HELLA Named a 2019 Automotive News PACE Awards Finalist

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HELLA's Structural Health and Knock Emission (SHAKE) Sensor for Road Condition Detection – a first-of-its-kind solution for providing cars with the sense of hearing and touch in order to increase a vehicle's awareness of road conditions – is a finalist for the 2019 Automotive News PACE Awards. This is the second consecutive year that HELLA has been named a finalist for this prestigious awards program that sets the standard for industry excellence and innovation by recognizing game-changing technologies.

With wet pavement being a top contributor to the nearly 5,900 deaths caused by weather-related crashes each year in the U.S. (according to the U.S. Department of Transportation), helping vehicles better travel on wet roads is a primary concern of major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). HELLA's revolutionary SHAKE sensor addresses this longtime problem by detecting structure and airborne sounds through a piezoelectric film element. By giving the vehicle the ability to hear and feel its environment, the SHAKE can precisely measure the amount of liquid on roads to alert drivers (via a popup message on the dashboard) or automated systems of the preventive actions required to handle hazardous conditions, such as hydroplaning, and prevent accidents. In addition, the technology's acute sensing capabilities are essential for enabling future autonomous driving, and can be applied to serve other critical functions down the road such as structural health monitoring, smart touch detection and intelligent damage detection.

"HELLA strives to lead the industry in developing innovative solutions that tackle automotive manufacturer's greatest challenges, especially those that concern consumer comfort and vehicle safety," said Jörg Weisgerber, CEO of HELLA Electronics for North and South America. "While previous solutions have focused on giving vehicles the sense of sight, our SHAKE technology delivers hearing and touch, which allows for the level of awareness necessary to make crucial decisions when navigating on wet roads. We are honored to have our solution selected as a PACE Awards finalist this year, as this recognition strongly reflects our company's dedication to innovation as well as our deep technical expertise."

HELLA's SHAKE sensor is one of 35 technologies advancing to the finalist stage of the PACE Awards process. The winners will be named on April 8, 2019, at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

Last year, HELLA's Static Relay Attack Protection for Remote Keys via Motion Detection device – a solution that protects against the possibility of cyber relay attacks by shutting down the key fob's functionality when it is not in motion – was named a 2018 PACE Awards Finalist. In 2014, the company won a PACE Award for its LED Matrix Beam technology, which combines a front camera, high-performance software and "intelligent lighting" technology to recognize other vehicles as well as provide "glare-free" illumination.

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HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, Lippstadt: HELLA is a global, family-owned company, listed on the stock exchange, with more than 40,000 employees at over 125 locations in some 35 countries. The HELLA Group develops and manufactures products for lighting technology and electronics for the automotive industry and also has one of the largest retail organizations for automotive parts, accessories, diagnostics, and services within Europe. With more than 7,000 people working in research and development, HELLA is one of the most important innovation drivers on the market. Furthermore, with sales of € 7.1 billion in the fiscal year of 2017/2018, the HELLA Group is one of the top 40 automotive parts suppliers in the world and one of the 100 largest German industrial companies.

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SOURCE HELLA