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automotive

Magna to showcase electrification, autonomy and smart mobility at CES 2019

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Magna is heading to CES 2019 in Las Vegas on 8-11 January 2019 with an all-new exhibit showcasing the company’s future vision of how electrification, autonomy and smart mobility intersect.

From a full range of electrified powertrain configurations to demonstrating how flexible cabin space will better meet both driver and passenger needs, the ‘Welcome to Mobility’ booth shows Magna’s future destination, where ‘Mobility is Technology’.

Reconfigurable seating will play a large role in smart mobility solutions of the future.

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Bosch presents tomorrow’s mobility today

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Bosch will present its new concept of shuttle at The Consumer Electronics Show CES 2019 in Las Vegas on January 8-11.

A light, airy, minimalistic design, a futuristic outer shell made of display screens and glass, and a spacious interior – the description of a new class of vehicle and a new kind of mobility: driverless electric shuttles that glide almost silently through city centres and are seamlessly connected with their environment.

These may soon be a common sight on our city streets. Bosch provides components and systems for automating, connecting, and electrifying the shuttles, but shuttle mobility won’t be possible without mobility services.

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Johnson Controls and Toshiba partner on dual batteries for cars

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Johnson Controls Power Solutions and Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation have partnered to deliver low-voltage lithium-ion solutions to meet automaker demands for improved efficiency, lower costs and less complexity.

Under the agreement, Johnson Controls will collaborate with Toshiba to develop and manufacture lithium-ion batteries at its Holland, MI, plant and pair them with existing lead-acid battery technology as part of dual-battery systems.

Dual-battery vehicles are expected to be the fastest-growing form of electrification and by 2025 will account for approximately 20 percent of new vehicles built globally, according to IHS, Markit.

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Siemens acquires automotive electrical systems design firm Comsa

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Siemens has acquired Comsa Computer und Software GmbH, a Munich-based company which develops software for electrical systems design and wire harness engineering.

Its LDorado suite is the leader in automotive harness design and engineering software in Germany, reflecting deep local expertise and market presence with a well-established product portfolio and strong emphasis on standards.

The Comsa team and technology will join the Mentor business, part of Siemens PLM Software, where it will add key harness engineering and design data analytics capabilities to the Siemens product range.

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Capgemini study reveals barriers to electric car adoption in US

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Capgemini has released a study showing that battery capacity and availability of charging stations for electric cars are the two biggest concerns of U.S. consumers that might deter purchases.

According to Capgemini’s Cars Online Trends Study, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retailers must collaborate to address these and other concerns to meet governmental expectations, increase electric car sales and develop new services for consumers.

“OEM investment in electric cars has led to exciting technological breakthroughs and the promise of reduced emissions, yet so far sales figures have been lower than initially predicted,” said Mathew Desmond, Principal Automotive Domain Specialist at Capgemini.

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World’s first commercial installation of all-electric, autonomous truck

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DB Schenker and Einride have launched the installation for the first commercial use of a T-pod – an all-electric, autonomous truck – at a DB Schenker facility in Jönköping, central Sweden.

The T-pod will travel continuously to and from a warehouse, paving the way for a sustainable transition of road freight transportation.

Einride’s T-pod has no driver’s cab but is supervised and can be teleoperated by a human operator, from hundreds of miles away.

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Centimetres make all the difference for safe automated driving, says Bosch

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Automated driving is about more than just sensors, control units, and lots of computing power, says Bosch. It also requires a host of smart services, without which no vehicle will ever be able to drive autonomously.

“Services are at least as important for automated driving as the hardware and software,” says the Bosch board of management member Dr. Dirk Hoheisel. “We must pursue all three paths simultaneously to get self-driving cars safely and reliably onto our roads.”

Self-driving vehicles can drive safely only if they know down to the nearest centimetre exactly where they are at any given time, says Bosch. To achieve this, the company offers a  localisation package.

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Denso takes a stake in Infineon Technologies to advance automated driving

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Automotive supplier Denso Corporation has taken an unspecified stake in Infineon Technologies AG, one of the top manufacturers of in-vehicle semiconductor products, to accelerate the development of technology to achieve next-generation vehicle systems such as automated driving.

With the investment, Infineon Technologies’ advanced semiconductor technologies will be combined with Denso’s in-vehicle technologies and expertise to accelerate the development of new and emerging mobility solutions.

Due to increased functionality of vehicles and advanced electronic control, the demand for semiconductor products is growing exponentially.

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BMW Group makes a million 3D-printed components in 10 years

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At the BMW Group, the use of 3D-printed components is on the rise.

Over the last decade alone, the company produced a million parts by this innovative method, and this year output from the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center is expected to reach over 200,000 components — a 42 percent increase on last year’s total.

Dr. Jens Ertel, Director of the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center: “The use of components made by additive manufacturing in series production of vehicles is increasing particularly strongly at the moment.

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Continental study uncovers mixed feelings about automated driving in Germany

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According to the Continental Mobility Study 2018, German drivers are ambivalent about automated driving.

While around two thirds would prefer to be chauffeured electronically through stressful traffic jam situations or narrow roadworks on the highway, the number of people who doubt the technical reliability of the technology has risen from 48 to 57 percent in the last five years.

Just under two thirds of respondents express anxieties about automated driving – compared with around half five years ago. Accidents that occurred during test drives in the USA have likely played a role in this.

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