For the past 15 years, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC Motor) is China’s largest traditional automaker. Owned by the Chinese government, the automaker is now adding more features to its electric vehicles.

SAIC Motor recently announced the official operation of its Mobility Robotaxi, which is also China’s first L4 self-driving platform in China.

Cooperating with Momenta, SAIC Motor Lab would provide intelligent driving solutions to Robotaxi; its platform offers powerful computing power with 600 trillion operations per second.

Its “vision + radar” solution can also independently complete 3D perception and data-driven fusion to ensure multiple and high-level redundancies in the system.

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Now, Cipia, an auto-tech company providing automakers and fleets with advanced AI-based in-cabin sensing solutions for driver and interior monitoring, has announced the first purchase order from Tier 1 Technomous, and the start of production with China’s largest automotive company SAIC Motor.

Cipia is delivering its market-leading Driver Monitoring System (DMS), Driver Sense, for integration in the Roewe RX5 MAX car model running on TI TDA4VM SoC, with production already underway.

This project joins other car models already in serial production with Driver Sense on board. The project with Technomous for SAIC was included in Cipia’s IPO prospectus as part of the design wins and forecasted lifecycle value.

(Source – Cipia)

David Tolub, CEO of Cipia said, “The integration of the system in such a short time span is a testament to the quality of the solution and service level, and offers automotive manufacturers the ability to remain at the edge of technology and safety, and enjoy a competitive advantage in the market.”

Research from Continental China and non-profit organization HCVC, 74% of people who survived road traffic accidents attributed the main cause to distracted driving.

With the growing number of distractions in cars coupled with an overreliance on semi-autonomous driving features, there is a clear need for technology to mitigate the dangers of distracted driving.

The computer vision and AI technology powering Driver Sense monitors and analyzes the driver’s behavior by detecting visual attributes such as eyelids, pupils, gaze direction, and more. This then translates them to the physiological state of the driver (drowsiness, distraction, talking on the phone, etc.), enabling life-saving warnings and actions.

The Chinese automotive market has been in a steady growth state for the past two decades. In 2020, 25 million vehicles were manufactured in China, a figure more than the US and EU combined.

In recent years, Chinese automakers started acquiring international auto brands and targeting western markets with international brands.

SAIC Motor has been the top-selling automotive manufacturer in China for 15 consecutive years, reaching a sales volume of 5.6 million vehicles across its brands in 2020.

The post Chinese automaker SAIC Motor invests in driving monitoring system appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The automotive industry has entered into an intense era of collaboration among carmakers, technology giants, and even software start-ups, among others.

This trend comes as countries, including China, accelerate into increased usage of EVs and AVs. Numerous partnerships have sprouted up in the past year, adding density and life to this ecosystem. 

Among Chinese automakers themselves, a handful of significant partnerships were made to accelerate the developments of EVs and AVs within the country.

In fact, China is shaping up to be the first real test of Big Tech’s ambitions in the world of car making. 

Take tech giant Baidu for an example, just 11 months after announcing that it is collaborating with automaker Geely to start a new company to build connected, autonomous electric vehicles, Baidu, which runs Chinese top search engine and a mapping app, announced that they would start mass production of its first “robot” EVs in 2023.

JiDU Auto, the electric vehicle venture between Baidu and Geely, would make EVs that are of the autonomous Level-four (L4), which needs no human intervention, Baidu Chief Executive Robin Li said during the company’s Baidu’s annual developers’ conference on Monday. 

JiDU was established only in March this year and in a mere 207 days, the venture reached the stage of developing intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit for a SIMU car.

This has set a new record in the industry, according to the CEO — last August, the internet company had launched a robocar with L5 autonomous driving capabilities. 

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This time, the automotive robot, deemed by Baidu as the ultimate form of vehicle transportation in the future, will demonstrate JiDU’s three aspects of their product philosophy.

First, the vehicle will have L4 autonomous driving capabilities to empower freedom of movement.

Second, the robot vehicle can communicate naturally with human beings thanks to the accurate recognition of human-vehicle interaction and speech semantics. 

Finally, the robocar is expected to have the capability to self-learn and self-iterate, which will continue to study user habits and improve user experience based on the habit data.

