EPN Automotive Electronics Blog

Electric two-wheelers emerge from the slipstream

Two-wheelers provide an excellent opportunity to improve the flow of urban traffic and make it more individual and environmentally friendly, particularly when electric technology is involved. This has already been recognized in Asia in particular, where a large number of electrically powered two-wheelers are now roaming the streets of Shanghai.

Infotainment award “App My Ride”

A catching name (“App My Ride”) which is misleading in at least one respect, a heap of prize money, a job and travel expenses - a contest that seems to have got everything right.

Electr(on)ic mobility

The knowledge about dwindling oil reserves has been around for decades, the environmental impact of combustion engines has been well known for even longer. Car manufacturers did their best ignoring these facts for a very long time - everyone old enough to remember the discussions about the catalytic converter in the 1970s and 1980s knows that.

Step into the light

So you think the list of extra equipment for your next car is too short? 80something microcontrollers are not sufficient? Here is what you need: The illuminated tread plate!

Joint measurement

Ipetronik has found a new partner for amperometry: The manufacturer of automotive measurement technology has negotiated a worldwide cooperation agreement with Stuttgart-based Stefan Klaric GmbH & Co. KG.

More comfort, more safety

It’s a start: About 90 car models which have implemented MOST as the network backbone for infotainment applications are on the road. The latest one to do so, is Volkswagen who adopted the fast infotainment network for its new generation of Tuareg II, a midsize SUV.

Intersil buys itself into automotive infotainment

Cars have been driving for over 100 years, and modern electronics does not change much about this elementary function. However, one of automotive electronics’ major benefits is that it enables in-car-entertainment and infotainment that goes far beyond the good old car radio. A huge market which Intersil is just now seriously targeting.

Joint diagnostics

Independent garages or car repair shops have been complaining about the multitude of electronic devices in modern vehicles since the first microcontroller entered a crucial car system. It took a bit longer for FPGAs, communication buses and similar technology to gain a foothold in commercial vehicles, but now electronics is there as well. Whoever thought car diagnostics has become difficult has never looked inside a modern truck repair station.

MSO analyses FlexRay

Youngsters may not remember the ‘ancient’ times when radio was the only electronic (well, more or less) device in a car. Nowadays almost every component of the vehicle has some electronic feature or other that makes specialized internal communications networks necessary. One of these bus systems is FlexRay, a general purpose high-speed protocol with safety-critical features. Yokogawa has kept an eye on it: A FlexRay serial bus analysis function is now available as an option to the 4-channel models in the DLM2000 series of mixed-signal oscilloscopes.

Making a Difference in Automotive

One of the most challenging things in electric vehicles is the battery management. The need for small size, low power consumption, and extended battery life for longer cruising ranges and maximum service life for the vehicle are crucial. That may be the reason why Mitsubishi Motors has adopted the digital isolators iCoupler from Analog Devices for its next-generation electric vehicle “i-MiEV”.