Here’s how and why Stellantis, Mercedes and Volkswagen focus on car software
Car manufacturers are equipping themselves with internal software houses to develop proprietary systems and monetize connected cars. Here's how they are moving
The car in the assault of the software, without neglecting the connected services and the technology of the chips. Four elements that are increasingly linked to redesign the automotive sector, guaranteeing the survival of manufacturers and offering consumers advanced solutions that make the vehicle something more than a mere means of transport.
It is in this framework that the moves of groups such as Volkswagen, Renault, Daimler-Mercedes and Stellantis, aimed at developing proprietary software to be installed on their vehicles and destined to be sold to third parties as well. An approach that changes the concept of cars into a hub of advanced solutions tailored to the individual user. A connected tool, capable of updating itself, with increasing levels of autonomy, equipped with artificial intelligence and able to provide paid services. A similar trajectory to that followed by mobile phones of the early 2000s that have become today's smartphones, and although a car is much more complex and requires high levels of safety because it transports people, the concept underlying the two evolutions cannot escape. in telephony that in the automotive sector the profitability of services will become higher than that of the device or vehicle. Stellantis has just announced that it will invest € 30 billion in software and electrification to transform the way customers interact with them, generating approximately € 20 billion in incremental revenues by 2030. A similar approach to others manufacturers that also brings other benefits: being able to use an internally developed software means for a manufacturer to be able to reduce the number of control units, cables and chips in the vehicle, reducing costs and the impact of lower semiconductor availability. And it allows you to remotely update cars in OTA (Over the Air) mode, as Tesla teaches, making life easier for customers and keeping the residual value high over time.
STELLANTIS: AGREEMENTS WITH FOXCONNE WAYMO FOR CHIP AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
The strategy of the Franco-Italian group passes through a series of agreements with technological partners (Foxconn and Waymo) and sector partners such as BMW, each with its own peculiarities. Already prior to the merger with PSA, FCA began development of autonomous vehicles with Waymo and today the Waymo Driver-equipped Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids provide thousands of fully autonomous rides in Phoenix, Arizona, with the two partners agreeing to expand the partnership. to local delivery services. These days the agreement (not binding for now) with Foxconn to develop four families of chips that will cover more than 80% of the needs of the semiconductor company's microcontrollers, which follows the one between the two companies to create Mobile Drive , the new joint venture responsible for the development of solutions for the connected and technological car. The goal, of course, is to monetize connected vehicles and Stellantis already boasts 12 million globally, with a forecast for 2026 growing to 26 million vehicles, which would allow 4 billion euros in revenues. By 2030, the group could reach 34 million connected vehicles which would generate the 20 billion euros aforementioned annually.
THREE ELECTRIC PLATFORMS AND COLLABORATION WITH BMW
Technologically, Stellantis' future connected vehicles will feature three layers of Stla Brain software. The basic version is service-oriented fully integrated with the cloud, connecting the electronic control units inside the vehicle with the car's high-performance central computer (Hpc) via high-speed data. The Stla SmartCockpit platform, created on the basis of the Brain, will integrate with the digital channels of the vehicle occupants creating a customizable virtual space. Fueled by the fruits of the Mobile Drive joint venture between Stellantis and Foxconn, it offers applications based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as navigation, voice assistance, the e-commerce market and payment services. Finally, the Stla AutoDrive developed in collaboration with BMW, will offer autonomous driving capabilities of level 2, level 2+ and level 3 and will be continuously updated in Ota mode. Speaking of hardware, however, there will be four electric platforms on which the vehicles of the group led by Carlos Tavares will rest: the Stla Small platform will allow 500 km of autonomy, the Medium 700 and the Large 800, while the Stla Frame with separate chassis will be destined to pick-ups and with 800 km of autonomy.
VOLKSWAGEN: CARIAD TO DEVELOP SOFTWARE AND DESIGN CHIPS
If Stellantis is the latest manufacturer to announce a software strategy, other competitors are already on the move. In September, at the Munich show, the CEO of the Volkswagen group Herbert Diess announced that in Wolfsburg they have begun to design semiconductors independently, a strategy that serves to support the development of software that acts as a gateway for new business models. , united under the Volkswagen We brand. Thanks to the integration between hardware and software Polo, Golf, Tiguan, Passat or Arteon it will be possible to install additional functions "on demand", on the new Golf it is possible to enable advanced systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control Acc or the integration of Amazon Alexa. The new electric Id.3, Id.4 and Id.4 Gtx1 are ready to receive OTA updates, so you can update the operating system (firmware), eliminate bugs and improve functions. To manage this evolution, the Volkswagen group created Cariad, the group's software house which has a team of over 4,000 experts.
RENAULT REPUBLIQUE: FIVE EXCELLENCES FOR INNOVATION
France is notoriously a very attentive state when it comes to national interests and just beyond the Alps "Software République" was born, an ecosystem aimed at innovation in the intelligent mobility sector consisting of five companies that are positioned at the top of their respective sectors for know-how and capacity for innovation. The Renault group brings with it experience in the automotive sector, with particular focus on vehicle electrification developed in the framework of the alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. Atos is an important player in digital transformation, a pioneer of services and products to support decarbonisation and plans the future in information technologies. Dassault Systèmes puts on the plate collaborative 3D virtual environments to conceive sustainable innovations, uses the 3Dexperience platform and its applications to create virtual twins of real world experiences. STMicroelectronics designs and builds semiconductor technologies to support more efficient power and energy management and large-scale deployment of the Internet of Things and 5G technology. Finally, Thales is active in advanced digital and “deep tech” technologies such as connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, information security and quantum computing.
MERCEDES
The news of the partnership between Mercedes Benz and Visa fits perfectly in this groove, which will allow users to make payments through the vehicle using their fingerprint. A potentially very profitable business line since in the next two years alone it is estimated that the number of connected cars will increase to more than 352 million worldwide, while the total volume of car payments is set to reach approximately 86 billion. dollars by 2025. Purchases can be made directly through the car's Mbux multimedia system, the new artificial intelligence interface created by the German company. By exploiting the advanced artificial intelligence of Voicetronic, the software is able to understand complex questions and respond quickly, and can also manage home automation remotely thanks to compatibility with Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple Homepod and Garmin.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/case-automobilistiche-software-servizi-connessi/ on Sun, 12 Dec 2021 11:10:14 +0000.