According to Baidu’s vision, intelligent transportation is the result of the deep integration of technologies as Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and cloud computing into the transportation segment, based on autonomous driving, smart vehicles, and intelligent roads. 

The company also said that intelligent transportation can cut traffic accidents by 90%. Baidu’s autonomous driving capabilities have made rapid progress in recent months. As autonomous driving technologies develop, these vehicles will eventually be safer than human drivers, the company claims.

According to reports, with 115,000 rides provided in the third quarter of the year, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go has become the world’s largest autonomous mobility service provider.

Just last month, Baidu and self-driving startup Pony.ai won approval to launch paid, driverless robo taxi services that will see the firms deploy not more than 100 vehicles in Beijing.

According to Baidu’s statement, it would be its Apollo Go service’s first commercial deployment on open roads. The company is aiming for the Apollo Go service to be in 65 cities by 2025 and 100 cities by 2030, Li said during its latest quarterly results.

Besides Baidu, Geely and Pony.ai, Chinese electric-car maker BYD Co. is also apparently building a joint venture with tech startup Momenta to develop autonomous driving technology, according to Reuters.

It is said that BYD and Momenta have established a 100 million yuan three-way partnership to deploy autonomous driving capabilities throughout BYD automobile mannequin strains.

Known as DiPi Intelligent Mobility Co, the new partnership will combine BYD’s expertise in the auto sector with Momenta’s experience in smart driving algorithms, the startup said in a statement on Monday.

Reports are claiming that the preliminary scope of labor will embrace deploying “Level 2 plus” autonomous driving functionality throughout some car mannequin strains.

Separately, even SAIC Mobility, a unit of Chinese automaker SAIC Motor and Momenta, started providing autonomous robotaxi test rides to the general public in a Shanghai district as a part of a trial, earlier this month.

The post More Chinese automakers collaborating on EVs, AVs appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

In January this year, Chinese autonomous vehicle startup AutoX, backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, opened its autonomous Robotaxis services to the Chinese public for the first time. Now, the company announced the completion of its first locally dedicated production facility that would allow more production of their Level 4 fully driverless vehicles.

Being one of the front runners in Level 4 fully autonomous RoboTaxis in China, AutoX said fleets of its Gen5 system-equipped RoboTaxis – which were officially launched in July this year and operate without accompanying safety drivers – are already rolling off the production line and getting ready to hit the road as demand continues to soar for autonomous vehicles (AVs).

In a statement to media, the startup said since the factory opened in July 2021, the production line has completed three rounds of design and process optimizations to churn out AutoX’s signature RoboTaxis with an extremely high level of accuracy and consistency. “Purposefully designed and built by AutoX, the factory produces the company’s cutting-edge Gen5-powered RoboTaxi fleet,” AutoX said.

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Currently, AutoX operates China’s largest service area for fully driverless RoboTaxis across 65 square miles of Shenzhen. The vehicles are able to navigate all public roads in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen, which makes AutoX the first driverless RoboTaxi service to cover an entire district in a Chinese megalopolis.

A facility that is China’s first of its kind, the new production facility marks a major milestone in China’s AV industry as “a dedicated production line is critical to guarantee the quality, safety, and consistency of every RoboTaxi,” AutoX said.

The production lines are also equipped with a range of advanced production technologies and systems, including ABB robots, and control and transmission systems designed by Siemens, Omron, Schneider Electric, Philips, SEW, and Mitsubishi. AutoX said it is to ensure the production-level quality of the complex autonomous driving system.

In a new video of the RoboTaxi factory while it is in operation, viewers are given a peek at the AutoX Gen5 system for the first time, giving them a close look at the wiring and assembly of the two main sensor towers and blind-spot sensor suites. 

“Hidden in the trunk of the RoboTaxi is the AutoX XCU, the vehicle computing unit that powers the autonomous driving software stack as well as all of the vehicle’s high resolution sensors via automotive-grade connectors. The computer is connected to liquid cooling devices integrated with the vehicle’s thermal management system. After installation, the compact AutoX XCU is tucked neatly under the trunk bed, leaving enough room for passengers’ luggage,” the company said.

