Toyota is conducting a safety recall of 2023 model year bZ4X EVs. Approximately 2,700 units of the EV are affected globally, with 2,200 in Europe, 260 vehicles in the US, 10 for Canada and 110 for Japan, the company said. Toyota began selling the EV, co-developed with Subaru, earlier this... Read more →

BlackBerry Limited announced that Strategy Analytics, a leading independent research firm, has determined BlackBerry QNX software is now embedded in more than 215 million vehicles worldwide, an increase of 20 million from the year before. BlackBerry provides safety-certified embedded software for automotive OEMs and Tier 1s including BMW, Bosch, Continental,... Read more →

Memory solutions company Micron has received the first International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 26262 Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) D certification of memory for its low-power double data rate 5 (LPDDR5) DRAM, which is based on its first-to-market 1α (1-alpha) process node. With next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) applications requiring... Read more →

Ford is recalling certain 2021-2022 Mustang Mach-E vehicles because the high voltage battery main contactors may overheat, causing the vehicle to lose drive power. The defect affects 48,294 vehicles. In the defective vehicles, DC fast charging and repeated wide-open pedal events can cause the high voltage battery main contactors to... Read more →

Toyota Connected North America (TCNA), an independent software and innovation center of excellence, has introduced its Cabin Awareness concept technology that uses millimeter-wave, high-resolution 4D imaging radar to help detect occupants (including certain pets) in cars and has the potential to detect them if ever they’re left behind. The Cabin... Read more →

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found that autonomous vehicles can be tricked into an abrupt halt or other undesired driving behavior by the placement of an ordinary object on the side of the road. The team recently A box, bicycle or traffic cone may “scare” a driverless... Read more →

Continental is launching two new sensors for electrified vehicles: the Current Sensor Module (CSM) and the Battery Impact Detection (BID) system. Both new solutions focus on protecting the battery and/or on battery parameter retention. The high-voltage Current Sensor Module (CSM), which will move into production this year, measures the current... Read more →

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its early estimate of traffic fatalities for 2021. NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year—a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the application process is now open for communities of all sizes to apply (DOT-SS4A-FY22-01) for $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 funding to help them ensure safe streets and roads for all and address the national roadway safety crisis. The Safe Streets... Read more →

General Motors and INRIX, a leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, are collaborating to develop safety solutions to help transportation and planning agencies achieve road safety goals. Available first in the US, Safety View by GM Future Roads & INRIX is a cloud-based application that provides transportation officials... Read more →

Paris transport operator RATP has temporarily withdrawn Bolloré brand electric buses from operation after two separate bus fires. On Friday, 29 April, a fire broke out on a bus on line 71, towards the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand stop (Paris, 13th arrondissement). The bus driver immediately evacuated the passengers. There are... Read more →

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) introduced nine new projects being launched as part of the next phase of its automotive safety research, backed by the new five-year, $30-million commitment announced last year. The new research projects, announced during a virtual CSRC media event showcasing safer mobility, will examine the... Read more →

ZF is set to launch a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) for city buses. Offering active braking to help avoid frontal collisions with other road users, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, the system also helps counter the adverse impact of braking momentum on passengers. Helping reduce the risk of accidents and... Read more →

Nissan announced a new driver-assistance technology, which is currently in-development, that utilizes highly accurate, real-time information about the vehicle’s surrounding environment to enhance collision avoidance significantly. At a Nissan facility in Yokohama, a test vehicle demonstrated how this technology can automatically perform collision-avoidance maneuvers. ProPILOT Concept Zero test vehicle Nissan’s... Read more →

Magna is expanding its ADAS and electrification footprint with the opening of a new plant in Kechnec, Slovakia. The brownfield facility will support two European automakers and new global entrant. Covering an area of approximately 22,000 square meters, the facility is expected to begin operations in the fourth quarter of... Read more →

Seeing Machines, an advanced computer vision technology company that designs AI-powered operator monitoring systems, is collaborating with Magna on a demonstrator that features a fully integrated Driver Monitoring System (DMS) combining camera, electronics, and interior mirror technology. The demonstrator combines Magna’s industry leading mirror technology, camera design, integration, and packaging... Read more →

