[Updated: June 22] —Mercedes-Benz Vans has tapped the Linux-based AGL infotainment stack for next-gen vehicles equipped with cutting-edge connectivity and robotics technology.

The Linux Foundation’s Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) project announced that Mercedes-Benz Vans is using the open source AGL platform as a foundation for a new onboard OS for its commercial vehicles. The Daimler business unit will debut a new AGL-based OS on various Mercedes-Benz Vans prototype projects later this year, and AGL will play a key role in Mercedes-Benz Vans “adVANce” initiative for providing “holistic transport solutions.” In other AGL news, Green Hills added support for the in-vehicle infotainment stack for its Integrity Multivisor (see farther below).

The adVANce initiative spans technologies for integrating connectivity, IoT, innovative hardware, on-demand mobility and rental concepts, and fleet management solutions for both goods and passengers, says the LF. The open source nature of AGL’s Unified Code Base (UCB) Linux distribution will enable “the flexibility to rapidly create tailored solutions” for Mercedes-Benz Vans customers, including adding and connecting IoT components such as sensors, automation controls, and actuators.

Mercedes-Benz Vans Sprinter

“Using a standardized, open operating system like AGL enables us to rapidly develop new commercial vehicle use cases such as robotic delivery, data analytics and prediction and automation technologies,” stated Thomas Wurdig, Head of Onboard-System Architecture and IoT, Mercedes-Benz Vans.

“We are very excited to see members like Daimler using the AGL platform in new ways, such as developing new commercial solutions to solve challenges like last-mile logistics,” stated Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux at the Linux Foundation.

Last mile logistics is a hot topic in supply chain circles these days. With the surge in e-commerce home deliveries and the increasing congestion in cities, companies are turning to a variety of technological solutions to ease gridlock and speed delivery, ranging from more sophisticated GPS tracking and analytics to a potential role for robotic delivery including delivery drones dispatched from moving vans.

2018 Toyota Camry

The Mercedes-Benz Vans announcement is AGL’s second major design win after Toyota announced last year that AGL would appear in 2018 Toyota Camry cars. AGL has since spread to other Toyota cars including the 2018 Prius PHV in Japan “and many of the updated vehicle models following the Camry in the United States,” says the LF.

Earlier this month, AGL announced seven new members for AGL. The addition of Abalta Technologies, Airbiquity, Bose, EPAM Systems, HERE, Integrated Computer Solutions, and Sitech Electric Automotive brings the total membership to more than 120. The new members include AGL’s first Chinese car manufacturer, with Sitech, the electric vehicle division of First Automotive Works (FAW). The other members contribute various pieces to connected car puzzle, including infotainment devices provided by Bose Automotive Systems.

 
Green Hills adds AGL support to Integrity Multivisor

In other AGL news this week, Green Hills Software announced support for AGL within its Integrity Multivisor platform, which was launched back in 2007 as a way to run Linux side by side with its Integrity hypervisor within a virtual container. According to Green Hills, Integrity Multivisor for Automotive Grade Linux supports ISO 26262 safety levels and enables OEMs to “confidently run AGL-based infotainment and connected car applications in secure partitions alongside safety-critical and security-critical functions including instrument clusters, rear-view camera, ADAS, OTA, gateway and V2X.”

Integrity Multivisor for Automotive Grade Linux is now available to early access customers for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A and Renesas R-Car H3 SoCs.