A new way to travel and to spend time on the road

For car manufacturers, new technical features are becoming the main differentiator for drivers of all ages. A positive user experience created by such systems as infotainment, comfort features, voice recognition, in-cabin wireless charging, state-of-the-art exterior and interior lighting and keyless entry will inform future generations’ decisions about the car they choose, regardless of whether they’re buying or sharing.

Consequently, future mobility will turn drivers into passengers who want to be entertained and enjoy all the conveniences of the connected life when travelling. Microelectronics from Infineon provide the underlying technology for data-driven services based on interoperable, robust connectivity, secure authentication and easy-to-use, contactless or remote payment options.

By 2022, analysts expect automotive companies to make 100 million updates a year to customers’ vehicles using software-over-the-air (SOTA) technology. These updates will span every aspect of the vehicle, from infotainment and telematics services to acceleration rates and parking controls.

However, a vehicle’s accessibility from the outside also significantly increases the risk of hacker attacks. Car manufacturers need to ensure that information is processed securely and protected against external access and manipulation. Given a car’s average lifespan, manufacturers today also have to be prepared for the potential attacks of tomorrow. Infineon’s semiconductor solutions enable secure vehicle feature updates for enjoyable and safe travelling.

Some things never change. Drivers and passengers don’t want to miss out on the amenities that cars used to offer before they turned electric. Particularly as cars become increasingly autonomous, people will focus on in-vehicle comfort and convenience features.

Infineon’s growing family of system-on-chip devices is ideally suited to comfort features such as interior light modules with touch-sensitive control, window lift, sunroof and massage seats as well as sleep monitoring. These are only some examples of the amenities that Embedded Power ICs from Infineon enable.

You don’t want your smartphone battery to go flat while you’re on the road. In-cabin wireless charging is yet another feature that drivers and passengers won’t want to do without in the car they buy, rent or share through a car sharing provider.

But because wireless charging requires more power than cable charging, new technologies are necessary. This is exactly where Infineon comes in. Our power semiconductors and microcontrollers enable wireless charging in no time, even on the road and allow passengers the convenience of watching their favourite movies, reading emails or communicating with friends without having to worry about their battery status.