Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ford to close 3 plants, end production in Brazil, costing $4.1 billion
      Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ferentino Tyre opens Sri Lanka plant; eyes exports to U.S., Europe
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • JobsOhio funding gives Sperry & Rice room to grow
      TRAC's Glenn Maidment caps 51-year rubber industry career
      LafargeHolcim looks to solidify U.S. presence with Firestone Building Products purchase
      Hankook Tire holding company adopts Hankook & Co. identity
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Endurica earns prestigious Tibbetts Award from SBA
      Kuraray to raise elastomer prices again
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
      Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
    • Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Adriano Alfani named Versalis CEO
      Maroon Group adds to Southeast sales team
      ASTM taps rubber executive as new board member
    • Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Lobbying group unveils policy agenda to speed transition to EVs
      NADA, bank group to assess political contributions after U.S. Capitol siege
    • Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
      Column: Still far way from normal
    • Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
      A comparative study looking at effects of curing kinetics and batch variation on SBR injection molding and numerical analytics
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
      Rubber Division seeking abstracts for Spring Technical Meeting
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
      New Products: MonTech automates bale cutter for safety, productivity
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ford to close 3 plants, end production in Brazil, costing $4.1 billion
      Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
      Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
      Malaysia electronics group to enter rubber gloves sector
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Selectâ„¢: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2020 International Silicone Conference Virtual Edition
      2020 ITEC Virtual Edition
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
November 21, 2017 01:00 AM

Suppliers, auto makers in hot pursuit of new tech

David Sedgwick
Automotive News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Adient designers check out the AI18 concept, an interior envisioned for robotaxis

    A great upheaval is taking place in the global auto industry. Not just because the vehicles, parts, technologies and key players are changing, but also because those players are no longer certain about who will do what in the future.

    Unprecedented opportunities are beckoning. But the unanswered question is, whose opportunities are they?

    Picture a "smart city" in 2030, with a transportation grid that manages autonomous cars, steers driverless robotaxis and keeps passengers and pedestrians safe.

    Who will manage the sensors, connectivity and data centers of that grid? Who will design the artificial intelligence that an automated car needs to choose its proper route? And who will design made-to-order interiors for robotaxi fleets owned by Uber, Lyft or China's Didi Chuxing?

    The answers are up for grabs.

    Today, smart transportation is a jigsaw puzzle beyond the expertise of any one car maker. And in response, over the coming decade, auto makers likely will form alliances with key technology suppliers to guarantee access to software, computer chips and sensors.

    That trend already has begun.

    BMW has partnered with Intel and Delphi to develop a self-driving fleet by 2021. Volvo is partnering with safety supplier Autoliv and Nvidia, while Toyota has teamed up with chip maker Renesas and Denso.

    That's certainly only the beginning.

    Robotaxi services under development by Uber, Lyft and Didi Chuxing may someday buy made-to-order interiors from key seat makers such as Adient and Faurecia. Technological smart cities will hire mega-suppliers such as Bosch to manage their parking garages, data centers and traffic signals.

    Here's how three companies—Intel, Adient and Bosch—are preparing for this era.

    Artificial intelligence

    The car ads of 2030 won't promote horsepower. More likely, they will brag about the computing power of processors with names such as Xeon, Snapdragon and Drive PX.

    The tech companies that make those chips—Intel, Qualcomm and Nvidia—enjoy economies of scale that are bigger than the auto industry. The chip business spans consumer electronics, transportation and anything else that requires artificial intelligence. In Silicon Valley, autos are just another market segment.

    Richard Chung, Adient vice president of global design, says the future could include made-to-order interiors.

    This lesson was driven home Oct. 17, when Intel announced it was shipping a processor dubbed Nervana to Facebook for evaluation. The Nervana chip, which is optimized for deep learning, will help Facebook find patterns in the mountain of data generated by its users. According to The Wall Street Journal, Intel also is touting Nervana for weather prediction, medical diagnoses, financial fraud detection and—last but not least—self-driving cars.

    "Artificial intelligence is clearly one of our strategic pillars as a company," said Doug Davis, senior vice president of Intel's automated driving group. "It will position us not just for autonomous cars, but drones, buses, trucks and trains."

    When BMW markets self-driving cars, its vehicles will get their artificial intelligence from Intel's Xeon chip, while its data centers might be powered by the Nervana processors.

    Robotaxis

    Consumers today tend to think of robotaxis as bubble-shaped little pods. But when the robotaxi truly materializes, the vehicles will have to accommodate a spectrum of users.

