SEMA Vehicle Technology - Vehicle Technology Theatre Schedule

Racing and Performance Keynote
Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Keynote Speaker: Nick Woodman, CEO and Founder, GoPro

SEMA’s roots are embedded in racing and the performance aftermarket. Racing and the performance lifestyle are critical to continued relevance and innovation within the SEMA community for both longtime members as well as new companies such as GoPro. SEMA has played a major role in GoPro’s success in establishing its products as the world’s most versatile cameras, and the term ”GoPro It” has become a new phrase in the lexicon of performance enthusiasts from motorsports to action sports. Attendees can expect Woodman—a racer himself—to elaborate on how he and his team created a new product segment that defines and motivates the culture of motorsports and performance enthusiasts and how their modular upgrades encourage people to buy deeper into the GoPro system. Leading companies such as GoPro think of their products as the content, with the design, marketing, branding and social packaging as the context. GoPro owns 90% of the rugged-camera market and sold more than 800,000 cameras last year to users who then uploaded videos to YouTube once every two and a half minutes. What GoPro understands better than its competitors and many other companies is that a customer showing off what he did with his GoPro Hero camera on YouTube is far more valuable than a clip of him talking about his camera. “Your company’s ability to deliver a superior, personalized customer experience will set you apart from your competitors, inspire fans and advocates and drive spending on your products or services,” Waraniak said. “Customers buy your stuff but, more importantly, they buy what your stuff does for them. You need to sell the benefits of your products and services to your fans and enthusiasts. Scott Bowers at Oakley calls it purpose beyond reason—where art and science collide.”

Racing and Performance Forum
Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Moderator: John Waraniak, SEMA
Panel: Ralph Gilles, Chrysler Design and SRT Group; Tanner Foust, Global Rally Cross; Jim Campbell, General Motors Performance Vehicles and Motorsports; Jamie Allison, Ford Racing; Brian Gale, Global Rally Cross; NASCAR Executive, TBA; NASCAR Driver, TBA; Roger Curtis, Michigan International Speedway; Ricky Johnson, Traxxas TORC Driver; Luke Johnson, Traxxas TORC Driver; Chris Petrillo, Oakley; Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR VP of Competition

What will be the impact of advanced technologies and tighter federal emissions and fuel-efficiency standards on the racing and performance market today and in the near future? Is Gen Y’s lack of interest in cars affecting racing and performance? Does winning on Sunday still translate to selling on Monday? This session will explore these questions and trends and well as how leading automakers are focusing on matching horsepower with the fastest computing power and supporting existing series such as NASCAR and new series such as Global Rallycross (GRC). GRC connects with the urban, metropolitan and youth-orientated approach of ESPN’s X Games. The fusing of GRC and X Games has been a catalyst for many action sports athletes migrating from other sports to motorsports and provides an excellent platform for making small cars cool. NASCAR Green is growing stronger and faster than ever and has made significant environmental improvements and technological advancements in sustainability.

Connected-Vehicle Technology Keynote
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Keynote Speaker: Anthony Levandowski, Google

While Google’s autonomous vehicles have been cruising the streets and highways of the San Francisco Bay Area for the past two years and have logged more than 250,000 miles, the goal isn’t to eliminate human driving but rather to make it safer. Autonomous and connected-vehicle technologies, combined with mobile and consumer electronics, have extended far beyond the vehicle itself. Cars that communicate with each other are already on the road, but what will it take to get consumers really interested in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) capabilities? This session will explore the market opportunities for V2V devices and services and help SEMA members understand how they can leverage new technologies and business opportunities in integrating consumer and automotive electronics. This summer, the government is launching a yearlong test involving nearly 3,000 specially equipped cars, trucks and buses in Ann Arbor, Michigan. These vehicles sense each other wirelessly and warn their drivers about impending collisions, often before the other vehicle is in sight. In an even more extreme example, cars may someday soon drive themselves. As part of a pilot project, Google Inc. has equipped cars with sophisticated 360-degree sensors and computers that never get distracted or tired.

Vehicle Connectivity Forum
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Moderator: John Waraniak, SEMA
Panel: Nick Pudar, OnStar FMV; Roger Berg, DENSO, Wireless Technology Group; Joe Gross, Kicker; David Pio, Facebook; Precksha Saksena-Sood, Telematics Update; Jake Sigal, Livio Radio

