▲ Examples of Home-to-Car and Car-to Home services to be developed

Samsung Electronics today announced a collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to expand its SmartThings platform to support connected cars, including electric vehicles (EVs). The announcement came after the companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 3 to develop solutions for future lifestyles that fully integrate the smart home and connected cars.

The two companies will work together for the next-generation smart home to connect Samsung’s SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia’s connected cars, including EVs, to develop the “Home-to-Car” and “Car-to-Home” services as well as an integrated home energy management service.

The Home-to-Car and Car-to-Home services connect the smart home with in-vehicle infotainment systems, allowing for remote control in both directions. Through the SmartThings platform, users will be able to perform a variety of actions pertaining to their cars while at home — starting them, controlling smart air conditioning, opening and closing windows and checking their charging status. And from cars, the control of home appliances such as TVs, air conditioners and EV chargers will also be possible.

“This collaboration will enable communication from Home-to-Car and integrated home energy management services that are optimized for future lifestyles,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics. “By connecting the SmartThings platform with vehicles, we’ll be able to significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car.”

Users will be able to adjust their environments with SmartThings by simultaneously operating multiple devices — including vehicles — through routines such as “good morning routine” and “arriving home routine.” For example, when a Galaxy smartphone’s morning alarm goes off, the curtains will automatically open, and the lights and television will turn on. When users are ready to go out for work, the user’s car will adjust itself to an ideal temperature. Also, the smartphone and TV screens will display information such as the EV’s remaining battery and driving range.

“This is an opportunity to make the connected car’s Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields,” said Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Center. “We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers’ journeys meaningful.”

The integrated home energy management service will allow users to monitor how much energy is consumed by the connected devices in their homes. Energy information of their EVs and chargers will also be available, enabling users to adjust the optimal time for charging their vehicles. EVs connected to the integrated home energy management service offer the possibility of automatically setting the optimal time for charging by factoring in different pricing by time of day,¹ the power demand response (DR) program,² photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system (ESS) data,³ and time-specific carbon emissions.⁴

▲ Examples of Home-to-Car and Car-to Home services to be developed

To further strengthen Car-to-Home services, Samsung is working closely with HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. HARMAN’s “Ready Upgrade” is a digital cockpit package product that allows hardware and software upgrades. With Ready Upgrade, users will be able to install SmartThings functions to utilize various Car-to-Home services.

¹ Higher rates are applied depending on the season and time of day.
² Incentives are provided to participating households to reduce energy consumption in response to the DR signal during peak hours, when power usage is concentrated.
³ Monitoring of electrical energy production/consumption/storage through PV/ESS.
⁴ Carbon emissions and reductions are monitored through information regarding the amount of carbon emitted when consuming 1KWh of electricity.

In addition, Samsung is hosting ‘InfoComm 2021 Samsung VX’, a new-concept event that will allow people who cannot attend InfoComm in person this year, including key customers and retailers, to experience its products and solutions virtually.

The cutting-edge commercial display solutions set to be introduced by Samsung, which can be used in a variety of business settings, include:

• ‘The Wall’ – a MICRO LED technology-based commercial display.
• Neo QLED 8K Signage that offers industry-leading picture quality with Quantum Mini LEDs and Quantum Matrix Technology Pro.
• Outdoor signage products that are dustproof and waterproof, producing bright and brilliant messages on displays that are built for the outdoors.

The Wall, a next-generation display that comes equipped with a MICRO AI processor and the latest display technology, features a bezel-free modular screen that can be easily customized to suit the design of any space. It can be implemented across a range of commercial environments and can be installed in various positions including in an L-shape, concave, convex, on a ceiling or hanging to offer customers and partners more convenience.

During the event, Samsung unveils Neo QLED 8K Signage for the first time, which is powered by Quantum Matrix Technology Pro. Neo QLED 8K Signage delivers unrivaled picture quality thanks to Quantum Mini LEDs. The display will also be available in a choice of 65-, 75- and 85-inch models, and will offer the option of either portrait or landscape orientation. Neo QLED 8K Signage also features an Infinity One Design, seamlessly fitting into any business environment with its slim and minimalistic look.

Finally, as sales of EVs (electric vehicles) continue to increase significantly, demand for the installation of charging stations has been rapidly growing too. Samsung’s outdoor signage displays are currently being used at EV charging stations, ensuring that the stations are equipped with the best visual display technology to offer customers an optimal experience. This outdoor signage features enhanced visibility, brightness greater than 3,500nits, and 24/7 performance ensuring crisp content at all times. These advanced displays provide customers with a variety of important information such as maps, traffic updates and digital advertisements – for businesses such as convenience stores, gas stations and quick service restaurants.

Samsung introduces the future of displays at InfoComm 2021, North America’s largest pro-AV industry event, which features more than 40,000 attendees. We look forward to seeing you there, either in person or virtually.

To learn more about InfoComm 2021 Samsung VX, please visit: https://displaysolutions.samsung.com/showcase/virtual-experience/infocomm-2021.

Compared to widely used lithium-ion batteries, which utilize liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state batteries support greater energy density, which opens the door for larger capacities, and utilize solid electrolytes, which are demonstrably safer. However, the lithium metal anodes that are frequently used in all-solid-state batteries, are prone to trigger the growth of dendrites¹ which can produce undesirable side effects that reduce a battery’s lifespan and safety.

To overcome those effects, Samsung’s researchers proposed utilizing, for the first time, a silver-carbon (Ag-C) composite layer as the anode. The team found that incorporating an Ag-C layer into a prototype pouch cell enabled the battery to support a larger capacity, a longer cycle life, and enhanced its overall safety. Measuring just 5µm (micrometers) thick, the ultrathin Ag-C nanocomposite layer allowed the team to reduce anode thickness and increase energy density up to 900Wh/L. It also enabled them to make their prototype approximately 50 percent smaller by volume than a conventional lithium-ion battery.

This promising research is expected to help drive the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs). The prototype pouch cell that the team developed would enable an EV to travel up to 800km on a single charge, and features a cycle life of over 1,000 charges.

(From left) Yuichi Aihara, Principal Engineer from SRJ, Yong-Gun Lee, Principal Researcher and Dongmin Im, Master from SAIT

As Dongmin Im, Master at SAIT’s Next Generation Battery Lab and the leader of the project explained, “The product of this study could be a seed technology for safer, high-performance batteries of the future. Going forward, we will continue to develop and refine all-solid-state battery materials and manufacturing technologies to help take EV battery innovation to the next level.”

¹ Dendrites are needle-like crystals that can develop on the anode of a battery during charging.