Top 10 people, companies and technologies shaping the future of the vehicles

By David Booth

For those wondering when the revolution — nay, the revolutions — sweeping the automobile industry was going to abate, 2018’s answer is a resounding “not soon.” Indeed, if half of what is projected for the next 12 to 24 months is any indication, anyone hoping for even a brief respite from the seismic shifts pummelling the industry is going to be disappointed.

After all, no less than Bob Lutz — former co-chairman of General Motors Co. — last November proclaimed “we are approaching the end of the automotive era.” Then Uber Technologies Inc., hiding behind the guise of social responsibility, proposed the banning of private car ownership in urban centres. And, of course, we can’t forget the never-ending news machine that is Elon Musk. After unveiling an affordable electric luxury car and Tesla Inc.’s electrically powered semi, it was almost easy to miss his introduction of the world’s fastest roadster.

Let’s try to make some sense of the technologies, as well as the people, places and companies that are going to rock your automotive world over the next couple of years.For those wondering when the revolution — nay, the revolutions — sweeping the automobile industry was going to abate, 2018’s answer is a resounding “not soon.” Indeed, if half of what is projected for the next 12 to 24 months is any indication, anyone hoping for even a brief respite from the seismic shifts pummelling the industry is going to be disappointed.

After all, no less than Bob Lutz — former co-chairman of General Motors Co. — last November proclaimed “we are approaching the end of the automotive era.” Then Uber Technologies Inc., hiding behind the guise of social responsibility, proposed the banning of private car ownership in urban centres. And, of course, we can’t forget the never-ending news machine that is Elon Musk. After unveiling an affordable electric luxury car and Tesla Inc.’s electrically powered semi, it was almost easy to miss his introduction of the world’s fastest roadster.

Let’s try to make some sense of the technologies, as well as the people, places and companies that are going to rock your automotive world over the next couple of years.

GM’s Tech Centre in Markham

Far less controversial — and far more patriotic — than ex-GM exec Bob Lutz’s comments that the end of the car is nigh was the company’s opening of a tech centre in January in Markham, Ont.

Originally an American Express call centre, GM’s new 150,000-square-foot complex will be the largest automotive technology hub in Canada, and is set to develop both hardware and software for electric, connected, autonomous and shared automobiles throughout GM’s global empire.

Surrounded by other tech giants such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Lenovo Group Ltd., GE Digital Energy, Toshiba Corp. and others, the Tech Centre can draw talent from manifold tech industries, not just automotive. Canadians still afflicted by national self-deprecation might do well to remember that the Greater Toronto Area — including nearby Kitchener-Waterloo — is gaining a reputation as Silicon Valley North, such is the talent emanating from Canadian universities and startups.

The Markham centre is also part of GM’s inter-module tech sharing platform that has its 700 engineers teleconferencing with other tech centres, from Communitech in Kitchener to sites in the United States and overseas. No longer simply a manufacturing hub, Ontario is quickly becoming a major force in The General’s relentless pursuit of high-tech leadership.

Elon Musk

The most polarizing executive in the auto industry, Elon Musk embodies every bit the revolutionary genius of Charles Kettering — the man who fairly invented the modern automobile — combined, unfortunately, with a propensity for Bernie Madoff-style exaggeration. You can’t help but marvel at the sheer force of will that transformed Tesla from a purveyor of mere electrical playthings — the original Tesla was a Lotus-based runabout — to the standard by which all electric vehicles are judged. Nor can you ignore the genius that recently saw two SpaceX booster rockets return to Earth as delicately as someone might handle their mother’s favourite china. Musk is nothing if not a visionary.

On the other hand, the endless hucksterism that uses tomorrow’s deposits to fuel today’s cash burn — estimated at US$8,000 a minute by Bloomberg — speaks volumes about Silicon Valley financing. After all, what is a Ponzi scheme if not the willingness to finance current returns, er, products, with the deposits from future investors/customers? One is never quite sure whether to cheer Tesla’s successes or lament the rabbit hole Musk is leading us down. The Economist, in a recent exposé, probably summed it up best with a quote from the head of one of the world’s largest energy equity funds who, lauding the Tesla CEO’s ability to drive clean technologies and new business models, proclaimed, “The world needs Elon Musk!” Then, with the very next breath, he advised one and all to “short” Tesla. The proverbial riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, that is Elon Musk.

