EPN Automotive Electronics Blog

Electric Entertainment

All surveys indicate that a majority of drivers would prefer an electric car over a fuel-based one - if it was fast enough and ran long enough. However, one tiny problem escaped the attention of the public until now: Radio.

World Solar Challenge 2011 wrap-up

»Outback racers« makes it clear that European technology can compete successfully, even in Australia. And it keeps getting better!

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.

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.

Kaluga’s drive to environmental protection

Russia is famous for many things, environmentalism not among them. In that huge country even small improvements can have a large impact - especially in heavily industrialized areas.

Tesla has a good Goodwood

For non-car-aficionados who like a nice read, Goodwood is just a location in a jolly good P.G. Wodehouse story. Everybody else knows that Goodwood Festival of Speed is a car culture festival for historic and contemporary motorsport with an atmosphere of luxury and excitement.

European Eco-SoC

In times of growing euro-scepticism the engineering community demonstrates the benefits of cooperation in the union. The recently completed EU FP7 project »ATHENIS« (Automotive Tested High Voltage Embedded Non Volatile Memory Integrated System On Chip) is a successful example of collaborative European Research contributing to the EU 2020 CO₂ reduction objectives with IC products manufactured in Europe.

At the hydrogen pump

Electromobility doesn’t have to be about huge and heavy batteries that need to be recharged every few hours for half a day and require large amounts of rare materials from unstable countries. One alternative is the fuell-cell vehicle based on hydrogen, very green and clean but with a downside: It needs hydrogen which is very volatile and difficult to store safely. Linde and Daimler cooperate now in order to build filling stations.

Japan: News from Distributors

European and international distributors offer online information about the delivery and supply situation regarding their Japanese linecards.

Green seat

Car interior surface materials had generally used petroleum-based materials such as PET fibers, due to their durability and flame retardant nature. A new material, developed by Mitsubishi Motors (MMC), combines PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) and cotton fibres as a new addition to its »Green Plastic« line-up, a plant-based material technology.