Autonomous Mustang Embarrasses Itself at Goodwood - Video

Automotive technology giant, Siemens, was set to deliver the best Recycled Hawtness story I’ve written yet this week. That’s because the latest test bed for their autonomous vehicle technology was going to be a meticulously restored and modified 1965 Ford Mustang– and they were going to point the thing at the historic hillclimb evet at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

I shouldn’t say, “were going to”, I suppose. I shouldn’t say that, because Siemens actually did end up pointing their self-driving Mustang up the hill. It’s just that, you know– it didn’t turn out exactly the way that Siemens hoped it would. The Mustang’s run starts about five minutes in.

Video | Autonomous Mustang at Goodwood

As a big believer in autonomous cars and a fan of old Mustangs, in general, I have to say that watching that was pretty painful. Watching the “driver” correct the Mustang’s course manually a few times too, was painful. Even though I couldn’t quite see their faces, I’m pretty sure the looks on the Siemens engineers riding in the car were also pretty painful. The whole thing was just– I would say, “deeply unimpressive”.

Siemens will be quick to point out that this Mustang is a test bed. It’s an advanced AI that is at the steepest part of its learning curve. Still, Goodwood is a huge stage, and car enthusiasts all around the world are watching. As such, I have to wonder why they would ever think presenting this car on this stage at this point in its development was a good idea.

What do you guys think? Did Siemens shoot the bulls-eye with this Goodwood publicity stunt, or just shoot themselves in the foot? Let us know what you think about the autonomous Mustang in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Sources | Images: Goodwood FOS, Digital Trends.

Siemens, Northvolt partner in next generation lithium-ion battery cell production; Siemens invests €10M

Siemens and Northvolt, a company working to build a European Li-ion Gigafactory with 32 GWh of battery capacity, are partnering for the development of best-in-class technology to produce high-quality lithium-ion batteries. The partnership, which will be supported by Siemens through an investment of €10 million (US$11.7 million); after production start in 2020, Northvolt will become a preferred supplier for lithium-ion batteries for Siemens.

We are happy to support Northvolt in building the battery factory of the future. With our Digital Enterprise portfolio, we contribute to a competitive battery cell production in Europe that fully exploits the benefits of software and automation: greater flexibility, efficiency and quality with shorter time to market.

—Jan Mrosik, CEO of Siemens Digital Factory Division

Northvolt is driving the battery production to build a battery with very low CO2footprint. Our Digital Enterprise portfolio will support Northvolt in building a state-of-the-art battery plant. We are excited to go in as a partner in this project.

—Ulf Troedsson, President and CEO of Siemens Nordics

Siemens sees the Northvolt initiative as a reference project for the battery production of the future, which will rely on the integration and digitization of the entire value chain: from the design of the battery cell through production planning, engineering and production to services.

The technology partnership is set up around two main areas of collaboration:

• Technology. Use of the Siemens Digital Enterprise portfolio, encompassing everything from manufacturing planning and design software to automation, including industrial communications networks and cloud solutions, will allow Northvolt to optimize its battery production and sharpen its competitive edge.
• Supply of lithium-ion batteries. Siemens intends to purchase batteries from Northvolt once its large-scale production facility is up and running. The companies are also exploring potential areas for joint development programs.

The European industry is moving rapidly towards electrification. With its world-class expertise within electrification, automation and digitalization, Siemens will become an important technology partner, supplier and customer to Northvolt in this coming transition. Once we begin large-scale production, our aim is to supply the greenest lithium-ion batteries in the world.

—Peter Carlsson, Co-Founder and CEO, Northvolt

Northvolt plans to offer the battery factory equivalent of a semiconductor foundry. It will offer one or two basic form factors and perfect the production of these. It will also offer a number of leading industry standard chemistries, which will be improved continuously. For high volume customers, proprietary chemistries will be closely tailored to fit their specific need

Electric airplane sets ascent record with Siemens drive system

An electric-drive Extra 330LE aerobatics plane recently set a world record in ascent in the category of “Electric aircraft weighing up to 1,000 kilograms. The pilot reached an altitude of 3,000 meters in only four minutes and 22 seconds, beating the previous record by one minute and 10 seconds. The airplane rose into the air at 11.5 meters per second.

