Emerging Industry Trends Archives - Center for Automotive Research

Analog AM Band Interference in Electric Vehicles

Carolyn Mozheev — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:26:38 +0000

There is an effort in the US Congress to require automakers to maintain AM radio in all vehicles, including new electric vehicles (EVs). However, the nature of EVs and their operating conditions, including acceleration and deceleration, pose a challenge to ensuring electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with the analog AM band radio. This study, conducted by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), shows that mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI) in an EV is challenging and could lead to added costs for vehicle manufacturers. The cost of mitigation depends upon the electrical architecture of the vehicle and entails several design and engineering tradeoffs. Automakers may mitigate some EMI through vehicle engineering choices, including shielding, filtering, active noise cancellation, and strategic placement of components. These mitigation techniques can improve analog AM band reception. However, a total vehicle system EMC requirement would need to be included from the beginning of any future EV redesign, if not already considered by the automakers, to eliminate the need for piecemeal late-stage mitigations. These costs can be avoided by deleting analog AM radio from vehicles and providing consumers with alternative products for in-vehicle audio content.

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State of ADAS, Automation, and Connectivity

Carolyn Mozheev — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 19:50:01 +0000

Vehicles are currently in a new stage of evolution that includes advanced driver assist, connectivity, and automation. Due to the evolving nature of the technology and shifting consumer preferences, the timing and pathway for implementation of these technologies is still uncertain. While these new technologies are still evolving, an understanding of the current automotive landscape may help provide a view to future developments.

The Center for Automotive Research is committed to informing the public about the current state of vehicle technologies. In 2017, 2019, and 2020, CAR published roadmaps describing the current and likely future state of vehicle technologies. To ensure the information forecasted by CAR remained current and reflected the latest in vehicle technologies, trends, and expectations, CAR conducted ongoing research and moderated industry roundtables. Industry roundtable experts included auto manufacturers, parts suppliers, technology providers, data providers, autonomous platforms providers, and technology investors. Following the roundtables, CAR developed an updated roadmap and white paper reflecting industry trends and expectations. This paper summarizes critical issues involving the development and deployment of technology in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous vehicles (AV), and vehicle connectivity.

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The Great Divide: What Automotive Consumers are Buying vs. Auto & Supplier Investments in Future Technologies, Products & Business Models

swhitehouse@cargroup.org — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:09:21 +0000

The U.S. automotive industry is in the midst of a critical period. U.S. light vehicle sales are plateauing at a very high level and include a rich mix of pickup trucks, SUVs, and CUVs that are producing record profits. Despite all the new truck, SUV, and CUV launches at last month’s NAIAS, the companies’ presentations focused on the future of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies, new mobility service models, and advanced powertrain solutions. Automakers are making big bets and hope they will pay off. Ford Chairman Bill Ford summed up the divide when he announced his company’s $11 billion investment in EVs in January 2018, “…we’re all in now. The only question is will the customers be there with us, and we think they will.”

This research addresses the U.S. segment mix, the impact of CAV on personal vehicle ownership, the tension between consumer demand and regulatory mandates on EVs, and the implication for the nation’s engineering and skilled talent development institutions and the overall technological leadership of the United States.

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Strategic Growth Plan for Connected and Automated Vehicle Assets in Southeast Michigan

swhitehouse@cargroup.org — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 15:47:17 +0000

Michigan is known worldwide for leading-edge research and manufacturing for the automotive and defense industries. Southeast Michigan (greater Detroit), in particular, is an established hub of industrial innovation, including in the high-tech, communication technology arena.

To better understand opportunities to enhance the region’s connected and automated vehicle (CAV) environment and explore ways the defense and automotive sectors can achieve greater collaboration in this space, the Advance Michigan Defense Collaborative , through funding from a Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Industry Adjustment Grant, funded the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) to develop a plan to strengthen the region’s CAV ecosystem. This Strategic Growth Plan for Connected and Automated Vehicle Assets in Southeast Michigan contains key findings from three parts of the project: a benchmarking exercise that compares southeast Michigan with four other regions on a variety of CAV technology topics, maps of regional CAV assets, and a SWOT analysis.

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The Growing Role of Mexico in the North American Automotive Industry – Trends, Drivers and Forecasts

boxcar-admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Mexican auto assembly capacity is projected to more than double in size between 2010 and 2020. The major reason for this rapid growth is the infusion of $13.3 billion in investment to move 3.3 million units of vehicle capacity from Japan, Germany, and S. Korea to Mexico rather than the movement of U.S. and Canadian capacity. This report highlights North American vehicle production trends, and demonstrates that while automakers and suppliers are attracted by Mexico’s low labor rates, there are many other factors behind Mexico’s growing role in the North American automotive industry.

