Q2 2015 pdf - Automotive Industries

Transcription

Vol. 194 • Issue 2
ai-online.com • autoindustry.us • peace
Redefining the
UNDERBODY
Chip powers “DEEP
LEARNING” in cars
NEW ADHESIVES
added to toolbox of
automotive designers
CLOUD computing POWER
FOR DASHCAM technology
The “rebirth”
of CASTING
Mild hybrid 48V
systems driving lower
CO2 emissions
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“At the core of our strategy is a razor-sharp focus on
making the best dashcams. Just the best dashcams.”
– Dr Hyunmin Hur, CEO & founder, Pittasoft. Page 12
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contents
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES (ISSN 1099-4130)
Volume 194 • Number 2 • July 2015
Published Quarterly by Automotive Industries Ltd .
Issue date: Q2 2015 . PO BOX 1510, Versailles, KY 40383.
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contents
Intro: Engineering the skills needed to drive the industry forward .............................................................. 6
AI M2M: The role of smartphones in connected car and driver services..................................................... 8
Pittasoft: Dashcams now connect through the Cloud ............................................................................. 12
NVIDIA: Chip powers “deep learning” in cars .......................................................................................... 16
Verizon: Helping OEMs to stay connected to their customers and their fleet............................................ 20
Mitsui Chemicals: Specialized automotive plastics overcoming design challenges .................................. 24
BASF: The chemistry fueling technological breakthroughs....................................................................... 26
EDAG: Blueprints from nature help reduce weight................................................................................... 28
Constellium: “De-risking” introduction of new aluminum components...................................................... 32
Alcoa: New lightweight, high-performance Alcoa aluminum alloys .......................................................... 34
Geico: Innovation days help paint a picture of the future ........................................................................ 36
Songwon: Meeting growing demand for recycled plastics ...................................................................... 38
Dow Corning: New fluorosilicone technology and adhesives added to the toolboxes of manufacturers .......... 40
Röchling: Redefining the concept of an underbody ................................................................................. 44
NPE2015: US plastics industry making a “strong comeback” ................................................................. 46
Borealis: Full backward integration of polyolefin value chain .................................................................... 50
CES 2016: Consumer electronics integrated into vehicle design ............................................................. 52
HARMAN: Car radios being replaced by infotainment platforms .............................................................. 56
LEGAL DOCUMENT STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
1. Publication Title: Automotive Industries, 2. Publication number: 1099-4130, 3. Filing Date: 09-29-2014, 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly
5. Number of issues published annually: 4, 6. Annual Subscription Price: $88.00, 7. Address: 3859 Shannon Run, Versailles, KY 40383
8. Headquaters address: Worldwide Purchasing LTD, ground floor ste 4C Unity House, 9. 3-5 Accommodation Rd London, England, NW118ED, United Kingdom
10. Publisher: John Larkin, Worldwide Purchasing LTD, ground floor ste 4C Unity House, 11. 3-5 Accommodation Rd London, England, NW118ED, United Kingdom
12. Editor: Ed Richardson, Worldwide Purchasing LTD, ground floor ste 4C Unity House,, 13. 3-5 Accommodation Rd London, England, NW118ED, United Kingdom
14. Mgr Editor: John Larkin, Worldwide Purchasing LTD, ground floor ste 4C Unity House, 15. 3-5 Accommodation Rd London, England, NW118ED, United Kingdom
16. Owner: John Larkin, Worldwide Purchasing LTD, ground floor ste 4C Unity House,, 17. 3-5 Accommodation Rd London, England, NW118ED, United Kingdom
18. Known Bondholders: None, 19. Blank, 20. Publication: Automotive Industries, 21. Issue Date for data: 2nd Qtr 2014 , 22. Extent and Nature of Circulation
Ave copies each issue
No. copies Issue Published
During preceeding 12 months
nearest to filing Date
a. Total Number of copies
14204
14940
b. Legimate paid and/or requested (By mail and outside mail)
b1. Individual paid/requested mail Subs as Stated on PS Form 3541
6155
6274
b2. Copies requested by Employers for Distribution
To Employees Name/Position sataed on PS3541
b3. Sales through Delers/Carriers Outside USPS
1506
2665
b4. Requested copies other USPS mail classes
c. TOTAL PAID/REQUESTED Circulation
7661
8939
d. Nonrequested Distribution
d1. Nonrequested copies stated on PS3541
2585
3039
d2. Sales through Delers/Carriers Outside USPS
1253
2165
d3. Non-requested copies other USPS mail classes
e. TOTAL NONREQUESTED DISTRIBUTION
3839
5204
f.
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION
11500
14143
g. Copies not Distributed
2704
797
h. TOTAL 14204
14940
i.
Percent Paid or Requested circulation
66.6 %
63.2%
I certify that all the information furnished on this form is true and complete. AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, John Larkin, Publisher
Automotive I n d u s t r i e s
C E L E B R AT I N G 1 2 0 Y E A R S
3
contents
Rinspeed: Gearing up for an autonomous lifestyle ............................................................................................................................................ 58
Continental: Augmented reality in the workshop ............................................................................................................................................... 60
TTTech: Funding fuels journey to piloted driving ................................................................................................................................................ 62
Clarion: Expanding the outer limits of the intelligent safety eco-sphere .............................................................................................................. 64
TomTom: Connected Vehicles in Smart Cities 2.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 66
Steady flow of investment in Macedonia from new and existing companies....................................................................................................... 68
CeBIT: Connecting the leaders in auto industry digitization ............................................................................................................................... 72
XALT: Speeding up the e-revolution through Formula 1 and buses .................................................................................................................... 74
Luxoft: Powering the digital instrument cluster revolution................................................................................................................................... 76
TTI: Quality electronic components supported by superior logistics................................................................................................................... 78
Elektrobit: Intuitive HMI is changing the driving experience................................................................................................................................. 80
VEGA: Focus on reducing the carbon footprint of commercial vehicle delivery................................................................................................... 82
Voxeljet: The “rebirth” of casting ....................................................................................................................................................................... 84
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT ON NASDAQ TOWER
NASDAQ Tower in Times Square
to honor Automotive Industries as
NASDAQ GlobeNewswire partner.
The 7 story high display to announce:
Corporate Solutions welcomes
to our GlobeNewswire Distribution Network
GlobeNewswire (http://www.globenewswire.com) – is a press release newswire service operated by NASDAQ.
Automotive Industries & NASDAQ will distribute, in real-time, news content from numerous companies that have chosen
GlobeNewswire to share their critical news with the rest of the world.
This news content is well-received and shared by mainstream news websites and 100s of trade websites.
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intro
Engineering the
skills needed to drive
the industry forward
Gary Smyth, executive director global research and development at General Motors, recently listed the
following skills required to move a modern car from inception to the showroom floor: battery chemists,
electrical engineers, manufacturing experts, software developers and social media operators.
Taking him a bit out of context, it is instructive to note that there
is no mention of traditional jobs such as an assembler, a motor
mechanic, or an automotive engineer. Information technology is
clearly now the driving force behind vehicle design, development and
manufacturing. Robots do the work of assemblers mechanics now
plug laptops into ports to diagnose faults, and automotive engineers
do most of their design work using powerful software tools.
But, no matter how good and powerful the machine, it needs
a person behind the controls – and will continue to do so into
the foreseeable future. OEMs and Tier manufacturers wanting to
stay competitive and relevant will need to find ways of
identifying, recruiting, training and retaining a new
generation of petrol heads – possibly those
who have grown up playing Need for Speed,
Editor, Ed Richardson
Project Cars and Grand Theft Auto rather than
hanging around in the sun and rain absorbing
the fumes and action at the local race track.
Electrification is one of the major forces behind
this shift. Although electric vehicles have not made significant
inroads into the market, all vehicles are rapidly becoming more
electronic and less mechanical. Motors have replaced window
winders, hydraulic power steering and a growing number of
other functions as “drive by wire” technology starts becoming
mainstream. Traction motors boost engine power when moving
from a stop or accelerating.
This is just one example of where mechanical, electric and
electronic components are merging – and all are producing
dizzying amounts of information which needs to be analyzed in
real time. OEMs now need teams of data analysts or very strong
and close working relationships with specialized data companies
if they want to retain control of what have become the core
differentiators – vehicle connectivity and the technology-driving
motoring experience. It is one thing to manage the data, but quite
another to understand how information can be used to enhance
the driving and ownership experience. Wanted – computer
whizzes with petrol in their veins. It is a rare combination.
But one that has to be found or developed. Smart data can either
make the journey more pleasant or confuse the driver. Think early
VCRs. Very few of us could ever figure out how to program
the machine or to use a fraction of the buttons on the
remote. Many smartphones suffer from the same
malaise. With the integration of smartphone
technology into cars the last thing we want
designers to do is to overwhelm the driver
with options and processes. Techies
have to be schooled to focus on the
functionality rather than all the cool stuff
the smartphone/car can do.
It is also all too easy to forget the
basics – cars need bodies and tires to
ride on, and interiors in which occupants
can sit. New plastics and metal alloys are
constantly changing the goalposts here
as motor manufacturers focus on reducing
weight while improving ride quality and safety.
In many ways designers have to “unlearn” what
they know about bodies and interiors – plastics
and composites are far more malleable than metals and
open up a world of new opportunities. They also introduce new
challenges. There is no perfect technology.
It is a brave new world. The industry needs to ensure it has
equipped the next generation of car people with the right toolbox of
skills to give the customers what they want and need – even if the
motorists themselves don’t know or understand the technology
that is making driving safer, more environmentally friendly and
more comfortable.
Looks like a good business opportunity for tertiary training
institutions. AI
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, have put together a digital
library of back issues of AI from the early 1900’s (high res and low res) of approximately 230,000 images
of the print publication. This archive, which documents the birth of the auto industry to the present, is
available to AI subscribers. Go to AI’s homepage www.ai.com and click on the “AI Library” link or visit
www.ai-online.com/100YearLibrary
6
to read the full version of
s t o r i e s g o t o w w w. a i - o n l i n e . c o m
M2M, IoT & Big Data
The new smart forfour, 2014:
smartphone cradle with smart
audio system.
The role of Smartphones in
connected car and driver services
By: Jeremy Green
The road map for connected car services has come to be dominated by a model based around an embedded
computer in the car which interfaces automatically to some sub-systems in the vehicle, and with a user
interface (UI) designed to present selected information and service choices to the driver (and a few others
aimed at passengers).
The opportunity to connect cars has sometimes seemed like a
match made in heaven for both telcos and automotive OEMs. But cars
have long product cycles and even longer replacement cycles. Many of
the cars rolling off production lines now were designed more than five
years ago, and embedded connected platforms are only now beginning
to make their way from the premium models and into mid-range cars.
Within five years the majority of new vehicles rolling off production lines
will be connected. By 2024 this will translate into more than 600 million
connected cars, with a further 500 million aftermarket devices installed
in vehicles (Machina Research M2M Forecast Database). But with
around 9% of vehicles replaced every year, it is going to take quite a
while before most cars on the road are connected.
In the meantime, there are lots of drivers sitting in lots of cars,
with smartphones in their pockets. These smartphones are full
of highly capable sensors, including GPS receivers, gyroscopes
and compasses, and accelerometers that can measure changes
in force and velocity. As a result, they are being used to provide
services to drivers of precisely the kind that have until now been
thought of as the proper province of embedded vehicle platforms.
The most striking example is navigation services. It’s true
that the user interface for built-in units is designed with in-car
circumstances taken into account, so that there is less reliance
on touch-screens and more use of dedicated knobs and buttons
that can be used with both eyes on the road. But voice search
capabilities of smartphones are better than they were and it’s often
an acceptable substitute.
8
Similarly, with streaming media services like Spotify, Pandora,
Aupeo and so on, these services were initially designed to run
on smartphones and were added to in-car platforms as part of
a special arrangement. Access to them is available via the data
package for which the smartphone user is already paying; but
car makers, who tend to bundle the connectivity for telematics
services in with the connected car offering, seem to think that
drivers will pay a separate subscription for the data access
required by streaming media.
The main roadside assistance providers offer smartphone apps
which provide much of the functionality offered by the embedded
platform implementations, including communicating the location
of the breakdown to the assistance provider, and providing regular
updates to the driver as to the progress of the assistance patrol.
There are smartphone eco-driving apps, which use
measurements from the phone’s accelerometers, crossreferenced with time-stamped GPS readings, to provide
a driving score based on hard braking, cornering and
accelerating, plus compliance with speed limits and other
road restrictions. It’s even been suggested that similar
measurements could be used to enable a smartphonebased emergency call notification system, which could be
automatically triggered in the event of an accident in a mode
that parallels (even if it does not precisely replicate) that
envisioned for the built-in eCall system mandated by the EU
for new car models from 2018. But Street Bump, a piloted
Car Security
Driving Trust
www.infineon.com/car-security_ai
Traffic
Information
Software
Update
Remote
Diagnostics
Car Repair Shop
Payment
Systems
eCall
Internet
Services
Infotainment
HACKER ATTACK
Unwanted access
is denied
Engine Management
Infotainment
Brake
Airbag
Steering
Tablet PC &
Smartphone
Toll Control
Prioritization of
Emergency Services
Traffic Jam Detection
Accident Avoidance
Apps
Ten years from now most cars
on the road will have an embedded,
connected computer on board.”
Immersed in a virtual 360° experience of the interior of an autonomous car of the future at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz
TecDay held in Sunnyvale, California.
application in Boston to use data gathered by smartphones
to detect and map potholes in road surfaces and to use this
information to notify city authorities, appears to have come
to nothing.
A similar approach allows smartphones to be support Usage
Based Insurance (UBI). There are services based entirely on
smartphone-calculated driving scores, and hybrid models
emerging, such as the DropTag product developed by Cambridge
Consultants, which combines measurements collected by a
low-cost screen-mounted device with a smartphone app and a
cloud platform.
Smartphones have also been deployed in the role of an
Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The iOnRoad
application now offered as a free download by auto-electronics
specialist Harman shows that the camera on a dashboardmounted smartphone is capable of delivering collision detection
warnings and lane departure notification. A similar solution is
offered by Israeli start-up I4Drive.
The relationship between applications delivered via embedded
platform and those delivered via a smartphone is not always in
competition. There are several instances where a smartphone is
a complement to an application that is based on an embedded
platform. The Roam Delivery service offered by Volvo, which allows
users to take delivery of groceries to the boots of their parked cars
without having to be there, relies on smartphones for notifications
and for providing a one-time secure unlock for the deliverer.
10
Nevertheless, there are some applications that won’t ever
be provided by smartphones. Stolen vehicle tracking absolutely
requires that some sort of device is fixed into the vehicle.
Remote diagnostics of engine and other sub-systems requires
access to data from the car of the kind typically provided either
by the CAN bus or, as a minimum, by the OBD2 diagnostic
port. The levels of security around these data flows are unlike
anything with which smartphone application developers are
likely to be familiar. Messing about with this information could
trash the car’s internal systems or even cause it to crash.
No automotive OEM is likely to allow direct access over the
internet to this any time soon.
Several application developers have created apps and platforms
that depend on information harvested via the OBD2 port – either
directly, via a connected OBD2 key, as in the case of Geotab,
Moj.io and Automile, or indirectly, via a short-range connection
between the OBD2 key and a smartphone, as in the case of Dash
and Torque. The OBD2 port is based on an industry-recognized
standard, yet even here there are security issues, with widespread
reports of OEMs claiming that connecting an OBD2 device voids
the vehicle’s warranty.
Ten years from now most cars on the road will have an
embedded, connected computer on board. In the meantime,
though, there will be other ways of providing connected services,
and some of these will become sufficiently well-established as to
be hard to displace. AI
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At some point I would not be surprised
to see new car buyers base their purchase
on software-related features.
”
Dashcams now connect
through the Cloud
By: Alan Tran
Combining dashcam technology with Cloud computing has
the potential to change the way vehicles are monitored by
owners and fleet operators.
“I think BlackVue Over the Cloud has a strong disruptive
potential,” said Hyunmin Hur, CEO and founder of South
Korean company Pittasoft in a press statement on the release
of the service at the Mobile World Congress held in Shanghai
this July. “BackVue dashcams already set the standard for
reliability, simplicity and connectivity. The Cloud will differentiate
our products even further by enabling an affordable and hasslefree remote surveillance solution.”
According to Pittasoft, BlackVue Over the Cloud introduces
six key features made possible by the integration of BlackVue
Internet-connected dashcams, the BlackVue Cloud
and the BlackVue App for smartphones and tablets.
Dr Hyunmin Hur, CEO
& founder, Pittasoft.
Live View enables users to monitor the family’s car
in real time from anywhere in the world. Emergency
Alarm allows vehicle owners to be alerted as soon as certain
preset events occur. GPS Tracking adds the ability to visualize on
a map a car’s location and speed. Two-way voice communication
connects customers to drivers through the dashcam’s integrated
speaker and microphone. With Video Backup users can move
files from the dashcam’s memory to the Cloud storage or their
smartphone right from the app. Remote Video Playback means
videos stored in the Cloud or in a dashcam can be played anytime
on a smartphone or tablet.
12
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Dr Hur why he believes
BlackVue Over the Cloud will be a game-changer.
Hur: Even when we introduced Wi-Fi-connected dashcams
to the market people still had to be in range of their dashcam to
connect to it. With BlackVue Over the Cloud, you can connect to
your car anytime and anywhere you want. This opens possibilities
that have not yet been explored. First, it strengthens the usefulness
of the dashcam as a surveillance tool when your car is parked, since
now you can be warned via notification on your mobile whenever
something unusual happens. Even if someone manages to open your
car without triggering the G-sensor and disconnects the dashcam,
it will send you a “Dashcam disconnected” message because the
messages are sent to you by the Cloud server. Then, for small
and medium-sized businesses in particular it enables live
monitoring of a whole fleet of vehicles without requiring
a particularly expensive set-up.
Think about it: all it takes is a dashcam, a
mobile hotspot, and a smartphone. Virtually
everybody owns a smartphone, and more
and more people realize the benefits of
using a dashcam. Mobile hotspots are
an interim solution until every car comes
loaded with Internet connectivity, which is
going to happen very soon.
AI: What gives it “disruptive potential”?
Hur: Vehicle security systems are not new,
but they are still pretty expensive, and require
technicians for installation, maintenance and repair.
By comparison, dashcams are very simple to install. In
case the unit needs to be serviced, it’s easy to pop it out of
its attachment ring and replace it on the spot. Now imagine if your
vehicle is hijacked. Having a camera and DVR on board might not
help you much, as the assailants will just have to destroy the device
to erase video evidence of the attack. With your footage uploaded
to the Cloud attackers won’t have that option. Add to this the ability
to connect to the Cloud for remote live monitoring, GPS tracking
and two-way voice communication, and BlackVue Over the Cloud
becomes an attractive alternative for a number of applications.
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Smartphone connectivity: a key
feature of the BlackVue dashcams.
AI: How have Pittasoft’s dashcam technologies evolved
over the years?
Hur: The first model we released was the DR300. It was
arguably bare-bone, but it had a lot of the qualities that make
the BlackVue dashcam stand out: sleek design, discretion, and
simplicity of use. In 2010 we added the GPS function, and the
following year we released the first Full HD dashcam globally.
It was a big hit. In 2012, we added Wi-Fi, which enabled users
to set up their dashcam and manage videos directly from their
smartphone. After focusing on individual cars, we expanded our
range of dashcams to target the commercial vehicle market, with
the introduction in 2014 of our TRUCK model, a heavy-vehicle
dual-channel dashcam with waterproof casing on the rear camera,
embedded with IR lights. It also had the uniqueness of coming with
a 15m cable, allowing installation on a wide range of commercial
trucks. This year, our major release is BlackVue Over the Cloud,
which relies on our existing dashcams’ Wi-Fi connectivity to open
new possibilities. Overall, our technology has evolved to take
advantage of the devices and services our customers already use
or are familiar with.
AI: What is your company’s product strategy?
Hur: At the core of our strategy is a razor-sharp focus on
making the best dashcams. Just the best dashcams. As simplistic
as it may sound, this guiding principle has allowed us to avoid the
pitfalls of feature creep, to streamline our offering and sometimes
helped us make hard yet necessary decisions. We see competitors
trying to replace Advanced Driver Assistance Systems with their
dashcams, and others who incorporate 3G/4G modules. We
prefer to leave these things respectively to car manufacturers
and telecom operators, and instead to focus on improving video
quality and connectivity.
AI: How has BlackVue’s Wi-Fi-enabled products impacted
the market?
Hur: It had a huge impact at several levels. At the time, LCDenabled dashcams were starting to inundate the market, and
although we do have a model with LCD display, our flagship is a nonLCD dashcam. LCD dashcams can be convenient to set up, but
there is not much use for the display afterwards. Our introduction
14
of Wi-Fi-enabled models made set up and management easy by
using our free mobile application, and allowed us to do without a
dedicated screen. That meant more unobtrusive devices that you
can set up and forget. In most cars our dashcams are virtually
invisible to the driver as they are hidden behind the rearview mirror,
with the lens close to the windshield in order to avoid reflections
and minimize vibrations. And finally, through our early introduction
of Wi-Fi in dashcams we acquired the know-how that was the
foundation for our Cloud service.
AI: How do you see the connected car evolving?
Hur: The connected car is evolving so fast that I won’t
venture into making bold predictions. But we can safely
expect cars to be more and more connected. I think the whole
automotive industry will be deeply impacted. People now take
Internet connectivity for granted at home, so why not in their
car? The big question is to what extent IT giants like Google
and Apple will disrupt the industry. As cars become essentially
computers on wheels, their position is likely to get stronger.
We can see it already with CarPlay and Android Auto, which
are well positioned to occupy the dashboard space. At some
point I would not be surprised to see new car buyers base
their purchase on software-related features. Then, there is the
hacking issue. The automotive industry as a whole will have to
make tremendous efforts to take on this challenge, which is
rather new for most of the established automotive players. Big
IT companies might have the advantage there too.
AI: What role do you see for Pittasoft in the evolution of
connected cars?
Hur: I think Pittasoft has a lot to offer to enhance users’
experience and protection, even as autonomous driving and
connected car become commonplace. We actually see even
greater opportunities for dashcams in a connected car world. With
hacking risks becoming more serious, drivers will be even more
willing to use a dashcam to document possible hacking attempts
made on their car. Imagine if a hacker took control of your car,
resulting in damage or injuries, but the hacker leaves no trace: you
will be relieved having video footage of the attack to show to your
insurance company. AI
innovation
NVIDIA powers
“deep learning”
in cars
By: Alan Tran
With NVIDIA automotive supercomputers and sensors,
cars can differentiate between different vehicles.
Existing in-vehicle computing technology for advanced driver assistance simply does not have the processing power to
take the next step towards fully autonomous systems.
“Imagine training such a system to be ready for any possible
eventuality. It’s just not possible,” says NVIDIA press statement.
The company has applied neural network theory to the design of
its DRIVE PX development platform, which includes a new deep
neural network software development kit called DIGITS, as well as
video capture and video processing libraries.
DIGITS can be run on systems powered by NVIDIA GPUs
— including its new DIGITS DevBox development platform.
This lets computers train themselves to understand
complex scenes that a driver would encounter
Danny Shapiro, senior
director of automotive
at NVIDIA.
in the real world. “Now we can do more than just
train systems to recognize objects like a human – we
can train the system to behave and anticipate like a human,”
says NVIDIA. The NVIDIA DRIVE PX development platform is
now available to automakers, Tier I automotive suppliers and
research institutions.
In March this year, shortly after announcing the DRIVE PX selfdriving car computer, NVIDIA CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun
Huang invited Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk to see the progress
first-hand. Musk remarked: “What NVIDIA is doing with Tegra is
really interesting and really important for self driving in the future.
16
The system can identify vehicles, pedestrians,
bicyclists, signs, lanes and other critical objects.
We’ll take autonomous cars for granted in quite a short time. I
almost view it as a solved problem. We know what to do, and we’ll
be there in a few years.”
Audi AG announced in January 2015 that it would be using
Tegra X1 to build on its current work with predecessor, the Tegra
K1, to supply the intelligence needed to help achieve the dream
of a self-driven car. “With every mile it drives, every hour, the car
will learn more and more,” said Ricky Hudi, Audi’s executive vice
president for electrics/electronics development. “We’re very close
to reality,” Hudi said. “We’re not demonstrating a vision. We’re
demonstrating what will be reality,” he added.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Danny Shapiro,
senior director of automotive at NVIDIA, how his
company has helped cars get smarter.
Shapiro: Cars today are full of electronics.
However, NVIDIA is not just selling chips
to the auto industry; we are developing
extremely powerful computers for the
car. These complex systems are the
brains of the vehicle, and are essential as
we move into the age of piloted driving.
It is this combination of energy-efficient
supercomputing and sophisticated software
that will enable cars to be much safer in the
near term, and then ultimately drive themselves.
AI: What are some of the challenges of deep
learning for automobiles?
