Automated trucking company TuSimple plans for its vehicles to begin hauling freight in completely driverless operations from next year on selected routes in the USA. It has chosen Goodyear Tire & Rubber to provide tyres and tyre management solutions to this Autonomous Freight Network (AFN).
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has been working together with Japan’s Gunma University since last year to develop a system that remotely monitors tyre pressure in driverless vehicles. The tyre maker reports that, having created a system that works with Level 4 autonomous vehicles, it conducted a successful proof-of-concept test of this new system on public roads on 12 November.
Together with autonomous driving specialist ZMP Inc., Bridgestone Corporation has launched a development project to utilise automated driving technology in tyre noise tests. By removing the driver from the process, the Japanese firms aim to increase the accuracy and efficiency of this particular tyre test.
Welcome to the future of driving, your Cruising Chauffeur awaits. That’s the name Continental has given its eagerly-awaited automated driving technology, and regardless of how it rolls off the tongue, Cruising Chauffeur represents something that will significantly change our driving experience. Continental plans to bring Cruising Chauffeur into production in 2020.
Parking is arguably the most tedious aspect of the whole driving experience, and therefore a new development from Continental should be welcomed with open arms. The technology company has come up with a solution that relieves drivers from recurring parking routines. One a driver has parked in their regular space, and done a good job of it, their car can repeat the manoeuvre time and time again with no human assistance.
According to Continental, Asia remains the number one growth market for the automotive industry – and the numbers are impressive: Over 50 per cent of all vehicles produced worldwide come from Asian car manufacturers and approximately 30 per cent of all vehicles manufactured worldwide come from Japanese automakers. Ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japanese vehicle manufacturers are also amongst the automotive companies that are pushing the development of innovations in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving.
Just a generation ago the humble motor vehicle doubled as a ‘fortress of solitude’, a place the long arm of everyday responsibility couldn’t reach and a haven for those seeking a few moments’ headspace at the start or the end of a busy day. But unreachability is an increasingly scarce commodity these days. The introduction of hands-free systems has transformed the fortress into an office on four wheels for many, and now technology lurking just around the corner will bring our home-life cares to us on the road as well.
What would we do without the European Union? Not only has our politico-economic union overseen the removal of national borders and thus paved the way for uninterrupted long-distance continental motoring, the European Commission reports that the EU is working hard so that we “never waste another minute” looking for a parking space.
In addition to producing tyres, Continental designs and manufactures various automotive systems components, and for a number of years has collaborated on research into automated driving systems. But coming up with the technology to drive without a driver is one thing – being able to actually do so without breaking the law is another. Yesterday at ‘Zuliefer Automotive’, a Munich-based trade fair focusing on future trends and technologies, Continental’s head of research for automotive electronics called for legislation to keep pace with the market.
