LG Electronics will be working with the digital mapping and location services firm HERE Technologies to create and provide next-gen telematics solutions for self-driving cars as part of a new partnership between the two, according to a new press release.
The solutions created will comprise a combination of the high-precision mapping and location services abilities of the HERE Open Location Platform and LG‘s telematics tech.
The idea behind the new partnership is to offer auto manufacturers a secure data communications hub to support the deployment of self-driving vehicles around the world. For those unfamiliar with the term, “telematics” in this context refers to in-car services such as navigation systems, emergency dispatch services, WiFi systems, various safety systems relying on connectivity, etc.
“HERE is the world’s leading provider of map data and location services to the automotive industry, powering more than 100 million cars on the road today. The company is also working with automakers on the development of HD Live Map, its highly-accurate cloud-based map service which supports connected ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and automated driving solutions,” a press release notes. “HD Live Map, which LG intends to deploy in the joint solution it offers automakers, identifies all roads and surrounding features such as lane markings, stop signs, crosswalks, speed signs and traffic lights. The importance of the company’s intellectual property and potential was highlighted in 2015 when a consortium of global automotive companies – Audi, BMW, and Daimler – acquired HERE. The company has since also welcomed additional investors from the broader technology industry.
“When fully developed, telematics will play a key role as the communication hub for autonomous vehicles. First, sensors in the vehicle’s ADAS – comprised of cameras, radar and lidar – read the surrounding environment and send the data to the cloud along with information on nearby vehicles collected via V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything). All the information gathered is repeatedly analyzed and transmitted to the telematics systems of vehicles for customized driving information.
“LG’s telematics solutions support various communication technologies from GPS to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile communication. LG engineers are working earnestly to develop 5G products, which will be four to five times faster than LTE with 90 percent reduction in latency, ideal for next generation autonomous vehicle operation.”
There are a couple of other things worth noting here. HERE was acquired by consortium of German auto manufacturers (including Daimler, BMW, and Audi) back in 2015. Most fully autonomous vehicles will rely heavily upon telematics systems for their function and use, so security and reliability will be very important (hence the potential for large contracts). HERE has partnered with Mobileye on crowdsourced HD mapping, and it recently acquired German “over-the-air” software firm Advanced Telematic Systems (ATS).
When those factors are considered together, it seems as though the new partnership stands to be very well situated for the coming (presumed) mass adoption of self-driving taxis, aka robotaxis.
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
