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which contributes to advanced driver assistance functions. While the technology itself is real, arguably one might point out that this is something of "the future," even if that future is measured in months from now. BEYOND CAMERAS. But consider this: a CMOS (comple- mentary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera integrated with a lidar sensor that transmits three pulsed infrared beams with a 905-nm wavelength. This is a product—"Multi-Function Camera with Lidar"—that Conti started supplying to Toyota in 2015 for the OEM's "Toyota Safety Sense" system. What this does, in part, is use the camera to classify an object, then the lidar to calculate the distance of the vehicle to the object. That, then, can be used to initiate automatic emergency braking should it be necessary. In this case, the future is now. BEYOND MAPS. Another development they are working on is to transform their eHorizon system—which has been used in commercial vehicles—from one that's static to one that's dynamic. Essentially, the eHorizon system supple- ments a navigation system with informa- tion regarding changes in elevations. So should a truck be driving up or down a hill, the powertrain can be adjusted for purposes of optimizing fuel efciency. Now they're working to create a system that takes in data from the infrastructure and surrounding vehicles to have essentially a real-time dynamic map of the road conditions. And they're also doing their part to contribute to this data base. According to Degenhart, "In the future, we will be installing sensors in tires"—Conti is one of the world's leading OEM and aftermarket tire manufacturers—"which will enable the car to detect the condition of the road's surface." (Nikolai Setzer, who heads up the Tire Div., points out what is obvious and consequently often overlooked: the tire is the only portion of a vehicle that has direct contact with the road surface, so if you want to know what's going on on the road itself, then the tire is a place where you can perform your detection.) Degenhart continues, "Tires will therefore become a key part of our sensor network in the car. On this basis, we are working on a complete system for anticipatory driving that is able to learn." This is not to say that they won't continue to deploy things like wheel-slip sensors, but that there can readily be an additional source of data via the instrumented tire. While there is concern among some people in the global auto industry that young people are becoming less interested in automobiles—which isn't a good thing whether you're an OEM or a supplier—Degenhart makes an observation that is completely germane to this whole situation: "Young people ask why the most expensive technology"—as in a car— "is the least connected?" This is probably one thing that is well understood in places like Silicon Valley (where Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems has been established), where "connectivity" means a whole lot more than mobile access to Facebook. This goes to automated driving (where there is driver involvement, as required or as desired), which is not the same thing as autonomous driving (where the driver is a passenger). BEYOND GASOLINE. But Degenhart's third point can't be lost sight of: "increasing the efciency of drives and developing electric mobility." As global regulations for fuel efciency and emissions rise, there is little question that the electrifcation of the powertrain is essential in order for automakers to meet the standards. José Avila, who heads up Continental's Powertrain Div., is bullish on the potential of the hybridization of vehicles—using engines in combinations with advanced electrical systems— particularly in the short term, as this is a cost-efective means of achieving fuel economy improvements. A few years hence—in the 2020-2022 timeframe—he p As vehicles become more intelligent, there will be the ability for them to communicate with other vehicles (V2V), as indicated by the yellow lines, as well as to the infrastructure, such as the trafc signals, indicated by the blue lines. 24 AD&P; > November 2015 > FEATURE > Continental: Engineering the Future > Gary S. Vasilash > gsv@autofeldguide.com