April 2013 ~ Automotive

EV Business Case - Q1 2013

Tesla Supercharging Stations: Another Out-of-the-Box feature from Elon Musk firm.

Now that 95% of this year Q1 data is available and looking at the business case of plug in cars, one can say that the only manufacturer making a profit with electric vehicles is Tesla, not only they are selling more than expected, the start up company is also selling each unit with a higher price than predicted, so the Q1 profit only comes as a natural consequence of that.

The rest of the market is trying not to lose much money in each unit sold, research and development costs are high, prices have to be realistic and the number of units sold are below expectations, with some CEO's discontent with these obstacles.

The truth is that it's a long hard road to electric profitability, but some are closer to than others, Nissan is now nearing 60.000 Leaf's sales (and let's not forget the additional 23.000 batteries sold by teammate Renault), allowing them to recover a good part of the investment and along with other measures, reduce the Leaf's price. Now with the production distributed by three factories, if (and that's a big "IF") they can produce some 2.000 units per factory, we are talking 6.000 units a month and 72.000/year, numbers that can put Nissan on the verge of EV break even point by the end on 2014.

Will the tiny Spark make a difference on GM's electric strategy?

GM is also taking the same path thanks to the Volt project, but it's lagging behind Nissan, right now they are at 40.000 plus units of the Volt family and this year sales are below 2.000 units/month, as the increased competition dents on Volt sales.

GM has two ways to increase the investment recovery: A price reduction to increase sales (Still too early, maybe for the end of the year) or diversification with new models. With the Chevrolet Spark EV and the upcoming Cadillac ELR arriving this year, this looks to be the path followed by The General. If the ELR doesn't need to be a best seller, because of its premium price, for the Spark they will have to sell a lot of them for the model to be important to the GM EV strategy, and right now those large numbers seem rather questionable. For now the break even point for GM looks at least some three years away, maybe on the 2nd gen Volt...

As for Toyota, despite having sold more than 30.000 units of the Prius PHEV, they're not really that deep into plug-ins, regular hybrids are their (profitable) business and the PHEV version is just an extension of that program, so don't expect for Toyota to present new products in this segment, although putting a plug in a Prius Alpha/V/Plus shouldn't be much of an effort, right? (Wink, wink)

The Minicab Miev isn't the most trendy car around, but nevertheless it made into this Top10

With around 40.000 sales in this Q1, a steady 32% increase over '12 Q1, many changes happened in the global Top 10, if 2012 was the year that the Chevrolet Volt took command and other Plug-In Hybrids made their mark, reaching a 50/50 share, by the end of '13 Q1 pure electrics are bouncing back, with the Nissan Leaf back to #1 (even without the japanese sales taken in account) and Tesla's Model S #2 in March and breathing on Volt's neck for #2 YTD, this translates in a rise of 8% of BEV's share to 58%.

In March the Top 10 welcomes the Mitsubishi Minicab Miev in #10 and Year-to-Date there are three new models, besides the aforementioned Minicab Miev, its stablemate Outlander PHEV is storming all the way up to #4 and the Renault Zoe has also climbed a respectable #7.

Sensible alloys for the practical Ford C-Max

Last years runner-up, the Prius PHEV is down three positions to #5 and the C-Max is in a discreet #9, far from the Top 5 positions it had in the last months of 2012.

Finally, the Renault Twizy is out of the Top10, with the summer on the northern hemisphere is on its way, there is still hope for the seasonal french BEV to climb again on the chart.

By brands, Mitsubishi is up three positions, now in #2 with 19% share (a rise of 12%) and three models in the Top 10, just behind Nissan (20%) and above Chevrolet (14%), Tesla (13%) and Toyota (12%).

Pl. World Top 10 March '13 YTD % Pl.'12
1 Nissan Leaf 2.912 7.785 20 3
2 Chevrolet Volt (a) 1.776 5.182 14 1
3 Tesla Model S 2.150 4.762 13 7
4 Mit. Outlander PHEV 1.719 4.304 11 N/A
5 Toyota Prius PHEV 1.364 4.151 11 2
6 Mitsubishi I-Miev (b) 535 2.174 6 5
7 Renault Zoe 1.206 1.717 5 28
8 Renault Kangoo ZE 463 1.588 4 6
9 Ford C-Max Energi 494 1.166 3 9
10 Mit. Minicab Miev 344 719 2 14

(a) - Includes Holden Volt, Opel and Vauxhall Ampera;
(b) - Includes Citröen C-Zero, Peugeot iOn.

Paul Leroux

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the era of self-driving cars. After all, why spend countless hours negotiating rush-hour traffic when the car could do all the work? Just think of all the things you could do instead: read a novel, Facebook with friends, or even watch Babylon 5 re-runs.

