Electronics

EV charging infrastructure gets close look at NextEnergy Unknowns such as future sales volumes of pure and partial electric vehicles make it difficult to predict how the EV charging infrastructure will be built out. Read full story

Design tools tackle big-data challenge Design and validation processes that include modeling, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing are creating larger and larger volumes of data, making it more challenging for engineers to analyze and understand the nuances of their designs. Tool providers are ramping up their efforts to help these designers manage data. Read full story

Chipmakers are spinning up their small-motor control efforts The drive to provide more creature comforts and automate tasks is prompting an increase in the number of small motors that move seats, windows, mirrors, and perform other actions. That is prompting silicon makers to roll out a number of products that meet the power requirements of these motors. Read full story

Communications, congestion may drive unconventional partnerships The growing number of vehicles, coupled with the trend to connected cars, is likely to force automakers to forge partnerships that go beyond normal auto-industry boundaries. These links will have to include regulators, universities, and companies from consumer markets and other commercial fields. Read full story

Mega-cities are reshaping personal mobility For the people living or working in densely populated urban areas, getting from point A to point B can be challenging. And those time-consuming, headache-provoking commutes commonplace in gridlocked cities have the attention of problem-solvers. Read full story

High-speed networking for driver assistance over MOST MOST150, the latest generation of MOST, enables Internet protocol data communication, providing the automotive-ready Ethernet channel according to IEEE 802.3 with freely configurable bandwidth from 0 to nearly 150 Mbit/s. Read full story

Hansen and OEMs discuss electronics trends and challenges at SAE Convergence The dean of automotive electronics observers and six global OEM experts will discuss the impact of Apple and Google; cloud computing; speech recognition; open-sourced software; infotainment system pricing; software virtualization, and much more during the "Carmakers Speak" panel on October 17, at the 2012 SAE Convergence conference. Read full story

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