There’s still quite a disconnect between the automotive and the consumer electronics industries. OEMs need to invite apps into the car while making sure they don’t compromise safety or performance. The industries also need to provide software development kits that make it easier for manufacturers, developers and installers to tailor applications and provide personalized content to the car. Connected-vehicle technologies are driving automakers and aftermarket companies to new levels of collaboration and profitability—particularly in the area of integrating consumer and automotive electronics. Growth and innovation are all about connecting vehicles to consumer’s lifestyles, brands and experiences through vehicle performance, connectivity, dynamics and personalization. “There are 250 million vehicles on the road in the United States today, and OEMs sell only 13 to 14 million new vehicles a year,” Waraniak said. “At that rate, it will take decades to get to a critical mass of new cars that can talk to one another to achieve the V2V communications network effect. But we could reach critical mass years sooner while simultaneously increasing sales for aftermarket manufacturers, retailers and installers by adding V2V communication capability through personal navigation devices, specialized aftermarket devices and smartphones—which is the Aftermarket X-Factor.” Distracted driving and hands-free calling are both very hot topics these days, and Apple is looking to help solve the problem with its new automotive integration of Siri called Eyes Free. Apple’s interest in automotive, navigation and location-based services shows the importance of reaching consumers in the vehicle. Technology may yet bail us out of the problem of distracted driving—not by making us less distracted but by taking care of the driving. Balancing entertainment options that drivers want—particularly the increasing connectivity demands from the younger generation—while ensuring that drivers aren’t too distracted is a continuing challenge for OEMs and aftermarket companies. Connected-vehicle technologies have the potential to avoid up to 80% of crash scenarios. NHTSA is asking carmakers to disable features that encourage drivers to take both hands off the wheel or glance away from the road for more than two seconds. Onboard vehicle technologies combined with built-in, beamed-in and brought-in technologies are creating many new and exciting product and service opportunities for specialty-equipment and performance aftermarket manufacturers, installers, retailers and distributors. By 2014, 70% of all consumer devices will be connected to the Internet, and many consumers want to extend their digital lifestyles into their vehicles. Generation-O is the generation of 10- to 29-year-olds known as Optimizers. Gen-O will be the generation that shows the industry the way forward in how new technologies, apps and products will be used to connect to their vehicles and optimize the customer experience. Voice activation, gesture recognition and other technologies to mitigate distractions are already in or are on their way into the latest vehicles. Apple’s Siri assistance function will certainly raise consumer expectations for voice-controlled user interaction with apps in their vehicles. “Many millennials consider driving to be the distraction,” Waraniak said. “Those companies with platforms that force them to go off the grid will lose to those that do not. Over 1.8 billion youth have mobile phones, and 60% sleep with their phones. Nearly 80% would spend their last $10 bucks on topping off their phones—not their cars. If you are not connecting Gen-O users, you are interrupting them.”

Connected-Vehicle Technology Workshop
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Panel: Kevin Kelly, Automotive Events; Richard Wallace, Center for Automotive Research; Greg Krueger, SAIC; Michael Schagrin, USDOT-RITA

With USDOT’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment now well underway, coupled with NHTSA’s impending Notice of Regulatory Intent regarding vehicle-to-vehicle safety planned for 2013, aftermarket suppliers are poised to have great significance in expediting the proliferation of vehicle safety through communications. This workshop will be dedicated to assisting SEMA members with insights into how to collaborate with traditional automotive OEMs and suppliers, public-sector agencies, research institutions, and others to move the V2V/V2I industry from model deployment to full deployment. The panel will update SEMA members on current and planned activity in the connected vehicle industry and provide insights into market opportunities for SEMA members.

How Advanced Coatings and Emerging Lubricant Technology Work Together to Improve Engine Performance
Date: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Moderator: Lake Speed, Jr. Joe Gibbs Driven
Panel: Paul "Scooter" Brothers, COMP Cams; Ken Hope, PhD, Chevron-Phillips Chemical; Tracy Trotter, Calico Coatings

Everyone knows that thinner oils make more power, but that usually comes at a price - engine durability. Looking ahead to 2017 and the increased CAFÉ (Corporate Fuel Economy Requirements), engine manufacturers are turning to emerging technologies to gain valuable drops of fuel economy. The use of coatings (dry film lubricants) and advanced synthetic base oils enables engine builders to use lower viscosity oils without compromising on durability. For street performance enthusiasts, this means improved fuel economy. For the racer, this means increased horsepower.

The Race to Innovate: The Future of Performance and Customization Forum
Date: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Grand Lobby, Vehicle Technology Center

Moderator: John Waraniak, SEMA
Panel: David Cole, Center for Automotive Research and AutoHarvest; Stephen Polk, R.L. Polk; Patrick Reininger, Polk; Mircea Gradu, Chrysler; Roy Link, Link Engineering.

Technology and open innovation are central to profitable growth for SEMA members. When combined with what Waraniak called the Aftermarket X-Factor and collaborative business, revenue and organizational models, they are rapidly democratizing traditional product, service, marketing and branding strategies. It takes a new way of thinking and tools to deal with disruptive technologies and learning how to future-proof a business. Together, advanced vehicle technologies, collaborative practices and the four megatrends have the power to make, move and reshape markets and are leading the automotive industry to one of the most exciting times in history for both OEM and aftermarket industry players. Open innovation, collaboration and designing for customization are quickly becoming best practices and competitive advantages in the new automotive normal. Disruptive vehicle technologies drive innovation, and innovation drives growth. Boundaries are vanishing, and new players with new rules are entering the performance aftermarket. “The auto sun is rising, but I believe we are only halfway through the crisis that began in 2009,” Waraniak said. “The biggest danger OEMs and SEMA companies face is going native and reverting to their old ways.” The auto industry and the performance aftermarket are facing increasingly complex vehicles and value chains that require cross-industry product development collaboration, technology roadmapping and future-proofing of product and service offerings. Future-proofing anticipates emerging and future technology developments in order to mitigate potential negative consequences and leverage new opportunities for specialty-equipment businesses. Creating a technology roadmap is one of the best tools SEMA companies can use to help them future-proof their businesses. Disruptive technologies don’t totally eliminate existing technologies, but they do often eliminate businesses and companies. The Race to Innovate session will focus on how advanced vehicle technology and new business models are being implemented today and how they are impacting the future of performance and customization. It may be tough, but the grid is set for the next few years to be podium years for many SEMA companies.