Every RoboTaxi coming off the pre-delivery inspection line then proceeds to the automatic multi-sensor calibration turntable, and goes through wheel calibration as well as temperature and waterproof testing. As AutoX puts it, “as soon as a RoboTaxi leaves the facility’s gates, it is ready to operate autonomously.”

The post China’s first Level 4 Robotaxis production line by AutoX is ready appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

However, things are now slowly beginning to change. As technology becomes more available, there have been several new car manufacturers in China that are hoping to make an impact on the Chinese electric vehicle market. One of them is Xpeng.

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During its tech day event, Xpeng announced several updates for its semi-autonomous driving system which CNBC reported will be challenging up to Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system or ADAS. The Xpilot 3.5, Xpeng’s latest ADAS upgrade, includes a new feature which allows Xpeng’s cars to change lanes, speed up or slow down, or overtake cars and enter and exit highways. The system was previously designed just for highways, but now Xpeng will be releasing this feature for driving in cities.

“Man-machine co-pilot functions will remain critical for the foreseeable future. Our mission is to progressively transition from advanced driver assistance to full autonomous driving, with a clear roadmap to connect all driving scenarios. Our closed-loop data operation, fast software iteration and mass production capability – all created in-house – put us in pole position to significantly improve safety and resolve the industry’s long-tail issues in China,” said Dr. Xinzhou Wu, Vice President of Autonomous Driving at XPeng, at the Tech Day event.

(source – Xpeng)

Tesla’s ADAS system has been making headlines for the wrong reasons recently due to growing concerns over the system’s capabilities. US regulators have been questioning the safety of ADAS, with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) opening a preliminary investigation into the system. NHTSA has cited eleven incidents of collisions while the ADAS function was engaged.

Tesla also had to roll back its latest version of its Full Self Driving software as users complained of false collision warnings and other issues. Elon Musk himself tweeted that the software upgrade is still in its beta stages and still has some testing to be done.

As Tesla tries to fix their issues, electric vehicles in China will be hoping to make the most of the opportunities available to them. In fact, Reuters reported that new energy vehicles in China are expected to make up over 35% of new vehicle sales in China in 2025. The figures clearly indicate why carmakers like Xpeng are rushing to perfect their models and releasing new software with better features as well.

Interestingly, it also seems that autonomous vehicles are not the only mode of transport gaining traction. Xpeng also announced plans to roll out HT Aero, a flying car that can also drive on roads in 2024. The vehicle will have a lightweight design and a rotor that folds away, allowing it to be driven on roads and then fly once the rotors are expanded.

While Xpeng hopes to dominate the autonomous vehicles market in China, Honda is also now planning to focus on China with its new range of electric vehicles in 2024. The Japanese carmaker plans to start phasing out everything but battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by 2040 and hopes the entry into China can boost its agenda.

As the world’s largest auto market, China believes the autonomous vehicle market, which include battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, will be able to combat pollution and support the country’s car technologies.

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Two days ago, China’s tech giant Baidu rolled out its paid driverless taxi service, making it the first company to release commercialized autonomous driving operations in China. Running in an area of about 3 square kilometers, about 10 Apollo taxis pick up and drop off passengers at eight stops in western Beijing’s Shougang Park, one of the venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

It is called the 5G Remote Driving Service. Users will be able to hail a ride using the Apollo Go smartphone app, and then scan a QR code to verify their identity and enter the car.  A “Start the Journey” button can then be used to kick off the ride, with the vehicle only taking off when the doors are shut and the seatbelts are fastened. The launch came after extensive testing of the company’s autonomous vehicles, which were given the green light for testing on Beijing’s roads last year without a safety driver on board.

Baidu’s robotaxis are adapted from electric vehicles by Chinese home-grown luxury auto brand Hongqi, owned by state-owned carmaker FAW Group. The company also hopes to expand to other cities across the country in the near future, a key step towards commercialization. 

Although there will be no safety drivers on board, operators will be able to access the car remotely in the case of an emergency. Other than that, China’s Baidu says the robotaxis will transport users to sports halls, work areas, coffee shops, and hotels around Beijing Shougang Park. Baidu says visitors in town for the Olympic games will be able to hail its robotaxis as part of regular transport for the event.

Baidu will charge passengers 30 yuan (US$4.60) for a single ride within the park, and it will give visitors a 40-yuan voucher to visit the Sangaolu Museum in the area. The park, on the western outskirts of the Chinese capital, spans 8.6 kilometers, according to Accenture.

