SAE – Silicon Valley Mobility

Report on traditional automotive industry and new mobility players

Posted on July 8, 2024July 8, 2024 by SiliconValleyMobility

I am proud to have my latest publication with SAE International out:
TWO APPROACHES TO MOBILITY ENGINEERING

This topic is very dear to my heart: to compare and contrast the traditional automotive industry and the new mobility players. Too often have I been getting questions like “who will win?” or “don’t you agree that the metal benders are just dinosaurs that don’t get it?”. Well, the answers are “tough to tell” and “no” and it was about time to write a whole report about the evolution of this fascinating industry.

Here’s the abstract, and see the link on the right for the whole report:
What are the differences between the traditional automotive companies and “new mobility” players—and even more importantly, who will win? Those are the questions that this report discusses, taking a particular focus on engineering aspects in the automotive/mobility sector and addressing issues regarding innovation, business, market, and regulation. To find answers to the questions raised, nearly 20 industry experts from new and established companies were interviewed to gain an overview of the intricacies of newcomers and incumbents, to see where the industry stands, and to provide an outlook on where the sector is headed. This is rounded out by recommendations as to what respective players should do to master their future and stay at the forefront of mobility innovation.

SAE The Mobility Frontier – Is the EV industry moving too fast too soon?

Posted on May 22, 2024May 31, 2024 by SiliconValleyMobility

Recently, I had a great discussion with Brian Kozumplik on the state of electric vehicles. Hosted by Monica Nogueira of SAE International, we delved into whether the industry has moved to zero-emission vehicles too fast given that charging problems are common place now and consumers seem to fear charge anxiety more than range anxiety, which was a common phenomenon in the early 2010s when the first EVs hit our roads.

Other questions we discussed were around use cases and if there is something like the “perfect” electric vehicle – whether that may be BEV, HEV, PHEV, FEV, or else.

SAE really seemed to like this line from me: “… mobility, in my view, includes the whole ecosystem – we are not done when the vehicle is ready, we are done when the whole ecosystem is ready. This will require a whole lot of infrastructure and that’s what we need to figure out. Otherwise, the great vehicle remains in the garage and there’s nowhere to go because the infrastructure is not ready…”

You can watch the recording through the link here on the right.

Discussion at SAE International WCX Knowledge Bar – SDV and more

Posted on May 9, 2024 by SiliconValleyMobility

I had a great interaction with attendees at the recent SAE International WCX conference when I discussed my forthcoming report “Two Approaches to Mobility Engineering”.

In that, I compare traditional OEMs and new mobility players regarding their respective strengths, weaknesses, and of course ways to collaborate. Some of the highlights from the discussion that SAE captured:
> Newer players are better at simplifying complexity, such as Tesla’s ability to build vehicles with fewer parts. Older automakers are better at managing complexity, such as integrating disparate systems,
> Newer companies are constrained by financial resources and a shortage of available talent. Traditional companies are constrained by existing staff and “this is the way we’ve always done it” thinking and inflexible facilities.
> Newer companies are good at innovation in the name of customer centricity. Incumbents are very good at creating and maintaining processes.

In all of that, we certainly dive quite a bit into software-defined vehicle (SDV) and who might have what it takes to win.

Read the full coverage under the link on the right and let me know what you think.

Interview: Two approaches to mobility engineering

Posted on April 11, 2024April 25, 2024 by SiliconValleyMobility

There’s a good coverage of the interview I gave SAE International in anticipation of my talk at WCX in Detroit on April 16, 2024. We discuss how traditional and new automotive companies are different but also beginning to learn from one another.

In that interview I also point out that established automakers are exceedingly practiced at R&D, design, engineering, manufacturing and distribution, a process that is sometimes overlooked, dismissed, ignored by newcomers.

And I also explain that newcomers are diving headfirst into the digital world, and with software, they can innovate much more quickly because coding something new goes much faster than building new hardware.

Read the article under the link on the right and let me know what you think.

Book event at the Stanford Research Park – April 13, 2023

Posted on March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Mark your calendars – we are having a networking event to discuss my book The Mobility Diaries on April 13, 5pm at Stanford Research Park. This is an in-person event open to the public.

Here’s the program (or visit event page):
5:00 Reception, early guests will get a free book
5:30 “The Mobility Diaries” – A conversation with Dr. Sven Beiker
6:15 Book signing and networking

The Mobility Diaries, published by SAE International, tell my view of how autonomous, connected, electric, and shared vehicles have come about. Now I look forward to a good discussion and am eager to get your take on the matter.

