Key trends driving the automotive industry in 2019

“Looking ahead to 2019, it’s exciting to see that the car is in the midst of its biggest transformation since it was invented more than a century ago, with nearly a decade in the making. The automotive industry will undergo major changes over the next decade as autonomous and electric vehicles continue to evolve.

“

Looking ahead to 2019, it’s exciting to see that the car is in the midst of its biggest transformation since it was invented more than a century ago, with nearly a decade in the making. The automotive industry will undergo major changes over the next decade as autonomous and electric vehicles continue to evolve.

Looking ahead, 2019 will drive innovation in the automotive industry in four key areas.

digital cockpit

Enhancing the driving experience starts with improving the performance of the driver’s seat, as the driver controls a central command center, an integrated cab.

• According to Harvard Health Watch, drivers have driven up to 38,000 hours in their lifetime. Whether a passenger is driving in the near future or resting in a self-driving car in the distant future, vehicle seats must be comfortable. That’s why all of the iterative updates to the power seats will still be associated with customizable features and climate control in 2019.

• Consumers expect more dynamic interactions with the cab. In 2019, look for more waving as the next-generation way to manage digital in-cab controls.

• As cabs evolve, so do cab acoustics. Even in ordinary vehicles, advanced audio innovations that shape the sound of the vehicle are more popular.

• Selecting the right power topology will have more significance for the development of body control modules with comfort and convenience.

Read the white paper System Power Architecture in Body Control Modules to explore power options:

vehicle electrification

Global government regulations present numerous challenges for automakers to reconfigure and reimagine powertrains to reduce emissions. Looking ahead to 2019, we can divide the trends into three parts.

Within these categories, the following key trends emerged:

• More accurate sensors and exhaust gas treatment centers will improve internal combustion engine processes.

• Standard 12V batteries are under increasing stress as new electronics are loaded. To answer this question, designers can design a 48V system that adds power to the starter/generator and traction inverter to assist the mild-hybrid internal combustion engine in reducing exhaust emissions.

• Solutions for managing the drivability of high-efficiency on-board chargers, high-voltage battery systems, DC/DC converters, and robust traction inverters in electric vehicles up to 800 V.

• As electric vehicles become more common, demand for longer distances per charge and faster charging increases; innovations to watch include increased on-board charging power up to 22 kW, fast DC charging stations up to 350 kW , and wireless charging that is considered an enabling technology for autonomous transportation services.

Read the white paper and view the reference design: Bridging 12 V and 48 V in a Dual Battery Automotive System.

Autopilot

In 2019, autonomous driving in passenger cars will not only include fully autonomous vehicles, it will also be experienced primarily through driver assistance features. These features are designed to mitigate or prevent human error on the road and improve the driver’s situational awareness.

• Camera Monitoring Systems (CMS) will continue to replace mirrors to broaden the driver’s field of view, making smart mirrors more common in new vehicles.

• Sensor fusion combines information from cameras, radar, and ultrasonic systems to enhance ADAS capabilities.

• Cameras in vehicles will continue to evolve by providing driver monitoring to detect head and eye position to determine if the driver is drowsy or distracted.

Read the white paper to learn more: Paving the way for autonomous vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems.

connected car

Modern cars are connected to the outside world because drivers use smartphones. Smart driving will become the norm as vehicles communicate with drivers, other vehicles on the road, infrastructure, the cloud and pedestrians – all while providing passengers with the constant connectivity we expect.

• Innovations in the various interconnections between vehicles and the outside world (V2X) will continue to evolve and provide unprecedented connectivity for drivers, passengers and the car itself.

• In 2019, competition between cellular LTE standards driven by 5GAA (C-V2X) and dedicated short-range communications using WiFi IEEE Standard 802.11p (DSRC) is likely to emerge.

• Smartphones will increasingly be connected to cars, especially in terms of car access. In 2019, time-of-flight technology could allow cars to safely identify their drivers.

To learn more about telematics, read the article: Four Design Considerations for Connected Vehicle Hardware in the Connected Car.