“3D display technology not only brings a new wow-factor into the vehicle cockpit but with the right content, it also creates a more intuitive interaction between driver and vehicle and thus enhances driving safety”, said Ulrich Lueders, head of strategy and portfolio at Continental’s business unit Human Machine Interface. “As we see this especially for 3D navigation, I am very happy that we can contribute to a better UX and safer driving environment by bringing together HERE premium map content and Leia’s Lightfield software with our expertise in automotive human-machine interface solutions.”

3D Navigation

Various studies on traffic safety show that driver distraction is among the main reasons for traffic crashes worldwide. In the US, distracted driving caused more than 2,800 fatalities in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. It is critical to work toward intuitive UX solutions that provide drivers with the content and functions they are looking for and therefore support greater driving safety while minimising distraction in the vehicle cockpit.

“Especially in complex driving scenarios such as city traffic, it can be a real challenge for many drivers to follow navigation instructions and at the same time manoeuvre safely”, says Ulrich Lüders.

Thanks to the correct spatial reproduction of the real world offered by the 3D solution from Continental, HERE and Leia Inc drivers can grasp the necessary information quicker, better orientate themselves and stay more attentive to the driving task.

The content enabling this solution comes from HERE Premier 3D cities, consisting of HERE premium map content and highly detailed 3D representations of 75 global city centres that are fully interactive and customisable. Each building is indexed and accurate in terms of physical location, volume, elevation and façade colour. 3D terrain models also provide elevations for representative depictions of a city’s layout. Detailed 3D landmarks are included within the coverage of each city and are integrated into the 3D terrain, as well as the various styles of the surrounding buildings.

Based on Continental’s Natural 3D Display, Leia’s Lightfield technology and HERE’s 3D map content, the companies have created a joint demonstrator and plan to work with vehicle manufacturers to bring this solution into the next generation of vehicles.

Awards

Continental is bestowed with three CES 2021 Innovation Honoree Awards. Its state-of-the-art Transparent Trailer technology and its Advanced Radar Sensor (ARS) 540 were awarded in the Vehicle Intelligence and Transportation product category, while its Ac2ated sound partnership was recognised in the In-Vehicle Entertainment and Safety category.

Selections are awarded by a panel of independent expert judges, including industrial designers, engineers, and trade media members – to honour outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics products across 28 categories.

“It’s always special to be recognised among the revolutionary products in the CES Innovation Awards,” says Samir Salman, CEO, Automotive Technologies, Continental North America. “The selections not only speak to the value of our technologies, but also to the dedication of our team members globally who are constantly pushing to create new, noteworthy solutions for our customers. Recognitions like this inspire us to push further to see what additional mobility and safety solutions we can develop for the future.”

The Transparent Trailer technology extends the company’s trailering portfolio to allow drivers to “see through” a trailer in the haul and check the area behind and beside it. Based on its Surround View system, the technology enables safer driving while towing. Two cameras and a control unit work together to provide a panoramic view that renders the trailer virtually invisible. The result is a seamless live feed for drivers to see the road and any obstacles behind the trailer.

Continental’s ARS 540 is the first production-ready 4D image radar. It supports automated driving systems all the way from partial to full automation. While previous systems were only capable of capturing information on range, speed and azimuth angle, the ARS 540’s long-range radar sensor calculates an object’s location in addition to the range, speed and azimuth angle also with its elevation to create a precise map of the driving environment up to 300 meters. In particular, the radar sensor’s elevation measuring capability allows the most varied of objects, even relatively small objects, to be detected even more precisely. Moreover, the extended capability allows the ARS 540 to provide high-resolution detail for object identification to manage complex driving scenarios, even in adverse lighting and weather conditions, and at higher speeds.

The final selection is a partnership that pairs Continental and Sennheiser technology to create an immersive sound experience that eliminates reality and reproduction boundaries. The joint solution offers a scalable and adaptive sound system that supports mobility evolution towards an ever more user experience-oriented future. Continental’s Ac2ated Sound removes conventional loudspeakers from the vehicle and replaces them with small and lightweight actuators that excite surfaces. The newly added headrest audio feature provides a unique experience of individualised listening zones with an entirely invisible integration. Sennheiser’s AMBEO Mobility leverages the audio specialist’s patented AMBEO 3D audio technology to deliver an immersive and natural in-car sound experience. It is designed, calibrated and finetuned to ensure an incredibly vivid soundscape and crystal-clear communication. Combining the two technologies creates an invisible, immersive, real-life experience for all listeners in the vehicle. (MT)

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Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in collaboration with industry partners, have published a study in Nature Communications demonstrating that reconfigurable battery pack architectures can extend electric vehicle battery operational life by more than 20 percent under specific conditions.

In conventional electric vehicle battery packs, cells are wired in a fixed series configuration, meaning the weakest cell dictates the overall capacity, performance and lifespan of the entire pack. The architecture evaluated by the Chalmers engineering team uses integrated electronic switches and a centralised battery management system to monitor individual cells or cell groups. When a cell experiences accelerated degradation or reduced capacity, the system bypasses the degraded unit while electric current continues to flow through the remaining functional cells.

