Mbility Magazine Q2 2019

M:bility | Magazine
Q2 2019
Volvo's EV superstar
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M:bility | Magazine - Q2 2019
Published in March 2019 by:
Welcome... Automotive
World est. 1992
…to the Q2 2019 issue of M:bility magazine. Automotive World
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If current promises hold true, autonomous vehicles (AVs)
will benefit the lives of many. A reduction in human error Stanwell Road, Penarth,
should revolutionise road safety, and those with limited CF64 2AD, UK
access to transport will finally have a source of on-
demand mobility.
www.automotiveworld.com
While there are numerous concepts in development, T: +44 (0) 2920 707 021
many pilot programmes today use modified versions of support@automotiveworld.com
existing passenger cars. Consider Uber’s fleet of Volvo
XC90 SUVs, nuTonomy’s preference for the Renault Zoe ISSN: 2053 776X
and Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans. It makes sense to
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sooner rather than later, and waiting for a suitable shuttle Registered number: 04242884
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technology gathering dust.
Quality of life is impacted significantly by access to CEO & Managing Director:

affordable, efficient and safe transportation, and on- Gareth Davies
demand AVs must be designed with all passengers in
mind. As such, new prototypes are beginning to do away
with traditional layouts. In many instances, the cockpit is Editor:
no more, rows of seats have been replaced with carriage- Freddie Holmes
style benches, and open floor space caters to those with
wheelchairs and other mobility needs.
Contributors
By 2030, the United Nations expects 43 megacities—those Azra Habibovic
with more than ten million inhabitants—to exist around Cristofer Englund
the world. Today, the likes of New Delhi, Shanghai and
São Paolo all host more than double that figure, with
Derek Viita
many residents already struggling to get around safely Diane O’Neill
and efficiently. In some cases, frantic and unstructured Freddie Holmes
road conditions could prove too much for robo-taxis to Jack Hunsley
ever operate, but the industry will strive to prove Jonas Andersson
otherwise—lives depend on it.
Megan Lampinen
Xavier Boucherat
Production:
Anmol Mothy
Freddie Holmes
Editor, M:bility Magazine
© Automotive World Ltd 2019
An Automotive World publication 3

IN THIS ISSUE
q2 2019
6 Why are car giants investing in micro-scooters?
14 The future of mobility in Mumbai hinges on pragmatism
18 Automated vehicles – the opportunity to create an inclusive mobility

system
22 More stringent, more technical: Uber’s new look self-driving

programme
28 A Swede growing in Tesla's back yard: Polestar goes EV
34 US gives self-driving trucks the green light
38 Tata Motors on fulfilling India’s electric dream
42 Could brain power be the new car key?
46 Consumer scepticism in autonomous vehicles remains unresolved
50 Blind trust, culture clashes and robot empathy – Mercedes-Benz on

autonomous cars
58 Heat seeking cameras help autonomous cars to see in the dark
62 How AR could offer a glimpse into the mind of a robot
4 An Automotive World publication

50 18
Mercedes-Benz on autonomous cars Creating an inclusive mobility system
6 58
Car giants invest in micro-scooters
22
Uber's new look self-driving programme Heat seeking cameras help autonomous cars to see in the dark
28 34
A Swede growing in Tesla's back yard: Polestar goes EV US supports self-driving truck tests

© SEAT
Why are car giants investing
in micro-scooters?
Fleets of motorised micro-scooters have flooded city streets of
late, but why has the trend drawn the eye of global automakers?
Freddie Holmes investigates

R iding a micro scooter as a kid

was a painful experience.
Aptly named ‘razor scooters’, they
had the uncanny ability to remove
the skin from your shins.
Propelled by simply kicking the
ground, they were certainly fun to
zoom around on but by no means
a legitimate mode of urban
transportation.
Fast-forward to 2019, and scooters

have become the commute of
preference for a growing number
of adults. Equipped with electric
motors and a top speed of around
15mph (24kph), today’s e-scooters
have formed a new layer of public
transportation. Automotive
industry watchers have questioned
whether this is a legitimate piece
to the future mobility puzzle, or
simply a short-lived fad.
At face value—shared, connected

and electric—they certainly tick the
right boxes.
© Ford
Interesting Ford acquired Spin in 2018
investments firms. Alongside traditional vehicle obscure targets. The trend has
manufacturing activities, sizeable certainly raised eyebrows across
Over the past few years, many of investments into the weird and the industry.
the world’s largest household wonderful have come thick and
automotive names have emulated fast. Electric scooters, however, “I put it under the category of
the work ethic of venture capital appear to be one of the more throwing something against the
wall and seeing if it will stick,” said
Matt DeLorenzo, Senior Managing
Editor for Kelley Blue Book. He
suggested that automakers are
getting involved with e-scooters as
“
“another attempt to make
themselves seem relevant in the
mobility movement.”
I put it under the category of However, it has also seen
valuations skyrocket. “If 12
throwing something against months ago someone said ‘there
is going to be a US$2bn scooter
the wall and seeing if it will stick company’ you would have
probably laughed them out of the
door,” mused Sunny Madra, Vice
- Matt DeLorenzo, Kelley Blue Book President of Ford X when
speaking at the Morgan Stanley
Annual Laguna Conference in
September 2018.

“ E-scooters do in fact make good sense. They are

relatively cheap to make and operate, which fits
well with the key idea of MaaS
- Axel Schmidt, Accenture
Earlier that year, Ford had back to Bill Ford’s 2011 TED Talk: OEMs becoming brokers of
announced it would discontinue “My concern changed from ‘how ‘Mobility-as-a-Service’, delivered
sedans and compact cars in the do we sell more cars and trucks’, through all kinds of modes of
US, focussing instead on SUVs, to ‘what if we only sell more cars transportation: cars, trains,
pick-ups and performance and trucks’.” bikes… or scooters,” observed
models like the Mustang. A few Axel Schmidt, Automotive Global
months later in November, news Lead at Accenture.
broke that it had acquired Spin, Beyond four wheels
one of the main players alongside Speaking at the Barclays Global
Lime and Bird in the e-scooter For an automaker to look beyond Automotive Conference in
market. Whilst a puzzling cars for new profit pools is November 2018, Joe Hinrichs,
decision for some—dialling back not entirely surprising. “The President of Global Operations at
on cars and doubling down on future of the automotive industry Ford, responded to criticism that
s c o o t e r s —t h e i n v e s t m e n t t i e s will very much hinge on “precious” capital was being spent
© Ford
E-scooters fall under the umbrella term of ‘micro-mobility’

© BMW
BMW X2City
“ Automakers getting involved in this market will be

at the mercy of local government, who may make
moves to ban their use
- Matt DeLorenzo, Kelley Blue Book
inconsistently. He backed the Spin US$1.1bn. “E-scooters do in fact took Lime six months,” noted
deal as being an “important part” of make good sense,” said Schmidt. Ford’s Madra. “This is something
the automaker’s mobility strategy. “They are relatively cheap to that you just can't ignore if you're
make and operate, which fits well looking at mobility.”
It has become a lucrative area, with with the key idea of MaaS, and
some start-ups earning so-called this is all about bringing down the It is not just Ford that is looking
unicorn status; that is, a billion- cost per kilometer.” beyond four wheels for future
dollar valuation. Bird was reported mobility solutions. SEAT has
to have been the fastest start-up ever The user base is growing developed its own motorised
to become a unicorn, taking little significantly as a whole, and with scooter in partnership with
under a year. A round of investment e-scooters used primarily for short Segway. Equipped with front and
led by Alphabet and Uber in July distance travel, utilisation rates are rear LED lights, a digital display
2018 valued Lime—which was only sky high. “It took Uber three years and even cruise control, the eXS is
founded in January 2017—at to get to one million rides, but it offered as a privately owned

© Bird
Bird already has a valuation north of US$1bn
“ The market opportunity around mobility services is

simply too large, and the bets that companies are
making around it too substantial
- Axel Schmidt, Accenture
scooter as opposed to a publically Initially, the lesser spotted e-scooter

shared product. It builds on the
Bird graveyard was likely to be found lying at the
Volkswagen Group’s existing side of the road after having been
‘Cityskater’, a three-wheel scooter E-scooters fall under the umbrella abandoned by its rider.
designed specifically for last-mile term of ‘micro-mobility’ in which
travel. Peugeot has offered the solutions are designed to facilitate Indeed, early deployment was not a
Micro e-Kick scooter as an quick and easy last-mile travel. Hail- glamorous affair. Videos shared on
accessory for the 3008 GT SUV for a-cab services have tapped into this social media showed riders
a couple of years now, while the market to significant success, but struggling to operate these
folding BMW X2City e-scooter will increasingly congested city roads e-scooters—colliding with cars, curbs
also be sold to private customers. have begun to tarnish their appeal. and each other. Then there is Bird
At CES 2017, Hyundai previewed its Rather than waiting for a taxi, you Graveyard, an Instagram account
Ioniq e-scooter concept, although can hunt for a scooter; it is less dedicated to the destruction of e-
little news has followed since. Uber and more Pokemon Go. scooters, most often by throwing

them from multi-storey car parks.

As one PBS news reporter put it: “It
gives new meaning to the term
‘bird droppings’.”
It is not quite the utopian future

that some may have hoped for,
and neither has it met the visions
of city planners. Indeed,
municipalities soon scrambled
teams to perform what can only be
described as pest control to round
up abandoned rides.
Despite the clutter, mobility experts

point to the bigger picture of a
properly managed service:
accessibility. “Many see e-scooters
cluttering our sidewalks and streets
and causing a safety hazard. In
contrast, I see more travel choices,”
said Dan Sperling, Professor of
Engineering and Environmental
Science at the University of
California, Davis. “I see an
opportunity to reduce dependence
on cars, and thus a way to reduce
the huge amount of urban space
devoted to parking and roads, the
large amounts of greenhouse gases
emitted by vehicles, and an
innovative way to increase
accessibility and mobility.”
© SEAT
Accenture’s Schmidt agrees.
“Scooters are easy to use, which SEAT eXS KickScooter powered by Segway
means they are suitable for a
much larger total addressable Dockless and free-floating, this became a no-fly zone with the Bird
market—people without a driver’s also meant streets became smartphone app marking the
license, or youths, for example,” dumping grounds. Piles of entire city as off limits to riders.
he added. “They are also discarded scooters lined Earlier in May, a local government-
relatively sustainable and much sidewalks like litter that had been led sweep in Nashville, Tennessee
better suited for crowded city blown aimlessly in the wind. confiscated 150 Bird scooters that
streets than, say, large SUVs.” Once clear public walkways and had been abandoned illegally on
cycle routes soon became public rights-of-way.
graveyards for scooters that had
Rogue deployment fulfilled the brief needs of their “Automakers getting involved in
riders, who pay little more than this market will be at the mercy of
Much like the rebellious teens US$0.15 a minute on top of a US$1 local government, who may make
that first rode scooters decades unlock fee. moves to ban their use,” said
ago, some start-ups went ahead Kelley Blue Book’s DeLorenzo.
and did as they pleased without Boston Mayer, Marty Walsh, “State and local governments will
permission. Back in July 2018, remarked at the time that, “if they determine how and where these
dozens of Bird electric scooters drop them off here, we’re going to scooters will be used. The bigger
appeared in Boston seemingly pick them up off the street and issue is the one of the unsightly
overnight and with no formal they can come pick them up at the litter of these bikes, especially
partnership in place with the city. tow yard.” Shortly after, Boston those that lack docking stations.”

© Ford
Hunt for a scooter via an app; it is less Uber and more Pokemon Go
In August, the San Francisco safety hazards for pedestrians and the sticks, the attraction will be
Municipal Transport Agency riders,” said Sperling. “Even my fairly limited. For city slickers that
(SFMTA) also put its foot down and own city of Davis—perhaps the contend with gridlock day in, day
abruptly cut short the operations ideal host for e-scooters because of out, the e-scooter is no gimmick.
of numerous scooter start-ups. Of its extensive bike network and
12 applicants, relatively unknown bike culture—temporarily banned “Scooters have really highlighted
players Skip and Scoot gained e-scooters in November 2018.” the sub three mile market,” said
approval after meeting the Ford’s Madra at the Morgan Stanley
SFMTA’s strict guidelines for a Interestingly, many of these cities conference in September. “I was at
‘safe, equitable, and accountable are also advocates for emissions- Twitter in San Francisco a couple of
scooter-share service.’ In free transportation. New mobility months ago… To get to the Ferry
November, Bird hit back against an solutions need to be implemented Building with an Uber X would have
‘unceremonious’ ban of e-scooters according to official guidelines, taken 15 or 20 minutes and cost
in Beverley Hills. A few months however, and not at the leisure of US$8 due to traffic. It took me three
earlier, around 1,000 Bird scooters start-ups seeking growth first, and minutes on a scooter to get there.”
had been impounded by city approval later. “What we like about
officials, along with a reported Spin is they work collaboratively Those that frequent long-stay car
US$100,000 bill for their release. with the local government,” noted parks could also feel the benefit.
Ford’s Hinrichs in November, who Depending on the user’s luggage, an
In December, Gold Coast officials in suggested that developing a close e-scooter could take away the pain
Brisbane, Australia hit out at Lime relationship with cities will be vital. of walking the final stretch to the car
for ‘plonking’ e-scooters on city after a tiring plane or train journey.
streets and footpaths without “They can serve as an important
permission. The last (three) link in multi-modal mobility service
offerings,” explained Accenture’s
“Cities that have banned or limited miles Schmidt. “Why not, for example,
them, including Los Angeles, San rent a scooter to get from your ‘park
Francisco and Santa Monica, The appeal of a kick scooter is and ride’ spot at the end of the lot to
worried that the scooters were likely to vary depending on where the train station that’s 2km down
cluttering sidewalks and creating you live. For a rural dweller out in the road if you’re in a hurry?”

