Automotive
Producătorul Solaris a livrat 37 de vehicule pe piața locală în 2020, la Brașov și Satu Mare
Compania a ajuns la peste 300 de vehicule folosite în transportul public din 8 orașe din România București, 26 noiembrie 2020 – Solaris Bus & Coach, lider global în producția de vehicule electrice pentru transport public, a livrat anul acesta 37 de vehicule pe piața locală, dintre care 26 de troleibuze în Brașov și 11 autobuze hibrid în Satu Mare. Astfel, compania a ajuns la peste 300 de vehicule folosite în transportul public din opt orașe din România, circa jumătate dintre acestea fiind propulsate electric. Pentru anul 2021, Solaris a planificat pentru livrare 65 de mijloace de transport în comun: 16 autobuze electrice în Craiova, 20 troleibuze în Ploiești, 6 autobuze hibrid în Satu Mare, 3 troleibuze în Mediaș și 20 de autobuze hibrid în Galați. Solaris Bus & Coach este unul dintre cei mai mari producători din Europa de autobuze și troleibuze. De la lansarea sa, în anul 1996, fabrica de la Bolechowo, din apropiere de Poznan, Polonia, a produs peste 19.000 de vehicule, utilizate astăzi în transportul public din sute de orașe europene. În prezent, compania ocupă poziția de lider mondial în segmentul de e-mobilitate pentru transportul public urban, datorită gamei sale extinse de troleibuze electrice, autobuze electrice cu acumulator și autobuze hibrid livrate. Prezent în România din anul 2006, grupul Solaris a cumulat pe piața locală o cifră de afaceri în valoare de aproximativ 85 milioane de euro în perioada 2014-2019. Tot în ultimii 5 ani, compania a participat la o serie de licitații în ceea ce privește transportul public din orașe precum: Cluj-Napoca, Pitești, Brașov, Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Galați, Craiova sau în cadrul Ministerului Lucrărilor Publice, Dezvoltării și Administrației (MDRAP). În urma licitațiilor câștigate în decursul ultimilor cinci ani, Solaris a livrat în Craiova 29 de autobuze diesel, în Cluj-Napoca 40 autobuze diesel, 41 autobuze electrice și 50 de troleibuze, în Pitești 70 autobuze diesel, în Brașov 26 de troleibuze, în Satu Mare 11 autobuze hibrid, iar în Galați 17 troleibuze. Potrivit reprezentanților companiei, Solaris asigură puncte și asistență de service în toate orașele în care a livrat vehicule. În prezent, parcul auto Solaris din România numără peste 300 de vehicule, ponderea celor electrice fiind de circa 50% din total. „Fiind prezenți de aproape 15 ani pe piața locală, putem spune că România este de departe cea mai dinamică piață la nivel regional pentru mijloacele de transport nepoluante datorită alocărilor de fonduri de finanțare oferite de Uniunea Europeană și de Fondul de Mediu. Anul acesta am livrat 37 de vehicule către două orașe importante din țară, Brașov și Satu Mare, contribuind prin produsele noastre la îmbunătățirea infrastructurii transportului public local. Pentru anul următor avem în plan livrarea a 65 de vehicule și ne propunem să ne menținem poziția de lider în zona de soluții de transport ecologice precum autobuze electrice și troleibuze”, a declarat Daniel Ciolan, General Manager Solaris România. Despre Solaris Bus & Coach Solaris Bus & Coach SA este unul dintre cei mari producători din Europa de autobuze și troleibuze. În cei aproape 25 de ani de existență, compania a produs peste 19.000 de vehicule folosite în transportul public din sute de orașe europene. În prezent, Solaris este lider de piață pe segmentul de e-mobilitate în transportul public, grație gamei sale largi de troleibuze, autobuze electrice cu acumulator și autobuze hibrid livrate. Autobuzul electric Solaris Urbino 12 a câștigat prestigioasă competiție europeană "Bus of The Year” în 2017. În septembrie 2018, Solaris Bus & Coach s-a alăturat grupului spaniol CAF. |
Studiu Euler Hermes: Un drum greoi pentru sectorul auto, între volume slabe, reglementări stricte, inovații perturbatoare și incertitudini comerciale
A DOMINANT 48V ELECTRIFICATION STRATEGY REQUIRES STANDARDS
The amount of carbon dioxide produced by new cars rose last year - reversing at least seven years of steady declines of GHGs in many countries. Fortunately there is a fix that not only meets the costing of a diesel derivative, but is also relatively quick and easy to implement – the 48V Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV). |
Electrification in the Aftermath of the Diesel Scandal
The first series production cars to incorporate 48 V technology in one form or another have hit the road in recent times, and further integration of 48 V architecture is expected in the very near future. |
Will Robocars Need More than Ethernet?
