NIRA Dynamics: Considerations of virtualized sensors
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Exclusive Interview
Nira Dynamics AB
Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Henrik Thunberg
About This Interview
NIRA Dynamics is a company focused on providing software solutions and services for the automotive industry and for public sectors. Notably, NIRA is the global market leader for indirect Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (iTPMS), a system which monitors tire pressure without the use of physical sensors within the tire. iTPMS uses data from other vehicle systems such as wheel speed sensors, anti-lock braking systems, and electronic stability control to determine tire pressure. NIRA’s iTPMS is installed in more than 110 million vehicles worldwide, across brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Honda, Renault, Fiat, Volvo, and BYD.
NIRA specializes in virtual sensors, which are software solutions that can provide information on vehicle or environmental conditions by interpreting existing vehicle data through sensor fusion and software models. This interview was conducted with Henrik Thunberg, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NIRA Dynamics Inc.
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About This Interview
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Q1What do you see as NIRA’s current focus areas? What areas, whether it be new markets, regions, technologies, or service gaps do you see as opportunities for growth or improvement?
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Q2What is NIRA’s viewpoint on the capabilities, limitations, or potential of virtual sensors?
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Q3In the past couple of decades, we’ve seen that the number of sensors for modern vehicles continue to grow, with the most advanced passenger vehicles now featuring hundreds of sensors. However, we’ve also seen how software can be used to provide new functions, as shown by NIRA’s connected vehicle services. How does NIRA see the future evolution of vehicle sensors? Given the costs of added hardware, will the number of vehicle sensors reach a plateau or decrease as software advancements unlock more functions? Or will the number of vehicle sensors continue to grow to gather additional information about the vehicle and its environment?
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Q4Vehicle connectivity plays a key role for the services that NIRA offers. Are there minimum requirements regarding the number or percentage of connected vehicles needed to provide services such as NIRA’s Road Surface Condition system? Is there a concern that there won’t be enough vehicles to provide information for new or emerging markets? Does the requirement for vehicle connectivity restrict the services that NIRA can provide to specific regions?
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Q5The growing presence of vehicle connectivity technologies has also led to consumer concerns about how vehicle data is being collected and used. As NIRA features an opt-in policy for consumers to provide their data for various services, has it engaged in any specific practices or initiatives to encourage customers to provide data?
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Q6Are there any notable differences in adoption of NIRA’s products and services across regional markets, for example, between Europe and North America? Do you have any insights or perspectives on the characteristics of specific regional markets? For example, how does NIRA view the Chinese market’s emphasis on vehicle software development and integration?
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About This Interview
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Q1What do you see as NIRA’s current focus areas? What areas, whether it be new markets, regions, technologies, or service gaps do you see as opportunities for growth or improvement?
-
Q2What is NIRA’s viewpoint on the capabilities, limitations, or potential of virtual sensors?
-
Q3In the past couple of decades, we’ve seen that the number of sensors for modern vehicles continue to grow, with the most advanced passenger vehicles now featuring hundreds of sensors. However, we’ve also seen how software can be used to provide new functions, as shown by NIRA’s connected vehicle services. How does NIRA see the future evolution of vehicle sensors? Given the costs of added hardware, will the number of vehicle sensors reach a plateau or decrease as software advancements unlock more functions? Or will the number of vehicle sensors continue to grow to gather additional information about the vehicle and its environment?
-
Q4Vehicle connectivity plays a key role for the services that NIRA offers. Are there minimum requirements regarding the number or percentage of connected vehicles needed to provide services such as NIRA’s Road Surface Condition system? Is there a concern that there won’t be enough vehicles to provide information for new or emerging markets? Does the requirement for vehicle connectivity restrict the services that NIRA can provide to specific regions?
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Q5The growing presence of vehicle connectivity technologies has also led to consumer concerns about how vehicle data is being collected and used. As NIRA features an opt-in policy for consumers to provide their data for various services, has it engaged in any specific practices or initiatives to encourage customers to provide data?
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Q6Are there any notable differences in adoption of NIRA’s products and services across regional markets, for example, between Europe and North America? Do you have any insights or perspectives on the characteristics of specific regional markets? For example, how does NIRA view the Chinese market’s emphasis on vehicle software development and integration?
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Editor’s Note



Japan
USA
Mexico
Germany
China (Shanghai)
Thailand
India