“ Within one year, shared electric scooters have

gained the fancy of travellers, start-ups, investors
and multinational automakers. But will those billion
dollar unicorn investments soon turn into financial
disappointments? I hope not
- Dan Sperling, University of California, Davis
Prior to the clampdown on be kept clear and in good condition; “Within one year, shared electric
e-scooters, it was somewhat of a a car’s suspension may suffer from scooters have gained the fancy of
free-for-all. Scooters would zip in hitting a pothole, but could send a travellers, start-ups, investors and
and out of traffic on roads, and scooter rider hurtling. Irresponsible multinational automakers. But
pedestrians on public walkways. riding is also a threat. In August will those billion dollar unicorn
Now, cities like San Francisco 2018, an elderly woman was hit and investments soon turn into
have put strict regulations in killed by someone riding an e- financial disappointments?”
place that limit where, and how, scooter in the Catalan barrio of mused Sperling. “I hope not. They
scooters can be ridden and Esplugues de Llobregat. are not for everyone nor suited to
parked. Integration with existing all occasions, but they are fun and
traffic could be eased by limiting easy to drive, inexpensive, have
their use to cycle lanes. Keep on scooting miniscule carbon footprints, and
provide a good alternative for
“E-scooters are compatible with While movements in the US trips up to about three miles.
bicycles; they have similar speed may have captured the Build more protected bike-scooter
profiles and can use the same headlines, it is very much a lanes, and we have a massive
infrastructure. Indeed, they global phenomenon. Berlin start- success story.”
increase the pressure to build ups Wind Mobility and Tier,
more safe protected bike lanes, Swedish start-up VOI and Paris- Accenture’s Schmidt is of a similar
which would be used by both the based Bolt make up a growing view. “I fully expect this to not be
e-scooters and bikes,” said contingent taking hold in Europe. a fad, but a trend,” he concluded.
Sperling. “My own personal Bird is expanding in various “The market opportunity around
experience is that they are fun regions across South America, mobility services is simply too
and easy to use—some people including Mexico City, Buenos large, and the bets that companies
reluctant to ride a bike find the Aires and Bogota. In Brazil, are making around it too
scooters more acceptable.” Yellow is making waves in the substantial. All the players
investment community and pushing for these kinds of
Challenges do remain. Will recently sealed a US$75m offerings – be they OEMs like Ford
e-scooters be seasonal, for investment round. In January and SEAT, or start-ups like Bird
example? Snow, ice and bitterly 2019, Singapore’s Land Transit and the VC firms backing
cold weather do not make for an Authority (LTA) began accepting them—are already creating
attractive—or safe—user experience. applications to operate shared e- considerable momentum. Expect
Roads and cycle lanes also need to scooter services in the city-state. to see more scooters around.”

The future of mobility in

Mumbai hinges on
pragmatism
Underground metros and robo-cabs are under consideration,
but simple measures such as dedicated bus and cycle lanes
could provide immediate respite from the pressures of
urbanisation. Freddie Holmes visits Mumbai to find out where the
financial capital of India stands on smart mobility solutions

M umbai has been through

significant change over the
years. The city originally consisted
efficiency will be a herculean task,
but the city’s future depends on it.
“If we do not move people
and the CII estimates that around
200 new vehicles are added to
Mumbai’s vehicle parc each day.
of seven islands, but, following efficiently in future, we will not be “Mumbai is a city of extremes,”
more than a century of reclamation a strong economy,” warned Ashish noted Markus Steilemann, Chief
projects, now sits as a single Kumar Singh, Principle Secretary Executive of performance materials
landmass. Its next challenge will be of Transport & Port at the supplier Covestro at the event. “You
to lay down the foundations of a Government of Maharashtra, can sit in traffic for hours, and yet
sustainable, safe and efficient India’s wealthiest state. we still want to own a car here.”
mobility ecosystem, as urbanisation
pushes the city to its limits.
“
Mumbai is described by many as
the financial epicentre of India—it
runs the country, as locals put it—
but pockets of wealth remain
You can sit in traffic for hours,
interspersed with extreme poverty:
more than 40% of Mumbai’s and yet we still want to own a
estimated 22 million inhabitants live
in slums today. At an event held by car here
the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), and materials
- Markus Steilemann, Chief Executive, Covestro
supplier Covestro, which gathered
figures from a range of industries to
discuss the long-term future of
mobility in the city, M:bility learned Parking limitations have also been
that it is under greater pressure to Congestion exacerbated by the attraction of
adapt than ever. new companies into Mumbai’s
hampers mobility business districts. “As we become
Talk of a new age in mobility is bigger, large companies are
hard to imagine when taking to the Including two- and three-wheelers mushrooming within the city,”
capital’s city streets. Transforming and passenger cars, nearly every said Singh. “Trucks, cars and
the level of safety, accessibility and household in India owns a vehicle, other vehicles cannot be parked
far away from the city when it
comes to freight deliveries.
Unfortunately, they utilise prime
space without being used—in some
cases 23 hours a day, seven days a
week—occupying space and
causing congestion.”
The needs of those without a

vehicle also need to be better
addressed, argued Singh.
According to analysis from the CII,
around 40% of journeys within
Mumbai are carried out on foot.
More must be done to improve the
mobility of buses, said Singh,
“which are more efficient and
© Niko Palosuo
cheaper” compared to private

vehicles and taxis. However, with
dedicated bus lanes only
occasionally found on arterial links
out of the city, buses are often
stuck in traffic. “The only solution
An event hosted by Covestro highlighted many challenges facing mobility in Mumbai
is mass rapid transit systems, or

the city will choke,” warned Vinod

Rohira, Managing Director,
Commercial Real Estate at K
Raheja Corp.
Mumbai’s current rail network is

heavily relied on for commuters
making their way in and out of the
city each day, and with limited
lines and carriage sizes, it is not a
comfortable or safe journey.
Carriages are stuffed with paying
travellers like sardines—a dynamic
that most have simply accepted.
“High-speed rail networks could
be a game changer,” commented
Ashutosh Limaye, Director,
Consulting Practice at Anarock
Property Consultants. An
underground line that is currently
under construction will
supplement the existing
overground metro line, which
connects the east and west of the
city. “We are seeing Mumbai
spend extreme amounts of money
on infrastructure, but this is
extremely necessary for mobility,”
noted Rohira.
Safety
In December 2017, former joint
commissioner of police for
Mumbai Traffic, B K Upadhaya,
told The Times of India that the
culture around Indian road safety
needs to change. “In foreign
countries, both pedestrians and
motorists follow the traffic system
and guidelines,” he said. “In
“ I would cycle, but it is just too
dangerous… I’d need to carry my
insurance policy with me
pedestrians, who simply merge this is rarely adhered to. It is

India, such a system is not up to
the mark.” with oncoming traffic to cross the widely described as organised
road. Locals argue it is a system chaos, and questions have been
This becomes immediately that works, but the statistics asked of the effectiveness of these
apparent when taking to the suggest otherwise: in 2016, 577 cameras. “When does anybody
road. During a visit to Colaba, people died on Mumbai roads, ever get pulled up on this data
Mumbai’s main tourist district, down from 611 the year previous. coming from the traffic cameras?”
one scooter rider collided with a mused Jayant Kohale, Business
taxi as he cut across an Police officers enforce the flow of Head at RPG Smart Infra, a
intersection at the last minute. traffic for many large conglomerate that sits on India’s
Both parties simply shared a intersections, and camera Smart City Council. Rupee fines
glance, gestured that all was well, systems have been installed may not be the best solution to
and continued with their day. across the city to catch those that red light jumping, he continued.
This nonchalance can be seen run red lights. However, a single “The system could be points-
across all road users, including journey quickly highlights that based, rather than a fine—some

drivers could keep paying 100 are not there yet,” Tom von Others industry observers share a
rupees without breaking a Bonsdorff, ex-Managing Director of similar opinion, suggesting that
sweat,” he explained. Volvo Cars India, told Automotive new roads will simply become an
World in 2015. “In some of the additional source of gridlock.
Heavy-duty trucks dominate the most congested areas like Delhi, “The real way we reduce
road even within the heart of the Pune or Mumbai, I do not see congestion in cities is to keep
city. These tall, heavy vehicles autonomous driving coming out.” personal cars on the outskirts or
with poor visibility—some operate
with broken mirrors that hang
limply to the side of the vehicle—
“
do not bode well for micro-
mobility options without
dedicated lanes. “I would cycle,
but it is just too dangerous,”
noted Rohira. “I’d need to carry Autonomous [driving] will not be
my insurance policy with me.” In
September, e-scooter start-up relevant in India
Bird posted a job listing for a
Mumbai-based General Manager.
- Guenter Butschek, Chief Executive, Tata Motors
However, the current safety
dynamic could see micro-mobility
solutions such as e-scooters and
e-bikes struggle. On Mumbai’s Speaking to M:bility in February, in designated areas, and have a
crowded streets today, it would Tata Motors Chief Executive, planned, efficient, equal access
prove extremely dangerous Guenter Butschek, also snubbed transport system inside the city,”
unless drastic changes to road the idea. “Autonomous [driving] says Brian Moody, Executive
infrastructure are seen. will not be relevant in India,” he Editor of Autotrader. Cities that
said. “We need to cover the most add or expand roads will
urgent use cases; radical solutions eventually “fall prey to the rule
Autonomous do not work here.” Referring to that if you add capacity, it’s going
the common industry acronym to just fill up anyway,” adds Nick
unlikely for the CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Cohn, Senior Traffic Expert at
Shared and Electric), Butschek TomTom.
foreseeable advised that ‘CES’ is more
appropriate. “I am sick and tired “The increased industrialisation
Elsewhere, driverless shuttles are of being asked about what of urban areas is driving people
widely believed as the answer to autonomous driving means in into mega cities like Mumbai,”
mobility issues faced in urban India,” he continued. “Here it is concluded Covestro’s
areas. In India, the prospect is about driver assistance systems Steilemann. “Mumbai is on one
somewhat hampered by and making human driving safer.” hand considered as the
notoriously busy, unstructured metropolis of India, while on the
road networks and frantic driving other, nearly half of its
styles. Integrating an autonomous More roads, more inhabitants are still living in
vehicle (AV) within the centre of slums. With innovative solutions,
Mumbai would frankly seem problems? we can seek to respond to such
ludicrous at this point, but with a challenges.” Mumbai will
long-term view in mind, the Suggestions that road capacity continue to attract new settlers at
possibility has not been ruled out. could simply be expanded to deal an alarming rate, but as a city
“AVs would perhaps be a good with congestion have also been that already struggles to meet the
answer,” said Singh. “You could met with criticism. “If I’m getting needs of its existing citizens,
get a car on demand without fat, changing my dress size is not feasible mobility solutions must
having to own it—it will be as good the solution,” said Desai. Instead, be rolled out in force. Traffic
as ownership.” so-called ‘smart mobility congestion, road safety and
solutions’ need to be considered. pollution will continue to worsen
Automakers in the country are not “More roads, metros and bridges if the city drags its heels, but how
quite so bullish. “The required may not be the answer,” he noted. and when such solutions may
traffic and infrastructure solutions “We have to change the strategy.” materialise remains up in the air.

© Navya
Automated vehicles – the
opportunity to create an
inclusive mobility system
Automated vehicles must be designed to suit the requirements of
those who need them most. By Azra Habibovic, Jonas Andersson
and Cristofer Englund from RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

A utomated vehicles are

expected to improve mobility
and thereby address one of the
Figure 1: Assessment of how well the current transportation system fulfills daily
transportation needs of visually impaired people (median on a scale 0 to 10) as
major barriers to equality and identified within the Swedish study Automation for increased accessibility?,
inclusion in society. However, if funded by the Strategic Innovation Programme Drive Sweden
the development continues to
overlook needs of the
marginalised population and
those who have limited mobility
today, existing mobility issues
may be amplified. To ensure that
automated vehicles and
corresponding mobility services
serve all people, stakeholders
need to truly embrace a ‘whole
journey’ mindset using the
universal design from early
development phases.
© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Mobility is a
fundamental
human right
The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights adopted by the
United Nations in 1948 underlines
that freedom of movement is a
fundamental human right. Today,
however, mobility of many people Physically disabled people, income, degree of new
in our society including children, especially those with severe infrastructure and regional
the elderly and those with disabilities, can drive currently economic status. From this, it
disabilities, is often limited. This available vehicles with expensive follows that mobility needs to be
may make them feel dependent on adaptations, or are unable to drive improved from several aspects,
others and socially excluded. at all. The situation is similar for and across the entire trip.
people with cognitive disabilities.
For instance, street design and Based on a series of workshops with
traffic complexity commonly limit visually impaired people, a recent High expectations
children’s independent mobility Swedish study entitled Automation
up to a rather high age. Elderly for increased accessibility? financed are placed on
people may need to give up by Drive Sweden, identified a range
driving due to their age, but public of challenges that they face daily, automated
transport is not easily accessible— including the difficulty to plan
even in countries like Sweden ahead while using mobility vehicles
with highly-developed public services or when transferring from
transportation. In the vehicle, one mode of transportation to Automated vehicles, and the
elderly people face difficulties another, lack of announcements at mobility services based on them,
using advanced driver assistance stops, lack of information on are expected to address many of
systems (ADAS) due to complex baggage allowance, and difficulty these transportation issues for
interfaces. On top of that, the need countering abrupt movements in those with limited mobility. In this
to park closer to their destination a bus or tram (Figure 1). context, the World Economic
is increasingly difficult due to the Forum states: “The elderly,
growing number of vehicles and It is also evident that access to children and people with
decreasing number of parking mobility differs depending on disabilities can make use of new
spaces in cities. factors such as city design, culture, end-to-end mobility options”.

