Not since automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages has there been as much transformative change in the mobility sector as there is now. Here are three major mobility trends that are worth watching.
Next-Generation Vehicle Platforms for Automated Driving
As vehicles become increasingly electrified and automated, they continue to move toward zonal architectures based on a powerful communication backbone (IEEE Time Sensitive Networking and Automotive Ethernet) and more powerful centralized computing platforms to meet the demand for communicating and processing vast amounts of data to enable automated driving. Automotive zones are functions, such as the powertrain or braking system.
This approach improves overall response times and vehicle capabilities for feature updates through software updates over the air while reducing wiring costs, complexity, and assembly time. It also dramatically reduces a vehicle’s weight because the hundreds of pounds of copper wiring that traditional vehicle architectures require are no longer needed.
More powerful centralized processing also allows the incorporation of more sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) functionality into vehicle control, potentially leading to more autonomous operations. However, this generates a large amount of data to be processed and acted upon, meaning that novel, automotive grade, high end processors with large, fast memory capabilities, lasting reliably for the lifetime of a car, are needed to run the sophisticated algorithms [HB2] required to enable automated driving and differencing appealing user experiences.
A technology called chiplets is one way to address this need. Instead of one monolithic chip containing all necessary functions, chiplets are specialized, small, modular chips which are assembled within a package and interconnected to create a powerful combined solution.
Chiplets are a flexible, economical solution, but chiplet-based designs come with potential resiliency and safety challenges, because their various components have different failure modes, different thermal characteristics, and age at different rates. Overall silicon lifecycle-based solutions are needed to address these challenges.
An additional concern is to ensure that highly sophisticated connected automotive control systems for self-driving are cyber-secure and safe, given that safety-critical software updates will be delivered over the air. Better verification and validation techniques, such as mixed-reality engineering including testing, are needed to assess software compliance with safety regulations over a vehicle’s lifecycle.
Mixed-reality engineering considers that an automated vehicle exists digitally and in the real world: it is a cyber-physical system that combines virtual testing using models and simulations with real world testing. It may, for example, use virtual pedestrians with real cars on physical proving grounds to validate that a vehicle performs as safely as expected.
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) has many resources available for this work. For example, IEEE 1856™-2017, IEEE Standard Framework for Prognostics and Health Management of Electronic Systems, helps users predict and protect the integrity of complex electronic systems and mechanical equipment in order to avoid unanticipated operational problems that may lead to performance deficiencies, degradation, and safety impacts.
Also, the IEEE 2851™ series of standards addresses functional safety over a vehicle’s lifecycle in the context of interoperable systems. Automotive systems are made from many interoperable components, which are delivered by complex worldwide supply chains. It can be difficult for companies at different levels of the supply chain to communicate the lifecycle considerations that apply to their systems. IEEE 2851™-2023, IEEE Standard for Functional Safety Data Format for Interoperability within the Dependability Lifecycle helps enable this by providing a framework of common methods and data formats.
Meanwhile, the IEEE SA Smart, Safe & Trustworthy Transportation Workstream brings together stakeholders from both the automotive and computing sectors, to work together to build trust in autonomous vehicles by identifying and advancing ways to ensure safety and security.
MaaS and Autonomous Vehicle Integration
As the capabilities of autonomous vehicles (AVs) increase, new modes of transportation are becoming more practical and compelling.
AVs may be privately owned or deployed in fleets. The fleets can be run by private or public operators and deployed either for individual use on demand or for ride sharing. Autonomous buses and shuttles could bridge the first and last mile from a train station to the home in rural areas. In suburbs and cities, they may reduce traffic jams, given favorable traffic patterns.
In certain densely populated urban areas, for example, companies like Waymo and Cruise have begun to deploy fleets of all-electric robotaxis. These self-driving vehicles allow users to avoid the expense and hassle of using individual privately owned cars on crowded roadways and the need to find parking spaces. They also serve as a new transportation option for the elderly and for those with disabilities who need an easy, affordable way to get around.
Robotaxis are one aspect of the growing move toward Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). More than a simple ride-sharing concept, MaaS is an if-and-when-needed approach that encompasses many evolving possibilities. For example, people may take a bus to a certain place, and then continue their journey via an autonomous vehicle or a scooter they’ve found using an app. Ease of use is a prerequisite for broad adoption. All modes of transportation including cars, trains, ships, aircraft, and emerging means of transportation like air taxis or microcars need to be seamlessly integrated for an inclusive and enjoyable travel experience.
MaaS has many positives and is widely believed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as traffic congestion.
IEEE SA’s MaaS and Smart City Traffic Solutions Workstream is a focal point for the advancement of MaaS, and incorporates elements such as mixed/intermodal traffic considerations, ways to meld digital functions with physical road structures, evolving smart city traffic approaches, and more.
Sustainability of Mobility Systems
Overall, the transportation sector contributes approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions, with road travel accounting for three-quarters of that amount. Clearly, transformative change is needed for more sustainable mobility systems.
One approach to that is electrification, replacing cars powered by Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) with Electric Vehicles (EVs). During operation, EVs fulfill the “zero CO2 emissions” requirement, provided 100% of its electric power comes from renewable energy sources, notwithstanding CO2 emissions elsewhere in an EV’s lifecycle. However, renewable energy sources account for just 29.1% of global electricity generation compared to 60% from fossil fuels. EVs also create increased non-tailpipe emissions, such as from tires. EVs have more tire wear, given the heavier weight of their battery packages, which are often over-dimensioned to combat drivers’ range anxiety.
This shows that the impact of mere technology transition for sustainable mobility like electrification is limited and has drawbacks. Dependencies between industry sectors need to be considered (e.g. mobility, energy, and communication systems) as well as resulting traffic patterns based on individual choices of users, which depend on the availability of multi-mode transport infrastructure and living spaces.
New technologies are needed, but technology transition needs to be complemented by changes to traffic and communities to bring the entire multi-modal transportation ecosystem towards greater sustainability. This must be quantified in terms of technical, economic, environmental, societal, and governance related parameters. Truly transformative change will require new vehicle ownership models, greater energy efficiency, and consideration of social factors, without sacrificing economic needs.
To address the need for more sustainable transportation systems, IEEE SA has formed the Impact Assessment Framework for Sustainable Mobility Systems Industry Connection program. The program’s goal is to create a family of standards to assess and advance sustainable mobility systems. The emphasis is on the system’s character of mobility because ultimately all forms of transportation are connected. The approach is to develop an impact assessment framework and related metrics from the bottom up, starting with use cases selected from around the world.
Get Engaged with IEEE SA
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Author: Hermann Brand: IEEE SA Mobility Practice Lead, and Director, European Standards Affairs at IEEE Technology Centre GmbH