The plane is equipped with a SP260D electric drive system from Siemens that has a continuous power output of 260 kW, continuous torque of 1,000 N·m, weighs only 50 kg, and thus offers an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Pilot Walter Extra broke the previous record set by the American pilot William M. Yates in 2013. The World Air Sports Federation—Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)—recognized the record-breaking flight.

This is a milestone on the path to electrification in aviation. This enormous achievement was possible only with digital technologies that enabled us to push our drive train to its technological limits.

—Frank Anton, who heads eAircraft within Siemens’ next4 startup unit

The Extra 330LE, which weights approximately 1,000 kilograms, serves as a test vehicle for the new drive. Its first public flight was in July 2016. For Siemens AG eAircraft, this record is proof of the performance of the SP260D drive system and its efficient integration into the airplane built by Extra Aircraft OEM.

The Extra 330LE two-seater will be the test aircraft for the coming years, when the goal will be to analyze and further develop how the individual components of its propulsion system work together. Siemens will also bring the technology to its electric flight collaboration agreement with Airbus, which the two companies signed in April 2016. 

They want to prove the technical feasibility of hybrid electric drive systems for regional aircraft with up to 100 passengers by 2020. This will require power ratings of up to 10 MW.

The two partners plan to develop hybrid electric regional aircraft on the basis of the record-breaking motor.

We expect to see the first aircraft with up to 100 passengers and a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers by 2030

—Frank Anton

Siemens Electric Airplane Motor Breaks New Ground

Siemens, Germany’s giant electronics company, has developed an innovative electric motor suitable for powering electric airplanes. The motor has 350 horsepower on tap but weighs a mere 120 pounds. That’s about 5 times as much power as most similar size motors. Siemens has installed the motor in an Extra 330LE aerobatic airplane. It used the plane for a demonstration run recently at Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken, Germany.

The (nearly silent) demonstration was the first public flight of an electric aircraft with a 260-kilowatt power output. The company’s plan is reportedly to integrate the technology into the development of hybrid electric aircraft, in partnership with Airbus. According to a press release, a hybrid electric aircraft with 4 or more seats is now a possibility within the near future. The step up to multi-seat aircraft powered by electric motors is a major development for planes powered by electricity.

“This day will change aviation,” stated Frank Anton, head of eAircraft at Siemens’ central research unit Corporate Technology. “This is the first time that an electric aircraft in the quarter-megawatt performance class has flown.”

The press release says “the Extra 330LE, which weighs nearly 2,200 pounds, serves as a flying test bed for the new propulsion system. As an aerobatic airplane, it’s particularly well suited for taking the components to their limits, testing them and enhancing their design. Siemens and Airbus will reportedly use the motor in the development of regional aircraft. “By 2030, we expect to see initial aircraft with up to 100 passengers and a range of around 1,000 kilometers,” continued Anton.

“The first flight of our propulsion system is a milestone on the road to electrification of aviation,” commented Siemens chief technology officer Siegfried Russwurm. “To continue this journey successfully, we need disruptive ideas and the courage to take risks. That’s why the development of electric propulsion systems for aircraft is also the first project for our new start-up organization, next47.”

Source: EV Obsession

Consortium seeks to show total cost of EVs can be less than combustion engine reference car

EVs for use by Michelin and Siemens staffers in the project. (Photo: Sandra Göttisheim) Click to enlarge.

Michelin and Siemens, in cooperation with research partners at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, are launching a project to demonstrate that the total cost of electric vehicles can be less than that of a conventional combustion-engined car. In January 2013, the consortium was promised funding by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, Building, and Urban Development (BMVBS) under the Baden-Württemberg LivingLab BWe mobil showcase project.

The three-year, nearly €2-million (US$2.6 million) project will be funded by the BMVBF and the project partners at a ratio of 50:50.

Michelin and Siemens staff commute frequently between their German and French facilities in conventional vehicles. However, an electric vehicle may ultimately prove to be less expensive, even given the higher initial purchase cost, as every kilometer driven electrically costs less than driving on gasoline or diesel fuel.

