Innovation Q&A: Cleaner, smarter, safer vehicles

Q: What’s on the 12- to 24-month product-innovation horizon in terms of technology that will improve safety?

Robin Milavec, Nexteer Automotive: As a motion control specialist, we believe Steer-by-Wire (SbW) technology will be influential because it opens the gateway to greater levels of safety and performance for all driving scenarios,  from driver assistance to fully automated driving. For example, SbW can enhance stability control and shorten braking distances and it’s a preferred enabler for automatic emergency steering – a game-changing safety feature. Cyber security is another quickly evolving safety area in connected environments. We’re currently integrating multi-layer cyber security at the steering-system level. Lastly, I’ll mention high-output electric power steering, which enables safety features for heavy-duty trucks and light commercial vehicles – items such as lane-keep assist, crosswind compensation, trailer assist and more.

John Moyer, Asahi Kasei: At Asahi Kasei, we want to expand the definition of safety beyond crash protection, via our Healthy Car Portfolio of products. These innovations include anti-microbial, odor-eliminating, and germ-free textiles from Sage Automotive Interiors; plastics from Asahi Kasei Plastics North America; and UV-C LEDs from Crystal IS that sanitize cabin air and eliminate pathogens. Through our Senseair collaboration with the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program, we developed a non-contact sensor that meets the new  SAE  standard  for  detecting  high  concentrations of alcohol on drivers’ breath and helps stop drunk driving. We’ve also made significant  advances  in  battery-separator  performance  and specialty materials to make EV battery packs safer.

Kevin Baird, Tenneco: As a leading supplier ofsuspension, systems protection, braking,  and noise, vibration and harshness systems and products, a significant portion of our new product-de- velopment  efforts  focus  on  helping  customers address the unique performance requirements of electric powertrains. For example, our Monroe® Intelligent Suspension, include several design and construction features that extend load capacity and damping-force tuning range for vehicles equipped with lithium-ion battery packs. The added weight of EV batteries can increase damping requirements in a variety of driving situations. CVSAe technology automatically applies added damping force in these situations to reduce body pitch, or brake dive, while maintaining outstanding ride comfort.
 

Q: What  new  advancements  should  we  expect  to  see  soon  on  the  connectivity front? What are you most excited about?

Moyer:  I  see  health  and  wellness  applications  integrated  into  vehicles  as a beneficial next step, as these will also contribute to safety. Another example from our Healthy Car Portfolio is our CO² sensor. By monitoring the levelof CO² in a cabin, this sensor can   detect when children or pets are accidentally  left  inside  vehicles  and  control  ventilation  systems  to   help  keep drowsy    drivers  more  alert.  We  are currently working on a “Voice Health” concept, which   monitors coughs and sneezes and classifies them as virus or allergy related. This technology can help fleet operators determine the  level of cleaning needed between shifts or passenger pick-ups.

Baird:  Many of our products incorporate  electronic  and  mechatronic  sys- tems  that  offer  connectivity.  We’re excited about the prospects for adap- tive  suspension  systems  that  can  be connected to vehicle systems to create a customized mobility experience that can make a vehicle truly stand out in the market. For example, our Monroe CVSAe solution combines four electronic dampers that each sense and adjust to changes in driving situation and road conditions every 10 milliseconds. In addition, each damper is equipped with an externally mounted electronic valve that’s linked to an in-car driving-mode controller, enabling the driver to select from a defined range of damping characteristics.

Milavec: Increased vehicle connectivity creates new opportunities for advanced steering-safety features. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) environments, vehicles can evaluate signals from the steering system, brakes or other chassis components to determine road conditions and identify potential haz- ards, such as icy or wet roads. These signals can then be communicated to trailing vehicles via the cloud to warn them of an upcoming hazard. We’re especially excited about two of our collaborations specifically related to connectivity. We’ve partnered with Tactile Mobility to expand our software offerings for real- time, road-surface detection, and we have another software collaboration thatwe’ll be announcing soon.

Q: Over the past few years, we’ve seen closer and  closer  collaboration  between  automakers and  parts  suppliers.  How  critical  is  this  new collaboration model to ensuring a quicker pace of innovation?

Baird: Close collaboration with our customers has always been important. And as supply chains gain speed and complexity, efficient collaboration is more important than ever to drive successful innovation to market, particularly with electrification and autonomy bringing so many new automakers and sup- pliers to the industry. Tenneco’s experienced global team, as well as our network of engineering centers and manufacturing operations, support robust processes for introducing technologies and developing, manufacturing and delivering complex system solutions for the world’s most demanding global automakers.

Milavec: Tier-one  suppliers  have  traditionally  been  a  center  of  specialized innovation for vehicle sub-systems – essentially a  research-and-development extension for OEMs. So we’ve always had a strong history of collaboration. But as vehicle systems, like electric power steering (EPS), have become more complex and integrated, the need for OEMs and Tier Ones to collaborate is increasingly important. It’s needed not only to effectively implement the new technology, but also to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation. For exam- ple, Nexteer has moved from  what you may have called a parts supplier to a technology partner, as our products include software, algorithms, electronics and sensors that need to be fully integrated into the vehicle architecture at an early stage.

Moyer:  Due  to  the  high  cost  of  innovations  within  the  mobility  space,  it makes  sense  for  this  type  of  collaboration  to  continue. Working  together reduces  risks  for  both  sides,  allowing  both  partners  to  determine the integration strategies, timing and volumes up front. This close collaboration decreases  inefficiency  in  the  system.  But   collaboration  should  not  occur just  between  automakers  and  suppliers,  it  also  should  include suppliers partnering with other suppliers to develop innovations. A good example is our Voice Health concept, which is being developed with two start-ups. As such, we can leverage the strengths of all three partners, reducing time and cost.

