SAE Tomorrow Today

More than 35 years ago, HERE Technologies created the first digital map. Today, they are the world's leading location platform company with a global footprint across 52 countries.

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The HERE HD Live Map recently launched on the BMW 7 Series in the US and Canada helps the vehicle reach SAE Level 2+ (ADAS) at 80 mph. This means the car can be driven hands-free on interstates and highways. The only condition is that drivers must stay focused and be ready to take control if necessary.

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Last summer, Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) became mandatory in new vehicles in the EU thus requiring the legal speed limit to be visible to drivers at all times. In response, the HERE ISA Map provides accurate speed limit information by informing drivers of the speed limits on the roads they are driving, warning them if they are exceeding the speed limit, and can even be programmed to prevent them from going over the speed limit.

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We sat down with Philip Hubertus, Director of Product Management, Driver Assistance & Automated Driving Maps, and Kristin Thompson, Project Manager, to discuss HERE Technologies’ HD Live Map and ISA technology, its adoption around the globe, and the future of autonomous driving.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—a podcast where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Bringing zero-emission commercial aircraft to market by 2035? That’s just the beginning for one global aerospace pioneer.

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Airbus has long designed, manufactured and delivered products and services for the commercial aircraft, helicopter, defense and space sectors. While the company is renowned for its exceptional aerospace solutions, they are also at the forefront of decarbonization and sustainable aviation.

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Today, Airbus aircraft can operate on a 50% blend of sustainable biofuel made up of food and animal byproducts (think: leftover French fry grease). By 2030, that percentage will rise to 100%. Not only is Airbus promoting the use of sustainable biofuel in aviation, but they plan to move beyond biofuel with the creation of synthetic fuels that don’t include petroleum, animal, food or agricultural byproducts.

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While the move away from traditional fuel sources will take time, Airbus is dedicated to supporting the aviation industry and the world through decarbonization standards and innovations related to biofuel, hydrogen, electric flight, fleet renewal, climate monitoring and so much more.

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For insight into the company’s sustainable aviation strategy, we sat down with Amanda Simpson, Vice President, Research and Technology. Hear how Airbus is using its strength in innovation and strong partnerships to build better aircraft while protecting the environment for future generations. 

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—a podcast where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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The race is on to develop an autonomous vehicle (AV) that is safer than a human driver—and one automaker is coming closer.

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By joining forces with Ansys, the global leader in engineering simulation, the BMW Group has developed the first-ever end-to-end tool chain specifically guided by safety principles to develop and validate ADAS and automated/autonomous driving functions.

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Through this collaboration, the BMW Group is leveraging Ansys' unique simulation capabilities to become one of the first automotive manufacturers to offer SAE Level 3 highly automated driving to consumers. The collaboration is key to quickly addressing advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and AV system reliability and significantly speed time to market.

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As shown in SAE J3016™, the transition from SAE Level 2 to Level 3 is significant. With state-of-the-art software solutions that are cloud-native, scalable, fit for massive data, open and extensible, the partnership between BMW and Ansys has resulted in an automated simulation tool chain that supports the mass generation of safety relevant scenarios and related analytics to validate AV system performance.

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We sat down with Nicolas Orand, Senior R&D Director of Autonomous Product Line at Ansys, and Rene Grosspietsch, Business Development Autonomous Driving at BMW Group, to discuss their ground-breaking partnership, the critical role of simulation in achieving SAE Level 3 autonomy, and the path to fully autonomous driving.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—a podcast where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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With the exponential rise in EV adoption comes a surge in global demand for minerals like graphite, lithium, nickel and cobalt. To keep pace, more mines around the world are needed to get up and running quickly.

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Enter SafeAI, a company accelerating the world’s transition to autonomous mining and construction. By retrofitting heavy duty vehicles and site operations with autonomous technology, SafeAI enables safer, more productive, and more cost-efficient worksites.

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In terms of supporting the EV supply chain, SafeAI’s autonomously operating assets can significantly expedite the development of a mine, which typically takes up to 10 years. Enabled by autonomy, each vehicle can add approximately 1,000 additional hours of productivity per year.

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We sat down with Bibhrajit Halder, Founder & CEO of SafeAI, to discuss the global state of mining, the move to zero-emission vehicles, and the future of autonomous mining and construction in an era of massive industry adoption.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—a podcast where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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Autonomous technology is transforming industries—and farming is no exception.

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From food security to greater environmental awareness, there are many factors increasing the demand for enhanced productivity and efficiency in agriculture. Smart farming, defined as the modern use of information and communication technologies in agriculture, is one answer to these challenges.

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As we look to the future, smart farming will include the use of autonomous agricultural vehicles, including tractors and other machinery, to help farmers produce more food, more sustainably, from the same amount of land. To achieve this goal, farmers and researchers from around the world are developing standards and specifications using the latest autonomous technologies and infrastructure to make farming more holistic, sustainable, and efficient.

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We sat down with Johannes Lehmann, Head of Business Development, Smart Farming at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), to discuss the autonomous agricultural machinery market, key drivers and barriers to adoption, and how autonomous technology can benefit farmers and society.

