Toronto, Ontario — In this week’s electric and autonomous vehicle report, ABB breaks ground with its new Terra 360 charger, an Ontario university receives an AV cybersecurity investment and General Motors announces a new self-driving platform.
ABB Flexing
Electric mobility developer ABB has launched the Terra 360, a new EV charger that reportedly can charge 100km in less than three minutes, or a full charge in 15.
The Terra 360 can also charge four vehicles simultaneously, making it a landmark in convenience for the EV charging market.
“With governments around the world writing public policy that favours electric vehicles and charging networks to combat climate change, the demand for EV charging infrastructure, especially charging stations that are fast, convenient and easy to operate is higher than ever,” said ABB e-mobility president Frank Muehlon.
The Terra 360 will be available in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the U.S. by 2022. There is no word yet as to if the charger will make its way to Canada.
Tightening Digital Screws
A new three-way partnership between Magna International, the University of Waterloo and the federal government has its sights set on ensuring cybersecurity for autonomous vehicles.
The partnership will take the form of a five-year, $1.6-million program at Waterloo that will focus on developing theories, methods and tools to create “complex automotive software” for connected and automated vehicles.
“Software is the major driver for innovation in automotive. New paradigms to realize functions in software are constantly emerging, with the latest one being machine learning,” says Sebastian Fischmeister, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Waterloo University.
“Industry has a huge demand for talent and highly trained personnel to continue their innovation through software, and there is a gap in understanding how new paradigms can be safely and securely used in safety-critical systems such as automotive.”
Super Mega Cruise Supreme
Like a 12-year old trying to one-up themselves, General Motors has announced that Super Cruise is out, and Ultra Cruise is in, as the OEM unveils its new autonomous driving platform .
Expected to be effective in 95 percent of all driving scenarios, GM’s new Ultra Cruise technology aims to extend 3.4 million miles and will be a standard offering on a to-be-determined 2023 Cadillac model.
The system will adopt Super Cruise’s driver attention camera that’s located on top of the steering wheel column and tracks drivers’ eyes to make sure they’re paying attention to the road.
GM’s Ultra Cruise will compete directly with Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” platform.