Albert Skegro, a PhD student at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology, said, "They must all move at the pace of the slowest person and stop when that person stops, regardless of how much energy the others have left. With the architecture we have modelled, the battery can instead bypass the cell that is causing problems and continue using the remaining cells."

Changfu Zou, Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers, said, "Reconfiguration is not an on-or-off choice. It is a spectrum. Where a manufacturer chooses to position itself on that spectrum determines how much of the potential benefit can be realised."

In a representative modelling scenario featuring an 80 kWh battery pack driven 12,000 kilometres annually over an 18.8-year vehicle lifespan, the reconfigurable system deferred battery replacement by approximately 14 months. The researchers noted that the technology yields the highest performance gains in high-voltage vehicles, including 400-volt and 800-volt electric passenger cars and commercial trucks, where higher cell counts in series increase the statistical probability of individual cell variance.

A techno-economic analysis included in the study determined that implementing cell-level switching hardware increases initial pack production costs by approximately nine per cent based on prototype-scale volumes of 1,000 units. The researchers identified an economic break-even threshold at a 12 percent cost increase, noting that volume manufacturing would lower component costs and increase financial viability for fleet operators and private owners. While prototype applications such as Volvo Cars' SmartCell concept and experimental road vehicles exist, mass-production vehicles using reconfigurable battery packs are yet to enter the commercial market.

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Jakson Green Vehicles has selected Dassault Systèmes’ cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform to manage the design and development of its electric vehicles.

The implementation establishes a collaborative engineering framework to maintain digital continuity across the product development lifecycle. By connecting internal teams and external suppliers, the platform automates workflows, standardises component libraries and manages engineering change requests during early-stage product design. Virtual twin capabilities allow the vehicle manufacturer to conduct virtual validation testing to resolve structural and systems design issues prior to physical manufacturing.

Deepak Thakur, CEO, Jakson Green Vehicles, said, "Using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform enables us to apply a collaborative approach and re-engineer our product lifecycle from the ground up. Through this transition from legacy environments to a unified digital thread, it enables strong R&D to achieve twin objectives; accelerated time-to-market and mitigated development costs. This partnership is helping us to transform the early-stage innovation and product design processes."

Deepak NG, Managing Director – India, Dassault Systèmes, said, "As India continues its dynamic growth trajectory, virtual twin technology serves as a powerful catalyst for sustainable innovation, empowering industries to rethink how they design, produce and operate."

The software adoption forms part of Jakson Green Vehicles' plan to build urban zero-emission mobility vehicles and infrastructure across India.

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UK-headquartered energy technology company Gelion has entered into a material transfer agreement with a top 15 global automotive original equipment manufacturer to assess its NES cathode platform for future electric vehicle battery applications.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gelion will supply its sulfur-based cathode active material, coated cathodes and liquid electrolyte to the automotive partner. The manufacturer will evaluate the platform in both liquid and solid electrolyte cell configurations, testing compatibility across lithium metal and graphitic anode pathways targeting luxury and mass-market vehicle applications. The technology is designed to serve as a drop-in cathode material capable of integration into existing battery manufacturing lines without re-tooling.

Matt Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Gelion, said, "Our priority markets are commercial & defence drones, EVs and devices. We are honoured to be working with these major global automotive OEMs, and today’s announcement marks further progress towards the adoption of our technology and the generation of commercial revenues via funded programmes and eventually license and royalty revenue in the global EV market, alongside some of the industry’s leading companies."

"The growing engagement from global EV manufacturers reinforces the potential and attractiveness of our NES™ technology. This momentum is also mirrored in our agreements and partnerships across drones and devices, while our work with Tier 1 materials suppliers is advancing the scale-up of our unique, patented battery materials," Wood added.

The agreement expands Gelion’s ongoing industry testing programs with automotive manufacturers, extending the assessment of its sulfur-based cathode platform across liquid and solid battery systems.

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Honda R&D, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., has developed underlying technology for a magnetic coupling wireless power transfer road system in partnership with Taisei Corporation and Taisei Rotec Corporation.

The system enables wireless in-motion charging for electric vehicles, including passenger cars and heavy commercial fleets. The partners plan to initiate demonstration testing on public roads starting in FY2027.

The technology integrates high-power-density receiver and transmitter units from Honda with a high-response direct current power supply system from Taisei and road-embedding construction techniques from Taisei Rotec. By supplying power to electric vehicles while in motion, dynamic wireless power transfer reduces the need for stationary charging infrastructure. The initial commercial focus targets logistics and transport operations, where continuous operation offers economic benefits.

The ground assembly embedded in the roadway combines the inverter and coil into a single unit designed to connect via direct current distribution. This design reduces component counts, simplifies wiring and supports installation into existing road surfaces through standard milling methods. The road pavement structures are engineered to withstand continuous traffic loads from vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes (20,000kg).

Testing conducted at Taisei Group’s T-FIELD facility in Satte verified system stability and structural durability. Starting in late 2026, the companies will build a test roadway at T-FIELD Tamura to evaluate long-term durability under one million wheel-load cycles, measure power transfer efficiency at outputs up to 150 kW and analyse electromagnetic shielding.

The partnership will also join the Tateyama Expressway demonstration project managed by East Nippon Expressway Company starting in 2027.

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