Shapiro: An enormous problem in developing self-driving
technologies is being able to anticipate all the possible scenarios
that a vehicle could encounter. As a programmer there is no way
to account for all the different “if…then…else” statements. Deep
learning gives the car the ability to learn, not just how to recognize
objects, but also to learn driving behavior. We are modeling this
system on the human brain, and how humans actually learn
through experience. The challenge of course is to be able to have
a robust system with enough data.
The NVIDIA DRIVE PX development platform is able to
process video from up to 12 cameras.
AI: What expertise was put into play when NVIDIA
approached this technology?
Shapiro: NVIDIA has been working in computer vision and
deep learning for a long time. Our GPUs are ideally suited for deep
learning due to the highly parallel nature of the algorithms. Training
the neural network is an extremely compute intensive task. For
example, what can takes months on the CPU can be done in
days on the GPU. The advantage of deep learning is that it can
be applied to many types of applications: from natural language
processing to computer vision to behavioral analysis.
AI: Tell us about the DRIVE PX – what went into its
development?
Shapiro: DRIVE PX was designed to be a development
platform for automakers that want to build self-driving cars. As
more and more sensors appear on the car these components are
simply just generating data. We realized that there needed to be
a central processing system to fuse together all the different data
from camera, radar, lidar, ultrasonics, etc. Working with several
automakers, we came up with the design for DRIVE PX to be able
to aggregate the data, and then be able to act upon it in real time.
AI: How will DRIVE PX change the way car computers
are viewed?
Shapiro: DRIVE PX is the most sophisticated car computer
ever built, but we are just getting started. This advanced technology
is going to continue to get more and more powerful. The benefit is
that DRIVE computers are based on a scalable architecture. The
same code that runs on supercomputers in the datacenter can run
on DRIVE car computers. This makes it extremely cost-effective
for development, and reduces time to market.
AI then asked Mike Houston, Distinguished Engineer,
Deep Learning at NVIDIA, how difficult it is to get cars
to “learn”.
Houston: Now that NVIDIA has developed the complete
training hardware and software, the learning process has been
dramatically simplified. The learning process will be the result of
automakers and Tier 1s processing massive amounts of video
18
to teach the system about different driving situations, as well as
regional differences in laws and customs. The more an automaker
invests in the training process, the better the results will be.
AI: Are we close to self-driving cars that are safe and feasible?
Houston: Later this year some automakers will offer auto
piloted features under certain conditions and speeds. And over the
next several years more automakers will activate these features for
traffic jam assistance, highway cruising and self-parking. This is
a reality. Fully autonomous vehicles will be many years away, but
sooner than you think.
AI: How have advanced driver assistance systems
evolved over the years and how important is it for them to
start “thinking” for themselves?
Houston: Traditional ADAS has relied on basic computer
vision techniques and straightforward classification schemes.
These have been effective for some ADAS features, such as lane
departure warnings or pedestrian detection. But for a vehicle to
be able to fully assess everything that is happening 360 degrees
around it, build an environment map, identify free space and be able
to take appropriate action will require a much more sophisticated
system, like a deep neural network.
AI: What is DIGITS and the role it plays in making this
a reality.
Houston: DIGITS is the deep learning GPU training system.
This phase of creating the self-driving car happens offline, before
a car is on the road. Massive amounts of data from thousands if
not millions, of miles of driving are fed into the system. Through
supervised learning, a data scientist helps guide the training
system. Once a robust model has been created, it is loaded into
the vehicle. During further testing if the car encounters situations
in which it is not confident it will record that information and then
communicate it back to the datacenter. That new video will be
used for additional training and will become part of an enhanced
deep neural network that can be updated to the vehicle over the
air. The training is not real-time, but will be an iterative process,
making the vehicle smarter the more it drives. AI
innovation
“We learn from every mile driven and every customer we
interact with,” Mike Peterson (Center), VP and General
Manager, OEM Business, Verizon Telematics.
Helping OEMs stay
connected to their customers
The future of telematics is not going to be decided by a
single entity. It’s going to be a group effort. Smart people
in smart companies working together to build a connected
vehicle world that is seamless for drivers.
Verizon Telematics is one of the companies which understands
this, and as a result is agnostic in its technologies and partnerships.
“We work with our competitors all the time,” says Mike Peterson VP
and General Manager, OEM Business. “We’re the TSP (telematics
service provider) to OEMs where we’re not the wireless carrier.
We’re the carrier where we’re not the TSP. And we can work
with just about any hardware. Currently we’re working with eight
different telematics hardware protocols. We’re about as agnostic
as you can get.”
To accomplish this, Verizon Telematics has nearly 1,500 people
working in over 93 specialties in 250,000 square feet of office
space dedicated to telematics. “A successful telematics program
encompasses a much broader range of expertise than you might
expect. We’ve seen OEMs want to control the whole thing, only
to realize they don’t have the resources to properly support it,”
says Peterson. “They might start off focusing on the engineering,
where they have a great deal of expertise, only to get hung up on
packaging the services for the consumer model, or handling the
billing, or reducing subscriber churn. After all, OEMs are in the
business of selling vehicles, not managing recurring subscription
models. These are the components that are most difficult to create
and launch from scratch.”
Verizon’s telematics customer base has driven over three billion
miles on its proprietary telematics platform, which is the foundation
for all its programs. “We’ve earned our gray hairs,” says Peterson.
Verizon counts Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, General Motors,
Hyundai, Toyota, and others as key partners in the connectedvehicle space in North America and with some in China. Their role
with each is unique. For example, Verizon partners differently with
both Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. “With Mercedes-Benz, we
act as an outsourced telematics division,” says Peterson, “involved
in nearly every facet of the Mercedes-Benz mbrace service – from
engineering to vehicle provisioning, to sales and marketing and
billing. VW is very different. We provide all the crucial telematics
20
By: Jon Knox
services, but are less involved in the consumer-facing components.”
For OEMs like General Motors, Toyota, and others still to be
announced, Verizon provides more modular telematics services like
wireless carrier transport, engineering and security.
In addition to servicing OEMs, Verizon is continuing to drive
telematics innovations across multiple industries and infrastructures.
Verizon Telematics has two aftermarket solutions, In-Drive, which
is core to their usage-based insurance (UBI) offering for a State
Farm program called Drive Safe & Save, and a new direct-toconsumer service with the working name of Verizon Vehicle.
Verizon’s commercial fleet telematics solution, Networkfleet, offers
GPS-based fleet tracking, and helps companies find ways to more
efficiently manage their fleet operations. Then there’s Verizon’s
involvement with the State of Oregon, where Verizon Telematics
is a key player in helping to launch OReGO, the nation’s first road
usage charge (RUC) system.
Traditionally, transportation infrastructure projects, such as highways
and bridges, have been funded by a fuel tax. But with increasing fuel
efficiencies and the accelerated acceptance of electric vehicles this
system is quickly becoming outdated. States are now scrambling to
find new ways of funding these projects. Verizon’s In-Drive product
helps collect the data needed to solve the problem.
Verizon is also launching a remote vehicle emissions program
in Oregon. Instead of visiting an emissions testing facility every
year, participants in the Portland and Medford Metro areas with
the In-Drive device in their vehicles will have emissions data sent
directly to the state. This eliminates the annoying yearly ritual of
sitting in line, waiting to get your car inspected. States also save
on inspection facilities.
“These projects with Oregon,” says Erik Goldman, Group
President, “are fundamentally changing the way governments have
been managing transportation for generations. It’s a complete
paradigm shift, based on the availability of technologies we’ve
been essential in developing since their inception.”
The Iceberg Model
Another big focus for Verizon Telematics is on what they call
“The Iceberg Model,” which is highly relevant to OEMs. “As we all
know, only 10-15% of an iceberg is visible from above the water
Over 1,500 employees throughout North America, Europe
and Asia.
Verizon Telematics Engineering Laboratory Atlanta, GA.
line,” says Goldman. “In telematics, that represents the consumer
business. At Verizon Telematics, we promote the idea that the
remaining 85-90% of the value in telematics resides below the
waterline, at the enterprise level.”
The data collected from telematics helps OEMs with topics as
wide-ranging as vehicle design, logistics management, finance
skip loss, and the reduction of costs associated with warranties.
Verizon Telematics believes it can help engineers and product
development teams fix mechanical problems, while at the same
time avoid a major campaign. The existing system of reporting
mechanical problems is slow and laborious, taking many months
for important field data to make its way back to engineering teams.
Here’s how it works: Customers experience a mechanical
problem caused by a defective part. Some may drive around
for months with a check engine light on, so no data is reported.
Some get the problem fixed at third-party shops. Again, no data
is reported. For those who go to dealerships, the defective part
is replaced. If the part is under warranty, it is sent back to the
original automaker where it gets indexed and finally sent on to
engineering. It can take many months to collect enough data to
suggest that any given problem is larger than an isolated incident.
“Because our systems are capable of remotely collecting
vehicle data, we have the capability to run complex reports on
aggregated data,” says Goldman. “Those reports can spot trends
in the issuance of vehicle Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). Our
OEM partner does not have to wait for customers to make it into
the shop or for dealers to ship the part back or for critical mass
to build. Using this feedback loop their engineers can potentially
fix a problem in time for the release of next year’s model.” Verizon
can also work with the OEM to track the problem down to a single
factory as the source of the problem. From there, the problem can
be fixed or the OEM can issue a micro-campaign, avoiding all the
hassles and bad publicity of a major recall.
The benefits of having telematics data don’t stop there. Goldman
says telematics data can help OEMs extend their business reach.
“In the U.S. alone, we spend about US$2 trillion a year on the
automotive ecosystem (including repairs, insurance, fuel, etc.). Only
US$400 billion of that is from new vehicle sales. OEMs are looking
for ways to expand their post-sale business into areas traditionally
run by competitor shops or third party vendors, such as spare parts,
roadside assistance, accident repairs and extended warranties. The
key to those businesses is data, knowing who owns the vehicle,
where it’s located, its health, and a host of other data points.”
Data can take years to build. “But, if an OEM supports the
installation of an aftermarket device such as Verizon Vehicle in
their shops and their Certified Pre-Owned programs, they’ll build
their databases much quicker. Plus, they’ll be getting data on
older model vehicles, which are the ones more likely to experience
problems that feed revenue into the dealer service departments.
Our partners are beginning to realize savings in areas like finance
skip loss, vehicle logistics, and others. These successes help
prove that, when effectively executed, telematics programs can
often more than pay for themselves”.
Remotely Updating Vehicle Software
Two services Verizon Telematics is collaborating on with OEMs
are remote over-the-air updates and security.
“Nothing excites automakers like being able to remotely updating
vehicle software over-the-air, preventing a service visit and improving
the owner’s overall experience with the brand” says Peterson.
“At Verizon Telematics, we’re already remotely updating the TCU
(telematics control unit). Now we’re working with many OEMs on the
complexities of updating ECUs (electronic control units).”
Because Verizon regularly updates over 100 million mobile
devices, it has plenty of experience with remote updates. As a
result, Verizon Telematics brings carrier-grade technology and
security to the OEM process. At the same time, Verizon is using
its considerable security resources to secure the vehicle from
hacking. Nearly 70% of the world’s Internet traffic flows through
Verizon’s servers. As a result, Verizon is uniquely positioned to
affect vehicle security protocols for the industry as a whole.
“Our overarching goals are to enhance the quality of the
consumer driving experiences and to create dramatic enterprise
value for our partners. We’re doing that with our expertise, our
passion for excellence, and by partnering with OEMs in a way that
offers the highest value services without disrupting their business
practices and processes,” concludes Peterson. AI
22
innovation
A map of Mitsui
Chemicals Group PP
compound manufacturing
bases around the world.
Specialized automotive plastics
overcoming design challenges
By: Ed Richardson
Plastic components are gradually replacing steel in the 30,000 parts which make up the average automobile
as manufacturers shed weight and focus on recyclability.
Shiny chrome-plated bumpers have now been largely
substituted by components made from specially formulated
lightweight polypropylene (PP) – the same base material used in
the manufacture of food packaging films and bottle caps. When
making a bumper, the plastic can’t be too soft because it would
lose its shape. At the same time, it can’t be too rigid because
it would easily break in the event of a collision. These are the
challenges being overcome by researchers such as those at
Mitsui Chemicals.
Back in 1912 the company was the first in Japan to
produce raw material for chemical fertilizers from
coal gas by-products. In 1958 it built Japan’s
Tsutomu Tannowa,
President & CEO of
Mitsui Chemicals.
first petrochemical complex. Today it has a
manufacturing network of over 135 companies in
27 countries. Mitsui Chemicals has also broken ground
on a new 2,000 tons a year plant within the Omuta Works to
manufacture its advanced polyurethane elastomer, FORTIMO™,
and the bio-based polyisocyanate, STABiO™. The new plant is
scheduled for commercial operation in August 2016.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Tsutomu Tannowa,
President and CEO of the Mitsui Chemicals Group, how
the mid-term business plan goal to “create new customer
value through innovations” is reflected in the company’s
automotive-related business.
Tannowa: The motor industry is looking to save weight
alongside safety, comfort, and design solutions. To meet
24
these needs the Mitsui Chemicals Group has established
eight bases in major world markets to respond speedily to
meet the requirements of global automobile manufacturers
for the PP compounds needed to reduce automobile weight
and make it possible to introduce complicated designs. We
have increased our production capacity and problem solving
capabilities at these bases to support our clients.
Our possibilities as a solution provider are infinite. We have
a performance-driven, high quality synthetic rubber Mitsui EPT
developed from our proprietary metallocene catalyst
technology. We have an outstanding adhesive
resin Admer™, which contributes to weight
reduction and provides design freedom for
fuel tanks. Milastomer™, a superior quality
automotive interior material, Tafmer™,
an elastomer modifier, and our high
performance urethane raw materials,
which are used in seat cushions and
as
sound-absorbing
material,
all
make automobiles more attractive and
more comfortable. Our coating raw
materials contribute to better designs for
automobiles and our CarbonFiber-SMC
helps to reduce the weight of structural
parts. Aurum™, an engineering thermoplastic, is
widely used in and around engines. Lucant™, a gear
oil, helps to improve fuel efficiency. Most recently, we have
increased solution proposals using composite technology
and Polymetac™ which is state-of-the-art integral metal and
resin molding technology.
Our group company, Kyowa Industrial, is known for its
large-scale molding technology. We will capitalize on our
strengths by bolstering our ability to grasp next- generation
needs and provide new solutions which use our know-how
to create a value chain from resins, design, flow analysis, and
molding. We will be better able to make proposals and help
customers accelerate development.
Polypropylene components in a modern vehicle.
The Advanced Composites plant in Ohio, USA.
AI: Manufacturing in the automotive sector is constantly
evolving and moving as the global OEMs reposition and
adapt to new market dynamics. How is Mitsui Chemicals
positioned to support these shifts?
Tannowa: We have eight growing bases in PP compounds.
Production capacities continue to expand to meet customer
demand especially in North America and Asia. At key sites, we
have also established research and development bases. We have
enhanced and accelerated our proposal capabilities in line with
global and local strategies of automobile manufacturers.
In December 2014, we started up a new EPT plant in China.
Demand for glass run channels and weather strips has increased
significantly. In March 2015, we began commercial operations
at our new factory in China for the lightweight, luxurious interior
material Milastomer™, which boasts excellent recyclability, and
Admer™, which allows design freedom while reducing weight
of fuel tanks. To bolster the market for our gear lubricating oil
Lucant™ we have entered into a partnership with the American
Lubrizol Corporation which shares our vision of contributing to fuel
efficiency of automobiles around the world.
AI: What are the benefits to the automotive industry of
the joint venture established between Mitsui Chemicals
and SKC?
Tannowa: Mitsui Chemicals & SKC Polyurethanes
commenced operations in July 2015. We have global strategic
bases for urethane system products and our integrated system,
which starts with raw materials, will serve to bolster our ability to
make even more effective proposals to our customers. We will
strengthen our global deployment by leveraging the strengths of
the two companies to provide even better and more comfortable
solutions for automotive interiors. Additionally, these new changes
will accelerate our global expansion of environmental friendly seat
cushion materials using bio-polyols made from non-edible plants.
AI: Mitsui Chemicals says it will continue to develop
“world firsts” such as FORTIMO™ which was announced
in April 2015. What other “firsts” can the automotive sector
plan to see being launched over the next year?
Tannowa: We have started the full-scale introduction of our
bonding and composite technology, Polymetac™ which is the
metal and resin integral molding of various materials without use
of adhesives. Until recently, there was no standard to evaluate
strength of heterogeneous adhesion. With the establishment of an
ISO standard, we will be able to advance and expand deployment
of the application. Our specialty isocyanate STABiO™, is not
only from a bio source, but also has high chemical and abrasion
resistance and a high gloss. As a painting material, we expect
that it will contribute greatly to improving production efficiency and
design freedom while being environmental friendly. FORTIMO™,
with its high elasticity and high heat resistance, has seen
deployment for new applications.
AI: Does the advent of the electric vehicles (EV) create
new opportunities or threats?
Tannowa: The chemical industry is closely linked with various
sectors which are behind social change. For example, the lithium
ion batteries (LIB) played a major role in the development of the
EV. Mitsui Chemicals has the first material which prevents thermal
runaway, a major safety concern of large LIBs. Our STOBA™
reduces the risk of fire in LIBs making them safe while reliable.
This breakthrough product continues to contribute greatly in the
expansion of the EV market.
AI: What is the future for plastics in modern motor car
manufacturing?
Tannowa: The automobile needs lighter materials, improved
safety, greater comfort, and better design. It is important that we
continue to meet the needs of our customers and consumers.
For this, we must bolster our ability to add fresh value by cutting
across organizational lines to make the most of our materials.
Meanwhile, due to the introduction of autonomous vehicles,
the concept of the automobile itself may have come to a
major turning point. There are limitless possibilities to upset
traditional concepts and business models through technology
cross-overs. The chemical industry has always been at the
forefront of change. We will provide solutions to power mobility
at the future crossroads. AI
25
innovation
Testing emissions after
catalytic conversion in the
BASF engine lab.
The chemistry fueling
technological breakthroughs
By: Nick Palmen
Innovations based on chemistry have helped to solve the
challenges of the future since 1865, when BASF was founded.
The 150-year-old company is the leading chemical supplier to
the automotive industry. The product range from BASF includes
engineering plastics, polyurethane and specialty foams, coatings,
pigments, catalysts, fuel additives, coolants and brake fluids, as
well as battery materials.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Dr. Tilo Horstmann,
Vice President BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts, how well
positioned the company is in the catalysts market.
Horstmann: BASF is well positioned in the catalysts
market. We have the latest technology, such as the
Dr. Tilo Horstmann,
Vice President BASF Mobile
Emissions Catalysts.
EMPRO™ FWC™ four-way conversion catalyst
and the patented EMPRO SCR.2F (selective catalytic
reduction on filter) and are investing heavily in R&D and
new plants. Our new manufacturing site in Poland is up and running.
It has an excellent location to supply major automotive manufacturers
across Europe with our innovative catalysts solutions. We also
continue to invest in our facilities in Nienburg and Hannover, Germany,
as well as around the world.
The relevant success factor in this industry is the provider’s
ability to best serve customers through the key competitive
26
differentiators. These include best available technology
performance and consistent quality combined with a global
presence. Precious metal services add to a complete customer
service package. We think BASF is well equipped in the industry
in each of these areas, which positions us to grow above the
market average.
AI: Where do you see the biggest growth opportunity?
Horstmann: There is continued need for innovative solutions
to meet the more stringent emissions regulations. Especially the hot
topic of real driving emissions challenges the industry within the next
years. For light duty gasoline vehicles, we see a strong
focus on particulate matter emission. Here, BASF can
offer coated filters with very low back-pressure.
For light duty diesel vehicles increased
DeNOx performance (reduction of nitrogen
oxides) is required to meet Euro 6c
emission regulations. This additional
DeNOx capability can be achieved with
Lean NOx Traps, SCR (selective catalytic
reduction), SCR on Filter or a combination
of these technologies.
AI: Do you differentiate between
gasoline and diesel?
Horstmann: BASF has unsurpassed
expertise in developing innovative emission
control technologies for a wide range of applications,
including gasoline and diesel, to keep the air clean for
a sustainable future. We are the emissions professionals, and
are proud to introduce EMPRO as the new brand for BASF
Mobile Emissions Catalysts. The EMPRO brand represents what
makes BASF unique as value added solutions provider. With a
creative, open, responsible and entrepreneurial approach we
help our customers meet regulations for both gasoline and diesel
applications – and to be more profitable.
ABOVE: Catalysts on the production line.
LEFT: A graphic showing the functions of the EMPRO FWC
four-way conversion catalyst for gasoline engines.
AI: What are the new products on show at IAA Frankfurt?
Horstmann: IAA is the showcase for new catalysts and
battery materials that enable vehicles to have a lower environmental
impact, whatever powertrain technology they use. They include
the single-component EMPRO FWC four-way conversion catalyst,
the patented EMPRO SCR.2F (Selective Catalytic Reduction on
Filter) technology, advanced cathode materials and electrolytes
that offer high power, high energy, safety and improved efficiency
for lithium-ion batteries.
AI: How does the single-component EMPRO FWC
help automakers meet emission regulations like Euro 6c
while reducing system complexity, tooling and overall
system cost?
Horstmann: The traditional three-way-conversion catalyst,
used for gasoline-engines, removes carbon monoxide (CO),
hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, the
new emission regulations also require a reduction in emissions
of particulate matter. The EMPRO FWC four-way conversion
catalyst combines the functionality of a three-way-conversion
catalyst with an additional filter in the exhaust system to remove
all four pollutants with just one component. That way we help our
customers to meet the new tight regulations and to reduce system
complexity, tooling and overall system cost.
AI: How does the EMPRO SCR.2F technology work?
Horstmann: It combines SCR with a diesel particulate
filter to control NOx and particulate matter emissions from
diesel engines on a single substrate, saving weight and space.
To operate, urea is injected upstream of the SCR.2F and is
hydrolyzed to ammonia. NOx in the exhaust stream reacts
with ammonia in the presence of the SCR catalyst on the filter
to produce nitrogen and water. The exhaust flows through
the SCR.2F where particulate matter is filtered. The engine
management system enables active soot regeneration in order
to keep the back-pressure of the system at the designed level.
This technology offers the performance to meet current and
future emission limits.
AI: What does BASF advanced cathode materials and
electrolytes offer in terms of power, energy, safety and
efficiency for lithium-ion batteries?
Horstmann: For electromobility to realize its potential we know
that new battery technologies and materials need to be developed
at scale. The future depends on batteries that can provide higher
energy density, greater power, longer lifetime at high safety and
lower cost. As the global leader in chemistry, and the largest
chemical supplier to the automotive industry, BASF has the global
reach, the depth of technical resources, and the strong financial
position to excel in this market. We see tremendous potential to
advance the industry and secure our place as a leading supplier of
materials and solutions to battery manufacturers around the globe.
BASF’s battery materials business has an ambitious growth
strategy which currently is in the implementation phase. As part of
this strategy we recently established a joint venture “BASF TODA
Battery Materials LLC” in Japan. The joint venture will conduct
research and development, production, marketing and sales for a
broad range of cathode materials, particularly NCA (nickel cobalt
aluminum oxide), LMO (lithium manganese oxide) and NCM (nickel
cobalt manganese oxide) in Japan. These materials are used in
lithium-ion batteries for the automotive, consumer electronics,
and stationary storage markets. Internationally, the company will
leverage BASF’s global network and reach to drive growth in the
battery materials market, which BASF has identified as a key
growth field for the future.
AI: What about the next 150 years for BASF?
Horstmann: We supply and develop functional materials and
solutions that enable vehicles to be built more efficiently and have a
lower environmental impact, whatever powertrain technology they
use. For the future we will continue to offer innovative solutions for
sustainable mobility. AI
27
The EDAG Light Cocoon
draws from design in nature
to reduce weight.
innovation
Blueprints from nature
help reduce weight
By: James Hilton
In automotive engineering the focus for reducing weight has
predominantly been on the use of lightweight materials such
as aluminum, carbon, magnesium or fiber composites.
Development engineers at German engineering service provider
EDAG questioned whether the lightweight approaches applied
to date are really enough to achieve the ambitious weight and
emissions targets for the sustainable vehicles for future mobility.
So they looked to nature for inspiration. The result is the “EDAG
Light Cocoon” concept car.
It is a vehicle which takes the bionic pattern of a leaf as its
design basis, and converts it into lightweight, intelligently
networked body structures. According to EDAG, the
concept that illustrates sustainable methods for the
Jörg Ohlsen, CEO
of EDAG Engineering.
automotive industry and at the same time shows
the technological potential of additive manufacturing.
The Wiesbaden-based design engineering company has
working examples of technology which show that the combination
of bionic design and additive manufacturing is not just pure Utopia,
and these could soon become reality.