Unlike Babylon 5, this scenario is no longer a page out of science fiction. It’s coming soon, faster than many imagine. That said, the story of the self-driving car still has a few unfinished chapters — chapters in which the human driver still has an important role to play. Yes, that means you.

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the fully autonomous car is a work in progress. In fact, some of the technologies that will enable cars to drive themselves (adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance, etc.) are already in place. Moreover, research suggests that these technologies can, among other things, improve traffic flow and reduce accidents. But does that mean you will soon be able to sit back, close your eyes, and let the car do everything? Not quite.

Evolution, not revolution
If you ask me, Thilo Koslowski of Gartner hit the bull's eye when he said that self-driving cars will go through three evolutionary phases: from automated to autonomous to unmanned. Until we reach the endpoint, we should pay heed to the words of Toyota's Jim Pisz: autonomous does not mean driverless.

If planes can do it…

Some folks hear this and are disappointed. They point to auto-pilot technology in planes and ask why we can’t have driverless cars sooner than later. The argument goes something like this: "It's much harder to fly a plane, yet we have no problem with a computer handling such a complex task. So why not let a computer drive your car?”

If only life were so simple. For one thing, automakers will have to make autonomous cars affordable — doable but not easy. They’ll also have to negotiate a variety of legal hurdles. And in any case, driving and flying have less in common than you might think.

When you drive, you must remain alert on a continuous basis. Lose your attention for a second, and you stand a good chance of hitting something or somebody. The same doesn't always hold true in flight. When a plane is cruising at 30,000 feet along a proscribed flight path, the pilot can avert his or her attention for 5 seconds and incur little chance of hitting anything. In comparison, a driver who becomes distracted for 5 seconds is hell on wheels.

And, of course, auto-pilot doesn’t mean pilot-less. As Ricky Hudi of Audi points out, pilots may rely on autopilot, but they still retain full responsibility for flying the plane. So just because your car is on auto-pilot doesn’t mean you can watch YouTube on your tablet. Bummer, I know.

An alarming solution

Source: Modern Mechanix blog (and yes, that should
read Frankfurt)

All of which to say, the driver of an autonomous car will have to remain alert most or all of the time — until, of course, autonomous vehicles become better than humans at handling every potential scenario. Now that could happen, but it will take a while.

It seems that someone anticipated this problem in the early 50s when they invented “alarming glasses” — take a gander at the accompanying photo from the August 1951 issue of Modern Mechanix.

Scoff if you will, but a kinder and gentler form of this technology is exactly what autonomous cars need. No, I'm not suggesting that scientists find a better way to glue wires to eyelids. But I am saying that, until cars become fully and safely autonomous, drivers will need to pay attention — after all, it’s tempting to drift off when the car is doing all the work. And, indeed, technologies to keep drivers alert are already being developed.

Pre-warned means prepared
Mind you, it isn’t enough to keep the driver alert; the car may also need to issue “pre-warnings” for when the driver needs to take over. For instance, let’s say driving conditions become too challenging for the car’s autonomous mode to handle — these could heavy rain, a street filled with pedestrians, or an area where lane markers are obscured by snow. In that case, the car can’t wait until it can no longer drive itself before alerting the driver, for the simple reason that the driver may simply take too long to assess the situation. The car will need to provide ample warning ahead of time.

The more, the better
That cars will become autonomous is inevitable. In fact, the more autonomous, the better, as far I'm concerned. Research already suggests that technologies for enabling autonomous driving can, in many cases, do a better job of avoiding accidents and improving traffic flow than human drivers. They also seem to do better at things like parallel parking — a task that has caused more than one student driver to fail a driving test.

But does this all mean that, as a driver, I can stop paying attention? Not in the near future. But someday.

China Full Year 2012

As I've said earlier, it became available new data about the chinese market, enabling to do a best selling chart, as all models here are homegrown, ~~most~~ some of them are unknown to the international audience, I've decided to present the best-selling chart in a more visual way:

2013 Chery QQ3 EV

1 - Chery QQ3 EV

Having sold 5.305 units in 2012 of this little runabout, Chery earned the crown for best selling model and brand in the chinese electric cars chart, with a 44% market share.

At just 100 kms, it doesn't have that much of a range, but at some 6.500$ (tax deductions included) it's a bargain.

A series of JAC J3 EV coming as a gift to...

2 - JAC J3 EV

Another surprising presence, the JAC model sold 2.485 units of this compact sedan last year, not bad considering a price on the high side (26.000$) and a range of just 130 kms.

