Bosch Archives

Intelligent Park Pilot – the next step in self-parking car technology (w/VIDEO)

For those who do not like the bother of having to park their cars in a carpark, hotels usually have valets to do the job. But valets may no longer have to do it either as cars will be able to park themselves after the owner has exited. Perhaps the first cars to be able to do so will be from Mercedes-Benz which has developed and begun to demonstrate the capability.

Working with a technology supplier, the German carmaker has developed automated valet parking technology which it calls INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT. The technology is available in the EQS BEV sedan as well as the latest S-Class sold in European markets. In order to enable the car to drive and park itself, it also requires an intelligent infrastructure installed in the parking area.

Sensors installed at the building communicate with the car and guide its manoeuvring through the parking area. This will allow the car to operate in highly automated mode and without a driver, and has the possibility of additional capabilities such as automated EV charging, car wash and vehicle servicing or maintenance where vehicles move in and out of service areas on their own

The automated parking process makes use of a smartphone app and the driver has to first position the car in a designated drop-off area. When activated, the sensor system in the carpark checks whether a suitable space is available or was already reserved for the vehicle. If so, the Automated Valet Parking infrastructure confirms the hand-over of the vehicle for the driver in the app, and the car will depart on its own. It will then be guided with the help of the infrastructure to the designated space.

When the driver requires the car, a request can be sent with the app and the car will be guided to the pick-up area. This will certainly be convenient for owners as it will be unnecessary to walk around the carpark and, for those who may be forgetful, waste time searching for the place where they parked it.

Automated parking technology, which could one day be as common as cruise control, benefits drivers by easing the burden of the parking experience. It may even be possible for carpark operators to cram more cars onto a floor as the spaces can be narrower since there is no need to allow wide gaps for doors to be opened.

“Low-speed manoeuvres are part of the holistic opportunity for automated technology,” said Dr. Kay Stepper, Senior Vice-President of automated driving and driver assistance for Bosch in North America. “Automated technology in the specific use case automated valet parking gets consumers comfortable with how automated technology works and how it can benefit them.”

Engineering teams have been working over the past few years to further develop automated valet parking and support specific testing and deployments around the world. The technology was recently demonstrated at a hotel in Los Angeles, California.

“The demonstration at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown showcases how automated valet parking will operate in a working hotel environment where both automated and non-automated vehicles operate alongside pedestrian traffic,” said Dr. Stepper. “This allows us to dive into the dynamics of local deployments with the use of a highly-connected EQS from Mercedes-EQ to demonstrate how automated technology continues to move forward.”

“Our vision is that getting time back is a key component of the luxury experience our customers are looking for. The EQS gives you time back by driving itself in traffic jams on highways, but with INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT, it may also be able to park itself,” added Dr. Philipp Skogstad, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America. “INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT is a feature that together with the required infrastructure enables an automated valet service that gives customers even more comfort and relief in everyday life.”

Long-term Development Cooperation for Automated Driving between Daimler-AG and BMW Group

Understand your battery to get maximum life and performance from it

Although the trend towards electrification of motor vehicles is seeing bigger and bigger batteries being developed to store and provide the higher energy levels to power the vehicles, the humble small battery in the engine bay is still by far the most widely used. After all, it has been used for many decades, providing electricity for the starter motor to crank the engine and serving as an ancillary power supply as well.

Although the battery, typically the 12V lead-acid type, appears to be the same ‘block’ as it has always been, it has actually evolved greatly over the years. Thanks to new technologies and materials, the battery has become more durable, reliable and longer lasting – and that’s timely because today’s cars have a lot of electronic systems that will draw on the battery as well.

For most motorists, the battery comes to their mind only when it is ‘flat’, meaning it no longer holds enough electricity to even turn the starter motor. Therefore, it is important to understand the battery and the important role it plays to ensure safe and hassle-free journeys.

Different battery types
Among the various battery types available today are the maintenance-free batteries. These ‘flooded’ batteries are sealed and do not require attention whereas other types may require regular inspection and topping-up of the fluid. Maintenance-free batteries are sealed and the Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) with the latest technologies have become popular.

Many of today’s vehicles with start-stop technology and regenerative braking systems. may also require Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries. These are designed to be more resistant to leakage and corrosion, thus enabling a reliable supply of power over a longer service life.

Start-stop or Idle-Stop technology shuts down the engine automatically during periods of idling to save fuel, and automatically restarts it when it is time to move off. This means the starter more is used much more frequently than before, which has implications on the battery.

