During this year’s CES, leading location data and technology platform, HERE Technologies, announced a number of new collaborations and technology installations. One of these announcements included the company publicizing its long-term collaboration with Uber.

This partnership aims to enhance Uber’s mapping capabilities globally for food deliveries and rideshare. Technology provided by HERE allows Uber to enable precise mapping and geolocation functionalities, improving pickup and drop-off locations.

Alongside this announcement, HERE also stated that it will be extending its collaboration with Lotus, powering the brand’s fully electric hyper-GT, the Emeya, with the ‘HERE Navigation’ application. The installation of the technology within the hyper-car provides the Emeya with an all-inclusive navigation experience including HERE’s EV Range Assistant package, machine-learning based charge point predictions, multi-stop routing and range-on-route.

With ‘HERE EV Range Factors’, the company has supplemented OEM routing solutions with their own technology, allowing OEMs to increase the accuracy of their EV’s route-focused range predictions, reducing customer range and charge anxiety. The technology also offers road topography, and wind and temperature data for an increased and improved EV range calculation, enabling OEMs to optimise battery use.

We spoke to Jason Jameson, chief customer officer, HERE Technologies, to learn more about these announcements, and the benefits the technology brings.

Just Auto (JA): How did the collaboration with Uber come to be?

Jason Jameson (JJ): We have been working together for several years, with HERE providing geolocation services to improve the Uber platform. The announcement demonstrates our long-term commitment to continue to bring new functionality to the Uber platform. 

What does the collaboration achieve and offer?

We announced a long-term collaboration to enhance Uber’s mapping capabilities globally for rideshare and food deliveries. HERE Technologies brings enhanced user experience and efficiency across Uber’s mobility and delivery businesses. 

What are the benefits of this partnership?

With millions of rides a day, this means HERE will help Uber provide safe and more accurate drop-off and pick-up points at locations, including airports, stadiums, arenas and high-traffic areas globally. 

When will this be available in Uber?

This agreement is already underway with HERE map content; data updates are already beginning to take part within the Uber app. This is a global agreement that will provide enhanced Uber mapping capabilities within the global markets that Uber supports.

Turning to Lotus, what’s the story with that collaboration?

In October 2022, we announced that HERE was chosen by Lotus and ECARX to deliver integrated navigation services with over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities to the recently launched Lotus Eletre, the automaker’s first pure electric hyper-SUV, to enable an upgradable premium driving experience. The Eletre was the first vehicle in Europe to offer EV Routing, EV Range Assistant and Predictive Routing with HERE Navigation to help mitigate range anxiety. 

Now we are extending our collaboration with Lotus to power Emeya, the brand’s fully electric hyper-GT, with its HERE Navigation application. The Lotus Emeya comes equipped with the same HERE Navigation package and features as the Lotus Eletre. 

Can you tell us a bit more about the benefits to the customer?

The Lotus Emeya comes equipped with HERE Navigation’s EV Range Assistant package, including charge point POI search, multi-stop routing, range-on-map, and range-on-route. Additionally, HERE Navigation provides fresh and accurate maps, online and offline search, real-time traffic, and turn-by-turn voice guidance. All of these can be updated over-the-air to ensure that drivers have access to the freshest content and information. 

Now we are extending our collaboration with Lotus to power Emeya, the brand’s fully electric hyper-GT

What are some key features that this achieves for Lotus?

Taking the Lotus Emeya’s battery consumption model into account, HERE Navigation supports accurate battery range estimates while calculating the most optimal routes, with the most efficient number of charging stops. For the calculation of routes and ranges, road topography and geometry as well as historical and real-time traffic data are considered. Charge point information is provided by HERE EV Charge Points, a global database of EV charging locations, plug characteristics and near real-time availability.

HERE and Lotus have been working together for over three years now. We’re currently exploring new opportunities with Lotus to continue to improve the navigation experience for drivers.

Can you tell us a bit more about the EV range factors work?

The ‘on-route, distance to empty’ calculations for electric vehicles (EVs) are a complex challenge and are often a major contributor to range anxiety for consumers. There are various static and dynamic factors impacting EV range along a route, and many are not adequately captured and utilized in EV routing engines.

HERE EV Range Factors helps original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) take the step beyond using only historical data toward predictive data, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the vehicle’s on-route range predictions.

How does this technology assist OEMs?

This is focused on helping OEMs improve on-route range prediction using rich location-based data. HERE EV Range Factors provides information on those critical factors that the vehicle normally cannot capture like road topography, predictive temperature and wind data. OEMs can also use the data for further use-cases like optimizing energy consumption (e.g., eco-driving).

How does it work?

The road data from HERE includes road elevation, curvature and roughness which play a role in EV range. For weather, we also provide temperature and wind on-route information that the OEM can incorporate into their model. Road topography data is available today in 60+ countries, and temperature and wind coverage have been initially planned for Europe and North America. 

When is it available? What models is it available with?

EV Range Factors is currently being tested by two leading global automakers, with multiple OEMs in discussions with HERE on the service.

HERE EV Range Factors is planned to be commercially available mid of 2024. Road topography data is available today in 60+ countries, and temperature and wind coverage have been initially planned for Europe and North America.

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