An "american" BYD e6

3 - BYD e6

Probably the most well known electric vehicle Made in China and definetly the most exported, in its home market the compact MPV sold 2.091 units last year, earning it a bit disappointing third place, maybe the reason behind this is a steep price of 33.000$, making it the most expensive of these ranking.

A ~~Toyota Corolla~~ BYD F3 DM in decals

4 - BYD F3 DM

In its last complete year (It will be replaced by the Qin), the only Plug In Hybrid in this chart sold 1.201 units, not bad considering the dated looks.

Zotye TD100 EV with green stripes

5 - Zotye TD100/5008 EV

Looking like a past generation Daihatsu Terios (Because that's what it is), the little Zotye SUV sold 845 units in '12 and with the arrival of more fierce competition, it looks that it will have a year full of obstacles to overcome in '13.

2013 ~~Mercedes~~ BAIC E150 EV

6 - BAIC E150 EV

Mercedes-Benz chinese partner BAIC sold 645 units of its B-Class derived model, an ironic fact, since it now sold more E150 EV's than electric cars sold by Mercedes...

Now manufactured in three continents, Leaf sales are rising everywhere

Analyzing EV's charts by countries, there's changes to be reckoned: In the US, the Nissan Leaf is back to #1, in Japan the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In interrupted the Leaf reign and in Canada the Volt had to share the top spot with the Leaf.

There are new leaders also in Denmark (Nissan Leaf), Switzerland (Again the Leaf), Iceland (Prius PHEV) and Estonia (Yet again the Nissan Leaf), these last two countries crowned the I-Miev last year, so this confirms the trend that the tiny japanese BEV can't secure its sales when faced with more competitive competition. And right now the Leaf holds #1 spot in 9* countries, not bad, eh?

Looking at Plug In market share by countries, it´s a mixed bag: While some are jumping north of the 1% barrier (France, Japan and Sweden) and the all important US market is nearing the 0,5% threshold, most of Europe is suffering with the crisis, the plug-in-friendly Netherlands saw electric market share go down from 1,1% last year to 0,6%, Estonia went down too from an amazing 2,4% in 2012 to a paltry 0,1%, crisis battered Spain decreased from 0,24% to just 0,07%, same story in Austria (0,06% instead of 0,30%) and Ireland (0,04% vs 0,23%) and even EU neutral Switzerland saw it's EV market share reduced to 0,25%, down from 0,42 in '12.

5.305 units of the Chery QQ3 EV were sold in China last year

Recently there was available new data regarding EV's in China and the numbers are surprising, there were 12.791 EV sales in 2012 and some 3.175 sales in the first quarter of this year, putting China right next to France as the third largest Plug In market in the world and i'll be giving more info on this in the next days.

Right now, this data is important because adding China to the other three large EV markets (USA, Japan and France), means that the importance of these 4 major markets is tremendous, putting it in perspective, 7 out of 8 plug ins are sold here, making 88% of all EV sales. It doesn't take rocket science to see that much of the future of plug ins will be decided in these four countries.

* - USA, Japan, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, Ireland and Estonia

Let's face it — passwords suck.

Every day we have to recall all manner of alphanumeric combinations for bank PINs, network log-ons, corporate email, social networking, and e-commerce. According to Microsoft Research, the average user types eight passwords per day.

During a talk at last year's SAE Convergence, Joseph Carra from the US Department of Transportation said, “Passwords have to go” ... a breath of fresh air for those of us who rely heavily on the "forgot password" option. The stage is set, according to Carra, for biometrics to replace passwords in the vehicle.

Using biometrics for driver preferences is nothing new — my favorite example is a car seat that can identify you by the shape of your butt — but using them to replace passwords makes perfect sense.

Ultrasound fingerprinting, iris scans, facial recognition, signature dynamics, voice recognition, keystroke dynamics, hand geometry, skin patterns, and foot dynamics are already being used in enterprise security, law enforcement, border control, ATM transactions, and so on. And second-gen biometrics promise to pump up the Sci-Fi factor with neural wave analysis, electro-physiological biometrics, skin luminescence, body odor, and so on.

Many technologies eventually find their way into the car after becoming popular elsewhere — mobile telephony, media players, GPS navigation, etc. I can’t think of too many world-changing technologies that got their start inside the car. But given the innovative trajectory of today’s auto industry, that may be about to change.

Renault Twizy Standard Wheels

Crisis Edition - Chapter Four

Even Switzerland couldn't escape a sales downturn, the total market is down 12% and plug ins dropped even more, leading the market share for EV's to drop to 0,25%, down from 0,40% in 2012.

This March the Nissan Leaf won the leadership by two units from the Renault Twizy, still #1 YTD.