When it comes to selecting the right battery for your car, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Malaysia (Bosch AA) advises to motorists to always refer to the Owner’s Manual or consult the authorised service centre of the brand of the vehicle. This will ensure that the right battery is selected. Using the wrong type of battery may be detrimental; for example, a regular maintenance-free battery may experience accelerated wear if installed in a car with start-stop technology. This is because the engine will shut down often and then restart, so the draw on the battery is much more frequent.

Prolonging your battery lifespan
Although most car batteries are marketed as ‘maintenance-free’, there are several steps drivers can take to prolong their lifespan. One of the simplest methods is to have your mechanic incorporate a battery health check into your regular maintenance schedule to monitor the state of your battery. This can reliably predict wear and tear and even give an early warning that the battery is weakening. Many workshops and service centres are equipped with the tools and expertise to perform a thorough health check.

An often-repeated piece of advice is to start the engine regularly, especially with work-from-home becoming the norm these days. Where many people used to drive to work in the morning and back home in the evening, they may now not drive as much, and the car is parked for longer periods.

Batteries left idle discharge over time. This is often compounded by electrical equipment that has to be left active like anti-theft and vehicle telemetry systems. Bosch AA recommends driving continuously for 30 minutes at least one to two times a week to allow the battery to fully recharge. Short trips can be worse as they make it difficult for the battery to maintain a full charge, so take a drive occasionally.

*Be sure the headlights and all other electrical systems are switched off when your vehicle is parked as some may keep draining the battery.*

The best way to minimise battery discharge is ensuring all unnecessary electrical equipment, including headlights and infotainment, are fully switched off before leaving the vehicle. Alternatively, you could invest in a charging device like the Bosch C7 Battery Charger to keep the battery permanently charged to an optimum level.

It’s a numbers game
Have you ever wondered how a mechanic always seems to know what battery your car needs when a replacement is needed? Like all automotive components and spare parts, car batteries have specifications that communicate useful information such as its dimensions, battery capacity and how long it can last.

All car batteries come with factory recommendations for cold cranking amps (CCA) and Amp hour (Ah) values. These are essentially the minimum requirements expected of the car battery by the vehicle. Although it can be possible to get a car battery that falls short of these requirements to function, doing so may introduce issues to other parts of your vehicle in the long run.

For example, frequently starting the engine using a battery without sufficient CCA may damage the ignition system over time. A car battery does more than just getting the engine started when you hit the start button (or turn the key). Therefore, it is also important to consider other electrical equipment and accessories that draw power from the electrical system the moment you start your car before being drawn to more affordable options in the market.

As with other serviceable components and materials such as fluids and filters, always refer to the Owner’s Manual to ensure the correct specifications for your vehicle. Additionally, Bosch AA highly recommends to only use car batteries manufactured by reputable suppliers with reliable track records in automotive maintenance and aftersales services.

To find out more about Bosch’s range of batteries, visit a Bosch Car Service or Bosch Preferred Workshop (locations can be found here).

Bosch has a solution to make EV battery packs last longer

Making fuel sustainable and low carbon for future vehicles with combustion engines

Almost every day, there’s news about the electrification in the auto industry, if not the introduction of a new electric vehicle (EV). The industry, especially in Europe, has fast-tracked plans to move existing model fleets from using internal combustion engines to either hybrid or fully electric powertrains. Some companies even plan to stop selling vehicles with combustion engines before the end of this decade.

But there are also some companies that will look for a balance in the rush to electrification, focussing more on overall carbon neutrality (which can address climate change) for their entire operations, rather than just the products alone. Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, is one of those who feels that the rush to switch to zero emission vehicles is too excessive, demands massive investments and will damage the industry in some ways.

Whole world won’t ‘electrify’ at the same time
While governments are forcing the corporate hands of the carmakers to make the changes and cut emissions from vehicles, there will still be models with combustion engines on sale for a while. We don’t know yet how fast the infrastructure to support EVs can be developed and grow because, in some places, it doesn’t even exist yet. In Malaysia, for example, the number of recharging stations already set up is really just ‘a handful’ and an absence of a coherent policy to encourage sales and use of EVs has yet to be formulated.

While motorists in regions like Europe are steadily switching to electric vehicles, there are many millions elsewhere in the world who will continue to use vehicles running on fluid fuels for many more years.

So while some carmakers may feel that they can get by (in future) selling just EVs, there will be some who will still be developing models with combustion engines for the rest of this decade at least. Engineers can still push emissions down further to meet stricter regulations and a new generation of fuels will also help in this respect.

Renewable low-carbon fuels
These are renewable low-carbon fuels and following on from R33 Blue Diesel which has been around since 2018, Bosch, Shell, and Volkswagen have now come up with low-carbon petrol. Their new fuel, called Blue Gasoline, similarly contains up to 33% renewables, ensuring a well-to-wheel reduction in carbon emissions of at least 20% per kilometre driven. This means a fleet of 1,000 VW Golf Mk.8 1.5 TSIs alone could save more than 230 metric tons of CO₂ per year, assuming an annual mileage of 10,000 kms each.

