Toronto, Ontario — In this weekly electric and autonomous vehicle report, Mercedes-Benz is reportedly developing a solar paint that could charge electric vehicles; while new research from Ben-Gurion University indicates that emergency vehicle lights may interrupt autonomous vehicle driving systems.
Solar start-ups
Mercedes-Benz has announced that it is developing a solar paint designed to charge electric vehicles if they are left in sunlight.
The design idea was–according to Torque News–reportedly first announced at a future technology showcase at the automaker’s R&D center in Sindelfingen, Germany.
In order to function, the photovoltaic material first starts as a paste and is applied to the bodypanels in a five micrometer-thick layer—thinner than a human hair.
According to the automaker, covering every body panel of a mid-size SUV with the material would create 118 square feet of sun-harnessing surface area, more expansive than a panel on the vehicle’s roof.
Mercedes-Benz further claims that if successful, the solar coating could capture enough energy to drive approximately 20,116 kilometres a year in a sunlight-heavy location such as Los Angeles, California. Comparatively, a cloudier city such as Stuttgart, Germany would see enough sunshine to provide 12,070 kilometres a year.
Mercedes-Benz, to date, has not yet revealed exactly what the photovoltaic paste is made of other than to say that it does not contain rare earth metals or silicons, and relies on readily available, non-toxic raw materials.
Additionally, in order to function, each body panel needs to be galvanically isolated and wired into a power converter that sends electricity to the battery and/or to the motor.
And, while a full spectrum of colour choices would reportedly be available, darker colours would aid in capturing more energy, with the coated body panels potentially capable of achieving 20 percent efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity.
While the technology is still at a production stage, there is no guarantee that it will make it to the manufacturing stage.
Light-filled lockouts
New research suggests that lights from emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, may interrupt the processing systems of self-driving vehicles.
Specifically, a new report from Ben-Gurion University in North York, Toronto, demonstrates that when some camera-based automated driving systems are exposed to the lights, they lose the ability to confidently identify objects on the road.
Researchers refer to the event as a “digital epileptic seizure.”
This effect, they note, is especially pronounced at night.
However, the researchers further note that their current study comes with a couple of caveats. Namely, the research has yet to be tested on vehicle on-board systems, with preliminary data instead being collected through off-the-shelf dashcams.
Additionally, the research was only concerned with object-based detection systems, but many vehicles also rely on things like radar and Lidar to navigate surroundings.
Regardless, despite the need for more research, for participants, the paper aims to point at questions on the limitations of artificial intelligence-based driving systems.