Registration is now open at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-event-with-dr-sven-beiker-tickets-575687134717

See you there!

Click here to register for the event on Apr 13

Report on Next-generation Sensors for Automated Road Vehicles

Posted on March 10, 2023March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

I am proud to announce that I published another SAE International report in the field of automated vehicles. This one is titled Next-generation Sensors for Automated Road Vehicles

It is essentially the follow-up to the 2018 inaugural SAE EDGE Research Report on Unsettled Topics Concerning Sensors for Automated Road Vehicles and reviews the progress made in automated vehicle sensors over the past four to five years. We also discuss persistent disagreement and confusion regarding certain terms for describing sensors (near-/mid-/long-range, “bad weather”, …), the different strengths and shortcomings of particular sensors (camera, radar, LiDAR), and procedures regarding how to specify and evaluate them (test procedures, evaluation, comparison…).

All in all, “Next-gen Automated Road Vehicle Sensors” summarizes current trends and debates (e.g., sensor fusion, embedded AI, simulation) as well as future directions and needs.

SAE International Blog about The Mobility Diaries

Posted on February 22, 2023March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Thank you SAE International for blogging about my new book, The Mobility Diaries: https://www.sae.org/blog/meet-the-author-sven-beiker

It summarizes the interview we did not too long ago when I shared how the idea for the book came about, why it is important to me to connect the past – present – future of mobility, and how Detroit and Silicon Valley need one another.

Read more in the blog, or better yet, buy the book!
http://themobilitydiaries.com

The Mobility Diaries – Podcast Interview with the SAE Publishers

Posted on October 12, 2022March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Meet the Author: The Mobility Diaries: Connecting the Milestones of Innovation Leading to ACES

Watch the Sep 2022 interview featuring Shane Bialowas, Angela Kenner, and & Sven Beiker, discussing his new book. In The Mobility Diaries he opens up his personal diary regarding his take on 50 years of mobility innovation and history interwoven with his experiences in the automotive and mobility industries including autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and shared mobility.

New book coming out – Meet the Author event with SAE Publishers

Posted on September 16, 2022September 20, 2022 by SiliconValleyMobility

So we are getting real: My book “The Mobility Diaries” is now finally coming out. Join us on September 21 for a “Meet the Author” online session hosted by SAE International, my publisher.

Here’s a bit more about the book:
Sven Beiker is specializing in future trends for the automotive and mobility industries including autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and shared mobility. In “The Mobility Diaries: Connecting the Milestones of Innovation Leading to ACES”, he opens up his personal diary regarding his take on 50 years of mobility innovation and history interwoven with his experiences from 1978 to 2018.

From the Foreword by Reilly Brennan: “Understanding how transportation itself evolved requires a unique prism. The core components of vehicles today have stories and engineering journeys worth their own telling, and that is what is so exciting about the way we can learn about them in this text. Dr. Beiker’s curriculum vitae, from BMW to Stanford University to McKinsey, are a compendium of experiences that created this unique historical and biographical book.”

“Sven and I are kindred spirits in the mobility world. His view on the evolution of mobility and technology illustrates why Detroit and Silicon Valley need one another.” Carla Bailo, Former President and CEO, Center for Automotive Research

The book can be purchased at SAE International right away and soon everywhere where you can buy books.

Click here to register for the webcast on Sep 2 1

Report on Energy Options on the Path Toward a More Sustainable Transportation Sector

Posted on September 5, 2022March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

I just published another SAE International report, this time related to sustainability in transportation: Energy Options on the Path Toward a More Sustainable Transportation Sector

The transportation sector has an enormous demand for resources and energy, is a major contributor of emissions (i.e., greenhouse gases in particular), and it is defined largely by the kind of energy it uses—be it electric cars, biofuel trucks, or hydrogen aircraft. Given the size of this sector, it has a crucial role in combatting climate change and securing sustainability in its three forms: environmental, societal, and economic.

Energy Options on the Path Toward a More Sustainable Transportation Sector examines the many questions concerning alternative energy options for mobility:

Is hydrogen the fuel of the future?
Is there is enough electricity to power a fully electric transportation sector?
What happens when millions of electric vehicle batteries need to be decommissioned?
Which regulatory measures are effective and appropriate for moving the sector in the right direction?
What is the “right” direction?