Other players developing autonomous vehicles 

While Baidu might be the first to launch a paid autonomous vehicle service in China, others are seemingly not far behind. Competitor AutoX recently launched a fully driverless taxi fleet in Shenzhen’s megacity as part of its ongoing testing and development, though this requires users to register for a pilot program and to use membership credits to cover their rides.

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Then there is telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co that will be investing  US$1 billion in researching self-driving and electric car technologies as it seeks new opportunities for growth amid a stuttering smartphone business hampered by US sanctions. Local ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is also working on similar technology. Its autonomous driving arm signed an agreement last week with Volvo Cars, owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, for its self-driving test fleet, the company said.

In fact, start-ups and tech giants alike have poured into the industry, which is expected to be worth 399 billion yuan (US$61.5 billion) by 2025. In total China has seven autonomous driving testing facilities, said Sun Wenjian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Transport. The country aims to push for more autonomous driving projects over the next five years in ports, industrial parks, logistics hubs, and to enable urban commuting.

Overall,  Baidu remains the leading autonomous driving company in terms of number of cars and miles tested. It began developing autonomous driving technology in 2013 and as of March 2021, Baidu’s Apollo fleet had grown to 500 vehicles, most of which operate in mainland China.

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Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between tech giants such as Tesla and Google, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove it across the country – only for his research to be consigned to the scrapheap.

Han Min-hong, now 79, successfully tested his self-driving car on the roads of Seoul in 1993 – a decade before Tesla was even founded. Two years later, it drove 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the capital to the southern port of Busan, on the most heavily-traveled expressway in South Korea.

Footage from the period shows the car barreling down a highway, with no one behind the wheel. A 386-chip-powered desktop computer, complete with monitor and keyboard, is placed on the passenger seat. Han is sitting in the back, waving at the camera.

“It felt extraordinary,” said the affable inventor. “The workload was very heavy,” but he and his team “had an enormous passion as it was something others hadn’t done yet, something that hadn’t come out in the world yet”.

At the time, South Korea was more focused on heavy industry, such as steel and shipbuilding, with the average Korean not yet familiar with cellphones. The country was yet to become the tech powerhouse it is today, and was still pursuing imitation rather than innovation. On one occasion, Han was told: “Why develop a new technology when you can always pay for it?”

Han’s projects were seen as dangerous. He was once asked how much he was paying for his life insurance, he said, and whether his wife was aware of “these crazy activities of yours?” But Han was so convinced of his cars’ safety that he rarely wore a seat belt – and has never had life insurance.

Even so, unable to see much investment potential, the government eventually cut funding to his research at Korea University. Now, Elon Musk’s electric car firm Tesla is a $600-billion behemoth, while Han’s Chumdancha is a small company in Yongin, south of Seoul, where he and one other employee still develop specialist warning systems for autonomous vehicles.

Musk is a “tremendous and outstanding” person, Han said. “He came up with his own, firm vision based on what others were doing, and that is really incredible.” But Han’s invention could have paved the way for South Korea to dominate the self-driving car industry, he added regretfully.

Retired South Korean professor Han Min-hong sitting in his 21-year-old self-driving car in Yongin, south of Seoul. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Raj Rajkumar, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, who reviewed the 1990s footage for AFP, said it “appears to be on par with some of the best work on autonomous vehicles during that period”.

“The professor and a colleague are not even in the driver’s seat – very bold, confident but very risky thing to do,” he added. “It is unfortunate that funding for that project was cut. In hindsight, that was certainly not a wise decision.”

Musk challenge

Korea University describes Han as “a pioneer and hero in the global field of artificial intelligence“, who is known for developing the South’s first automotive navigation system and a mini-helicopter seen as a precursor to modern-day drones, as well as his autonomous vehicle work.

He is seen in the South as a genius ahead of his time – the 1990s footage has been viewed more than 1.5 million times since it was posted to YouTube in February. Self-driving vehicles are a major technological battleground for today’s automakers, with technology giants like Google parent Alphabet spending billions of dollars in a market that is supposed to fuel vehicle sales.

