Monday, 29 August 2016
Wind River Systems Working on Transferring Outer Space to the Automotive Space
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Conventional wisdom insists that all the modern intelligence encompassing software, consumer electronics, social media, electric cars, and autonomous vehicles resides in Silicon Valley. And that today’s car companies, especially the three in Detroit, are heading the way of the buggy whip because their thinking is sluggish and their automaking craft too antiquated to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating connectivity, mobility, and automated-transportation movement.
Marques McCammon, connected-vehicle solutions general manager at Wind River Systems, recently burst that bubble at a suburban Detroit gathering of the world’s leading telematics experts. The word he used to pop obsolete thinking is ‘partner,’ specifically in the phrase, “When you set out to build something that must work, you need a great partner.” In essence, success is more likely when West Coast and Motor City forces set their sights on the stars together.
McCammon, who characterizes his early career as metal bending, cut his teeth in the car business with stints at Chrysler and the aftermarket specialty firms ASC and Saleen. Later, he was the chief marketing officer for Aptera, a three-wheel electric-car startup operation that went down in flames in 2011.
Calling McCammon a master of landing on his feet is no exaggeration. Wind River (WR) is one of those familiar garage-to-riches stories. Founded in 1981 by an escapee from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, WR quickly became one of the leading computer-science enterprises. Their VxWorks operating system for embedded devices launched in 1987, and was crucial to the success of one NASA mission after the other: Clementine moon probes, space-shuttle control systems, Mars rover exploration. VxWorks also is a go-to favorite for commercial and military aircraft including the B-1 bomber, Boeing 787, and Grumman unmanned combat planes. In other words, this is rocket science in its purest form.
In 2009, WR became a subsidiary of Intel, one of the world’s most successful semiconductor chipmakers. That year WR also founded an alliance to develop an open-source infotainment platform with six leading ‘metal benders’: BMW, GM, Peugeot/Citroën, Delphi, Visteon, and Magneti Marelli. Two years later, the first BMW system was ready for implementation.
Now McCammon is a fountain of wisdom gained from his access to rocket science brought down to earth of road use:
“Don’t boil the ocean. Set realistic goals and minimize the scope of the program when its success is a must.
“Focus on the rocket, not the launchpad. In other words, the consumer experience is what matters most.
“Nurture the architects. They are, after all, responsible for innovation. Never isolate the inventors from recent discoveries.
“Enable the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.
“The software needed for autonomous driving is similar to what’s used to land a Rover on Mars in that it cannot fail. Safety and security must be intertwined.”
In essence, this is the transfer of Wind River’s VxWorks software from outer space to the automotive space. One of the first liaisons is with the Austrian-based firm TTTech which is developing an electronic control unit called TTADrive for future automotive use. In 2014, Audi and TTTech showcased a prototype of this equipment in a self-driving car at the Consumer Electronics Show.
While Wind River has other car-centric projects in the works, due to the proprietary nature of these relationships, they’re hesitant to acknowledge implementation timetables or even the brands they’re collaborating with. At least the model for future success is evident: advancing 100-plus years of car building expertise to new heights with software that’s already explored the heavens.
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See and Experience the Citroën CXperience Concept at the Paris Auto Show
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Citroën’s new CXperience concept car is a combination of compelling style and Gallic weirdness. Set to debut at next month’s Paris auto show, the sleek sedan is a preview of a possible Audi A7-fighter from the French brand.
Like the fastback from Ingolstadt, the CXperience banks on the theory that sex sells. Low and wide, the 191-inch long CXperience pushes its big, 22-inch wheels to the edges of its shapely bodywork. The result is a Citroën with looks that could to appeal to the masses and not just a small set of Francophiles.
That isn’t to say the CXperience isn’t without its design quirks, though. Take for instance, the flaps at the bottom of the front bumper cover—they open and close to assist in aerodynamics. While this idea is nothing new, most automakers hide active aerodynamics behind bodywork. Not Citroën. Similarly, the trim strips that frame the CXperience’s grille extend out to sideways Vs and become the daytime running lights; a trio of rectangular LEDs below comprise the headlights.
The CXperience’s interior is almost Scandinavian in its simplicity. A massive dashboard-mounted screen is sandwiched between curved-wood upper and lower elements; and more curved wood appears on the console, door panels, and seatbacks. Citroën notes that the big, rectangular screen can be configured as one single screen or to show separate displays for both the driver and front passenger. Additional smaller screens at the front of the door panels serve as monitors for the door-mounted side-view cameras. Not one to leave its quirky French heritage behind, though, Citroën also fitted the CXperience with a single-spoke steering wheel (inspired by the classic DS), wrapped the front-seat cushions up onto the console, and bathed the interior in a searing hue of citrus yellow.
Under the CXperience’s shapely bodywork sits a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. Powering the front wheels is a combustion engine and electric motor with an eight-speed automatic transmission positioned between the two units, while a separate rear-mounted electric motor powers the rear wheels. When all three power sources are firing, the CXperience marches forward with the pull of 300 horses. Alternately, the CXperience can travel up to 37 miles in all-electric driving.
Although still a concept, the CXperience is a promising peek into Citroën’s future. And with talk of the brand returning to our shores within the next decade, it’s possible a CXperience-like Citroën will be something Americans can experience as well.
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