Shell will offset the remaining carbon emissions from the use of Blue Gasoline through certified offset arrangements. The initial plan is to make the fuel available at regular filling stations over the course of the year, starting in Germany.

“On the road to climate-friendly mobility, we must ensure we don’t leave any technical opportunities untapped, starting with electromobility and ending with renewable fuels. Every bit of CO₂ we save can help us achieve our climate targets,” said Dr. Uwe Gackstatter, President of the Bosch Powertrain Solutions division.

“Blue Gasoline is another building block in the effective reduction of CO₂ emissions from the vehicle fleet. Blue Gasoline’s high storage stability makes the fuel particularly suitable for use in plug-in hybrid vehicles. In the future, the expansion of the charging infrastructure and larger batteries will mean that these vehicles predominantly run on electrical power, and thus that fuel may remain in the fuel tank for longer periods of time,” explained Sebastian Willmann, Head of Internal Combustion Engine Development at Volkswagen

Highest standards set for fuel quality and sustainability
Blue Gasoline fuel complies with the EN 228/E10 standard and even exceeds it in key parameters such as storage stability and boiling behaviour. High-quality additives also keep the engine extremely clean and protect it against corrosion. This means not only that the fuel can be distributed via the existing filling station network, but also that it can be used in all new and existing vehicles for which Super 95 E10 petrol has been approved.

The proportion of up to 33% renewables is made up of biomass-based naphtha or ethanol certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system. One source of such naphtha is what is known as tall oil, a by-product in the production of pulp for paper. But naphtha can also be obtained from other residual and waste materials.

Low-carbon fuels at Bosch company stations
In the Blue Gasoline project, the three partners jointly defined the fuel specification to be achieved, taking into account engine requirements and sustainability. They put the product they developed through intensive testing on engine test benches and in trial vehicles – with consistently positive results. Bosch has begun supplying Blue Gasoline at its company filling stations for the past month, with other stations scheduled during for rest of 2021.

The supply of conventional Super 95 E10 petrol will then be gradually phased out. Since the end of 2018, R33 Blue Diesel has been the only diesel fuel that Bosch company filling stations offer for company cars and internal delivery vehicles. R33 Blue Diesel is also becoming available at more and more regular filling stations in Germany. At present, it is offered at 8 filling stations belonging to different brands nationwide, with more set to follow.

Not a substitute for electromobility
For Bosch, renewable low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels will not replace electromobility but complement it. In principle, the use of these fuels makes sense in all modes of transport, but especially in those for which there is as yet no clear and economical path to electrification. In addition to ships and aircraft, this applies primarily to heavy goods vehicles and existing vehicles, but also to the millions of vehicles with internal combustion engines or hybrid powertrains that are on the world’s roads today or will be built in the coming decades.

To promote rapid market uptake for these fuels, the focus is on renewable biomass and synthetic fuel components that can be blended into regular fuel in high proportions in line with existing fuel standards.

For a healthier motoring life, be sure a cabin filter keeps the air in the car clean

The air we breathe has always had undesirable particles and germs but in Malaysia, we are fortunate that our air is not so polluted that our health is endangered (not to say that people do not suffer from unhealthy air quality). We have not had to wear face masks before but now we have to in order to protect ourselves and others from the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

While we are now expected to wear face masks by law, it is also useful to take similar precautionary measures inside our cars. Most ventilation systems in today’s cars have some sort of filter, some more effective than others, to help catch dirt particles and keep the air quality reasonably clean.

Air quality is very important
Air quality is of great importance to all of us because it directly affects our health and immune system, as Dr. Rajveer Singh Saren, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist, stresses. “Air pollution is a silent killer and has caused over three million deaths in the Southeast Asian region. In Malaysia, the World Health Organization categorizes our air quality as moderately unsafe. In my 17 of years of practicing, I’ve seen an increase in health problems such as asthma, allergies, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart attacks every year due to long term exposure to current air quality levels,” he said.

Some studies have found in-car air quality can be up to 15 times more polluted than the air outside the car. Sitting in traffic causes the highest air pollution in the car as emissions from surrounding vehicles can flow into the car.

Subsequently, a Bosch Automotive Aftermarket (AA) study done in April this year reported that 96% of Malaysian drivers do realise this and showed concerns about air quality in their car. On top of that, exhaust or unpleasant smells and dusty air in the car are the two most common experiences – 64% and 58%, respectively – that drivers notice. These are an indication that many vehicles may have a clogged cabin filter.