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Tesla said last year it was “very close” to achieving Level 5 autonomous driving technology – which indicates essentially total autonomy. But Han insists the American firm’s current offerings are effectively comparable to his 1990s work. “As Tesla is regarded as the best car in the world, if there is a chance, I would like to compare our technology to theirs.” He suggested a challenge on the Bugak Skyway, a twisting, narrow road that runs over a mountain in northern Seoul.

“Of course Tesla’s invested a lot of money in testing, so it might be much better when it comes to sophistication,” he told AFP. “But there shouldn’t be much difference when it comes down to basic functionality.”

Even so, Han believes there are limits to what self-driving technology can achieve, and that true autonomy is beyond reach. Neural networks do not have the flexibility of humans when faced with a novel situation that is not in their programming, he said, predicting that self-driving vehicles will largely be used to transport goods rather than people.

“Computers and humans are not the same,” he added.

© Agence France-Presse

The post This self-driving car drove safely all over South Korea – in 1993 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Apple has struck out with another carmaker on a potential collaboration to develop self-driving vehicles, this time with Japanese auto giant Nissan.

The Japanese automaker said Monday it is not in talks with Apple to develop self-driving cars, a week after Hyundai also denied reports it was discussing the top-secret project with the US tech giant. Apple’s Project Titan is devoted to electric autonomous vehicles and has been in the works for several years — but details of the venture have been kept under wraps by the notoriously tight-lipped company.

Nissan’s denial came after the Financial Times reported that the iPhone maker had approached it in recent months about a tie-up related to the project, which did not go ahead. “We are not in talks with Apple. However, Nissan is always open to exploring collaborations and partnerships to accelerate industry transformation,” the Japanese firm said.

A source close to Nissan told AFP that the company “doesn’t need Apple to sell” its cars. “When you make a product under the Apple brand, you give your soul – and your profit margins – to Apple,” the source said on condition of anonymity. “We are not interested in giving Apple the best that we offer. This should be under the Nissan brand.”

The denial followed a similar statement from South Korea’s Hyundai and its affiliate Kia last week after reports said Apple had wanted to discuss a potential partnership to develop electric vehicles and batteries. Apple first revealed its self-driving tech aspirations in 2016 and Chief Executive TimCook later said he saw autonomous driving systems as a “core technology” for the future.

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Nissan has been a pioneer in electric vehicles since its Leaf model was released over a decade ago. But the struggling firm – still trying to recover from the devastating reputational damage caused by the sudden departure of now fugitive tycoon Carlos Ghosn – desperately needs a new hit.

In July, Nissan unveiled the Ariya, a new 100% electric crossover model that it said would open a”new era” in the firm’s fortunes. Monday’s statement caused its shares to fall 2.8% to 610 yen, or about US$0.0095.

© Agence France-Presse

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Forget about off-road vehicles and the roads they can take you because South Korean automotive company Hyundai is working on a “four-legged autonomous car” that can traverse even the most difficult terrain.

It will be called the Hyundai Tiger X-1. It has four wheels, each at the end of a long, bendable leg — powered by an electric motor. The autonomous car will drive as far as it can on its wheels and when it encounters obstacles it can’t drive over, it will rise up on its legs and walk over them. Better yet, the legs can bend as the wheels roll over uneven terrain, keeping the cargo area level. The self-driving vehicle can also steer in any direction — forwards, backward, or side to side — using either its wheels or legs.

Tiger is being developed by a division of Hyundai Motor Group, California-based New Horizons Studio, that design vehicle that can go places ordinary cars and trucks cannot.

Hyundai envisions it being used for difficult rescue operations following natural disasters such as earthquakes. Can be considered as an autonomous walking cargo carrier, it’s not designed to carry people, only supplies. While concepts don’t always translate into real products, according to TechCrunch, the aim is to bring Tiger to life “as soon as possible,” adding that it would likely be a five-year process.

An unnamed aerial drone can also connect to the Tiger to can carry it to and fro remote locations. The Tiger and drone could also charge one another’s batteries as needed, Hyundai said. New Horizons Studio director John Suh said autonomous car like this could be used to explore the surface of the moon or other planets,

“They could also be used as taxis with their legs raising and lowering the vehicle to make it more accessible to people in wheelchairs,” he said. The South Korean auto company has worked with the design software company Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar, a vehicle concept firm, on this Tiger X-1 project. Apparently, the team will spend the next two years focused on solving some core technical problems to establish a baseline design. By 2023 and 2024, the team will get to the beta-product stage and advanced testing will begin before finally becoming a product customers can buy.

