WCA September 2017

From the Americas

system detects oncoming traffic. LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors on top of the car use lasers to make a three-dimensional map of the area when driving. “With the 10.2-inch screen, you have the ability to watch your car drive from a bird’s eye view – seeing your car plus the area behind and around you – but only if you’re travelling at low speeds.”  All that technology has to go somewhere. Reuters recently reported the findings of USA auto supplier Visteon Corp, when they looked behind the sleek instrument panels on new cars. As automotive cockpits become crammed with ever more digital features such as navigation and entertainment systems, the electronics holding it all together have become, quote: “A rat’s nest of components made by different parts makers.” Visteon is among a number of suppliers aiming to make dashboard wiring simpler, cheaper and lighter as the industry moves towards the all-digital dashboard of self-driving cars. Among Visteon’s solutions is its SmartCore computer module, a cockpit domain controller that operates a vehicle’s instrument cluster, infotainment system and other features, all on the same tiny piece of silicon. Research firm IHS Markit estimates that the $37 billion cockpit electronics market could nearly double to $62 billion by 2022, while accounting firm PwC estimates that electronics could account for up to 20 per cent of a car’s value in the next two years (compared to 13 per cent in 2015). Meanwhile, the number of suppliers for those components is likely to dwindle as automakers look to work with fewer companies capable of doing more, according to Mark Boyadjis, principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit. “The complexity of engineering ten different systems from ten different suppliers is no longer something an automaker wants to do,” Mr Boyadjis said. He estimates manufacturers eventually will work with two to three cockpit suppliers for each model, down from the six to ten suppliers typically employed at present. “You have to be changing and adapting fast. If not, you’re not going to keep up in this market,” said Tim Yerdon, Visteon’s head of global marketing. “It’s about reinventing yourself to stay ahead. Five years ago, the dashboard was a plastic moulded cockpit that we stuffed electronics into,” he continued. “Now it’s more about an electronic architecture that’s experience-driven, and we mould plastic around it.”

Automotive Automotive electrics, in all its forms, can’t stay out of the news Globetouch Inc has acquired the IoT solutions provider Teramatrix Technologies Ltd. The aim is to integrate the Teramatrix xFusion platform to create high value IoT applications that support connected cars, autonomous driving, predictive maintenance and edge intelligence. Teramatrix’s xFusion is a software platform that enables cross-industry enterprise applications to enhance operational intelligence. The system collects, aggregates and analyses contextual data from devices, sensors, enterprise apps, workforce and customers. “The addition of Teramatrix significantly improves our IoT and connected car strategies,” said Riccardo Di Blasio, CEO of Globetouch. “We will be using our Cloud SIM and xFusion IoT technologies to enable the future of autonomous cars.” The Chinese owners of Sweden-based Volvo have announced that all new Volvo models launched after 2019 will be either electric or hybrids. The move sets Zhejiang Geely Holding Group apart as the first traditional motor manufacturer to confirm a date for phasing out vehicles powered solely by an internal combustion engine. While electric and hybrid vehicles are still only a small fraction of new cars sales, they are gaining ground at the premium end of the market where Volvo operates. As technology improves and prices fall, many in the automotive industry expect mass-market adoption to follow. “This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” predicted Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson. Volvo has invested heavily in new models and plants since being bought by Geely in 2010, establishing a niche in a premium auto market dominated by larger rivals such as Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Part of Geely’s strategy has been to embrace emerging technologies that allow higher performance electric vehicles as well as, eventually, self-driving cars.  And the self-driving car may soon be coming to a highway near you. The Tech Blog reports that General Motors is rolling out cars to test on the roads in San Francisco, Arizona and Detroit, looking to debut “in the near future” what could be the first self-driving car to come to market. Impressive that such a first could be coming from a traditional auto manufacturer, rather than a new, dedicated high-tech developer. GM has a fleet of around 180 Bolt EVs, using software from San Francisco’s Cruise Automation to keep its self-driving technology on track. VentureBeat observed: “The car has multiple cameras, and 40 sensors are installed across the vehicle. A radar End in sight for the internal combustion engine?

BigStockPhoto.com Photographer: Aispl

Internet of Things

Security IT security firm Trend Micro has launched a corporate venture fund with initial investments of $100 million on offer to technology startups, especially those involved with the Internet of Things (IoT). Trend Micro seeks to ensure safe digital exchange of information, and with an estimated 26 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020,

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2017

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