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Denso partners with Aeva to bring new ‘groundbreaking’ LiDAR to market

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Denso is partnering with US LiDAR and perception systems company Aeva to develop “next-generation” sensing and perception systems.

Together, the companies will advance Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR, which they describe as “a groundbreaking solution” that measures velocity, in addition to depth and reflectivity, and bring it to the mass vehicle market.

LiDAR plays a key role in automated driving and advanced driver-assistance systems. At present, most LiDAR systems use the Time of Flight method to operate. [Read more…] about Denso partners with Aeva to bring new ‘groundbreaking’ LiDAR to market

Cox Automotive acquires computer vision company Fyusion

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Cox Automotive has acquired Fyusion, a computer vision company and provider of immersive vehicle imaging solutions for automotive and other industries.

This acquisition will deepen the collaboration between Manheim – a Cox subsidiary – and Fyusion, which have worked together for years to give clients the wholesale industry’s best mobile imaging and condition capture tools in the Manheim Express app.

Steve Rowley, president, Cox Automotive, says: “Anywhere a car can be imaged, we believe the new technologies that Cox Automotive and Fyusion create together will translate to big benefits for our clients across the auto industry. [Read more…] about Cox Automotive acquires computer vision company Fyusion

What Barriers Still Impede Electric Vehicles?

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Electric vehicles have been with us for a long time.

It’s only recently that they’re being touted as a serious replacement for the internal combustion engine and a (partial) answer to our climate crisis.

The UK government says that it’ll ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 – and you can reasonably expect any Labour government to be at least as ambitious, given their slightly greener voter-base.

By then, electric cars will need to be fairly ubiquitous. So what’s stopping this from happening right now? [Read more…] about What Barriers Still Impede Electric Vehicles?

Kuka wins ‘major contract’ from Mercedes

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Kuka says it has won what it describes as a “major contract” for body-in-white production from Mercedes-Benz. Body-in-white is the stage in automobile manufacturing in which a car body’s frame has been joined together – before the engine and anything else has been installed, or the body painted.

Kuka says it was able to convince the German premium car manufacturer of the deal towards the end of last year.

The order from Mercedes-Benz is for the engineering and construction, as well as the assembly and commissioning, of several body-in-white production lines. In the future, various vehicle models will be produced in this way. [Read more…] about Kuka wins ‘major contract’ from Mercedes

Amazon’s Zoox unveils autonomous robotaxi

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Amazon-owned autonomous mobility company Zoox has unveiled its fully functional, electric, autonomous vehicle that is designed for dense, urban environments.

Zoox claims it is the first in the industry to showcase a driving, purpose-built robotaxi capable of operating up to 75 miles per hour.

Since its inception in 2014, Zoox has combined artificial intelligence, robotics, vehicle design, and sustainable energy to bring its vision of reinventing personal transportation to life, arguing that this will make the future “safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable for everyone”. [Read more…] about Amazon’s Zoox unveils autonomous robotaxi

Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

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Autonomous electric truck maker Einride says the next generation of its groundbreaking “Pods” will use the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin autonomous vehicle computing platform to handle high-speed, unmanned operations.

Pär Degerman, CTO of Einride, says: “Safety and functionality in autonomous drive are achieved in two ways: diversity and redundancy.

“To capture and account for the diversity in a myriad of operational scenarios, and to develop the redundancy necessary to improve functionality, we need the most advanced processors possible, and that’s where Nvidia Orin comes in.” [Read more…] about Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

BMW shows off autonomous version of classic Mini

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BMW is showing off an autonomous version of the classic Mini. The new concept car is part of the German automotive giant’s “Vision Next” project, which encapsulates a company-wide philosophy that aims to integrate the latest technologies into a new generation of vehicles.

These technologies include internet connectivity, autonomous or highly automated driving functions, shared availability, and electric propulsion. 

Called the Mini Vision Urbanaut, BMW says the car represents an “all-new interpretation of a vision of space”. In other words, the interior is radically different from conventional modern cars. [Read more…] about BMW shows off autonomous version of classic Mini

Visteon unveils ‘first’ wireless automotive battery management system

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Automotive technology company Visteon has announced a first production-intent, completely wireless battery management system (BMS) to monitor battery packs continuously for state of health and charge.

GM will be the first OEM to equip its electric vehicles (EVs) with the systems solution from Visteon, GM and other technology partners. GM will make the system standard on all planned EV models powered by its Ultium batteries.

Sachin Lawande, president and CEO, Visteon, says: “Our wireless BMS technology eliminates wiring harnesses found in the battery packs of traditional systems, delivering a solution that offers a secure, safe and robust battery system for EVs.” [Read more…] about Visteon unveils ‘first’ wireless automotive battery management system

Top 10 Tips to Avoid Odometer Fraud by Fraudulent Car Dealers

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Odometer fraud may cause economic severe setbacks to inexperienced purchasers. We explain the do’s and don’ts when searching for a new car.

Learn the 10 Must-Check Points to Verify before Purchasing a Vehicle

Each year, Americans purchase millions of cars valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. When shortlisting cars, minor imperfections may be overlooked by the incautious buyer, causing massive overpayments and facing repairs. [Read more…] about Top 10 Tips to Avoid Odometer Fraud by Fraudulent Car Dealers

Motional and Via partner to launch platform for public, on-demand shared robotaxi rides

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Motional, a driverless technology developer, and Via, a public mobility solutions provider, have agreed a partnership that they say will “serve as a blueprint for the future of on-demand, shared robotaxis”.

Motional and Via seek to use learnings from the partnership to inform how driverless vehicles can be integrated into mass transit networks, and optimized for pooled rides.

The partnership’s first service – shared robotaxi rides, available to the public – is expected to launch in one of Motional’s existing US markets in the first half of 2021. The initial launch market will be announced at a later date. [Read more…] about Motional and Via partner to launch platform for public, on-demand shared robotaxi rides