Similarly, the Coalition for accessibility, independence, customer drop off and pick up,
Future Mobility, a 37-strong flexibility, social acceptance, and and it is not unlikely that the
group advocating for safety perceived safety in traffic. corresponding automated services
and independence through will adopt a similar behavior.
autonomous vehicles, suggests While this may be convenient for
that full automation offers more Do automated many people, it would be highly
personal freedom: “People with unsuitable for children, the elderly
disabilities, like the blind, are vehicles live up to and disabled people.
capable of self-sufficiency, and
highly automated vehicles can these expectations? Furthermore, several stakeholders
help them live the life they have demonstrated ‘first and last
want.” It is also emphasised that The current development of mile’ services running along
automated vehicles can enhance automated vehicles and new predefined routes. For many
independence for seniors and mobility services based on them people this would not be an option
improve comfort. According to makes several of these as it still requires walking and
Bosch’s recent survey Shifting Into expectations questionable. navigating in traffic. Related to
Gear: New Car Buyers’ Preferences Prototype autonomous driving this, a topic that is still under
and Expectations with Automated systems are frequently installed in debate is the interaction with
Vehicle, nearly 50% of 1,000 existing vehicle models that are automated vehicles and the feeling
respondents believed automated typically not designed with elderly of safety when encountering them.
vehicles will offer the best in and disabled people in mind. While
passenger comfort. fully automated shared shuttles It is also alarming that automated
could meet some of their needs, vehicles and corresponding mobility
This is largely in line with the the problem of entering such services are today mainly piloted in
expectations of visually impaired vehicles without support from the wealthier areas with relatively good
people highlighted in the Swedish human driver is still unsolved. infrastructure and access to public
study Automation for increased transportation (Figure 2). This may
accessibility?, where it became Due to road design and lack of impact how much of the population
evident that mobility services parking spaces along streets, they will actually serve, and
based on automation are expected current on-demand services whether they will reduce exclusion
to increase predictability, typically stop on the street for and inequality.
© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Figure 2. Automated vehicles are commonly piloted in wealthier areas with relatively good infrastructure and access to public
transportation, such as within the S3 project in Gothenburg, Sweden

“ Visually impaired people need support before,

during and after a journey in a vehicle. Adopting a
‘whole-journey’ mindset and applying the universal
design principle may help to address these needs
However, there are efforts being our experience of working with individual and societal benefit of
made to address issues of blind, deaf, and deaf-blind people, independence and freedom be
marginalised groups in society. their support needs are as follows: fulfilled. This will require a tight
Some manufacturers are well aware and transparent collaboration
of the above challenges and design Before the journey: Planning; between private and public
solutions are under way. There are reduced waiting times; improved stakeholders; otherwise it may be
also research projects that address accuracy; guiding to the vehicle difficult to create a mutual
these issues. Still, the main focus is and its entrance; support when understanding and identify
commonly on the vehicle rather entering the vehicle and beneficial opportunities.
than the whole journey. information about the presence
and seating of other passengers These design challenges can be
in the vehicle. met by using the universal design
The way toward a principle. This means that
During the journey: Information solutions need to be usable by as
more inclusive about the plan and progress of the many people as possible without
journey; the route; possible the need for adaptation.
mobility system detours and unexpected events; Adopting the universal design
notification on the required principle is also crucial to ensure
Automated vehicles have a maintenance or refuelling of the that existing inequality and
unique opportunity to provide vehicle; proper illumination for exclusion is not amplified.
independence, freedom and gaze or lip reading; information Ideally, this would already be
improved quality of life for those about transferring to other done from the early development
who have limited access to our modalities and guidance. phases of automated vehicles and
present transportation system. new mobility services. To this
However, if the development After the journey: Information end, potential users, including
continues along the current path, on the destination that has been those that are commonly
putting technology and certain reached; how to safely navigate marginalised, should be involved
segments of society in focus, only the surrounding environment, and in research and development
some of these opportunities are guidance to the final destination projects to a much greater extent
likely to come true. having exited the vehicle. than today. By working side-by-
side with a mixture of users, we
To ensure that automated vehicles From this it follows that a multi- are likely to discover new
contribute to a more inclusive modal mobility approach that horizons and reach out to a wider
mobility system, the RISE takes into account the entire population. A more thoughtful
Research Institutes of Sweden journey—before, during, and after selection of areas for piloting and
argues that designers, traveling in a vehicle—is necessary. deploying automated vehicles is
manufacturers and procurers need Only when the service of a whole also encouraged to ensure that
to adopt a ‘whole-journey’ journey, from start to end, has these vehicles will be used by
mindset. Why is that? Based on been established will the those who need them most.

© Uber
More stringent, more
technical: Uber’s new look
self-driving programme
Uber’s foray into the world of self-driving cars was tarnished by
tragedy, but its test cars are now back on the road after a
lengthy hiatus. Freddie Holmes looks into what’s changed since
that crash, and how ‘state of the art’ test protocols leave the
company in a good place moving forward

I n August 2016, Uber’s footing in

the autonomous drive space
“
became significantly more
assured, having penned a deal
with Volvo Cars to jointly develop
the technology. In November 2017,
a framework was established that
We use that pool of data from the
would allow for an order of up
to 24,000 Volvo vehicles for
Uber ride-share network to
self-driving developments. In
August 2018, Toyota Motor
prioritise our autonomous vehicle
Corporation made a US$500m
investment in the ride-share giant, development
along with a partnership that will
see its technology installed in
purpose-built Toyota vehicles.
Part of the attraction is Uber’s

g r o u n d i n g i n r i d e - s h a r i n g —a
segment it rejuvenated as an
start-up back in 2010. The
company has garnered swathes of
data on how, where and when
riders travel, how long each trip
takes and the cost of doing so. In
theory, you couldn’t ask for a better
foundation in understanding how a
robo-taxi service might work. “All
that experience helps a tremendous
amount,” Stephen Lesh, Head
of Hardware and Vehicle
Programmes at Uber Advanced
Technologies Group (ATG), told
M:bility. “There’s almost an infinite
number of self-driving scenarios to
© Uber
solve, so we use that pool of data
from the Uber ride-share network
to prioritise our autonomous
vehicle development.” As one of the world’s largest
automakers, Ford gave Lesh
Self-driving taxis
Having spent two decades valuable insight into the
working at Ford Motor Company, requirements of large-scale The company has bulked out its
Lesh made the swap to engineering programmes, and it expertise in various elements of self-
Uber in October 2016. Ironically, is here that he underlines Uber’s driving technology. Experts in
Ford is now pushing to lofty ambitions. “In the auto anything from mapping and LiDAR
become a mobility company. industry everything starts with a to artificial intelligence (AI) and
Based in Detroit, Lesh handles clay model, but develops to the motion planning can be found at the
the development of Uber’s point where every part in the ATG head office in Pittsburgh, where
self-driving hardware and vehicle can be mass produced in testing recently resumed on public
its integration within the multiple assembly plants around roads—nine months after operations
vehicle, including the sensors, the world,” he said. “Here at came to an abrupt halt following a
computers, electronics and Uber we’re still in the fatal collision with a pedestrian.
connections, as well as all of the development phase, but
integration work with Uber’s everything we do is aimed On 18 March 2018, 49-year-old
OEM partners—power, cooling, towards designs, components Elaine Herzberg was pushing her
mounting structures, vehicle and assemblies that can bicycle across the road in Tempe,
safety and integrity. eventually be mass produced.” Arizona. At around 10pm that

© Uber
“ There has been a comprehensive package of
changes that we feel are now state-of-the-art in
safe on-road testing
night, an Uber self-driving test voluntary safety report was later we went back on the road that we
vehicle, operating in autonomous issued to the US National Highway not only made changes—having
mode and with a test driver Traffic Safety Administration learned from experiences—but also
behind the wheel, failed to avoid a (NHTSA) in November, with that we publicly communicate
head-on collision. The safety company Chief Executive Dara those changes,” said Lesh.
driver, seemingly distracted by an Khosrowshahi noting ‘deep regret’
episode of The Voice, according to for the event that transpired in A new driver monitoring system
a 318-page police report, had also Tempe. However, he conceded has been introduced to gauge the
failed to notice Herzberg in time. that whilst the firm is “committed driver’s alertness, and whether
to anticipating and managing risks they are looking at the road
The event sent a shockwave across that may come with this type of ahead. The system, says Lesh,
the entire autonomous drive testing… We cannot—as no self- can provide immediate feedback
sector. In conversation with driving developer can—anticipate to the driver if they are adjudged
various industry experts in recent and eliminate every one.” to be distracted, with that
years, the overriding opinion has information also sent back to a
been that a fatality during public As things stand, Uber’s test supervisory team at HQ. Enabled
testing was inevitable. However, vehicles are back on public roads via a front-facing camera, a real-
very few had expected the day in Pittsburgh in autonomous time feed of each trip can also be
would come so early on. mode, but under significantly viewed remotely. The prior
stricter guidelines and with a monitoring system was fairly
In July 2018, Uber test vehicles number of stringent measures rudimentary, simply recording a
resurfaced in Pittsburgh but under introduced across the board. “We view of the cabin via a dash-
manual control. The company’s felt it was very important before mounted camera.

“ The idea is for

riders to manage
their experience
without interacting
with a driver. Sound
familiar? It should—
it is the basis of all
robo-taxi services
© Uber
Speaking to M:bility in October An extra safety driver, or ‘Mission a leading cause of heavy truck
2018, Gabi Zijderveld of Boston- Specialist’, has also been added to crashes globally, and the trend has
headquartered Affectiva, noted each vehicle. “They can work also been recognised in the
that its AI-based driver with each other to maintain burgeoning market of self-driving
monitoring system “can help to alertness,” explained Lesh. In test vehicles. “There has been
identify whether a safety driver addition, a more extensive a comprehensive package
testing an autonomous vehicle is training and selection process for of changes that we feel are now
truly engaged.” While Zijderveld its Mission Specialists has been state-of-the-art in safe on-road
could not name specific partners, employed. “We created a new job testing,” said Lesh.
she advised that the company description that was more
has seen significant interest technical to source people with In Pittsburgh, the cars run on a
from various parties testing the skill-sets that better set loop known as an ‘operational
autonomous drive technology on understand how the vehicles domain’, passing a number of
public roads. work and behave in certain Uber’s engineering facilities on
situations,” he explained. An the way. The loop has been
Every standard Volvo XC90 on advert posted in January 2019 selected as it contains traffic
sale today comes with automatic described the role as being scenarios the self-driving
emergency braking (AEB). ‘responsible for monitoring all software has passed in simulation
However, in Uber’s modified XC90 systems in the vehicle’ and and during closed track tests.
test vehicles, certain driver ‘providing clear and concise Only until the car has passed
assistance features—including feedback to developers.’ both sets of tests can it run on
AEB—were disabled. Uber test the road. In addition, the cars do
vehicles now utilise the vehicle’s Much like any commercial driving not drive the loop during
collision mitigation system, which role, hours of service—how long a inclement weather such as snow
is engaged regardless of whether driver can be in the vehicle before or ice. In San Francisco and
the car is in Uber’s self defined a break is legally required—have Toronto—Uber’s other test beds—
‘manual’ or ‘auto’ driving mode. also been limited. Driver fatigue is autonomous test cars are on the

“ It’ll never be an
exciting experience,
and any commute
that’s rather boring is
probably a good one
© Uber
road but only in ‘manual mode.’ It is behind the scenes are also working different story. With a traditional
a somewhat confusing expression, hard to craft the user experience. Uber, there is still an option to
which Lesh is keen to clear up. interact with the driver if
Even with the current Uber app, a necessary; the rider can observe
“With manual testing, the sensor focus has been placed on creating his or her driving style, whether
suite and computer are fully up a consistent customer service, they are distracted and if they
and running, taking in data just as allowing riders to change their have recognised a potential
they would in autonomous destination mid-drive, rate how hazard ahead. Replicating the
mode,” he explained, “but the the trip is going or share their core elements of a comfortable
vehicle is controlled by our route with friends. Then there is journey will be pivotal for any
Mission Specialists.” This, he the cashless payment system, with driverless service. “This will be
says, allows Uber to gather data a ride ordered and paid for via a especially true early on, when
from the on-board LiDAR, camera smartphone. The idea, says Lesh, customers are trying to build up
and radar sensors, which can is for riders to manage their comfort with the technology,”
then be leveraged by computer experience without interacting said Lesh. “We’ve been
simulation programmes. With with a driver. Sound familiar? It experimenting with displays that
sensors continuously scanning should—it is the basis of all show a primarily LiDAR-generated
the surrounding environment, it proposed robo-taxi services so far. view of what the vehicle sees—
also aids the development of “Uber today has already made identifying vehicles and
high-definition maps, which give significant efforts to automate the pedestrians and other things,” he
the car a better idea of where it is customer experience. Not having a continued. “It brings comfort to
on the road. driver in the car will be a final the passenger. They can see that
step, but it won’t be the first time the vehicle has spotted another
that Uber has tried to automate car nudging out of an intersection,
The user parts of the customer experience,” or that a pedestrian might step
experience he explained. out from the crosswalk. We’re
still experimenting with what kind
While the focus is on ensuring Automating the customer of information would be useful
public road tests resume without experience is one thing, but for the rider in order to
incident, engineering teams removing the driver entirely is a become comfortable.”

