Posts Tagged “autonomous vehicle technology”
The automobile industry is quickly changing. Ten years ago, companies like Tesla (and their many nervous investors) rolled the dice on 100 percent electric vehicles with battery technology nested inside. Since then, many manufacturers, including GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Ford, did something few expected; they successfully created many successfully hybrid cars that reduced the demand for Tesla, at least indirectly. Meanwhile, Tesla struggled to meet production goals.
But all of this speaks to yesterday’s battle. Today, the battle is clear. Autonomous vehicles and virtually all brick-and-motor car manufacturers are looking elsewhere for this critical third part technology. And while Google may be the thousand pound gorilla in the room, many big players are going lean and more daring by securing contracts with a host of Israeli startups specializing in autonomous vehicle technology, not only the actual brain and IoT infrastructure that will also make this stuff work, but the safety concerns and simulations that ensure it will actually work.
Trade Show Dead (or dying)
This change in technology has also created a paradigm shift in how cars are marketed. Many of the biggest car manufacturers, including Volvo, BMW, Porsche, Mitsubishi, Land Rover, and Jaguar….. are skipping trade shows entirely, finding them “old hat” in the way new models and concepts are promoted.
Learn more about Diane Israel.
With no car heritage of which to speak, Israeli startups are seeking to carve a new tradition for the global auto industry, filled with groundbreaking ideas and technologies.
As such, you can find Regulus trailblazing cyber solutions to defend sensors in autonomous vehicles from being hacked, and Karamba Security and Argus Cyber Security securing connected cars, trucks and commercial vehicles from unwanted data breaches. Then there’s Autotalks, which specializes in vehicle-to-vehicle communications in autonomous driving, as it creates a niche for its pioneering ways to prevent on-road accidents.
There are some 400-500 Israeli tech startups in the auto tech arena today.
Connecting the dots through Analogy
Today, major airlines own (or rent) flight simulators to train their pilots. If you’re thinking what I did when I first heard this, does that mean that the pilot doesn’t actually fly a plane until it’s loaded with passengers? That’s exactly what it means. Flight simulators not only reduce training costs but also provide a level of training and emergency scenarios that could not be achieved by using an actual plane.
Autonomous vehicle technology, and in particular, the hundreds of Isreali companies who are developing these technologies, can be considered the flight simulators of the car industry, only that instead of training a pilot (driver) they are training a neural network.
Diane Israel is a Chicago native and long-time supporter and advocate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She is also famous for her culinary recipes. Diane can be reached at Diane@IsraelOnIsrael.com