What Display Daily thinks: Putting aside whatever thoughts you may have about autonomous driving, it is fueling EV companies as platforms or, at least, the desire to become a sort of self-aware ecosystem for digital intelligence and services. Automotive displays are primarily being driven, no pun intended, by the EV market. No doubt all vehicles will adopt the phantasmagoric interior cabin design concepts of multiple displays and infotainment systems and ambient LED lighting at some point.
Adding smartphones to the equation? Frankly, you don’t have to be in Silicon Valley to build a custom smartphone OS, as long as it sits on top of Android, and that’s plenty good enough to get anyone in the smartphone game. The question is, how much display real estate do you sell with every EV that ships to a customer? I mean, it is a unique proposition because every car could, in theory, have more display area than a premium TV, and if you add smartphones and other devices to the equation, it becomes an interesting customer acquisition proposition for a display manufacturer.
Granted, the volumes are low in comparison to actual smartphone sales, but this is all premium displays. The profit margins are going to be substantial for the foreseeable future. Maybe even on the smartphones.
Then again, this could all be a big race to the bottom for all but a handful of companies that can stand up to Tesla. It’s hard to tell where we are on the curve for EVs, although we know that they have a long way to go to become truly mainstream. On the other hand, do they really offer a platform for a broader universe of devices and applications?
Nio Making Smartphones to Complement Its EVs
Nio is a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer and it has had a lot to say recently about its grander vision. A little background first: the company delivered 19,329 vehicles, an increase of 81% year-on-year but a decrease of 5.5% month-on-month in August, 2023. It is also conducting independent research and development of its own silicon. The company has said it will mass-produce key chips in the next one to two years, focusing primarily on AD (autonomous driving) chips with its first self-developed 7nm process technology chip targeted towards the intelligent cabin. The chip will be manufactured by Samsung and the R&D team is led by a former Huawei HiSilicon executive.
Nio has received approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for its smartphone model N2301. The smartphone supports various network standards, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, and also supports UWB ultra-wideband technology and the company’s CEO has said that it wants to release a new phone every year, just like Apple. The phone is priced between 5000 to 7000 yuan ($686-961) and is expected to be used as a digital car key for Nio vehicles, among other things. Delivery for the Nio smartphone starts on September 28. Nio expects at least half of its users to buy the new smartphone. In Europe, where the company is planning to expand its business, there are no plans to launch a smartphone right now.
The SkyOS Platform
There’s also an announcement by Nio about its Tianshu SkyOS, which is the foundation of Nio’s plans to build a universe of functionality around its EVs, including the recently announced smartphone. Tianshu SkyOS is a global operating system designed for Nio vehicles, serving as the underlying software layer that controls various aspects like vehicle control systems, smart driving features, cockpit interactions, and mobile internet functionalities. The aim is to create a unified and efficient platform on which all the hardware and software components of the vehicle can work together seamlessly. And, if we look at the architecture, we see how smartphones fit in, and where it could possibly go from here.
Tianshu SkyOS is not just a single operating system; it’s a suite of specialized sub-operating systems grouped under a general structure termed as a “1+4+n technology cluster”.
- SkyOS-H (the 1 in 1+4+n): This is a management program that essentially acts as the master control for other operating systems within the vehicle. It handles the requirements for the cockpit and autonomous driving and lays down a foundational layer for safety.
- 1. SkyOS-M: A highly secure, reliable, and real-time operating system built on a microkernel. This is likely aimed at mission-critical tasks, perhaps involving the vehicle’s basic controls or autonomous functions.
- 2. SkyOS-L: A lightweight but also highly reliable and real-time operating system. It might be designed for less demanding tasks that still require a quick response.
- 3. SkyOS-R: A high-performance operating system for complex and rich application scenarios. This could be focused on user interfaces, entertainment, or other advanced functionalities.
- 4. SkyOS-C: This is an operating system customized based on Android, designed to interface with smartphones and offer familiar user experiences.
- The n: This could represent additional specialized operating systems or modules that might be added in the future to expand functionalities.
It’s an ambitious effort for any company, but it seems to be that autonomous EVs, or their promise, is shaping up to create a bunch of competing platforms with a centralized AI brain, and a slew of attached devices. In this case, Nio is looking to have a piece of each. And Nio is not the only EV maker getting into the smartphone business. This month, Swedish EV maker, Polestar, announced its own smartphone plans, based on a proprietary OS built on top of Android. Interestingly enough, Polestar is partnering with Xingji Meizu, a Chinese smartphone maker owned by Chinese auto giant Geely. It’s the circle of life.