Audi and Navistar have partnered to develop further and demonstrate potential safety-enhancing C-V2X technology in Navistar emergency vehicles and school buses. The partnership allows for both companies to develop use cases and safety enhancing demonstrations in close collaboration as members of the Volkswagen Group. First deployments are expected to begin... Read more →

>Metis Engineering revealed the beta version of its Production Battery Safety Sensor, designed to monitor the health of a lithium-ion battery pack and detect cell venting, an early sign of catastrophic battery failure. Metis Engineering Managing Director Joe Holdsworth said that the team plans to make one or two minor... Read more →

A new analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects that US drivers struck and killed 3,441 pedestrians in the first six months of 2021, up 17% (507 additional lives) from the same period the year before. This projection continues a decade-long trend of rising pedestrian deaths on roadways.... Read more →

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, are presenting a framework for comparing how different micromobility vehicles, such as e-scooters, and bicycles move in cities, a methodology that can benefit companies and local authorities alike, and contribute to improving traffic safety. Their open-access paper appears in the Journal of Safety... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has been awarded a far-reaching contract for road monitoring through vehicle data by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Min I&W). The project spans two years and covers three key areas: Winter Management, Asset Management and Road Safety. The geographical breadth of the Road Monitor program (ROMO)... Read more →

Enovix Corporation, the developer of 3D Silicon Lithium-ion batteries (earlier post), announced BrakeFlow technology, an intra-cell system that significantly increases tolerance against thermal runaway from internal shorts, without compromising high energy density. Enovix’ 3D cell architecture vertically stacks high-capacity silicon anodes, cathodes, and separators in an inherently flat structure. Unlike... Read more →

Audi of America is working with Spoke, a mobility platform for safety, connectivity, and rich rider experiences; Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.; and Commsignia to bring the benefits of cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology to vulnerable road users (VRUs) and enhance safety on roadways. Using C-V2X technology, the companies are working together by... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a first-of-its-kind final rule to ensure safety of occupants in automated vehicles. This rule updates the occupant protection Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to account for vehicles that do not have the traditional manual controls associated with a... Read more →

Recent battery fires have renewed investigation of the safety of Li-ion batteries. One possible path to battery safety is a solid-state battery that replaces the volatile and flammable liquid electrolyte with a non-flammable solid electrolyte. While the safety benefits of this solid electrolyte replacement are widely acknowledged, the broader safety... Read more →

Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS), a developer of autonomous sensing platforms, issued a white paper that concludes that new innovations enable vehicles with or without human supervision to see soon enough, clear enough and far enough to eliminate roadway deaths. Achieving zero roadway deaths is necessary for universal adoption of autonomous... Read more →

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) company Commsignia is collaborating with Vulnerable Road User (VRU) safety experts Spoke to provide automotive-grade Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) software solutions for cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter riders. Spoke is building on Commsignia’s more than a decade worth of experience in V2X to connect its users to the digital road safety... Read more →

Due to its low density, high strength, and abundance, aluminum and its alloys are widely used in constructions, consumer electronics and for vehicles including cars, ships, trains and planes. However, aluminum alloys are prone to hydrogen embrittlement causing catastrophic failure during service if not noticed early enough. Compared to hydrogen... Read more →

Ford in Europe is testing smart driver alert technology that could indicate the direction from which people and objects are approaching. The engineers are also testing intuitive sounds such as bicycle bells, footsteps and vehicle noises to warn drivers when other road users or pedestrians are nearby. Initial tests revealed... Read more →

Hyundai is establishing a Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) at its Michigan-based research and development center, Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI). The new facility will further augment existing safety testing and analysis. A field crash investigation lab, high voltage battery lab, forensics lab, 500m track and a Vehicle... Read more →

TTTech Auto, a Vienna-based technology leader in automotive safety software, raised US$285 million (€250 million) from Aptiv PLC and Audi in its latest funding round. Aptiv is investing US$228 million (€200 million), while Audi is increasing its existing stake by US$57 million (€50 million). With this latest funding round and... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation Secretary has released the federal government’s new comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), a roadmap for addressing roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Almost 95% of US transportation deaths occur on streets, roads, and highways. The rate of roadway fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled... Read more →

Volvo Trucks has introduced a new, patented safety feature for electric trucks: Active Grip Control. The new technology significantly improves stability, acceleration and braking in slippery conditions. Due to the fast response of the electric motors, the force generated between the wheels and the road can be controlled in an... Read more →