respond to the actions of other going to be very difficult to have a

Buckle up – it’s road users. That type of thinking is self-driving car operate, potentially
going to be a how we are programming our
vehicles,” explained Lesh.
ever,” said Lesh. “Human drivers
could do those trips instead.”
boring ride
The difficulty is that a ‘good’ One use case for driverless cars has
Driverless cabs present an driver is subjective; while some arisen in the food delivery industry.
interesting dynamic in which may prefer a brisk drive, others Ford and Toyota have both voiced
comfort will be defined not only may feel unsafe. “This is an an interest in using driverless cars
physically, but also emotionally. extremely important issue for self- to deliver pizza, and Uber Eats
To achieve the former, engineers driving technology. The industry could prove an early use case for
can tweak the vehicle’s handling, as a whole needs to collaborate on autonomous vehicles outside of
“ Once the self-driving technology is fully

proven out, it’s easy to see how it could be
extended to other parts of the Uber business
change the seating arrangement a set of metrics that define what ride-sharing. “We’ve had a lot of
and provide individual air self-driving is,” he said. “That will discussions around that, and what
conditioning zones. For the latter, go far beyond factors like else we could do with the
a dull drive is almost the desired cornering speed, but if we’re really technology,” said Lesh. “Right
effect. “Our vehicles are going to get this technology on the now our focus is on the core
programmed to drive safely, road, we must have an industry ride-share business, but once the
cautiously and always within the standard. There’s a lot of work self-driving technology is fully
law, which tends to make them that needs to be done on that.” proven out it is easy to see how it
very boring. It’ll never be an could be extended to other parts
exciting experience, and any of the Uber business.”
commute that’s rather boring is Don’t bin the bread
probably a good one,” said Lesh. Uber is not alone in its pursuits,
“There will be a curve of and butter with countless test programmes
acceptance. Riders will be excited across Europe and the US already
at first, and once they see it While the plan is not to supplant underway. As of January 2019,
performing safely, reliably and human-driven Ubers—the bread more than 60 individual players
very much like a normal car, it and butter of the business— hold licenses to test autonomous
becomes boring.” numerous opportunities for vehicles on public roads in
driverless services are becoming California alone. In China, Baidu
Part of that comes down to clear. This view is not exclusive to continues to refine its Apollo
ensuring the ride is essentially Uber; various players have agreed platform, which is notably being
uneventful—you simply get in and that autonomous vehicles will form leveraged by Ford and Daimler in
get out without incident. This can an additional part of the broader the country. Delphi-owned
only be facilitated if the system transportation network, running nuTonomy ran an autonomous
itself is cautious, predictive and alongside traditional taxis, privately cab service in Singapore’s one-
quick to respond. “My driving owned cars, trains, buses and even north business district back in
instructor always talked about e-scooters. “There are certain August 2016, with a paid-for
being alert, cautious and able to operational domains where it’s service planned for 2019.

A Swede growing in Tesla's

back yard: Polestar goes EV
Volvo’s performance offspring, Polestar, looks to be one of a few
brands realistically competing in the premium performance EV
space. Armed with the Geely-owned automaker’s backing and a
wealth of shared technologies, the brand is set to change the
negative perception of electrified vehicles. Freddie Holmes speaks
to Polestar’s Head of Product, Christian Samson, to find out more
© Polestar
Pictured: Polestar 2

I n July 2015, Volvo Cars acquired

Polestar, a tuning company that
has long been the Swedish
automaker’s partner of choice for
high-performance engineering.
Originally tasked with
transforming existing Volvo
models into track-ready road cars,
the Polestar brand has been
revived—and this time with a
charging cable. It is no longer only
about boost and bite, but also
driving range, plugging in and
saving the planet. Volvo’s
underpinnings remain distinct, but
the new-look Polestar now sits as a
standalone hybrid and electric
performance brand.
© Polestar
It is a segment that has attracted
significant attention, both from The Polestar 1, a high-performance plug-in hybrid
household names and new
entrants into the space such as
Byton, Faraday Future, Fisker,
Rivian and Nio. An aura of
“
scepticism has surrounded many
of these start-ups, often armed
with little more than a proof-of-
concept and in some cases, We have very clear and ambitious
without a factory in place.
Questions remain as to whether goals that will position our brand as
these fresh faces will make it, or
crash out. Will the flow of funds
eventually stymy as investors lose
a forerunner in the industry’s shift
heart, and if these vehicles do
make it to production, will it be an
to electric cars
attractive ownership experience?
A national servicing network,
mechanical reliability and strong
residual values are part and parcel between. It is a wealth of from the outset—we are proud to
for any new brand to succeed. resources of which Polestar can have Volvo as one of our parent
leverage to great effect. companies.”
A strong “Having Volvo as one of our Samson has nearly 15 years’

parent companies has many experience with Volvo Car Group,
foundation benefits for Polestar. It gives us serving in various design roles and
immediate scale with expertise in more recently as project lead for
In many ways, Polestar launches vehicle design, research and the Volvo XC40. A former Saab
with a strong reputation already in development and manufacturing and BMW engineer, he is now
hand, and with Volvo Cars as a to be able to bring our cars to tasked with overseeing the
parent company, there is arguably market successfully from the very continued development of
little need to approach with beginning,” Christian Samson, Polestar’s current batch of models,
caution. As of 2019 Volvo will Head of Product at Polestar, told namely the 1, 2 and 3.
electrify its entire product line up, M:bility. “Volvo’s excellent
seeing the portfolio flush with reputation with customers, media Polestar has been known for its
mild-hybrids, battery electric and the industry as a whole also performance credentials since the
models and everything in gives us advantages and credibility 1990s, and the brand will not only

“ Bringing additional models into the premium

electric segment drives competition and
awareness amongst customers that a premium
electric car is a product to consider
© Polestar
have to carry that mantra on, Its first model, the Polestar 1, is a goals that will position our brand
but also win over electrification high-performance plug-in hybrid as a forerunner in the industry’s
sceptics. The ‘new’ Polestar, (PHEV). In January, Geely shift to electric cars.”
says Samson, is now an announced that more than 500
electric performance brand. “Our pre-orders had been registered. ‘Tesla killer’ has become a lazy
knowledge and experience from the Its second model, the Polestar 2, is industry expression for any new
past has enabled us to bring tried- a ‘fastback’ EV with more than entrant into the EV space,
and-trusted performance elements 400hp. It was revealed in regardless of vehicle segment or
to our electric performance cars,” February. Following will be the price bracket. Prior to its reveal in
he explained. “For Polestar, electric Polestar 3, a fully electric SUV February, the Polestar 2 had also
performance is about more than with a low roofline and wide attracted comparisons with the
just a 0-100 km/h sprint time, stance designed to emphasise the Tesla Model 3, which has been
because any high-powered EV is brand’s performance positioning. presented as a mass market electric
going to be quick in a straight line. It will sit between the Polestar 1 vehicle (EV). It would seem that in
We also want to deliver the most and 2 in terms of price and this case, the comparisons are fair.
engaging levels of driving dynamics, volume, and will be revealed “The Tesla Model 3 is the only
with excellent suspension, braking around 2021. Looking further other EV on the market with
and chassis characteristics.” down the pipeline, he advised that similar characteristics to Polestar 2,
Polestar’s chief test driver, Joakim the model line-up will continue to in terms of body style, market
Rydholm, also happens to be a expand. “The future is very bright segment and price,” Samson
chassis-tuning expert, having for Polestar and we will be a confirmed. “Polestar 2 brings a
developed all Polestar-related Volvo portfolio brand within the next six sharper, more focussed approach
models in the past as well as all new years or so,” said Samson. “We to the segment, with very clear
Polestar cars. have very clear and ambitious performance credentials. We also

believe that bringing additional

models into the premium electric
segment drives competition and
in turn, awareness amongst
customers that a premium
electric car is a product they
should consider.”
EV range
A common criticism levelled at
EVs is the discrepancy between a
vehicle’s stated driving range and
that which can be achieved in the
real-world. EVs are inherently
efficient at low speeds; gentle
town driving with high
© Polestar
regenerative braking can even
‘add’ miles to the range. By
comparison, highway driving can
see the estimated range plummet.
“Highway driving just requires
more energy than slow driving,
“
and this is a fact that is disregarded
by many EV drivers, simply
because combustion engines are
far more efficient on the highway,” Much attention has been focussed
says Wenzel Prochazka, Product
Manager of Battery Systems at on aerodynamic efficiency to
engineering service provider AVL.
The issue has even led to the

ensure that we minimise drag and
rejuvenation of the term
‘hypermiling’, originally coined
maximise range
by drivers looking to ramp up
miles per gallon. Extreme
examples have seen some EVs
add hundreds of miles onto the Renault Zoe, for example, the speed limits—highways
manufacturer’s stated driving accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per aren’t necessarily performance
range. In July 2018, a Tesla Model hour in around 12 seconds. environments. Much attention has
3 drove more than 600 miles on However, for a manufacturer been focussed on aerodynamic
a single charge, albeit at an promising the best of both worlds, efficiency to ensure that we
average speed of 36kph (22mph). balancing the performance minimise drag and maximise
“As engineers of electric vehicles expected from a Polestar model range. All of Polestar’s electric cars
we have seen high levels of with the long-range efficiency of a will deliver real-world usable range
efficiency even in highway high-end vehicle is a tall order. sufficient for every type of journey,
driving, on top of the obvious and when the driver is ready to
performance advantages of “For Polestar, performance is stop and take a rest, we will ensure
electric drivetrains,” said Samson. about more than just straight-line they have access to the charging
acceleration and speed. We infrastructure that supports them
Early leaders in the EV space such engineer our cars to deliver great on their journey.”
as Renault and Nissan have seen driving dynamics during cornering
success with models that arguably and braking too, delivering an all- The Polestar 2 should have a
place performance fairly low on round performance product,” said 500km (310 mile) range based on
the list of priorities, and instead Samson. “As for highway motoring, the WLTP cycle in Europe, and an
focus on day-to-day usability. The drivers still need to remain within EPA-rated 275 miles in the US.

© Polestar
With Volvo Cars’ backing, Polestar is in an enviable position
regulations. The government has University’s School of Automotive

Looking to China taken a strict stance on vehicle Studies during a press event in
emissions, with automakers tasked Shanghai. “The electrification of
Construction of the Polestar to meet a minimum quota of new transportation is an inevitable
Production Centre in Chengdu, energy vehicles (NEVs) each year. choice.” He noted that while some
China—a state-of-the-art factory By 2025, around 20% of all new within the industry see the PHEV as
that will produce the Polestar 1— cars sold in the country will come a “makeshift solution”, the Chinese
began in January. with a charging cable. government views it as a critical part
to the policy. “With longer mileage,
China has long been seen as the “It is an undeniable fact that we ICEs will eventually be phased out.
world’s largest market for plug-in have seen rapid development of Plug-in hybrids are not the ideal
vehicles, not only in terms of NEVs since 2011,” said Zhong solution, but China does not see it as
annual sales but also due to Zaimin, Vice Dean at Tongji a short-term solution,” added
“ One of our parent companies, Geely, is

Chinese, which presents advantages from a
regulatory and legislative point of view

© Polestar
The Polestar 2 is the brand’s first pure EV
“ The Tesla Model 3 is the only other EV on the

market with similar characteristics to Polestar 2,
in terms of body style, market segment and
price… Polestar 2 brings a sharper, more
focussed approach to the segment
Zaimin. For example, the BYD Qin, bode well as the company ramps Rooted in the burgeoning
a PHEV with around 40 miles of up to launch in its home market. Chinese market and unhampered
electric driving range, is “the perfect “China is of course the world’s by the constraints associated
solution” in China today, as most fastest-growing EV market and with most start-ups in the EV
owners simply rely on the battery we expect high demand for our space, the brand appears to be in
for short trips around the city, and cars in the country,” said an enviable position. Financially
recharge whenever the opportunity Samson. “It makes sense, then, to sturdy and with an arsenal of
arises. “According to our analysis, produce the cars closest to the electric powertrain components
Qin owners use 90% of their time in highest demand.” There are at its disposal, it will be
electric power, and use the ICE only other benefits to setting up in interesting to see how Polestar
10% of the time. They have a habit Chengdu, he continued, “the fares following product launches
of charging as often as possible to most obvious of which is that one over the next few years and
use electric energy.” of our parent companies, Geely, beyond. Comparisons to Tesla
is Chinese, which presents are often tenuous, but in the
For Polestar, which is owned by advantages from a regulatory and case of the Polestar 2 there is
Chinese giant Geely, these trends legislative point of view.” clear competition.

© TuSimple
US gives self-driving trucks
the green light
The US government has said it will do what it takes to make
self-driving trucks a reality, and developers must now decide
how best to deliver the technology. Xavier Boucherat speaks to
TuSimple, the Chinese start-up that is already hauling paid-for
loads across Arizona

I n October 2018, the US

Department of Transportation
“
(DOT) published Preparing for the
Future of Transportation:
Automated Vehicle 3.0 (AV3.0),
building on previous guidance to TuSimple is running its own
outline its vision for transport
beyond passenger cars. It
acknowledges the potential for
fleet services, making up to
automation to transform freight
transportation, and states its goals five deliveries a day for 12
moving forward will be to
modernise regulations, and
encourage a consistent regulatory
customers
environment across constituent
states. For example, it suggests
certain states could modify laws
concerning vehicle following
distance, as these could hamper
platooning applications.
Such commitments to eradicating

regulatory barriers are exciting
for autonomous truck developers
such as TuSimple. Chuck Price,
Chief Product Officer at the US
and China-based company, says
regulatory matters now represent
perhaps the biggest obstacle to
the self-driving roll-out across the
US. “Right now, the regulatory
environment across the different
states is a patchwork,” he
explains. “TuSimple is hoping for
a 50-state solution, and the
launch of the AV3.0 initiative by
© TuSimple
the DOT gives us hope. This,
along with other initiatives, will
reduce the burden of getting the
technology accepted.”
This is not to say that TuSimple the DOT’s AV3.0 means those with strategy is two-fold: the company
has already perfected its offering. the final say—the government—are is running its own fleet services,
The mild tempering of fully on board. making up to five deliveries a day
expectations for self-driving that for 12 customers. At the same
has followed in the wake of the “TuSimple has moved beyond time, it is working with truck-
self-driving Uber crash in March the research phase,” says Price. makers and Tier 1s on joint
2018 has illustrated that technical “This is no longer rocket science, production programmes.
challenges remain for developers, but a matter of engineering.” The
such as object detection in all figures appear to back this up. However, exactly how the self-
conditions and dealing with TuSimple has recently driving future will play out
extreme but safety-critical corner announced unicorn status, remains to be seen. Different
cases. But whilst ten years ago the following its Series D funding companies are proposing different
thought of self-driving semis round. Funds will grow the visions, and cultivating different
would have made many scoff, company’s fleet to 50 trucks by ideas for applications. For
today the self-driving truck June 2019, taking testing out of TuSimple, little short of full
appears tantalisingly close, and the Arizona and into Texas. Its autonomy will suffice.

