Blog: Automotive Design & Production

Automotive Electronics

Cars were once predominately valued in steel, glass, rubber, and aluminum. Now it’s silicon. Electronics developments drive the vehicles of today and tomorrow.

Eaton Adds eMobility

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 26, 2018 at 9:11 AM

This morning automotive supplier Eaton announced that it has established a new global business that’s named and dedicated to eMobility.

Graphene for Better Seats

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 25, 2018 at 8:33 AM

Promethient has developed a solid-state heating and cooling technology that it has named “Thermavance,” which makes use of graphene. This is a setup that is specifically for seats in everything from automobiles to golf cars, a heating and cooling system that is directly below the seating material and effectively works as a heat pump.

Magna Forms Joint Ventures in China

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 18, 2018 at 12:37 PM

Magna International is forming two new joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. (BJEV), a subsidiary of the state-owned automotive group BAIC, for (1) engineering and (2) manufacturing electric vehicles.

Creating an Electric Ford Transit

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 18, 2018 at 6:42 AM

You might be surprised to learn that there is presently a Ford Transit 350HD that is chock full of lithium-ion batteries that you can get right now that doesn’t come out of Dearborn but Loveland, Colorado.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SE w/4Motion

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 12, 2018 at 7:00 AM

When you live in southeastern Michigan, there is something that has the wallpaper effect: it is there but you really don’t notice it.

Cadillac Super Cruise Explained

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 11, 2018 at 6:26 AM

Although there is a lot of talk about “autonomy” and “hands-free driving,” when you get right down to it, there is more verbiage than there is reality.

The Echo Cancellation Noise Reduction system from NXP Semiconductor addresses the issues that can occur when using a hands-free phone setup in a vehicle.

NXP Takes on Echo, Echo, Echo…

June 07, 2018 at 9:17 AM

Hands-free calling is safer than using a hand that belongs on the steering wheel to hold a phone (and in many locales, it is the only legal way to be involved in telephony while driving), but there is often a drawback, a variant of feedback: echoes.

The 2019 Ram 1500, explains Joe Dehner, chief exterior designer for Ram, still has the “big rig” front end styling, with a strong vertical presence. “I like to call it a ‘super hero,’ as it has its chest forward.” Also note how the body side has form to it, which he says is different than other light-duty pickups, which tend to have flatter sides.

Designing the 2019 Ram 1500

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 06, 2018 at 12:39 PM

Ram Truck chief exterior designer Joe Dehner talks about how they’ve developed the all-new pickup. “We’ve been building trucks for over 100 years,” he says. “Best I could come up with is that this is our 15th-generation truck.”

A BeBop Sensors fabric sensor is designed to not only measure a passenger’s weight, but seat positioning, to improve safety.

Tech Watch: Fabric That Feels You

By: Scott Anderson - June 05, 2018 at 1:57 PM

BeBop makes sensors for automotive occupant classification systems (OCS), which estimate the weight of passengers to deploy an airbag accordingly.

Tech Watch: Denso’s Nocturnal Sensor

By: Scott Anderson - June 05, 2018 at 11:02 AM

Denso's vision sensor is nocturnal—seeing pedestrians, cyclists, road signs and driving markers under the cover of darkness.

VW Training Engineers for EVs

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 05, 2018 at 6:25 AM

Last week, Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the brand Board of Management responsible for E-Mobility, Volkswagen, said, “Within three years, Volkswagen will be starting production of a total of 27 electric car models for four brands in three regions of the world.

Of Engines and Brakes and Even More

By: Gary S. Vasilash - June 04, 2018 at 6:09 AM

You’ve heard a lot about 48-volt systems for vehicles.