Dust, dirt and bacteria
The same survey also reported that the top three types of air pollutants drivers are concerned about are dust, dirt and bacteria. A cabin filter in the ventilation system should be able to capture and keep out these unwanted air contaminants and impurities, as well as smoke, mold spores and pet hair.

*Undesirable particles in cabin air are even smaller than the diameter of human hair and a good filter should trap them to maintain good air quality.*

The better cabin filters may also have enhanced features including anti-bacteria and anti-virus properties that can help minimise exposure risks to airborne pollutants, bacteria and viruses while sitting in the car.

Use good quality filters
“We at Bosch highly encourage drivers to start making the air quality in the car cabin a focal point for health with prioritizing the use of good quality cabin filters in this new normal and beyond. Many drivers are unaware of the existence of a cabin filter as they are an unseen car part. They are in fact a simple, affordable, and very accessible car part that helps limit airborne pollutants, bacteria and viruses from flowing into the car cabin, and reduces our exposure to them. It is with this additional protection that drivers and passengers can be safer in their cars without wearing a mask,” said Dillion Goh, Marketing Manager of Bosch AA.

“The new normal way of life has heightened the awareness on the importance of air quality in relation to our health. The quality of air in your car cabin – how much it stops airborne pollutants, bacteria and virus from the outside air brought into a car – can make a key difference being you staying healthy and falling ill,” he added.

Bosch makes various types of cabin filters with various features such as the ability to remove or trap particles as small as 2.6 microns (a strand of human hair is 50-70 microns in diameter), and an activated carbon layer that absorbs and neutralizes unpleasant smells and harmful gases.

Replace periodically
Just like the air and oil filters in the engine bay, the life of cabin filters is not unlimited. As dirt is trapped, it accumulates and affects the airflow. first. A few that the filter is clogged and needs replacing is when you can smell unpleasant odours, frequent foggy windows and reduced coldness from the air conditioner (although this can also be due to refrigerant diminishing over time.

*The cabin filter is usually behind the glovebox in most cars.*

Depending on the manufacturer’s recommendation, the cabin filter should be replaced every year or every 15,000 kms, whichever comes first. Replacing filters is usually an easy procedure and its location will be mentioned in the Owner’s Manual (usually behind the glovebox in the dashboard).

ESP – the innovation that has prevented millions of accidents in 25 years

Until the mid-1990s, mention of ‘ESP’ would have had people thinking about Extra Sensory Perception, which is what those letters usually referred to. ESP was related to psychic abilities where some people could sense something that others could not, especially events that might happen. After 1995, though. ESP came to mean something else and interestingly, it also referred to a new innovation that could ‘sense’ something about the happen.

The modern ESP is Electronic Stability Program (also known as Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Assist or Vehicle Stability Control by some manufacturers) and it is a computerised system which can help prevent a car from skidding out of control, especially when taking a corner. Developed by Bosch and Daimler-Benz, it was first introduced almost 25 years ago in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Since then, ESP has been keeping vehicles safely on track, especially on slippery surfaces, and Bosch accident researchers estimate that in the EU alone, the system has saved some 15,000 lives over the past 25 years. Together with the seatbelt and airbag, ESP is one of the most important life-savers in a vehicle.

“The development of ESP was a milestone on the path to our ‘vision zero’ of no more road deaths,” says the Bosch board of management member Harald Kroeger. “ESP is an outstanding example of what we mean by ‘Invented for life.”

The innovation may be 25 years old but Bosch has continuously improved it to function more effectively and respond to potential accidents more quickly. Over 250 million ESP systems have been produced and most modern cars have it. According to Bosch, 82% of all new vehicles are equipped with ESP today, with even lower-priced models getting it.

Preventing up to 80% of all skidding accidents
Especially when roads are wet and slippery, when evading unexpected obstacles such as animals on the road, and also when driving into a bend too fast, ESP gores into action automatically. It combines the functions of the ABS system and the traction control system with additional inputs to stabilize the car as it is about to go out of control. Various sensors can detect vehicle skidding movements and actively counteracts them.

Up to 80% of all potential accidents due to skidding can be prevented although it must still be kept in mind that the laws of physics still apply. There are limits where the system will not be able to help if speeds are too high, overwhelming even the grip of the tyres.

The system uses information about vehicle dynamics to detect whether the car is heading in the direction the driver is steering. If there is a discrepancy between these two factors, ESP intervenes. This may sound simple but it is in fact a complex process.

Smart sensors help compare steering angle and vehicle trajectory 25 times a second. If the two diverge, ESP reduces engine torque and brakes individual wheels. In this way, the system helps the driver prevent the vehicle from breaking away or skidding – effectively avoiding loss of control that can lead to an accident.

