Skip to main content

BlackBerry pushes boat out for Canoo

QNX technology licensed for semi-autonomous EVs due next year
By David Arminas August 19, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
BlackBerry’s QNX operating system will be used in Canoo EVs (© Evgenyp | Dreamstime.com)

Electric vehicle (EV) start-up Canoo will use BlackBerry’s QNX operating system, including radar sensors, parking sensors and cameras, for its semi-autonomous EVs due next year.

BlackBerry will licence to Canoo its QNX technology, which is used in more than 175 million vehicles on the road.

The deal includes Blackberry’s QNX OS for Safety 2.0 to serve as the foundation for the autonomous vehicle (AV) features within Canoo’s EVs.

QNX OS for Safety is an operating system that embedded developers can use to build safety-critical systems.

Based on BlackBerry’s secure QNX Neutrino real-time operating system (RTOS), QNX OS for Safety has been certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL3.

Canoo aims to bring its first production vehicles to market with advanced level 2 or level 2+ autonomy as standard by the end of 2021.

Level 2 features are deemed partial autonomy, enabling the vehicle to manage acceleration and steering and monitor components of its environment in certain conditions.

“Canoo is pushing the boundaries of AV development, challenging the traditional way of building, offering and using vehicles,” said John Wall, senior vice president of BlackBerry Technology Solutions.

“The global AV market is expected to reach nearly $600 billion by 2026," said Phil Weicker, head of propulsion and electronics at Canoo.

"As these systems become more affordable and available to implement in the mass market, our membership model makes it easy to keep our vehicles up-to-date with the latest in ADAS technology."

Canoo, based in Los Angeles, California, is offering EV for subscription and said that its first one will launch at the end of 2021.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Uber expands EV and hybrid offering
    January 20, 2021
    Ride-hailing giant also brings journey planning to cities in Mexico, India and Australia
  • Moscow summit urges transit change
    June 11, 2019
    Moscow summit urges transit change
  • Moscow summit urges transit change
    June 11, 2019
    International ITS experts flocked to Russia for a new conference on the challenges of urban transit. Eugene Gerden reports from Moscow The Leaders in Urban Transportation Summit is a new international conference organised by the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development. Dedicated to the latest developments in the field of ITS in the city of Moscow, it took place in the Moskva-Citi Business Center in April – and the intention is to make it an annual event. Senior transport o
  • Driverless vehicles just around the corner?
    February 28, 2013
    umors that self-driving taxis are about to hit the streets of Las Vegas have turned out to be untrue… but the age of the driverless vehicle is only just around the corner, as Pete Goldin finds out. From Herbie the Love Bug to Knight Rider to the cast of the Pixar film Cars, the autono­mous auto has long been a beloved icon in the entertainment industry. But how close is the fiction to fact? The general public might be surprised to find out just how soon autonomous vehicles could be driving on our roadways.