Technology is the driving force behind the automotive industry and yes they are some of the first industries to jump in with respect to applications for new materials. One of their main concerns is weight which has an overall impact on the efficiency of a car. It has also been the main deterrent for battery powered cars for the weight of the batteries alone account for a lot of dead weight they themselves consume power. Newer battery and materials has been defined as the trend for tomorrow as the automotive industry seeks to mimic the airline industry with their use of the lightest yet strongest materials available which allows tons of aircraft to fly along with the tons of cargo and fuel.
The most materials that would be seeing use in the cars of tomorrow would be new composite materials, metal alloys such as magnesium and aluminum and of course plastics. In cars, these materials can mean a lot of savings in terms of weight allowing cars to become lighter yet have equal the strength if not greater than traditional steel cars and chassis. The brake system for example uses cast iron calipers which amounts to a lot of weight, using aluminum which is lighter would save weight in that area. The back seat of cars used to have blow-molded foam structures that can be made lighter with the addition of seat cushions which also weight lighter. The floor of the trunk which used to be made from pressed sheet metal can be turned into plastics that are compression molded.
Since the manufacturer still owns the battery maintenance and other costs such as repair and disposal are to be shouldered and handled by the manufacturer, the car owner simply brings it in, gets a fresh set then drive off. Now that’s an idea and even the American firm who would take part in he newly formed company agrees so much they call it a WINNER. The cars would be imported from Norway and then be sold in the United States for under $20,000 US (they set it there so it falls cheaper than the Prius) and they are in talks with US battery makers who would be taking care of the production of the batteries locally which would make the process of maintenance easier and faster.
They are set to begin with 50 demo units aimed at utility companies who need these types of vehicles which are small and best of all GREEN. For safety concerns, well it is considered to be one of a handful of (the Prius, Tesla Roadster being some of them of them, most of the others failed to go beyond prototype stage due to cost issues) of the world’s crash tested and highway certified fully-electric cars in the world. Speed freaks don’t fret; the manufacturer says they can raise the top speed to conform with US speed limits. It charges for three hours on a full day’s use and eight for fully drained batteries. Apparently the idea has been in use for quite sometime in Europe, just wonder why the idea hasn’t caught up in the States sooner?
Nope, were not thinking of a new idea, but the car’s name is Think! The Toyota Prius is credited to be the first commercial fully-electric vehicles among the wide array of other alternative fuelled cars in the United States which has now received more buyers due to ever higher gas prices that have again soared to record highs just a few days ago. The only thing holding back many people from buying fully electric vehicles is the fact that there is still a very big issue with battery reliability as many Prius owners have discovered. The trade off may be enough for some just to become more environmentally friendly yet for most who do want to go green batteries remain the main issue to date. There is a clever idea from a European electric manufacturer who is in process of setting up shop in the US with their fully electric car, the THINK that is ideal for city dwellers due to its two-seater capacity and 110 mile range with a top speed of 65 miles per hour. Now that’s not at all new and many have been able to top that so where’s the innovation? Well they plan to sell the vehicle but lease the batteries. Why the hell would anyone buy a car that you don’t fully own? Well, current battery technology has gone a long way but many reliability issues still remain which is why they have decided to approach the problem with the idea of taking the worrying about the batteries (which is a true headache for the fuel savings can offset the cost of the batteries when they do need replacing)from the hands of the customer whom they charge a monthly fee for using it and maintenance (along with a small electricity insurance to cover electricity prices should they go up).
In the never ending story of how GPS has allowed drivers and travelers alike to get to their destinations faster and easier, another addition to the saga of the errant GPS and their likewise errant drivers. As in previous posts regarding GPS and their ability to go wrong (extremely wrong) and give wrong directions drivers in the UK have had their common sense so to speak driven out of them as they drive into bridge overhangs and other structures which were not taken into consideration by the GPS mapping systems. The article came to my attention from Gadzooki which has a post dated on the 18th of April which shows hilarious yet serious statistics of drivers running into bridges like the ones shown in Mr. Bean cartoons and movies. These drivers trust their high-tech GPS navigation devices so much they forget to keep their eyes on the road and mind structures their vehicles may encounter. GPS has indeed made driving a pleasure by giving the right directions and even telling us when and where to go but it would also be a good idea to consider and include real-time traffic and positional data (not forgetting to take into consideration the location of low lying bridges and structures that may not accommodate the various types of vehicles that are on the road) which is already in some advanced high-price units.