Breakthrough following the elk test
The story behind this innovation is a long one. It started in the 1980s with initially independent efforts by Bosch and Daimler-Benz to achieve more vehicle stability. The legendary ‘elk test’ of 1997 helped the system achieve a breakthrough: during tests for a Swedish automotive magazine, a Mercedes Benz A-class tipped over when making an abrupt evasive manoeuvre. Mercedes-Benz responded by quickly making ESP standard equipment.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class elk test — *The extreme instability of the A-Class (left) in what was known as the ‘elk test’ – basically a high-speed evasive manoevre – led Mercedes-Benz to install ESP in all its models.*

*Mercedes-Benz driving courses for owners often given them the chance to experience the benefits of ESP in high-speed lane-change exercises.*

Safety authorities have also recognized the benefits of ESP and made it a mandatory feature of vehicles in some parts of the world. As the volume of systems has continuously risen, the cost has dropped to make it possible to offer even in low-priced models. Data from Europe shows that if the proportion of vehicles featuring the system rises, accident numbers fall.

Democratizing safety to achieve zero traffic accidents

Human drivers use two eyes, autonomous cars need three eyes

Human beings have two eyes to view their surroundings as they drive, sending images to the brain which then makes the necessary decisions to brake or avoid hazards. When an on-board computer takes over the entire job of operating an autonomous car, two ‘eyes’ are not enough and a third sensor is needed. The first two eyes – already in use – are the camera and radar and the third is a long-range lidar sensor for light detection and ranging.

Bosch has a production-ready lidar system that is suitable for automotive use. This laser-based distance measurement technology is indispensable for driving functions at SAE Levels 3 to 5 (the different levels of autonomy). The new sensor will cover both long and close ranges – on highways and in the city.

By exploiting economies of scale, Bosch aims to reduce the price for the sophisticated technology and make it affordable for the mass market. “By filling the sensor gap, Bosch is making automated driving a viable possibility in the first place,” said Bosch Management Board Member, Harald Kroeger.

Alert to all automated driving situations
Only the parallel deployment of three sensor principles ensures that automated driving will offer maximum safety when it is available. This has been confirmed by Bosch analyses, where developers investigated all use cases of automated driving functions – from highway assist to fully automated driving in cities.

For example, if a motorcycle approaches an automated vehicle at high speed at a junction, lidar is needed in addition to camera and radar to ensure the reliable sensing of the two-wheeler. In this instance, radar can struggle to detect the bike’s narrow silhouette and plastic fairings. Moreover, a camera can always be dazzled by harsh light falling on it. As such, there is a need for radar, camera, and lidar, with the three technologies complementing each other perfectly and delivering reliable information in every driving situation.

Lidar is an essential element
We can think of laser as a ‘third eye’: in lidar systems, the sensor emits laser pulses and captures the laser light that is scattered back. The system then calculates distances based on the measured time it takes for the light to bounce back. Lidar offers very high resolution with a long range and a wide field of vision. As a result, the laser-based distance measurement tool can reliably detect even non-metallic objects at a great distance, such as rocks on the road. This means there is plenty of time to initiate driving manoeuvres such as braking or swerving.

At the same time, using lidar in vehicles exposes the lidar system’s components, such as the detector and the laser, to many stresses – above all, with regard to temperature resistance and reliability over the vehicle’s entire lifetime. Because Bosch can draw on its sensor expertise and systems know-how in the fields of radar and camera technology when developing the lidar, the company can ensure that all three sensor technologies dovetail with each other.

“We want to make automated driving safe, convenient, and fascinating. In this way, we will be making a decisive contribution to the mobility of the future,” said Kroeger. Bosch’s long-range lidar will fulfil all safety requirements for automated driving as well as enable automakers to efficiently integrate the technology into a very wide range of vehicle types in the future.

Artificial intelligence makes systems even safer
Recently, Bosch engineers succeeded in taking the camera technology used in cars to a new level by enhancing it with artificial intelligence. The camera technology detects objects, categorizes them into classes such as vehicles, pedestrians, or bicycles, and measures their movement. In congested urban traffic, the camera can also recognize and classify partially obscured or crossing vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists quickly and reliably. This allows the vehicle to trigger a warning or an emergency braking manoeuvre as required.

The engineers are also continuously refining radar technology. The latest generation of Bosch radar sensors is even better at capturing the vehicle’s surroundings – even in bad weather or poor light conditions. Their greater detection range, wide aperture, and high angular separability are the basis for this improved performance.

New Land Rover Defender gets advanced connectivity with world-first dual e-SIM hardware

Unlike its predecessor which was developed long before the electronic age, the new Land Rover Defender is filled with advanced technologies, particularly in the area of connectivity. At CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show which is on this week, Land Rover is displaying the 4×4 model as the first vehicle with two embedded LTE modems for enhanced connectivity, while the vehicle’s new Pivi Pro infotainment system shares electronic hardware with the latest smartphones.