SAE’s Sven Beiker to chair the session on smart sensors and sensor fusion at Sensors Converge 2022

Posted on June 13, 2022 by SiliconValleyMobility

(originally published by SAE International on June 13, 2022 at https://www.sae.org/blog/sensors-converge-beiker)

Dr. Sven Beiker, Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility and External Advisor for SAE International, will chair a session at the upcoming Sensors Converge conference June 27-29 in San Jose, California.

The session, called Smart Sensors & Sensor Fusion, will provide a day-long insights for to understand new developments in the sensors space. Speakers on the track will cover sensor market growth, testing, software trends, safety requirements and more.

The conference got its start 37 years ago with a focus on sensor technology and has grown and diversified throughout the years to include the electronics technologies and embedded systems that work together with sensors as well as emerging application areas.

“The conference has an excellent reputation in the industry for bringing key players together to discuss important technologies that drive innovation,” Dr. Beiker said. “I’m looking forward to the conversations that will happen at this year’s event.”

Webcast with SAE on the mobility topics of 2021

Posted on December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 by SiliconValleyMobility

I had a very nice conversation with Angela Kenner at SAE International when we discussed the trends in automated driving and electric mobility of 2021 and where things might be going next year.

We started out with some observations in China and then moved to Silicon Valley.

Certainly, much has been accomplished with AVs and EVs, especially where strong partnerships between the traditional automotive industry, tech players, and startups thrive.

An easy listening, I hope you like it.

Happy holidays everyone, we’ll reconnect in 2022…

Realities of traffic make automated driving a challenge

Posted on October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 by SiliconValleyMobility

Nice interview here with SAE International for their monthly magazine “Update“. My piece is titled “Realities of traffic make automated driving a challenge”.

It is a conversation around what is missing to bring autonomous vehicles (automated driving to use the right SAE term) to the real world. I am glad that SAE asked as I have been discussing a lot over the years what is holding us back: technology, regulation, trust…? My view is that we have solutions for all of those, as long as we choose the ODD wisely. However, real-world traffic still poses the biggest challenge.

Along those lines, I created the following chart at some point. On the right you see the graphic of climbing a mountain, which I typically use as a prompt in my talks to say the following.

– If you want to get on top of the world, Mount Everest, you might get on a plane in San Francisco, make a connection in Heathrow, and get to Kathmandu.
– From the airport you travel to the basecamp at 5,300m altitude of Mount Everest
– At that point you have traveled well over 99% or so of the distance, but this is where it begins to get interesting…

Report on Visual Communication Between Automated Vehicles and Other Road Users

Posted on August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 by SiliconValleyMobility

I am glad and proud to have another SAE EDGE Research Report published. This one discusses “Visual Communication Between Automated Vehicles and Other Road Users”.

As automated road vehicles begin their deployment into public traffic, they will need to interact with human driven vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. This requires some form of communication between those automated vehicles (AVs) and other road users. Some of these communication modes (e.g., auditory, motion) were previously addressed in “Unsettled Issues Regarding Communication of Automated Vehicles with Other Road Users.”

We had the general overview already out earlier in the year, and now this one focuses on visual communication and its balance of reach, clarity, and intuitiveness, and discusses how different visual modes (e.g., simple lights, rich text) can be used between AVs and other road users. A particular emphasis is put on standardization to highlight how uniformity and mass adoption increase communication efficacy.

Unsettled Issues in Determining Appropriate Modeling Fidelity for Automated Driving Systems Simulation

Posted on March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Here’s the other SAE International EDGE Research Report that we published already some months ago: “Unsettled Issues in Determining Appropriate Modeling Fidelity for Automated Driving Systems Simulation”

It discusses the challenges of achieving optimal model fidelity for developing, validating, and verifying automated vehicles. The primary questions raised are:

How to make sure that simulation models represent their real-world counterparts
How to define a universal simulation model interface
How to determine the different requirements for sensor, vehicle, environment, and human driver models

Thanks to the team for your great contributions!

https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/epr2019007/

Unsettled Issues in Balancing Virtual, Closed-Course, and Public-Road Testing of Automated Driving Systems

Posted on February 20, 2020March 18, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Great to have two new SAE EDGE Research Reports out there! The first report discusses three main issues:

Determining what kind of testing an ADS needs before it is ready to go on the road.
The current, optimal, and realistic balance of simulation testing and real-world testing.
The challenges of sharing data in the industry.

We have been discussing a lot how to develop > test > certify autonomous vehicles and always get to the point of simulation vs. road testing. So we went deeper into this to at least agree on the “right” questions.

Thanks to the team for a great collaboration!

https://saemobilus.sae.org/content/epr2019011