Electric Vehicles

But he couldn’t put a time frame on when an electric version of the company’s biggest-selling model, the Ford Ranger ute, might arrive in Australia. Last month, the Ford Ranger was the biggest-selling vehicle of any kind in Australia, with sales up 12.5 per cent to 4192, overtaking fierce rival the Toyota Hilux to take the No. 1 mantle.

Official sales figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries were released on Tuesday, which showed overall industry sales were up 21 per cent to 83,312 across Australia.

‘A little bit nerve-wracking’

Mr Birkic said Ford in Australia isn’t setting any overall targets for the percentage of electric vehicles it aims to sell in Australia. “It will evolve,” he said.

He said governments had a “role to play” in consumer adoption and ensuring charging infrastructure was rolled out.

A hugely popular Mustang Mach E electric vehicle in the United States won’t be made available to Australian customers looking for a sporty passenger vehicle. “Basically it is sold out,” Mr Birkic said.

Ford would sell its electric vehicles in Australia through a dealer network, and wouldn’t be going down a direct-to-consumer sales model, he said.

Major carmakers around the world are preparing to release a flood of new models globally in a sector where Elon Musk’s Tesla is a pioneer and has been generating strong sales growth.

Ford globally has committed US$30 billion ($41 billion) in investment on the shift into electric vehicles and aims to have 40 to 50 per cent of total sales by volume coming from electric vehicles by 2030.

Ford’s global general manager of battery electric vehicles, Darren Palmer, said via a video call from the United States the company would work closely with business operators to convert fleets to electric vehicles. “It can be a little bit nerve-wracking,” Mr Palmer said. “We’re going to hold their hand along the way.”

Ford Australia’s Mr Birkic said the cost of electric vehicles was gradually coming down, while charging infrastructure is expanding and those factors were catalysts for stepping up the electric vehicle push. “We actually think it’s the right time. We’re comfortable with our position,” he said.

The business case for a particular electric vehicle model in Australia also needed to stack up, he said.

There is increasing investment by companies rolling out electric vehicle charging station infrastructure in Australia. In late August, a new renewable energy fund of US investor BlackRock chose Australian electric vehicle charging company JOLT Charge as its first investment in the sector in the Asia-Pacific, kick-starting a $500 million rollout of 5000 free charging stations.

Ford shut down its car manufacturing factory at Broadmeadows in outer Melbourne in late 2016, becoming the second of four carmakers to exit local production. Mitsubishi bowed out in 2008, while Holden and Toyota both shut their Australian plants in 2017.

By Heekyong Yang

SEOUL (Reuters) – The global auto industry’s shift to electric vehicles (EVs) has spurred an expansion race among battery makers, and caused a growing a skills shortage. See main story:

Global sales of EVs, estimated at 2.5 million vehicles in 2020, is forecast to grow more than 12-fold to 31.1 million by 2030 and account for nearly a third of new vehicle sales, according to consulting firm Deloitte.

Here are major players’ expansion plans in key EV markets of China, the United States and Europe.

CATL

As of end-June, the Chinese company has annual battery production capacity of 65.45 Gigawatt hours (GWh), and has an additional 92.5 GWh of capacity under construction.

The global industry leader by market share, its clients include Volkswagen, General Motors, BMW >BMWG.DE> and Daimler as well as Chinese auto makers.

The company announced a plan in August to set up a production base in Shanghai, a move that will put it close to Tesla Inc’s Chinese production base.

LG ENERGY SOLUTION (LGES)

The South Korean leader expects its production capacity to reach 155 GWh by the end of this year and plans to raise that to 430 GWh by 2025 – which could power about 7.2 million EVs.

It plans to invest more than $4.5 billion in its U.S. battery production business through 2025. The plans include two new plants, jointly built with GM in Ohio and Tennessee, which would allow LGES to manufacture a total of 70 GWh of batteries in the United States by 2024.

LGES already has a factory in Michigan with annual production capacity of 5 GWh.

In China, where the company makes cylindrical battery cells for Tesla, it has invested about 5.7 trillion won ($4.8 billion) and plans to invest another 1.5 trillion won.

It has invested about 6.8 trillion won in Poland since 2016 to secure an annual production capacity of 70 GWh and plans to make another 2.5 trillion won investment.