Uber’s quest to monopolize inner-city transport

In an almost universally ignored policy statement, an organization called sharedmobilityprinciples.org in February released its vision of the future, Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities. Most of its dicta were the traditional “planning our cities and their mobility together” and “zero-
emission and renewable energy” positions that sum up pretty much every vision of our transportation future, but the last of its mandates was truly startling. In the future, according to signatories — which included Lyft and ZipCar as well as Uber — all “autonomous vehicles in dense urban areas should be operated only in [well-regulated] shared fleets.”

Because reducing congestion is so inherently important, only established companies will be allowed to own — and operate — self-driving vehicles. Of course, a skeptic might posit the real reason Uber et al want a monopoly is they worry that private ownership of said self-driving cars could threaten their ride-hailing services in the same way Airbnb is stealing business from traditional hotel chains.

• 'Car biz is hell': Elon Musk back to sleeping on the factory floor as Model 3 delays pile up
• Way north of 60: How autonomous car testing above the Arctic Circle could help Canada
• BlackBerry signs in-car software deal with Jaguar Land Rover

Brain-to-vehicle tech

As Star Trekky as it sounds, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is proposing to mind-meld our craniums directly to our cars in the hope we become better drivers. The idea is that human sensors — our eyes — are actually superior to Lidar, the radar and cameras that autonomous cars rely on, but our processing power — in other words, reaction time — is far slower. The result is that we can’t avoid some accidents that self-driving cars can.

But by connecting our synapses to a car’s computers via electroencephalography (EEG) technology — think a brainwave-measuring helmet — brain-to-vehicle (B2V) communication could reduce our reaction time by as much as 0.2 to 0.5 seconds, or about 14 metres (45 feet) at 100 km/hr. Other than recording our thoughts, the technology is fairly simple since B2V uses the same hardware as autonomous cars to brake, steer and accelerate a vehicle, only it’s controlled by brain waves, not some pre-programmed algorithm.

Although B2V-equipped vehicles will not prevent as many accidents as fully computerized automobiles, it does allow us to remain in control of our automobiles for a little longer — see the Uber directive to the above. Will we be allowed to drive and who will be allowed to own cars are most certainly the most important automotive questions of our times. Nissan just made the answers a little more complicated.

Multimatic technical centre

Perhaps we had better get used to Markham as the centre of Canada’s automotive technology universe. Yes, again, that Markham. Along with GM’s tech centre previously mentioned, Multimatic Inc. represents another Canadian entity at the forefront of automotive technology, albeit in the more prosaic business of actually assembling cars.

Ostensibly a parts manufacturer — it builds everything from suspension bits to door handles — Multimatic has also developed a thriving business manufacturing low-production supercars. Starting out by building chassis and body parts — including what was then considered the largest single piece of carbon fibre ever mounted to an automobile (Aston Martin’s One-77) — Multimatic has graduated to design and construction of Ford Motor Co.’s incredible GT. From chassis to suspension, the GT is built right here. Anyone looking to a get a job at the forefront of automotive design, be it in software or hardware, might consider moving to this Toronto northern suburb.

Care by Volvo

Lost in the large-type headlines The Volvo Group generated late last year by announcing all its vehicles will be electrified by 2019 was that the once-downtrodden Swedish automaker is also looking to completely revolutionize the car ownership experience.

Now, never mind that the “electrification” mandate is a bit of a red herring. Few Volvo products in the immediate future will be Tesla-like EVs. Most will be much less expensive 48-volt “mild hybrids” that still depend on internal combustion for the majority of their propulsion. The bigger news is that future Volvos will be available by “subscription.” In other words, you will be able to not just buy — or lease — an automobile from the automaker, but rent a complete mobility solution. Indeed, Care by Volvo wraps up a car’s lease, registration, insurance and maintenance in one comprehensive bill, making it the ultimate example of one-stop automotive shopping. If you opt for one of Volvo’s luxury Polestar items, the list of services gets even longer. Polestar also promises that should you want an accessory, say a “roof box for an upcoming ski holiday,” as per its own example, a technician will come to you, fit said roof box and then later remove it in return for “just adding a small incremental usage charge” to your monthly invoice. Since you can also buy — sorry, subscribe to — the vehicle online, Polestar brags that you may never have to visit a dealer.

