Software République unveils H1st vision connected vehicle

As part of its objective to help create a European ecosystem for “sustainable, sovereign and safe mobility”, Software République has unveiled H1st vision (Human First vision), a collaborative vehicle concept that incorporates functional and innovative technologies and illustrates human-centred visions of the mobility of the future.

Software République is an open innovation ecosystem, created two years ago by Atos, Dassault Systèmes, Orange, Renault Group, STMicroelectronics and Thales. It also includes seven startups and a partner: Arkamys, Compredict, Epicnpoc, Eyelights, Kardome, Stern Tech and JCDecaux. It has set itself a roadmap to launch 10 new services and products, incubate 50 or more startups and offer services in more than 50 geographies around the world – all by 2025.

H1st vision is described by the consortium as representing a “revolution” in mobility, bringing together 20 concrete operational innovations to offer a “true experience” beyond automotive mobility. It stresses that H1st vision is not just a concept car, but instead a tangible vision of tomorrow’s mobility experience.

The physical vehicle doubles up as a virtual twin in a digital universe, where systems that are currently independent – such as infrastructure, energy, public services and users of different categories – can communicate. This is designed to make it possible to model, visualise and simulate use cases that could arise in the real world. Thanks to its interconnection with its environment, H1st vision is said to be in “in constant dialogue” with digital and physical ecosystems.

Connected vehicle technologies include data on available charging stations from Mobilize; the Plug Inn app, a French peer-to-peer EV charging community, delivered by Renault; Orange smart parking space sensors; and a module combining Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) cellular communication and localisation by satellite (GNSS) from STMicroelectronics.

The operational features are said to be centred on people – taking care of the driver, their passengers and other road users. These features include all-new and secure biometric access control, a one-of-a-kind sound experience inside, optimised vehicle range and charging, a driver and vehicle health monitor and assistant, and predictive alerts to protect occupants and other people on the road.

When drivers approach their vehicle, postural then facial recognition software kicks in to allow access to the passenger compartment and then enable ignition. Users create a profile on a tablet, and their personal data (name, height, a photo of their face and a video of them walking) is entered, encoded and stored in what is said to be an ultra-secure virtual container integrated into the car, the Digital ID Wallet.

Using cameras on the wing mirrors, the vehicle recognises the registered driver and passengers approaching on either side, based on their posture, when they are up to six metres away. An avatar welcomes the user and assists them with all the available features. H1st vision also has an in-car payment interface and a smart parking assistant.

To make mobility sustainable, silicon carbide parts are used in the critical systems powering electric vehicles and in the charging stations, said to increase efficiency significantly. Powerbox charging stations work both ways, with vehicle-to-grid functionality so the car can also support the grid or help power your home during consumption spikes.

An array of physical and virtual sensors watch over the health of the occupants and, in the event of an incident, H1st vision can place a mobile or satellite call to emergency services. The state of wear of key vehicle components, such as the battery or tyres, is also monitored, and H1st vision can generate its own health certificate.

The virtual twin in a digital city shows the car’s extended connection to its environment – city 4.0, other people using the road, other infrastructure, and so on – to spot potential hazards, keep people safe if they are vulnerable and optimise rescue vehicle traffic flows.

“The H1st vision concept car is a connected, physical and virtual object that demonstrates both a robust method for collaboration between the partners and how the technologies of Dassault Systèmes, Orange, ST Microelectronics, Renault Group and Thales complement each other to build the mobility of the future,” said Software République’s chief operating officer, Eric Feunteun.