Advanced, connected solutions in the auto industry are no longer just a “nice-to-have.” Connectivity determines the difference between industry leaders and industry laggards.

Business objective

In order to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive market, a leading automaker turned to Flex and its deep expertise in the automotive industry to help build a complete turnkey platform for connected communications, including designing embedded, mobile and cloud infrastructures.

Reinventing automotive for a safer, more enjoyable driving experience

The cars of the future will communicate with traffic lights, avoid collisions and deliver diagnostics. Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication are collectively referred as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) – a wireless technology aimed at improving road safety and traffic management. But creating this kind of advanced connectivity platform requires wide-ranging expertise — from cloud experts to automotive engineers. Flex core technologies and unique market perspective provided the expertise to handle these challenges, while decreasing time to market and ensuring quality. This leading automaker engaged with Flex to leverage that expertise, taking the idea from concept to working prototype using our Sketch-to-Scale^® capabilities.

Solution

On the road to the always-connected car of the future

Flex’s design team partnered with the automaker’s researchers to develop specifications to meet their needs: a long battery life, worldwide connectivity, a modular platform and powerful antennas.

Through a connected dongle, drivers can relay seamless, real-time data to a connected device to better understand driving and/or vehicle behaviors – introducing true intelligence to the automotive world. This data may be used to improve efficiency, whether that be through changing driving habits or re-calibrating components for optimization.

Result

Speeding time to market for a competitive edge

Flex took the idea from concept to working prototype in just 16 weeks, delivering 50 units ahead of schedule — a process that might otherwise have taken more than a year. The fully integrated turnkey solution included embedded, mobile and cloud software implementation and a cloud storage solution.

By partnering with Flex and leveraging its expertise in networking and computing, the automaker was able to enhance its design and engineering capabilities and co-create a cutting-edge solution in a fraction of the time.