Researchers from Technical University Munich (TUM) in Munich, Germany recently presented Visio.M, an electronic vehicle they developed with industry experts. The goal: to build an affordable, stylish e-vehicle that offered safety, comfort as well as a reasonable reach. Texas Instruments contributed to the project with the so-called "Web-PC." This "Jacinto" based Linux-PC is used for the HMI, the usage of mobile service and also for the control of the cluster.
Researchers from 14 TUM faculties collaborated with 17 industry project partners, some of which were TI, BMW, Daimler and TÜV Sued, to develop a minimal vehicle setting new standards in terms of efficiency and safety. The project, called Visio.M, was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
“We were pleased to participate in the Visio.M Project, because TI's innovative products perfectly fit to the vision of future urban mobility. The "Jacinto" family of processors provides superior integration and power/performance advantages which are essential to address the challenges of future electrical vehicles.” said Walter Borghs, automotive field applications manager. Walter and members of his team have been actively involved in driving TI's involvement in the project.
The Visio.M vehicle provides enough space for two passengers plus luggage and weighs only 450 kg (less than 1,000 pounds). It offers a reach of up to 160 km and a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The car is powered by a Lithium ion battery with a capacity of 13.5 kWh, that can be charged in just three to four hours at a 230 V plug.
For more information on the project, click here.
