Latest Automotive Tech Updates: Kinetic Power Switches and BMW E Ink Innovations

A new AEC-Q100 qualified load switch from Kinetic Technologies consolidates the ISO 16750-2 and ISO 7637-2 transient gauntlet into a 4 mm × 4 mm TDFN package, according to the latest connected-car news roundup from AUTO Connected Car News. The KTS1642Q targets automotive ECU, ADAS module, and digital instrument cluster designs. Published specifications give import diagnosticians a usable reference for bench-validating replacement modules.

KTS1642Q — Threshold Reference for Power-Path Verification

Six-amp continuous rating. Operating range 4 V to 40 V. Reverse-battery withstand to −28 V. Load-dump tolerance to 35 V. Integrated 41 mΩ MOSFET. Fixed 20.3 V over-voltage protection with a 360 ns response window. Thermal protection with auto-retry. ESD compliance to IEC 61000-4-2. Operating temperature −40 °C to +125 °C. Available in active-high and active-low enable configurations.

The two thresholds most likely to surface on a service-bay bench are −28 V reverse-battery and 35 V load-dump. A replacement module meeting these ratings has already cleared the conditions a jump-start mistake or alternator runaway would otherwise destroy. Verification protocol: confirm input holds within 4 V–40 V across the cranking curve, force an OVP event to verify 20.3 V trip and recovery, and exercise thermal shutdown through auto-retry cycles. If any check fails, the module fails — not the harness.

E Ink Prism Surface on the BMW iX3 Flow Concept

E Ink Corporation and BMW Group detailed their fifth collaborative concept vehicle, the iX3 Flow Concept, on display at BMW Welt in Munich through September 2026. The exterior integrates full-color E Ink Prism electrophoretic panels. Microencapsulated charged particles shift optical state via targeted electrical signals; power is consumed exclusively during transitions, with the ten-second animated sequence drawing nothing at idle.

Diagnostic relevance is narrow. Vehicles carrying large surface electronics introduce parasitic-draw anomalies unfamiliar to most service writers. Baseline verification: resting current should match OEM specification for the affected module, and the draw pattern should pulse — not hold steady — during any programmed transition.

Flock Safety — Retention Window and Audit Architecture

ALPR provider Flock Safety announced system changes following documented misuse of database access by law enforcement users. Default cloud data retention drops from 30 days to 7 days. Extended storage is restricted to an active Evidence Mode tied to ongoing criminal investigations. Mandatory case-code entry is enforced for all search queries. Agency-level filtering of permissible offense categories is in place. Automated behavioral audit tools are slated for year-end deployment to flag and lock out anomalous queries prior to administrative review. CEO Garrett Langley issued a public apology for oversight lapses across the network of approximately 120,000 operational camera endpoints.

For a service bay, the relevance runs through fleet work. ALPR hardware operates across roughly 120,000 endpoints nationwide, many mounted on commercial and municipal vehicles. A technician asked to chase a parasitic draw on a fleet truck may find undocumented ALPR power and data cabling routed outside the factory wiring diagram. Document before disconnecting.