© TuSimple
“ Sensor technology is advancing quite rapidly,

and the ability to be able to see in extremely
low light conditions is really improving
closure, has previously told Wired their driving lives on the

My way or the magazine that trucks fitted with highway. Ike’s model envisions
Ike’s technology “won’t take a transfer hubs, directly off the
highway single right turn off the highway”. highway, much like a service
All other driving tasks will be station. Here, humans can take
Ike Robotics is one of the latest handled by a driver. the wheel, or swap out the self-
arrivals to the self-driving truck driving cab for their own, and
market. Its proposition is to ‘de- It makes sense to some: the complete the journey.
scope’ the autonomous challenge highway is an infinitely less
by strictly limiting self-driving complex environment than a built The problem with the transfer hub
applications that use its up urban centre, with long straight model, says Price, is that it would
technology to the highway. Chief roads, largely clear markings and require an infrastructure overhaul.
Executive Alden Woodrow, the virtually no pedestrians nor traffic “A transfer hub is basically a giant
former lead for Uber’s self-driving light infrastructure. What’s more, parking lot right next to the
truck programme prior to its freight trucks will spend much of highway,” says Price. “The idea

sounds good in theory, but let’s

imagine the process being
“
executed for one hundred trucks
at a time. Straight away you need
100 acres of land, security needs
to be built up, and then there’s the
task of managing this process for
A vehicle that cannot
large numbers of trucks. It starts to
look like a port, and we know
operate autonomously off
what port operations look like:
they’re nightmares.” the highway doesn’t solve
What’s more, anything less than full
autonomy, he argues, doesn’t solve
the driver shortage issue for
one of the main challenges facing
the trucking industry today: a our customers
chronic driver shortage. Today’s
driver population is already ageing,
with the average age of US drivers
up to around 55 years. Meanwhile,
freight transport demand continues
to grow dramatically. “You will not
find depots on the highway,” says
Price. “Sometimes, they’re several
miles off. And so a vehicle that
cannot operate autonomously off
the highway doesn’t solve the driver
shortage issue for our customers.
“Fleets need a solution that adds

significant value,” he continues,
“or there’s no point in adopting
it. If instead what it’s doing is
adding significant burden
© TuSimple
without a commensurate
dramatic reduction in cost, it’s
not worthwhile to them.”
The bar is high effective distance of 100 metres, “There is also the secondary
he says, cameras can provide ten radar system. Sensor technology
Of course, designing a solution times that at a thousand metres, is advancing quite rapidly, and
which can navigate off-the-highway enabling trucks to reach full the ability to be able to see in
is a far more challenging technical speed on the highway. Should a extremely low light conditions is
feat. Key to enabling depot travel 40-tonne articulated truck really improving.”
will be additional capabilities, says encounter a braking event with
Price, such as vehicle monitoring only a hundred metres’ notice In short, Price is confident that the
and recovery services. Other value- on the highway, it may already technology is almost there. Much
add services, such as autonomous be too late. But cameras are remains to be done, not least further
refuelling, will form an important often cited as being susceptible validation and additional testing
part of the offer. to failure, whether through miles for the full confidence of
weather or otherwise. Price regulators. Whilst AV3.0 may
The other crucial challenge is believes TuSimple has found a demonstrate enthusiasm on their
sensors. TuSimple favours workaround: “We have trained part, it will be a foolish government
cameras, which Price argues our AI system to be able to see that rushes the self-driving agenda
have a longer range than LiDAR: through inclement conditions before it is fully ready, as perhaps
whilst the latter can only achieve such as rain and dust,” he says. demonstrated last March in Arizona.

Tata Motors on fulfilling

India’s electric dream
Freddie Holmes speaks to Guenter Butschek about the brand’s
goal to create an e-mobility ecosystem—but is it just a pipedream?
I ndia is one of the fastest growing

economies in the world, and it is
not expected to slow down any
“
time soon. Current forecasts
suggest the country’s GDP will
grow by 7.5% between 2019 and
2020, with the automotive industry
India’s air pollution is extremely
proving a strong economic engine.
This may be best expressed by the serious
fact that it currently accounts for
50% of the GDP contributed by - Guenter Butschek, Chief Executive, Tata Motors
manufacturing in India.
This growth is overlaid with a

number of challenges, some of industry and consumer in India. In roads can lead to stationary traffic
which are immediately apparent. 2018, the World Health for hours. An ageing fleet and less
Pollution, traffic congestion and Organization (WHO) found that 14 stringent emissions standards have
infrastructure limitations underpin of the 20 most polluted cities in the created dangerous living conditions
some of the issues facing both world are in India. Gridlocked for many urbanites.

To understand how these The contract outlined that such EVs

challenges affect one of the
Government must have a range of 130km (80
country’s most long-standing support miles) on a full charge, the ability to
domestic manufacturers, M:bility fully recharge in six hours and a
visited Tata Motors to speak with its In 2015, the Indian government ‘fast charge’ option of 90 minutes.
Chief Executive, Guenter Butschek. launched the FAME scheme (Faster The vehicles were to be supplied in
An industry veteran and Daimler Adoption & Manufacturing of phases of 500 vehicles at a time,
executive for more than two Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) to with the first delivery deadline set
decades, he has held the top job at incentivise the purchase of for 30 November 2017. In June
Tata Motors since 2016. “India’s air electrified two- and three-wheelers, 2018, it was reported that many
pollution is extremely serious,” he passenger cars and commercial government officials had refused to
said, highlighting the sky-high levels vehicles. Then in 2016, it laid out use the vehicles, alleging that real-
of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in ambitious plans to go all electric by world driving range was closer to
some of India’s major cities. In 2030, signalling a desire to 80km on a single charge. Only 150
Delhi, a reading of 119 was dramatically cut back on fossil fuel or so EVs had been procured by
registered between May and June of use and reverse damaging levels of this point, according to the state
2018. “Any reading higher than 70 is pollution. Scepticism across the body, which cited teething pains
considered to bring a halt to any board saw this strategy amended to related to charging infrastructure
kind of outdoor activity,” explained just 30% of vehicles within the and user scepticism of the
Butschek. “Can you even imagine same timeframe. Local media technology. Tata strongly refuted
going running, taking one deep reported that the government had these claims, noting: “We have not
breath after another?” ‘finally woken up’. heard range as a major concern.”
“ The expression ‘get it right in India and you are

fit for the rest of the world’ may be no more
true than in the case of EVs
Much like other markets where Early initiatives appeared Previously in March 2018, the
urban pollution is spiralling, the promising. Tata Motors, also Union Minister of State Power and
answer is deemed to come with a known as TaMo, entered a bidding New & Renewable Energy had
charging cable, and has prompted war with domestic competitor launched the National E-Mobility
Tata Motors to promote an electric Mahindra over a contract to Programme, which aims to
vehicle (EV) offensive. It is a bold supply EVs to government stimulate the ‘entire e-mobility
statement for an emerging market officials. In November 2017, TaMo ecosystem’. Automakers, charging
in which new vehicles remain announced it had bagged a infrastructure companies, fleet
relatively low-tech in comparison to contract to supply up to 10,000 operators, service providers and
markets such as Europe, the US and EVs to the Energy Efficiency various other players would now be
Japan. The expression ‘get it right in Services (EESL), along with taken into account, and would be
India and you are fit for the rest of Mahindra. “As of now, we will be supported by continued
the world’ may be no more true selling 6,500 to 7,000 units and if procurement of EVs from the EESL
than in the case of EVs. To deploy a the other company (Mahindra) agency. More recently, the current
business model in India that is yet opts out, we will lap up the rest of administration has held strong on
to flourish even in the most the order as well,” noted Tata’s its intentions to transition India
developed markets is no mean feat. Butschek at the time. toward EVs. In January, import

duties were cut to just 10% for

‘unassembled’ EVs brought into the
country, with potential job creation
and stimulation of the EV market
deemed attractive. Complete EVs
will see a 25% import duty by
comparison. Amid the backdrop of
looming national elections, in
February 2019 the government
presented an interim budget for the
2019-2020 financial year. Speaking
at the announcement, Piyush
Goyal, Interim Finance Minister,
spoke of how India will “lead the
world in the transport revolution
©Freddie Holmes
through electric vehicles.”
The second phase of the FAME

programme—dubbed FAME 2—was
expected to bring further subsidies A rare spot of blue sky above the Tata Lake House in Pune
for EVs and also, to a lesser
degree, for charging
infrastructure. However, plans over what had been discussed so
were quashed after a seemingly far, and would like to refine his
Playing a greater
last-minute about-turn. “FAME 1 opinion in order to really
was purely focussed on the OEMs, accelerate the adaptation to part
with clear subsidies provided for electrification. Afterwards, we
mild hybrid solutions up to EVs. learned that FAME 2 will not just Speaking to M:bility from the
The new scheme was close to incentivise vehicles, but also tranquil Tata Motors Lake House, a
approval with the same approach, infrastructure and the localisation picturesque site populated by lush
but all of a sudden the government of EV-specific components, such as greenery, exotic birds and water
stopped it,” Butschek explained. batteries,” he continued. “Today, features, Butschek explained how
Tata Motors aims to lead the EV
revolution in India. A far cry from
the hustle and bustle of the
industrial belt in which it sits, the
“
location is a stark reminder of
what is at risk from rising
You need to join hands with a pollution. Beyond the lake,
towering skyscrapers are obscured
by a thick haze of smog, but just a
larger set of players in order to couple of hours outside of the city,
the air turns from a murky grey to
build the ecosystem bright blue. If ever there was
motivation to go EV, it is hidden in
the smog of the industrial hotbeds
of India’s megacities.
The turnaround came in September the battery is the single largest cost Vehicle purchase incentives alone
2018 following the MOVE Summit proposition of an EV, and we either will not be enough, and reliable and
held in New Delhi—a “high calibre have to source it from South Korea well-placed charging infrastructure
event” according to Butschek. or China. To really accelerate could prove the most persuasive in
developments, much can be done luring fleets and consumers to EVs.
“We all expected that the with the money that goes into Traditionally, an automaker would
government would announce import duties from batteries, as not have to provide fuel for its
FAME 2, but Prime Minister Modi part of a concerted effort between customers—be it gasoline or
said he had certain question marks the government and the industry.” diesel—but could automakers

become closely involved, and
“
invested, in the development of
infrastructure in order to facilitate
India’s electric dream?
The battery is the single largest
“Not necessarily the automaker,
but you at least need to join hands
with a larger set of players in order
cost proposition of an EV... We
to build the ecosystem,” affirmed
Butschek. “Yes, you need to think
either have to source it from
much broader, but you do not
necessarily need to be the one South Korea or China
who provides all of the services
required in this ecosystem.” In
Tata Motors’ case, the company it will take a collective effort of chambers to refine the NVH
plans to leverage its ties with other the incumbent automotive qualities of its electric
companies within the Tata Group, industry, state and new players to powertrains. A test track outside
such as Tata Power. The company meet long-term targets. “This is a the passenger vehicle production
has already established charging race where no single front-runner line also subjects new models to
stations in Mumbai, Delhi and can win. It needs to be inclusive, extreme road conditions, closely
Hyderabad in commercial, office and there needs to be a clear mimicking Indian highways.
and public locations, with message and direction coming
thousands more planned. There from the government—all the way But however well engineered, an
was no debate as to whether Tata to players that we might not even EV will only be as attractive as its
Power would build charging have on our ‘players map’ today,” supporting charging network.
stations, continued Butschek. “It he said. New service offerings This is expected to remain a
immediately came to mind. Just could be required in order to sticking point for years to come
blankly producing electric vehicles differentiate Tata Motors from its despite government support. The
and expecting that somebody else competition, he noted. move to become a cashless
will develop the infrastructure is a society does bode well for the
thought process we stopped tap-and-go nature of EV charging,
relatively early in our Catering to Indian however, and if stations can be
considerations. We need to bring strategically located off-street
momentum through discussion needs and away from key congestion
with the government.” areas, India’s EV dream may
The signs are encouraging, and it eventually become a reality.
Tata Motors is not the only player is clear that a focus is also on
pushing EV alternatives for the creating an attractive product, There remains the challenge of
domestic market. Alongside and not only on pumping out EVs finding space to deploy dedicated
Mahindra are Maruti Suzuki, to meet the quota. At Tata Motors’ charging ranks, however. In
Toyota, Volvo Cars, Hyundai and Pune plant, a stone’s throw from crowded megacities such as
Kia, all with solutions in the the Lake House, engineers have Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi,
works. Butschek recognised that modified advanced testing space is at a premium as streets
struggle to contain the effects of
rapid urbanisation. Then there is
“
consumer spending power, which
remains extremely low for many
residents in even the most affluent
The price must be right for any cities. Next door to one of
Mumbai’s business districts sits
hope of achieving an e-mobility one of the largest hand clothes
washing operations in India.
ecosystem Sandwiched between slums, it
illustrates the vast gap between
the rich and the poor, and that the
price must be right for any hope of
achieving an e-mobility ecosystem.

