Electronics

Benteler leads engineering of MAN heavy-duty serial hybrid concept Featuring a diesel engine from Audi as a range extender and modular energy storage beneath the driver’s cab, the MAN Metropolis plug-in hybrid truck concept—developed in cooperation with Benteler Engineering Services and revealed at the recent IAA Hanover Show—will begin a two-year field test as a refuse collection vehicle in January 2013. Read full story

EVs get boost from new SAE standard for dc fast charging The J1772 Combo Connector is designed to drastically reduce charging times. Read full story

Safety and driver assist via Subaru's EyeSight A next-generation stereo camera that networks with a vehicle's dynamic control, steering, braking, and other systems debuts as part of an option package on 2013 MY Subaru Outback and Legacy models sold in the U.S. and Canada. Read full story

Continental develops electronics for engine and EV efficiency Its Engine Management System 3 is described as a platform for new generation engine and drive controls as well as for hybrid applications, able to look after fuel injection and ignition functions but also coordinate EV motors while monitoring their battery charge state. Read full story

Fully automated driving nears reality Autonomous vehicles may be here sooner than anyone thought, according to a new report by KPMG and the Center for Automotive Research, but ABI Research Vice President and Practice Director Dominique Bonte believes that synergies among three connectivity categories will need to be established. Read full story

Will DOT force trucks to talk? After roughly a decade of research into dedicated short range communications (DSRC), U.S. government agencies are preparing to decide whether to mandate adoption. Read full story

Rethinking lead-acid for mild- and micro-hybrids After years in lithium-ion battery development—and fed up over material costs that remain punishingly high—Subash Dhar decided the original automotive battery chemistry still has big potential for hybrid vehicles. Read full story

Cars converse in largest-ever on-road ITS test project The U.S. government, via several of its transportation-related agencies, is sponsoring the project, which it claims is the largest-ever road test of connected-vehicle crash-avoidance technologies. Read full story

Lifecycle management tools help as more complex modules interact As the number of electronic functions on vehicles soars, engineers are increasingly linking them together to provide more sophisticated functionality without increasing the number of modules. As these modules work together in a more holistic fashion, it’s becoming more challenging to ensure that all the functions and interactions are integrated efficiently with high reliability. Read full story