 Denso joins HDBaseT AutomotivePARIS — A cross-industry group promoting a standard called HDBaseT announced last week that Denso, a big tier one in Japan, has joined the group as a “contributor member.” HDBaseT, originally developed as a consumer electronics and commercial connectivity standard for transmission of uncompressed HD video, audio, power, home networking, Ethernet, USB, and some control signals over a CAT 5 cable, now has an automotive variant called HDBaseT Automotive. The new automotive connectivity standard, touted as a high-throughput pipe at zero latency for ADAS, will enable the transmission of “up to 6 gigabit per second tunneling of video & data, with native networking capabilities over 15m/50ft of a single unshielded twisted pair cable,” according to the group. Because HDBaseT Automotive is still in its early days, the recruitment of Denso is significant. Daimler is the only car OEM to publicly embrace the technology for in-vehicle connectivity for advanced infotainment, ADAS, and telematics systems. Valens Semiconductor, an Israeli fabless chip company, is thus far the only chip vendor committed to offering HDBasT Automotive compliant silicon. Proponents of HDBaseT believe that the new automotive variant is a missing link in the discussion of future connected and autonomous vehicles. Given the vastly expanded volume of data passing through vehicles, HDBaseT seems to make sense.But here’s the thing. Are we now saying that the Automotive Ethernet falls short of handling multi-gigabit bandwidth at minimum latency? In-vehicle connectivity fatigue When it comes to internal communications network technologies, carmakers today have plenty of choices. For example, Ethernet is already being considered as a replacement for legacy bus protocols such as MOST, a high-speed multimedia interface, and FlexRay, a general purpose high-speed protocol with safety-critical features.Bluetooth Low Energy and High Speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi are popping up inside vehicles to connect smartphones and wearables. Wired broadband MHL is being used for rear-seat infotainment. Meanwhile, legacy buses such as CAN and LIN continue to exist as vehicle control network protocols. Connectivity technologies originally developed for non-automotive applications are also creeping into the mix. They include Low-Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) which operates at low power and can run at very high speeds using inexpensive twisted-pair copper cables, and Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes), a pair of functional blocks commonly used in high speed.  In-vehicle networking solutions (Source: Renesas)However, there are several unique and redeeming factors about HDBaseT. Danny Kim, partner and director of advisory services at VSI Labs, pointed out that HDBaseT allows for both point-to-point and daisy-chain connectivity. This daisy chain connection, he said, “enables much less total connections (cost, better user experience).” Further, “It’s bi-directional, so once there’s a connection failure or cable failure, all the devices connected to the cable can still operate/stay connected (redundancy).” Granted, a host of sensors in autonomous vehicles would generate a lot of data. AVs will demand a fat pipe. But how much fatter compared to that of Automotive Ethernet, and why would the new connectivity standard need to cover so long a distance — as much as 50 feet? Micha Risling, senior vice president and head of the automotive business unit at Valens Semiconductor, told us, “It comes down to three things.” First, “as more and more devices are introduced (e.g., rear and front cameras, mirror replacement cameras, displays including those for passenger, driver, rear seat, sensors such as radars and lidars, smart antennas), the amount of data is increased exponentially,” Risling said. “But more important, this data needs to be transmitted and processed in a short amount of time,”  stressing that “any delay can be life-threatening for ADAS data.”Second, he noted, “Video performance is a major issue in autonomous cars, both in terms of resolution (quality) and latency, as any problems in video delivery can also have fatal consequences. Higher video resolution demands more bandwidth, with near-zero latency in the case of cars, which demands fat pipes.” Third, he added, “Although it seems that 15m/50ft is a long distance in cars, it really isn’t when you take into consideration that the cables are not going straight from point A to B, but rather, under the seats, over the doors, around the wheels, not to mention the engine bay and other elements in the car.” HDBaseT vs. BroadR-Reach So, is HDBaseT meant to leapfrog BroadR-Reach? Or, more specifically, which in-vehicle cables will HDbaseT replace? HDBaseT is focused on multigigabit transmissions of different types of data. BroadR-Reach is based on Automotive Ethernet, at 100Mbps symmetrical speed. Risling said, “HDBaseT can now deliver 2 gigabit per second bandwidth over unshielded twisted pair — a cheaper, more flexible and easier to install cable (with future versions enabling 4/8/12/16Gbps).” He added, “Another major advantage of HDBaseT over Automotive Ethernet is that the technology is both symmetric and asymmetric, which can be optimized for camera/sensor links (a symmetric link is not optimized for video delivery, which usually needs higher speed one way only).” In other words, “HDBaseT will be integrated wherever higher speeds