© Hyundai
Could brain power be the
new car key?
With advances in biometric technology, the human body becomes
the key to the vehicle and the challenge of authentication steps up
a gear. By Megan Lampinen

B iometric recognition systems

are rapidly gaining ground
across numerous industries, and
Studio Lead – Detroit/Novi, at
Harman. "They reflect not what
you’re thinking but how much
driver’s breathing starts to
increase, it understands he is
stressed and responds to that. Or
automotive is no exception. you’re thinking, and how much maybe it just soothes the driver
Automakers and suppliers are activity is happening." If the and doesn't offer too much non-
actively exploring ways to system detects that the driver is essential information," he
improve the in-vehicle experience highly stressed, for example, it predicted. "Eventually, these are
for drivers and passengers, both may decide to delay relaying a the sorts of things that biometrics
in terms of safety and non-urgent message about wiper and artificial intelligence will do
convenience. Initial applications fluid levels, for example. for you."
have centred around unlocking
and starting the vehicle, but as the
industry gradually moves towards
“
shared and autonomous mobility,
these could prove just the tip of
the iceberg.
So far, all biometric systems
Fingerprints and
facial recognition
have been easily hacked or
With biometric authentication, the
breached because they make
owner’s body essentially becomes
the key to the vehicle. Hyundai is use of a database or because
preparing to introduce fingerprint
access on the 2019 Santa Fe. A
sensor on the door handle scans
they compare images
the driver's fingerprint and then
unlocks the door. A scanning
sensor on the ignition allows the
driver to start the vehicle. Once Nuance Communications is also
entry is granted, biometrics can be looking to harness biometric data Security from the
harnessed to personalise the in- to determine the driver's
vehicle experience as well. emotional state. On this front it
inside
Hyundai intends to enhance has been partnering with
this application in the near future Affectiva, a specialist in artificial Like many new technologies,
so the driver's fingerprint can emotional intelligence (Emotion some of these biometric systems
also be used to automatically AI). Using a camera to view the raise concerns about potential
adjust the seat position, steering driver's face, the system can then hacking. Anyone with an identical
wheel position, and angle of the deduct his or her cognitive state. twin faces a risk of having their
rear-view mirror based on That could determine exactly vehicle stolen or used without
personalised settings. how and to what degree the permission. In some cases, a
digital assistant then interacts different makeup routine or a
Biometrics is also being used in with the driver. new beard could throw off the
real-time to detect the state of the facial recognition system. What if
driver, particularly to determine if "Biometrics is a massive space," an emergency arises and the
he is distracted or fatigued. observed Krishna Jayaraman, owner needs to access or start
Harman, now a Samsung Program Manager – Connectivity & the car immediately and can't
company, is developing a digital Telematics in Frost & Sullivan's wait for an official facial
assistant system that measures an Automotive & Transportation verification process?
individual's pupils and looks at practice. "It won't be long before
facial expressions to determine these systems will be able to "So far, all biometric systems have
their mood. "Your pupils can give understand when a driver is been easily hacked or breached
insight into your cognitive mode," stressed. Maybe the seatbelt will because they make use of a
explained Jason Johnson, Director feature sensors to pick up on database or because they compare
of User Experience Design & respiration and as soon as the images," commented Martin Zizi,

© Hyundai
“ Initial applications have centred around unlocking

and starting the vehicle, but as the industry
gradually moves towards shared and
autonomous mobility, these could prove just the
tip of the iceberg
Chief Executive of Aerendir, a For Hyundai, the answer lies in vibrational patterns in a user's
biometric authentication developer. capacitance recognition, which hands. The company's NeuroPrint
"It’s very easy; there are more than detects differences in the electricity technology is based on
400 tutorials on the internet about level of various parts of the proprioceptive neurophysiology.
this." With an abundance of fingertip. The automaker estimates "Muscle fibres are connected to the
instructional videos out there like that the system has a one in 50,000 brain's neural network, and no
'Instructions on fooling facial chance of granting access to two brains are alike," Zizi told
recognition' and 'How to copy a someone other than the owner. M:bility. "We can start to play with
fingerprint like a Spy', it's clear the this and use an individual's brain
current systems are far from fool Silicon-Valley's Aerendir takes a pattern to identify them."
proof. According to some videos, similar inside-out approach to the
systems can be hacked with simple challenge. Instead of looking to These signals are generated within
tools like PlayDoh and pressure- outside physical features, it taps all individuals and uniquely shaped
sensitive tape combined with a into a person's nervous system by their brain. They can be picked
lipstick print or a fingerprint. activity, specifically the micro- up by the incredibly sensitive

sensors in modern smartphones or someone loses consciousness, their programme, we could bring the
tablets and authenticated by simply muscle tone changes radically. The price of a dedicated chip down to
holding the device for three to four system could detect this," he added. US$0.20. If I were to make a do-it-
seconds, or less than one second if yourself kit, it would be around
embedded into a car seat. Assuming a future of autonomous US$2-$3 because of the sensor and
Importantly, Zizi claims that it is vehicles, the system could microcontroller. However, the
nearly impossible to hack. "The potentially redirect the vehicle to a future of this technology is to be
body is difficult to hack when you hospital for emergency medical fully embedded inside the electronic
use a live signal like ours," he added. treatment in the case of a crash or a system of a car."
The system operates entirely on the general medical emergency. This
specific device involved, meaning could dramatically improve the
that personal data need not be chances of survival in urgent cases. Towards autonomy
transferred to an external server Emergency services require an
during the authentication process. average of 12-14 minutes to reach an In the longer term, the rise
This eliminates the possibility of incident site in an urban location. of artificial intelligence (AI) could
interception via hackers. Outside of the city the average is 17- make accurate identification
“ No matter how a robot is programmed or the AI

is refined, at the end of the day the AI is not alive
and it has no heartbeat, it has no brain waves.
The fact that I’m alive is the final frontier between
human and machine
NeuroPrint technology has been 19 minutes. The brain can only all the more important. Zizi
developed and is operational. It is survive for six to eight minutes is particularly concerned about
currently being adapted to vehicles. without oxygen. "If the vehicle the potential threat from AI
knows the occupant's physiology it robots and their ability to
could have the ability to triage," impersonate humans.
Safety bonus suggested Zizi. "It could then direct
emergency responders on a priority "In a world where everyone’s
In addition to security, the basis. If it can move itself, it could data has been shared online,
NeuroPrint system also offers drive towards the first responder." even biometry eventually, what
inherent safety benefits for drivers. will prevent an AI bot from
Along with brain activity it also impersonating you, creating
picks up a driver's heartbeat, from Costs contracts on blockchain behind
which it can deduce the respiration your back?" he asked. "The
rate. Combined with the data on And it all stems from a cheap sensor one thing that can prevent that is
muscle tone, this makes for a fully- costing less than a dollar. For the physiology. No matter how a
fledged physiological monitoring full system, Zizi estimates that it robot is programmed or the AI is
system. Such a system could would add US$1-US$10 to the cost of refined, at the end of the day
theoretically be used to safely stop a vehicle, depending on scale. "It's the AI is not alive and it has
a car when it detects the driver is trivial compared to the rest of the no heartbeat, it has no brain
unwell, perhaps suffering a heart car. We could even be quoted on waves. The fact that I’m alive is
attack or severely impacted by ASIC (application specific integrated the final frontier between human
alcohol. "In the short time before circuit), and because of the way we and machine."

© Waymo
Consumer scepticism in
autonomous vehicles
remains unresolved
Consumers are having a hard time learning to trust autonomous
driving technology, and the human-machine interface (HMI) is
partly to blame. By Derek Viita, Senior Analyst and Diane O’Neill,
Director at Strategy Analytics’ UX Innovation Practice

T he development and spread

of advanced ‘semi-automated’
features among personal vehicles
Percentage change in consumer interest
has been bold. The fact that non- for automated driving features 2017 to
premium consumers now have
access to a feature which allows 2018, by region
their car to steer itself into a
parking space is nothing short of 8%
a triumph. But notwithstanding 6%

this achievement, the market for 4%
semi-automated and autonomous
2%
vehicles—either personal or
through mobility services—has 0%
yet to be proven viable with -2%

actual consumers. -4%
-6%
Only a narrow segment of
consumers are interested in -8%
features that leverage self-driving -10%

technology; and most remain wary -12%
of automated driving features. In a Fully Autonomous Autonomous Lane Change Assist Traffic Jam Assist Autonomous Park
Driving Highway Driving Assist
situation exacerbated by the poor
user experience (UX) of existing W. Europe US China
semi-automated features, such as

park assist and automated
highway driving systems, in
addition to high-profile crashes
and fatalities involving self-driving automated driving features in
test vehicles, automakers have
Consumer interest large numbers, primarily due to a
done little to nothing to address lack of trust in the technology.
this problem thus far. is beginning to Research by Strategy Analytics
showed that after a pronounced
To drive consumer demand, it is fracture decrease in 2016, interest in
not enough for semi-automated semi-automated and autonomous
and autonomous vehicles just to The broader consumer market driving features rebounded in
be safe; they must also be practical outside of the premium segment 2017, despite mixed levels of
and desirable. has been slow to warm to semi- reported satisfaction.
“ Only a narrow segment of consumers are

interested in features that leverage self-driving
technology

Ranking of reasons for lack of interest in self-driving taxi or ride-share,

by region (2018)
Do not yet trust self-driving tech 1 1 1
No use for such a service 2 (tie) 3 3
No interest in such a service 4 2 4 (tie)
No interest in self-driving tech 2 (tie) 4 6
Will never trust self-driving tech 5 5 8
Price is expected to be too high 6 6 4 (tie)
Vehicle quality concerns 8 8 2
Other transport is preferred 7 7 7
Source: Strategy Analytics
However, after several years of Firstly, the usefulness of these

uniform increases and decreases,
Usefulness and features remains questionable,
interest in these varied features particularly for systems such as
has now begun to fracture,
usability are critical traffic jam assist which require
especially in the US and China.
Semi-automated driving functions
to gain trust the user to ‘check in’ once every
ten seconds. Such systems add
no longer tick the right boxes for no value to the enjoyment of the
the premium class; consumers are Investigating further, Strategy driving experience, and
now providing feedback on their Analytics found that there are questionable value in terms of
usefulness and what we are two underlying reasons for the perceived safety. Secondly, the
learning is that not all features are fracturing of interest in certain interface design and usability
equal. While interest in park assist features, and the lack of trust of these features remains
is growing, particularly in the US, many consumers have with abysmal, as system status and
interest in traffic jam assist is them—especially in personal handoff/takeover methods are
dropping, particularly in Europe. vehicles. confusing not just to drivers—as
Strategy Analytics' extensive
benchmarking of these systems
has proven—but to dealers as
well, who cannot fully explain
“
their functions or benefits.
These systems are also hindered

The interface design and by the lack of standardisation in
how they are activated, how they
usability of these features behave, and even what they are
called. A recent study by the
remains abysmal American Automobile Association
(AAA) found that semi-automated
and other ADAS features have too
many different names, which
confuses consumers.

“ It is not enough to simply build an automated

transport programme and expect consumers
to ‘flock’ to a service
offered must be usable and autonomous mobility services

Practical practical for local use cases. and personal autonomous
usefulness also Moreover, just as Strategy
Analytics has found with reactions
vehicles: if consumers cannot see
the value of each of these
hinders automated to semi-automated driving elements in autonomous
systems, consumer scepticism vehicles, then there is no basis
shared transport toward automated transport in for consumer demand.
general remains unresolved.
Furthermore, consumer attitudes
toward automated shared
transport, such as taxis and buses,
Scepticism is more Outlook
are no different. Consumer than an issue of Trust remains the elephant in
interest worldwide is extremely the room preventing widespread
narrow because the practical trust consumer demand. In order
usefulness of such services has yet to get consumers on board with
to be proven to consumers beyond But consumer scepticism is not only fully automated driving and
the early-adopter segment. In confined to trust. Strategy Analytics hasten the profitability of
addition to not having a use for previously identified four major these services, providers need
automated taxi or bus services, factors that consumers use to patronage from not just early
sceptical consumers do not yet determine how to transport adopters and willing beta testers,
trust automated transport themselves: monetary cost, usability but from some portion of
technology. Consumers in China (as a function of availability, the large percentage of consumer
also show strong concern for the simplicity, and convenience), time base who are currently distrustful
quality of the vehicles which might or length of journey, and comfort. of the technology.
be utilised for such a service.
The importance of each Large swathes of consumers,
In August 2018, a number of individual factor can vary based especially in the US and Western
Arizona locals noted their on weather, cargo, the perceived Europe, are still actively avoiding
frustration in sharing the road safety of the environment, the automated parking and driving
with autonomous test vehicles urgency of the trip, and so forth. technology. Among these
from Waymo’s self-driving taxi But those overall decision factors segments, a lack of trust is far and
pilot. As such negative public are resilient. Plus, if a mobility away the most prominent
feedback would illustrate, it is not service is too expensive for the rationale for avoidance. An
enough to simply build an use case, not available when or extensive human factors related
automated transport programme, where it is needed, or is complex overhaul of existing systems, and
roll out a charm offensive and or unreliable to use, consumers even pilot test systems at the
expect consumers to ‘flock’ to a are less likely to be satisfied, and human-machine interface (HMI)
service. Supply will not create its unlikely to become loyal users. level, would go a long way toward
own demand, and any service This is wholly the case with addressing these issues.