In July, LGES and Hyundai Motor Group said they would invest $1.1 billion to jointly set up a EV battery cell plant in Indonesia.

PANASONIC

The Japanese company manufacturers cylindrical NMA (Nickel-Manganese-Aluminum) batteries in the United States at a plant in Nevada and in facilities in Japan. Nearly all goes to Tesla.

It does not disclose its manufacturing capacity, but in May said it was aiming to expand the 35 GWh Nevada facility because of increased demand from Tesla. The Nevada plant, built at a cost of $1.6 billion, was opened in 2014.

Panasonic plans to begin a test line in Japan this year to make a new cylindrical battery designed by Tesla to halve battery costs. It also has a joint venture with Toyota Motor established in February, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, to develop prismatic batteries.

The company has said it is considering building an auto battery plant in Norway to expand into Europe, but has yet to give details.

SK ON

SK On has a combined global annual production capacity of 40 GWh – 27 GWh in China, 7.5 GWh in Hungary and the rest from South Korea.

It plans to boost that more than five-fold to 220 GWh by 2025, with the expansion primarily focused on the U.S. market.

SK On is building two EV battery plants in Georgia with a combined annual production capacity of 21.5 GWh that will begin production from early 2022.

With partner Ford Motor Co, it has a 10.2 trillion won investment plan to build three separate battery plants in the United States with a combined annual capacity of 129 GWh of batteries, enough to power about 2.2 million EVs.

SAMSUNG SDI

The affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has EV battery cell plants in Hungary, China and South Korea.

It does not disclose breakdowns of its investments or production capacity.

In July, Reuters reported that the company, whose customers include Ford and BMW, may build a battery cell plant in the United States. Samsung SDI has been in talks to supply batteries manufactured at a potential U.S. factory with EV makers including Stellantis and Rivian, which is backed by Amazon and Ford.

($1 = 1,182.8700 won)

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Yilei Sun in Shanghai and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Pravin Char)

To meet their goal that all cars in Canada be electric by 2035, the Liberals must make it the law, according to a new study.

In June, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced he was advancing the target to make all cars electric by 2035, five years ahead of schedule.

Canada’s going electric! ⚡️

To build a greener economy, create good jobs, and put Canadians in the driver’s seat to a net-zero future, our government is accelerating its mandatory sales target of 100% zero-emission vehicles from 2040 to 2035. pic.twitter.com/jpF7ubSyLc

— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) June 29, 2021

The Liberal platform then upped the ante by promising a “regulated sales requirement” that “at least 50 per cent of all new light-duty vehicle sales be zero-emission vehicles in 2030,” bringing Alghabra’s pronouncement closer to concrete policy.

A “regulated sales requirement” — code for a sales mandate — forces vehicle manufacturers to ensure that a certain percentage of cars they sell in the Canadian market are electric.

All political parties supported an electric-vehicle (EV) mandate during the election campaign, with the Conservatives and NDP promising something similar.

B.C. and Quebec already have provincial EV mandates, and most EVs sold in Canada go to those two provinces, according to a Transport Canada study and Statistics Canada data.

The proposed mandate is the only way to meet the government’s EV goals, according to modelling by Clean Energy Canada.

While policies exist to stimulate both the supply of and demand for EVs, current measures won’t get Canada anywhere near the target, the study shows, so an EV mandate is the way to go.

“Canada could achieve 24 per cent EV sales by 2030, at best, under (U.S. President Joe) Biden’s new rules, with no additional measures” — well short of Canada’s goal, according to modelling done by Simon Fraser University professor Jon Axsen for Clean Energy Canada.

“Biden’s new rules” refer to regulations for tailpipe emissions the president announced on Aug. 5. They’ll apply from 2023 to 2026, and will replace former U.S. president Donald Trump’s weaker regulations.

Since 2012, Canada has been applying the regulations —  the only federal policy designed to increase the supply of EVs across the country — which require that new cars sold by 2026 get at least 38.2 miles per gallon (61.5 kilometres per gallon).

They’re the “most stringent (emissions standards for) federal light-duty vehicles” ever set, according to a release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But the EPA doesn’t expect the new standards will result in many more EVs on American roads, departmental figures show.

