The growing penetration of electric vehicles (EV) has boosted demand for charging infrastructure, with China, the US, the EU, Japan, Korea, India and other countries making efforts installing charging piles and stations.
Before microLED technology becomes mature for commercial use, miniLED-backlit LCD panels will compete with OLED panels for application to high-end automotive displays.
China-based EV maker XPeng signed a strategic agreement with local mobility companies Xiaolinggou Travel Technology and China Auto Rental on January 9. The trio has brought XPeng's P7 model to car rental markets in five major cities in China.
Two major automotive Tier-1s last week revealed their latest moves to advance assisted and autonomous driving. Continental has partnered with Ambarella to offer energy-efficient solutions for EVs. Magna and LG will collaborate on developing autonomous driving-infotainment technology.
MIH, an EV consortium initiated by Foxconn, is poised to realize its ambition in the US. It announced on January 6 that it will set up an innovation hub in Ohio, offering automotive suppliers opportunities to work closely with OEMs based in North America.
Infineon Technologies, the Germany-based leading IDM for auto chips, is showcasing two new collaborations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Jan 5 that will make integration of autonomous-driving software into the microcontrollers (MCUs) easier and faster.
Electric motorcycle manufacturer ECGO EVmoto introduced its lineup of e-motorcycles of three different sizes for bikers in Indonesia. Sales kicked off in February 2022, targeting ride-sharing contract bikers in need of large seats, long driving range, and high speed.
Chinese tech company Baidu announced on Dec 30 that it has received the license to test autonomous vehicles with no driver or safety operator onboard in Beijing – the first in the capital city of China.
China-based Changan Automobile recently established a new company to support the development of hybrid, battery and fuel-cell EVs. The carmaker plans to invest over CNY150 billion (US$21.6 billion) in the technology supply chain for new energy vehicles (NEV) in the next 10 years.
While China-based Huawei Technologies has been frustrated in smartphone business operation because the IC design subsidiary HiSilicon Technologies is running out of 5G smartphone-use application processors (APs), Huawei has newly participated in development, production and marketing of electric vehicles (EVs). Whether the new business can enable Huawei to offset large shrinkage in consumer business due to large reduction in smartphone sales is worth watching.
LG Innotek announced that it will launch the first open booth at the 'Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023' and reveal new products related to electric components of electric vehicles and autonomous driving cars in mass.
China-based EV maker Nio recently suffered a data breach. Hackers obtained the personal information of Nio vehicle owners and employees, demanding the company to pay US$2.25 million worth of bitcoin. The company apologized to its users on December 20, saying it will not give in to cybercrime.
Southeast Asia has been the emerging market that EV makers target, but some enablers are required for a takeoff. Pras Ganesh, executive vice president in charge of business transformation of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing (TDEM), said greater collaboration across countries, regulators and industry stakeholders is critical to scale up EV markets in the region.
The automotive industry is expected to face increasing cybersecurity threats as vehicles become connected. Therefore, more regulations requiring companies to develop safety solutions thoughout a car's lifecycle have been set up.
On the EV Summit held in Oxford, UK this month, industry leaders including head of Polestar UK, CEO of Ford UK, director of Autotrader UK, and head from BP, etc., have shown firm support for decarbonization and broader EV adoption.
