BlackBerry to power Arrival’s Generation 2.0 Intelligent EVs

BlackBerry Limited and electric vehicle company Arrival Ltd. announced that Arrival’s intelligent, autonomous-ready commercial vehicles will be powered by BlackBerry QNX technology.

As part of the agreement, BlackBerry will license its BlackBerry QNX technology to Arrival, including its industry-leading QNX SDP 7.0 real-time operating system to serve as the safe and secure foundation for the ADAS features within the company's autonomous-ready commercial vehicle platform.

Prototypes of the first full version of the electric delivery vans powered by BlackBerry are set to hit the roads in early 2020. DHL, Royal Mail and John Lewis will also be trialing Arrival's lightweight EVs, which will provide a class-leading product to a segment well overdue an affordable, zero emission solution.

“BlackBerry's QNX technology powers more than 150 million vehicles on the road today, many of which use QNX SDP 7.0 which is built to exceed the most demanding requirements for reliability, performance, and security so that forward-thinking vehicle manufacturers like Arrival can focus on what they do best - delivering a competitively priced EV that can go toe to toe with any gas or diesel equivalent,” said John Wall, SVP and Co-Head, BlackBerry Technology Solutions, BlackBerry. “Arrival is committed to helping drivers to make a seamless switch to EVs and the opportunity to contribute our technology to their second generation of intelligent electric commercial vehicles is a real privilege.”

“Arrival's electric vehicles represent a step change in the automotive industry - combining the very best technology to create a fully connected device on wheels that is a complete pleasure to drive,” said Sergey Malygin, Chief of Technology, Arrival. “We are thrilled to be working with BlackBerry whose impressive track record and commitment to safety and security make them a perfect partner. The combination of our expertise will help us realise our vision of making affordable electric vehicles mainstream.”

QNX SDP 7.0 provides high performance and enhanced kernel-level security through an array of features, including microkernel architecture, file encryption, adaptive time partitioning, a high availability framework, anomaly detection, and multi-level policy-based access control. Featuring the next-generation QNX Neutrino Realtime OS and QNX Momentics Tool Suite, this reliable platform helps guard against system malfunctions, malware, and cyber-attacks by implementing a multi-level, policy-driven security model that incorporates best-in-class security technology from BlackBerry. The OS also offers a safety pedigree proven by certification to ISO 26262 ASIL D (the highest level achievable) for automobiles.

As the leader in safety-certified, secure, and reliable software for the automobile industry, BlackBerry provides OEMs and Tier 1s around the world with state-of-the-art foundational software and cybersecurity technologies. BlackBerry's pedigree in safety, security, and continued innovation has led to its QNX technology being used and trusted by automotive OEMs and tier ones in their advanced driver assistance systems, digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, handsfree systems, and infotainment systems.

QNX SDP 7.0, in addition to BlackBerry's full suite of offerings, will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.