Volvo is only promising that Care by Volvo will come to Canada by year-end, so local pricing details are currently unavailable. However, the company’s U.S. distributor has announced that the cost to “subscribe” to one of its new XC40 crossovers could be as little as US$600/month. Adding a little incentive to the program is that Care by Volvo requires no down payment and you can trade your subscription in for an even better Volvo in as little as a year.

Toyota e-Palette

Despite its reputation for design conservatism — perhaps as a result of it — Toyota Motor Corp. is known for some off-the-wall automotive concepts. None seem weirder, however, than the e-Palette that was unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. An extension of the ride-sharing autonomous future being predicted by, well, everyone, the e-Palette, as envisioned by Toyota president Akio Toyoda, is essentially a self-driving box on wheels that can transport people, packages and even pizza like one completely autonomous, self-driving cargo container.

Toyota sees the e-Palette serving a multitude of uses, from traditional delivery services to mobile medical clinics to even retail. Need new sneakers, kitchenware or hockey equipment? The Running Room, Ikea or Bauer’s showroom could come to you. The future, it would seem, is not just autonomous, but multi-functional as well, all based on one rolling skateboard-like, electric, self-driving chassis with various utilitarian pods attached to it. Hail the future: it is big, bold and very square.

QNX’s stealth engineering

QNX is the 3M of the automotive mobility revolution: Its products are everywhere, but chances are you have no idea you ever use one. Unlike the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co., which you’ve probably never heard of, you will no doubt know BlackBerry Ltd. Essentially, QNX is the once-dominant smartphone company’s engineering talent refocused on automotive subsystems. Among the most prolific — if not the most prolific — supplier of infotainment software in the world, QNX has branched out to provide engine sound enhancement technologies as well as rear-seat entertainment and hands-free voice-activated systems. In other words, pretty much anything digital that fits into a car.

More recently, QNX expanded its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems technologies to become one of the world leaders in automobile autonomy. And, like the original BlackBerry phones, QNX’s forte is data security and privacy. According to John Wall, BlackBerry senior vice-president and head of QNX, that reputation for secure operating systems is his division’s calling card as manufacturers and consumers alike worry about the hacking of our future connected cars.

Apple car

Although the headlines have died down, the rumour mill still insists that Apple Corp. will build an iCar, with Bloomberg claiming CEO Tim Cook could make an announcement as early as 2020. Others — for example, Apple World — cite company patents for things such as a cabin climate control system as proof that the world’s most valuable company is looking to build its own cars.

This much we know: CarPlay is an important part of Apple’s product portfolio moving forward. The company is also aggressively developing autonomous automobile technology, running a fleet of Lexus RX 450hs around California to test its self-driving hardware. And, according to Computerworld speculation, the US$250 billion or so Apple has in its piggy bank is more than enough to buy any automaker lock, stock and barrel. Forbes, only partly in jest, predicted Apple could buy Tesla sometime this year. If true, the combination of Apple’s computer acumen and the Model S’s squeaky-clean image could change everything in the auto industry.

James Bond

Now that Daniel Craig has once again signed on for another “last” Bond flick, we can get on with the more important business of speculating what automotive hijinks double-ought-seven will get up to in November 2019. If history is any judge, Bond 25 — the film’s code name refers to it being the 25th instalment of cinema’s most enduring franchise — may have some real-life automobile innovations for us.

According to carthrottle.com, the Bond franchise has predicted no less than seven real-world innovations initially dreamed up by the quixotic Q. The auto enthusiast site points out that what Bond film directors Albert Broccoli et al once posited as revolutionary, we now take as commonplace. For example, in 1964’s Goldfinger, Bond’s tracking device looks remarkably similar to the GPS navigation systems many of us use today. You Only Live Twice, carthrottle.com says, predicted Bluetooth phones, The Living Daylights had head-up displays and cellphones in Tomorrow Never Dies could remotely control cars. The website’s crediting of 007’s Aston Martin with inventing traction control by having spikes automatically deploy out of snow tires is a stretch, but it was remarkably prescient when The World Is Not Enough’s Pierce Brosnan moved his Z8 out of a parking spot via a key fob, considering BMW just announced such a technology. As to what a more, shall we say, buff and brainy Daniel Craig might bring to the table next, let the speculation begin. FPM