In 2023, the first year the standards are applied, the EPA expects American drivers will buy 3.6 per cent more battery-powered and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Battery-powered vehicles (BEVs) are true zero-emissions vehicles without a combustion engine. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) run largely on electricity, but still have a combustion engine.

By 2024, the EPA estimates that the number of BEVs and PHEVs will have gone up by 5.1 per cent, with increases of 5.8 per cent by 2025, and 7.8 per cent by 2026, the final year the new standards apply.

EV uptake in Canada has been increasing over the years, but is still very low compared to gas-powered vehicles.

In 2020, 3.5 per cent of new vehicle registrations were for EVs, StatCan data show. That’s up from 2.9 per cent in 2019, 2.2 per cent in 2018, and one per cent in 2017.

Canada has several programs already to boost EV sales, including federal and provincial rebates, which can be combined to increase demand.

But a shortage of supply-side policies is a “key barrier to (EV) adoption” in Canada, the Transport Canada study said.

The federal government wants to reduce Canada’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and getting more EVs on the road is key to that effort.

In Canada, the transportation sector accounts for 25 per cent of total emissions, with cars and light trucks making up nearly half the sector’s total, according to figures from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

More from iPolitics

The stock price is on track to hit a six-month high of $ 15.99. The first week it was stable, apart from a temporary jump from $ 12.81 to $ 13.57. In the last 10 days of the past month, the worth was growing, as a result, it surged 11%. The current price is $ 14.47. Ford stock gains on September EV sales Surge. Ford Motor (F) reported another significant drop in US vehicle sales on Monday, but noted a huge rise in interest in electric vehicles, and said orders for the new F-150 Lightning had surpassed 150,000.
Its total US vehicle sales were down by 17.7% over last year and amounted to 156,614 units in September. Truck sales, according to Ford, fell 22.6% to 83,554 units. However, sales of electrified vehicles were up 91.6% year-on-year to 9,150 units. Furthermore, Ford managed to increase its total inventory by 21,000 vehicles in a month, despite plant closures and delays due to global semiconductor shortages, and reached a total supply of 236,000 units.

Dallas, TX , Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) (“ALYI”) today revealed the company has entered discussions anticipated to result in a business agreement by year end resulting in the development of a sustainable electricity production facility in Africa.  The sustainable electricity production facility is one component of ALYI’s overall, comprehensive electric vehicle ecosystem strategy.

ALYI has recently announced that it expects to generate its first revenue this year from the sale of electric vehicles.  Specifically, ALYI intends to generate $2 million by year end from the sale of electric motorcycles.

ALYI management repeatedly emphasizes that the electric vehicles are just the tip of an overall electric vehicle ecosystem.  ALYI has recently published an overview of its electric vehicle ecosystem strategy covering both the design and production of electric vehicles and the array of impacts and considerations necessary for electric vehicles to replace combustion engine powered transportation to include the increased production of electricity: 

ALYI – Understanding The Cryptocurrency Backed EV Ecosystem Behind The EV Company

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that he believes electricity production must double to facilitate the full adoption of electric vehicles in the United States. 

Barron’s – Tesla’s Musk Says U.S. Electricity Production Needs to Double to Power Transition to EV Vehicles

ALYI is launching its electric vehicle ecosystem in Africa where the transportation market is far from saturated and the opportunity exists to introduce consumers to a transportation solution for the first time, rather than convincing them to exchange one mode of transportation for another. 

Africa and the rest of the world’s developing economic regions where ALYI will go next, provide a technology leapfrog opportunity.  The United States and other economically developed regions are resistant to innovation when the innovation requires replacing an existing solution.  Purveyors in developed economic regions are resistant to spending money on an innovation that may produce a superior solution, when a passable and profitable solution is already in place, and consumers are resistant to adopting any change in their daily routine.

ALYI believes the best opportunity for electric transportation innovation resides in the developing economic regions of the world.

ALYI has partnered with Revolt Token to finance ALYI’s growth by offering democratized participation in the electric vehicle ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens.

To learn more about Revolt Token and how to participate in ALYI’s electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, visit  https://rvlttoken.com/.

For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI’s overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com.

