Current Affairs

Issue

Global electronics hardware manufacturers have been increasing their interests in electric vehicles (EVs) with potentially autonomous capabilities.

 

Details

• The interest in self-driving EVs is driven by the fact that these vehicles are majorly software-infused transportation platforms.

• The earlier hard-ware based vehicles have been increasingly ignored for modern soft-ware driven ones. The moving parts in modern future cars are significantly lower.

• Software and specialised hardware functionalities in EVs are extremely augmented in self-driving cars. For strong electronics developers it is a natural progression.

 

Sony’s plan

• Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony plans to enter e-vehicle segment by launching a separate company called Sony Mobility.

• Sony has strong presence in sensors and entertainment devices. It wants to leverage its expertise in developing next-generation mobility solutions.

 

Other companies

• Huawei has launched a new vehicle called the Aito M5. It is a great competitor to Tesla in Chinese EV market.

• Apple is also currently working on a secretive car project code-named Project titan. It has been hiring experts from automotive industry.

 

Self-driving segments

Many companies are involved in self-driving sector. Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving car division has seen work stuck so as Uber’s.