Last year's second, the Opel Ampera, dropped to #5 and just 8% share, surprising numbers given the public perception of the car in Switzerland. Something tells me Opel isn't doing its homework...

Pl	Switzerland	Mar'13	YTD'13	%
1	Renault Twizy	31	50	28
2	Nissan Leaf	33	37	21
3	Mitsubishi I-Miev	12	28	16
4	Citröen C-Zero	1	20	11
5	Opel Ampera	4	14	8
6	Fisker Karma	4	6	3
7	Chevrolet Volt	1	6	3
8	Renault Fluence ZE	0	5	3
9	Peugeot iOn	1	4	2
10	Think City	0	3	2
11	Tesla Roadster	0	3	2
12	Renault Zoe	3	3	2
	TOTAL	90	179	100

Source: auto-suisse-ch

I always drive a manual, so checking the tachometer in my car’s instrument cluster has become second nature to me. But while I have a personal interest in what my cluster displays, why would a software company like QNX be interested in instrument clusters? After all, most clusters use physical gauges and relatively little software.

The answer, of course, is that automakers are starting to migrate to digital instrument clusters, which replace mechanical gauges with virtual instruments rendered on an LCD display. In fact, Jaguar and Land Rover, who are pioneers in this market, have been shipping QNX-based digital clusters since about 2010. Here, for instance, is a photo of the digital cluster and dash in the latest Range Rover:

So why use a large LCD display instead of mechanical gauges? For one thing, you can attract early adopters who always want the latest tech and who see large 3D displays as cool. But more importantly, a digital cluster can provide an experience that is both personal and adaptive — personal because consumers today want to control the UX (just as they customize their smartphones) and adaptive to help the driver in a variety of traffic situations.

Context matters
In the latest QNX technology concept car, for instance, the digital cluster can re-configure itself to display a 3D rear view camera to help with parking. Saab pursued similar ideas a few years ago with a context-based cluster that avoids loading the driver with too much information during night-time driving.

It will be interesting to see who takes this to the next level with an adaptive HMI that takes speed, location, and driving conditions into account. For instance, driving at high speed on a German Autobahn differs immensely from driving at low speed on a busy downtown street with lots of pedestrians and intersections. These two scenarios place different demands on the driver, and a digital cluster could adapt accordingly.

On the autobahn, the cluster could increase the size of the speedometer and tachometer to make them easier to see, while hiding other information that isn’t currently needed. (The cluster would, of course, still display any necessary warnings, such as high oil temperature.) In the city, meanwhile, the cluster could replace the tachometer with pedestrian warnings to improve the driver's situational awareness.

Also, think of a car that supports both automatic and manual gear-shifting. A driver who prefers automatic might not be interested in a tachometer, whereas a driver who shifts manually will want to see a RPM readout to optimize gear shifting. A digital cluster could accommodate both preferences.

For safety’s sake
What does it mean from a safety perspective to include a large display and its attendant electronics in the car? A malfunctioning digital cluster can’t directly kill or injure, but it could give false indications that may lead to an accident. That is why automakers will likely have to address ISO 26262 requirements for their digital clusters.

So what is ISO 26262? It’s a standard that focuses on functional safety in cars and other types of passenger vehicles, with the goal of avoiding or controlling system failures. It is similar in content and purpose to the IEC 61508 functional safety standard, to which two QNX OS products have already been certified. Read our previous posts (here and here) for more information on ISO 26262.

Massive arrays
When it comes to digital clusters, I’ve only scratched the surface. For instance, cars are becoming massive sensor arrays that generate tons of data. By leveraging this data, reconfigurable clusters could display contextually relevant information, such as highlighting a person in your path, an accident up ahead, or the current speed limit.

And from the automaker’s perspective, a digital cluster could help reduce costs by allowing the same hardware to be used across multiple vehicle lines; in many cases, only the graphics would need to be “reskinned.”

Emil Dautovic is an automotive business development manager at QNX Software Systems, where he is responsible for the European automotive market.

Opel Ampera's sporty wheels

Crisis Edition - Chapter Three

The auto dutch market is down 31% and the plug in segment is suffering even more, with its market share shrinking to 0,64%, when in 2012 it was at a healthy 1,1%.

With 144 units sold in March, the Opel Ampera is ~~as always~~ far and away in #1, with the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt exchanging positions this month, with the japanese relegating the american to #3, although the Chevy is still #2 YTD.

The Renault Zoe makes its first appearance, registering three units. Renault has high hopes for the Zoe in the Netherlands, unlike in other euro markets, where it's a dominating force, the french manufacturer is marginal here, scoring just 7% share.

