The driving experience today is vastly different from what we were used to ten years ago. With automotive technology advancing swiftly, car manufacturers across the globe are competing to ensure that their new vehicles are equipped with the latest in cutting-edge tech.
The past decade has brought us rear view cameras, cruise control, and Apple Car Play, but what new automotive technology can we expect to see in the next ten years? Grange, who specialise in the latest luxury vehicles including the Aston Martin Vantage, are here to investigate:
Making our vehicles more efficient
Weather forecasting technology by JLR
Back in 2017, Jaguar Land Rover announced that they were developing new technology that prepares cars for changes in the weather. The apparatus allows cars to autonomously adapt to weather changes and situations to make adjustments to drivetrain, suspension, traction control and climate control for optimum efficient driving.
According to their patents, the new system will be able to connect to present and future weather data via telematics and GPS to sensibly adapt both inside the cabin and around the exterior. One feature suggests that the system will automatically close your vehicle windows if it senses that rain is forecast. Onboard rain- and terrain-sensing mechanisms will be used to control the temperature, pressure and humidity inside the cabin, whilst interior and exterior lighting will be altered depending on the circumstances.
We can look forward to seeing this new feature in 2020, along with JLR’s new all-electric models and autonomous technology.
The one pedal driving system by Nissan
Nissan recently announced a longer range version of its best selling electric vehicle – the Nissan Leaf. The electric automobile not only has double the mileage range of its previous model equivalents, but the one-pedal driving system allows for the accelerator pedal to be transformed into a multifunctioning e-pedal at a touch. The e-pedal functions as a start, stop, accelerate and breaking pedal when activated. Suitable for 90% of urban driving, the system means that the car will slow to a halt by itself with the ability to hold itself on an incline without the need of the brake pedal.
The new leaf can travel 50% further than previous models in the range on just one charge and provides a more efficient driving experience. Nicknamed the ECO-pedal system, the pedal controls the speed of acceleration to prevent revving up the engine. The level of fuel-efficient driving is displayed through a colour and flashing Eco-P lamp. According to Nissan, studies have proven that effective eco-driving with the ECO-pedal can contribute to an improved fuel efficiency by 5-10%.
Making our vehicles safer
Autonomous technology has been one of the key points of focus for automotive manufacturers over the past decade. Most manufacturers now offer self-driving technology as part of their latest models – with most used to improve road safety.
Detecting vehicles in your blind spot
Blind spot information systems (BLIS) have been designed to alter drivers when another car enters their blind spot when you are about to change lanes. The detection area is on both sides of your vehicle, extending rearward from the exterior mirrors to approximately 10 feet (3 meters) beyond the bumper. The system alerts you via a small light on your side wing mirrors – when there is a vehicle in your blind spot zone, the light will illuminate. When your blind spot zone is clear, the light will switch off.
Changing lanes safely
Some new vehicles are fitted with lane keeping systems. These intelligent systems keep you within your lane when driving on the motorway. The lane keeping system alerts you with a vibration on the steering wheel if your vehicle is unintentionally edging out of its lane – and in circumstances when the vehicle thinks you are reacting too slow, the vehicle will take control and provide steering torque to divert you back into the safe space on your lane. This is a safety feature to prevent drivers from veering out of their lane on motorways and dual carriageways where drivers around them are driving at high speeds.
Keeping us at a safe speed
One of the newest forms of autonomous technology is the intelligent speed assistance system. By using GPS, the system is able to detect the vehicle location and reference this with a digital road map that is programmed with speed limit information for each road. The system can be used as an active speed limiter whereby it can take control of the vehicle and reduce the speed when travelling above the speed limit. It does this by reducing the throttle signal. Additionally, the system is also fitted with a speed limiting function that increases the pressure on the accelerator when you exceed the speed limit, so that it is harder to accelerate and break the speed limit.
It’s fair to say that the next ten years will be an interesting and exciting time for the automotive industry. With a positive future of technology ahead of us, we can expect to see the driving process, and experience, completely transformed in the coming years.
