Lessons from CESA 2012

This second edition of CESA congress has been successful, with a large audience and top experts coming from BMW, PSA, Volkswagen, Bosch, Continental, NXP, Valeo and so many others. Through technical sessions, no less than eight round tables and an attractive exhibition, the congress has kept its promises.
But, what did we learn so far, after such intense discussions ?
First, electrication of the powertrain is really launched. In the future, we should see more mild hybrid, full hybrid and plug in hybrids, and later on pure EVs.
The second point is linked to the first one. Many OEMS and tier 1 suppliers converge on 48 volt, and not only in Germany.
Third, the architecture of the future will be for sure mainly based on Ethenet. It's not the only solution, however, and the automotive industry should find ways to simplify E/E architecture, instead of adding more and more embedded networks.
Fourth, if the connected car is on the way with apps and cloud-based services, nobody knows who will win at the end, between the OEMs, third party players, telecom carriers and giants such as Apple and Google.
Fifth, the automotive industry should work with new partners. The success of Autolib' in Paris, which celebrates its first birthday and which is the largest EV car sharing experience in the world, with nearly 2000 cars running in the streets, is there to show that it's possible to adress customers, even when you're outside of  this business.

Cars 21 reports a vision for 2020

As part of the Commission's modern industrial policy, the CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century) made recommendations for 2020 to reach new heights.
It's a call for rapid progress on important subjects such as electro-mobility, road safety, market access strategy and a review of the CO2 emissions from cars and vans.
Cars 21 claims the roll out of alternative infrastructure to support new energies, standardisation issues for the breakthrough of electrical cars, the EIB financing for research, a new driving test-cycle and test procedure in order to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as ICT technologies supporting driver behaviour and road safety.
The car of 2020 should be clean, fuel-efficient, quiet, safe and connected. 

Link : http://cesa-automotive-electronics.blogspot.fr/

CESA 2012 interview : Guillaume Devauchelle (Valeo) part 2

For CESA 2012, R&D director from Valeo speaks about the connected car and applications from smartphones.

"The connected car offers a new range of opportunities to increase safety & comfort as well as to reduce CO2 consumption. We are working on the embedded devices that will enable the car to be connected to its environment using all available wireless standards (GSM, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, RF...). We see the crucial role that the connected mobility of the end-user will have in this new paradigm.

We already demonstrated some examples on how the car's systems could evolve : last September 2011 with Park4 Remote at the IAA in Franckfurt (autonomous Parking Manoeuvre with a remote control on a smartphone) and in the first quarter of 2012 with eSkin (connected display of the future that allows you to use safely your smartphone computing power while driving for off-board navigation for example) and many more to come...

Valeo firmly believes that connected Driving Assistance systems will also further contribute to C02 reduction by reducing the travel time (increased flow, quick & direct access to parking) and by optimizing the powertrain energy management thanks to the available extended horizon offered by connectivity".

To be continued with next Valeo and Hybrid4All.

Continental drives the future of the connected car

CESA 2012 partner 








In October 2014, the german automotive supplier Continental will begin series production of an internet-capable multimedia head unit for the entire product range of a European automotive manufacturer. By 2018, Continental expects to reach a high volume of series production.

Conceived in Rambouillet, France, the multimedia head unit is based on the Linux open source operating system and complies with the GENIVI standard. Various versions of the head unit will be produced, with basic versions for compact vehicles and further functions added for mid-range and luxury vehicles. This means that the entire product portfolio, and all brands, of the automotive manufacturer will be covered.
In addition to radio, audio management, 3D navigation and connectivity, the basic functions of the multimedia head unit will also include an Internet browser and access to Internet services such as weather forecasts and traffic information. As with a smart phone, drivers can download new services and updates from a specific package, enjoying the very latest infotainment features throughout the entire lifecycle of their vehicles. A software development kit will enable third-party providers to develop applications for the head unit and, following in-depth quality and safety checks, add them to the products on offer.