Pl	Netherlands	Mar'13	YTD'13	%
1	Opel Ampera	144	463	63
2	Chevrolet Volt	33	100	14
3	Nissan Leaf	59	88	12
4	Renault Twizy	6	43	6
5	Fisker Karma	11	16	2
6	Peugeot iOn	0	10	1
7	Renault Fluence ZE	2	6	1
8	Citröen C-Zero	2	6	1
9	Renault Zoe	3	3	0
10	Mitsubishi I-Miev	2	3	0
11	Tesla Roadster	0	1	0
	TOTAL	262	739	100

Source: Manufacturers, BSCB

Smart Fortwo ED with green alloys

Crisis Edition - Chapter Two

Another market feeling the weight of the economic crisis, with the total number of cars falling 13%, it would be natural that EV's would feel the stinch too, but thanks to the Renault Twizy and Smart Fortwo ED, electric sales actually grew 178% regarding last year, although share is a still symbolic 0,05%. Expect it to grow as the warm weather sets in and people go for the summer-friendly Twizy...

Looking at the models ranking, there were only three models selling significantly: The Twizy holds on to #1, selling 93 units YTD, in second the Nissan Leaf sells a mere 34 units and thanks to a good sales month in March (20 units), the Smart Fortwo ED jumps to #3, staying now just 12 units behind the sales it had in the whole of 2012 and promising a good year for the tiny Daimler EV representative.

Pl	Italy	Mar'13	YTD'13	March'12	13 vs '12
1	Renault Twizy	43	93	a)	a)
2	Nissan Leaf	8	34	6	33,33%
3	Renault Fluence ZE	5	8	0	-
4	Citröen C-Zero	0	1	6	-100,00%
5	Peugeot iOn	2	6	13	-84,62%
6	Smart Fortwo ED	20	25	3	566,67%
7	Tesla Roadster	0	2	0	-
	TOTAL	78	169	28	178,57%

a) Data not available

Source: Manufacturers, greenstart.it

Funky Wheels for an airy, funky car. Will this image become a common sight?

Crisis Edition - Chapter One

With a global car market drop in Spain of 14%, the niche EV market suffered even more, with sales dropping 75% regarding last year. The surprising exception to this trend was the Mitsubishi I-Miev, selling 57 units in Q1, more than it did in the whole 2012 (31 units). With 46 of those 51 units being sold in March, something tells me that there might be a fleet deal behind these good numbers...

The other model to have significant sales in this horrible Quarter was the Renault Twizy with 39 sales, itself down 60% regarding last years performance. In third was the Nissan Leaf with...7 units sold.

Pl	Spain	Mar'13	YTD'13
1	Mitsubishi I-Miev	46	57
2	Renault Twizy	10	39
3	Nissan Leaf	2	7
4	Smart Fortwo ED	1	6
5	Toyota Prius Plug-In		5
6	Opel Ampera		3
7	Renault Kangoo ZE		1
8	Renault Fluence ZE		1
9	Chevrolet Volt	1	1
	TOTAL	60	120

Source: Manufacturers, Autoblog Español

2013 Renault Zoe with some sensible alloys

Zoe Edition

With a record 1.734 sales and 1,12% share, two thirds of it (1.089) belonging to the new Zoe, the french EV market steps up for another record year, a greater achievement considering that the overall market is declining 16%.

We have to question how high will the new french supermini have to get to be considered a sales success, in my view 500 sales/month would be a minimal number, 1.000 would be good and anything above 1.500 would be a resounding hit for Renault.

In a distant second was Zoe's utilitarian cousin, the Kangoo ZE at a stable 319 sales, with the Alliance cousin Nissan Leaf achieving third place, reaching the hundreds threshold for the first time since October.

Down the ranking there are many models suffering from the arrival of Renault's new Zoe, like the I-Miev triplets (C-Zero down 86%, iOn - 11% and the I-Miev is still at zero in '13), Bolloré (-80%), Mia Electric (-37%) or even their own Renault's Fluence ZE (-95%).

Pl	France	Mar'13	YTD'13	March'12	13 vs '12
1	Renault Zoe	1.089	1.599	N/A	N/A
2	Renault Kangoo ZE	319	1.051	a)	a)
3	Nissan Leaf	101	224	95	6,32%
4	Bolloré Blue Car	50	158	261	-80,84%
5	Renault Twizy	58	133	a)	a)
6	Smart Fortwo ED	45	115	0	-
7	Mia Electric	22	79	35	-37,14%
8	Peugeot iOn	38	69	34	11,76%
9	Opel Ampera	5	27	a)	a)
10	Citröen C-Zero	3	22	22	-86,36%
11	Chevrolet Volt	1	6	a)	a)
12	Fisker Karma	1	6	a)	a)
13	Renault Fluence ZE	1	5	20	-95,00%
14	Tesla Roadster	1	1	0	-
15	Mitsubishi I-Miev	0	0	1	-100,00%
	TOTAL	1.734	6.990	468	270,51%

a) Data not available

Source: Automobile Propre, Manufacturers

2013 ~~Chevrolet~~ Holden Volt

Like in the UK and other countries, the complete australian sales data is only available in every Quarter of the Year, so i can now post EV sales from down under.

