Ready for the self-driving car? With all the hoopla surrounding this hot topic during January's CES in Las Vegas, many observers have been foiled to believe we're almost there.
With this in mind, I traversed the exhibition halls of last week's record-breaking Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) in search of the automotive industry's latest answer to its autonomous future. On the Connected Car front, this is what I found at the show which was frequented by over 93000 visitors and featured almost 2000 exhibitors.
Automotive solutions from NXP include:
- a single-chip radar front-end transmitter for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and collision avoidance
- in-vehicle networking using automotive-grade Ethernet PHY that complements existing technologies like CAN, FlexRay etc.
The development platform embedded in the car uses Qualcomm ICs built around its automotive grade Snapdragon 602A quadcore processor and the QNX operating system. The 602A integrates four Krait CPUs, one Adreno graphics engine, a Hexagon DSP, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, three USB ports and support for four camera connections by way of the MIPI standard.
At the center of the driver's console is a large 12-inch infotainment display that reacts to touch, voice and gestures. Qualcomm's Gobi 3G/4G modem connects to the cellular network for communications and media streaming. It further serves the WiFi hotspot in the car for passenger entertainment. The center console also features a surface to wirelessly charge your cell phone based Qualcomm's WiPower solution based on the Rezense standard.
The MoDe:Me e-bike targets urban commuters who are wary of congested city traffic and thus decide to park on the city outskirts and use their 200-watt e-bike to travel to their final destination.
An AT&T SIM card will be pre-installed in the telematics unit for customers who purchase a new Audi in the USA next year, enabling on-board Internet access for up to 8 devices.
AT&T works together with car manufacturers in its 5,000-square-foot innovation center in Atlanta called Drive Studio to create new technologies and services for the Connected Car ecosystem.
With this in mind, I traversed the exhibition halls of last week's record-breaking Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) in search of the automotive industry's latest answer to its autonomous future. On the Connected Car front, this is what I found at the show which was frequented by over 93000 visitors and featured almost 2000 exhibitors.
Into the Conceptual Future
The Tesla always stops attendees in their tracks and NXP Semiconductors stashed a range of boards and modules feautring their automotive ICs in its trunk. More than anything, NXP paints a conceptual picture of the car's future if you connect the dots of new and existing functions that their silicon addresses.
Automotive solutions from NXP include:
- a single-chip radar front-end transmitter for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and collision avoidance
- car-to-car (C2C) and car-to-Infrastructure (C2I) communication based upon the IEEE 802.11p automotive WiFi standard
- a single-chip FM/AM/satellite radio with tuner plus further ICs that support digital radio such as DAB (+), T-DMB, HD radio and DRM
- a single-chip FM/AM/satellite radio with tuner plus further ICs that support digital radio such as DAB (+), T-DMB, HD radio and DRM
- in-vehicle networking using automotive-grade Ethernet PHY that complements existing technologies like CAN, FlexRay etc.
- a wireless "smart car key" using NFC hidden in an iPhone cover
Replacing mirrors with cameras and screens
Qualcomm and QNX showcase the future of automotive in a Maserati that uses cameras and displays where we usually find mirrors. The video feeds are delivered by two front cameras, one at the back, and one on the roof of the car.
Connect to and control your e-vehicle
Porsche's Car Connect service is not a future concept but is something real and available today.
The Panamera e-hybrid vehicle is equipped with a telematics unit from Italian company Cobra, which Vodafone recently acquired. By way of a cellular "machine to machine" connection (M2M), the service features vehicle tracking, remote monitoring & assistance, as well as usage-based insurance.
The smartphone app controls the electric charging of the Panamera and can also detect the car's location. Vodafone is the operator providing the cellular connection. The service's annual pricing ranges from € 145 to € 289. When buying a Panamera, the first year of service is free.
The smartphone app controls the electric charging of the Panamera and can also detect the car's location. Vodafone is the operator providing the cellular connection. The service's annual pricing ranges from € 145 to € 289. When buying a Panamera, the first year of service is free.
The best ager's dream come true
On Ford's booth visitors saw what is more akin to a connected bike than the Connected Car: an e-bike that folds and stows easily into the back of the car, with an accompanying smartphone app that finds bike-friendly roads, calculates the best route, and suggests convenient parking.
The MoDe:Me e-bike targets urban commuters who are wary of congested city traffic and thus decide to park on the city outskirts and use their 200-watt e-bike to travel to their final destination.
A carrier's automotive focus
From 2016 onwards, AT&T will provide all US Audi models featuring their Connect infotainment system with 4G LTE or 3G coverage allowing drivers to enjoy navigation, streaming and high-speed access to the Internet.
An AT&T SIM card will be pre-installed in the telematics unit for customers who purchase a new Audi in the USA next year, enabling on-board Internet access for up to 8 devices.
AT&T works together with car manufacturers in its 5,000-square-foot innovation center in Atlanta called Drive Studio to create new technologies and services for the Connected Car ecosystem.
Something simple for the automotive after-market
Visitors perusing this year's MWC showgrounds will have noticed the VIP shuttles with a banner of Huawei's simple yet neat product called CarFi on them.
That's the Connected Car in its most basic form. CarFi plugs into a 12-volt cigarette lighter socket and allows any car to become a WiFi hotspot for up to 10 devices using a LTE connection that supports up to 150 Mbit/s. The device retails for roughly € 160.
Bold visionaries see the autonomous car traveling on public roads by 2017. That's hard to imagine right now. For the moment most of us will be able to get Internet into their car in one way or another.
Bold visionaries see the autonomous car traveling on public roads by 2017. That's hard to imagine right now. For the moment most of us will be able to get Internet into their car in one way or another.
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