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SAE EDGE™ Research Reports provide examinations into hot topics facing the mobility industry today. Read the abstract for the joint SAE/DIN report Lehmann co-authored and discussed on this episode –Autonomous Field Robotics – and subscribe to Mobilus to stay in the know.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Orbital Age is the next industrial revolution. As we begin this exciting phase of human history, Sierra Space, led by veteran NASA astronaut Dr. Janet L. Kavandi, is powering the space transportation system and its destination network to benefit life on earth.

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After 19 years at NASA, three Space Shuttle missions, and serving as both NASA's Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office and Center Director at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Dr. Kavandi was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2019. She is now focused on ushering in the Orbital Age as President of Sierra Space.

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With a vision to build a platform in space to benefit life on Earth, Sierra Space has developed the Dream Chaser®, the first-ever winged commercial spaceplane contracted to fly cargo to the International Space Station beginning in 2023. The company is also developing Orbital Reef, the first commercially owned and operated space station and Life™ Habitat, an inflatable space structure with three floors of living and working area.

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As the space economy matures, Sierra Space will be at the forefront, completely redefining the human experience in space—from enabling humans to live and work in space for extended periods of time to breakthrough innovations in human health, telecommunications, computing, advanced materials, climate change reversal, and clean energy.

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We sat down with Dr. Kavandi to discuss to her vast knowledge and experience, how she sees the space economy growing over the next decade, and how innovations in space can benefit life on Earth.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

As demand for EVs grows, so too does the role of electric utilities.

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From powering the grid to ensuring the reliability of EV charging stations, the electric utility industry plays a pivotal role in accelerating EV adoption.

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For more than a century, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) has delivered electricity to more than 600,000 customers in the Pittsburgh region. Currently, there are more than 6,000 EVs in DLC’s service territory—and they expect that number to grow to more than 23,000 by the end of 2025.

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With this projected growth, DLC is not only providing reliable power, but EV information analysis and incentives like a Community Charging Program and Electric Fleet Advisory Service Program.

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We sat down with Sarah Olexsak, Senior Manager, Transportation Electrification, to discuss the role of electric utilities and how DLC is supporting EV adoption in Western Pennsylvania.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

The future of Cadillac is all-electric—and the future is here.

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With the launch of the Cadillac LYRIQ, the high-end brand relied on intensive market research and engineering brainpower to set a bold new course for luxury electric vehicle transportation. With premier technologies, high-performance features, and rapid-charging capability, the Cadillac LYRIQ is nearly identical to the concept vehicle—and priced around $60,000. The Ultium battery platform enables a near 50/50 weight distribution of the vehicle and a lower center of gravity for a sporty and responsive drive.

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We sat down with Bryan Stewart, Global Program Engineering Manager for the Cadillac LYRIQ, who has more than 23 years of experience as an engineer at General Motors. As one of his most rewarding assignments to date, Bryan shared the engineering inspiration behind the Cadillac LYRIQ’s stunning design and the importance of delivering a quintessential luxury vehicle experience that’s all-electric and distinctly Cadillac.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

A dashboard free of traditional buttons? It’s just one way Nissan is redefining our interaction with cars through haptic feedback.

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In the new Ariya electric crossover, Nissan opted for a button-less dashboard over the ever-growing tablet-sized screen. Their goal is a clean and calming dashboard experience rather than a wide array of buttons and complicated menus. By creating a smooth, haptic feedback control panel with only the most important functions, consumers can focus on their main task: driving.

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So, how does haptic feedback work? The control panel in the Ariya reacts to touch, communicating through fingertip vibrations. To adjust settings like climate controls and drive modes, drivers interact with a familiar set of icons. However, because the points of interaction are felt and heard rather than seen, drivers can remain focused on the road ahead.

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We sat down with Adam Tacey, Senior Manager, Nissan Marketability and Testing at Nissan North America, to discuss the company’s new generation of haptic feedback controls and the critical relationship between design and function.

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For more than 20 years, Nissan has worked together with the SAE Foundation℠ to reach the youngest learners and advance equitable STEM education. Read how our partnership is strengthening communities and igniting STEM potential.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today (and give us a review) on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

A Powerful Alliance in Electric Urban Air Mobility

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What do you get when you combine the brainpower of aerospace leader Honeywell with leading automotive supplier DENSO? A powerhouse partnership that is shaping the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with electric propulsion systems for aircraft.

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Driven by a shared vision of moving people and cargo in radically more efficient and sustainable ways, the Honeywell DENSO alliance brings together Honeywell’s 100 years of aerospace expertise and DENSO’s 30-plus years of electrification know-how.

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Recently, the partners announced that they are co-developing an electric motor (e-motor) for an all-electric jet with Lilium, the developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet. This proprietary, high-performance system brings exceptional performance and reliability with zero operating emissions typically associated with commercial jet engines.

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We sat down with Kenji Morikawa, Director, Electrified Systems Engineering at DENSO, and Taylor Alberstadt, Global Sales and Marketing Leader, Unmanned Aerial Systems/Urban Air Mobility at Honeywell Aerospace, to discuss the evolution of their alliance, their company synergies, and how electric-powered aircraft will evolve over the next decade.

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We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today (and give us a review) on your preferred podcasting platform.

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Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.