Wednesday 13 December 2023 - The current state of the zero-emission truck market; What zero-emission trucks need to deliver for commercial rollout; Key enabling technologies: batteries/motors / charging infrastructure; Battery vs fuel cell powertrains; IDTechEx's outlook for zero-emission truck deployment

The battery deservedly takes the major focus when it comes to technology development in EVs. But an EV's powertrain has to act holistically to operate with optimal performance and interact with the passenger cabin's conditioning system. This means that the thermal management of the motors, power electronics, and how this all interacts is just as important as the battery.

Historically, the aerogel market has experienced slow and steady growth. With the newly found demand for thermal insulation and fire protection in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, aerogel manufacturers are making big plans and investments in order to scale up in preparation to serve this new market.

Modern automotive interiors are evolving at a tremendously fast pace, moving past the mechanical dials and becoming fully electronic. The key attributes of these electronics are noticed by consumers, such as the design of the display, its curvature, brightness, and type of technology, i.e., OLED or LCD, when, in reality, there is a lot more that goes into building the display and assembling the entire unit.

2023 has proven another momentous year for the electric vehicle (EV) market. 2022 saw electric car sales rise by 62% compared with 2021, and IDTechEx estimates that 2023 will see global sales rise by another 16%. But what can we expect for the future of EVs? In this article, Dr James Edmondson and Shazan Siddiqi from IDTechEx discuss what can be learned about the future of electrification, not only for vehicles on land, but also for marine sectors and aerial vehicles.

Wednesday 6 December - Cars; Light commercial vehicles; Trucks; Buses; Boats and ships; Trains; Air Taxis (eVTOL)

Radar has been one of the most significant additions to vehicles in the past two decades. It provides luxury advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features like adaptive cruise control (ACC), as well as critical safety features like automatic emergency braking and blind spot detection.

The electrification of cars has undeniably been at the forefront of the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) and the growth in demand for Li-ion batteries, but the electric revolution extends far beyond passenger cars. Huge opportunities exist in other transport applications, which play a vital role in ongoing decarbonization efforts.

The announcement claimed by Toyota that it had a "technological breakthrough" to resolve durability issues and "a solution for materials" for a solid-state battery (SSB) powering EVs in July 2023 has triggered another wave of interest in SSBs, in addition to the continuous efforts from companies such as BMW, CATL, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, LG, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Panasonic, Samsung, Volkswagen, etc.

Thursday 16 November 2023 - The current deployment of SAE level 3 technologies on the road; The next steps in the development of level 3 technologies; How autonomous vehicles can contribute to improved safety; How connected technologies are the end game for automotive safety; What connected features are already being used in cars; What an SDV is and how it links to connectivity, autonomy and more

The automotive sector is rapidly electrifying, with electric car sales totaling over 5.8 million units in the first half of 2023 across China, Europe, and the US. While automotive electrification is at the forefront of the public eye, other vehicle sectors also present huge opportunities, with IDTechEx predicting the global market of electric vehicles for land, sea, and air to be worth over US$1 trillion in 2044 (excl. automotive).

Wednesday 15 November 2023 - Electric vehicles: Battery strategies; Battery thermal interface materials; Direct oil cooling electric motors; Power electronics and adoption of wide bandgap semiconductors; Fire protection materials. Data centers: Increasing design power; Liquid cooling thermal management strategies; Industrial collaborations and opportunities for players

Tunneling magneto resistance sensors are rapidly disrupting the automotive and wearables industry. These tiny sensors leverage quantum phenomena to provide a performance edge over classical incumbents, including industry mainstays such as Hall effect sensors. Although they don't depend on the more exciting effects such as superposition and entanglement, in this article, IDTechEx highlights the lessons to be learned from the success of TMR sensors in the emerging quantum sensor market.

Thursday 2 November 2023 - The emerging demands on radar from developing autonomous vehicle technologies; What a 4D imaging radar is and why it is needed; What routes are available to create 4D imaging radar; How radar technologies and implementations are diverging; Who the leading suppliers in 4D imaging radar are

In the realm of automation, where innovation meets industry, a groundbreaking revolution is sweeping through the landscape of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Traditionally confined indoors for tasks like intralogistics and material handling, AGVs are breaking free into the great outdoors, driven by advancements in navigation technologies and the emergence of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs).

The rise in vehicle autonomy is expected to bring revolutionary technology to the automotive display sector. It will bring a shift in focus from OEMs, enhancing passenger entertainment on-board and increasing the number of displays capable of delivering a more immersive experience via augmented reality (AR).

In the ever-evolving energy storage landscape, the advent of solid-state batteries (SSBs) is leading to a new era of possibilities. As the demand for higher performance and safer energy storage solutions grows, SSBs have emerged as a frontrunner in the race for next-generation battery technology.

Flying cars might not yet be mainstream, but as developments in the electric and autonomous vehicle industries are making progress globally, the future of driving is set to look very different.

Radars are already cemented into the automotive market as they provide popular ADAS features such as adaptive cruise control (ACC) and blind spot detection (BSD). Despite their near ubiquitous presence in vehicles, IDTechEx's new report "Automotive Radar 2024-2044: Forecast, Technologies, Applications" finds that there is still large growth potential for this sensor, mostly driven by new opportunities for short-range radars.

A new high-power charging solution is required to meet the market need of the truck and bus industry to charge electric heavy-duty vehicles in an acceptable amount of time. As a result, the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a charging system for large battery electric vehicles, is now being developed.