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FLIR Systems partners with Veoneer to introduce ‘first’ thermal sensor-equipped production self-driving car with leading automaker

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FLIR says automaker to become the industry’s ‘first of many’ to feature thermal sensing to improve safety of autonomous vehicles

FLIR Systems says its Boson-based thermal sensing technology has been selected by Veoneer, a tier-one automotive supplier, for its “Level 4” autonomous vehicle production contract with a top global automaker, planned for 2021. 

FLIR says the Veoneer system will be “the first in the industry” to include multiple thermal sensing cameras that provide both narrow and wide field-of-view capabilities to enhance the safety of self-driving vehicles. [Read more…] about FLIR Systems partners with Veoneer to introduce ‘first’ thermal sensor-equipped production self-driving car with leading automaker

Volvo receives Europe’s largest order for electric buses

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Volvo Buses has received the largest single order for electric buses in Europe. The company will deliver 157 electric articulated buses to European transportation giant Transdev starting in 2020.

The buses will operate on a number of routes in Gothenburg.

With their introduction, emissions and noise will be significantly reduced, and the electric buses will be able to operate in sensitive areas or zones with special restrictions. [Read more…] about Volvo receives Europe’s largest order for electric buses

ZF joins Mobility as a Service Alliance group

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The automotive components and systems supplier ZF has become the first major automotive supplier to participate in the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance.

The objective of this special interest group that spans Europe is to bring about a paradigm shift in urban mobility, promote networked mobility concepts, and create uniform standards for technologies and legislation.

ZF says traffic jams, lack of parking, and air pollution mean that better mobility concepts are needed to avert the threat of complete gridlock in many city centers. [Read more…] about ZF joins Mobility as a Service Alliance group

Hyundai unveils autonomous electric car for free ride-sharing in California

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Hyundai, in collaboration with Pony.ai and Via, has unveiled BotRide, a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads.

Starting on November 4, a fleet of self-driving Hyundai Kona Electric SUVs will provide a free ride-sharing service to the local community of Irvine, California.

Christopher Chang, head of business development, strategy and technology division, Hyundai, says: “The pilot introduces BotRide to several hundred Irvine residents, including college students. The goal is to study consumer behavior in an autonomous ride-sharing environment. [Read more…] about Hyundai unveils autonomous electric car for free ride-sharing in California

Volvo creates new business unit for autonomous truck solutions

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Volvo has created a new business unit for its growing range of autonomous transport solutions.

The new business area, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, will accelerate the development, commercialization and sales of autonomous transport solutions.

Volvo says this will enable the company to meet “a growing demand” and to offer “the best possible solutions” to customers in such segments as mining, ports and transport between logistics centers, as a complement to today’s products and services. [Read more…] about Volvo creates new business unit for autonomous truck solutions

Toyota to offer rides in autonomous cars on public roads

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Toyota Research Institute plans to make its Platform 4 (P4) automated driving test vehicle available for public demonstration rides next summer in Tokyo.

Offered from July to September 2020, the P4 will demonstrate Toyota’s “Chauffeur” SAE Level-4 capabilities in a specific “mobility as a service” driving environment.

The P4 experience will take place in Tokyo’s Odaiba district, a busy and often congested waterfront subcenter. [Read more…] about Toyota to offer rides in autonomous cars on public roads

General Motors and University of Michigan develop automated safety features

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As General Motors moves toward its vision of a world with zero crashes, the company is partnering with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to understand the real-world effectiveness of some of its available active safety, driver assistance, and advanced headlighting features that may prevent or mitigate different types of crashes.

The company says results show that several of these features are making a statistically significant impact in helping to reduce crashes.

The study leveraged 3.7 million GM vehicles across 20 different models from 2013-2017. Fifteen different systems were evaluated using police report crash databases available to UMTRI from 10 states. [Read more…] about General Motors and University of Michigan develop automated safety features

Alstom unveils recharging system for electric buses

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Alstom has launched the latest innovation in its range of ground-based recharging systems – SRS dedicated to electric buses.

The premiere, as part of the “Paloma” pilot project currently under way in the southern Spanish city of Malaga, sees a prototype of SRS for e-buses operating at a bus stop in front of the University of Malaga’s School of Industrial Engineering.

It is equipped with a 200 kW charger and is associated with a 12-metre Linkker e-bus which is running on Bus Line 1, operated by EMT, the local transport operator. [Read more…] about Alstom unveils recharging system for electric buses

FedEx to test Wing Aviation drone for Walgreens deliveries

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Wing Aviation, an Alphabet company, is collaborating with FedEx and pharmaceuticals retailer Walgreens to launch a first-of-its-kind drone delivery service in Christiansburg, Virginia next month.

The pilot program will demonstrate the many benefits of drone delivery to communities by exploring methods to enhance last-mile delivery service, improve access to health care products, and create a new avenue of growth for local businesses.

Drone delivery in the United States has historically been limited to small-scale demonstrations on designated test sites, or extremely short flights along pre-planned, fixed routes – all within the visual line of sight of the drone operator. [Read more…] about FedEx to test Wing Aviation drone for Walgreens deliveries

Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city

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Groupe PSA is testing vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology for the first time in the Spanish city of Vigo.

The company has been partnering with the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia on the testing, and the results are intended to help the development of automated vehicle functions.

The aim is to see how well vehicles can communicate with the surrounding infrastructure in a complex urban environment. [Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city