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

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

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

Discussion at SAE International WCX Knowledge Bar – SDV and more

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

Interview: Two approaches to mobility engineering

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.

ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Tech Conference

ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Tech Conference

I look forward to my participation in the ADAS & AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY EXPO, California in Santa Clara on Sep 20-21, 2023.

There’s a lot to see – of course – and I hope you will be able to support me in at least one of my engagements:

  • Wed, Sep 20, I’ll be chairing the opening session “Strategies, innovations and requirements for the safe deployment of ADAS and autonomous technologies” with talks from experts at CEVT, ZF Group, Torc Robotics, Zenseact, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Parasoft, Waymo
  • Thu, Sep 21, I’ll be giving my talk “Communication of automated vehicles with other road users”, which summarizes a report I wrote at SAE International not too long ago.

I hope to see you there…

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

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

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!

20 Years in Silicon Valley

20 Years in Silicon Valley

20 years ago today on Feb 24, 2003 I had my first day as a member of the BMW Technology Office in Silicon Valley. What was supposed to be a 3-year expat assignment still lasts till today.

I have moved on, from BMW Group to Stanford University to McKinsey & Company – and now for already 6 years with my own firm, Silicon Valley Mobility.

The location and people have changed, my mission has not: to connect traditional auto w/ Silicon Valley. And my passion has only gotten stronger – for a more sustainable, safer, and still fun mobility experience!

Much of my journey is covered in my recent book, The Mobility Diaries: http://themobilitydiaries.com

More to come!

My personal / professional journey.

Smart Driving Cars Podcast with Alain Kornhauser and Dick Mudge

Smart Driving Cars Podcast with Alain Kornhauser and Dick Mudge

I had a great podcast discussion with Alain Kornhauser and Richard Mudge on automated driving, applications, use cases, and remaining challenges. Most of it was a serious discussion, and we also had a lot of fun taking some things a bit more lightheartedly.

We covered a lot of ground from a brief review of the front runners in the autonomous vehicles field, pilot programs, consumer needs, etc. And of course Alain Kornhauser being Alain Kornhauser, we also had to talk about things happening in Trenton, NJ and the new Mercedes-Benz AG Drive Pilot.

Thanks to Fred Fishkin for coordinating the podcast.

Testing & Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles – Stanford Research Park Speaker Series

Testing & Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles – Stanford Research Park Speaker Series

Sven Beiker led a discussion about Testing & Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles – Balancing the real and virtual worlds of future mobility. This event was hosted by Stanford Research Park in collaboration with SAE International and hosted by Ford Greenfield Labs.

“How safe is safe enough?” – that is one of the most essential, most discussed, and still unanswered questions around autonomous vehicles. As the industry prepares for the deployment of self-driving cars, there appears to be only one way to ensure safety: to run over and over again through each and every possible situation those vehicles might encounter during operation. This is done in part through testing on public roads, but to maximize safety and accuracy, closed course testing is also very important. And still, as it is understood that hundreds of millions of miles would need to be driven in order to prove the safety of autonomous vehicles, simulating those situations in the virtual world has also become essential. This presentation and following panel discussion dove into those topics to discuss how the real and virtual worlds need to be balanced for safety, efficacy, and efficiency in testing and how important fidelity of simulation models is in order to draw conclusions from the virtual to the real world. The panelists are members of a core team that gave input to the two most recent SAE International EDGE Research Reports titled “Balancing Virtual, Closed- Course, and Public-Road Testing of Automated Driving Systems” and “Determining Appropriate Modeling Fidelity for Automated Driving Systems Simulation”.

Panelists:
Sven A. Beiker – Managing Director at Silicon Valley Mobility (moderator)
Alexander Kraus – Senior Vice President Automotive at TÜV SÜD
Georg List – Vice President Corporate Strategy at AVL
Robert Seidl – Managing Director at Motus Ventures
Thomas Bock – Director Vehicle Integration & Testing at Samsung Smart Machines

Silicon Valley and Detroit Need One Another, Dr. Sven Beiker, Samsung Forum

Silicon Valley and Detroit Need One Another, Dr. Sven Beiker, Samsung Forum

Silicon Valley is often called “The New Detroit” and Detroit likes to brag that it has a long-standing history of startups with an entrepreneurial spirit that is still alive today. What’s more, basically all automotive corporations have now R&D locations in Silicon Valley and “in return” tech companies plan to manufacture their autonomous vehicles in Michigan. It seems there is a battle between Detroit and Silicon Valley as to who will win the race toward the future of the automobile. However, this race is much more about collaboration than it is about competition as no player can win just by itself. In this talk, Dr. Sven Beiker looks at the strengths that Detroit and Silicon Valley bring to the table when it comes to autonomous, connected, electric, and shared automobiles. He also discusses the necessary technology to create a world of sustainable, safe, and enjoyable mobility to suggest which ingredients from Detroit and Silicon Valley the automobile of the future will need.

Automated Vehicles – Sooner than you think and different than you might expect

Automated Vehicles – Sooner than you think and different than you might expect

Sven reviews some of the history of technologies leading up to today’s automated vehicles, outlines current uses of automated technologies including farming and mining, and projects a roadmap of future technologies.

A meetup group for people (primarily based in Silicon Valley) who are interested in learning about and discussing autonomous vehicles and how they will change the world! https://www.meetup.com/Autonomous/

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