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The X-1 is the first version of Tiger — an experimental first— as New Horizons will be bringing out more variants in the future, reports indicate. Hyundai is also looking beyond disaster response and cargo hauling design. The company is considering autonomous taxis for wheelchair users that can walk right up the person’s front door, allowing them to wheel in seamlessly. 

If that were to happen, on top of a four-legged cargo-only vehicle, many businesses, small or large can benefit from it. It can be used to help first responders traverse harsh terrain after natural disasters, or to even pick up wheelchair users.

The post Look out for Hyundai’s walking, autonomous car in 5 years appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

We are currently in the phase where the most automaker is betting that electric vehicles (EVs) will be the future, with some of the largest countries and largest auto markets in the world moving to phase out gas-powered cars and trucks. Of course, to ensure that shift, batteries need to more powerful, last longer, and be cheaper for the switch to battery-powered vehicles to be more enticing.

Perhaps with a battery that allows you to drive your EVs over 300 miles on one charge and completely recharge in just ten minutes? Well, Ford, BMW, Toyota, and Solid Power are on the track of coming up with solid-state battery technologies around the corner.

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To put things in perspective, most EV companies use “wet” lithium-ion batteries, which use liquid electrolytes to move energy around. But these batteries can be slow to charge, can freeze up in subzero temperatures, and contain flammable material that can be hazardous in the event of a crash.

Solid Power and Toyota believes that having solid-state batteries in general production is not far away. This would mean that lighter, less expensive electric cars with more range and shorter charging times are on the horizon.

To put it simply, solid-state batteries are not only much quicker to charge, but reports claimes that they could minimize the risks of fires compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. They could also occupy far less physical space. That being said, the race to achieve huge improvements in battery technology is one of the most expensive and hotly contested right now. 

Ford and BMW

Over the past several years, both Ford and BMW have invested in Colorado-based Solid Power. In a recent press release dated Dec 10, the company said it is producing 20 amp-hour (Ah) multi-layer solid-state lithium metal batteries. The 330 Wh/kg, 22-layer cells have higher energy density than any commercially available lithium-ion battery manufactured today according to the company. It says it expects its batteries to exceed 400 Wh/kg by 2022.

Bloomberg recently reported that Solid Power said it’s on track to begin testing solid-state batteries for automotive production in early 2022, a signal it eventually could help established car companies compete with Tesla Inc. The startup began making battery cells on a pilot line in its Colorado facility during the second quarter of this year. 

The 20 Ah cells are currently being validated by Solid Power’s automotive partners, including Ford and BMW. Other investors in the company include Hyundai, Volta Energy, Solvay, and Samsung. To date, Solid Power has already shipped more than 400 prototype solid-state cells to external parties for independent performance validation.

“Assuming everything remains unchanged, and the OEMs continue to operate at the pace that they do, we could support vehicle start-of-production as soon as 2026, but more probable 2027,” CEO Doug Campbell told Bloomberg. In total, Solid Power is in discussions with eight automakers but won’t have a contract until the technology is further along. The timeline Campbell said could move up to 2025 if there’s “extensive cooperation” from a car company. 

Toyota

Last week, Toyota announced that it is having success with its own solid-state battery program. According to Nikkei Asia, Toyota plans to be the first company to sell an electric vehicle equipped with a solid-state battery and will unveil a prototype next year. 

Although the Nikkei Asia account extols the virtues of solid-state batteries, it provides no technical details about any battery under development by Toyota. It added that the EVs being developed by Toyota will have twice the range of a vehicle using a conventional lithium-ion battery under the same conditions without sacrificing interior space. 

What is known though is that Toyota is said to have over 1,000 solid-state battery patents and has already convinced Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd., to create a pilot facility to manufacture solid electrolytes for its batteries. The pilot plant should be able to provide enough electrolytes to begin manufacturing prototype batteries by next year. The Japanese government is said to be working to secure access to sufficient supplies of lithium for the country’s nascent electric car manufacturing sector.