and convergence are needed.” He explained that some basic controls, that today use CAN or MOST technologies, will not necessarily be replaced, as they do not need higher speed connectivity, but they can all be tunneled together through an HDBaseT link toward the ECUs (shortening and reducing the number of cables). “As we move towards more connectivity devices — displays, modems, cameras, and sensors — we will need a technology like HDBaseT to enable the connectivity among the devices, between the devices and the high-performance computers in the car, and among the computing elements themselves.” Where in a vehicle will HDBaseT go first? While declining to name its automotive customers, Risling told us that Valens is already working with OEMs and tier ones in specific use cases for HDBaseT Automotive. Where in a vehicle will HDBaseT go first? “It will most likely be adopted first for infotainment use cases, such as USB connectivity,” he said. There’s also “door connectivity,” he added. “HDBaseT can reduce the 20+ cables going from the door hinge for mirrors, sensors and audio, to just one cable.”  HDBaseT enables the convergence of video and data, with the utmost flexibility provided by daisy-chaining and multi-streaming (Source: Valens)Another use is smart antennas. Risling said, “As HDBaseT has the ability to extend PCIe connection for up to 15m/50ft, enabling split telematic control units (TCUs). In this case, the modem units can stay on the roof, while the gateway can be placed inside of the car, closest to the infotainment and ADAS ECU, without having to handle the high temperatures and tight space on a car’s roof. This reduces the number of components, cables and connectors necessary.” HDBaseT for ADAS Networking can deliver real-time, no latency information from several cameras for a safer and better driving experience (Source: Valens)  Arguing for HDBaseT, VSI Labs’ Kim summarized: There is “no need for close grounding; high-speed, future-proofed PHY; interoperability between chipset generations; faster everything (Internet, car maintenance updates, USB, smartphone connectivity), better ADAS (centralized video analytics with higher accuracy); less cables, lighter cables; lower fuel consumption.” Further, “HDBaseT network enables Ethernet switching thanks to its native Ethernet support,” in addition to “high-speed firmware update (via USB or 1GbE).”What about cost? Valens insists that HDBaseT brings a slew of cost advantages. Strategy Analytics’ Riches isn’t so sure. Valens’ Risling pointed out, “Ability to transmit multigigabit data over unshielded twisted pair cables, a cheaper alternative to shielded cables and coax.” He stressed, “Alternative solutions — such as Automotive Ethernet and Serdes — are not able to transmit high bandwidth over unshielded cables.” Further, “With daisy-chaining connectivity, HDBaseT can reduce the number and length of cables in the car, leading to lower weight and therefore better fuel efficiency,” said Risling. “Daisy-chain connectivity also simplifies connectivity architectures, reducing the number of chipsets necessary in a system.” Finally, he pointed out, “HDBaseT can tunnel different native interfaces over the same cable and connectors — audio/video, Ethernet, controls, data (USB and PCIe, for example) and power, eliminating the need for different cables/connectors for each interface.” He added, “Again, this reduces the number of cables and other electronics and corresponding weight, simplifying the overall cable harness in the car. Alternative technologies usually require additional chipsets to tunnel different interfaces.” Riches, on the other hand, believes price will be a hurdle for HDBaseT. He said, “Total system implementation cost is hugely important, but so is silicon cost. Saying, "the silicon is more expensive, but you’ll save in the long run…" can be a hard sell.” VSI Labs’ Kim agreed. “You need a HDBaseT switch which could be costly and in each node of devices (sensor, display, etc) would need HDBaseT compatible chip components (e.g., PHY in case of Ethernet), resulting in added cost for the vehicle manufacturer,” he noted. Indeed, asked about price, Valens Risling steered clear. “It is very difficult to come up with a specific number regarding cost, as each case is different from the next, and rely on a variety of factors, such as interfaces and bandwidth supported, volume etc.” Challenges: Uncertainty in the market Beyond the cost and the auto industry’s weariness with standards, there are a few other problems. Strategy Analytics’ Riches cited the issue of “maturity and longevity.” He observed that HDBaseT is a relatively new approach initially centered on the consumer industry. “Consumer standards can come and go, but automotive needs something that will last. At one stage IEEE 1394 Firewire was touted for automotive usage, when it was increasingly being used in consumer products. I’m guessing the auto industry is glad it didn’t go down that route now.” It’s also tough to “make the case for high-bandwidth links and networks now,” said Riches. “Future use cases based on highly autonomous driving are easy to see — but will not emerge in high volume in the next five years. Many carmakers are still effectively designing around the need for high-speed links and thus putting in significant processing at each sensor to process the data.” For HDBaseT to gain momentum, it needs multiple silicon vendors. Riches said, “Car makers do not like single-source.” Beyond