At CES in Las Vegas for the sixth consecutive year, Valeo unveiled its latest technological innovations at the epicenter of the revolutions shaping mobility, i.e., the advent of autonomous vehicles, powertrain electrification and digital mobility. These three disruptions transforming the automotive industry are also driving profound change in society.
Valeo develops new technologies to make this transformation a reality. One example that was seen and tested in the streets of Las Vegas during CES 2019 is Valeo Drive4U, the Group’s first autonomous car, which can perform all operations using only Valeo sensors that are already series-produced (ultrasound, cameras, lasers, radars and LiDARS) and artificial intelligence. The vehicle is essentially equipped with a "digital brain" that can process the inputs and learn from the scenarios it encounters in the city, the company says.
One of the key challenges in autonomous driving is safety. Road accidents are a global epidemic and most often the result of human error. Valeo’s goal is for its systems to significantly reduce accidents, setting the target of less than one major incident for every billion kilometers driven, which would represent a higher level of safety than in the aeronautics industry. To achieve this result, Valeo is presented two innovations in Las Vegas: Valeo Drive4U Remote to operate autonomous vehicles remotely when assistance is required or even vital, and Valeo Voyage XR, which is able to simulate the virtual presence of a person – based in a fixed location – on board the autonomous vehicle during the journey. This means that the car could potentially be controlled externally by somebody who is aware of what is happening within the vehicle. Based on this innovation, Valeo has designed a new form of communication that allows a “stationary” passenger wearing a virtual reality headset to "teleport" into a moving vehicle.
Also with a view to increasing safety, Valeo showcased the Valeo XtraVue Trailer and Valeo PictureBeam Monolithic. The first of these two innovations causes a trailer or caravan to appear invisible in the rearview mirror of the vehicle towing it, making all maneuvers easier and safer for the driver. The second is a high definition lighting system developed in partnership with CREE, a manufacture of LEDs. The solution generates a high definition beam of light on the road without blinding other road users and projects information and images onto the pavement.
Lastly, since usage patterns are changing, with digital tools giving access to new ways of getting around, Valeo is developing technologies to promote their widespread take-up. Examples include the Valeo Clean Road app, which generates customized routes to avoid peak pollution areas, and Valeo Oxy’Zen, which can be used to activate air purification systems inside the vehicle cabin.
