Ford's 2017 Escape and Fusion vehicles will come with dual-radio reception systems, including one of the first dual-radio applications for HD Radio, the automaker said Wednesday. Dual FM radio reception uses a second receiver and the rear window heater grid as a second antenna to help the radio choose between multiple signals on the same frequency, said Ford in an announcement. The second antenna and receiver reduce interference from the same radio signal when it’s received twice, helpful in cities and mountainous areas where radio signals tend to bounce around the surroundings, said Ford. The second receiver also helps discern the stronger signal for clearer reception, the company said. In testing the system, Ford assessed radio signals in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Pittsburgh and Seattle and determined the system allows listeners to hear stations longer when traveling between cities since there’s no middle zone where the radio plays overlapping stations. With a typical radio, at a midpoint between cities interference can last up to 15 minutes when a tuner is bringing in two stations overlapping the same frequency, it said.

AT&T chose Harman’s Telematics Control Unit for its mobile broadband accelerator program, said a Harman news release Tuesday. Harman’s integrated telematics and infotainment unit connects automotive systems to the cloud, providing secure, high-speed connectivity via GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi hot spots and LTE, said the company. “Connectivity is the backbone” for future autonomous vehicles, said Phil Eyler, president of Harman’s Connected Car division. “They may run without fuel, but they will not run without connectivity.” The goal of AT&T’s accelerator program is to expedite equipment makers’ ability to deliver advanced connected car experiences, said Cameron Coursey, vice president-product development of AT&T’s Internet of Things Solutions.

Harman joined the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Auto-ISAC), it said in a Wednesday news release. The group collaborates to share, track and analyze intelligence about cyberthreats and potential vulnerabilities against connected cars. Harman reinforced its commitment to protective cybersecurity measures, highlighting its 5+1 automotive security frameworks and its acquisition of TowerSec in January. Joining Auto-ISAC “adds another layer of intelligence and information sharing to progress the industry’s automotive cybersecurity agenda,” said Saar Dickman, Harman vice president-automotive cybersecurity. Harman has been developing a multilayer security framework that addresses “defense in depth” within the system design, along with over-the-air updates and software-based security solutions for future vehicles as well as ones that can be retrofitted to unsecured cars on the road today, it said. Auto-ISAC members make more than 99 percent of light-duty vehicles on the road in North America, said Harman.

Visteon completed its acquisition of AllGo Embedded Systems, an India-based supplier of embedded multimedia and smartphone connectivity software for the global auto industry, Visteon said in a Monday announcement. The acquisition “supports Visteon’s global vehicle cockpit electronics business and enables Visteon to offer a highly integrated solution to automakers that includes multimedia software and codecs, and smartphone connectivity features,” Visteon said. The deal gives Visteon ownership of AllGo’s “technology assets” and automotive business, in addition to a workforce of about 140 employees, mostly software engineers based in India, it said. “Multimedia playback and smartphone connectivity features such as CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink are essential for all infotainment and display audio systems and this acquisition positions Visteon uniquely in the industry.” AllGo’s customer base includes “a wide range of global automakers and Tier 1 suppliers with particularly strong relationships in Asia,” it said.

Europe plans to launch large-scale testing of connected car and autonomous vehicle technologies next year, including use of various high-speed wireless networks, several major trade associations said Thursday in a news release. The initiative was outlined in a EU-hosted meeting in Brussels Wednesday, said the groups, including the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, European Automobile Manufacturers Association, European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association, European Competitive Telecommunications Association and GSMA. The initiative will test functionalities, including cooperative collision avoidance, high density platooning, local-hazard warnings, remote control parking and traffic flow optimization across several EU countries, the release said. The testing will be in two phases, with the first, from 2017 to 2019, using 4G technology, and the second, running until 2021, using both 4G and 5G technologies, it said. The groups said cybersecurity, network latency, personal data protection, safety and service quality will be prioritized and addressed. A consortium of European telecom and automotive companies, which will be established later this year, will define the project's scope and negotiate potential co-financing with the EU and member states, the release said. "Trials will focus on addressing cross-border challenges such as the lack of harmonised spectrum, seamless network handover of vehicles at borders and open road infrastructure data," it said. "The trials will build on existing national projects and use their infrastructure where possible."

