Innovative automotive practices

Issue #107, Sept 7th, 2021

There is no dearth of innovation as the automotive industry continues to innovate. Silicon carbide chips are used to conserve energy. A battery swapping consortium is formed among four auto makers to promote the usage of Electric Vehicles and dispel the range anxiety. Mercedes-Benz show cases a brain-computer concept for control of car features, not yet for driving. Below are some innovations reported in media in the automotive industry.

Silicon carbide for auto chips

Abundant, easily processed silicon has been the material of choice for decades in the semiconductor industry. But EVs are helping chip away at its dominance in the pursuit of energy efficiency. Tesla has been a catalyst for this change. It became the first of its peers to use silicon carbide chips in a mass-produced car, incorporating them into some of its Model 3s. This move gave the power-saving material a boost of momentum in the EV supply chain, with ramifications for the chip industry.

Silicon carbide or SiC has chemical bonds stronger than those in silicon. It is the world's third-hardest substance. Processing it requires advanced technology, but the material's stability and other properties let chipmakers cut energy loss by more than half compared with standard silicon wafers. SiC chips also dissipate heat well, allowing for smaller inverters -- a crucial EV component that regulates the flow of power to the motor. - Nikkei Asia

Battery consortium in India

Piaggio, Kirloskar Toyota Motors, Honda and Yamaha in India set up the Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SMBC). It aims to broaden the use of light electric vehicles, such as scooters, mopeds and motorcycles, and support a more sustainable management of their batteries, a joint statement said. It will focus on issues such as battery life, recharging times, infrastructure and costs and will work on defining international standard technical specifications for swappable batteries. - The Hindu

Brain-computer interface for car control

Mercedes-Benz unveils a brain-computer interface that could one day see you control the AC (but not the accelerator) just by thinking about it. It gave a flavor of how we’ll one day control vehicles using thought alone. Installed in a seat mockup of the automaker’s Vision Avtr concept vehicle, which is on display at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, the technology uses electrodes to measure the visual cortex at the back of the brain. The user can simply look at different parts of the projected image to, say, brush aside an obstruction, change course, or select a parking space. There’s no eye-tracking involved—the control is purely through the brain, as it reacts to visual stimuli, and the device recognizes where the user is looking. - Wired

Honda, GM's sharing of EV platform

Honda will share its platform for midsize electric cars in exchange for information from GM on the development of larger EVs. Honda Motor will start selling electric vehicles in the North American market made with over 50% of the same parts as General Motors cars, Nikkei has learned, the latest shift in an auto industry forced to realign by environmental and other pressures. Pricing and engineering pressures push rivals to seek scale together. - Nikkei Asia

Porsche's EV for racing

The Mission R concept is Porsche’s vision for a future zero-emissions race car built from sustainable materials and offering track performance that rivals its most powerful and best prepped combustion-powered competitors, according to Motor1.com. Powered by a single 80-kilowatt-hour battery located in the center of the vehicle, Porsche’s new Mission R concept car is neither approved for FIA racing nor street legal. But it offers a tantalizing peek at the marque’s electric ambitions. “It’s an idea of how customer motorsport could be in the future,” says Holger Eckhardt, spokesperson for customer motorsports. Eckhardt says the two-door, single-seat coupe could be made by 2025 or 2026 to compete in cup races like the Porsche Carrera Cup. - Bloomberg

Level 4 autonomous for the elderly in Japan

Japan is bolstering its autonomous driving ambitions with a new project to be formally introduced Wednesday to expand the use of self-driving vehicles in more than 40 locations around the country by 2025. The “Road to the L4” project aims to popularize advanced mobility services including Level 4 autonomous driving, wherein vehicles can operate without a human at the wheel. It will include demonstrations of the technology to promote acceptance and understanding, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. One of the goals is to help revitalize communities. - Bloomberg