehicle's capabilities. This article highlights the factors driving the increasing use of OLED displays in vehicles.

Electromobility: Looking at China

Joint European approach for the e-mobility sector

China is pushing into the European market with its brands and expertise. Not least since BYD from Shenzhen announced that it would be building its own fleet of container ships to transport its cars to Europe more cost-effectively, European competitors in the e-mobility sector have become increasingly alarmed. But how can China actually score points and what arguments does Europe have against it? In the USA and Canada, there are already examples of a collaborative approach in the industry that could also be used in Europe - IONNA. The project shows how several companies can work together as an alliance and position themselves strongly.

Battery cell production: "With, not against China!" formula for success

Global awareness of the relevance of the energy and transportation transition to curb climate change is finally growing. This is causing the electrification market to boom, making it hotly contested and consequently fast-moving. Internationally, especially in China and Asia as a whole, new players are constantly emerging. It is important to have the courage to take risks, especially when it comes to new technological approaches. In terms of both speed and courage, we can still learn a lot from countries like China. The question should not be: "How do we outdo China?", but rather: "What can we learn from China?".