EPN Automotive Electronics Blog

Joystick for delivery

Delivery cars are everywhere and they are, at least in Germany, one of the major hazards for traffic safety and the environment. A think tank on future transport and mobility issues has just projected a new type of vehicle.

The world’s smallest car

The heyday of huge limousines is over, small is beautiful. But, hey, you can overdo it - leave it to scientists from the Netherlands to go over the top.

Outback racers

Australia - deadly animals, marsupials, convicts, desert and sun. The perfect place for a solar car race, and this year an American student car with European electronics took part rather successfully.

Connectivity assists driver

Traditionally, onboard control units aren't much more than pimped speedometers - with a few exceptions. With the growing number of electric vehicles and the still underdeveloped charging infrastructure, these units  gain importance. In order to inform the driver comprehensively, the OBU needs to get access to vital car systems.

Bad luck for convertibles

The widely acknowledged evolution for car's engines goes like that: Combustion engine -> hybrid engine -> electric motor. A rather obvious step along the way is equipping cars with solar cells, but apart from experimental ultra-light vehicles it hasn't been done on a larger scale - yet.

Cars and more

In terms of software development, AUTOSAR sets rather good practices. Actually, it has a few advantages over general purpose SW development standards with its coverage of the full development cycle easily the most important. Unfortunately, the AUTOSAR development partnership isn’t too fond of allowing the software architecture outside of the automotive market. Now, they start opening up. A bit.