CESA 2018

Ford Motor Company participated in a special test of a high-tech early warning “brake light” that can warn drivers following behind even if they are around a bend or behind other traffic. It was during the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility – Testfield Germany), a four-year joint industry research project in Germany. Engineers from Ford’s European Research Centre in Aachen, led the development, testing and data analysis. In emergency braking situations, the experimental “Electronic Brake Light” transmits a wireless signal to illuminate a dashboard light in cars following behind. The study found the technology could enable drivers following behind to brake earlier and potentially mitigate or avoid a collision.

In the world of Internet of Things, the car is becoming rapidly one of the main connected element in our every day’s life. Our research topic deals more specifically with drivers who connect their smartphones to carpool with strangers. In fact, smartphones are able to communicate crucial data for eco-mobility, such as the number of “empty seats travelling” (Nokia Research, 2009), available for potential passengers. Thanks to the GPS, 3/4G networks and “dynamic carpooling” applications, the car stands out as the new “public-private” transport. Dynamic carpooling develops in a lightning way, through applications like Carma, Covisoft, Djump. It has additional benefits compared with the planned carpooling: more flexibility/immediacy for the drivers and passengers matching, complementarity outside the peak hours, optimization of the urban travel, etc. However, as summarized in our state of the art and through our first empirical study in psychology ergonomics, there are also obstacl...

Continental is presenting a new evolutionary stage of its head-up display (HUD). The Augmented Reality HUD supplements the exterior view of the traffic conditions in front of the vehicle with virtual information (augmentations) for the driver. The AR-HUD was developed from the previous HUD, but now the reflected information appears exactly where the information becomes a part of the driving situation. When navigating, for example, a virtual symbol inserted precisely into the exterior view shows the driver the way on the curve in front of the vehicle. When distance controls (Adaptive Cruise Control, ACC) are enabled, a marking in the AR-HUD visualizes which vehicle in front is detected by the assistance system. Continental is planning production readiness of an Augmented Reality Head-up Display in 2017.

V2X communication is making its way to series-production, fulfilling the vision of zero-fatalities safety and lower emissions enhanced mobility. However, the technology value is heavily dependent on penetration rate acceleration, which can only be achieved by applying built-to-cost solutions that can be quickly introduced to market. Following experience gained from several design cycles, Autotalks obtained a deep understanding of the contributors to high system cost. The contributors will be presented, as well as the methods to eliminate those. Applying all the considerations will yield a cost-optimized system that can be easily adapted to any specific use-case. Quick introduction is a factor of development and testing time and risk. Pre-integrated software, elaborated hardware reference design, mature solution and engineering support can shorten significantly the schedule and minimize the risk. An example of quick design cycle will be analyzed. The presentation will be conclud...

During the final review of the European research project OpEneR*, last July in Vigo, Spain, Bosch and PSA presented collaboratively developed driving strategies and driver assistance systems that will significantly improve the efficiency and safety of both electric and hybrid vehicles in the future. The aim was to increase driving range without enlarging the battery. Engineers and researchers have worked to improve the electrical powertrain, the regenerative braking system, the navigation system, and the surround sensors, as well as on functions that connect these elements with each other. One task was the development of “eco routing”. Thanks to the navigation system, that continuously takes in account the car's real energy consumption, test drives demonstrated energy consumption savings of up to 30 percent in return for a longer travel time of just 14 percent. The OpEneR team has worked also on improved map data and car to infrastructure communication, in order to create...

According to Techneo, a consulting company that conducted a survey for Deways, one of the french peer to peer carsharing providers, the autonomous vehicle will not be a substitute to the personal car. But, it may be a competitor for taxis and private chauffeurs. The survey argues that an automated vehicle would be much more easy to operate, for P2P carsharing. The car would be able to go by itself and to meet customers that would like to rent it. A conventional car stays 90 % of the time parked. So, just imagine how it would be more flexible - and more profitable too - to rent it when it"s automated. Techneo determined several profiles of the autonomous vehicle. For example, the personal one, the family one, the shared one and the delivery one. The conclusion is that the future of the autonomous vehicle belong to carsharing, wether the vehicle be partially or totally shared.

Ford just launched its Innovate Mobility Challenge Series, inviting the developer and ‘maker’ communities to come together to find innovative mobility solutions in eight different locations* around the world. Each challenge was designed to address a specific issue, such as good deliveries, commuting, parking or health services. Developers are invited to use Ford’s OpenXC program. It's a non-production, open-source, software and hardware platform using real-time vehicle data. 15 types of vehicle data are available, including those related to vehicle speed, engine speed, fuel-level, and things like whether or not the windshield wipers are on or if a door is open. The aim is to integrate this real-time vehicle information into apps that relate to sustainability and mobility issues, whether by incorporating the data into existing apps or creating new apps from scratch. Link : http://fordsvl.com/innovatemobility  *Portugal, Los Angeles, United States, and Mumbai, India, before ...