EDAG Light Cocoon
Introduced at the 2015 Frankfurt International Motor Show
(IAA), the EDAG Light Cocoon relies on a non-traditional approach
to reduce weight. As with the skeleton structure of an organism in
nature, the vehicle concept favors an approach in which material
is only used in the areas where it is absolutely necessary for
function, safety and stiffness. The result is a load bearing, branchlike carrying structure which meets all requirements imposed
28
on structurally relevant components, despite the fact that less
material is used. Additive manufacturing makes it possible, for the
first time, to create such complex structures. It is a “technology
which, on account of tool-free production, will in the future
carry extremely interesting economic potential and at the same
time offer extremely variable production possibilities,” says Jörg
Ohlsen, CEO of EDAG Engineering.
The outer body skin of the EDAG Light Cocoon was inspired
by nature. Just like the structure of a leaf, which has a lightweight
outer skin stretched over it, a lightweight protective skin covers
the EDAG Light Cocoon – although in this case it is made
of a textile fabric. Outdoor specialists Jack Wolfskin
supplied a tried and tested stretch lightweight fabric
that is also extremely weatherproof to serve as the
new outer body skin for the project.
In addition, the unusual combination of a
skeleton structure and fabric also makes it possible
to integrate a new type of lighting concept, which
incorporates the complete vehicle. Not only does
the LED backlighting system make the structure
of the Cocoon visible, it transforms the vehicle into
a screen. The look is no longer static. The customer
can change the appearance of his car at any time,
and select the color of her or his choice. The variable
light design is in line with consumer requirements for greater
individuality, according to Ohlsen.
Headlights brighter and lighter
Also shown at the IAA was the first fully functioning, ready-forapproval example of a headlight which illustrates the extensive
potential of additive manufacturing. This project is a product of
EDAG’s new light laboratory. It is pursuing the objective of further
enhancing the luminous power of LEDs through an active/passive
cooling system. Optimum heat dissipation through additively
manufactured bionic cooling structures and a number of other
innovative components make it possible to improve the headlight’s
performance while at the same time reducing weight. The new
Alcoa Specialty Alloys
Advancing lightweight performance
Alcoa offers a wide range of high performance aluminum casting alloys to meet the
needs of the marketplace today while opening the doors to the designs of tomorrow.
SupraCast™
EZCast™
EverCast™
VersaCast™
Superior alloy for
high performance
power train
applications
Optimizing highpressure thin wall die
casting performance
Redefining flexibility
in suspension
components
Bringing new
strength to structural
components
Over a decade of research
with Alcoa’s Technical
Center culminated in an
alloy solution suitable for
components exposed to the
elevated temperatures
in high performance
engines.
Higher elongation for crash
resistance designed
specifically for improved
high-pressure die casting
performance in casting parts
such as engine cradles,
brackets and shock towers.
High tensile strength,
excellent elongation, and
fatigue resistance enable
optimized design and light
weighting.
VersaCast delivers the high
strength and elongation
required for the most
demanding structural
applications. This innovative
specialty alloy offers
excellent fatigue resistance,
high strength properties,
plus 3XX casting
characteristics. The result is
maximum reliability,
fuel economy and
performance.
EverCast offers an ideal
solution for suspension
components, such as
steering knuckles and
control arms.
SupraCast offers castability,
good thermal conductivity,
high tensile strength and
fatigue resistance at both
low and high temperatures.
EZCast is highly
customizable, achieving a
wide range of mechanical
properties by optimizing
chemistry and heat
treatment practices for
specific applications.
www.alcoa.com
For more information contact us at: [email protected]
Advancing each generation.
Advancing each generation.
Copyright © 2015 Alcoa Inc.
b
This headlight illustrates the extensive potential of additive manufacturing.
degree of freedom provided by additive manufacturing means that
branched shapes can be created, and this makes it possible to meet
aerodynamic requirements and produce optimum heat dissipating
surfaces. What is more, very important market segments in the
low-volume and high-performance sectors can be served at lower
cost and with significant savings in investment, as the production
method involved is largely tool-less, according to the company.
Spaceframe optimization
It is already evident that the EDAG Light Cocoon is a pioneering
concept for the lightweight design of the future. In Frankfurt
EDAG demonstrated the fact that it is also a solution for another
challenge in automotive design: the development of a bionically
optimized, hybrid manufactured spaceframe body will make the
increasing vehicle variance engendered by the large variety of
drive systems and load categories more manageable. The vehicle
bodies of tomorrow will not just have to become lighter, but also
be more flexibly designed. The manufacturers are also expected
to integrate the growing number of drive concepts and energy
storage systems in the vehicle structure. The result is an increasing
number of vehicle derivatives calling for body concepts that are
adaptable and can be produced economically.
At the IAA EDAG, Laser Zentrum Nord (Hamburg), Concept
Laser (Lichtenfels) and the BLM Group (Levico, Italy) joined
forces to demonstrate the bionically optimized, hybrid
manufactured spaceframe, a new approach to bringing about
a changeable, flexibly manufactured body concept. Its success
lies in the combination of additively produced body nodes and
intelligently finished, conventionally manufactured sections.
Thanks to additive manufacturing, the nodes can be highly
flexible and multifunctional, to enable, for instance, different
vehicle variants to be produced on demand in an extremely
flexible production cell, without additional tooling, production
equipment and start-up costs. Steel or aluminum sections
serve as connecting elements. By applying varying thicknesses
and geometries, these too can easily be individually adapted to
the specified load categories.
30
The result is a bionically designed, load path-optimized
spaceframe structure. As the process uses very little in the way of
equipment and tools, it will be possible for all body variants to be
produced economically and with the maximum possible flexibility
in the future. Further, requirements for flexibility with regard to
the ability to respond swiftly to fluctuating production volume
requirements, and the adaptability of structural parts during
a product’s life cycle in the sense of a “learning and adaptable
Industry 4.0 due to additive manufacturing” are also met.
Lightweight electronics
In partnership with Laser Zentrum Nord EDAG has developed
a hybrid manufactured housing for an electric vehicle’s on-board
charger, which is more than 50 % lighter than a comparable cast
housing. The concept is designed to additively produce only the
functional elements relevant to efficiency, as this is where the
process comes into its own.
At the core of the housing is an ultra-light cooling structure
produced using the selective laser melting (SLM). With its cooling
channels specially adapted to the heat transfer of the electronics,
the aluminum component achieves an unprecedented cooling
capacity. Filigree fins inserted into the cooling channels – the likes
of which cannot be produced using conventional manufacturing
methods – maximize the efficiency factor.
Due to its compact dimensions, the low-cost production of large
quantities of the cooling structure is already possible, according
to the company. This example shows that it is already possible
for additively manufactured aluminum components to be put to
practical and economic use in small and medium-sized series.
“With the vision of the EDAG Light Cocoon and our concepts
for the swift implementation of additively manufactured
components and modules, we hope to provide stimulus for the
future of energy-efficient lightweight design and resource-saving
production,” says Ohlsen. “As an engineering company we see
lateral thinking, working on new technologies and helping to
ensure that visions gradually become ready-for-production
concepts as part of our task.” AI
www.verizontelematics.com
©2015 Verizon. All Rights Reserved. Rev. 06.19.15
innovation
“De-risking” introduction
of new aluminum components
By: Nick Palmen
There is always an element of risk when introducing new materials or processes into any production process.
But, for the motor industry, staying with the tried and tested has never really been an option.
At present the focus is on reducing weight through the use of
new materials such as aluminum. One of the leaders in “de-risking”
the use of new alloys is Constellium. With 23 plants around the
world, the company has been providing aluminum products for
close on a century. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange in
2013, it traces its history back to Pechiney, Alcan and Rio Tinto.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Dr Andreas Afseth,
Constellium R&D Group Manager, what measures the
company has in place to meet the growing demand for
lightweight components.
Afseth: We are investing massively in new
capacity on both sides of the Atlantic. In
Dr Andreas Afseth, Constellium
R&D Group Manager.
Europe we are investing in 120 kT (thousand
ton) Body-in-White (BiW) capacity in NeufBrisach (France) and a 20 kT capacity upgrade in
Singen (Germany). We are also investing €22.5 million
to expand casting, extrusion and fabrication capacity for
aluminum automotive hard alloy bars and profiles in Decin
(Czech Republic). In the USA we are building, through
a joint venture with UACJ, a 100 kT finishing line which
is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2016.
Constellium acquired Alabama-based Wise Metals in
January 2015. Our plan is to invest US$750 million by
2022 to increase the hot rolling capacity to 700 kT and to
add 200 kT BiW finishing capacity. As part of the US$ 750
million investment plan, we have announced in April this year,
our plans to build a second 100 kT capacity BiW finishing line in
the U.S. for an investment that is expected to reach US$160 m. It is
due to start production in early 2018.
We have also unveiled our newly expanded plant in Van Buren,
Michigan, where we have doubled our capacity for automotive
structures. We are seeing faster growth in the USA, as they tend to
use more aluminum per car, whereas in Europe the growth started
earlier and is more progressive, with part-by-part substitution. In
addition to increasing capacity for existing products, we are increasing
our research and development (R&D) efforts. What differentiates
32
Constellium is we know what it means to develop products, to do
R&D and to bring innovative solutions to the market. Modern cars are
quite complex, and with aluminium we can achieve and even exceed
the technology standards required.
AI asked Lionel Chapis, Managing Director Automotive
Structures, to tell us about Constellium’s automotive expertise.
Chapis: Our core business is really to transform aluminium,
and because of the current market perspective we are able
to provide very relevant solutions to the challenges that the
automotive industry is facing. Our automotive experience and
expertise encompasses different technologies, including
rolling, extrusion, finishing and assembling. It enables us
to offer a broad range of innovative solutions and meet
lightweighting goals without compromising on design,
safety and aesthetics.
Two business units dedicated to the automotive
business provide rolled, extruded products and
assembled components for automotive applications:
- Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products: for
automotive body sheets with FORMALEX® / SECURALEX®
/ STRONGALEX® / SURFALEX® and their variants optimized
for skins, inners and structure parts, for heatexchangers cladded products and for decorative
surfaces for interior and exterior car design
Lionel Chapis, Constellium
Managing Director Automotive
Structures.
- Automotive Structures & Industry
with design, simulation, prototyping and
testing capabilities so as to develop structures
based on functional specifications (new profile
for side impact beams, new generation of high-strength Crash
Management Systems, Body-in-White structures).
AI: What are your main strengths in the market?
Chapis: We are a global leader in the markets in which
we mainly operate: packaging, automotive and aerospace,
innovation is the oxygen that feeds our strategy and that
enables bringing new standards of performance to customers.
Being a leader in packaging brings us the ability to develop
Body sheet parts which can be made with SURFALEX®.
Ford F-150 windshield headers produced by Constellium.
and produce solutions which are suited to high volumes and
efficient processes.
Our strong R&D capabilities in the aerospace sector have enabled us
to make step changes in alloy developments with our new breakthrough
AIRWARE® solution. This has been developed closely with OEMs and
Tier 1s. In the automotive segment we have built on the experiences
in those two sectors to bring the best of both worlds: high tech alloys
and tailored solutions, with a strong focus on manufacturing efficiency.
This has been achieved thanks to C-TEC, Constellium’s
Technology Center, which brings together more than 200
specialists, and has characterization and numerical simulation
equipment and unique prototyping facilities backed by worldclass expertise. Our equipment can be used to design,
test and model high performance materials and
processes, from the nano to the macro scale.
AI: How closely do you work with OEMs?
Chapis: Our success in automotive has
come from, and will continue to be driven by, a
close working relationship with OEMs with whom
we have developed strong long-term customer
relationships. In-house engineering teams are
deployed for the development of tailor-made
solutions with our key premium OEMs customers.
Regarding CMS, we offer leadership service
in modelling and simulation tools used at the early
stages of vehicle development as well as in integrated
and safer CMS with redesigned alloys associated to new
designs (a good example is our work for the Ford F150). For body
sheets, we currently supply 250 MPa yield strength sheet to Audi,
with our Strongalex® solution. For the next generation we will reach
300 MPa, and future projects run up to 500 MPa.
AI: What does your new generation high strength Crash
Management System offer?
Chapis: It is setting new industry standards for enhanced
structural protection in the event of collision for the front and rear
of a vehicle. At the same time, this new system is 15% lighter or
10 % stronger than current aluminum CMS.
AI asked Dieter Höll, Director Sales and Marketing,
Automotive and Specialties of Constellium’s Packaging
and Automotive Rolled Products business unit, to share
some of the company’s development strategy and
approach to innovation.
Höll: Our approach to innovation is based on our C-TEC
innovation engine working in partnership with the best labs and
universities worldwide, combined with very close work with OEMs.
Our innovation focusses not only on products and solutions to the
customer, but also on processes, including our own manufacturing
technologies. In a time of capacity expansion we want to make sure
we build the best lines and chose the best tools to serve the market.
A good example of our innovation engine is collaboration
with Brunel University and Jaguar Land Rover. Announced in
2013, it obtained a £4.4M (Euro 5.1M) grant allocation from the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in
the United Kingdom for the creation of a national scale-up facility
for automotive light metals research. Constellium is co-director
of the center and has full access for research and development
projects. The center’s aim is to provide high-performance light
alloys, resource-efficient casting technologies, extrusion
processing technologies and component innovations.
Dieter Höll, Director Sales and
Marketing, Automotive and Specialties of
Constellium’s Packaging and Automotive
Rolled Products business unit.
AI: Car makers want skin alloys that allow
for very sharp lines. How does your new alloy
Surfalex® HF meet this requirement?
Höll: Surfalex® HF is a new aluminum highly formable skin
material for complex parts, which provides superior formability
during the stamping process without compromising on design.
Surfalex® HF has been nominated by the International OEM
Advisory Board “AEE Innovation Star 2015”.
AI: What can we expect from Constellium in the future?
Höll: Our vision is to become a leading global player in all three
of the markets in which we operate – aerospace, automotive and
packaging. Our success in seizing opportunities across the globe
depends primarily on our ability to deliver innovations. We already
invest substantially in R&D and we have a track record of proven
innovation. We intend to continue on this route and ensure that
our R&D portfolio offers new alloys and lightweighting solutions for
automotive body sheets and components for our OEM customers.
Our technology center provides us with a “lab to industrial-scale”
capability which enables us to bring ideas to fruition quickly and to
de-risk innovations to customers. AI
33
innovation
“
The new alloys are stronger,
lighter, and offer at least 20%
better fatigue resistance.
”
New lightweight, highperformance Alcoa aluminum
alloys for automotive applications
By: Nick Palmen
A new range of aluminum alloys will help OEMs to continue
to reduce weight while in some cases improving performance of components in comparison with those made from
iron or other materials.
The new alloys from Alcoa are SupraCast™, EZCast™,
VersaCast™ and EverCast™. In tests they have surpassed
customer expectations on strength, thermal performance and
corrosion resistance, according to the company. “These specialty
alloys demonstrate Alcoa’s commitment to meet the evolving
long-term needs of tomorrow’s marketplace,” said Tim Reyes,
President of Alcoa Casting. “The skills of our expert metallurgists
combined with our deep understanding of the automotive industry
allow us to anticipate and meet customer needs quickly
and effectively. With this portfolio of patented alloys
we are enabling OEMs and foundries to tailor
their parts to meet specific objectives — with
Christine Keener,
VP, Commercial at
Alcoa Casting.
material that weighs less and performs better
than what is currently being used,” he said.
Eck Industries, a premium aluminum castings
supplier, is a strong advocate for the new alloys. The
company has successfully deployed VersaCast in collaboration
with a supplier of cast parts to the motorsports industry and is
collaborating with Michigan-based technology development
company REL in the development of a conformable compressed
natural gas (CNG) tank that was named “Best in Class” for 2015 by
Modern Casting magazine. In addition, Eck Industries has recently
completed the casting of cylinder heads made from SupraCast.
After successful dynamometer tested an order was placed for
cast heads using this high performance alloy.
34
“These foundry alloys from Alcoa open the door to a whole
new world of high-performance, lightweight solutions for our
customers,” said Andrew Halonen, Sales Engineer of Eck
Industries. “The alloys not only perform better than existing
materials, they are easy to cast, even for highly complex parts.
And that adds value throughout the supply chain,” he added.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Christine Keener, VP,
Commercial at Alcoa Casting, what prompted the company
to develop the new family of alloys.
Keener: If you look at the automotive industry there is a
growing need for lighter and stronger alloys. This is an opportunity
to create and meet demands for our products. The new family
of innovative foundry alloys for automotive applications
enables OEMs to design replacement components
with both increased performance and decreased
cost. Each alloy offers an opportunity to design
parts in aluminum that were historically based
on other materials.
AI: What do the new alloys offer in
terms of benefits to the automotive
industry?
Keener: There are lots of different
benefits, depending on the alloy and
application but anywhere between 16%
and 94% greater yield strength above
typical grades of cast iron, and at least 40%
greater than the standard aluminum alloy. With
the improved strength and castability we provide
we enable the design and use of parts that reduce
the mass of materials used by 25-30%. Each alloy meets
specific needs identified in the automotive industry:
•SupraCast™ – Provides superior strength at higher
temperatures for high-performance power train applications.
SupraCast offers thermal conductivity combined with high
structural integrity, which is ideal for cylinder heads, connecting
rods, turbo chargers, brake calipers, and engine blocks.
• EZCast™ – Appreciable yield strength and elongation gains
compared to traditional alloys in this space, EZCast is named
for the high fluidity, thermal stability and low shrinkage that
A bracket cast in VersaCast.
make it easy to cast and ideal for a variety of different, crashresistant structural components, including, engine cradles,
cross-members, side doors, radiator mounting, engine mounts,
sub-frames and shock towers.
• VersaCast™ – Outperforming cast iron up to 94% and typical aluminum alloy alternatives by at least 40%, VersaCast
is designed to help OEMs achieve optimal performance
in the most demanding structural applications while continuing to make vehicles lighter. VersaCast is suitable for
automotive, aerospace or military components where high
strength is required; its excellent castability allows for complicated shapes.
• EverCast™ – A high strength and high fatigue resistant alloy,
EverCast is optimized for safety critical components in braking,
steering and suspension brackets.
AI: How do they compare with the existing materials?
Keener: The new alloys are stronger, lighter, and offer at least
20% better fatigue resistance.
AI: Have you completed any trials with any of the major
carmakers and suppliers?
Keener: The new alloys have undergone extensive trials with
major automakers and their suppliers, beating customers’ expectations
on strength, thermal performance and corrosion resistance.
A cross member made with EZCast.
An engine block made from the SupraCast alloy.
The new family of innovative
“
foundry alloys for automotive
applications enables OEMs to
design replacement components
with both increased performance
and decreased cost.
”
AI: Would the new alloys be available in Europe as well
as in the US?
Keener: Yes they are available everywhere, but in terms of
production location they can be produced both in Europe and
North America. We have locations in Norway, Iceland, Spain, the
U.S., and Canada that produce foundry alloys, but we certainly
are going to explore supplying the alloys to other regions. In North
America, SupraCast and EZCast have been successfully produced
and sold, and both VersaCast and EverCast are currently being
qualified by customers. In Europe, EZCast, SupraCast and
VersaCast are commercially available.
AI: How would the new alloys help Alcoa with global
positioning?
Keener: Right now it is a little bit early to say how it is going to
impact our global performance. We are quite confident, given the
market’s need for a lighter weight, high-performance material, that
this is certainly going to help us in the long run.
AI: What can we expect next from Alcoa?
Keener: We continue to focus on various opportunities based on
feedback that we are getting from our customers. We are looking at
products in the extrusion space as well to develop alloys that would be
available, particularly for automotive applications. We are working on the
technology, but are not yet ready to go public with anything yet. AI
35
The Innovation Day takes place
in Geico every two years.
innovation
Innovation days help paint a
picture of the future for partners
and financial institutions
By: Ed Richardson
Sometimes the best way to tell people about a vision as
bold as building a zero-impact paint shop by June 16, 2020
is to show them.
Geico, a global leader in the engineering and construction of
turnkey automated car painting systems hosts Innovation Days
every two years for its partners and financial institutions. “For us,
growth equals investment, and investment equals innovation,
even at the most critical times. Geico invested €27.9 million in
the 2005 to 2013 period alone. Some 60% of this investment
was allocated to technological and cultural innovation, with the
remaining 40% being allocated to facilities and corporate structure
and organisation,” says Dr Daryush Arabnia, Corporate Vice
President of Geico.
The nerve centre for Geico research and development is the
Pardis Innovation Centre in Milan, Italy, which was opened in
2009 and further expanded in 2013. “It is here that customers
and partners are given the opportunity to closely observe new
technologies in the different phases of the paint process,” says
Arabnia. Customers are invited to attend “Experiment Days,”
during which they are given a full day to visit the center, take a
closer look at the daily breakthroughs and discuss their needs and
expectations during brainstorming sessions.
All visitors are updated on progress towards achieving the
Geico vision of “Energy Independence Day” on Tuesday, June
16, 2020. It is on that date that the company aims to introduce
the world’s first “zero-impact” paint plant to the market.
Geico’s focus on innovation in the paint shop is paying off for
the company. After being awarded the contract to build a paint
36
shop for the new Mercedes-Benz plant in Iracemápolis, Brazil,
the German car manufacturer has awarded Geico the contract
for the capacity expansion of its paint shop in Chakan, India.
Mercedes-Benz chose Geico after a visit by the top
Mercedes-Benz management team to the Pardis Innovation
Centre. “This is an important day for us, our team and our
partners and suppliers. We have demonstrated that investing
in research, culture, training, education and well-being for
our employees leads to offer the best to our customers in a
perceivable and concrete way,” said Arabnia.
In January 2015 Geico was awarded an important project
from Geely Holding Group in China. The plant is located in
Zhangijakou, Hebei with yearly production of 120,000 Geely and
Volvo passenger cars. The first Geely delegation visited the Pardis
Innovation Centre in July 2013 and then returned in December
2014 for final negotiations. “It is a great success for Geico team. It
is more recognition for us from the Chinese market that once again
chose Italian know-how and technology. This fills us of enthusiasm
and honour,” he says.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Arabnia what the
company’s message is to its partners and financial institutions.
D. Arabnia: The message we want to pass on is simple:
in order to achieve excellence and to be considered a leader
in the market, we need to bring to the table superior value
to our customers. That’s why we need to continuously grow
our internal know-how through both technical and cultural
innovation. And the only way to reach this goal is to invest
both time and resources.
Technological innovation merges with cultural innovation
through an elegant performance of dancers from Teatro alla
Scala in Milan.
Explaining the technology and design of Geico’s solutions at
Pardis Innovation Centre.
Stakeholders, financial institutions and press during the
Iatest Innovation Day.
AI: What impresses visitors most when they visit Pardis
Innovation Centre?
D. Arabnia: It is not simply Pardis Innovation Centre that
impresses visitors, but the whole experience that our guests go
through when they visit us. We strongly believe that in order to
bring true innovation people should develop both analytical and
emotional intelligence. This is because without true passion, raw
know-how would not be enough.
When visiting Geico we want our guests to deeply understand
this concept. First, we show how we develop our know-how by
visiting our offices where we introduce them to all Geico members.
This is also to remind them that behind whatever we do there are
people and not machines. Next is a visit to our internal school,
Campus Pippo Neri, where training courses of all kinds are offered
to our employees every Friday afternoon.
Then it is on to the place where we develop the emotional
intelligence: Laura’s Garden of Thoughts. This is a 2000m2
covered area that reproduces a small Italian village. In the garden
you can find a small park, a gym, a restaurant, an amphitheatre,
an art gallery and a living room. This area is completely dedicated
to Geico’s employees and stakeholders. In order to further develop
the emotional intelligence every six weeks we hold a Teasing Friday.
This is an event where we hold lectures, theatre shows,
concerts or anything that teases our brain and heart. Moreover,
during these Teasing Fridays we change the art gallery, always
trying to exhibit something that can enhance and open our minds.
Once done with the garden we move to Pardis where we show the
results of our innovation activities. I cannot really spot a specific
factor that impresses our guests. I truly believe that the whole
experience is what truly impresses.
AI: What innovation has come out of the workshops
with customers?
D. Arabnia: It is difficult to point out specific products that have
been developed with customers. I believe that, instead, workshops
with customers help us to understand which are the key values
and needs that are important to our customers. We always try to
understand the expectations and values of the customer. Everything
we do is to reach the goal of the Energy Independence Day. This
important date was set in 2005 when, talking to customers, we
understood that decreasing cost of ownership was a must, and that
the highest cost of ownership is energy consumption. You could say
that the Energy Independence Day was born after many workshops
both with customers and business partners.
AI: Is the deadline for zero-impact paint shop achievable?
D. Arabnia: Yes. In order to achieve this goal we need to
reach an average kWh per body of 270 and be able to supply the
remaining energy need with renewable energies. Today we have
reached 330 kWh per body and we already identified all activities
that could bring us to 270 and maybe even less.
AI: What is the next breakthrough on the road to a zeroimpact paint shop?