© Daimler
Blind trust, culture clashes
and robot empathy –
Mercedes-Benz on
autonomous cars
Freddie Holmes speaks to Michael Hafner, Head of Automated
Driving and Active Safety at Mercedes-Benz Cars

A t CES 2019, Mercedes-Benz

revealed the Urbanetic
autonomous shuttle, a futuristic
proof-of-concept to illustrate the
kind of work that is being done
behind closed doors, and the
direction in which its Vans unit is
headed. The vehicle also put a face
to the various industry buzzwords
being bandied around what has
become the most important tech
show on the automotive calendar.
Autonomous shuttles such as these

are edging further into the public
eye, albeit the Urbanetic was
limited to a single cordoned off
lane in this case. Running
alongside traffic on the Vegas
Strip, the Urbanetic’s size becomes
apparent: it is enormous. A
bulbous roof protrudes well above
nearby SUVs, and with no driver
© Daimler
controls there is, in theory, room
for 12 passengers. Bizarrely, the
front headlights are almost Daimler plans to run a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in q2 2019
identical to that of a Ford Transit
van, and all that space is designed Urbanetic builds on Daimler’s Alongside the development of
to ferry riders around the city— earlier F 015 concept—a luxury people and product movers, the
even predicting where crowd vehicle as opposed to a shuttle German automaker is also heavily
surges may take place. While bus—that posed around San invested in autonomous drive
explicitly a research vehicle, the Francisco back in 2015. technology for privately owned
passenger cars. The 2017
Mercedes-Benz E-Class launched
with DRIVE PILOT, a suite of
driver assistance systems that
allow the car to control its
“
steering and acceleration in
specific highway conditions, and
under the driver’s watchful eye. It
Unlike consumer electronics, is akin to that of other ‘highway
pilots’ such as Cadillac Super
a glitch can cause real Cruise, Volvo Pilot Assist and
Tesla Autopilot, all of which
safety issues… A good Beta require the driver’s hands—and

brain—at the ready.
version will not be good Under the vision of Chief

Executive Dieter Zetsche,
enough for a release into the Daimler is pushing for fully
autonomous systems that
provide the option for human
customer’s hands control, and driverless shuttles
that do not. Tackling the former
is Mercedes-Benz Cars, which is
evaluating its autonomous
systems on a global scale.

© Daimler
“ Chinese traffic is much denser, and we have

seen many situations with partially obscured
traffic signs
system. Testing across multiple Frankfurt, Daimler’s autonomous

Around the world markets is an undertaking of epic driving team sent a standard S-
proportions, but also entirely Class, albeit with slightly modified
Michael Hafner is Head of necessary, he says. The ‘brain’ of software and a trunk full of testing
Automated Driving and Active the autonomous car must be able to equipment, on a trip around the
Safety at Mercedes-Benz Cars. Since cope with countless forms of road world. Over five months, the
October 2016, he has led the series layouts, driving styles and climates. vehicle would investigate
development of semi-autonomous But what are the most challenging differences in road culture
systems such as DRIVE PILOT. A markets in which an autonomous between the US, Europe and
doctor of automation technology, vehicle can be tested? China, as well as in Australia and
Hafner has been with Daimler for South Africa. This, says Hafner,
the last 17 years, and is deeply “We asked ourselves exactly that was “to deliberately find situations
involved in the automaker’s push question a few years ago,” Hafner in other countries we need to take
for a road-legal fully autonomous tells M:bility. At the 2017 IAA in into consideration.”

So far, testing in China has

proven particularly challenging.
“Chinese traffic is much denser,
and we have seen many situations
with partially obscured traffic
signs,” explains Hafner. China has
become a major test bed for
autonomous vehicles, and
Mercedes-Benz has been working
with Internet giant Baidu to hone
its system for local roads.
Demand for autonomous vehicles
is generally expected to soar
here, where consumers already
favour alternatives to the private
vehicle. “The mobility context in
China is vastly different from
mature markets,” says Bill Russo,
an ex-Vice President at Chrysler
and head of Shanghai-based
© Daimler
advisory firm Automobility.
“Public transportation comes
first, then on-demand mobility
services—such as ride-hailing,
taxis, micro transits, ride-pooling
“
and car-sharing—and then private
ownership.”
Elsewhere, it’s not just signage and Having to teach our cars to
traffic that can prove difficult. “In
Australia, wildlife is a huge issue on
rural roads, and in South Africa
understand every new
pedestrians and other vulnerable
road users can be found on all types
device on the road, in every
of roads,” says Hafner. “These are
all rather challenging situations for colour or brand, would be a
which we are preparing.”
fight against windmills that
Testing times we could not possibly win
Evaluating how an autonomous
system reacts to plastic dummies
on a test track is one thing. Testing
on public roads can throw up
entirely new situations, and enough for a release into the routes that replicate successfully
ensuring the vehicle can handle customer’s hands.” simulated conditions. Virtual
the unexpected is vital. “Testing is testing allows millions of miles of
crucial for practically any technical Before a test vehicle can hit public driving to be completed in a short
product before it enters the roads, it needs to be proven out space of time. Real-world
market, and when it comes to cars through simulation. According to scenarios can be repeated over
and other vehicles, testing is also Elektrobit, an expert in hardware and over, allowing engineers to
elementary for the safety of the and software validation, as much test and make tweaks in the safety
product,” says Hafner. “Unlike as 95% of self-driving vehicle of the lab. Unfortunately, the real
consumer electronics, a glitch can testing can be carried out in this world does not always play out as
cause real safety issues, so a good way. Some programmes limit test expected, and on-road tests
Beta version will not be good vehicles to drive only on public cannot be avoided.

“We have seen many surprising

situations during our multi-million
“
kilometres of public testing which
would never have been
encountered in mere simulation,”
explains Hafner. Situations seen
on the road can be programmed
into the simulation software, but
Overreliance, or ‘blind trust’, in a
“real world testing remains
essential,” he affirms. “There are
system can be very dangerous
some situations you simply cannot
predict beforehand, and we
constantly need to ensure that the
simulated situations are realistic.”
driving. It also depends on weather and of course to drive comfortably—
One challenge is learning the laws and traffic conditions and—not to this is how we would like our self-
of the road; another is learning how forget—cultural aspects,” says driving cars to behave.”
to drive safely and efficiently amid Hafner. “Anyone who has driven in
other traffic. Late manoeuvres, another country might sometimes
aggressive acceleration and rapid perceive the driving there as New challenges
braking could not only prove ‘crazy’. However, a rather smooth
dangerous, it may also be off- and uneventful ride that does not arise
putting for the passenger. This put anyone in harm’s way is
raises the question of how an probably something that Autonomous vehicles are also
autonomous car should be taught most people can agree on. In learning how to adapt their driving
to drive. “The definition of a ‘good’ general, an autonomous car will in relation to other road users and
driver depends very much on the be programmed to behave pedestrians, just as a normal
perspective of the one assessing the defensively, to obey traffic rules driver should. A dog on a leash is
© Daimler
Turquoise lights could indicate whether a vehicle is in autonomous mode

less likely to run out into the road,

for example, than a stray dog
without a human owner by its
side. The vehicle, in this case,
would slow down, take a slightly
wider berth and err on the side of
caution. Similar scenarios are
being played out for the likes of
toddlers, cyclists and a myriad of
other entities that may be around
the vehicle.
In the test bed of San Francisco

lies another rapidly growing trend:
e-scooters and e-bikes. While rules
are being established for how and
where these scooters can ride,
many riders can be seen whizzing
in and out of traffic. For the
autonomous car, predicting where
these actors may turn next could
prove tricky. “Thankfully, our
machine learning methods can
handle that task," says Hafner. “In
general, we would classify riders
of e-scooters and e-bikes as
vulnerable road users—just like
pedestrians, riders of regular
bikes, riders of motorcycles,
people in wheelchairs or even on
hover-boards for that matter!
“Even though the mode of

transportation might differ, the
deep learning algorithms will still
recognise a person on some form
© Daimler
of transportation device and
proceed with the necessary Daimler’s Cooperative Car features a 360-degree light signal
caution. Having to teach our cars
to understand every new device
on the road, in every colour or back to the driver with little issue. In 2016, Swedish firm
brand, would be a fight against warning. The driver should of Semcon proposed the ‘smiling
windmills that we could not course be alert and ready to take car’, which used LEDs on the front
possibly win.” over, but the human-machine of the vehicle to indicate it was
interface (HMI) is far from allowing a pedestrian to cross the
effective. Some systems simply road. Others suggest digital
Trust me – I’m a remove a small green icon on the symbols could indicate whether
dashboard to indicate the system the vehicle is coming to a stop, or
robot has switched off. just about to pull away.
Much interest has been placed on There is also the interaction “We believe that clearly
the so-called ‘handover’ situation, between car and pedestrian to communicating to the outside
in which the vehicle transfers consider; in the case of a world as to whether the car is
control back to the human driver. driverless vehicle, it is crucial that being operated in autonomous
This is already an issue on roads other road users are not left mode or not will help to increase
today, with semi-autonomous guessing. There have been a acceptance of this technology as
systems often thrusting control number of attempts to crack the a mode of transportation in

“ There is a need to distinguish between features

that ‘support to a large degree’ and features that
‘perform the task completely’
everyday traffic,” says Hafner. or notifying nearby pedestrians with our ‘Cooperative Car’ and
His team has conducted a that the car is aware of their are using it to conduct further
significant amount of research presence. “Imagine you are research in this direction.”
into this issue, and concluded about to cross the street at a
that turquoise could be a unique crosswalk and are unsure if the In November 2018, Daimler hosted a
colour to indicate that driver—or in this case the car—has debate in Berlin to discuss how trust
autonomous mode is engaged. In recognised you. These lights will can be established between human
addition, distinct patterns of light increase trust, safety and and vehicle. The Co-operative Car, a
could “clearly signal” whether acceptance,” he explains. “We modified S-Class with 360-degree
the car is stopping, accelerating have introduced this concept light signalling, was posed as a
© Daimler
A lightly modified S-Class tested autonomous driving functions across five continents

solution. "People need to be able

to quickly and reliably gauge
what an autonomous vehicle is
going to do next,” said Alexander
Mankowsky, a Futurist at
Daimler’s Futures Studies &
Ideation unit. “The vehicle must
therefore provide information
about its intentions in a way that
people can grasp immediately
and intuitively."
Speaking to Automotive World

earlier in March 2017, Mankowsy
noted that trust in automation “is a
very serious issue,” and warned that
“empathy with an automated car
won’t come naturally.” So-called
cognitive models, he said, would
help consumers to understand the
capabilities and limitations of an
autonomous vehicle. “In doing so,
we are about to replace blind trust—
which can be dangerous—with
‘informed trust’ to make people
comfortable with automated cars in
[the] public space.”
Selling the idea

Looking ahead, the marketing of
autonomous drive technology will
also prove an interesting watch.
While safety advocates widely
© Daimler
present autonomous vehicles as a
means to reducing traffic deaths, The Urbanetic shuttle concept was demoed at CES 2019
many automakers emphasise the
technology as a comfort feature
that relives the stress of driving. know what drive state they are the driver to relax. Guessing as to
Sitting in traffic can be boring, so in, what they are allowed to do whether the car will handle the
say many brands today, and semi- and what they still need to next bend, for example, or
autonomous technology can help do themselves. whether it has recognised a
drivers to relax and leave the car sudden build up of traffic, is a
to do most of the work—a “When it comes to handing over stressful experience.
potentially dangerous precedent the driving task entirely to the
to set. Many crashes have already vehicle—where the passenger can “Safety and comfort do not
been seen involving drivers that ‘only’ start and stop the process contradict each other. A
have become over reliant on semi- and determine the destination—it comfortable driver is also a safe
autonomous systems. is mainly about comfort for the driver, and people who feel
customer, but the obvious safety comfortable in a mode of
“Overreliance, or ‘blind trust’, in of the vehicle and the ride goes transportation also feel safe,” he
a system can be very dangerous,” without saying,” continues concludes. “But it is true that there
says Hafner. “Hence, our overall Hafner. Systems that can be is a need to distinguish between
goal is to create what we call engaged on a freeway should features that ‘support to a large
‘informed trust’ with our make it crystal clear as to what the degree’ and features that ‘perform
customers, so that they always car can and cannot do in order for the task completely’.”