Q:  There   seems   to   be   a   growing   consensus   that   automated vehicles   now   are   perhaps   decades   away   from   adoption   as opposed  to  years.  Do  you  agree  or  disagree? And  how  does  the evolving timeline for full autonomy affect the innovation decisions you’re making today?

Moyer: Dr. Akira Yoshino, an Asahi Kasei Honorary Fellow and the creator of the lithiumion battery, has suggested AVs will start becoming moveable living spaces around 2030. Today, there are autonomous shuttles, agricultural equipment and mining vehicles, all running on fixed routes. Having fully automated vehicles on roads remains decades away, as it will take 15 years or so to replace all of today’s vehicles. OEM product cycles are increasing in speed; for example, General Motors Corp. designed the Hummer EV in only two years. Suppliers need to be able to match this speed of innovation in order to remain competitive.

Milavec: The industry’s focus is more defined now, especially because of the convergence of mega- trends like electrification, autonomy, software, connectivity and more.For example, industry experts now  expect  the  first widespread  use  of  fully autonomous vehicles to center on geofenced appli- cations for last-mile delivery, people movers and similar applications because they remove some of the challenges of full autonomous driving on open roads.  What’s  great  about  Nexteer’s  advanced technologies, such as EPS or SbW, is that they can be applied to vehicles of all types, from all levels of autonomous driving to EVs. Using our technology building blocks, we then can further refine and tailor our steering and driveline technologies based on OEM priorities and requirements.

Baird: Tenneco is focused on supporting our customers wherever they are on the timeline toward automated vehicles. One challenge facing autonomous mobility is motion sickness and we’re collaborating with university researchers to develop and analyze bio-mechanical models that demonstrate how motion is perceived by passengers under a full range of operating environments. This information will then be used to reinvent the vehicle “corner” in the form of smart modules that control braking, steering and suspension functions. For us, the challenge is to elevate the ride experience through technology in every car, every ride, every race and every journey.

Q: In terms of technologies that reduce emissions and increase connec- tivity and safety, does it make sense to first target commercial vehicles instead of passenger vehicles? Why or why not?

Milavec:   Historically,   EPS   offered   fuel   efficiency   and   safety   benefits compared to  traditional hydraulic power steering. But EPS didn’t really take off until Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were implemented in the United States. In this case, EPS introduction started with passenger vehicles  and  is  now  migrating  to  commercial  vehicles  as  advanced  EPS technology, like Nexteer’s high-output rack-assist system, can handle  heavier loads. Going forward, I think a combination of consumer needs and wants, along with government regulations and incentives, will influence OEMs’ strate- gies for introducing new technologies.

Baird: Tenneco’s approach is to help our customers – whether they use light industrial  or  commercial  truck  and  off-highway  (CTOH)  vehicles  –  reduce their carbon footprint and meet emissions regulations around the world. We do this by offering a portfolio of emission-reduction solutions. Because we see electrification in the CTOH segment lagging behind light vehicles, our Clean Air business group is focusing on technologies to reduce emissions in commercial vehicles. A key offering is our cold-start thermal unit that significantly reduces criteria pollutants such as  nitrous oxide during the challenging cold-start oper- ating cycle. Along with other Tenneco 
technologies, this will offer CTOH and light-vehicle OEMs options to address the Euro 7 emission regulations expected to be announced later this year.

Moyer: Yes,  I  see  the  commercial  vehicles  being  the  first  target  and  for expanding EVs on the road. The reality is passenger cars are parked  20-some hours a day, while commercial vehicles are on the road 10 hours or more. Connectivity provides added value to fleet operators and will be a new source of revenue for the OEMs. We are already seeing this on the commercial side with GM’s BrightDrop and Ford Pro. Integrating such technology in heavy-duty trucks will increase the efficiency of logistics and address the driver shortage. Through vehicle platooning, you could have one driver lead  a convoy, with  two or three autonomous trucks following.

Q: Do you think there’s a point where consumers hit technology overload, thus reducing their interest in adopting new technologies – especially if they add significantly to vehicle costs? If so, what can be done to make these technologies more palatable to consumers?

Milavec:  Any  type  of  new  feature  should  always  be  driven  by  answer- ing a consumer need or want. So if you start there, I believe there is an appetite  for  new  advanced  safety  and  performance  technologies  – especially  if  they  are  intuitive  or  even  invisible  to  drivers. We’ve  seen  this  in recent  years  with  the  adoption  of  features  like  lane-keeping assist,  park assist  and  many  others.  As  for  consumer  adoption,  I  think  consumer education is important so they understand the benefits and capabilities of new technologies – and thus understand how a feature can make their driving  experience  safer,  more  comfortable,  fuel efficient and fun.

Moyer: The average cost of a new light vehicle crossed  the  $40,000  level  this  year,  while  the average  family  income  level  is  around  $80,000. Affordability must be a concern for the industry as continual price increases are not sustainable. Educating the consumer on the benefits of new technology is key to acceptance. Standardization also would help reduce the costs of new technology, as suppliers and OEMs can benefit from higher volumes  and  eliminating  variants.  Lastly, where  it’s  feasible,  revising  testing  and  regula- tions, based on new technological advances, could potentially lower costs.