Land Rover New Defender — *21st century technology in the New Defender*

SOTA technology
The fast and intuitive Pivi Pro system allows customers to make full use of the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology in the New Defender without compromising the system’s ability to stream music and connect to apps. With its own designated LTE modem and eSIM, the SOTA technology can operate in the background without affecting the day-to-day connectivity provided by the separate modem and eSIM in the infotainment module.

The always-on, connected Pivi Pro setup sits at the heart of the cabin. A 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen allows customers to control numerous aspects of the vehicle using the same processing hardware as the latest smartphones. In addition, customers can connect two mobile devices at once using Bluetooth.

“With one LTE modem and eSIM dedicated to the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology and the same set-up looking after music streaming and apps, New Defender has the digital capacity to keep customers connected, updated and entertained at all times anywhere in the world,” said Peter Virk, Director of Connected Car and Future Technology at Jaguar Land Rover. “You could liken the design to a brain, with each half enjoying its own connection for unrivalled and uninterrupted service. Like the brain, one side of the system looks after logical functions, like SOTA, while the other takes care of more creative tasks.”

The LTE connectivity behind the Jaguar Land Rover infotainment system also allows the New Defender to roam across multiple networks in different regions to help optimize connectivity. In addition, the cloud-based architecture provided by CloudCar is designed to make it easy to access and use content and services.

Expanded SOTA capability
Land Rover has also confirmed the first New Defender SUVs will feature more SOTA capability than originally projected. At its Frankfurt Motor Show launch in September 2019, it was announced that 14 individual electronic control modules would be able to receive remote updates. However, the first production vehicles will feature 16 control units capable of receiving SOTA updates.

Land Rover engineers estimate that in-dealer software updates will be a thing of the past for Defender customers before the end of 2021 as additional SOTA modules come online, rising from the current 16 to more than 45.

Qualcomm Technologies
Powering the Defender’s Pivi Pro infotainment and Vehicle Domain Controller are two high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platforms, each with an integrated Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. The Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform delivers unprecedented performance and technology integration designed to support highly advanced telematics, infotainment and digital clusters.

With its power-efficient CPU cores and state-of-the-art GPU performance, integrated machine learning and powerful video processing capabilities, the Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform will enhance connected in-car experiences, including responsive interfaces, immersive 4K graphics, high-definition media streaming, and immersive audio.

Two X12 LTE modems provide parallel high-bandwidth downlink and uplink connectivity across multiple networks, ultra-fast connectivity and lower latency for secure, reliable communications. Additionally, the X12 LTE modem features an integrated global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and automotive dead reckoning, increasing the vehicle’s capability to accurately keep track of its location and position.

BlackBerry QNX
The New Defender is the first Land Rover vehicle to include a domain controller that consolidates a number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and driver convenience functions built on top of the QNX Hypervisor. Consolidating more systems onto fewer ECUs is integral to the future of automotive electrical design and will be the model for the Land Rover brand’s next-generation vehicle architecture.

Within the New Defender, the Blackberry QNX operating system helps deliver a smartphone-like experience for Pivi Pro infotainment users. The technology also powers the operating system for the latest generation TFT Interactive Driver Display, which can be configured to show vehicle instrumentation, navigation instructions and mapping information or a combination of the two.

BlackBerry QNX technology is embedded in more than 150 million vehicles on the road today and used by top automakers for their ADAS, digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, hands-free, and infotainment systems.

CloudCar
Jaguar Land Rover is the first global car maker to use CloudCar’s latest cloud-based services platform. Working with the world-leading developer of connected driver experiences brings new levels of customer convenience to the Pivi Pro infotainment fitted to the New Defender. The CloudCar system supports a variety of service and content functionalities and recognizes dial-in numbers and codes, as well as locations, stored within calendar meeting invites. Customers can then navigate to or dial-in to meetings and conference calls with a single touch of the central touchscreen.

Bosch ADAS
Land Rover is on the road to a connected and autonomous future and the New Defender features a variety of technologies developed with Bosch to enhance the driving experience. Alongside the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which include Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Assist, Bosch has supported the development of the Land Rover brand’s innovative 3D Surround Camera System, which gives drivers a unique view of the vehicle’s immediate perimeter using four wide-angle HD cameras, each providing a 190-degree field-of-view.

Connected using a 3Gbit/s video backbone and fused with 14 ultrasonic sensors, the clever technology gives drivers a choice of vantage points including a top-down plan view and seamless perspective view. It even performs as a virtual scout, allowing customers to pan around the vehicle on screen for the ultimate Command Driving Position on and off-road.