D. Arabnia: Up until now our focus has been on making
the process as efficient as possible. Now we are focusing more
on energy consumption inside the paint shop. We are trying to
completely rethink why we do certain things and the way we do
them. I cannot disclose more than this. AI
37
Songwon’s Maeam plant
in South Korea.
innovation
Meeting growing
demand for recycled PP
There is a growing demand for recycled plastics across a
wide range of industries. Recent research estimates that
US demand alone for post-consumer recycled plastic will
rise 6.5% yearly to 3.5 billion pounds in 2016.
Recycled plastics are also helping support growth in other
markets around the world. The predicted growth rate of the Indian
plastics industry is one of the highest in the world, with plastics
consumption growing at 16% a year (compared to 10% in China
and around 2.5% in the UK). Some 47% of Indian plastics are
recycled. In contrast, a study by WRAP and Valpack found that
only half a million tons of the 1.6 million tons of recyclable plastics
that enter the UK household waste and recycling system
a year, are recovered. China is reporting double-digit
growth of its plastics recycling sector.
Thomas Schmutz, Leader Global
Technical Service & Application
Development, BU Polymer Stabilizers,
Songwon Industrial Group.
The automotive sector, which is using increasing
quantities of plastics, in order to reduce weight
and cost, is an essential part of the plastics recycling
ecosystem. Over the past few years automotive plastics have
contributed to reducing the weight of automobiles by 500 to 750
pounds. A 10% reduction in weight on average improves gas
mileage by about 6%. The use of around 257 lbs of plastics in
a modern vehicle has therefore significantly improved mileage.
Greenhouse gas emissions over the total life of the vehicle are
reduced because over 85% of the energy consumed during the
38
By: Nick Palmen
life of a vehicle occurs during its useful life (gas, oil, maintenance).
Automotive plastics make up about 0.5% by weight of a landfill.
Despite this low percentage, automotive and plastic companies
are striving to reduce that amount.
Opel, which is part of the General Motors Group, is setting new
benchmarks for the use of recycled polypropylene with its Insignia
model. According to the Insignia website, “The cornerstones of our
recycling policy are the recycling oriented design and the recovery
concept for end of life vehicles (ELVs). It means your car is made
using more recycled materials and wasting fewer resources than
ever. And when it comes to disposing of an old Opel, we make
sure almost nothing goes to waste.
According to the website, Opel has a long tradition of
using recycled materials, also known as recyclates.
More than 130 plastic recyclate types have been
specified and approved for use in production.
In comparison to new resources, recyclates
must fulfil all the same technical specifications
and be produced at a lower cost. Where these
two criteria are met, recycled materials are
preferred, but quality is never compromised.
Our recycling team takes every effort to
maintain high quality look and feel, mechanical
and thermal durability, along with performance
standards. “In fact, because our recycled materials
are of such a high standard and quality, they can now
be used for visible parts as well as hidden parts of Opel
cars,” says the company.
One of the additives being used to ensure the quality of the
recycled plastics is SONGNOX® 3001-2, a stabilizer blend from
Songwon, which meets requirements in terms of improved long
term heat stability. The product is certified for use in automotive
interior applications, according to the company. Songwon is the
second largest manufacturer of polymer stabilizers in the world.
Employees at the Songwon Ulsan plant in South Korea.
Working on the Songwon production line.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Thomas Schmutz, Leader
Global Technical Service & Application Development, BU
Polymer Stabilizers, Songwon Industrial Group, about the key
breakthroughs in the development of plastic stabilizers.
Schmutz: In 2014, we broadened our portfolio with new
experimental stabilizer solutions. Based on our SONGXTEND®
2121, SONGXTEND® 2122 and SONGXTEND® 2123, they have
similar features and address fogging and odor issues in car
interiors. The new stabilizers are being tested for:
• The talc-filled automotive compounding market, to provide
better long-term thermal stability (XP 2041, XP 2042 and XP
2037 experimental stabilizers)
• The glass fiber (GF) re-enforced PP market for both short- or
long-glass fiber PP
(XP 2035 and XP 1080 experimental stabilizers)
Currently, there is a trend in the market for GF-PP to meet
3000h at 150oC and possibly replace polyamide compounds for
automotive under the hood applications.
AI: What are the main challenges in the use of recycled
polypropylene?
Schmutz: Polypropylene is very sensitive to thermo-oxidative
degradation. Without stabilizers, severe degradation during melt
conversion occurs. This reduces the useful life of the plastic – the
Long-Term Thermal Stability or LTTS.
AI: What is the most suitable light stabilizer solution for
an automotive interior application that complies with the
more stringent requirements of the automotive industry on
VOC / FOG and total carbon emission?
Schmutz: Our newly-developed UV systems, SABO®STAB
UV 210 and SABO®STAB UV 228 50PP light stabilizers, are
gaining commercial momentum in the market. Representing the
synergistic use of light stabilizers, they outperform standard UV
stabilizers in polyolefin substrates in terms of color protection,
gloss retention, and surface protection. They also show superior
solubility and compatibility with polyolefins resulting in less
blooming issues in relation to other low molecular weight HALS.
Our SABO®STAB UV 210 light stabilizer is best suited to
exterior automotive applications, such as bumpers or side
trims. It is a 100% active product and therefore very cost
efficient. SABO®STAB UV 228 50PP light stabilizer, is ideal for
interior automotive applications such as dashboards and door
panels, and is meeting the more stringent requirements of the
automotive industry on VOC/FOG and total carbon emission.
Its concentrate form provides easy handling, low dust build
up, and free flowing behavior for accurate dosing in polymer
processing operations.
AI: Where do you see main growth in the use of recycled
PP by the automotive industry?
Schmutz: The main growth in recycled PP use should come
from the “visible” parts in the car interior and exterior applications.
AI: What are the main constraints?
Schmutz: For interior applications, the main constraints are
the recycling resin odors and for the exterior, the challenge is
achieving the required light stability
AI: How can they be overcome?
Schmutz: Recycled PP out of the post-consumer waste
stream is the biggest obstacle, because food contaminants on
the plastic’s surface or odorants in detergent or softener bottles
are a major source of the final odor in the recycled PP. There are
companies on the market that are trying to overcome this problem.
One of them is Quality Circular Polymers.
AI: What do you expect the next major technological
breakthrough from a Songwon perspective to be?
Schmutz: Songwon is constantly monitoring the trends in
the automotive market and looking for new opportunities. For
example, if the new emission standards like Euro 6, or other
automotive standards, require changes in polymer stabilization,
then Songwon will definitely focus on this type of opportunity. AI
39
New fluorosilicone technology
innovation
and adhesives added to the
toolboxes of manufacturers
By: Esther Francis
The latest generation of fluorosilicones and radical-cure silicone adhesive technology offer greater flexibility
and other benefits to automotive designers, as well as manufacturers of components made from rubber
compounds, according to the Dow Corning Corporation.
“Dow Corning anticipates a growing need for fluorosilicones.
And, our two newest Silastic® F-LSRs can help OEMs improve
component performance and reliability in key systems for fuel
economy and emissions control, as well as help fabricators
increase efficiency, reduce material waste and possibly gain
significant process savings,” said Gabe Knee, Automotive Market
Leader for Dow Corning in a media statement.
In 2014 the company introduced two new Silastic® brand
F-LSRs, which combine the fuel, oil and solvent resistance of
fluorosilicone rubber (FSR) with the processing benefits of liquid
silicone rubber (LSR). “The Silastic F-LSR technology offers
fabricators substantial process gains for producing newer seals,
gaskets, connectors, flexible diaphragms, membranes and valves
using standard injection molding equipment,” said Knee.
The first fluorosilicone rubber compounds were developed
by Dow Corning more than 50 years ago for aerospace
seals and gaskets that required high fuel and
Craig Gross,
Senior AETS Specialist,
Silicone Elastomers.
oil resistance. The value of FSR technology for
automotive applications was quickly recognised. Dow
Corning’s other automotive products include its Molykote®
brand of specialty lubricants that are specifically formulated for
brake-system applications.
A wide selection of Molykote® brand lubricants is available
to meet specific performance requirements in brake system
lubrication applications. Application-matched lubricant choices
are available for pedal system pivots and bearings, hydraulic
components, such as air compressors and master cylinders,
brake booster and actuator diaphragms, seals and pistons,
disc brake components, from needle bearings to caliper
assembly parts, mechanical or electrical parking brakes and
brake-by-wire actuators.
They enhance braking performance and reliability by resisting
water washout, dust and dirt buildup, oxidation, and searing heat
and numbing cold. Safety is improved by helping to maintain
system seals without causing common elastomers, such as
EPDM and neoprene, to soften, swell or lose sealing integrity.
40
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Craig Gross, Senior
AETS Specialist, Silicone Elastomers what are some
of the recent breakthroughs Dow Corning has made in
automotive-targeted, silicon elastomers.
Gross: Dow Corning has developed two new and innovative
fluorosilicone rubber (FSR) technologies. The first technology
delivers improved heat resistance for FSRs and expands the upper
temperature range in which FSR can be used. Previously limited
in use to applications up to 200°C, we developed FSR technology
to deliver good retention of physical properties when exposed to
temperatures of 220°C with excursions up to 240°C. The second
technology recently developed improves the compression set
resistance of fluorosilicone elastomers and achieved single-digit
compression set values when tested for 22 hours at 177°C. Both
of these new technologies can be incorporated across a wide
durometer range.
AI: How do the products helped automotive
designers and manufacturers?
Gross: These new fluorosilicone technologies
expand the toolbox of automotive designers
by providing additional options for material
selection and performance. As under-thehood temperatures continue to increase,
fluorosilicone elastomers are being asked to
deliver performance in temperatures not previously
required or encountered for such applications. This
new high temperature FSR technology can now meet
many of these evolving temperature requirements.
An improved compression set resistance fluorosilicone
technology now enables better sealing and durability for
applications requiring fuel and automotive fluid resistance. The
lower compression set of a material can result in higher sealing
force retention over the life of the application, ultimately resulting
in better durability.
AI: What are some of the future trends in silicone elastomers
that you think will majorly impact the auto industry?
Gross: The automotive market will continue to require higher
temperatures in under-the-hood applications. Silicone and
fluorosilicone elastomers are well suited to address this ongoing
need, and the developments focused on improved temperature
resistance will open up opportunities for broader applications and
those requiring higher temperatures compared to today. Acid gas
resistance is also becoming a critical need as more exhaust gas
recirculation is being used to improve emissions and fuel economy.
As a global leader in automotive adhesive, sealant and functional coating solutions, Henkel can be everywhere in
car manufacturing. Our innovative technologies enhance all leading automotive brands across the entire value chain.
Visit our website to find out how to achieve competitive advantage with our solutions for chassis, powertrain,
body-in-white to electrical/electronics, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-condition), exterior and interior.
www.henkel-adhesives.com/automotive
SilasticTM F-FSRs help improve the performance of
key components.
Dow Corning adhesives allow designers to bond a number
of different types of material to each other.
Advances in FSR technology are providing improved resistance to
these acids and providing automotive designers an option when
designing seals for EGR systems.
Automotive Industries then asked Irina Bolsacova,
Global Marketing Leader, Automotive Elastomers, what the
response has been from OEMs to the release of Silastic®
fluorosilicone rubber compounds.
Bolsacova: Our latest fluorosilicone elastomer technology
created excitement with automotive customers. The combination
of processing flexibility typical for silicone elastomers
coupled with extended temperature resistance
enables customers to extend their design options
and improve total cost of ownership (TCO) helping
better address auto industry challenges for weight
reduction and fuel efficiency
AI: What are some of the reasons for
their popularity?
Bolsacova: Extended temperature stability
which is comparable with incumbent fluorocarbon
solutions on the market, and advanced flexibility of
processing and design with silicones
AI: What are some of the new products that are
likely to be launched in the near future that will be aimed
at the automotive industry?
Bolsacova: Dow Corning is committed to be an innovation
partner for the automotive industry. We are working on expanding
temperature and chemical stability of our elastomers, enabling
customers to answer even more challenging regulation
requirements for fuel consumption and support
automotive customers in developing vehicles that
are more energy efficient, cleaner, safer and offer
higher comfort.
Kate Johnson, Electronics Technical
Specialist for Dow Corning, was asked
to expand on her presentation to the SAE
World Congress & Exhibition 2015.
Johnson: The presentation was an
introduction to a new technology platform. The
target audience was designers and the discussion
involved the design enablement capability of this
new technology. These new adhesives will let designers
significantly expand their toolbox and broaden the material set
beyond the historical boundaries enabling them to optimize in
substrate cost and enhance design selections.
AI: Please tell us more about the technology.
Johnson: The new chemistry platform is called Thermal
Radical Cure™. We want to be clear that this is a technology
platform, not just a new product. In time there will likely be
numerous products that are built on this new chemistry system
that are designed and developed specifically for multiple markets.
There are two key performance differentiators in this new
technology. First is adhesion to a broader set of substrates than
has been available with traditional chemistry compounds. These
new adhesives will often adhere to polymer systems
with complex additive packages – typically without
any pre-treatments. This expands the choices
42
Irina Bolsacova,
Global Marketing Leader,
Automotive Elastomers.
designers have in substrate selection and can often
eliminate one or more process steps. Additionally
the mechanism of adhesion has very fast kinetics, even
at low temperature, enabling faster process times at lower
temperatures and in smaller ovens than traditional one part silicon
addition cure chemistry sets. The technology has benefits that
appeal to both designers and process/manufacturing engineers
enabling creativity and cost saving potentials to both.
AI: How do you see the new product impacting the
automotive industry?
Johnson: It offers flexibility in design as well
as cost and process savings. Furthermore, this
Kate Johnson,
Electronics Technical Specialist
for Dow Corning.
technology aligns to key industry trends such as lightweighting by adhering to alternate structural materials
that can be challenging for traditional adhesives. The ability
to adhere to a very broad set of substrates and provide durable
structural adhesion to dissimilar substrates supports industry
drivers in the transition of metal to plastic. AI
Taking the Right Turn With
Safe and Modular Solutions
TTA Drive – Central Platform ECU for
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems / ADAS
• Integration of multiple driver assistance functions on a single platform ECU
• Ethernet-based on-board networking of safety-relevant driving functions
• Best possible object recognition due to data fusion across sensors
• Scalable architecture
• Central diagnosis of all systems
Advanced Driver
Assistance System (ADAS)
www.tttech.com/ADAS-TTTech
innovation
The floor element made of Stratura™ combines the
floor carpeting, acoustics insulation material, and
chassis floor plate.
Redefining the concept
of an underbody
By: Nick Palmen
Every area of a vehicle comes with its own challenges for manufacturers and suppliers. The
underbody is one which has been a focus of attention in recent years.
New technology developed by companies such as Röchling
Automotive is redefining the underbody by combining the
floor interior, underbody and chassis into one component. This
development arises from automotive manufacturers’ desire to
reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. While the overall
construction of vehicles has changed very little over a long period
of time, the materials used and their degree of integration has seen
much more rapid innovation.
The introduction of alternative drive concepts is also behind the
reconceptualization and design of the floor plate or underbody.
Low-weight reinforced thermoplastics have proven to be very
flexible. Typically based on a non-woven material, new properties
can easily be introduced into the material by combining glass
fibers with thermoplastic fibers such as polypropylene or polyester.
Through the use of its Stratura material for electric vehicles,
for example, Röchling Automotive aims to achieve the optimum:
lower weight, better comfort, safety, and lower costs. A functional
multi-layered construction unifies in a single component functions
which were previously fulfilled by the carpeting, the metal car body,
and the underbody panel. The thermal insulating properties of the
Stratura material keep the interior warm while the acoustically
efficient material structure ensures a pleasant atmosphere in the
interior. The integration of the new sandwich approach by using
Stratura can save up to 50% of the weight versus steel. Stratura
is used for thermoacoustic structural components with waterproof
dividing layer, interior decorative surfaces, and an exterior
gravelproof coating.
44
Staying up to date with the latest development of the
technologies and assembly of the vehicles is not always easy for
suppliers. The integration of metallic foils and structural metallic
elements requires additional skills such as the calculation and
simulation of stresses, or the development of appropriate assembly
and connection concepts. The main goals, to reduce weight and
to enhance NVH characteristics and therefore the comfort of the
driver, will remain the key drivers of further activities in this field.
Röchling Automotive can combine the functions of the interior
floor, underbody, and chassis by using floor elements made of
Stratura. Röchling Automotive is also working on the integration
of metallic elements.
Spotlight on electric vehicles
A special focus is being placed on the evolution of lightweight
electric cars of the future. With these cars every kilogram counts.
Röchling Automotive has a number of prototype products which
are already in field tests. The company was a participant in the Light
e-Body project, for instance. As part of this project, which focused
on sustainability and efficiency, multiple supplier companies and
automotive manufacturers worked on the development of an
industrial-scale lightweight body for an electric vehicle. Röchling’s
floor element made from Stratura combines the interior carpeting,
acoustic insulation material and the chassis floor plate.
Boosting Efficiency
A number of concepts for the improvement of aerodynamics,
such as active guidance of the air by active speed lips, were
developed in parallel. Active speed lips bring an improvement of
Röchling Automotive solutions for a battery
stack with integrated cooling.
Inductive charging, a
comfort option for the
electrified mobility.
Bipolar plates with high electrical conductivity.
the cd-value of up to ten points according to Röchling Automotive.
Small design modifications can enhance the underbody air flow
and therefore also have an effect on the fuel consumption. In
addition, underbody components can positively influence the
driving performance, particularly in critical situations such as high
speed runs or regarding the uplift at the rear wheel axle. Under
these circumstances optimally shaped underbody parts help to
improve the safety of the vehicle.
The underbody also serves as the area in which batteries
are best positioned in the car. One particular aspect holding
back the acceptance of low-emission vehicles by the market
to date is their limited range. This has resulted in a flood of
investments into innovations and technological developments
aimed at improving batteries. Röchling Automotive has for
several years been among the suppliers developing new
solutions related to batteries. The focus has been in the area
of cell frames with integrated cooling function and insulating
sheets. Special solutions for the cooling and encapsulation of
batteries have been developed.
Last but not least, inductive charging and fuel cell
components have been part of the Röchling Automotive approach
to new business and green cars. Conductivity within plastics is as
difficult as it is fascinating. The limits in terms of functionality and
safety have been redefined. This included the development of the
ion exchanger needed in fuel cell cars. Here, Röchling Automotive
has developed an elegant solution that the company says meets
all technical and commercial requirements.
Inspiration from Mother Nature
Writing in the Röchling 2014 magazine Klaus Pfaffelhuber,
Röchling Automotive Manager Advanced Development
Aerodynamics & Acoustics says lightweight metals make it
possible to combine the respective advantages brought by the
properties of different plastics – “just like Mother Nature”.
Nature literally provides many constructive examples of
how and where stable structures can be reinforced to be able
to withstand even stronger forces, he writes. Spaces that
have no impact on strength can be used for thermo-acoustic
insulation purposes.
Röchling tests and evaluates multi material systems as part of a
comprehensive approach to lightweight construction. An example
is the Stratura family of materials created through participation in
the StreetScooter project of RWTH Aachen university. The project
was aimed at eliminating the need for sheet metal and combining
carpet, floor, and underbody cover into one component.
Founded in mid-2010, StreetScooter has been developing new
mobility concepts for cities and high population density areas.
At the request of Deutsche Post StreetScooter has developed
a special vehicle for the joint delivery (letters and parcels). In
collaboration with a team of RWTH Aachen also a pedelec for
delivery has been developed.
Röchling Automotive is also active in the light e-body project,
which focuses on the lightweight chassis for e-vehicles. This is
how new specializations are created and form the basis for the
solutions of tomorrow, writes Pfaffelhuber. AI
45
innovation
US plastics industry making
a “strong comeback”
By: James Hilton
Record crowds and participation in plastics industry showcase NPE2015 point to resurgence of
the sector, particularly in the United States.
“NPE2015 is the most successful NPE in the 69-year history of
the show, with the largest trade show, the most extensive educational
agenda, the broadest array of special programs, and the greatest
diversity of attendees,” says William R. (Bill) Carteaux, president and
CEO of SPI, which founded and produces the triennial event. “Clearly
one reason for this success is that the U.S. plastics industry has made
a strong comeback, a resurgence that has attracted NPE participants
from across the country and around the world.”
Another force for the success of NPE2015 has been strong
backing by the industry, noted Gene Sanders, SPI’s senior vice
president in charge of trade shows and conferences: “Since its
founding by SPI in 1946, NPE has been our industry’s defining
event — produced by our trade association, guided by NPE
Committee volunteers from many companies, and supported by
exhibitors and attendees who know the importance of NPE for
showcasing innovation and generating new business.”
The expo and a range of conferences took place March 23-27 in
Orlando, Florida. NPE2015 attracted 2,029 exhibitors covering over
1,128,200 net square feet (104,813 sq.m) of exhibition space —
exceeding the previous records of 2,009 exhibitors and 1,041,000
net square feet (96,712 sq.m) set in 2000. Registered attendance for
NPE2015 was 65,810 — 19% greater than three years ago. These
registrants came from 23,396 unique companies — 22% more than
the 19,198 companies at NPE2012 — representing a substantial
increase in buying potential, according to Carteaux.
46
Reflecting the internationalization of NPE, 26% of visitors came
from countries outside the United States, including nearly 5,000
from Latin America. The International Buyers Program (IBP) of
the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that for NPE2015 it
recruited one of the largest numbers of delegates from foreign
countries in the history of the IBP program, which works with
hundreds of U.S. trade shows.
In descending order of number of exhibitors, the 10
largest participating countries out of a total of 37 were
China, Taiwan, Canada, Italy, Germany, India, Turkey, France,
Switzerland, and South Korea. These figures don’t include
companies that are based in other countries but exhibited
through their US subsidiaries.
“What made NPE2015 a milestone in the 69-year history of
NPE was not only its size and international diversity, but also the
richness of its offerings to attendees,” said Carteaux. “The hundreds
of machines operating on the show floor, the customer service
centers provided by material suppliers, the pavilions and programs
on current issues and emerging technologies, the extensive agenda
of co-located conferences—this wealth of content surpassed our
previous shows and now provides a guideline for making future
NPEs even more attractive to participants. The plastics industry
should be truly proud of its show”.
NPE2018 will take place Monday through Friday, May 7-11, 2018,
at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. AI
Batteries
NVH integration with StraturaTM
Inductive charging
Fuel cell
Everything in place for an electrifying future
Made using synthetic materials, our
smart and highly integrated networked
system solutions sustainably drive
the development of your electric and
hybrid vehicles. Technologically,
Boost your efficiency
ecologically and economically. To get
you to your destination faster.
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www.roechling.com
innovation
Mild hybrid 48V
systems driving lower
CO2 emissions
By: Esther Francis
“Mild hybrid” 48V vehicles are coming of age, with the
technology now ready for mass production.
In 2011, at the 15th Automobil Elektronik Kongress in
Ludwigsburg, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and VW made the
ground-breaking announcement that they would instigate a 48V
standard known as LV148 for their vehicles’ on-board power
networks - a sea-change not seen in the industry since the 1950s
when carmakers moved progressively from 6V to 12V.
Among the first to develop practical technical solutions is
UK-based environmental award winner, Controlled Power
Technologies (CPT). It is upbeat about the response the
company’s
switched-reluctance
(SR)
motor-generator
technology received during the International SAE 2015 Hybrid
& Electric Vehicles Symposium held in Los Angeles in February
2-15. With three core products - COBRA, SpeedStart and
TIGERS – CPT’s SR technology can be applied for torque assist
as well as energy recovery applications.
Taylor Hansen (left) VP CPT discusses 48V hybrid
technology with delegates attending SAE 2015 Hybrid & EV
Technologies Symposium DSC0150.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Nick Pascoe co-founder
and chief executive of CPT, why mild hybrid vehicles are
becoming more popular.
Pascoe: The technology enables the car makers to costeffectively meet ever more stringent CO2 and NOx emission
requirements and produce vehicles at a price that motorists can
afford. It also buys the industry valuable time to achieve the longawaited chemistry breakthrough for more affordable batteries able
to store significantly more energy for pure electric vehicles … or
a comparable cost-effective breakthrough with hydrogen fuel-cell
electric vehicles.
The first 48V mild hybrids will be introduced by European
premium car manufactures from 2016 onwards, quickly followed
48
by the volume car makers. The influx of mild hybrid vehicles will
continue to gain market share and possibly peak circa 2028 when
the penetration in the premium sector will have reached 80-90%.
AI: Tell us about the role CPT plays in the European
Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium (EALABC).
Pascoe: CPT is a developer of switched-reluctance motorgenerator technology, so we’re agnostic when it comes to
batteries, and can work with any chemistry. Through EALABC
we work closely with many international automotive companies.
A technology developer like CPT provides the EALABC with
the means to demonstrate its advanced lead-carbon battery
technology to vehicle manufacturers.
Switched-reluctance motor-generators and the latest leadcarbon battery technologies are complementary. With the new
battery chemistry breakthroughs being particularly suited to the
high rate partial state-of-charge (HRPSoC) requirements of a low
voltage mild hybrid vehicle, it also offers a more cost effective
option for mass market application. Both technologies are now
ready for high volume series production.