Volkswagen and LG signed a joint R&D memorandum for development of a connected car service platform, the companies said Wednesday. They will work together on Volkswagen's Cross-Over-Platform that will offer drivers access to smart home and location-based services. In coming years, the companies will focus on (1) integrating the connected car and smart home so drivers can monitor and control their lights, security systems and appliances from the road and (2) developing a notification center that delivers message intuitively and safely to drivers, they said. The platform will allow "wide integration with smart home services and adoption of open IoT connectivity technologies," said Richard Choi, head of LG’s cloud center. In March 2015, Volkswagen subsidiary Italdesign Giugiaro unveiled a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show with seven components supplied by LG, including the holographic display, connected smart watch, tail lights and rear camera, they said. A year ago, LG was selected as Volkswagen's strategic electronics supplier and listed as a partner company on its FAST (Future Automotive Supply Tracks) program, they said. At CES, the companies showed a smart home system controlled remotely from a vehicle.

The U.S. Transportation Department named Columbus the winner of its Smart City challenge. The Ohio city will receive up to $40 million from DOT and up to $10 million from Vulcan, the investment firm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. That will supplement $90 million raised by the city from private partners. The city plans three electric self-driving shuttles, DOT said. “Columbus also plans to use data analytics to improve health care access in a neighborhood that currently has an infant mortality rate four times that of the national average, allowing them to provide improved transportation options to those most in need of prenatal care.” DOT selected Columbus from seven finalists, culled from 78 applications, it said.

Global revenue from automotive telematics systems will grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 19 percent, to $4.2 billion by the end of 2021, IHS said in a Tuesday forecast. CE-based telematic solutions will make up nearly 30 percent of the market in 2021, IHS said. “Currently, CE telematics leads the global automotive telematics market since it is a relatively low-cost solution and available in a wide range of vehicles,” it said. “More cars of the future will feature multiple connections for a variety of applications and services.” The telematics supply chain “will see amazing growth and innovation through the end of the decade, as more vehicles debut new connected solutions that make use of embedded modules, while at the same time enabling consumers to fully leverage their mobile devices,” IHS said. Telematics systems “are a major factor in changing the automobile from a collection of analog control systems to a fully networked and connected digital car, where software-defined functionality can be remotely changed, corrected and updated,” it said. “Telematics systems also add connectivity-based applications that make the average car safer and more fuel efficient, as well as help to correct common driver errors. As a result, telematics can bring many benefits to various parties including consumers, auto manufacturers, dealers, communities, and more.”

Verizon is buying software-as-a-service company Telogis, adding Telogis' product line to its Verizon Telematics subsidiary, the carrier said Tuesday. “With a comprehensive enterprise product portfolio and partnerships with some of the world’s leading vehicle and equipment manufacturers, Telogis brings a world-class software platform and new distribution relationships to Verizon Telematics’ already expansive suite of connected vehicle solutions for consumers and enterprise customers,” said Andrés Irlando, CEO of Verizon Telematics, in a news release. Telogis is closely held. Verizon didn’t disclose terms.

Symantec introduced cybersecurity protection for connected cars, the company announced. Called Anomaly Detection for Automotive, the product protects against “zero-day attacks” and other security vulnerabilities unique to the connected car. Zero-day attacks are so named because a defender against those attacks has zero days to come up with a fix once a security flaw becomes widely exploited. “Connected cars offer drivers conveniences such as navigation, remote roadside assistance and mobile internet hot spots,” Symantec said Wednesday, citing Gartner forecasts of 220 million connected cars on the road globally in 2020. Though new connected-car technologies “promise to enhance the driving experience, these advancements also create avenues of attack for hackers that can endanger drivers and passengers,” Symantec said. Its product uses machine learning to provide “passive in-vehicle security analytics” that monitor all “controller area network” bus traffic without disrupting normal vehicle operations, the company said. Since the product learns “what normal behavior is,” it’s able to “flag anomalous activity that may indicate an attack,” it said: “The solution works with virtually any automotive make and model.”