Aptiv: Path to Autonomous Mobility

The concept of smart mobility is being expanded and redefined almost daily. Today’s vehicle data, signal and power distribution systems rely on decades-old technology that is at the breaking point as consumers demand more safe, green and connected vehicles. Headquartered in Dublin, Aptiv holds a leading position as a technology company innovating at the intersection of disruptive trends in the automotive industry with a portfolio of technologies that make vehicles safer, greener and more connected, and enables the future of mobility.

Aptiv’s fully connected software platform is enabling it to drive mobility forward – advancing everything from automated/autonomous driving to active safety and from infotainment to vehicle connectivity. The firm delivers solutions for automated/autonomous driving and automated mobility-on-demand that are not only effective but also cost-efficient. Aptiv’s revolutionary Centralized Sensing Localization Planning (CSLP) platform relies on pre-determined, generalized rules for basic safe operations and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to solve for the optimal path. That means that instructions have been coded into an algorithm or set of rules the car follows, thereby by creating a vehicle capable of making decisions using AI. There are three types of sensors – radar, vision (cameras) and LiDAR. Each sensor has its strengths - Radar isn’t impacted by weather; LiDAR provides very accurate range and distance information, and Vision provides object classification accuracy. By fusing each sensor’s inputs, the autonomous driving system gains the highest confidence in the vehicle’s surrounding and can generate the most comprehensive view of what’s around the vehicle, adding redundant safety and confidence. Aptiv’s autonomous vehicle includes 6 electronically scanning radars (ESR), 4 short-range radars (SRR), 4 short-range LiDARs, 5 long-range LiDARs, 1 trifocal camera, 1 traffic light camera, 2 GPS antennas, Dedicated Short Range Communications antenna (DSRC), and 2 computer and software stacks for redundancy and safety, plus ControlTec CT-Edge data communications system.

With the next level of automated/ autonomous driving (L4/5 AD) will come more and more software-enabled features – which will demand even higher computing power and high-speed data transmission. Aptiv is leading the way in constantly providing upgradeable high-speed sensing and networking systems in vehicles, in near real-time, enabling everything from sensors and cameras to radar and engine controls with its proven expertise in power and signal distribution, over-the-air (OTA) data exchange, vehicle connectivity, and sensor technologies.

Smart Vehicle Architecture, a three-layer fail-operational design, incorporates the full suite of Aptiv’s technology and brings it together through its systems integration expertise. One can integrate whole systems through smart vehicle architectures, which enable all the electrification, active safety, automation, and connectivity features, driving this new mobility. Smart Vehicle Architecture is a holistic approach to compute, signal, and power, and it ties all three elements. With Aptiv’s SVA, there is an appropriate amount of redundant compute that will bring the vehicle to a safe haven. SVA provides an intelligent sensor array supported by a proprietary redundant network enable by a unique topology to ensure network fail operation. SVA considers power failure of the other two layers delivering reliable, redundant power to all critical functions. Three-layer fail operational design basically embeds resilience in all three layers in the event of failures at any level. Failure in compute, failure in network, failure in power – partial or total – the vehicle can reach a safe haven, and it does all this in an affordable way.

While every vehicle on the road today generates a tremendous amount of data, only a few organizations have figured out how to successfully convert that data into valuable insights. Aptiv Connect Platform is the only true end-to-end vehicle data platform with integrated hardware and software that helps manufacturers, suppliers, fleet managers, and other organizations capitalize on this opportunity. The developer application allows users to specify data which they need from the vehicle. The Edge hardware and software in individual vehicles acquires data and performs initial processing at the edge to keep data costs affordable. Aptiv’s cloud-based systems use its one-of-a-kind technology to transform rich vehicle data into actionable information in real-time that users can easily understand and use. From the highly configurable Qualifier web application, users can visualize and analyze the data. They can monitor the fleet’s performance with high-level reports and drill down into the details with root-cause analysis tools. If a problem is detected, Aptiv’s over-the-air capabilities allow users to update vehicle software in the field, improving quality while keeping costs low.

Commercial and recreation vehicles, such as trucks, buses, construction, agriculture equipment and motorcycles, are often exposed to higher levels of environmental forces, including vibration, duct, water, debris, and temperatures. To protect the integrity of the electrical system, high-performance connection systems are often required. Several complex factors in the electrical system must be addressed in the component design, including sealing, locking features, and materials to deliver superior performance.

Aptiv has been a trusted automotive supplier for decades, introducing practical innovations in the areas of safety, efficiency, and connectivity. The transportation market has been advancing in these same areas, and Aptiv offers product solutions upgraded to its tougher operational and environmental requirements.

The reality of autonomy remains the future of transportation and is expected to revolutionize the automotive industry. Aptiv’s Autonomous Mobility team is focused on developing and commercializing autonomous vehicles and systems that enable point-to-point mobility via large fleets of autonomous vehicles in challenging urban driving environments. With talented teams working across the globe, from Boston to Singapore, Aptiv is the first company to deploy a commercial, autonomous ride-hailing service based in Las Vegas. To date, the program has completed over 50,000 public passenger rides, while maintaining a nearly perfect average passenger rating of 4.95 out of five stars. Aptiv was selected by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) as a strategic partner to help implement a cloud-based mobility-on-demand transport concept. Providing a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles, the firm opened new business opportunities for existing and potential customers in mobility and connectivity, logistics, agriculture and mining. The Aptiv Singapore team’s groundwork, testing, and deployment of autonomous vehicles—along with automated driving’s building blocks, such as advanced sensors, software, and electrical distribution—has led to the creation of new products and capabilities to serve its global customers.

"The name ‘Aptiv’ reflects knowledge, adaptiveness and drive, as well as an ability to not only envision the future, but to make it real"

Together with 11 industry leaders across the automotive and automated driving technology spectrum, Aptiv has published first of its kind framework for safe automated driving systems. This publication presents a more technical-based overview of the requirements during development to avoid safety-related hazards and thus emphasizing the importance of safety by design. The goal is to provide an overview of the generic steps for developing and validating a safe automated driving system. It intends to contribute to current activities working towards the industry-wide standardization of automated driving.

“Aptiv will continue to build on its track record of industry leadership, innovation and execution by focusing on delivering the software capabilities, advanced computing platforms and networking architecture that are making the future of mobility real,” says Kevin Clark, president and chief executive officer of Aptiv. Aptiv’s advanced technology solutions continue to help the world get closer to zero fatalities, zero emissions and seamless connectivity. Aptiv’s expertise in software-enabled central computing, advanced sensing and cybersecurity are enabling the future of mobility. Aptiv has 147,000 employees and operates 14 technical centers, as well as manufacturing sites and customer support centers in 45 countries.