AI asked Taylor Hansen VP CPT, how well CPT technology
has been received in the United States.
Hansen: We’re seeing rapidly growing interest in low voltage mild
hybrid vehicles as demonstrated by the significant response whenever
we showcase our switched-reluctance motor-generator technology.
AI then asked Alastair Muncey CPT’s lead engineer
responsible for the SpeedStart motor-generator technology,
how it is a first step towards 48V hybridization.
Muncey: As part of the Front End Accessory Drive (FEAD),
SpeedStart not only replaces the alternator, but also has the
potential to eliminate a conventional starter motor once the belt
technology is able to cope with low temperate engine starts at 30o C. Already, belt technology companies such as Mubea are
getting close to achieving this goal.
AI: What are some of the critical design elements that
were kept in mind when developing SpeedStart?
Muncey: SpeedStart is a sealed plug-and-play unit with fully
integrated control and power electronics. Not only does this avoid
any ingress of foreign material, but being a liquid cooled electrical
machine its thermal management is of a high order.
AI: How does SpeedStart help vehicle manufacturers
increase efficiency of their mild hybrid vehicles?
Muncey: A small family car with a mass of approximately
3,300lb (1,500kg) that brakes from 62mph (100km/h) to 50mph
(80km/h) in two seconds needs to be shedding energy at an
average rate of 104kW per second. At 48V, SpeedStart can
harvest almost 10% of this kinetic energy. This recuperated energy
can be temporarily stored in the battery until the next acceleration
event, when SpeedStart can provide torque assist through the
FEAD belt directly to the engine. AI
Developed in cooperation with BMW for the front bumper of several BMW models,
including the BMW 3 series, Daplen™ EE112AE is a recent and specific example of how
Borealis and Borouge innovations can play a role in facilitating systematic lightweight
construction in the automotive industry.
innovation
Full backward integration
of polyolefin value chain
By: James Hilton
Securing feedstock for polyolefin base resins by Borealis
through a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in Abu Dhabi, UAE has paved the way for continuing advances in the use of plastics in automotive manufacturing.
Once completed, the Borouge 3 mega-project will deliver an
additional 2.5 million tons of polyolefins, bringing its capacity to
4.5 million tons, and making it the biggest integrated polyolefins
complex in the world. It will bring the combined Borealis and
Borouge polyolefin capacity to eight million tons a year.
Borealis has also increased its long-term feedstock flexibility
for its petrochemical plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, by signing a
10-year agreement with Antero Resources to supply ethane from
the United States. The project includes a shipping agreement
with Navigator Holdings, a related multi-million dollar investment
in an upgrade of the cracker, and the construction of an ethane
storage tank. The ethane supplied from the US complements the
ethane supply contract with Statoil, providing Borealis with
attractive alternative sources of feedstock.
Nicholas Kolesch, Borealis
Head of Marketing Automotive.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Nicholas
Kolesch, Borealis Head of Marketing Automotive,
how important it is for the company to be so involved in the
polyolefin value chain.
Kolesch: The full backward integration within the Borealis
polyolefin production complexes is of key strategic importance in
order to guarantee and secure consistent supply to the automotive
industry. Furthermore, with much of our monomer supply coming
from our own crackers, Borealis can provide outstanding polymers
with excellent product consistency and the highest purity. When
combined with our innovation capability we are able to design the
right polymers, RTPOs and PP compounds to meet the needs of
our customers.
50
Working closely with major Tiers and OEMs, this value chain
participation also allows Borealis to position itself as a trendsetter, as the automotive industry is continuously looking for new
solutions to reduce the weight of cars. Borealis offers lightweight
solutions for visible exterior and interior parts with its new low
density Daplen grades (e.g. Daplen EE112AE, Daplen EE058AI,
Daplen EE001AI). In the area of structural parts throughout the
car, Borealis is a market leader with its Fibremod grade family.
Borealis proprietary Fibremod post-reactor technology is a
powerful tool to support our customers to design parts to get
maximum material performance while avoiding over-engineering,
which can increase the weight of the parts. Recently, a
significant programme was kicked-off in Borealis to bring
lightweight construction to the next level by developing foamable
compounded PP grades with “Class A” surface for visible interior
and exterior automotive applications.
AI: What is the significance to OEMs in the region
of the new plant in Itatiba, Brazil?
Kolesch: Brazil is a dynamic economy and very
important automotive market. In addition, it plays a
leading role as the largest producer of cars in South
America. Most global OEMs and Tiers are active
in Brazil and expect local supply and support
from their suppliers. As Borealis is committed
to providing state-of-the-art solutions to our
customers in all the markets in which we operate,
the new plant in Brazil lives up to this standard and
ensures that Borealis is well positioned.
AI: How many plants do you now have
around the world?
Kolesch: Borealis and Borouge operate at 15
sites around the world. Within this network there are several
Borealis plants producing TPOs and PP compounds for the
automotive industry, including in Monza, Italy; Beringen,
Belgium; Schwechat, Austria; Itatiba, Brazil; and Shanghai,
China. In addition we have well established innovation and
product development capability at our global Innovation
Headquarters in Linz, Austria, at the Borouge Application
Development Centre in Shanghai and at our location in Itatiba.
We are also developing our supply capability in North America.
This inter-connected network of plants and development
facilities ensures industry leading global coverage.
Fully automated paint robot.
Borealis plant expansion in Itatiba, Brazil.
AI: Please tell us about the cooperation with BMW which
led to the development of the new Daplen EE112AE grade for
the front bumper of the BMW i8 electric sports car BMW i8.
Kolesch: Borealis and BMW have had a very close relationship
for many years, which has led to many significant innovations. Both
companies developed the first long glass fiber foamed instrument
panel carrier using Fibremod GB215HP or Fibremod GB601HP-AR
plus Daplen EE002AE. This solution was first implemented in the BMW
7 series and has in the meantime been adopted by all BMW series.
Another innovation was the fender module of the BMW X-vehicles
where Daplen EF341AI replaced steel, resulting in a lighter weight and
improved pedestrian safety compared to the steel fender, as well as a
higher level of integration of additional components. The success of
the primerless paint solution Daplen EE112AE for the bumpers of the
BMW 3-series and BMW i8 reinforces our belief that fostering close
collaboration with our customers is the right way forward.
AI: Are you working with other OEMs on similar projects?
Kolesch: Yes, Borealis is engaged with many OEMs to
support innovations on weight reduction, surface aesthetics and
sustainability. Our unique approach to partnership is based on
integrated OEM teams providing dedicated points of contact for
the OEMs. In most cases our OEM Managers and development
engineers are located close to the OEM headquarters for a fast
and efficient interface.
AI: What are the advantages of developing a new grade
for a specific model or application?
Kolesch: The world looks to the automotive industry for
advancements in technology and material solutions. Together with
the OEMs and Tiers, Borealis strives to make improvements to each
new generation of vehicles. This is not just to meet the consumers’
continuous demand for the latest aesthetic change, it is an opportunity
to improve performance, bringing economic and environmental benefits
in all three lifecycle phases of a vehicle: manufacture, use and endof-life. These benefits are translated directly into CO2 reduction during
manufacture and use, pedestrian safety improvement and recyclability.
As a company fundamentally interested to Keep Discovering,
we are ready to work with our customers to develop the best
possible solution for the next generation of vehicles – and it’s also
fun to see your latest innovation passing by on the street!
AI: Does this not add to the costs of the vehicle?
Kolesch: Not necessarily. You need to look at the total system
cost— not just at the material cost —of the innovation. For example,
by reducing overall vehicle weight other components like brakes can
be down-gauged as well, which will lead to further weight reduction
and cost optimization. Or if you see it from the other side it allows
you to equip the car with further functionalities without adding weight
compared to the former model, which adds value to the end user. Our
innovations can also bring down the cost of production. An example
is the development of primerless paint solutions, which reduce the
number of paint layers from three to two.
AI: What are some of the areas in which OEMs could be
making more use of plastics?
Kolesch: Plastics and composites are the future of the
automobile. Advances in the material science of reinforced
polypropylene compounds make them suitable for an ever
increasing number of parts. In the coming years you will see
plastic use increasing in the area of glazing and body panels, in
particular tailgates. The biggest growth potential for structural
parts we see is in the under the bonnet area, seats, door modules
and instrument panels. There is a certain probability that entire
car concepts — how cars are built — will dramatically change
in the future. Newcomers like Tesla and Google are introducing
their electrically powered and/or self-driving cars to the market.
We have also seen how Apple can revolutionize an industry and
would not be surprised if they bring their formidable skills to the
automotive industry. We are ready and able to work with these
companies to develop the right material solutions of the future.
AI: Will plastics continue to take market share from metals?
Kolesch: We believe the answer is yes. However, it is difficult
to predict the extent to which this will happen. Metal producers
are also continuously innovating for the automotive industry. High
strength steel or new lightweight metal alloys are increasingly
prevalent and the amount of aluminum used in vehicles, particularly
in the high end of the market, continues to increase. However,
plastics bring significant advantages that can never be matched by
metal, both in terms of their light weight and, particularly in the case
of polypropylene, their low cost in use and recyclability. As the trend
to lightweight will continue, we expect to see the amount of plastic
in vehicles continue its steady climb. Similar to metals, plastic use in
vehicles can also help close the recycling loop, with post-consumer
recycled (PCR) polypropylene content to be used in vehicles. For
example, our new Daplen portfolio of PP compound grades with
PCR and virgin content has been conceived for interior, exterior and
under-the-bonnet applications. AI
51
innovation
Ford Motor Company President and CEO Mark
Fields shares his vision for the future of automotive
technology at Ford’s keynote address.
Consumer electronics
integrated into vehicle design
By: Clinton Wright
Improved safety on the roads, in-vehicle connectivity and the advent of the autonomous car are expected to be
among the major automotive trends at CES 2016, scheduled January 6-9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the
business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving
ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than
45 years as the global stage where next-generation innovations are
introduced to the marketplace.
As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of
the industry. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer
Electronics Association (CEA)®, the U.S.-based technology trade
association representing the $286 billion U.S. consumer electronics
industry, it attracts the world’s business leaders and thinkers to a forum
where the industry’s most relevant issues are addressed.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Gary Shapiro, president
and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA),
what “sneak peaks” will visitors to CES Unveiled New York.
Shapiro: CEA hosts several Unveiled events throughout the
year, both in the U.S. and abroad as a preview of the technology
trends expected at the upcoming CES in Las Vegas. CES Unveiled
New York is scheduled for November 10 and will feature dynamic
tabletop displays, the annual pre-CES press conference and CEA
market research presentations surrounding the upcoming holiday
buying season. The event is tremendously exciting because many
of the products on display will hit store shelves just in time for the
holidays. The Best of CES Innovations Awards are announced
each November at CES Unveiled New York, and honor the most
innovative products across the entire tech ecosystem. Attendees at
Unveiled New York will get an up-close pre-CES experience with the
chance to witness some of the major trends expected at the 2016
show including automotive technology, smart watches, unmanned
systems, 3D printing, fitness tech, robotics, apps and more.
AI: What has been the interest in CES 2016 by the
motor industry?
Shapiro: The 2015 CES was a record-breaking year
surrounding the automotive category. The show featured the most
automakers in show history including Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford,
GM, KIA, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota and Volkswagen and more than
52
165,000 net square feet (15,320 net square meters) dedicated to
automotive technologies.
Cars continue to become more connected and, as a result, the
number of automakers and automotive technology companies at
CES continues to rise. We expect the automotive story to be big
at the upcoming CES 2016. From the aftermarket, expect to see
many implementations of Android and iOS in the car now that both
operating systems have released software development packages
to help design for the vehicle cockpit. From vehicle manufacturers,
attendees will see “vehicle cockpits of the future” displays, in
addition to increased in-vehicle connectivity, aided by mobile phone
carriers. The future of autonomous driving will also be on display.
AI: What industry trends are indicated by the exhibitors?
Shapiro: Attendees at CES 2016 will see the latest innovations
hitting the marketplace from more than 3,600 companies across
more than two million net square feet of exhibit space (185,800 net
square meters), including some 400 startups. From the latest apps
to gaming, automotive, 3D printing, robotics, unmanned systems,
iProducts, lifestyle technologies, sensors, smart home and beyond,
the next generation of technology will be on display CES 2016.
AI: Which topics will be covered at the CES conferences?
Shapiro: The CES conference program features 220 sessions
and some 900 industry experts. The program is consistently ranked
as a top speaking opportunity for CEOs and showcases industry
speakers addressing the latest trends, strategies and upcoming
business opportunities through cutting-edge sessions. Topics cover
the full scope of the industry, from trends in the automotive market
to smart home solutions, cyber security, personal privacy, highresolution audio, wearables and more.
AI: Tell us a bit more about Gary’s Book Club.
Shapiro: CEA has published three best-selling books
focused on innovation, Digital Destiny: How the New
Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live, and
Communicate; Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of
the World’s Most Successful Businesses and The Comeback:
CES’ strength is that it attracts thousands
of top executives in connected industries.”
Mercedes-Benz new concept car F 015 was revealed
during their keynote address.
Exhibitors setting up the 2015 International CES.
How Innovation will Restore the American Dream. We wanted
to provide a forum at CES for authors in the tech industry who
are exploring technology’s role in today’s society to showcase
their work and thus, Gary’s Book Club was born.
Our book club lounge has become a unique and popular destination
where CES attendees can interact with a dynamic group of authors
with incredible industry knowledge and experience. At the 2015 CES,
Gary’s Book Club welcomed 12 top tech authors and visionaries
including CEA’s Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac, Aneesh Chopra,
former Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Alexis
Ohanian, co-founder and executive chairman of reddit. We are excited
to bring the program back for its third year at the 2016 CES.
AI: Please give us 10 good reasons for decision-makers
in the auto industry to attend CES 2016.
Shapiro: The reasons to attend CES 2016 are numerous and
I could list them for hours! But if I’m limited to just 10 good reasons
to attend, they are:
1.) CES is all-inclusive and covers the entire technology ecosystem.
The magic of CES is in its mix of inspiring innovations and tangible
applications. It’s the only event of its kind where you can not only
see the major car companies, but their suppliers like Continental,
Delphi, TRW, Valeo and Visteon. Plus auto electronics aftermarket
companies like list a few major auto aftermarket companies.
2.) CES is a global platform for innovators – both big and small.
Everyone with an idea is welcome to exhibit and several small
startups and entrepreneurs got their start at CES including
Oculus Rift, Markerbot and Sling. You never know what the
next big thing will be at CES!
3.)Nearly every major technology company is at CES. Every
major technology company participates in CES, by exhibiting,
speaking, sponsoring, attending or holding co-located events
and business meetings.
4.) CES is truly global. More than 45,000 international professionals
from 150 countries attend CES.
5.) CES attracts industry experts. Within 220 conference sessions,
we feature 900 top-name speakers. Previous CES speakers
include Nobel Prize winner Prof. Shuji Nakamura, Ford’s Mark
Shields, Daimler’s Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CBS’s Leslie Moonves
and Samsung’s Boo-Keun Yoon.
6.)CES is where business gets done. CES saves executives
from traveling an estimated 3.5 million miles for business trips
because so many of the key people they need to meet are also
at the show.
7.) CES is a proving ground. It’s where innovators have introduced
breakthrough technologies for more than 45 years. From the
DVD, Satellite Radio, HD Television to 4K Ultra HD TV, tablets
and 3D printers, CES is where game-changing technologies
are launched.
8.)CES connects people. CES’ strength is that it attracts
thousands of top executives in connected industries. The
exhibits not only inspire, they attract related businesses.
You’ll mix with senior executives from Fortune 100
companies and reporters from global media just as
easily as you’ll encounter enterprising venture capitalists,
stumble upon entrepreneurs from eager startups and hang
out with avid tech enthusiasts.
9.) CES benefits the entire consumer technology industry. All show
revenue is reinvested into the industry through CEA programs
and initiatives.
10)CES is innovation! CES 2016 will feature more than 3,600
exhibitors across more than two million net square feet of
exhibit space (185,800 net square meters). The next generation
of consumer technology will be unveiled at CES 2016, January
6-9 and we hope to see you there! AI
CES is where deals are made. The innovation era requires new partnerships for businesses to survive. Through
planned meetings and serendipity cross industry partnerships are created. These relationships mean new revenue.
54
DRIVING THE
FUTURE OF SOFTWARE
Connected Car
Driver Assistance (Safety & Security)
ECU Software & Services
Infotainment (HMI & Navigation)
Software Engineering
Working with major OEMs and
Suppliers Around the Globe
Elektrobit (EB) Driving the Future of Software
automotive.elektrobit.com
innovation
Car radios being replaced `
by infotainment platforms
By: Nick Palmen
Infotainment platforms that seamlessly connect the home audio system to the car are already available. Soon
they will also be able to take over the driving of the car as well.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Phil Eyler, EVP and
President Infotainment Division at HARMAN to detail how the
latest Rinspeed concept car is spearheading this development.
Phil Eyler: Based on the electrically-driven BMW i3 and
developed by Rinspeed and HARMAN, the Budii concept car
presents a vision of autonomous driving for couples, with a
comfortable and luxurious interior for two. It is equipped with an
intelligent HARMAN infotainment system and a tailor-made premium
sound system from Harman Kardon.
The infotainment platform features next-generation navigation,
entertainment, driver assistance and service functions. It also drives
the instrument cluster, which provides not only information such as
the driving range of the electric vehicle, but also features an autopilot
mode for autonomous driving. Real-time sensor data in the vehicle
is consolidated by the system and communicated with our Aha
Cloud Platform through an integrated Telematics Communication
module to “future-proof” the vehicle with services that update the
infotainment system and provide real-time analytics to extend system
functionality. This enables high speed data streaming and the car-to-X
communication, which will be fundamental to autonomous driving.
And last but not least, the infotainment system continuously learns
the habits and preferences of its passengers to predict their actions.
AI: What does HARMAN’s next generation infotainment
platform offer to OEMs and car owners?
PE: The Budii showcases what our premium scalable infotainment
platform is capable of. Its intelligent connected navigation enables
a new generation of driver usability and feature functionality. The
platform also integrates industry-leading over-the-air (OTA) map and
software update features, which seamlessly deliver infotainment
firmware and map content updates to in-vehicle navigation systems.
We also showcased at the Geneva Motor Show a new “floating” car
data framework (FCD) utilizing “sensor fusion” which means it collects
and aggregates camera, sensor and on-board diagnostics (OBD)
data and integrates it with both on-board and off-board systems. This
technology can be seen in the new Rinspeed Budii concept car.
AI: And the Smart Essential Platform?
PE: HARMAN’s broad range of infotainment solutions – from
entry to high – offers automakers the Smart Essentials Platform
56
to address a diverse range of international markets and vehicle
classes at an affordable price, and to support the latest in
smartphone connectivity such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and
MirrorLink. The Integrated Essentials Cockpit merges that platform
with proven instrument cluster technology to offer a state-of-the-art
single-display solution. The Smart Essentials Infotainment Platform
is adaptable to a variety of vehicles ranging from entry to lower mid
segment, and provides automakers with the best feature-to-cost
ratio, with a range of options that meet virtually all global marketspecific requirements. We believe that this technology will replace
radios completely over the next five years.
AI: What challenges and of course opportunities for
infotainment do you see for HARMAN in autonomous driving?
PE: With our latest audio and infotainment innovations, we can
demonstrate that the technology being put in the vehicle seemed like
science fiction a few years ago, autonomous driving will definitely not
be boring, but a truly unique entertainment experience.
AI: How do you bring advanced connectivity and cyber
security in the Connected Car?
PE: Our platform enables rapid development of connected
car apps while protecting the integrity of the system against
cyber security threats. This new platform offers an HTML-5-based
application environment for rapid development and deployment
of rich connected apps and with the latest network security
technologies. In addition, the system uses separate computing
domains with a type 1 hypervisor securing critical vehicle
functions from errant or malicious software for “automotive grade”
robustness that is the first of its kind in the industry. Our acquisition
of Redbend gives us our own proprietary hypervisor solution.
Finally, we have also recently unveiled our “5+1” multi-layer cyber
security model which is the most comprehensive approach to
closing the vulnerabilities posed by the connected car.
AI: What are the benefits of Aha Analytics to the car
owners, car manufacturers and insurances?
PE: Premiered in Europe at the 2015 Geneva show,
Aha Cloud Services are designed to change how automakers
andpartners measure quality, handle service and market to
consumers. It provides the interactive platform that makes the full
HARMAN’s Integrated Essentials Cockpit merges the Smart Essentials platform with proven instrument cluster
technology to offer a state-of-the-art single-display solution.
benefits of connected vehicles possible. First shown at this year’s
CES in Las Vegas, the new Aha Analytics Services platform is
currently helping automakers in North America and Europe to validate
and qualify vehicle performance during pre-production deployments.
And last but not least, Aha Updates allows automakers to safely
and cost-effectively update a variety of a vehicle’s software-driven
applications and connected devices wirelessly. We have also recently
formed a new division at HARMAN that will focus specifically on this
new area of connected services, and we have recently purchased
two companies (Symphony Teleca and Redbend) to help accelerate
our market offerings in this area.
AI: How do you create individual listening zones for
each passenger?
PE: Our Individual Sound Zones (ISZ) technology is an
integrated audio entertainment solution that enables drivers and
passengers to create sonic zones between individuals, so reducing
the clutter of different sounds in the vehicle. To achieve personal
listening zones over a broader audio bandwidth, it is necessary to
introduce additional speakers positioned in closer proximity to the
occupants’ heads. ISZ utilizes a vehicle’s existing audio system
speakers with the addition of two small speakers equipped with
micro speaker technology positioned in each headrest. In addition,
HARMAN’s patent-pending Electro Dynamic Planar Loudspeakers
(EDPL) in the vehicle ceiling form a passive system. The complete
system with standard car audio system, headrest and directional
speakers provides highly satisfactory CTC (Cross Talk Cancellation)
covering the entire audio frequency band. Signal-processing
software produces directional sound fields and optimizes the
audio signals used to activate each of the speakers. Each “zone”
is activated and controlled by the respective passenger allowing
complete control over their listening preferences.
AI: Does your HALOsonic noise management portfolio
include any solutions for hybrid cars and EVs?
PE: Absolutely. Our external Electronic Sound Synthesis (eESS)
technology – part of HARMANs HALOsonic suite of active noise
management solutions – has been developed specifically for hybrid
and electric vehicles. The silence of the electric powertrain deprives
pedestrians of familiar acoustic cues warning them of an approaching
vehicle. In order to improve pedestrian safety around EVs and hybrid
cars, HARMAN developed eESS, creating the authentic sounds
that drivers and pedestrians are familiar with, from combustion
engines. The sound is projected from speakers at the front and rear
of the vehicle, giving an early warning to pedestrians that the car
is approaching. Volume and characteristics of the sound are also
actively controlled to allow assessing the vehicle’s speed and location.
In addition to eESS, the HALOsonic suite entails Road Noise
Cancellation (RNC), Engine Order Cancelation (EOC) and internal
Electronic Sound Synthesis (iESS) technologies. iESS serves
to synthesize unique sound signatures for vehicles to contour
and accentuate the engine sound inside the cabin. RNC uses
the principle of “anti-noise” to help reduce the low frequency
broadband road noise in the car cabin, while EOC uses “antinoise” to counteract the engine vibration induced noise.
AI: What car launches in Geneva showcased HARMAN’s
branded Audio for car manufacturers?
PE: At Geneva Motor Show HARMAN showcased branded
audio solutions with several OEM vehicles. For example, the
Ferrari 488 GTB, the newest biturbo racer from Maranello, is
equipped with a high-class 16 speaker JBL Professional audio
system with a 1280-watt, 16-channel JBL Professional Class-D
high-performance amplifier and QuantumLogic Surround. In
addition Harman Kardon is bringing a premium sound system into
the new Mercedes GLE Coupé as well as the AMG version of
the CLA Shooting Brake. Both systems feature high-performance
double voice-coil subwoofers and come with brand-new Class D
amplifiers with Logic 7 surround audio processing.
AI: You offer HD audio streaming at home with Harman
Kardon Omni products?
PE: Our Harman Kardon Omni products allow you to play
back HD audio content in a lossless way through your multi-room
home audio system. This ecosystem is now being extended to the
car, as the vehicle is able to connect to the home audio network.
The network treats the vehicle simply as if it were another room in
the system. As listeners leave their homes to take a drive in their
car, the audio playback follows them between the home and the
vehicle – delivering a seamless listening experience. AI
57
innovation
With the multi-purpose steering
column out the way the
occupants can continue with
their connected lifestyle while
the car does the driving.
Gearing up for an
autonomous lifestyle
When the autonomous driving goes mainstream it will fundamentally change the way people interact with their cars
and each other.