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Ride-hailing pioneer Uber had a very uneven 2020 by all accounts, facing multiple challenges, not least of which was the fact that users were not ordering ride-shares as they were stuck at home for a big chunk of the year.

The coronavirus surges in Uber’s active markets effectively hobbled the ride-sharing industry for months. At the same time, current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is still on a mission to edge Uber closer towards profitability, which the company has sacrificed since day one in efforts to garner market share and to secure its brand identity.

Uber Technologies Inc reported three loss-making quarters from January to October this year, amounting to US$5.8 billion so far in 2020, roughly equivalent to the pandemic period when the company had to let go of 3,700 employees.

While its core business floundered more than usual, the same lockdown restrictions that laid low ride-sharing worked in favor of its food delivery division Uber Eats, with people ordering from home on a more regular basis. Uber Eats enjoyed a 190% spike in revenue in Q3 2020 compared to the same period last year, helping to offset some of the pressure on the present management.

It was under the previous CEO Travis Kalanick, however, that Uber first started looking at self-driving cars as the possible future of the company. If Uber could get autonomous vehicles to work before others, Kalanick believed the company could evade a future where human-piloted taxis like Uber’s were no longer needed.

Unfortunately, this week, the self-driving unit was sold to self-driving-tech developer Aurora for an undisclosed amount, joining the sale of its Jump electric-bicycle division to scooter firm Lime and the just-announced deal to flog its Elevate flying taxi project to a startup called Joby Aviation, as Khosrowshahi continues to offload business entities in the hopes of improving its bottom-line.

The company also sold part of its logistics arm, Uber Freight. Despite the piecemeal dismantling of various components that were once going to make Uber the “Amazon for transportation”, spokesperson Sarah Abboud told Wired that Uber “remains committed to commercializing self-driving transportation on the Uber network through industry partnerships,” and the terms of the Aurora deal appear to support that.

Uber will invest US$400 million in Aurora as part of the deal, bringing Aurora’s valuation to US$10 billion and tripling its workforce with the addition of 1200 employees from Uber ATG. Uber’s current CEO Khosrowshahi, will also take a seat on Aurora’s board, signaling an intention to get back involved as self-driving taxis move closer to becoming a reality.

But will Aurora actualize autonomous cars that are reliable and thoroughly-tested (an Uber self-driving test tragically killed a pedestrian in 2018) ahead of the likes of Google-backed Waymo, Didi Chunxing, and Tesla, as former CEO Kalanick feared? That could determine the survivability of Uber’s self-driving vision.

Back in April, Uber had to hastily release its Uber Connect delivery service in a select few US cities and a couple of other countries, to enable the sending of essential items to nearby recipients. Just this week, Uber Connect was made available in thousands of new locations, including 2,400 American cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, and even Honolulu, Hawaii.

The wider arrival of Connect has been timed to coincide with the year-end holidays for the US and much of Europe, marking Connect as the other bright spot alongside Uber Eats, in what has definitely been a roller coaster year for the ride-hailing giant.

HOW DOES UBER USE AI AND ML FOR MARKETING?

Soumik Roy | 20 June, 2018

As the post-coronavirus landscape looks more favorable in 2021 as potential vaccines could see economic conditions improving next year, this could see Uber’s core ride-sharing operations return to more regular conditions as folks resume going outdoors for work and recreation.

But a drastic improvement in one of the company’s verticals could see a converse effect in another. For instance, resuming outdoor activities means that people will also eat out more, which could help drive the food delivery segment down.

Market analysts are also predicting a similar upending in stocks. Companies that performed well this year as a result of the pandemic such as Zoom Communications, Crowdstrike, and DocuSign Inc. have all been downgraded as analysts predict potential “performance headwinds” for these stocks next year.

And, as vaccines give the market some optimism, an economic rebound is expected sometime in 2021 for the big tech firms, including Uber and San Francisco-based Lyft.

The roller-coaster ride might not be over for Uber’s entities yet, but in the short term, losing billions is nothing new for the company. Uber is estimated to lose US$8 billion by the end of this year – which is roughly equivalent to how much it lost in 2019.

The post From AVs to contactless deliveries – Uber’s rollercoaster 2020 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.