Car maker Hyundai has bought a stake in Israeli vehicle-to-everything (V2X) chipset provider Autotalks. The pair will work together to accelerate deployment of “next generation chipsets” for connected cars, the South Korean firm said.
The size of the investment has not been disclosed. Reuters has reported the deal is worth several million dollars. Prior to the current investment by Hyundai, Autotalks had completed four funding rounds with a total of more than $80 million in investments.
Hyundai said it is expanding its partnerships to strengthen its connectivity technology, vital for autonomous driving, and to explore new business opportunities within smart city infrastructure. Yunseong Hwang, director of open innovation business group at Hyundai, commented: “Connectivity is one of the core technologies that can be applied to smart city business models, as well as autonomous driving and infotainment. Hyundai will continue to invest in disruptive technologies that are in line with Hyundai’s current and future strategic pillars.”
Hagai Zyss, chief executive of Autotalks, said the deal was a “vote of confidence”in his own company and a “testament” to the developing market. “Hyundai’s pursuit of cutting-edge communication and safety technologies is a perfect match with Autotalks’ leading capabilities. The funding from Hyundai will fuel Autotalks’ technology roadmap as well as support our customers and partners all over the globe,” said Zyss.
V2X technology provides a reliable non-line-of-sight sensor to prevent road collisions. In manned vehicles, it conveys alerts and notifications to the driver, and can take charge of the vehicle in dangerous situations. In autonomous vehicles, it complements existing sensors, allowing them to make more informed decisions.
V2X communicaitons is gaining momentum, says ABI Research, with a growing number of initiatives, trials and product launches.
Recently, the 5G Automotive Association, Audi, Ford and Qualcomm Technologies have carried out what they claim to be the world’s first demonstration of cellular V2X (C-V2X) direct communications across vehicles from different manufacturers. Finnish vendor Nokia and Japanese communications firm KDDI said in April they have demonstrated LTE for low-latency V2X communications.
Huawei and Vodafone tested usage of C-V2X in combination with Bosch’s adaptive cruise control system in Germany in March. Huawei has also worked with Spanish telecomms group Telefónica on the world’s first proof for 5G based V2X in their joint innovation lab at Madrid, Spain. Last month, Munich-based test equipment supplier Rohde & Schwarz announced it has updated its CMW500 radio tester to support C-V2X device certification.