With just 78 sales in a market of 300.000, plug in sales represent a marginal share (0,03%) and still have a long way to go, but the truth is that in 2012 Q1, EV sales counted just 3 units...

The Nissan Leaf is going strong at #1 with 36 units and looking to finally get the best seller crown away from the Mitsubishi I-Miev, holder of that trophy since 2010.

In second comes the Holden Volt, failing to fulfill the initial promises (In the last two months of 2012 it sold 80 units), selling just 27 cars in three months.

Finally in third, the I-Miev, with just 15 cars sold, is starting to fall behind, but we are only at the end of the first quarter and the numbers are still small, so it will have lots of opportunities to catch their opponents until the end of the year.

Pl	Australia	YTD '13	YTD'12
1	Nissan Leaf	36	0
2	Holden Volt	27	N/A
3	Mitsubishi I-Miev	15	3
	TOTAL	78	3

Data: Manufacturers, BSCB

Okay, maybe I'm not old enough to have owned 8-track tapes. But I do remember that my uncle had an 8-track player in the dash of his station wagon when I was a kid, and I am old enough to have owned a car with a cassette player.

Music has been fundamental to the driving experience for about as long as cars have been on the road. Terrestrial radio dominated forever, supplemented by tape and then CD. XM radio came along in 2001 and connecting your iPod started to show up in the late 2000s. That's 5 formats since the Model T was introduced in 1908 (okay, so it didn't have a radio) and 3 formats in the first 90 years.

Now, with connected cars becoming a reality, the rate of change is shifting into overdrive. Want Pandora – check. Want to listen to the top alternative radio station in Dublin while driving in California – check. Want to keep listening to your Songza programming as you move from the house to the car – check.

Today's announcement from QNX and 7Digital adds a whole new dimension. Having 7Digital in the car will unify the music ownership experience across the big three: car, pocket, and home. Want to listen to your own music programming in the car – check. Want to buy a song you just heard on that Dublin radio station – check.

Read the press release for details. And when you're done, check out the 7digital blog.

National Car Care Month infographic by Sanctiond

Sanctioned has come up with an infographic with a few tips on how to keep your car looking its best all year round.

Mister Cartoon's Sanctiond line has a collection of 15 car care products including car wash, waxes, polishes, spray detailers, interior cleaners and conditioners, and a trio of innovative tire shines.

Nissan Leaf Charging

In the Netherlands the title of this post lost a bit of sense, because i didn't had to look for them, as they were about everywhere, especially white Opel Ampera's, but also Plug in Prius (PiP) and some Leaf's and Mitsubishi i-Miev's.

Opel Ampera - A company favorite due to tax benefits and sweet deals made by Opel, they are now part of the auto landscape, being driven by young executives of both genders and wanting to show their green credentials.

Toyota Prius Plug in - Also fairly common here, the first posterchild of greeness is also favored by companies interested in tax rebates. It is said that many of these plug-ins are used purely as hybrids because their drivers have fuel payed by their companies, so they don't bother on plugging them...

Fisker Karma - I only saw one example of this handsome beast, a grey one parked in downtown Rotterdam, at the time i remembered Fisker's sales success in the Netherlands and the taste that dutch drivers have for stylish cars, realizing then: "Tesla will be sooo welcome here!..."

Mitsubishi I-Miev family and Nissan Leaf - Limited to urban areas, they are still a rare sight and fail to ignite interest from company and private buyers alike.

Since February 2011, QNX Software Systems has been leading an international standards effort to help drivers interact safely with applications and services. And not just apps on phones, but apps running in the cloud, in roadside infrastructure systems, in the car itself, and other locations.

If you jump to the end of this post, you’ll find a list of use cases being targeted by this effort. For now, let’s look at Use Case 2, Scenario A (arbitration of external message), which illustrates how we are working towards a comprehensive framework for managing distraction and workload.