Valens, though, Riches said, “I have not seen any confirmation of automotive HDBaseT chips from others.” However, he added that NXP, the largest automotive semiconductor vendor and a leading player in automotive networking, is a contributor member of the HDBaseT Alliance. STMicroelectronics is also an "adopter member." Valens also sees challenges. Risling, for example, cited “compartmentalized organizations” as a big hurdle when Valens goes out and tries to pitch HDBaseT. “OEMs have separate departments for each area — ADAS, infotainment, wire harness, etc. HDBaseT is a technology that is optimized not only to each of these connectivity needs, but also can optimize the integration of each of these resources in the car, leading to shared ECUs and storage, for example.” He said, “Being able to convey this message can be difficult when each department is detached from others.” And then there’s “uncertainty in the market,” said Risling. “Although the connected car is the ultimate buzz in the market, there is still great uncertainty as to what and when things will happen,” he said. “OEMs and tier ones are still defining the most important needs, and we are working closely with them to be able to deliver what is needed when it is expected.” Valens has become increasingly aware of the significance of “partnerships and alliances.” Risling explained, “As we further penetrate the market, the value of partnerships — with tier ones and tier twos, different standardization alliances, other chipset manufacturers — becomes increasingly clear.” He said, “To succeed in this sector, it is important to identify the companies and organizations that can make a positive impact in our efforts, and work with them to achieve our goals.” Risling said Valens, for example, is now working with the MIPI Alliance’s Automotive Work Group. Junko Yoshida Chief International Correspondent, EE Times |
VISTA – the world’s biggest competition for automotive technicians
 This week the final round of the world’s biggest skills competition for automotive technicians was arranged in Curitiba, Brazil. This year’s Volvo International Service Training Awards (VISTA) involved 19,700 participants from Volvo Trucks’ and Volvo Buses’ global service networks. After an exciting final round where the 40 best teams from the world went head to head, VIIES RATAS from Estonia clinched the victory. “Qualified and motivated service technicians are among the most important success factors for our workshops and customers. That’s why we invest so heavily in continuous training and competence development. VISTA is the tip of the iceberg where all our service technicians every second year have the opportunity to test and prove their knowledge against their colleagues from around the world. The competition puts the spotlight on day-to-day work-related skills and crucial technical spearhead competence, it promotes cooperation and builds pride,” says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks. The very first VISTA competition was held back in 1957. Since then the truck mechanic profession has turned into an automotive technician, the computer has become an essential tool in the workshop, and the profession has undergone a fundamental change from the ground up. Modern trucks are technically highly advanced machines that require a more comprehensive and wider type of expertise than before. Today technicians must be able to handle both mechanical and computer-related work. At the same time, razor-sharp competition in the transport industry has meant continuously growing customer demands for constant vehicle uptime. “In principle, a truck always has to be ready to roll, which in practice means that the technicians have to carry out highly advanced and well-planned maintenance, they have to trouble-shoot, identify, analyse and rectify problems in the shortest possible time. Today there is no acceptance of long waiting times for service and repairs, there’s no tolerance for correct parts not being available or for a job not being done right the very first time the vehicle enters the workshop,” explains Martin Merrick, SVP Retail Development. The theme for this year’s VISTA – "Performance is Everything" – is a perfect description of what it’s all about: in order for customers to be able to perform at their peak, our technicians must do so too. “That’s exactly how it is – our goal is to have the world’s best service technicians servicing our customers’ vehicles. Through VISTA we aim to draw attention to and reward the vital work that our dealers and workshops do every single day, and at the same time attract new talent to an interesting and varied profession that has a great future,” says Anna Rogbrant, VISTA Project Manager. Facts about VISTA Stands for Volvo International Service Training Awards. Skills competition open to service market personnel from Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses globally. Held every second year since 1957. 19,700 people from all over the world participated in this year’s competition. 240 teams with four participants in each team qualified for the semi-finals in Gothenburg. 40 teams took part in the finals in Curitiba. The winner of this year’s competition was team VIIES RATAS from Estonia. Members of the winning team: Meelis Šmeiman (supervisor) Madis Reinpõld (key technician) Maksim Golenkov (technician) Lauri Raamat (key technician) Maksim Toots (Technical trainer) |
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