New Land Rover Defender’s Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle system provides ‘future-proofing’

High-tech Virtual Sunvisor you can see through!

The sunvisor as we know it has been around since the earliest days of the motorcar, at least after the driver had the protection of a body around the seating area. While the windscreen glass prevented the onrush of wind from causing discomfort and affecting vision, it did not stop the rays of the sun from blinding the driver.

Back then, drivers must have attached some sort of board to the upper part of the windscreen to block the sun. Later on, when carmakers realised it was something to address, they provided a small panel which could flip up when not needed. In the 1970s, a ball joint was used at one corner so the sunvisor could be flipped to the side so that it could also block the sunshine if it was not coming from the front.

The sunvisor is one of those things in a car which has never evolved, maybe because its function is so basic. Other than adding a mirror (some with illumination) and sleeves to store cards or papers, the sunvisor is the same as what it was decades ago.

Bosch Virtual Visor — *Driving towards the evening sun can often be blinding, even with a sunvisor. This innovation could eliminate the discomfort (and danger to driving).*

Blocks the sun but not the view
Now a group of engineers at Bosch have come out with an innovation for sunvisor design which can block the sun without also blocking a driver’s view of the road. It achieves this by using an LCD panel instead of the usual cardboard or foam-filled panel. The panel can be flipped up when not needed.

There’s also a camera which is pointed at the driver’s face to recognise facial features like the nose, mouth, and, most importantly, the eyes. The camera’s video feed allows a computer to use AI to recognise shadows on the driver’s eyes and darkens only the areas on the visor where the sunlight is strong. The AI varies the darkening and generally, there should be enough areas that are not darkened for the driver to have a clear view ahead.

The Virtual Visor, as it is referred to, is not an official Bosch product yet. It was shown at the CES 2020 and described as a project which three of the company’s engineers worked on in their free time. If the company sees potential to commercialise it, then it would have to go through stringent development processes to ensure durability, safety and all the things that carmakers will demand if they are to adopt it.

Tom Tom, Bosch and Daimler’s Predictive Powertrain Control help trucks run more efficiently

TomTom, Bosch and Daimler have announced their joint work on Daimler’s Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC), an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), or smart cruise control, for commercial vehicles. Trucks can use TomTom’s highly-accurate ADAS Map and Bosch’s electronic horizon to automate driving functions on highways and, in Europe, on inter-urban roads too. The system is claimed to lead to a fuel reduction of up to 5% per vehicle, which delivers lower carbon dioxide emissions.

As the first smart cruise control system in commercial vehicles, PPC actively controls engine, brakes, and automated transmission. Thanks to TomTom’s ADAS map, the system is familiar with the topography, curvature, speed limit (including truck-specific speed limits) and traffic signs, meaning it can respond in a manner that delivers the most fuel-efficient performance.

*The Bosch electronic horizon provides data on road inclines and the sharpness of bends to complement navigation data.*

Bosch’s electronic horizon is used to integrate knowledge of the road ahead into the driving strategy of the new Mercedes-Benz Actros. It provides required map data per ADAS protocol in a new and innovative way allowing relaxed, safe and efficient driving.

An anticipatory cruise control system, PPC is available as a retrofit solution across Europe for the new Actros, the Antos and the Arocs. PPC reduces fuel consumption by up to 5%, thereby contributing demonstrably to the lowering of the total operating costs of a truck.

As a GPS cruise control system, PPC not only regulates the vehicle speed. On the basis of 3-dimensional maps, the system uses peak momentum gained on downhill gradients, throttles back in good time when cresting hills, intervenes in the gearshift strategy and, not least, uses the transmission’s neutral EcoRoll position to minimise fuel consumption.

This leads to a predictive style of driving based on perfect, round-the-clock knowledge of the route and vehicle. It has digital 3D maps stored which cover around 300,000 kms of roads: this equates to 95% of all European trunk roads.

Based on a typical annual mileage of around 130,000 kms in long-distance operations and a fuel-saving of 5%, PPC pays for itself within 8 months, depending on fuel consumption, even low fuel prices.

MirrorCam brings digital imaging to Mercedes-Benz trucks

Road accidents can be reduced by studying why they happen

According to the Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank in December 2018, Malaysia has the third highest fatality rate from road traffic accidents in Asia and ASEAN. In spite of various efforts to change this, the rate has not changed since 2007. The government’s approach has been the conventional ones – stricter enforcement of laws and all sorts of safety campaigns. It hopes that through education and safety awareness, the numbers can drop but that will take a long time.