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies’ contracts, the companies’ liquidity position, the companies’ ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.

For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com
Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:
Randell Torno
info@lithiumip.com
+1-800-713-0297

New York, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “Global Electric Vehicle Transmission System Market 2021-2025” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p05751905/?utm_source=GNW
69% during the forecast period. Our report on the electric vehicle transmission system market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.
The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing demand for battery electric vehicles and reduction in battery pack prices. In addition, increasing demand for battery electric vehicles is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well.
The electric vehicle transmission system market analysis includes the type segment and geographic landscape.

The electric vehicle transmission system market is segmented as below:
By Type
• Single-speed transmission
• Multi-speed transmission

By Geographical Landscape
• APAC
• Europe
• North America
• South America
• MEA

This study identifies the adoption of multi-speed transmissionas one of the prime reasons driving the electric vehicle transmission system market growth during the next few years.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our report on electric vehicle transmission system market covers the following areas:
• Electric vehicle transmission system market sizing
• Electric vehicle transmission system market forecast
• Electric vehicle transmission system market industry analysis

This robust vendor analysis is designed to help clients improve their market position, and in line with this, this report provides a detailed analysis of several leading electric vehicle transmission system market vendors that include Aisin Corp., BorgWarner Inc., Eaton Corporation Plc, GKN Automotive Ltd., Hewland Engineering Ltd., OC Oerlikon Corp. AG, Ricardo Plc, Schaeffler AG, Xtrac Ltd., and ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Also, the electric vehicle transmission system market analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage all forthcoming growth opportunities.
The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters such as profit, pricing, competition, and promotions. It presents various market facets by identifying the key industry influencers. The data presented is comprehensive, reliable, and a result of extensive research – both primary and secondary. Technavio’s market research reports provide a complete competitive landscape and an in-depth vendor selection methodology and analysis using qualitative and quantitative research to forecast the accurate market growth.
Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05751905/?utm_source=GNW

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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need – instantly, in one place.

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“The Model T Ford really mobilized mankind in the last century, the 20th century,” Rawlinson said. “Ultimately, it had a devastating impact upon the planet. We have got this generation of engineers and technologists and designers. It is within our grasp to try to redress the damage that mankind has caused.”

Lucid, a California-based company, recently started production of the Air electric sedan at its Arizona factory.

Some of the same sorts of techniques used to design expensive cars with very long range can help do that, Rawlinson said, can be applied to cheap cars that will drive shorter distances that remain practical for most people.

The balancing act

Like huge horsepower numbers on performance cars, long range on electric cars will be something people can brag about, but that will have little practical use in real life, Rawlinson said. After all, most electric vehicle owners will charge overnight at home or at work and, when they take long trips, public chargers will be available at intervals of much less than 500 miles.

And the trick to getting longer range figures isn’t particularly hard with current technology, Rawlinson said. When it comes to getting long range, or just useful range, the easiest way to do it is to just pack in more batteries.

“I call that dumb running,” said Rawlinson. “That is not tech.”

Increasing efficiency is a way to break that connection.

“If I could get 20% more efficiency, I can go 20% further for a given amount of energy,” Rawlinson said. “The corollary of that is that, conversely I could go the same distance with 20% less battery.”

For the T21 car project, Rawlinson envisions a battery pack weighing about 275 pounds that would take the compact car about 150 miles. That’s a lot less driving distance per charge than Lucid’s offerings, but it would cost much less, too.

Automakers have been working to increase the efficiency of automobiles for decades regardless of what powers them. Given how important driving range is to consumers, most automakers focus heavily on the energy efficiency of their electric cars. But few have been able to beat the energy efficiency of Rawinson’s old employer, Tesla. Lucid seems to be an exception.

An easy way to compare the efficiency of electric cars is to use the EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov website just as you would to see the efficiency of a gasoline-powered car. The website will show you the MPGe, or miles per gallon equivalent, of any electric car sold in the US. That’s a measure of how far a vehicle will go on an amount of electricity equivalent to the energy in a gallon of gasoline.

The 520 mile version of the Lucid Air, the Air Dream R, has an MPGe of 125. Surprisingly, it is not the most efficient version of the Lucid Air. The Lucid Air Grand Touring has a range of just 516 miles, but it has an MPGe of 131.