While research centers fine-tune the mechanics and technology
needed to put autonomous cars in the showroom, companies such
as the Swiss idea factory, Rinspeed, are already giving concrete
thought to how automated private transport will transform the
car and the man-machine system. In the new “Budii” concept
car from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht, the
machine now literally reaches out to man: if the occupants of the
autonomous electric vehicle want to have some fun at the wheel
on a twisty country road, a robotic arm will hand the steering wheel
to the driver or front passenger, thereby transferring command.
The sensitive 7-axis unit is more than merely a steering column.
Rinspeed’s Frank M. Rinderknecht.
58
By: Nick Palmen
For example, during automated driving in the daily commute it can
be stored out of the way, or it can serve as a table. This is made
possible by multi-redundant “steer-by-wire” technology.
“The autonomous car will require more than solving technical
problems and legal issues in the next two decades. We not
only have to redefine the interaction of man and machine, but
must also raise questions about responsibility, tolerances and
expectations,” says Rinderknecht. He believes autonomous
driving will undoubtedly offer the opportunity to make traffic more
people-friendly and reduce the number of traffic accidents. “But
even the best technology will not be perfect,” he adds. Artificial
intelligence built into the vehicles will enable them to keep learning
every day, “and as a result will get better and better at mastering
the complex challenges of modern-day private transport.”
Rinspeed’s Budii concept trans-urban SUV introduced at
the 2015 Geneva Motor show will take information from its
surroundings, its own “experiences” and those of other vehicles
along its route, into consideration. The long-term result will be a
cognitive and intuitive autopilot, according to the company.
Budii’s entirely new operating and display system features a
host of innovative entertainment, safety and service functions,
and is based on the next-generation scalable platform from
HARMAN. The technologies of Rinspeed’s long-time main
partner integrate all features of the RoboCar and quasi bring
“Budii” to life. The system independently identifies the habits
and preferences of the driver, and consequently reduces the
necessary operating steps to a minimum. In this way, the car
turns into a learning and proactive companion.
Rinspeed is also using Budii to prove that electric cars can be
“sexy”. It has a bright anthracite paint finish with sparkler effect, silvercolored and midnight-blue “skai” interior surfaces, as well as cognaccolored textile with signal-orange highlights in edging to “create a feelgood lounge atmosphere,” according to the company. AI
For Constellium, aluminum is more than a metal.
It is the material that takes the shape of our ideas so our ideas may shape
the world. With our expert teams, world-class R&D center and outstanding
facilities, we are a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative
and value-added aluminum products for a broad range of markets and
applications, including aerospace, automotive and packaging.
Curious, passionate and determined, we are always exploring new boundaries,
and together with our partners we can shape a future of infinite possibilities.
Ideas. Materialized.
innovation
Augmented reality
in the workshop
By: Alan Tran
“Always on” is becoming a reality not only for car drivers, but also for workshops: Patricia Stich, business
administration specialist and Head of Diagnostics & Services at Continental, explains which new diagnostic
solutions, and with which benefits, Continental is offering authorized workshops.
Automotive Industries (AI): Continental is increasingly
offering OE diagnostic solutions to car makers. What
are the arguments in favour of these products, and what
highlights did you present at the IAA 2015 in Frankfurt?
Stich: Our diagnostic and service solutions for the authorized
aftermarket include intuitively operated diagnostic equipment and
innovative fault analysis solutions. At the heart of our range is
our modular software. It allows any combination of six software
modules – for diagnosis, troubleshooting, programming
Patricia Stich mastered in sales and
information technology in Landshut/
Germany. She began her career in 2000
as an IT Consultant at KPMG Consulting/
Bearing Point before going to Siemens/
VDO in 2005, where she was one of the
team in charge of hiving off VDO from the
of control units, maintenance instructions, data inquiries and
system administration. For example, the OEM can create a
package which is optimally matched to its authorized workshops.
Our portfolio also contains this year’s IAA highlights for the
aftermarket. We presented Remote Diagnostics solutions and our
“Connected Technician” concept at this show.
AI: What does “Connected Technician” entail?
Stich: “The Connected Technician” is a new and intuitive
concept study matched to the technician’s needs and providing,
in the right context and at the right time, relevant information for
diagnostic, repair and maintenance work.
AI: A key element of Connected Technician will be
Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Will AR kill off the
classic workshop manual?
60
Stich: We regard this technology as a supplement to the
familiar workshop manuals and other media. Going beyond that,
our ambition is of course to integrate the Augmented Reality
solutions into workshop information systems.
AI: What benefits would accrue from integration into
digital workshop information systems?
Stich: The provision of a centralized workshop information
system that also covers Augmented Reality applications enhances
efficiency in the working procedures at an authorized
Siemens Group and integrating
it into the Continental Group. After
seven years as the head of the Sales,
Strategy and Portfolio function of
CVAM, she has been the Head of
Diagnostics & Services at Continental
since September 2014.
workshop. For example, visual inspections can be conducted
more rapidly and more accurately thanks to this technology.
AI: In which regions do you currently see the greatest
potential for Augmented Reality in authorized workshops?
Stich: Augmented Reality will be employed mainly
in regions where the repair process requires more visual
backup, either because the mechanics are trained to a lower
standard or because of heavy employee fluctuation, as is
the case in Asia, for example. This allows training costs, for
example, to be reduced in authorized workshops even with
high staff turnover.
AI: How is the “Connected Technician” concept proceeding?
Stich: A “Proof of Concept” (POC) is currently in progress.
Applications are being defined jointly with the customer as part
“Always On” diagnostics keeps workshops constantly udpated.
of the POC. In this way we can verify the feasibility of the projects
with due consideration of customer requirements.
AI: Remote Diagnostic solutions have in some cases
already attained production maturity. What do they offer
a workshop?
Stich: It’s true that a number of solutions are available in the
independent aftermarket. But most of these dongle solutions
only cover level 1 data. OE-specific data are often not taken
into account. Some service providers try to compensate for
the missing information by means of algorithms. This can lead
to significant inaccuracies.”
Our solution uses OE-specific information and makes it
available to the service provider. Another advantage is that the
dongle does not have to be preconfigured. It is configured to OEspecific parameters after installation.
AI: Which hardware does Continental intend to start
off with here? Are you going for external systems like an
OBD dongle or for systems completely integrated into the
vehicle architecture?
Stich: Both. In the independent aftermarket (IAM) we’ll be
using dongle or similar technology. In Original Equipment Services
(OES), we’ll be using a hardware solution to be integrated into the
vehicle architectures.
AI: Has any practical experience already been gained
with these systems?
Stich: We’ve been conducting field tests for the past 12
months, on more than 200 vehicles from a variety of partners,
customers and even Continental employees. We’re using the
feedback from those involved for continual improvements to
our solution. AI
Augmented reality supports the technician at the workface
by providing step by step support.
Augmented reality supports more accurate
visual inspections.
61
innovation
Funding fuels
journey to
piloted driving
By: Lenny Case
Development of the processing technology needed to support autonomous driving has been fueled
through the raising of 50 million Euro in funding by Austrian technology major TTTech.
Funding by General Electric (GE Ventures) and Infineon
Technologies will strengthen TTTech’s leadership position in the
networking and software solutions in the Industrial Internet of
Things (IoT) and autonomous driving vehicles, according to the
company. The funding was backed by a strong commitment of
existing shareholders led by automotive manufacturer AUDI AG.
“Audi is a pioneer of piloted driving. Since 2010, we
have set one technical milestone after the other,” says Ulrich
Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management at AUDI AG
for Technical Development. “The new Audi A8, which we plan
to launch in 2017, will be the first model to make the transition
from assisted to piloted driving. The capital increase in TTTech
strengthens our strategic technological roadmap towards
piloted driving in series production.”
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Stefan Poledna, co-founder
and member of the executive board at TTTech, how the funds
will be invested.
Poledna: We plan to focus even more strongly
on autonomous driving and the Industrial Internet
Dr. Stefan Poledna,
Member of the Executive
Board, TTTech.
of Things (IoT) by strengthening our product
roadmap and our engineering, especially our
international support teams in Europe, North
America and Asia. In addition to supporting organic
growth, the funds will be used for strategic acquisitions of
complementary products and technologies.
AI: Why was it imperative for the company to raise funds
at this point?
Poledna: TTTech has successfully deployed its Deterministic
Ethernet network products and safety platform for mixed-criticality
applications in the automotive, industrial and aerospace markets.
Due to the current dynamic market transition to more autonomous
operation and the need for safe and secure connectivity in the
IoT, we see ample opportunities for growth in these segments.
Our strategy is to transform from a technology leader to a market
leading position. In the targeted segments, powerful strategic
62
shareholders and a strong equity base are important success
factors for accelerated growth.
AI: Tell us about the work TTTech will be doing to make
Audi’s piloted driving dream a reality.
Poledna: Audi recognized very early what is now an emerging
trend towards using a single ultra-high integrated domain ECUs
instead of a number of different ECUs. Using separate ECUs does
not provide the same level of synergies as the domain ECU. TTTech
has been architecting this ECU for Audi and has taken responsibility
for the ECU’s safety concept and platform software as well as for the
integration of all the different software applications.
Working with Audi our company has developed a highperformance domain ECU called zFAS that sets a new benchmark
in terms of performance combined with safety and the capability to
integrate a rich set of ADAS functionalities. This platform can host
several dozen different functions or applications which will be used
in future “advanced driver assistance systems” on the
journey from piloted to autonomous driving.
Due to the multi-core processing design
supported by our Deterministic Ethernet
solution, very high data rates can be used
and handled to process the vast amount
of data that is coming from a multitude
of sensors scanning the environment.
Applications are strictly separated and
can be run in parallel, and even in different
security and safety classes.
AI: What are some of the breakthroughs TTTech has made in automotive technologies?
Poledna: We have successfully transferred
high-level technology from aerospace to automotive
while meeting cost targets. TTTech was a pioneer in
2008 regarding the delivery of pre-ISO 26262 standard ASIL
D software in an automotive serial product. This software was
rolled out later on together with our partner Vector within the
complete AUTOSAR environment.
Another example is our middleware platform TTIntegration
that works with our high-speed Deterministic Ethernet network
solution to drive complex and high-performance ADAS systems.
It is very scalable, can connect several high-performance multicore CPUs and supports efficient integration of many application
functions with different safety criticality levels. We think that this
platform with all its features is an industry first.
TTTech developed a highperformance domain ECU
that allows the integration of
a rich set of advanced driver
assistance functionalities.
AI: What are your plans to further expand TTTech’s
scope of expertise in networking technologies for the
automotive sector?
Poledna: TTTech has successfully developed Deterministic
Ethernet switches. This will become a major focus area in the
automotive industry as there is a strongly increasing demand for
more bandwidth within onboard networks and the need for realtime, safety, audio/video and security on a single network.
A first result of these activities is a dedicated automotive
Deterministic Ethernet switch that has been successfully
developed in cooperation with NXP. TTTech provides the switch IP
while NXP implements the IP into Ethernet switch solutions. One
of the first OEMs to use this NXP switch in serial cars will be BMW.
Another trend which we are seeing at the horizon is virtualization.
The same trend that has been revolutionizing data centers and IT will
come to the car as it provides so much more flexibility and protection.
TTTech has already developed first solutions to support this trend
with virtualization capable Deterministic Ethernet solutions.
AI then asked Georg Kopetz, co-founder and member of
the executive board at TTTech, what the company’s
vision is for the Idustrial IoT.
Kopetz: The concept of the Internet of
Things encompasses many distinct technology
trends. Global Deterministic Ethernet standards
are being created within major industry
standardization bodies like IEEE and SAE. This
paves the way for seamless communication
within the Industrial Internet combined with
the classic IT infrastructure and even for highspeed automotive real-time safety networks.
Our vision is to enable the real-time Internet of
Important Things for assets and machines. Hard
real-time networking and control are traditionally
fields in which safety, security and guaranteed
operation are key requirements. Such systems have
typically remained closed to the wider internet network. The
real-time IoT is the trend that will drive the application of IoT connectivity
to hard real-time systems and will enable completely new synergies,
solutions and business models by bridging the industrial control and
the IT / cloud domains.
AI: How will TTTech’s hardware and software solutions
across automotive applications help make this vision a reality?
Kopetz: Our products make use of Deterministic Ethernet to
deliver Guarantee of Service to mixed-critical systems that will in
future be connected to an open IoT infrastructure. The solutions
are designed to ensure high availability and protect critical network
traffic against Denial of Service and network flooding. This allows
an extension of the Ethernet network into control applications
whilst retaining deterministic performance.
AI: Tell us a little about TTTech’s history with Audi.
Kopetz: The collaboration between TTTech and Audi
started in 2000 with our assistance in implementing
deterministic communication systems. Our support led to
the delivery of high-performance communication software
in the Audi A8 by 2008. More similar platforms in different
Audi models followed. TTTech also gave strong support in
developing high-level testing devices as well as advanced
ECUs for chassis functions.
AI: What are some of the critical challenges facing
autonomous vehicles?
Kopetz: It’s all about safety and availability. And, of
course, security and automotive-grade reliability. In addition,
data volumes and the demand for processing power will
increase dramatically. Extremely high requirements
on security and safety will be comparable to
those in avionics.
Georg Kopetz,
Member of the Executive
Board, TTTech.
AI: What are some of the future innovations
TTTech is working on?
Kopetz: The Industrial IoT or Industry 4.0 has
the goal to implement the intelligent factory of the future.
This requires the connection of cloud-based IT infrastructure
with real-time control systems. Together with KUKA, a leading
supplier of robot-based automation, we are addressing these
requirements by joining forces in a strategic cooperation.
We will jointly invest in real-time technology platforms and
start-ups in order to implement Industry 4.0 solutions based
on Determinitic Ethernet solutions and the emerging TSN
standards even more efficiently for customers. AI
63
innovation
Expanding the outer limits of the
intelligent safety eco-sphere
Real-time information is making connected onboard safety
systems more intelligent – creating what is known as the
“safety eco-sphere”.
“Clarion is working to improve the reliability of Intelligent Safety
by incorporating increasingly accurate and even more diverse
image information through various technologies. These include
ultra-wide angle lenses for an expanded field of vision, algorithm
development and the application of sensor elements to provide
a more natural image in harsh lighting environments, such as at
night or when there is strong backlighting,” says Paul S. Lachner,
President of Clarion Corporation of America.
The 75-year-old company is one of the leading sources for
delivering in-vehicle infotainment and safety solutions. These
include products that feature cloud connectivity platforms, apps,
special content and real-time information monitoring and
analysis. Clarion has developed the “Smart Access”
Allen H. Gharapetian, Vice President
of Marketing and Product Planning,
Clarion Corporation of America.
cloud-based information platform for vehicles, which
provides people with the added value of connectivity
and enhances the appeal of in-vehicle information solutions.
In a nutshell, Smart Access is a secure portal to the cloud
designed specifically for vehicles. The platform is highly
customizable, which allows OEMs to personalize it through their
own selection of applications and services. Included in the system
is Clarion’s Intelligent VOICE, which integrates the company’s
noise suppression pre-processing with Google Voice Recognition
Technology. Smart Access and Intelligent VOICE are connected
to Clarion’s larger technology umbrella known internally at
Clarion as “Intelligent Safety” systems. Through Intelligent Safety
technologies, the company is developing ways of using image
64
By: Jon Knox
processing and image recognition technologies in applications
such as back-up vision, lane departure detection, collision
avoidance systems and automatic parking.
The power of the cloud is combined with Clarion’s “Overhead
View Monitor,” which provides a 360-degree view around the
vehicle, together with sensing systems to alert the driver of
approaching pedestrians and cars. “We are also devoting our
efforts to enhancing camera products, which are the foundation
of Intelligent Safety Systems,” says Lachner.
Automotive Industries asked Allen H. Gharapetian, Vice
President of Marketing and Product Planning at Clarion
Corporation of America, what has been Clarion’s strategy
in the intelligent safety eco-sphere.
Gharapetian: Clarion has committed a great deal of the
company’s resources and R&D to design and develop
Intelligent Safety systems that are not just innovative,
but are able to deliver consistently reliable operation
and allow for cost effective deployment in a wide
range of vehicles. Expanding on the latter, our
strategy is heavily influenced by the fact that,
although our OEM customers always expect high
performance systems from us, they also look for
Clarion to bring them a cost-effective solution.
Keeping that in mind, we have invested
significantly in developing vision-based safety
systems which tend to bring more to the market for
less. Vision-based systems provide an added advantage
as they have the ability to not just “detect” objects, but also
allow the safety systems to intelligently react to the detected objects.
All our efforts in this space ultimately allow us to deliver upon our goal
of providing better, more “intelligent” safety solutions to our customers.
AI: How do your intelligent safety devices benefit from
always-on connectivity and how difficult is it to maintain
that connectivity?
Gharapetian: Reacting “intelligently” to the environment
inside or outside the vehicle, especially when the vehicle is in
motion, benefits greatly when the systems responsible for assuring
our safety and comfort are connected to a cloud-based network.
Just say the name of the landmark you want to visit, and
not only will Intelligent VOICE provide you with directions
but also hours of reviews, and more!
Advanced camera and sensor technologies let the driver
always know what’s happening around the vehicle.
To explain a bit further, an always-connected system adapts better
to the conditions that the vehicle and the driver are facing when
it has access to the latest available data, some of which could be
just micro-seconds old. Maintaining always-on connectivity as the
vehicle is on the move is easier said than done, though. Clarion
has some of the most reliable systems and platforms available in
the market today, but we also rely on equally robust connectivity
networks that we have helped develop. As such, Clarion and its
affiliates have a vertical integration advantage which allows for
more reliable connectivity and data analysis no matter where the
vehicle travels.
AI: What are some of the challenges in evolving more
sophisticated ADAS features while keeping costs down?
Gharapetian: Reliability, ease of use, and cost effectiveness
of ADAS technologies are sought-after attributes that are critical
both from the carmakers’ perspective as well as the consumers’.
As designers and providers of such systems, all three attributes
pose varying types of challenges to us, but none are impossible to
overcome. Clarion systems are known for their iron-clad reliability
and longevity. We are also very aware of HMI and ergonomics
factors when it comes to the end-user experience. Both of the
last two benefit greatly from 75 years of doing what we have been
doing in the automotive space.
Intelligent VOICE lets you speak naturally and returns the
curated results you are looking for.
Cost effectiveness presents its own set of challenges as,
normally, low cost does not go hand-in-hand with performance
and reliability. However, the advantage we have when facing
that challenge is that we design systems from the ground-up
and in cooperation with our OEM customers so, in the end, our
products do more things, do those things better, and offer more
significant levels of integration which ultimately saves cost and
deployment hassles.
AI: How will your ADAS expertise impact technologies for
the connected car?
Gharapetian: Connectivity opens up great opportunities for
ADAS technologies to expand beyond the vehicle’s immediate
environment and help pave the path forward for autonomous cars
to become a reality. That means that ADAS will contribute to V2V,
V2I and other evolving communication networks in the near to
mid-term future and then assume even a larger role in the long
run. Given our leadership role today for in-vehicle connectivity, our
know-how, as well as our field experience gained from our existing
ADAS technologies in the market, we are in a uniquely favorable
position to connect the dots and shape the future.
AI: What are some of the highlights of Clarion’s 75th year
anniversary? What are some of the upcoming product roll-outs?
Gharapetian: Milestones are always exciting so we are quite
excited about celebrating our 75th Anniversary. They are also great
times to reflect upon the past and contemplate the future. To share
our excitement with the industry and consumers alike, we launched
a short 5-minute 75th Anniversary video (which I think is available
on your website) at the beginning of the year that summed up our
past 75 years of success in this business in a fun but concise way.
We have also initiated a number of internal programs to develop
Clarion’s spirit and culture further for the next generation of our
employees and customers. Product-wise, we’ll be launching a
collection of new aftermarket products for the 2016 model year
that will not just be high performance but quite innovative and
revolutionary in design. And, in the OEM world, we are working
harder than ever to expand our role into a full-scale in-vehicle
infotainment solutions provider to serve our customers in even a
more integrated fashion. AI
65
innovation
Connected Vehicles
in Smart Cities 2.0
By: Jon Knox
In a world where cities are becoming more congested and traffic delays are resulting in billions of dollars’
worth of down-time, the need for Smart Cities to provide sustainable mobility is rising.
Nicolas Burger, Automotive Channel Marketing Director at
TomTom, believes that this need can be met with a combination
of on-board routing and off-board computing power. With the
increase of the number of connected cars, governments and
public agencies have an opportunity to provide more valuable
connected services for their citizens individually and also for the
health and prosperity of the whole city itself. Intelligent navigation
could be more cost-effective than ongoing optimization of the
existing road infrastructure.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Burger how he believes
traffic congestion can best be minimized.
Burger: Up to now the ways to look at mobility in
Smart Cities was coercive actions in the form of
limitation of cars and tolls. Instead of that let’s
look at the global ecosystem integrating
Nicolas Burger,
Automotive Channel
Marketing Director at
TomTom.
drivers, pedestrians, cities and resources. As
a result of that users (drivers or pedestrian) that
“play the game” are rewarded with incentives.
AI: What are main challenges for Smart Cities?
Burger: At the moment the world has the capability and
ability to monitor big data and through that activities in busy cities.
However, interacting with the driver or optimizing resources needed
on the road is not considered at all. With the growing number of
connected cars and population, Smart Cities will need to find a way
to optimize these factors and interact with the drivers. That is why
we believe smart mobility will be of utmost importance in the future.
AI: How could Smart Mobility be achieved?
Burger: Hybrid Navigation, we believe, holds the key. It is a
navigation algorithm that takes advantage of both:
66
a) The on-board routing algorithm based on onboard maps and
traffic information received over the air, and
b)An off-board routing platform (hosted by an ITS – or Intelligent
Transport System – infrastructure) that computes a route on a
server which is connected to real-time data sources. This platform
will access unlimited fresh data, cross-user needs and also multimodal real time schedules. An off-board routing platform can also
benefit from higher computing power than the on-board system.
The interest of the off-board routing is that the smart city (via its ITS
infrastructure) is able to set its own criteria at a global scale (such as
pollution level , load balancing on different roads) and synchronise
with connected cars.
Furthermore, when considering the hybrid navigation
principle, the ITS infrastructure must be able to
exchange routing information with a wide variety of
on-board navigation systems. We need to have a
mean to exchange a route over the air between
the ITS infrastructure and the connected cars,
independently of the embedded navigation
software provider and independently of the
onboard map provider. The format for this
route exchange can be the agnostic OpenLR
format or a polyline with GPS waypoints.
AI: What are the advantages of using
OpenLR?
Burger: The OpenLR format can cope with
missing road networks for cars exchanging routes
with and ITS infrastructure. It would then match the closest
route possible. This solution is therefore robust enough to match
a route with different map supplier on the client side from the server.
AI: A Smart City is composed of many different elements.
What does an ITS infrastructure typically look like?
Burger: One of the components is traffic monitoring. Another
element is off-board multimodal routing (one-to-one exchange with
a car) that acts as tower control. Updated route recommendations
are delivered over the air to car users that have subscribed to
a mobility service. Multimodal routing options are assessed
and traffic information is integrated to identify potential delays.
Smart city 2.0 connecting to vehicles, city resources
(parking, traffic light, public transportation, air
monitoring…) and pedestrians.
Communication between the car and the smart city 2.0.
In addition, the system will be able to balance loads. Individual
guiding recommendations are sent (for instance, with a ring road
around the city, cars can be rerouted on the north or south- bound
of the ring through a load distribution strategy).
Another element is the Open LR encoder/decoder that translates
between the off-board routes and the car’s interpretation of the route.
This is needed to manage cars with different navigation suppliers and
map vendors. User transactions / locations / preferences can also be
considered as elements of a Smart Cities ITS system. Here, the ITS
infrastructure manages user accounts to keep personal information
separate from the general rules of the traffic control system (the
control system and the user accounts exchange anonymized ID
to synchronized data). This disentanglement, along with specific
ciphering rules, is designed to preserve the privacy and security
of all the users. There are other ITS applications such as pollution
monitoring, traffic light control, parking and Intelligent Access
Management based on the city’s pollution profile.
AI: Could you please give us an example of how the ITS
infrastructure could manage key performance indicators?
Burger: In essence the ITS system will interact with individuals
to recommend alternate routes or to provide links to multi-modal
alternatives integrating public transportation. And when a user is
accepting the recommendation, he will receive rewards, such as
additional miles that can be converted in free parking or free public
transportation rights... depending on the smart city policy. The ITS
infrastructure will also interact with the city’s own installations such
as the traffic lights, the toll system, variable message signs, and
parking reservations. In the Smart City, a hybrid fuel vehicle would
receive preference over a conventionally powered when moving
from one point to another.
Likewise, an electric car will be given preferential routing to a
hybrid fuel car. Generally speaking zero emission transportation,
public transportation and carpooling have specific advantages as
they contribute to improve the air quality and limit congestion. But,
the benefits (rewards) or the penalties (costs) can vary depending
on the pollution level. Incentives to use low or zero-emission
vehicles will be higher when pollution levels are up.