Under the project, electric vehicles will be used by Michelin staff commuting from Alsace to the Michelin factory in Karlsruhe. Siemens staff members will use an electric instead of a gasoline-based vehicle for their trips between the factories in Karlsruhe and Haguenau, France (about 65 km, 40 miles). In both cases, utilization of the vehicles is planned to be increased, such that the electric vehicle will be less expensive than the reference car with a combustion engine at the end of the project.

If electric mobility is to be successful in Europe, it has to be economically efficient. We are looking for applications in which electric vehicles are cheaper than a reference car with a combustion engine. If the vehicle is used often, costs can be reduced considerably and the high purchasing price is compensated.

—Dr. Olaf Wollersheim, head of the RheinMobil showcase project at KIT

Reaching the project objectives will require smart operation strategies for the vehicles, charging stations at the right places, and driver education, the partners said. Fraunhofer ISI and KIT have already studied user expectations and commercialization obstacles and know that factors such as high costs, small ranges, and limited availability of charging infrastructure deter people from using electric vehicles.

A new company—e-MotionLine—established by KIT graduates will supply vehicles for the project.

We take care of the selection of economically most efficient vehicles, coordinate the charging infrastructure, and train the users in using this new technology.

—Max Nastold, managing director of e-MotionLine

For the recharging infrastructure, the RheinMobil partners will cooperate closely with the CROss-border Mobility for EVs (CROME) project funded by several German and French ministries.

In April 2012, the federal government selected four regions in Germany as “electric mobility showcases”. In these regions, research and development of alternative drive trains are funded according to the decision made by German parliament. The RheinMobil project is one of about 40 projects in the Baden-Württemberg “LivingLab BWe mobil” electric mobility showcase.

In the Baden-Württemberg “LivingLab BWe mobil” showcase, more than 100 partners from industry, science, and public institutions are studying electric mobility in practice. The projects concentrate on the region of Stuttgart and the city of Karlsruhe. The projects address aspects of intermodality, fleets, commercial transport, infrastructure and energy, urban and traffic planning, vehicle technology, communication, and participation as well as training and qualification. “LivingLab BWe mobil” is coordinated by the State Agency for Electric Mobility and Fuel Cell Technology e-mobil BW GmbH and the Stuttgart Regional Economic Development Corporation (WRS).

Germany’s Visio.M Group Developing Ultralight Electric Vehicle

The Visio.M consortium of Germany is developing a lightweight electric vehicle that exhibits the potential of a low weight electric vehicle that is vehicles efficient, fast, and safe. And they aim to do it with just a 20 horsepower electric motor.

The consortium comprises many companies including BMW, Daimler, the Technische Universität München, , Siemens AG, Texas Instruments and many more. The project vehicle is named the Visio.M Electric Vehicle, and the project’s $15 million of funding was provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The objective of this project is to design and construct a vehicle that achieves:

• At least 62 miles of range per charge.
• A top speed that exceeds 75 mph.
• A base vehicle weight of 882 pounds (excluding the battery bank).

The Visio.M will be equipped with a 15 kW (20 HP) electric motor, which sounds very low. However, the researchers said that it will be sufficient because the vehicle will be extremely lightweight. The vehicle is expected to weigh only 1,200 pounds including its batteries, which is a third of the weight of a typical mid-sized sedan. Even so, today’s average sedans have on average ten times more power at their disposal.

The Visio.M will use a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics that will be used to construct interior parts. Carbon fiber is an expensive material, but it is very lightweight, and lightweight cars can achieve good performance with relatively small motors and battery packs.

But is there really a market for tiny electric vehicles these days? Small car-sized EVs are struggling to sell as it is; is downsizing really the answer? Then again, the Renault Twizy is selling like hotcakes, so maybe the Germans are on to something.

Source: Plug In Cars

Siemens and Volvo Car Corporation launch electric mobility partnership

The permanent magnet synchronous motor from Siemens has its first application in the Volvo C 30 Electric. Click to enlarge.

Volvo Car Corporation and Siemens intend to jointly advance the technical development of electric cars through an extensive strategic cooperation. The focus is on the joint development of electrical drive technology, power electronics and charging technology as well as the integration of those systems into Volvo C30 Electric vehicles.