The Tesla Model S Long Range, while very impressive in its efficiency, is still just a bit more energy hungry than the Lucid Air. The Porsche Taycan Turbo, on the other hand, is much less efficient. It has an MPGe of just 73.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the efficiency gap.

Porsche spokesperson Calvin Kim pointed out that, just as with Porsche’s gasoline-powered cars, the emphasis is on overall performance, not maximum efficiency. Also, he said, Taycan owners regularly report longer driving ranges (indicating better efficiency) than official EPA tests show.

The factors that contribute to an electric car’s efficiency include many of the same ones that impact the fuel efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles. Weight and aerodynamics are very important. as are the tires. The Lucid Air has low-rolling-resistance tires specially developed by Pirelli for Lucid.

Lucid also developed its own compact electric motors that, the company claims, are the world’s most energy efficient. Also, the cars use a 900 volt electrical system, which is higher than the already high-powered 800 volt system used in the Porsche Taycan. Higher voltage allows electricity to flow more easily through wires, so a vehicle can use use more power without needing thicker, heavier cables.

Making it a business

Lucid will not make the T21, Rawlison said, because it’s a luxury car brand and the T21 would be anything but a luxury model. Rawlinson is more interested in having other automakers license the tech behind the T21. He doesn’t make it sound terribly appealing, though.

“I doubt my shareholders would want me to do it, because it is a horrible business model,” he said. “You do the T21 project, it is like high volume, low margin.”

Another company might want to use the technology, though, he said. Plenty of automotive manufacturers are in the high-volume, low-margin business, manufacturing a greater quantity of inexpensive cars rather than just a few luxury vehicles. Maybe one that’s fallen behind on the shift towards electric cars could use help to enter the market quickly with advanced technology.

Meanwhile, Lucid has begun working on its own competitors to the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, which Rawlinson calls Platform 2. Those vehicles will cost about $45,000. More cost savings are possible, he said.

“I tell you, we will be able to get to a $20,000 car,” he said.

He adds, however, that some classic cars are more suited to electrical conversion than others. Aston Martins are apparently challenging because their light and nimble nature is “not done as well by electric yet”, while Bentleys and Rolls-Royces are “made to be electric because they are built to drive smoothly”.

At a time when Tamil Nadu has seen the closure of the Ford India unit, state Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the state was expected to see investment worth around Rs 35 trillion by 2030 and had got projects of about Rs 20,000 crore since the new government took charge in May.

Soon after the closure of the Ford plant, the state government had assured all it would take steps to ensure that around 2,600 employees were not affected by the company’s move. Stating that a suitable decision in this regard will come from Stalin, Thennarasu said: “The matter is now under consideration at the chief minister’s level. He is monitoring it.”

The minister said the state was keen on investment in the electric vehicle segment.

“We have lined up a long-term e-mobility plan. This is going to be the future of the country. However, we should develop the ecosystem like the charging station,” Thennarasu said. The state’s “doors are wide open” for manufacturers like Tesla to set up their units, he said. In the two-wheeler space, the major commitments that the state got include Ola Electric (Rs 2,354 crore), TVS Electric (Rs 1,000 crore), Ather Energy (Rs 635 crore), Srivaru Motors (Rs 1,000 crore), Ampere Vehicles (Rs 700 crore), and Simple Energy (Rs 350 crore).

Chennai is a base of 30 per cent of the country’s automobile industry and 35 per cent of the automobile component segment. The state is also in the process of setting up a dedicated EV park at Manalur near Chennai.

He said to ensure that the industrial sector and exports were not affected by a third wave, vaccination was given to the sectors on priority. “We had given focus to industry for vaccination and is now covered. Because of this, industrial activity is insulated from the pandemic,” he said.

The state has a long-term road map of becoming a $1-trillion economy by quadrupling its exports in the next nine years.

“By 2030, the state may generate around 2.5 million jobs. The sectors we are focusing on include the state’s traditional strongholds like textiles, general manufacturing, and leather. In addition to this, priority is being given to food processing, renewable energy, fintech, data centres, e-mobility, aerospace components, defence production, and semiconductors,” Thennarasu said.

