Valeo innovations for safer and cleaner mobility will be presented at the IAA Mobility 2021

No longer promoted as just the annual forum for the global automotive industry, the IAA is now also the place where the future of mobility takes shape. The Valeo innovations that will be presented in the Bavarian capital from September 7 to 12 are already part of this transformation and all meet the need for safer, cleaner and more diverse mobility.

2021 has already been a historic year for mobility, marking the launch of the first car in the world to reach level 3 autonomy – equipped with Valeo’s LiDAR technology. Level 3 autonomy can only be achieved using 3D LiDAR technology combined with a series of sensors. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are transforming mobility as we know it, and Valeo, the world leader in this field, equips one in four new cars worldwide with its technologies.

At the IAA Mobility 2021, Valeo will present an autonomous parking system (Automated Valet Parking) developed in collaboration with BMW, which allows a car to park itself in a parking lot.

Valeo will also showcase its Valeo Drive4U autonomous car, which will drive in automated mode on open roads in and outside the city of Munich (on the Blue Lane), reaching level 4 autonomy. It is equipped exclusively with Valeo sensors that are already in series production (LiDARs, cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors, etc.). This prototype vehicle can handle urban and suburban traffic, traffic jams, intersections, traffic circles, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and road works. It is equipped with two other safety-enhancing features: a Valeo Drive4U Locate system, which pinpoints the vehicle’s location on the road with centimeter-level precision, whereas the margin of error with a standard GPS system is up to 5 meters; and a Valeo MovePredict.ai system which, using artificial intelligence, anticipates the movements of vulnerable people around the car and brakes before they have even moved.

Valeo takes a holistic approach to the challenge of safer mobility. There are solutions that allow the car to be able to see and understand its environment and make the right decisions, as well as solutions that allow passengers to travel in a healthy cabin environment. Valeo is therefore presenting a series of technologies in Munich that transform vehicles into a sort of “health shield”. Valeo will also demonstrate a brand new system for monitoring vital signs, which can be used to assess health risks (suspected Covid-19)*. This technology has been adapted for use in the medical field using Valeo’s automotive expertise.

Visibility systems such as lighting and wiper systems, areas in which Valeo is world leader, are also a powerful driver of improved road safety. Valeo’s new smart lighting systems are becoming valuable driving assistance features. These headlamps are capable of tracing the shape of the road and indicating upcoming turns in the driver’s field of vision, making driving at night or in the rain safe and easy. The rear lamps, which are connected to the vehicle’s cameras and surroundings via the 5G network, signal hazards by displaying safety messages visible to all road users.

The other major challenge of mobility is protecting the environment. CO₂ emissions reduction and protecting the environment are part of Valeo’s DNA. As a pioneer in vehicle electrification, Valeo has invested more than 10 billion euros in this field over the past 10 years, to become the world number 1. As the European Commission formalizes new measures to further reduce carbon emissions and mark a radical transformation in mobility, Valeo is already in the starting blocks. Valeo can electrify all types of vehicles, including cars, as well as all kinds of new urban mobility solutions: bikes, scooters, delivery droids etc. This will be demonstrated at the IAA Mobility as well as on the streets of Munich.

Valeo’s technological electrification platforms cover all segments and uses, from affordable 48V solutions to the most powerful systems – thanks to the products it has developed as part of the Valeo-Siemens eAutomotive joint venture.

The IAA Mobility 2021 will feature the flagship vehicle from the premium German automaker’s electrified range, powered entirely by a Valeo-Siemens eAutomotive system (motors, transmission and inverter). The car’s thermal system, for batteries and air conditioning also come from Valeo.

At the Munich event, Valeo will present the world premiere of new charging stations suitable for all types of electric vehicles, regardless of their voltage, and that offer intelligent energy management features (charging when electricity is cheapest or when it comes from a green source such as solar panels or wind power).

Innovation is at the heart of Valeo’s strategy. In 2020, 94% of Valeo’s original equipment sales were generated by technologies that reduce CO₂ emissions and increase road safety, while 56% of the orders received were for technologies that did not exist three years ago.

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* The reliability of the assessment was validated with the help of several health organizations: the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège (Belgium), which has been a Valeo partner for five years with a Research Chair in “Health and Well-being in Transportation”; mobile Covid detection centers at the Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau – France), in Breves and Huy (Belgium); the APHP Henri Mondor university hospital in Créteil (France); the Rabin Medical Center in Jerusalem (Israel); and Hôpital Régional Dr Mohamed Ben Salah de Moknine (Tunisia).