Though automakers are getting more realistic about their Level 5 autonomous-vehicle deadlines and scaling back on some of their ambitious plans, advanced driver-assistance systems and AV technology will still be big topics for suppliers at CES this week.
Also atop the agenda: technologies designed to take advantage of new 5G high-speed wireless networks and next-generation connectivity. They are expected to enhance autonomous driving and vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle and cellular vehicle to everything — or C-V2X — applications.
Redesigning the vehicle’s interior based on changes in cockpit architecture will also be a focus for many of the suppliers that will attend CES.
Here are a few of the top technologies from suppliers to watch for this year. Other technologies will be made public throughout the week.
Electronics supplier Visteon Corp. is unveiling its microZone advanced display technology. According to Upton Bowden, Visteon director of technology, microZone can drive various types of displays, including those in the instrument cluster and center stack.
MicroZone is both a high-contrast and low-power display technology. “Most displays — almost all displays within the automotive environment — have extremely complex environment conditions to deal with,” Bowden told Automotive News. “[MicroZone] is a much simpler system to package.”
Visteon says this technology also allows for easier over-the-air updates and improved security.
As traditional suppliers seek a stake in the future of mobility, many are using their expertise in interior technologies to bring changes to the cockpit. German supplier Bosch, for example, won a 2020 CES Innovation Award for its new 3D display, which uses passive 3D technology to generate a three-dimensional effect for images and warning signals inside the cockpit. The goal of this technology is to allow drivers to consume visual information faster and easier than when it’s displayed on conventional screens.
Aisin Seiki will unveil its I-mobility TYPE-C20 concept vehicle, an automated, bus-like ride-sharing vehicle intended for short destinations.
The Japanese supplier’s concept vehicle has an electric ramp for accessible boarding and an in-cabin monitoring system to detect a passenger’s facial direction and eye movement. The vehicle also incorporates Aisin electric vehicle components such as its eAxle electric four-wheel-drive unit, rail-free power sliding doors and thermal management products.
Continental will showcase its “holistic” HMI, which combines auditory and visual cues for human-machine communication inside and outside an autonomous vehicle. The HMI will provide a number of cues, such as when pedestrians are detected in the path of the CUbE, the supplier’s development shuttle for autonomous technologies.
Waiting passengers can track a shuttle’s location, and the vehicle will display a welcome message when it arrives.
Inside, there is a display with trip and local-services information and notifications. The system also provides sounds that let pedestrians know they are in the vehicle’s path and caution them to move.
Once it stops, the shuttle will notify pedestrians when they can safely cross.
Continental also plans to show its Transparent Hood technology, for which it received a 2020 CES Innovation Award. It allow drivers to see the ground view immediately in front of their vehicle while driving.