Following our report about the Nissan Futures Conference in Barcelona, we decide to report you regularly on what’s happening around the future of our automobiles, and mobility in general. The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is an interesting showcase of up to date vehicle electronics enhancing our mobility. We will take a closer look at what the major manufacturers have to offer, starting off here, in tune with our report about the Nissan conference, with the other member of the alliance, Renault…

Hans  Knol ten Bensel

Four Groupe Renault strategic technology partners – OSVehicle, ARM, Pilot and Sensoria – will present exciting open-innovation and open-source projects at CES this week, illustrating new ways of thinking about mobility as technology meets transportation. With an open-approach to innovation, Renault and its partners are exploring the changing face of the automotive industry through early hardware and software modification, the addition of new, customizable features and aftermarket opportunities.

Also at CES will be Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn who will showcase in his Nissan keynote solutions, many developed as part of the Alliance converged engineering function and shared technology.

THE WORLD’S FIRST OPEN-SOURCE MASS MARKET VEHICLE

Based on Twizy, Renault has developed POM, a compact and lightweight electric vehicle with bodywork parts removed and an open-source automotive platform. Available to start-ups, independent laboratories, private customers and researchers, it allows third parties to copy and modify existing software to create a totally customizable electric vehicle.

In partnering with OSVehicle to develop an open-source platform readily accessible to the community, OSVehicle also provides on-demand design and engineering services for complete personalization.

OSVehicle is a B2B company that provides a ready-to-use hardware platform which enables companies to produce complete electric vehicles in half the time and ⅙ the cost. OSVehicle’s platform is the key functional parts of a car – the wheels, chassis, motor, electronics and battery. Focusing on the 600B USD market of specialty vehicles, OSVehicle’s open source, modular, electric vehicle platform allows new and existing car manufacturers to develop their own models saving up to two years of R&D and millions of dollars in investments. At the same time it is a reference platform for mobility startups to embed and develop their technology on, without having to re-invent the wheel or partner with existing car brands and wait years before deploying their products.

Bringing together a rich ecosystem of entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and engineers, OSVehicle makes it easier to build, share, distribute and modify the hardware designs of electric vehicles.

Providing processor design technology powering more than 80 percent of mobile computing devices, Renault’s collaboration with ARM will open up the Twizy software and hardware architecture to allow new features, including interoperability with ARM®-based connected devices. The ARM ecosystem is scaling the ARM architecture to address a diverse range of automotive technology use cases in support of ADAS, IVI, autonomous driving, advanced cockpits and connected car.

ARM technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. From the unmissable to the invisible; our advanced, energy-efficient processor designs are enabling the intelligence in 90 billion silicon chips and securely powering products from the sensor to the smartphone to the supercomputer. With more than 1,000 technology partners including the world’s most famous business and consumer brands, we are driving ARM innovation into all areas compute is happening inside the chip, the network and the cloud. For further info, take a look at their website, www.arm.com.

Visual fun when charging…

Renault and Pilot, a retail supplier of mobile electronics and automotive accessories are exploring aftermarket opportunities beyond the traditional automotive sphere. By combining Pilot’s Light Pulse Cable technology with Renault’s expertise in electric mobility, they’ve created the world’s first electroluminescent charging cable for electric vehicles.

Designed to connect an electric vehicle to its charging point, the cable indicates the existing charge level by illuminating and flashing on and off in proportion to electricity flow. The lower the charge level, the higher the current flow and the faster the flash rate of the exterior cable sheath. The flash rate will slow down as the battery charges, switching off completely when fully charged. This technology is inspired by a cable recently brought to market by Pilot for smartphones and tablets based on the same principle.

Delicate and controlled footwork for the weekend racing driver…

Combining more than a century of racing experience with an expertise in smart garments, including an intelligent T-shirt which records a driver’s heart rate, Renault and Sensoria are collaborating to develop sensitive socks to improve drivers’ footwork. The information gathered by the connected socks is transmitted to an app that records various parameters (speed, braking and acceleration), allowing racing car enthusiasts to assess their performance on the track.

Sensoria Inc. is a leading developer of IoMe (Internet of Me) wearables and artificial intelligence software solutions that improve people’s lives. Our proprietary textile sensors infused smart garments, Sensoria Core microelectronics and cloud system enable smart footwear and clothing to convert data into actionable information for health and fitness users in real-time. For further info, look at sensorial.com

As said, we wil keep you regularly informed about future technology and mobility news…

Hans Knol ten Bensel