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is developing a new ratings program that evaluates the safeguards that vehicles with partial automation employ to help drivers stay focused on the road. The safeguards will be rated “good”, “acceptable”, “marginal” or “poor”. To earn a good rating, systems will need to... Read more →

Honda Research Institute USA is conducting a pilot program in Ohio to evaluate a system that uses GPS coordinates and sensors such as cameras to collect real-time road condition information that can be shared with road operators. Honda is collaborating with the Ohio Department of Transportation and plans to start... Read more →

Iteris, a global provider of smart mobility infrastructure management, and global mobility supplier Continental launched Vantage Fusion, a hybrid traffic detection system that enables real-world vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications and advanced intersection visualization for safer, smarter and more sustainable roadways. The Vantage Fusion hybrid video and radar detection system delivers unmatched... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems announced the successful testing of its Electronic Stability Control System (ESC) on its EPIC4 platform. The Double Lane Change Handling test, conducted by the Transportation Research Center (TRC), examined the use of automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to help operators maintain control in critical or hazardous... Read more →

Honda Motor recently unveiled its work on two key advanced future safety technologies being developed with the goal of realizing “zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. The first is artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “Intelligent Driver-Assistive Technology” providing assistance that is suited to the ability and... Read more →

Volvo Cars has invested in the optical and imaging technology start-up Spectralics through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the company’s venture capital investment arm. The investment gives Volvo Cars access to promising technology at an early stage of development. Coming from a background in aerospace technology development, Israel-based Spectralics creates... Read more →

With the increase in battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs, HEVs and PHEVs) on the road, statistically the risk potential for an accident or technical defect of the inherently safe battery systems also increases. However, for the most part, emergency crews do not have appropriate equipment and/or techniques to counter these fires,... Read more →

Korea-based batterymaker SK On—the recently spun-off battery business of SK Innovation—and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) signed an MOU to develop technology to maximize the safety of lithium-ion batteries and also to develop related standards. KERI is a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT that conducts... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (January-June) of 2021, which shows the largest six-month increase recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history. An estimated 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes... Read more →

TTTech Auto and Infineon Technologies have developed key components for a fail-operational electronic architecture for highly automated driving of SAE Level 3 and 4. This enables the safe and reliable processing of, for example, radar or LiDAR camera sensor data and is targeting car and technology manufacturers. The fail-operational architectural... Read more →

Volkswagen of America announced that the ID.4 RWD electric SUV has earned a 5-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which runs the government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NHTSA has provided consumers with vehicle safety information since 1978. The ID.4 RWD joins the 2021... Read more →

A new study from AAA finds that moderate to heavy rain affects a vehicle safety system’s ability to “see”, which may result in performance issues. During closed course testing, AAA simulated rainfall and found that test vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB) traveling at 35 mph collided with a... Read more →

Nissan has expanded its Michigan-based engineering center, Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA), with a more than $40-million Safety Advancement Lab for vehicle safety testing. The new lab brings more efficiency to the vehicle development process and furthers Nissan’s goal of reaching a future with virtually zero fatalities. The Safety... Read more →

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the Volkswagen 2021 ID.4 a a 2021 TOP SAFETY PICK+. To qualify for a 2021 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, vehicles must have good ratings in each of the Institute’s six crashworthiness evaluations. They must also have good or acceptable headlights and... Read more →

General Motors outlined an action plan to address the battery combustion issue afflicting the Bolt EV lineup. (Earlier post.) The action plan includes both hardware and software remedies, some of which are in place with immediate effect. LG battery plants in Holland and Hazel Park, Michigan, have resumed production. In... Read more →

Stellantis is exploring two new connected safety notification technologies—Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and Safety Cloud—in North America, giving drivers advanced notification warnings of potential hazards in their path. Greater connectivity speeds, improved hardware and expanded software expertise have opened new opportunities for Stellantis with safety systems being one of the... Read more →

by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. In 2003, Michael Flannagan and I published a detailed analysis of the relative safety of flying and driving in the United States. The flying data were for 1992 through 2001, and thus they included the year of the 9/11 attacks. The analysis showed that,... Read more →