The UK is a growing market for GPS and various gizmos and gadgets are coming to the public being sold as aides to UK drivers. The advantage is that the tons of camera’s in and around major cities allows UK traffic authorities to provide up to date traffic information where the driver can select alternate routes. The growing number of vehicles on the roads of Britain are becoming more and more of a problem which results in gridlock and traffic exclusion schemes to select areas that have provided some relief.
The Uk has also been able to produce one of the most powerful computers on earth named Hector which could be used to process vast amounts of data including traffic management and other tasks for the British Government. As technology progresses and heads into the future, we would be amazed at how far it has gone in the span of our lifetimes. We would also be assured of constant laughter when technology plus humans equals less common sense which makes the drive worth taking. Watch out for that BRIDGE!!!!!!!
The Japanese manufacturer Toyota Motors Co. has issued a recall for all Corolla’s and Matrix’s with power windows due to problems with the mounts of their window mechanisms. There have been several reports of injuries and motorists who have had their windshields shatter due to excessive rattling. Indicators of the problem begin with changes to the sound of the windows while they are being operated. The problem if not corrected has been reported to cause shattering of the tempered glass windows which would be a big problem if you were driving fast on the freeway sending the glass into your eyes and body. The motor company will be contacting all those who purchased the said vehicles and would be repaired free of cost at all authorized dealers. Toyota has reiterated that the recall is for all vehicles of the said makes with power windows only.
Honda Motors has also issued a recall for all Honda 2003 Accords which number more than 350,000 due to a problem in the waterproofing of the cars which has water entering the location of the wiper motor. The said water seepage can cause corrosion and subsequent failure of the motor rendering it useless. Vehicles brought into dealers would inspect the problematic area and installation of a shield to protect the motor would be done. Replacement of already failing motors would also be done free of charge. The said problem has been reported to cause a circuit breaker in the vicinity to trip thus preventing it from functioning properly. Driving in foul weather without wipers is dangerous and can cause accidents so do take the warnings and take your cars if you are part of the recall to the nearest dealer for proper inspections.
The UK is issuing new laws regarding the non-immediate issuance of parking tickets that can now be sent in by mail. There is also a new finding that says most drivers simply pay off fines without facing the adjudicator which has the ability to overturn a ticket if it was issued wrongfully. This is another triumph for the drivers of the UK for they have long been taxed heavy for the over congested streets and insufficient parking spaces. The Chief Adjudicator has announced the effectivity of the law last March 31 and has seen a great deal of satisfaction amongst drivers who now have better chances of getting off their unjust tickets that sometimes take days if not weeks to arrive by post which has been argued as too long a period for most drivers have lost the ability to gather relevant evidence to defend themselves in the time it takes for the summon to get to the alleged errant driver. The said ticket and delays in notification causes much dismay that people are left with no option but to pay. On the side of the city councils however, they are now allowed to use technological means such as the use of CCTV cameras and other surveillance systems to detect violators of parking laws which are strictly enforced due to the lack of parking for major cities and towns.
The law does give more chances for people to get off the hook so to speak yet the authorities are reiterating that they will continue in their efforts to apprehend people who have indiscriminate disregard for the law regarding illegal parking.
In the UK, you might be surprised to find out that potholes are not considered to be such unless they are deeper than 4cm. This comes to light as various local authorities are trying to cut back on expenses with respect to road repairs unless they are deeper than 4cm. Road management is suffering from a deficit of around 1 billion Pounds due to road repairs and they are trying to cut back costs due to the ever deepening global economic slowdown. People are outraged at the idea and those who use the same roads who enjoy cycling and other motoring activity groups are calling the bid to be too shortsighted due to the possibility of the increasing and not decreasing accidents on the road.
Some city councils have even gone deeper to 5cm. with regards to the depth of a road surface defect till they would have road crews take action to repair them. Various groups are expressing much disgust at the new proposals and they say that anything that you can trip on should be considered a pothole and be repaired. A hole is still a hole however deep it is and no law could change that. Imagine running over a pothole through fog and getting into an accident just because road maintenance says it’s still too shallow to be repaired. This is causing much outcry from the public who say that this is sure sign of the utter disregard of the authorities for public safety in exchange for economy.