Keeping priorities straight
In this user scenario, a navigation maneuver is given priority over a social media status update message. The blue call-out boxes indicate where the ITU-T recommendations under development can enable safe interaction between the driver and applications. For instance, ITU-T recommendation G.SAM will define mechanisms for prioritizing navigation, while G.V2A will define the communications interface between the app and the driver-vehicle interface (DVI), and P.UIA will recommend characteristics of the auditory social media message.

Remember that the focus here isn't on how to implement social media in the car, but rather, on how best to manage workload and distraction.

Giving a navigation maneuver priority over a social media status update message

Often, I am asked how this effort differs from the MirrorLink standard being developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium. The simple answer is that MirrorLink addresses only some of the use cases listed below. For instance, the scope of MirrorLink is limited to applications and services running on nomadic devices. Furthermore, adaptation of the driver-vehicle interface and external applications and services in the current MirrorLink solution uses a simple two-state approach, driving or not driving, which limits the ability of the vehicle to control the timing and modality of communications with the driver. Also, MirrorLink doesn’t adequately address arbitration or integration of communications with all external applications and services.

In for the long haul
At QNX Software Systems, our aim is to:

Work with the relevant parties to identify solutions to the problem of technology-related driver distraction and workload. These parties include automotive, telecommunications, and consumer electronics organizations; standards development groups; academia; and government agencies.
Determine which aspects of the solution should be standardized, then help drive this standardization.
Align QNX product roadmaps as solutions develop.

To be clear, this is a longer term strategy that will take years to realize. Both the standardization process and the time it takes to deploy technology in vehicles must be factored in. Therefore, we are also pursuing shorter term solutions, some of which I hope to cover in future posts.

The end of the beginning
The first major milestone in this effort was achieved at the closing plenary of the ITU-T Study Group 12 meeting, held on March 28 in Geneva. Here, the final report and 4 deliverables of the ITU-T Focus Group on Driver Distraction were approved. There was also approval of a liaison statement communicating these results to a large list of organizations working on this topic.

This marks the end of the focus group, but is really just the beginning for QNX and ITU-T efforts in this area. In future posts, I will explore various aspects of this comprehensive strategy.

Use cases and user scenarios targeted by ITU-T recommendations

Use Case 1: Interaction with external application/service
   a) Application on nomadic device
   b) Application on cloud-based server
   c) Downloaded Application
   d) Broadcast of roadway information
   e) Tethering
Use Case 2: Arbitration and integration of external message
   a) Arbitration of messages
   b) Integration of messages
   c) Both arbitration and integration of messages
   d) E-call
Use Case 3: Negotiation of network Quality of Service (QoS)
   a) Application selects network
   b) Application suspends interaction
   c) Application availability due to roaming
Use Case 4: Management of multiple dialogues
   a) Opening/closing an application
   b) Switching between applications
   c) Interaction with background application
Use Case 5: Adaptation of DVI (driver-vehicle interface) and external applications/services to driver abilities
   a) Driver with disability
   b) Dynamically changing driver capabilities
   c) Detection of impaired driver state
Use Case 6: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to roadway situation
   a) Driver busy notification
   b) Delay of message delivery in demanding driving situation
   c) Change message format based on road conditions
   d) Interruption of driver interaction
Use Case 7: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to vehicle status
   a) Vehicle enters safe operating condition (e.g., park gear, < 5 m.p.h., etc.)
   b) Driver adjusts vehicle controls (e.g., climate control, etc.)
   c) Suppression of hazard alert due to safe speed
Use Case 8: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to local regulations
   a) Application blocked
   b) Application suspended
   c) Interface modality disabled
   d) Age restriction
   e) Content restriction

For details on these use cases, download the FG Distraction Use Cases report.

Some nice alloys for the Outlander PHEV

With a month delay, i can report on the japanese EV market, the second largest in the world and in a upwards trend, in February there were a record 5.428 plug in sales, translating in an also record 1,59% market share, only second to the champion Norway in EV popularity.

The news this month was the rise to #1 of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in its only second month in the market, staying just 7 units behind the Nissan Leaf on the YTD count.

In third comes the Prius Plug-in, followed at a distance by the Mitsubishi I-Miev and the Minicab Miev.

By brands, Mitsubishi benefits from the Outlander to top the ranking possibly for the first time since...2010!

Pl.	Japan	Feb	YTD	%
1	Nissan Leaf	1.455	2.592	31
2	Mitsu. Outlander Plug-In	2.079	2.585	31
3	Toyota Prius Plug-In e)	1.200	2.300	28
4	Mitsubishi I-Miev	377	456	5
5	Mitsubishi Minicab Miev	317	375	5
	TOTALS	5.428	8.308	100

e) - Estimate

Source: Manufacturers, evn.blog.eonet.jp

Volvo V40 R-Design

Volvo launched 2 variants of the Volvo V40 at the recent Paris Motor Show, namely the V40 R-Design and the Cross Country models. The are already available at the dealerships here in the UK.

The problem with the previous range of models was that they were not particularly exciting. Being the car brand of choice for the vampires in the Twilight movies did not do much to change the image.

However, the Volvo V40 R-DESIGN may be what might change that. With its sporty looks, I feel that this performance hatchback is a perfect competitor to the BMW 1 series. As a family man with kids, I really appreciate the fact that it has 5-doors.

According to Lex Kerssemakers, Senior VP of Product Strategy, the new R-Design was created specially "for people with a passion for things that add extra spice to life".

What makes this car stand out is the overall design. The exterior of the car features brushed metal detailing, glossy black grille and LED daytime running lights. As for the interior, it has triple stitched sports Nubuck/ textile/ leather seats. While driving, you can switch seamlessly between Eco Mode, ELegance Mode and Performance Mode.

As for engines, it is available in petrol and diesel engine versions – including a high-output, five-cylinder petrol engine 254hp unit (T5) with Six-Speed Geartronic automatic transmission.

Straightforward alloys in the Mitsubishi I-Miev

The Nissan Leaf goes from strength to strength in Norway, hitting yet another record in sales (297 units) and placement (4th) in the overall market, with the Leaf starting to be build in Sunderland, UK and the price drop that comes with it, it looks like the Nissan will climb even higher in the ranking.

On the other hand, it seems that every other car in this segment is suffering from the competition of the Leaf, as they all lose sales regarding 2012, this being the reason for the EV market to register a growth of just 4,88% and the share of plug ins being stable at 3,1-3,2% share.

This share will surely grow when the Model S from Tesla arrives, so expect for Norway to be in the forefront of EV market share for quite some time.

Pl	Norway	March'13	YTD'13	March'12	13 vs '12
1	Nissan Leaf	297	849	179	65,92%
2	Mitsubishi I-Miev	40	129	83	-51,81%
3	Citröen C-Zero	2	26	28	-92,86%
4	Peugeot iOn	2	26	25	-92,00%
5	Opel Ampera	2	18	4	-50,00%
6	Mia Electric	0	3	0	0,00%
7	Tesla Roadster	1	1	4	-75,00%
8	Think City	0	1	5	0,00%
9	Fisker Karma	0	1	0	0,00%
	TOTAL	344	1.054	328	4,88%

Source: BSCB, Manufacturers

I have wandered for some time on the reasons that plug ins are so popular in Norway, after some digging I've found the government incentives that support this popularity:

1. Gasoline and diesel is heavily taxed here. First with fixed amounts per liter, and on top of that 25% VAT. The result is that a US gallon of gasoline costs around USD8.8.

2. Electricity is cheap. Average over the year is USD0.13/kWh. (This includes VAT and other taxes.)

3. ICE cars are even more heavily taxed. A Volkswagen Golf starts at USD41k. And that's a fairly small fuel efficient car. The taxes are based on weight, hp, CO2 and NOX, so something like a BMW M5 starts at USD304k.

4. EVs are exempt from all purchase taxes, VAT and all.

5. EVs can drive in the bus/taxi-lanes, and since Oslo is one of the more congested cities in Europe, that is a very good selling point. A newspaper here raced an EV against a gas car recently, in rush traffic, and the EV arrived 45 minutes earlier than the gas car. That was a typical commuter route. 1.5 hours per day, around 270 working days per year means 405 hours saved per year.

6. EVs pay a significantly reduced annual registration fee. USD73 instead of USD518.

7. EVs don't pay toll road fees or ferry fees. For a typical commuter, this can be USD2,000 per year.

8. The government has invested significant amounts in charging infrastructure and EV parking, all of which is free to the user.

9. EVs get free parking on any public parking space. In central Oslo, this can be worth USD2,500 per year for a typical commuter.

10. If you use an EV for work, the employer compensation tariff is 30% better.

11. If used as a company car, the valuation for tax purposes is halved.

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EV Business Case - Q1 2013

World Top 10 March 2013

Autonomous, not driverless

China Full Year 2012

Markets Roundup March 2013

Goodbye passwords, hello biometrics

Switzerland March 2013

A matter of context: How digital instrument clusters can enhance the driving experience

Netherlands March 2013

Italy March 2013

Spain March 2013

France March 2013

Australia March 2013

Finally, I can throw away my 8 tracks

National Car Care Month infographic by Sanctiond

Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in The Netherlands

Enabling drivers to interact safely with applications and services

Japan February 2013

Volvo V40 R-Design

Norway March 2013

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