Let me give you a concrete example: Consider the Bordeaux
urban area in France as a Smart City. The citizens of that urban
area can subscribe to the Bordeaux Smart Mobility program,
Pierre has a diesel car and needs to go to Bordeaux downtown
for a meeting from Saint-Emillion (40 km journey). It is 9 am.
Pierre enters his car and programs the destination in the
navigation system and the onboard [car only] routing has a first
proposal (car only journey) to reach destination.
In parallel, a request is sent to the ITS infrastructure through
his Bordeaux Smart Mobility program. The ITS infrastructure
identifies that, due to pollution and his car profile, (diesel), it would
be better for him not to go to the city center with his car and
recommends multimodal alternatives to get him to his destination.
Three alternate routes are pushed to him via a message on his
navigation system which are:
a) Multimodal route 1: you can stop in Floirac with a parking reserved
for you and then continue with a zero emission car sharing scheme
to your meeting point. New route impact: four minute delay, and
earn 100 miles in your Smart Mobility program.
b) Multimodal route 2: You can stop in Route St Michel at the Tram
station XX, parking reserved, you have five minute wait before
tram. New route impact: 10 min delay and earn 200 miles in
your Smart Mobility program.
c)Multimodal route 3: You can pick up on your way two other
passengers in location ZZ, parking reserved exactly at
destination. New route impact: two minutes early (you can park
exactly at destination and parking reserved, instead of turning
around) and earn 300 miles in your Smart Mobility program. In
the end Pierre accepts multimodal route c and his navigation
gets a new route with a stopover in location ZZ and the
destination set to the parking reserved for him.
AI: In conclusion, how would you describe the future of
Smart Cities in combination with Hybrid Navigation?
Burger: Hybrid Navigation coupled with multimodal mobility
paves the way for Smart Cities to go much further in their ambition
of sustainable mobility. Furthermore, the rise of connected cars
gives an opportunity for governments, road operators and public
authorities to provide more valuable services that will have a
positive impact for their citizens. AI
67
Kromberg & Schubert
plant, Bitola.
innovation
Steady flow of investment
in Macedonia from new and
existing companies
By: Michael Stewart
International investors in the automotive sector are being
attracted to the Republic of Macedonia, which offers access to a market of over 650 million people.
There are three fully operational zones in Macedonia – Skopje
1 and 2 in the capital, and one in Stip, the largest town in eastern
Macedonia. The zone in Tetovo is currently operating as a public
private partnership, and is in the process of concluding its first
investment. Ten other zones are in various stages of development.
There is a total of 14 zones.
The government assists investors through customized
vocational training programs. An example is the training by a
major university of 165 students in Java and C++ in anticipation
of the needs of Johnson Controls, which has constructed a
US$40 million facility outside Skopje to manufacture
electronic automotive components.
“We
analyzed six countries from South East Europe
Viktor Mizo, CEO, Macedonian
Free Zones Authority.
and two African countries and Macedonia
came out of this process as the best, one due
to the great support of the Government which was
the main driver that brought to decision to invest in
Macedonia” said Vladimir Teplik, Vice President–Global Trim
Unit, Johnson Controls.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Viktor Mizo - CEO, Free
Zones Authority, how successful Macedonia has been in
attracting automotive investment.
Mizo: Macedonia’s reputation as an automotive manufacturing
hub has strengthened and grown considerably in the last few
years. 2012 saw the arrival of Germany’s Draxlmaier, Kromberg &
68
Schubert and Belgium’s Van-Hool. With a total investment of over
US$100 million these plants now employ over 8,000 people. All
three companies have expanded production.
Draxlmaier, which supplies premium automakers with wiring
systems, was named best production facility by fDi Intelligence – a
specialist division of The Financial Times. At about the same time,
Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool built an assembly plant in the
Skopje 2 Free Zone, and began production in 2013. The company
is currently supplying the US, and plans to expand production and
export to Europe as well. This was Van Hool’s first investment in a
production capacity outside of Belgium.
In 2014 the US company Key Safety Systems, and Germany’s ODW
Elektrik were amongst five new investments by multinationals.
Key Safety Systems is building a US$20 million airbagcushion manufacturing facility in the Kicevo free
zone. ODW Elektrik will invest over US$15 million
in the Ohrid-Struga zone. Germany’s Marquardt
invested US$38 million in a factory in the city of
Veles manufacturing parts for top German auto
makers. Italy’s Montante Group, manufacturers
of shock absorbers for industrial and railway
vehicles, also announced their plans to invest
over US$13 million in the Skopje 1 free zone.
Additionally, Germany’s Kostal plans to
invest US$74 million in the Ohrid-Struga zone
to produce automotive components for the most
luxurious car brands in the world. US company
Gentherm will invest over US$20 million to produce seat
heaters and car cooling systems. This is the first investment in
the Prilep free zone. Another US company, Cap-Con Automotive
Technologies has agreed to invest US$18 million in the Skopje zone
to produce inflators for vehicle airbag systems. The plant is expected
to be operational in the third quarter of 2015. These investments will
create over 8,000 new jobs. Lear Corporation has announced plans
to launch a brownfield operation for the production of seat covers
in the north western town of Gostivar, in the summer of 2015, with
Auto Carrier Express
www.mol.co.jp
Decades of innovation built on the
themes of Safety and Reliability
“
Going green in a period of recession
provided an opportunity to establish a
new position within the market.”
Skopje 1 Free Zone.
Johnson Matthey plant, Skopje 1 Free Zone.
300 employees. The second phase will encompass construction of
a new automotive plant in the Tetovo free zone by mid-2016, and is
expected to provide jobs for up to 2,000 people.
AI: What tells you that Macedonia’s foreign direct
investment (FDI) policies are working?
Mizo: There’s no better indicator than return business. In
2013, Johnson Matthey decided to reinvest in Macedonia and
double its capacity. It has since invested over US$150 million to
build two plants in the Skopje 1 free zone, and is the country’s
number one exporter. Italian company TeknoHose, also decided to
reinvest, tripling its production capacity of armored high-pressure
rubber hoses. The investment is worth over US$10 million.
Johnson Controls, which entered Macedonia with a US$40 million
investment, has invested an additional US$20 million in a new car
seat cut and trim plant in the Stip Free Zone.
AI: What incentives does Macedonia offer?
Mizo: Foreign investment decisions are influenced by a range
of factors such as the strength and potential of the local economy,
education system, infrastructure, business climate, workforce, tax
policies, and the presence of other investors. Incentives offered in
the expanding network of infrastructurally-ready free zones include
a 10-year holiday on profit and personal income tax; no valueadded tax or customs duties on goods, equipment and machinery;
no property taxes; concessionary long-term land leases; no labor
restrictions; no municipal taxes or construction permit fees; state
subsidies of up to US$550,000 for the development of buildings,
and additional grants for job creation and training of employees.
The zones’ administrative departments and customs offices
provide organizational services and expedite customs clearance.
We also issue design and infrastructure approvals, as well as
building and operating permits.
AI: How do the Free Zones compare with others around
the world?
Mizo: The success of the zones in Macedonia is confirmed
by their ranking in FDI Magazine’s top 50 free zones of the Future
2012/2013. The Free Zone Skopje was also awarded “Best
Zone for Large Tenants within Europe” in fDi Magazine’s Global
Free Zones of the Year 2014 report. In 2015 goods made in the
zones accounted for 30% of total exports. Working on information
provided by companies in the zones we are optimistic that exports
will grow by an additional 25% to 30%.
AI: Are you focusing on the growing interest in ‘green’
transport?
Mizo: Going green in a period of recession provided an
opportunity to establish a new position within the market. OEMs
are all focusing on developing safer and cleaner vehicles, as well as
improving manufacturing, logistics, and mobility management. This
involves research into a wide range of areas including materials,
information technology, engines, fuels, recycling, aerodynamics,
telematics, ergonomics, and connectivity. We have recognized
this need and our huge potential to differentiate ourselves as
environmental leaders in the region and promote our country as
a competitive investment destination for automotive companies in
technological research, development, and innovation with regard
to electric mobility and e-cars in all ranges.
AI: Tell us more about the skills pool.
Mizo: Macedonia is the third youngest country in Europe, with
over 40% of the population under 30. Nearly 85% of high school
graduates enroll in universities. The country’s strong university
system coupled with a government campaign focused on enrolling
graduates in technical universities, offers a large pool of qualified
young engineers.
The Macedonian government – along with relevant institutions – is
constantly taking measures and steps to open the door to automotive
industries. 2013 saw the first International Electric Vehicles Conference
held on the campus of the Electro-technical and Mechanical College
in Skopje to promote the potential areas in which Macedonia could
target sectors for its scientific R&D and advanced engineering. In 2014
the Institute for Motor Vehicles and Homologation at the Mechanical
Engineering College in Skopje hosted workshops and a fair which
included electric vehicles that participants were able to drive, in an
effort to increase awareness and promote electric vehicles. AI
70
innovation
Connecting the leaders
in auto industry digitization
One of the take-away messages from CeBIT 2015 is that the
future of the automotive industry lies in digitization, smart
integration and the Internet of Things (IoT). Digital technology is increasingly driving innovation in everything from
entry-level cars to agricultural equipment.
One of the take-away messages from CeBIT 2015 is that
the future of the automotive industry lies in digitization, smart
integration and the Internet of Things (IoT). Automotive Industries
(AI) asked Marius Felzmann, Senior Vice President CeBIT,
Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover, what were some of the
highlights at CeBIT 2015 from an automotive perspective.
Felzmann: They include the annual “automotiveIT Kongress,”
which was in its seventh season. Another important automotive
industry topic was machine-to-machine communication, which
was explored in great detail at the Communication & Networks
showcase. Vodafone, for example, used a Porsche
Panamera to demonstrate how smartphones can
be used to access vehicle data, control certain
Marius Felzmann, Senior
Vice President CeBIT, Deutsche
Messe AG, Hannover.
functions and safeguard the vehicle against theft.
Deutsche Telekom showcased its “Digital Car” as a
model of intelligent connectivity between car owners,
dealers and service and repair workshops.
One particularly impressive example of digital transformation in the
automotive industry was a presentation by the agricultural machinery
manufacturer Claas titled “Farming 4.0.” Claas demonstrated how
a combine harvester equipped with automated communication
technology can leverage geographic information and big data to
work more effectively and efficiently. BMW showcased IT applications
in motorcycles. Tesla presented its Model S electric car, and
Volkswagen used a student hackathon to uncover exciting new ideas
for tomorrow’s vehicles and recruit new employees.
AI: Will CeBIT 2016 reflect this focus on automotive IT?
Felzmann: We’ll be hosting another “automotiveIT Kongress” –
themed “The Digital Transformation of the Automotive Industry.” Plus,
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By: Clinton Wright
we’re expanding the machine-to-machine section of the show – a
logical step given its special importance for the automotive industry.
Apart from that, the “Communications & Networks” topic cluster will
be complemented by a new cluster called “IoT Solutions.”
I should mention here that digitization in the automotive industry
is not the exclusive preserve of large corporations. It’s an area of
increasing interest in the startup scene as well. Which is why we’re
adding a special “Mobility & Automotive” theme zone to SCALE
11, CeBIT’s marketplace for the startup ecosystem. The “Mobility
& Automotive” zone will be an exhibition platform both for startups
with automotive solutions and for established corporations and
their venture units. There will also be a Startup Stage where
young enterprises can pitch their innovations to the automotive
industry. We are also expecting an array of exciting solutions and
showcases from our IT-industry exhibitors.
AI: How does a trade show provide a platform for
sharing new ideas on IoT and other trends?
Felzmann: A major advantage of CeBIT
is the close interplay between its exhibition
content and its conferences. This delivers
the twin benefits of breadth and depth: a
broad overview of all the big trends and
issues paired with in-depth examination
of each one. The numerous conferences,
speaking events and forums complement
the exhibition by providing added scope for
dialogue on the opportunities of digitization and
the macroeconomic and socio-political conditions
needed to leverage those opportunities.
AI: Tell us what the lead theme will be for CeBIT 2016.
Felzmann: CeBIT is leaving its traditional image as a computer
or IT exhibition behind and from now on will be positioned as the
global showcase for digitization. This will be reflected in the 2016
lead theme.
AI: This year, China was the CeBIT Partner Country.
Which nation will be next year’s Partner Country?
Felzmann: The Partner Country for 2016 is Switzerland.
Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world.
It is an internationally respected center of excellence for research
and development, not to mention one of the most affluent
countries on the planet. What’s more, it is streets ahead in terms
of understanding the importance of digitization strategies. AI
TOMTOM AUTOMOTIVE
Connected Navigation System
30
TomTom, the trusted partner for innovative and future-proof navigation
technology for the global automotive industry.
AUTOMOTIVE.TOMTOM.COM
innovation
The fully-automated
flexible lithium
chemistry-based XALT
manufacturing facility in
Midland, Michigan.
Speeding up the e-revolution
through Formula 1 and buses
Breakthroughs in the supply of lithium-ion batteries at the
two extremes of the transport spectrum – motor racing and
passenger bus transportation – will help speed up the mass
adoption of battery-powered vehicles.
Recently, XALT Energy announced a US$1 billion deal to supply
Titanate (LTO) batteries to the Chinese Hybrid Kinetic (HK) Group
to supply batteries which will be leased to municipal transport
authorities across China. Yung Yeung, Chairman of HK Group,
said in a release, “XALT”s high quality and cost competitive battery
products fit very well with our group’s strategy of launching allelectric public transit buses on a large scale.”
XALT is also the official partner of Williams Advanced Engineering
in the Formula-E racing series. Craig Wilson, Managing Director
of Williams Advanced Engineering, says; “We are delighted to
welcome XALT Energy on board as an official partner of Williams
Advanced Engineering. This partnership sets the scene for our two
companies to collaborate on future innovations for applications
that demand high performance battery technology across a
range of industries.”
Subhash Dhar,
CEO of XALT
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Subhash
Dhar, CEO of XALT, how soon the company
believes electric vehicle energy density will match that
of vehicles running on petrol or diesel.
Dhar: We need to change our thinking from “competing
with petrol or diesel” to focusing on improving the “overall fuel
economy” of the transportation industry. We must combine
efficient combustion of fossil fuels with electrons from batteries
in a broad range of hybrid solutions (micro, mild, plug-in hybrids)
while continuing the pursuit of “all electric” vehicles. The
technologies necessary to achieve 50-60% overall improvements
in fuel efficiency are commercially available today. We need to
continue to bring the $/Kwh/cycle index to an acceptable level.
This measure (cycle of merit) transcends all other conventional
parameters used in the battery industry.
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By: Esther Francis
AI: XALT is in everything electric – from urban transport
in China to Formula E racing. What is behind this strategy?
Dhar: The key to applying products and technology for
commercialization is to evaluate the “value proposition” we offer
to the end-user. XALT batteries make perfect sense for all-electric
buses (like HK) because, the $/Kwh/cycle is a compelling value
proposition to the end-user.
AI: You have worked with pioneers such as Stan
Ovshinsky (whose NiMH battery is still used by Toyota
today) in the 90”s. How have things changed in the alternate
fuelled vehicle landscape since then?
Dhar: What we have realized is that it takes talent, skills and
commitment of resources from a wide array of constituencies
including policy makers, industrial partners, innovators and
academic institutions to bring about a change of this magnitude.
We as a team can do it and do it in a very cost-effective manner.
AI: How can developing countries make the shift to
green vehicles?
Dhar: Developing countries are focused on
economically viable solutions not only in terms of
“total cost of ownership” of a solution (e.g.; $/kwh/
cycle), but also lower upfront capital cost. Use
of lower cost EPS batteries for hybrid drivetrain
is perfect for developing fuel-efficient and lowcarbon emission solutions.
AI: What role do you see for yourself
in promoting electric vehicles in countries
such as India, China and South America?
Dhar: The roles for these three very different
regions have to be tailor-made. For India, I would like to
develop a commercial JV to produce EPS batteries for the
transportation and telecom industries. In China we are already
very active through XALT batteries for electric buses and are in the
process of establishing alliances for EPS batteries. For Brazil, I would
love to develop an outreach program to let the policy makers and
the industrial sector get a better understanding of the opportunities
that can be created by implementing advanced battery technologies.
AI: What are some of your future plans for XALT?
Dhar: Growth through expansion of the manufacturing assets
in Michigan; setting up new plants in China to meet the growing
demand for XALT batteries; continue to develop next generation
product to further enhance the performance and lower the cost
of batteries thru the use of advanced materials and more efficient
manufacturing processes. AI
Automotive and
Transportation Solutions
ttieurope.com
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we are furthering our commitment to the automotive and transportation industry by
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Passives and Power supplies
Applications
• Automotive
• Electric vehicles
• EV charging stations and infrastructure
• Agricultural and farm equipment
• Construction and mining equipment
• Marine and shipbuilding
• Material handling equipment
• Motorbikes and scooters
• Rail
• Recreational vehicles
• Trucks and buses
ttieurope.com
innovation
Powering the Digital
Instrument Cluster Revolution
By: Alan Tran
Digital screens have long been a familiar feature of car interiors. First used as multimedia controls
and GPS navigation maps, digital screens have evolved into interactive interfaces to control and
monitor virtually every function of the automobile.
The digitalization of the car dashboard continues as digital
screens enter instrument clusters. A large number of them are
hybrid – combining analog gauges with a digital screen. But
more and more new models, especially in the premium segment,
feature fully digital instrument clusters with unlimited possibilities
for presenting information and enhancing the driver’s experience.
Fully digital clusters can show all vital information such as
speed, map and navigation prompts, incoming calls, radio stations,
system alerts, and more – all without a driver having to look away
at a center stack display, minimizing distraction. Many premium
automakers, such as Audi and Jaguar Land Rover, have already
implemented fully digital instrument clusters in their models.
Now we see the fully digital clusters making their
appearance in mid-level vehicles. Questions that arise
include: What does it take to implement a fully
digital IC in a new car model? How critical is the
role of software in successful implementation?
Mikhail Bykov, Managing Director
of Luxoft Automotive.
Automotive Industries (AI) decided to
pose these and other questions to Mikhail
Bykov, Managing Director of Luxoft Automotive.
Over the last decade, Luxoft has been a leading
independent software provider and integrator in the car user
experience (UX) and human-machine interface (HMI) space.
AI: What is Luxoft’s role in facilitating a wider adoption of
fully digital instrument clusters?
Bykov: With many years of experience in creating automotive
UX and HMI for the leading global car manufacturers, Luxoft is in
a unique position to help create fully digital instrument clusters
that are both user-friendly and aesthetically appealing. We offer
a combination of professional development services and the
HMI design tool chain Populus, which is Luxoft’s “know-how”.
76
The Populus Suite dramatically cuts the time from an initial
brainstorming session to production-ready HMI and ensures
a bug-free operation. Add to that a team of our experienced
engineers and designers, and you have the ability to create highquality, robust digital clusters in record time.
AI: Can you tell us more about Populus tool chain?
Bykov: Populus is specifically designed to create software
for digital instrument clusters, as well as low- to mid-market
head units. Virtually all automakers and suppliers who develop
instrument digital clusters can benefit from using the Populus
Suite, which is available under license. There is a large number
of vehicles manufactured by leading U.S. and European OEMs,
which feature HMIs developed using Populus Suite. The
suite has been used to produce cluster HMIs for more
than seven million vehicles.
Requiring small memory footprint and
low processing resources to run, Populus
minimizes the time and cost of producing
full-featured HMIs and enables efficient
software lifecycle management. Populus is
very easy to start and run with its intuitive
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you
get) editor. It doesn’t take heavily trained
engineers to create a great-looking HMI
using Populus, which further contributes to
the overall cost advantage.
AI: How do the instrument cluster requirements vary for entry-level to premium level?
Bykov: When it comes to digital instrument
clusters, they all must comply with safety regulations and
minimize driver distraction. For the high-end car models, however,
it’s also important to create a premium look and feel that is unique
to that particular brand. We believe that the leading brands will
differentiate themselves by the distinct user experiences they
create in their vehicles. Such premium-looking instrument clusters
require large amounts of processing power resulting in high bills
of materials (BOMs). In fact, the semiconductor chip is a major
contributor to the overall cost of the system. In order to make
the digital instrument clusters competitive in the low-end market,
the software must work with cheaper hardware platforms that
Digital instrument clusters can be adapted for different markets around the world without changing the hardware.
have limited resources, both in terms of memory footprint and
processing power. Populus-powered digital clusters require very
little hardware resources and still look great and deliver high
performance, which makes Populus an ideal solution for the lowend market.
AI: What is unique about Luxoft’s solution?
Bykov: The Populus Suite helps achieve high performance
using low memory and processing resources, which is unique in
the market. It opens up immense possibilities for OEMs which
want to differentiate their entry-level models in the market by
offering fully digital instrument clusters without sacrificing the cost
advantage. At the same time, we offer significant time to market
improvement for all types of cars, including high-end models. In
the market since 2009, the Populus Suite supports a wide number
of platforms, including Linux, QNX, AUTOSAR, iOS, Android
and more. The feature modularity of the Populus’ engine offers
developers a lot of flexibility.
But the main advantage of working with Luxoft is the knowledge
and expertise of its engineers, and the scalability that we can offer,
as well as our hybrid onshore/offshore model. At Luxoft, we always
try to provide more value to clients. One way of doing so is with our
investment into in-house R&D, which is what we have been doing
for over five years. This has allowed us to create a state-of-the-art
UX creative lab producing award-winning car HMI designs.
AI: How do digital instrument clusters fit into the big
picture of car HMI?
Bykov: There will always be multiple screens in a car, and a
well-designed HMI should seamlessly combine them – whether
All the information a driver needs at a glance – more
information at a lower cost than the analog alternative.
in-dash or brought-in - from the digital instrument cluster to smart
devices. Smart HMI fuses connectivity, anti-distraction factors,
and context adaptation with strict ergonomic requirements. The
HMI is situation-aware and continually optimizes driver’s workload.
With intelligent HMI, a driver can easily focus on the road without
excessive stimulation or distraction and have increased awareness
and responsiveness.
In addition to Populus, Luxoft has another tool chain, called
Teora, which is perfect for creating premium-looking IVI (in-vehicle
infotainment) HMI for head units. Finally, a head-up display (HUD) is
another crucial component of the modern HMI. We take a holistic
approach to the car HMI and design it in such a way that the
different screens work seamlessly together to minimize the driver’s
distraction and workload.
AI: Does Populus also work for HUDs?
Bykov: With Populus you can create HMI for head-up displays.
HUDs allow drivers to keep eyes on the road and their use will
increase as HUDs become more affordable. Computer vision
and augmented reality are two key technologies that determine
the effectiveness of an HUD. Computer vision is also absolutely
crucial for autonomous driving. Luxoft has developed a Computer
Vision & Augmented Reality software framework that enables
the development of HUDs, autonomous driving, and many other
automotive applications using an in-dash display and smart
glasses. A hardware-agnostic framework can be quickly adapted
to run on virtually any hardware platform, saving significant time
and costs.
AI: What is the future of digital instrument clusters?
Bykov: The digital instrument cluster is becoming the main
screen in automobiles. Digital clusters enhance the “car-ness”
of the driving experience and benefit drivers with the ultimate in
flexibility and by offering real-time critical information when needed.
According to one forecast, over seven million cars will have
fully digital instrument clusters by 2018. We believe that the
actual number will be even higher. The Automotive industry
has embraced all things digital. As a result, industry leaders
are rethinking strategies and business models. Luxoft provides
thought leadership, industry expertise, resource scalability, and
prebuilt solutions to help its partners stand out from competition
and create a better driving experience for future drivers. AI
77
innovation
Quality electronic
components supported by
superior logistics
By: James Hilton
It is not enough to be able to design and make components
– systems have to be in place to ensure that the parts are
delivered just in time to the production line.
Broader and deeper inventory and custom supply chain
solutions together with technical expertise have established
TTI as the leading specialist in electronic component
distribution. Globally, the company maintains 1.2 million cubic
feet of dedicated warehouse space containing over 850,000
component part numbers. Along with its subsidiaries, Mouser
Electronics and Sager Electronics, TTI employs more than 4,700
employees and is represented in over 100 locations throughout
North America, Europe and Asia. TTI products include resistors,
capacitors, connectors, discretes, potentiometers, trimmers,
magnetic and circuit protection components, wire and cable,
wire management, identification products, application tools,
and electromechanical devices.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Glyn Dennehy,
President, TTI, Inc., EMEA, what are some of the features of
the company’s delivery systems.
Dennehy: TTI employs sophisticated inventory
management systems to ensure that we meet
Glyn Dennehy, President,
TTI, Inc., EMEA.
customer delivery requests. For this to work smoothly
it is important that we work in partnership with our
customers, so we can get visibility of their needs. We also
have a very collaborative relationship with all of our manufacturing
supplier partners. With an open flow of communication we receive
advance notice of any supply chain issues. Both customer and
supplier communications are managed through electronic data
exchange (EDI) and strategic account managers. We then apply
various processes such as kanban, consignment stocking and
auto-replenishment in combination with intelligent planning tools,
depending on the needs of the individual customer.