Across the Asian region, public policies and priorities have been devised and revised in pursuit of enhanced road safety. Policies need to address current and future traffic issues, which will require extensive study of the anatomy of road accidents. “The collaboration of multiple sectors such as the government, automotive industry, and the academe will ensure long-term collection of more comprehensive data, nationwide reach, reduced costs, and unbiased analysis, as well as further recommendations,” said Martin Hayes, Regional President of Bosch Southeast Asia.

Understanding why accidents occur
As one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers, Bosch believes that improving traffic safety will be greatly served by fully utilizing crash data to develop and implement life-saving measures based on facts, rather than intuition. Accident research takes all available data into consideration, as it seeks to understand the root causes of vehicular crashes in order to prevent them in the future.

For Bosch and its multidisciplinary team of mathematicians, physicists, and automotive and mechanical experts at Bosch Accident Research, a vehicular accident is much more than just two objects colliding. Worldwide, driver and rider error or misbehaviour is the leading cause of road accidents, but other circumstances also come into play: bad weather, poorly lit or damaged roads, lack of road signs, animal or pedestrian crossings, and vehicular flaws, either by design or improper maintenance, among many other factors.

Bosch recommends an end-to-end approach to look at the impact of crash statistics, where information gathered from crash scene investigations are analyzed to determine key contributing factors. The root causes, severity, and statistics of accidents are then summarized, along with an estimation of the benefits from preventive actions.

Thomas Lich, senior expert at Bosch Accident Research, explains that “this methodology derives insights that will help bring about safer vehicles and aid government agencies in developing measures that enhance infrastructure, enforcement, and emergency response.”

Accident investigation — *Accident investigators in India*

One such example of this is the Road Accident Sampling System of India (RASSI), a joint accident research project led by 13 members from vehicle manufacturers, research agencies, and automotive suppliers, including Bosch. Since 2009, RASSI has been able to successfully document nearly 4,000 road accidents and paved the way for infrastructure improvements on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, increased driver and rider safety awareness, as well as countermeasures like the installation of advanced vehicle safety systems.

More motorcycles = need for greater vehicle safety
Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing markets for motorized two-wheel vehicles in the world. In the same report published by WHO, riders of motorized two-wheelers, along with pedestrians, are unfortunately also at most risk of road crashes, comprising nearly half of those who die in road accidents.

Since 2005, the data collected and analysed by Bosch Accident Research reveals that majority of riders of motorized two-wheelers do not know how to react in emergency situations. This seems to be a common theme in three countries: Germany (33%), India (35%), and Thailand (43%). In all three countries, the second-highest reaction is falling down due to a lack of brakes, followed by a lack of braking power.

Further research concluded that around one out of four accidents with injuries involving motorized two-wheelers could be prevented if these vehicles were equipped with ABS, assisting the rider in critical situations by reducing the risk of a rider falling.

In India, RASSI results are used to identify effective safety measures, including the potential of Active Safety systems such as a combined braking system (CBS) or antilock braking system (ABS).

Accident research also contributes to the development of state-of-the-art safety technologies. One example is emergency call or eCall for powered two-wheelers. Mandatory for all new passenger cars in the European Union (EU) since April 2018, the technology for powered two-wheelers is still being studied. To technically realize eCall for powered two-wheelers, the significant differences between passenger cars and two-wheelers need to be taken into account, including accident and injury severity. These key factors will then form the baseline for new safety systems.

Collective commitment
The cooperation between stakeholders to complete the circle of social responsibility is key to increasing road safety. Fortunately, a growing number of organizations in Southeast Asian countries are now working with Bosch Accident Research to assess local accident situations. Accident analysis is being explored in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, while Thailand is focused on establishing on-the-spot accident investigation.

Thailand’s on-the-spot accident research is focused on incidents with personal injuries. The aim is to train researchers on collecting on-the-spot crash data using a similar methodology from other projects. This will equip researchers with the know-how in surveying pre-crash situations, such as road conditions and traffic management systems and analyse post-crash situations to identify root causes, such as driver reactions and vehicle road-worthiness.

They will also be trained to determine efficacy of emergency response. This will be then the baseline for future research to come up with countermeasures to improve safety on Thailand’s roads, as experienced from other countries.

While the causes of road accidents are often universal, research will draw out unique circumstances where a differing action should be instigated. “A holistic approach based on accident research enables all parties to identify hot spots in infrastructure that need to be prioritized, along with the technology needed to improve emergency and rescue services,” added Lich.

Bosch believes that the first step in achieving road safety is an accident research initiative – one that is nationwide in scope and jointly driven by multiple sectors of society. The findings from the research will provide much-needed insights that will serve as the scientific basis for more effective road safety policies, ultimately resulting in millions of lives saved each year.

This is how Hino plans to reduce road accidents in Malaysia

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