© Adasky
Heat seeking cameras help
autonomous cars to see in
the dark
While the future of mobility could hinge on technical intricacy,
one aspect may be inspired by nature. With fears that LiDAR and
radar sensors could be adversely affected by poor lighting and
weather conditions, one company has been inspired by the
viper’s ability to see in the dark. By Jack Hunsley

A s the automotive industry

moves ever closer to an
autonomous future, it is becoming
As Adasky’s Director of Sales
Engineering, Sharon
explained to M:bility, the
Fiss,
the transition to automotive far
easier. Its wealth of expertise in the
field has led to the production of
ever more important to teach company’s decades worth of the first high-resolution, thermal
autonomous vehicles (AVs) not experience in FIR solutions for imaging camera for the AV. Known
just to see, but also to perceive. civilian and military use has made as ‘Viper’, this camera measures
While granting AVs the gift of sight
is an important step towards the
future of mobility, the ability to
“
distinguish humans from animals
or vehicles from buildings, for
example, is a hugely important
milestone to overcome.
If you take sun glare as an
Many systems have been
example, our competitors have
developed in an attempt to
achieve this goal, but, in the minds
yet to build a robust solution that
of some experts, significant doubts
remain over the ability of can operate in direct sunlight. Our
technologies such as radar and
LiDAR to operate flawlessly in all FIR camera is also the only one
weather and lighting conditions.
One such plug here could be the
use of far infrared (FIR) sensing
that is able to see through thick
equipment, which creates an
image of a vehicle’s surroundings
fog, dense rain, haze or dust
using infrared radiation. Of those
experimenting in this space, Israel-
based Adasky is perhaps one of the
best-placed players.
© Adasky

© Adasky
“ Our FIR solution is the only one currently
capable of operating 24 hours a day, seven
days a week in any weather condition
just 4.3cm by 2.6cm, and works by Today, the camera operates using how FIR’s increased perception
passively detecting and classifying the highest resolution available ability will enhance the general
living and inanimate objects for automotive, VGA, and can run public’s trust in an AV. “Adasky
through thermal signatures. The up to 60 frames a second while was founded on the
camera registers and combines detecting a temperature variance understanding that there are
emissivity—the rate at which an of 0.05 degrees Celsius. All of huge gaps which remain in the
object emits heat—and thermal these factors combined allow automotive industry for
temperature in order to create an Viper to precisely identify understanding the vehicle's
image, in a similar fashion as wild obstacles, vehicles and environment,” said Fiss. “We
vipers do in order to identify and pedestrians at a range of several have seen several high-profile
hunt their prey. This image can hundred metres, allowing more incidents in the last few years that
then be used by perception time for autonomous and driver have limited the development of
algorithms to detect and classify assistance solutions to react to AVs. However, we see great
objects around the vehicle. any given scenario. potential in FIR to improve the
safety of these AVs. Eventually,
While vipers in the wild use While this technology has its uses we will be able to run logic and
infrared to seek and hunt, in the today, Adasky believes that it will decision-making processes to aid
AV, Viper instead plays quite the support autonomous functions an AV, as well as implement
opposite role—protecting, not from Level 3 onwards. In intention recognition of other
endangering. particular, Fiss pointed towards road users.”

perception specialist FLIR, which Fiss pointed towards localisation

Role of deep is also developing thermal and mapping as key markets that
learning infrared cameras for AVs
alongside its work in the marine,
could be bolstered with the use of
FIR. “Alongside the AV evolution,
Not unlike other similar industrial and security markets, there is now increasing
technologies, Adasky’s solution to name but a few. However, understanding that there are
leverages artificial intelligence (AI) Adasky remains confident that its specific needs in the automotive
and deep learning techniques to solution is the current market market that could be answered
make the most of the solution. leader. “Our FIR solution is the by combining complementary
Specifically, deep machine only one currently capable of technologies,” said Fiss.
learning plays a large role in the operating 24 hours a day, seven
operation of Adasky’s technology. days a week in any weather As Fiss highlighted, developing
condition,” explained Fiss. sectors such as last mile delivery
Even though uses cases for AI have
only recently emerged in
“
automotive in a major way, Adasky
has been making use of its
resources, including that of its AI
algorithm engineers, to develop its
solution at a consistent rate since
While vipers in the wild use
2015. In that time, it has acquired
and annotated over two million infrared to seek and hunt, in the
objects for its perception features,
which run using complex machine
learning techniques and end-to-end
AV, Viper instead plays quite
neural network algorithms. Such
efforts will allow Viper to be scaled
the opposite role—protecting,
appropriately with demand. “As
long as we continue to acquire data not endangering
from locations all over the globe, as
well as in various weather
conditions, we will be able to
continue improving our solution at
a scalable rate,” Fiss added. Applying Adasky’s FIR solution to and ride-sharing have been
the real world could bring labelled as potential fields for the
significant positives. For example, use of FIR technology. “The
Other competitors Tesla’s fatal Autopilot crash in technologies and infrastructure
2016—caused due to the Model S’ that will be required for smart
Automakers have also inability to distinguish between a transportation solutions to work
experimented with other 24/7 white truck and bright skyline— safely could benefit through the
capable sensors. In 2016, Ford could have theoretically been inclusion of FIR,” Fiss continued.
demonstrated as part of ‘Project avoided using infrared rather than “At the moment, we are
Nightonomy’ that its Ford Fusion direct images to inform the vehicle evaluating the potential value in
self-driving vehicle was capable of of its surroundings. “If you take these areas within the entire
driving in pitch black conditions sun glare as an example, our automotive ecosystem.”
without FIR assistance. On a closed competitors have yet to build a
road in Arizona, Ford’s test mule robust solution that can operate in Overall, the technology is still at an
was able to navigate the course direct sunlight,” added Fiss. “Our early stage of development, but
using only radar and LiDAR FIR camera is also the only one Viper’s successful debut at CES
assistance. Prior to Arizona, Ford that is able to see through thick 2019 could mark a turning point
also carried out a similar test in fog, dense rain, haze or dust.” for the technology in automotive.
snowy conditions at the University Perhaps the myriad of LiDAR and
of Michigan’s Mcity facility. With these use cases already radar booths which littered the Las
covered, attention at Adasky is Vegas Convention Centre floor at
In terms of direct competition, beginning to turn towards this year’s event could in the
one of the most relevant players applying its solutions in other coming years be replaced by those
for Adasky is Oregon-based areas of automotive. For example, touting the value of FIR for the AV.

© BMW
How AR could offer a glimpse
into the mind of a robot
Bleeding edge augmented reality technology could bring human
workers and industrial robotics closer together than ever before,
learns Freddie Holmes
T he subject of machine
automation naturally raises a
number of questions for those that
graphics helping workers to better
understand the intentions of their
robot colleagues with little more
instructions can be overlaid
directly on the road via an AR
windshield. At CES 2019, Hyundai
work side by side with mechanical than a glance. revealed that it has been working
leviathans: how can humans with WayRay, a Swiss start-up
understand what a robot is about Outside of the factory, AR is that has developed just a system.
to do next, and be sure that it will being considered for in-vehicle Also at the show, Nissan laid out
not accidentally cause harm? navigation. Rather than displaying plans to introduce digital passengers
Augmented reality (AR) could directions in the driver’s in the cockpit—computer generated
prove pivotal in alleviating peripheral vision on an avatars that can ride alongside
concerns, with real-time 3D infotainment screen, arrows and the driver.

AR has found numerous uses

elsewhere, even directing retail
shoppers to their preferred items
and saving them the pain of
hunting aisle to aisle. In 2014, a
DARPA-funded prototype headset
was tested to improve military
situational awareness by tagging
and tracking objects, and
overlaying information into a
soldier’s line of sight. AR is also
rife in consumer electronics, with
mobile apps such as Snapchat and
Pokemon Go taking the spotlight.
In 2016, AR was included in
Facebook’s ten-year roadmap as a
key technology for growth up to
2026. However, AR offers far
more than just entertainment
© BMW
value. Introduced in the right

areas within the factory, efficiency
and safety could hit new heights.
“
Say hello to your
digital twin Introduced in the right areas within
Simon Mayer is Professor for
Interaction- and Communication-
the factory, efficiency and safety
based Systems at the University of
St.Gallen in Switzerland. A
could hit new heights
computer scientist by training, he
describes the profession as
‘putting magic into the real world.’ what that machine will be up to in Kuka co-bots to take the strain of
His team has been investigating few seconds’ time,” explained mounting heavy gearboxes, for
how mixed reality can help Mayer. The problem, he says, is example, while Skoda’s Vrchlabí
workers to interact with an that this form of technology within plant in the Czech Republic uses co-
assembly line. Leveraging the the manufacturing sphere is not bots to insert gear actuator pistons
Microsoft Hololens AR headset, just cutting-edge; it is at such an into transmissions.
the proposed solution—dubbed early stage that he describes the
‘HoloMiracle’—allows the user to solution as ‘bleeding-edge’. In order for robots and humans
make vocal queries and control a to work together in more
digital cursor to manipulate 3D complex situations, improved
graphics. This means that Working with giants communication between man
decisions can be made on the spot and machine will be key. Safety
rather than from a computer lab. AR could also prove helpful in the and efficiency must continue to
In future, it could also provide an realm of collaborative robots, or co- rise as machines become more
insight into a robot’s intentions, or bots, which are far smaller and capable and modular. If current
more specifically, the tasks it has easier to move than heavy-duty projections hold true, the so-called
been programmed to perform. industrial robots. Today, co-bots smart factory of the future will
already assist human workers with leverage highly flexible robots in
“Augmented reality overlays 3D tasks that are particularly strenuous, order to facilitate quick changeover
images over a particular space. A such as fitting heavy components on times and the production of a
digital twin attached to a physical a vehicle or other ‘dirty, dangerous greater range of products.
robot, which is only visible and dull’ tasks. Workers at BMW’s According to Rolf Najork, President
through an AR lens, could show plant in Dingolfing, Germany use of the Executive Board at Bosch

Rexroth, there will only be six computer designed to control

fixed parts to the smart factory:
Follow the bubbles manufacturing processes) and a
four walls, the ceiling and the floor. Microsoft Kinect motion-sensing
AR could not only show the actions device. When viewed through an
Large robots are typically housed a robot may be about to perform, AR headset, streams of blue
in the safety of a manufacturing but also a real-time view of the bubbles show the various
cell—a confined area in which a devices and networks with which it wireless interactions that take
towering machine operates out of is wirelessly connected. Devices in place as the robot is instructed to
harm’s way. Such robots can be smart environments, explains pick up a box.
tasked with handling materials Mayer, form complex networked
well over 1,000kg (2,200lbs), and systems. However, communication
are capable of moving objects in between each system essentially Making AR a reality
wide sweeping motions at speed. It occurs invisibly, or ‘behind the
is a dangerous place for any back’ of human workers. “The It is worth highlighting the
human, particularly where more autonomous behaviour difference between virtual reality
movements may be sudden and instilled to any given system that (VR) and augmented reality. AR
unpredictable. While this is likely interacts with humans, the more overlays the real world with 3D
to remain standard procedure for we need to keep the human in the images—computer generated
the majority of tasks, Mayer loop and informed,” he said. graphics that are not really
believes that AR could help to there—whilst VR uses a purely
bring the human into the loop in a Prior to his current role, Mayer digital landscape, like a videogame.
safer and more efficient way. served as a Research Scientist with The benefit of AR is that it allows
“ If humans are working among heavy, dangerous

and autonomous machines that interact with
each other, they need to be informed about the
intentions of all these robots
“Today, even partially autonomous Siemens Corporate Technology in work to be carried out in situ,
robots are fenced in a box and no Berkley, California between 2014 rather than from in front of a
one is allowed to enter. As soon as and 2017. During this time he co- computer screen elsewhere.
it detects a human entering the authored a report into how the
cell, the entire system switches off. interactions of ‘autonomous “The use of augmented reality can
This is the kind of setup we are cognitive machines’ could be enable remote asset inspection and
trying to get away from,” he visualised through a technology reduce the costs of downtime,”
explained. “If humans are working called HoloInteractions. The idea notes Arthur D. Little’s Future of
among heavy, dangerous and is for workers to “directly observe Mobility 3.0 study. Indeed, workers
autonomous machines that interact which devices interact with each at a number of ZF plants have
with each other, they need to be other, and what data is investigated how AR headsets can
informed about the intentions of all transmitted between them at any be used to troubleshoot issues on
these robots.” The issue has not given moment.” the production line in real-time.
been ignored by the industry; in Specialists are often in remote
the summer of 2019, industrial This AR system was tested locations away from the plant, but
robotics giant, Kuka, will launch a in a manufacturing cell outfitted an AR headset allows both parties
programme to investigate, with a Universal Robots to demonstrate changes that may
implement and test use cases for UR5 collaborative robot, a need to be made using overlaid 3D
AR and VR glasses in robotics. programmable logic controller (a images and instructions. Metal

© Microsoft
“ The use of augmented reality can enable
remote asset inspection and reduce the costs
of downtime
components supplier Gestamp has floor. PSA is considering how Manufacturing in Automotive
been trialling AR that allows AR could assist the way in which World’s 2018 special report ‘Vehicle
workers at its Abrera plant in robots used in welding lines and manufacturing & Industry 4.0’.
Barcelona to step inside a digital 3D paint shops are programmed.
model of a vehicle—useful for “Augmented reality could prove a As machines become increasingly
analysing the result of a crash test. way for workers to gain autonomous and almost self
knowledge of how and where they aware—able to adapt their actions
Toyota has used Microsoft Hololens will work in the future, and exactly on the fly and not simply
headsets to aid inspection how the environment around them perform repeated set tasks—the
processes—such as checking the will change,” noted Yann Vincent, ability to visualise their
thickness of exterior coatings—and Groupe PSA Executive Vice interactions and intentions could
to optimise the layout of the factory President, Supply Chain & prove invaluable.

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An Automotive World publication

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ArcelorMittal’s automotive steels open the door to lighter, safer, and

Published in March 2019 by:

Quality of life is impacted significantly by access to CEO & Managing Director:

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14 The future of mobility in Mumbai hinges on pragmatism

18 Automated vehicles – the opportunity to create an inclusive mobility

22 More stringent, more technical: Uber’s new look self-driving

28 A Swede growing in Tesla's back yard: Polestar goes EV

34 US gives self-driving trucks the green light

38 Tata Motors on fulfilling India’s electric dream

42 Could brain power be the new car key?

46 Consumer scepticism in autonomous vehicles remains unresolved

50 Blind trust, culture clashes and robot empathy – Mercedes-Benz on

58 Heat seeking cameras help autonomous cars to see in the dark

62 How AR could offer a glimpse into the mind of a robot

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Mercedes-Benz on autonomous cars Creating an inclusive mobility system

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R iding a micro scooter as a kid

Fast-forward to 2019, and scooters

At face value—shared, connected

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“ E-scooters do in fact make good sense. They are

E-scooters fall under the umbrella term of ‘micro-mobility’

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“ Automakers getting involved in this market will be

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Bird already has a valuation north of US$1bn

“ The market opportunity around mobility services is

scooter as opposed to a publically Initially, the lesser spotted e-scooter

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them from multi-storey car parks.

It is not quite the utopian future

Despite the clutter, mobility experts

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“ Within one year, shared electric scooters have

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The future of mobility in

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M umbai has been through

The needs of those without a

cheaper” compared to private

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the city will choke,” warned Vinod

Mumbai’s current rail network is

pedestrians, who simply merge this is rarely adhered to. It is

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A utomated vehicles are

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

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© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

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“ Visually impaired people need support before,

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I n August 2016, Uber’s footing in