Combined with lower labor costs, Mexico’s unique free trade position with 40 countries and access to 47 percent of the world’s automotive market provides a significant competitive edge to attract automotive investment that the United States and Canada do not have. Growth in Mexican production volumes, however, can still result in new business for U.S. and Canadian suppliers. Due to well-integrated North American supply chains, vehicles produced in Mexico may be comprised of up to 40 percent U.S. content. In fact, U.S. exports of parts and components to Mexico more than doubled between 2005 and 2014 to a level of $18.4 billion.

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The Impact of New Mobility Services on the Automotive Industry

boxcar-admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Emerging trends in mobility technology, such as the rise of ridehailing and carsharing services, have led many industry analysts to offer their views on how these trends will affect the automotive industry in the United States. The reports stemming from these efforts have resulted in highly conflicting visions of the future, ranging from a dramatic decline in vehicle sales to a windfall in revenue and profits.
Faced with this cloudy picture, researchers at the Center for Automotive Research decided to weigh in with their own analysis, one that is rooted in our cumulative knowledge of travel behavior, consumer preferences, and the operational characteristics of new mobility services.
Our analysis, based on sound data and detailed in this report, sheds light on what we believe are likely future directions. We welcome feedback on this effort and will continue to refine our viewpoint as technology, society, and service offerings continue to evolve.

Download the 20 page White Paper HERE >

Download the Full Report HERE >

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Contribution of the Automotive Industry to the Economies of All Fifty States and the United States

boxcar-admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Six years after the worst recession since the 1930s, the American economy is demonstrating many signs of strengthening, and the auto industry is helping drive that recovery. Despite recent economic hardships, auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers employ over 1.5 million people and directly contribute to the creation of another 5.7 million jobs. In total, the auto industry supports 7.25 million private sector jobs, almost $500 billion in annual compensation, and nearly $65 billion in personal tax revenues. In this paper, the authors touch on the many factors that support the auto industry’s importance and standing in the national economy, along with an estimate of the industry’s employment and economic contribution to the national economy and to each of the 50 states.

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ITS Data Ethics in the Public Sector

boxcar-admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 04:00:00 +0000

This report provides ethical decision-support for transportation professionals involved with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) data. Ethical concerns regarding ITS usually focus on travelers’ right to privacy,and especially location privacy. This report establishes core principles of ethical behavior for government use of ITS data using the American lineage of political and ethical philosophy. Furthermore, this report frames foundational ethical beliefs in a contemporary context in order to propose a set of general guidelines for ITS data policies. Finally, this report examines the ethical implications of existing and potential ITS programs managed by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

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Just How High-Tech is the Automotive Industry?

boxcar-admin — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 05:00:00 +0000

This report, supported by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, measures the technological nature of today’s auto industry and compares it to other sectors of the economy often viewed as technologically advanced. Products manufactured by the automotive industry are among the most technologically sophisticated available to the general public. The vehicles American consumers drive off dealership lots across the country are the end result of a long series of high-tech stages encompassing education, research, testing, and manufacturing – leading to machines that typically operate for a decade or more and travel hundreds of thousands of miles in all types of weather and over all kinds of roads.

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Financing the Infrastructure to Support Alternative Fuel Vehicles

boxcar-admin — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Countries around the world have implemented regulatory requirements to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. These regulations encourage automakers to sell alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), which use fuels such as natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels. Automakers are already making investments in developing and manufacturing AFVs. There are many challenges to increasing AFV market share and providing appropriate support of fueling infrastructure for these unconventional vehicles. The cost of installing new refueling infrastructure is high. The lack of available breadth of the fueling infrastructure is one factor which may reduce consumer acceptance and confidence in this new technology.

Private rates of return from investing in such infrastructure can be low or negative for the private sector, and the required infrastructure spending may be in excess of the private sector’s ability to finance. However, infrastructure for fueling may also have “public good” attributes, thereby providing a role for government funding. This paper describes several different types of alternative fuels and summarizes the existing infrastructure investments to support AFVs in several countries and one U.S. state (Brazil, China, the European Union, the United States, and California). This research offers a long run projection of what the likely future investment requirements would be, in order to support future AFV volumes. The authors have also included an assessment of the gap between what infrastructure investment is needed for successful growth of AFV sales and what has been built out so far, with particular attention to selected countries.

Several examples of public financing programs and public-private partnerships to encourage sales of AFVs, construction of refueling infrastructure, and adoption of other environmental technologies are detailed. This paper will describe the costs and benefits of various funding models (e.g. tax incentives, government loan programs, convertible bonds, and joint ventures) which have been or could be put in place to support AFV infrastructure investment spending.

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