78
AI: What processes do you use for critical components?
Dennehy: Managing critical components is all about getting
as much visibility of the customers’ requirements as early as
possible. If we can share customers’ forecasts, say, 26 weeks
in advance, we can put buffer stocks in place. Our relationships
with our suppliers enables us to gain an accurate and advanced
picture of the supply chain – including obsolescence issues and
product change notifications. Our logistics system implements
early warnings of possible shortages so we can secure extra
stock. TTI’s policy has always been to stock broad and deep
across our franchise lines. This is one factor that differentiates TTI
from other distributors who are driven by their investors to keep
inventory to a minimum.
AI: How well do your systems work?
Dennehy: Our on-time delivery rate to our customers is over
98.9%. In addition to systems and tools, TTI has put in place specialist
market teams that have the specific sector knowledge, enabling us to
focus on quality of service and support. We also ensure that we are
qualified to the standards that are relevant to each sector and have
processes in place to support customers’ needs. Our concept
is not to be the biggest, but to be the best at what we do
and to be the specialist in our market, thus increasing
customer satisfaction and our value to the customer.
AI: What are some of the vital factors that
needed to be factored in when supplying to
the automotive industry?
Dennehy: We constantly work with our
supplier partners to make sure we are fully
aware of product trends and innovation. It’s
vital for our customers to have access to the
newest technologies so that they can keep
driving their technical platforms to higher levels.
This may be faster connectivity, smaller components
with the same performance, specific levels of automotive
specification, or market trends such as greater levels of sensor
deployment or wireless connectivity.
AI: What are the main features of TTIs and Mouser
Electronics go-to-market solution?
Dennehy: Our combined approach is to support the
“Design Chain to the Supply Chain”. Mouser focuses on the
development phase which they service using a very strong
multi-media platform. TTI focuses on its local sales and
TTI’s policy is to stock “broad and deep” across its
franchise lines.
The warehouse at the TTI headquarters.
technical support. Our sales teams provide technical knowhow for applications solutions and service customer demand,
whether it’s a logistics program using the customer’s forecast,
or daily demand with short term deliveries. Both TTI and
Mouser follow the same strong distribution ethics based
around depth and breadth of product inventory and also bestin class global partnerships with suppliers so that jointly we
can provide industry leading technologies first.
AI: What kinds of customer relationships does TTI enjoy?
Dennehy: We deal with Tier 1 automotive manufacturers right
through the chain to the Tier 3 or 4 contract manufacturers.
These relationships are Pan- European and often global
by nature and focus on the needs of the customer.
We maintain these ties by understanding the
customers’ needs on all levels – be they
engineering, logistics programs based on
multiple manufacturing sites globally, specific
programs with our supplier partner. Business is
still done by people, and we pride ourselves on
our supplier and customer relationships.
AI then asked Geoff Breed, VP, Marketing,
TTI, EMEA, to what he attributes the multiple
awards the company has been winning in
Europe and the USA.
Breed: At TTI we take high levels of quality, service,
support and the like extremely seriously, as that is what enables
us to drive performance and develop strong relationships. For
example, we were honored to accept TE Connectivity’s award for
Global Distributor of Year for the fifth time out of the last six years.
This is only possible because we are a true distribution partner
that focuses on what we believe are the true strategies and ethics
needed to be considered as a real specialist in this area: high
levels of quality inventory; a focus on new technologies and the
ability and desire to launch them into the markets; engineering
support; and quality processes.
AI: What gives TTI an edge as distributor for the
automotive industry?
Breed: There are multiple reasons why we have the ability
to work in different markets, and specifically in the automotive
sector. Firstly it is our people, their expertise and local availability.
Having people locally in all countries around Europe with specific
knowledge and support that are able to interface with different
types of customers is a major advantage.
Secondly, it is our logistics. We work proactively with our
customers to manage their forecast demands. We understand
their needs and are able to get products to any location
quickly. Thirdly, our specialist supplier linecard and products
enable us to be able to work in different markets. Suppliers
such as Delphi, TE, Molex, AVX, Vishay and Kemet all have
specific requirements for the automotive market, and we have
developed the expertise to support their needs now and into
the future. Finally, we must mention our processes. We have
specialist processes to handle issues such as Production
Part Approval Process (PPAP) or obsolescence so
Geoff Breed, VP,
Marketing, TTI, EMEA.
that we can provide the type of service customers in
the automotive market require.
AI: How different are the market segments you operate in
terms of approach and strategy – especially the automotive
and EV markets?
Breed: If we compare the automotive and defense sectors, for
example, there can be similarities. Both need hi-spec parts that are
subject to international qualification standards. Both the defense and
automotive sectors also require strong support with processes such
as full part traceability and country of origin data. However, these
markets may also need very different products and series.
The EV market is very different. Certain products, for example
connectors for charging, are very specific only for this market – and
in that case products are designed to be incompatible with other
manufacturers’ parts. Ultimately, all markets can have similarities
and differences. Our challenge is to work with the customer on
their end application, which could be anything from a satellite
though to an EV charging station. So we must respond and offer
a service appropriate to diverse needs. AI
79
innovation
Intuitive HMI is
changing the driving
experience
By: Alan Tran
OEMs and Tier suppliers are focusing on developing intuitive human-machine interfaces (HMI) as we shift the
way we interact with our vehicles from driving to piloting a self-driving vehicle.
One of the leaders in the development of this technology is
Elektrobit (EB), which recently released EB GUIDE 6, a software
toolkit that allows automakers, Tier 1 suppliers and developers
to design and develop sophisticated, customized HMI systems
more easily, quickly and cost-effectively. EB GUIDE 6 is an
updated version of its pioneering HMI toolkit for the development
of multimodal in-car screens with advanced graphics, plus
voice-, touch screen- and gesture-based controls.
The EB Assist Electronic Horizon won Best Safety (ADAS)
solution during the June TU-Automotive Detroit 2015 conference
and exhibition in Novi, Michigan. This is the second consecutive
year EB’s driver assistance technology has won the award. EB
Assist Electronic Horizon provides accurate street map and
topographical data for predictive driver assistance features
such as night vision, curve speed warning and traffic sign
recognition or range determination for e-cars and
automated driving functions.
Matthias Hampel, Head of
Technology and Innovation
HMI at Elektrobit.
“This award recognizes EB’s long-standing
commitment to deliver the most innovative in-car
driver assistance and safety systems for the automotive
industry,” says Alexander Kocher, president of EB’s
Automotive Business Segment. EB is one of the few automotive
suppliers to offer horizon software that combines navigation and
driver assistance systems. This allows carmakers to deliver more
precise, easier-to-use and more capable systems for consumers,
according to the company.
“Over the past 25 years we’ve established deep relationships
with carmakers and suppliers. We understand the automotive
industry, having worked with carmakers such as BMW, Daimler,
Ford, GM, Volkswagen Group, Volvo and more on their global
technology. Our relationships with carmakers and suppliers
allows us to stay on top of new innovations and incorporate
their technology into our products early in the development
phase. We’ve worked on projects of all types and sizes, playing
supporting and leading roles,” says the company in a statement.
80
In June 2015 EB sold its automotive business to Continental
for €600 million. The transaction comprises the sale of Elektrobit
Automotive and its subsidiaries including a jointly owned company
between EB Automotive and Audi Electronics Venture. Continental’s
intention is to keep EB Automotive’s business as a separate unit.
EB Automotive is an international supplier of embedded software
solutions and services for the automotive industry.
EB’s software products are: EB street director navigation software,
EB GUIDE HMI development and speech dialogue platform, EB
tresos product line of software components used in ECUs and tools
for their configuration, and EB Assist, an extensive product line with
tooling and a software development kit for driver assistance solutions.
These software products generate license fees, often combined with
supply of R&D services for customized solutions.
EB and Audi’s subsidiary, Audi Electronics Venture (AEV),
are partners in e.solutions that is currently developing
infotainment software and provides systems
engineering and systems integration services for
Volkswagen Group car models. This company has
also been acquired by Continental.
Automotive Industries asked Matthias
Hampel, Head of Technology and
Innovation HMI at EB to tell us more about
the breakthrough in HMI technology.
Hampel: EB GUIDE 6 is a new version of
our pioneering, multimodal HMI toolkit for the
development of in-vehicle infotainment head unit
and instrument clusters with advanced graphics, plus
voice-, touch screen- and gesture-based controls. EB GUIDE
6 is a software tool that allows automakers, Tier 1 suppliers and
developers to design and develop sophisticated, customized HMI
systems more easily, quickly and cost-effectively.
AI: How will it make development easier for
automotive manufacturers?
Hampel: EB GUIDE 6 represents a complete redesign of the
EB GUIDE HMI development toolchain, integrating new features
such as an easy-to-use graphical user interface that will make it
usable by both engineers and designers alike. It easily integrates
into existing design and development processes and complies
with the Automotive SPICE standard.
The Windows-based toolset supports all development phases
— executable specifications, modeling, rapid prototyping,
simulation and target deployment—and is multi-user capable,
The new design interface for EB Guide 6.
Object-based design shortens time to market.
so global teams can work on the same HMI model, at the same
time. Runtime software is available for a wide range of operating
systems, including Windows, QNX, Linux and Green Hills Integrity
and hardware platforms.
AI: What cost savings does it offer?
Hampel: EB GUIDE helps reduce development time and costs
by enabling existing models, animations, widgets and other assets
to be reused across different software models, greatly simplifying
the process of creating a consistent, yet easily customizable,
look and feel. The software toolchain allows users to
easily branch and merge software models, and it
automatically integrates models created using
previous versions of EB GUIDE software. Users of
EB GUIDE 5.5x are able to seamlessly migrate
their projects to EB GUIDE 6. In addition, we’re
making available a free, downloadable version,
EB GUIDE Studio 6, so there is not cost at all to
developing with our tools.
AI: How do you see the future of
automotive HMI evolving?
Hampel: Automotive HMI is constantly
evolving and plays a key role in the shift toward
fully autonomous and self-driving vehicles. Automakers
are using HMI to develop distinct and sophisticated driving
experiences, allowing drivers to interact with their vehicles in an
intuitive way, making it easy for them to access information and
control the vehicle. They are using natural voice, gesture control
and other approaches to make it possible for drivers to interact
without distraction.
AI then asked Manuela Papadopol, director of global
marketing, EB Automotive how the company is adapting its
marketing in the new era of mobility.
Papadopol: The role of marketing has changed from a decade
ago, when it was all about building inventory and unloading it
to the consumer through promotion. It now begins begins with
consumers – learning about their interests, habits and needs,
and then delivering products and services to match their interest.
It is all about personalized experiences. As we develop new
technologies we’re embarking on a similar process to educate
consumers so they will later understand the value they receive
through the new products and services. Because no matter how
useful the technology is, if consumers cannot use it, it will result in
consumer avoidance and slow adoption, at best.
AI: How does your company manage to keep high levels
of customization across different global regions?
Papadopol: EB Automotive works very closely with our
customers to develop software that maps to regional needs
and interests. We also look at over the air update (OTA) as the
most important feature that all vehicles will have in the next
decade. However, you cannot have updates without safety and
you cannot have safety without security. With this in mind, we
released an updated version of EB GUIDE, our cutting-edge HMI
software toolkit, with features that enable OEMs to create
a consistent and easily customizable look and feel.
Manuela Papadopol, Director,
Global Marketing, Elektrobit.
User interfaces and experiences along with driver
assistance technologies will be key differentiators for car
makers, and will build brand value. As such, the critical role of
the in-car HMI is evolving with every new model and EB GUIDE
enables automakers to efficiently create customized and branded
user interfaces.
AI: Tell us a little about how EB Automotive’s new HMI
technology is being received by automotive manufacturers.
Papadopol: EB GUIDE has been well received among
automakers. Our goal is to provide them with software that
allows them to design and develop sophisticated, customized
HMI systems more easily, quickly and cost-effectively.
Automakers today are under pressure to innovate and iterate
– which means moving forward while re-using the best of
existing solutions. EB GUIDE 6 makes it possible for them to
this by allowing the rapid creation of custom user interfaces
that can be used across product lines and be modified or
updated as needed. We see the opportunity designers and
developers bring to the consumer electronics world, and we
at EB would like to expand that opportunity to the world of
automotive, especially as we spend longer periods of time in
our cars. AI
81
Vega drivers deliver
commercial vehicles over all
terrains, including desert.
innovation
Focus on reducing the
carbon footprint of commercial
vehicle delivery
By: Cliff Parish
A holistic approach to reducing manufacturing carbon
footprint takes into account the impact of the entire
supply chain, which includes the delivery of vehicles to
the customer.
This is best achieved through a multimodal approach that
uses road, rail and sea, according to Franz Blum, General
Manager, Vega International Car Transport & Logistic Trading.
“Beside the major savings by using railway for the transport of
the commercial vehicles – and our drivers as passengers – the
most important is the permanent reduction of fuel consumption.
This is achieved with special driver training and incentives given
during our annual driver awards where excellent performance
in fuel saving and damage performance is used to identify and
incentivize the top 10 drivers of the company”.
The categories and awards covers all job profiles of each
business field of our drivers and are honoured with an defined
Key indication analyse.
The main Excellence is our Driver award covers a combination of
all factors and honours the best performance over the whole year.
“Employees are the key to any company’s success. Our
slogan ‘excellence is our driver’ is a real challenge to the whole
organization and the human beings are the major factor to
achieve this goal. The aim is that the slogan is lived in any action
done inside and outside the company, always benchmarking
on the very best performance you could do,” said Blum in an
earlier AI interview.
he awards and a focus on training are helping VEGA to
overcome one of the major challenges facing the industry as a
whole – human resources. The company says that young people
are not opting to join the industry. Stringent European driver
license regulations also play a role in making truck driving as a
profession less attractive. Therefore, employee training, our new
driver application and order management on tablets, as well as
our new social media channel on Facebook and YouTube should
82
attract younger people and strengthen the relationship between
staff and the company.
VEGA delivers vehicles worldwide. It has subsidiaries and
representatives in Germany, Benelux, Czech Republic, Croatia,
Russia, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Italy and Azerbeidjan. Services
include the entire transport logistics process, including clearing.
VEGA’s shipping department collaborates with the main shipping
companies and is able to offer shipments to any destination required.
Around 70,000 commercial vehicles are transported every year – by
up to 800 specially trained drivers. The firm also offers other services
for the commercial vehicle industry such as warehousing, refurbishing,
and clearing. A close relation with RCA (Rail Cargo Austria) in which
coincidently a schoolmate of Mr Blum is a board member enables
VEGA to run its own blocktrains for the industry and a partnership for
innovative rail-road concepts has been founded between the parties
including KTT (Kaessbohrer Transport Technik) for the developement
of new Hardware.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Blum how effective the
company’s driver awards have been in motivating staff.
Franz Blum: The “Excellence Driver Award” is an event which
takes place the whole year, and not just once during the ceremony.
To be recognized as an excellent driver you have to do your best
during the whole year. For our drivers it is an honor to get this
prize, and they are much more motivated to continually improve
their already high levels of performance. With the introduction
of the awards the drivers started focusing more on preventing
damage and reducing fuel usage. This also leads to improvements
and new innovations in the way we transport goods. The better
the performance of our drivers, the better VEGA becomes. It’s a
pleasure for us to let them know how excellent they are.
AI: How do VEGA drivers cut emissions and fuel usage?
Franz Blum: Our own driver academy managed by Thomas
Schinagl helps with regular training sessions to improve the skills
and knowledge of our drivers. They learn to drive responsibly
Mixer trucks being transported in the mountains of Armenia by Vega.
and proactively. Our drivers continually adjust their speed to stay
within the legal restrictions and to adapt to the environment. The
objective is to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible.
AI: How has your Turkish market evolved in importance
over the past couple of years?
Franz Blum: I have known the country for more than 30 years
– from the time when I was a student and delivered trucks there.
It is now our second-biggest market after Germany. We have our
own depot in Istanbul, which serves as the most important delivery
hub between the shipments from Europe to Pendik and further to
the Middle-East countries like Iran, Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan. In
addition, this year truck imports into Turkey will reach an all-time
high due to the phasing out of Euro V engines. The effect will be
similar to what happened in the European Union two years ago
when the new technology was introduced.
AI: In an earlier interview to AI you had talked about the
growing importance of markets like India and China. What
inroads have you made in these markets?
Franz Blum: We have been working with Chinese producers
and their importers since last year. Vehicles are transported by
road and sea. We also support assembly operations in China,
and delivered important parts overland from Germany to the new
Schmitz-Cargobull production facility in Wuhan. Our highlight this
year was the transport of trucks from the Chinese manufacturer
Dongfeng to Moscow for an exhibition. Our most qualified
drivers went overland from China to Russia via Kazakhstan. For
this outstanding performance VEGA was given an award by the
management of Dongfeng. We are very proud of the achievement,
and hope for further successful operations of this type in the future.
AI also spoke to Peter Blum, Operations Manager, Vega
International Car Transport & Logistic Trading, and asked him
what systems VEGA has put into place to cut delivery times.
Peter Blum: We always take the time to plan a customized
solution for every client. For example, we may connect rail with
shipping. Our objective is to make every delivery as environmentally
friendly as possible, while offering the best service to our clients.
The most important aim of VEGA is to delight our customers and
to expand our world of green logistics as fast as we can.
AI: How do VEGA’s processes differ from others in
the industry?
Peter Blum: VEGA is the leader of the commercial vehicle
transfer in Europe. We put all our energy and responsibility into
providing the perfect transport solution for every single customer.
Our focus on training helps our drivers to update their knowledge
regularly and improve their skills. We try to be always ahead of
the pack in all respects. Our flexibility to find a solution for every
problem helps us to stay in first place.
AI: What are some of the recent developments in the
automotive market that have required a change in strategy
on the part of VEGA?
Peter Blum: The large cabins of modern trucks makes loading
on trailers in road transport almost impossible or – just “possible”
if you are ready to break the traffic rules. A greater focus by the
industry on compliance with regulations through their compliance
departments has therefore dropped the load factor and made VEGA
aware of the need for further innovations in this market – which we
are working on intensely. VEGA will soon come up with innovative
solutions for rail and road – and AI will then report on it!
AI: How has the political turmoil in the Middle East and
Russia impacted VEGA’s business in those regions?
Peter Blum: It is mixed. The situation in Russia is really critical,
and the market for imported trucks and buses has almost collapsed
completely. In the Middle East the prognosis is that there will be a
demand for more drivers. Turkey is booming this year as mentioned
due to the introduction of Euro VI next year, but Iraq is almost
collapsed due to IS. On the other hand, the American nuclear deal
with Iran brings hope that the huge market will be opened after almost
30 years, and then the potential will be enormous. AI
83
original
optimized
innovation
Original and optimized
wheel carriers.
• same weight
• 3-5 times stiffer
• ready for mass production
The ‘rebirth’ of casting
By: Alan Tran
A new process chain incorporating proven casting systems with modern design software and 3D
printing has the potential to be disruptive technology.
Altair, Click2Cast, HBM nCode and voxeljet have combined
topology optimization, casting simulation, lifetime analysis and 3D
printing to show how the combination of these technologies can
create a stronger automotive component.
The four companies have developed a technology demonstrator
that can be used to identify efficient (i.e. simulation-driven)
development processes and series-ready production methods
using 3D printing technology. In order to put theory into practice
a demonstration wheel carrier made with aluminum casting was
optimized in terms of topology, analyzed with regard to its feasibility
and subjected to lifetime-equivalent stress testing.
Using a milled billet aluminum upright (wheel carrier) for a student
racecar to demonstrate the process designers and engineers from
the companies focused on creating a new shape for the wheel
carrier that would be equal in mass, but would perform significantly
better than the original. The wheel carrying component is subject to
deflections and deformations under load, which significantly impact
the road-holding performance of the entire suspension. Stiffness of
the component is critical. The original design, which was tailored to
manufacturing needs, was now reworked for performance.
Altair’s OptiStruct optimization solver came into play for design,
as the space was defined using OptiStruct-based Inspire. By running
scenarios that would affect loads and applying severe situations to
the model, a part was able to be designed that took the current
aluminum cast part and redistributed the material — using the same
quantity of material stiffness was increased by 3-5 times.
Because fatigue damage is a function of the component’s
entire loading history and not just the maximum load, a fatigue
84
schedule of 35 hours of loading from five different road conditions
was developed and imported into nCode DesignLife. Stresses
computed by Altair OptiStruct from unit loads were also included,
enabling the engineers to assemble stress histories for all locations
on the wheel carrier.
This data, along with material properties from the DesignLife’s
database, was used to predict fatigue damage. Click2Cast
simulation was used both at the start and the end of the process,
first testing the ability of the design to be manufactured, and
finally to simulate the process of the full mold filling and the
thermal solidification.
The cast parts required for the component were produced by
voxeljet using the 3D printing method. The shaping, which was
achieved by optimizing the structure and the design freedom
for mold construction thanks to 3D printing made it possible
to achieve significantly improved performance characteristics.
The cast design, created using PMMA via CAD data, produces
a lightweight 3D printed plastic mold that can offer a final piece
comparable to one created via traditional means but at a much
lower cost.
“Mold construction is significantly faster with the voxeljet
3D printing process. At the same time, this process also
opens up an entirely new area of design freedom. To be
able to take advantage of the design freedom offered by 3D
printing the component was redesigned using simulation
tools, which inspire the structure design and also take into
account feasibility and lifetime. The result is very promising:
the redesigned wheel trunk is three to five times stiffer than the
“
A combination of optimization, fatigue analysis,
cast simulation and 3D printing makes it possible to
exploit the full potential of a light-weight design.
”
ABOVE: Optimized 3d printed pattern for investment casting.
LEFT: Topology optimization using solidThinking
Inspire software.
old version without the addition of extra material,” says Kevin
Smith, Director Global Applications at voxeljet.
Another advantage: the production process is already
well established and certified in many industries. It is also
well suited for series production. Using CAD data, voxeljet
produces plastic models by applying a particulate material
(in this case, polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA) in layers,
bonded with a binding agent. This organic material results
in a very low ash content and zero pattern expansion, with
perfect burn-out characteristics, and is therefore well suited
for investment casting.
With excellent dimensional accuracy and high-quality surface
finish, PMMA 3D printed models allow for highly complex designs
that are mechanically stronger than previous cast designs. While
cast designs may be lighter in weight, the 3D printed plastic
models cost much less to produce because there is no investment
needed in tooling.
“We are very pleased to be able to implement such an innovative
project with our partners,” said Mirko Bromberger, Marketing
Director, Altair Engineering. “The technology demonstrator
clearly shows the potential uses of this process. A combination
of optimization, fatigue analysis, cast simulation and 3D printing
makes it possible to exploit the full potential of a light-weight design
or, as in this case, significantly increase performance without
adding extra weight to the component. With this component, Altair,
our APA partners Click2Cast and nCode and voxeljet have shown
that a paradigm shift in the development of new components is
not only possible but already available today.”
86
Bringing design optimization, fatigue analysis, casting, and 3D
printing together addresses the challenges of lightweight design
and enables the creation of an innovative design and manufacturing
process that enhances performance and efficiency.
“When it comes to speed and capabilities for serial production
you might want to look at this process,” said Kevin Smith, Director
Global Applications, voxeljet. “It marks the ‘rebirth’ of one of the
oldest manufacturing process available – casting!” AI
About voxeljet
voxeljet is a leading provider of high-speed, largeformat 3D printers and on-demand parts services
to industrial and commercial customers. The Company’s 3D printers employ a powder binding, additive
manufacturing technology to produce parts using
various material sets, which consist of particulate
materials and proprietary chemical binding agents.
The Company provides its 3D printers and ondemand parts services out of its service centers in
USA, Germany and UK to industrial and commercial
customers serving the automotive, aerospace, film
and entertainment, art and architecture, engineering
and consumer product end markets. AI
Visit us online at
getrag.com/iaa
Visit
us online at
getrag.com/iaa
15 – 27 SEPTEMBER 2015
15
– 278.0
SEPTEMBER
2015
HALL
| D02
HALL 8.0 | D02
Innovations in motion
Innovations in motion
Experience the transmission technology of tomorrow. Be inspired by modern designs that bring together dynamics,
Experience the transmission technology of tomorrow. Be inspired by modern designs that bring together dynamics,
comfort and highest efficiency to offer superior performance. Learn more about our hybrid transmissions from mild to
comfort and highest efficiency to offer superior performance. Learn more about our hybrid transmissions from mild to
plug-in. Discover a whole world of fascinating ideas for the mobility of the future.
plug-in. Discover a whole world of fascinating ideas for the mobility of the future.
GETRAG – Home of Transmissions
GETRAG – Home of Transmissions
www.getrag.com
www.getrag.com
Lightweighting
Your World
SMC | CFRP | LFT | Hybrid
Process technology and automated systems
for manufacturing fiber-reinforced components
www.dieffenbacher.com

Q2 2015 pdf - Automotive Industries

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