In August, the state signed agreements with 35 companies. That may see investments of around Rs 17,141 crore, creating jobs for about 55,000 people. In late September, deals were signed with another 24 companies for projects worth around Rs 2,121 crore. “We have seen around Rs 20,000-crore investment in five months. This is despite being hit by the second wave of the pandemic,” he added.

Targeting exports of $100 billion by 2030, the state last month rolled out an export promotion policy.

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Article By : Jamie Broome, Imagination Technologies

How can automakers deliver the features of the car of the future without impacting the range of that car?

This month’s In Focus looks at the latest developments, challenges, opportunities, and strategies in the electric vehicle (EV) space.

 

---

Electric vehicle (EV) ownership is exploding in popularity. By 2030, an estimated 10 million vehicles on the road will be fully electric with as many as 36 million by 2040. With government targets for carbon emissions and consumers becoming more aware of the benefits of EVs, both in terms of cost and environmental impact, the automotive industry is at a tipping point. This change also comes at a time where advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving are moving ever closer.

With Level 3 and 4 autonomous driving becoming more and more available, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road and their mind off the task of driving. There is an ever-growing need for a wealth of sensors being added to vehicles to replace the driver’s eyes on the road. Increased numbers of cameras, exterior LIDAR and even interior sensors to monitor occupant safety and attention are great for the future of driving but are very challenging for one thing: power consumption.

With every watt of power used by a sensor affecting the range of the vehicle, how can automakers deliver the features of the car of the future without impacting the range of that car?

Designing with EVs in mind

One simple way to do this is with improving efficiencies in the systems themselves. By developing lower powered sensors that can still collect data we can make an immediate saving in power, but all the data collected needs to go somewhere and with more data comes an increasing burden on the silicon to process it. High level concept cars for autonomous driving and cutting edge ADAS systems rely on a desktop grade GPU solution that is water cooled to be able to brute force their way through these dense and complicated calculations. But, when you are limited in your battery capacity, a 350W GPU is not going to cut it.

One of the best ways around the issue is to design from the ground up with the car as a platform in mind. Rather than trying to make something else work, it is much better to have higher density silicon to allow for much more efficient computation whilst also reducing the silicon area in the vehicle. With a bespoke design, comes the ability to get functional safety built in from the ground up. As an example, the recent XS-series of Imagination GPUs for automotive feature ISO 26262 compliance. What this means is that a single GPU can fault check itself internally instantly halving the automakers silicon requirements by 50% vs. a lockstep solution.

From macro to micro, making small gains scale up

In our main ADAS workhorse GPUs we now have a custom designed, high density, functionally safe chip, but how else can we bring the power requirement down to give drivers maximum miles on the road without having to turn everything off to limp home?

In any modern vehicle there are already hundreds of electronic control units (ECUs) distributed throughout the car, these can control and monitor high-end ADAS functionality or even just the electric wing mirrors of a vehicle. Each of these microcontrollers needs its own core to control its actions multiplying the power budget throughout the car, one or two is no measurable impact, but at scale, it’s a lot of wattage. Bringing the number of ECU’s in a vehicle down has always been a matter of functional safety once again, each core needs to manage a single application or function to ensure no cross over of information and a functionally safe environment, but once again IP vendors are looking at how to challenge this norm in a safety focused way.

One way to bring this number down is to connect multiple functions from different ECU to a single multi-core ECU, by bringing functions together, either by location and application we can reduce the need for independent ECU’s and the power that brings. Hardware virtualization is the other half of this coin. What it allows a GPU to do is run several workloads, for example, dials and clusters, reverse cameras, and the infotainment center console on a single piece of silicon. By isolating each of these workloads to a single core on the GPU, multiple operating systems and functions can run simultaneously and independently. Coupled with functionally safe standards like ISO 26262 to self-check for faults in each core, its easy to see how the number of ECUs can be drastically reduced.

Keeping things moving forward

EVs aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the industries push for a safer more autonomous driving future. From ADAS to door locks, every watt matters , and the glue that will bind EVs and autonomy they go forward is the IP vendors and silicon manufacturers who continue to develop elegant custom, low power solutions across the range of features in a vehicle.

 

About the Author

Jamie Broome is the Senior Director of Automotive Product Management at Imagination Technologies.

 

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