Consider safety. Henry Ford might never have thought of airbags in the 1900s, but in the 1970’s his company began experimenting with airbags which deploy with in milliseconds to cushion occupants during a collision. Ever since they were used by the 1981 Mercedes S Class, air bags have become a standard feature and have saved over 15,000 lives in the last 20 years.
Recent safety advancements are emerging in the form of collision prediction system. These systems use a complex arrangement of sensors to predict a collision with another vehicle and react with countermeasures such as compressing the brakes or tightening seat belts One version of the system developed by Porsche is the ‘lane change assist’ system which prevents the driver from abruptly changing lanes and colliding with a vehicle if the blind spot is engaged.
Performance wise, fuel efficiency and low carbon emission take centre stage in the auto world. The need for fuel efficient vehicle was realised in the 1970s during the oil embargo when people began trading gas guzzlers for more compact cars. Then, technologies such as electronic fuel injection system improved fuel economy and engine performance on many levels.
However, the most significant push came with the launch of the Toyota Prius in 1997. The car has a gasoline engine and an electric motor powered by batteries, and uses the energy generated by braking to charge its batteries! Today, we are seeing all electric cars, such as the Tesla Roadster (which can be charged from a conventional 240V power outlet to deliver 300 kilometer on a single charge) and Hydrogen based fuel cell powered vehicles such as Honda Clarity.
These days, BMW and Toyota are working on developing driverless car systems which will use GPS, radar and other location based technologies to navigate as well as the sensors mentioned above to prevent collisions. And while we may turn into vegetables when occupying the driver’s seat, for car technology, the future is very promising.
By Adeel Jawaid