    What sort of robotaxi would the passenger prefer? An office on wheels, perhaps? Or a rolling movie theater? Or possibly a party wagon for a group of high-spirited friends?

    This means there is no one answer.

    Richard Chung has begun to visualize this future as vice president of global design for seat maker Adient. Chung has assembled a design team to create concept interiors for autonomous cars. At the 2017 Detroit auto show, Chung displayed the AI17, a four-seat interior for a private vehicle. He followed up at the Frankfurt show in September with the AI18, a robotaxi interior optimized for two passengers.

    Chung was tight-lipped about his next interior concept, the AI19, which will debut in Detroit in January. But he hinted that it might be for a fully autonomous vehicle—that is, no steering wheel or pedals.

    These concepts are part of Adient's pitch to integrate a complete interior—seats, consoles, information displays, door panels and airbags—as a one-stop-purchase by an auto maker. This isn't the first time that proposal has been floated. Adient's corporate predecessor, Johnson Controls, pitched the one-stop idea to auto makers in the 1990s. It flopped, and JCI has now spun off its seating division.

    But things have changed now, Chung said.

    Creating autonomous vehicles will force auto makers to reinvent nearly every major component, including entire interiors, seats, dashboard controls, airbags and climate controls. Adient does not propose to design all of these components. Instead, it is forming alliances with other suppliers that will. Autoliv Inc. has agreed to design the airbags, while Yanfeng Automotive Interiors—a joint venture created out of another Johnson Controls spinoff—would produce instrument panels, consoles and door panels.

    Yanfeng, in turn, is working with Kostal, a German specialist in cockpit controls.

    This consortium of partnerships means that Adient is ready to fit the interior puzzle pieces together.

    But Chung already is looking ahead to the next step.

    Remember all those possible robotaxi interiors? What if transportation companies Uber and Lyft could order a basic vehicle platform for their unique fleets—powered by a modular electric motor and battery—and then order the complete interiors for them from a seat maker?

    And what if the companies also could swap out the interiors to meet the changing demands of the marketplace?

    Bosch's smart cities services could include electric-vehicle charging, connected parking and air-quality monitoring.

    This notion for the future might sound oddly familiar to antique-car enthusiasts. A century ago, an auto maker would deliver a basic vehicle, and a coach maker would turn it into a made-to-order passenger vehicle.

    "It would be like going back to the old days, when cars were body-on-frame," Chung said. "We are anticipating scenarios in which that could happen. We are getting ready for that."

    Smart cities

    Reaching the next level of automotive activity—in which cars, car makers, drivers, communities and businesses are all connected under the umbrella of transportation—will take vast new levels of expertise and capital. It also will take partnerships to share the development and management of the emerging science.

    In June, Robert Bosch signed an agreement with Tianjin—a Chinese port city of nearly 16 million people—to turn it into a smart city.

    Bosch's portfolio of services there could include air-quality monitoring, connected parking, fleet management and electric-vehicle charging stations. The German mega-supplier has signed similar deals to manage pilot projects in Singapore, San Francisco, Stuttgart and Berlin.

    These projects are a work in progress. But Bosch aims to provide the sensors, software and services to make them all happen in what it calls the 3S strategy.

    Those elements will comprise the electronic network that could link together a smart city's EVs, robotaxis, parking garages, traffic signals and data centers.

    Bosch will showcase its 3S strategy in January at CES in Las Vegas.

    It likely will take a decade or more for automated vehicles and smart cities to become operational, but Bosch is starting to fit the jigsaw puzzle together.

    In April, Daimler announced that Bosch and Nvidia will partner to develop the computer "brains" for its robotaxis. And in June, Bosch joined the Apollo project launched by Chinese Internet giant Baidu to develop software for self-driving vehicles.

    Bosch has data centers, operates its own proprietary cloud and is building a $1.1 billion plant in Dresden, Germany, to produce semiconductors for vehicles, smartphones and anything else that requires a cloud connection.

    Who's in charge?

    Despite all these major initiatives, the key suppliers for them say they have no desire to replace their customers. Over the next decade or two, motorists will continue to own and use vehicles bearing familiar badges, such as Toyota, Chevrolet or Volkswagen, says Intel CEO Brian Krzanich.

    "You won't buy or lease an Intel vehicle," Krzanich told Automotive News. "Our goal is to provide the technology. We'll provide the silicon and the [software] engineering."

    But in a world of smart cities, EVs and robotaxis, the badge on the grille may not matter all that much. In 2030, auto makers will build the cars, but the suppliers will be creating the experience and making it all work together.

    This is the third part of Automotive News' five-part series "Redesigning the Industry." The full project is available here.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION