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50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 tremendous change is the auto industry. Numerous auto manufacturers are adding electric vehicles to their offerings, with some planning to shi their entire production to EVs in the years ahead. Jaguar plans to be all-elec- tric by 2025, Alfa Romeo by 2027, and Mer- cedes, Lexus, Rolls-Royce, Volvo, Audi, and Cadillac have all committed to be exclusively electric by 2030. In the coming years we will see new EV models, but this transformation extends well beyond just the vehicles being driven. e entire charging infrastructure is undergoing a massive change and that is having an impact on urban landscapes and garages everywhere. EV infrastructure companies are working to differentiate their offerings, develop new mar- kets, and introduce new business models. We are seeing improved user interfaces, faster- charging capabilities, greater connectivity, improved ease of use and installation, and the ability to work directly with the electric grid on smart grid applications like vehicle-to-grid technology that enables EVs to charge during off-peak hours and even sell back to the grid during peak hours. The Prevalence of Autonomous Vehicles Automation is increasingly prevalent in every industry. Autonomous vehicles are tak- ing on diverse forms. Last year GM introduced its InnerSpace Autonomous concept vehicle, a two-passenger luxury all-electric autono- mous vehicle. Hyundai Heavy Industries dem- onstrated an autonomous boat, equipped with depth sensors, cameras, and AI, then announced it would be working to employ the technology in larger merchant ships. Autono- mous Formula 1 race cars set new records as part of the Indy Autonomous Challenge. Robots are showing up in a variety of places. Delivery robots like those from Ottonomy are automating last-mile delivery. Pittsburgh International Airport recently announced a pilot project with fully autonomous delivery robots, offering passengers a contactless deliv- ery system for drinks and food orders. Auton- omous vehicles from Starship Robots are fer- rying items across college campuses to hun- gry students. Recently, Neubie partnered with Samsung to automate deliveries on golf courses. e beverage cart may never be the same again. Some of the most interesting applications of automation are around automating decisions, especially when an individual is not able to make those decisions for themselves. Consider Korea-based ANSSil's sleepinbody mattress. It collects and uses sleep data to adjust tempera- ture and mattress firmness to personalize and ultimately optimize one's sleeping conditions in real-time. ese data are being collected and decisions are being made on behalf of the user while they sleep. From Digitization to 'Datafication' e rise of Smart technologies is reshaping how products are designed and created, and we see an introduction of many new product categories. Smart devices can sense their envi- ronment and oen interact with other sys- tems to perform tasks. Businesses are collect- ing huge amounts of data from the products they produce and the services they deliver, which is enabling them to create entirely new offerings. COVID accelerated digital transfor- mations everywhere and now companies are working to make the leap from digitization to datafication. e shi to "datafication" will usher in a myr- iad of new technology. Consider the COGNI from SimpleLabs. is small device is a wine In the coming years we will see new EV models, but this transformation extends well beyond just the vehicles being driven.