The first electric cars of this model fitted with Siemens electric motors will be on the test tracks as early as the end of this year. Beginning in late 2012, the Swedish carmaker will deliver a test series of up to 200 vehicles to Siemens, which will then be tested and validated under real-life conditions as part of a Siemens internal test fleet.

Drive and motor frame. Click to enlarge.

Siemens is developing a scalable product family of permanent magnet and asynchronous motors for electric vehicles with continuous power rating from 30–80 kW. The Siemens electric motors developed for Volvo have a peak power output of 108 kW (62 kW continuous) with a rated torque of 119 N·m (88 lb-ft) and maximum torque of 220 N·m (162 lb-ft). The motor weighs 50 kg, and is packaged in a specially developed, crash-tested frame with the transmission—a compact, single-stage planetary gear from Getrag with differential and drive shaft through the hollow shaft—and inverter in front of the vehicle.

The Siemens inverters for automotive applications are compatible with all permanent magnet and asynchronous motor types. They are scalable for different power classes up to 80 kW at 400 V. Click to enlarge.

The inverter design will be jointly optimized to meet all safety requirements in an automotive application. In addition, Siemens will provide efficient and fast on-board and off-board charging systems.

The partnership gives Siemens the chance to extend its industrial leadership in electric drive technology into the automotive market, while Volvo will be relying on proven and efficient Siemens technology for the electrification of its future vehicles.

Cooperation with Volvo is an important milestone in the development of top-quality components and systems for electric cars subsequently intended for series production. It is our long-term goal to establish Siemens as a global system provider both inside and outside of electric vehicles. We see ourselves as a comprehensive electric mobility pioneer.

—Siegfried Russwurm, Siemens Board member and CEO of the Siemens Industry Sector

Volvo Car Corporation starts small-scale production of the Volvo C30 Electric this year, and next year the company will start selling the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

This means that we are moving from prototypes and small volumes towards series production, starting with the plug-in hybrid. Our upcoming new Scalable Platform Architecture paves the way for electrification throughout our model range.

—Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO at Volvo Car Corporation

Source: Green Car Congress

Hybrid Drives Make City Buses Cleaner

City Bus Equipped With Siemens Elfa Drive System





City buses equipped with the new Siemens drive system Elfa, a combination of a diesel engine and electric motors, consume one-third less fuel than conventional buses. Rather than powering the rear axle via an automatic transmission, as usually, the diesel engine in the Elfa system drives a generator that uses power electronics to supply electricity to one or more drive motors.

Around half of all local public transit trips in Germany are by bus. Like other heavy vehicles, however, buses are loud and produce emissions that are harmful to humans and the climate. The long-term solution is to use an all-electric drive. The problem is that today’s battery technology is relatively expensive. Although in China, for example, there are already several buses powered by innovative lithium ion batteries. City buses make frequent stops for traffic lights and passengers, so they are well suited for use with a hybrid drive. This system marks an intermediate step on the road toward zero-emission buses powered either by batteries alone or a combination of batteries and a fuel cell system.

In the Elfa system from Siemens, the electric motors act as generators during braking and thus feed electricity back into the batteries. This power can then be subsequently used to drive the vehicle, which means at times the bus can run fully electrically and without producing any emissions. The vehicle range depends on battery capacity and can vary between a few hundred meters and several kilometers.

In combination with a clever power management system, Elfa not only reduces fuel consumption but also noise, since the diesel engine doesn’t provide acceleration and therefore operates only at quiet and economical engine speeds. As a result, fuel consumption falls by around one-third. On the basis of 60,000 kilometers a year, that corresponds to savings of around 10,000 liters of diesel, depending on the type of route driven.

Buses with Elfa drives are now being used in a number of cities worldwide, including a test fleet of double-deckers in London. Hamburg, meanwhile, is planning to introduce buses with an Elfa hybrid drive equipped with a fuel cell system rather than a diesel engine. This new drive technology is also ideal for other commercial vehicles that make frequent stops, such as garbage trucks or light delivery trucks. The Elfa system forms part of the Siemens environmental portfolio, which generated around €28 billion in sales for the company in fiscal year 2010.



Source: Siemens