Research into possible assistance by the car’s computers along with various sensors in aiding drivers when driving in bad weather is underway to make the roads safer. Funded by Veridan and Honda, the researchers at The University of Buffalo are working to perfect and prototype a system which would have some built-in reflexes into the car allowing it to assist the driver in case of a skid or slide. Many drivers still get into accidents when ice, rain and other weather impair the usual driving environment.
The system would involve the car’s computer which would have some pre-loaded reflex routines that tackle most driving situations, sensors that will be embedded in every part of the vehicle and active assist systems much like ABS assists you in maneuvers on slick roads. There is a required level of skill that is involved in order to recover from a spin such as which way to turn the wheel to counter the spin and how fast the driver has to turn it to effectively avoid disaster. The braking, engine, steering and many more parts of the car would assist the driver in making that critical split-second decisions on which way to turn the wheel and how much braking and engine power would be required. The parameters that would be built into these proposed systems are being tried out in simulators to obtain repeatable and standard results.
Researchers have found that the best and least invasive assistance technique can be achieved by audible warnings which allow the driver to keep his eyes on the road to allow better understanding of the situation. The new system would supplement but not totally take over the control of the vehicle for the best and fastest computer in the world is still the human brain which makes hundreds of thousands of calculations from visual cues and other sensory gathered information to allow the proper technique to be executed. The driver is still the most dangerous part of a motor vehicle for even with all the advanced technologies and safety systems that have been developed; the person is still the biggest threat to himself. Proper training and stimuli can help make a person more focused on his driving and lessen the accidents that have become more common on the streets of today.
In Most states in the US, texting is now considered a traffic violation with a hefty $1,800 fine that is causing much of a stir. Drivers argue that there are other more dangerous activities that are just as accident causing as texting such as; turning to get a fallen toy to stop a baby crying, tuning the radio, watching you favorite movie on the LCD screen which is part of today’s multi-function displays and much more. There is actually credence behind the claim for the human eye only has an area of vision which is around a couple of inches square. Everything that falls out of that region you can see but am not too particular about and is considered to be peripheral vision. Many accidents are happening because of the growing entertainment equipment that is now standard on all vehicles. Most cars have a standard audio system by default but add-on’s can have LCD screens for all passengers and sadly even within view of the driver which distracts them from their assigned tasks.
Using the cellphone without a hand’s-free unit has already been approved sometime back and is now a common violation which many still commit and get fined for. Any distraction, however slight can cause a gap in concentration driving being a highly sense dependent activity that relies on fast reflexes that can mean the difference between a crash and a near miss when on the roads. New camera’s are making the apprehension of these violators possible which take pictures of the plate number along with a wider shot of the driver and plate combo to prevent disputes from ever happening. So texters beware, the cops are out to get ya.
Ford has employed a Local Electron Atom Probe (LEAP) device, only four of which exists in North America allowing their scientists to analyze and engineer materials in the nanotechnology arena. Their goal is to discover and design better materials that are lighter yet stronger than current technologies which would greatly increase the safety of vehicles on the roads. Nano-technology is a field of study by which molecular structures of individual atoms are studied and how they interact with one another is understood.
That, along with the introduction of some of the latest design and materials such as carbon-fiber and aluminum alloys they have made driving safe and more enjoyable in terms of road driving comfort. These technologies are some of the best to come into the automotive industry since the seatbelt was invented. Some road legal sports cars and roadsters already use carbon fiber for their main frames and other components and some even have the combined with exotic metals which complement each other for best performance. Magneto-resistive shock absorbers that adapt to road conditions and smart suspension systems that raise or lower the vehicle as needed allow better and safer driving. Magneto-resistive compounds are metallic powder suspended uniformly in a solution that changes its properties with the application of an electric current. Add more current and it stiffens, remove it and it softens allowing for smooth driving without the head banging on those unseen bumps. Adaptive lighting is also slowly coming into use, involves a system of gyro’s, sensors and mirrors that allows the light from the headlights to be focused where it is needed(no more glare when you go up on humps) greatly improving visibility on those lightless roads.
Technology is the driving force behind the automotive industry and yes they are some of the first industries to jump in with respect to applications for new materials. One of their main concerns is weight which has an overall impact on the efficiency of a car. It has also been the main deterrent for battery powered cars for the weight of the batteries alone account for a lot of dead weight they themselves consume power. Newer battery and materials has been defined as the trend for tomorrow as the automotive industry seeks to mimic the airline industry with their use of the lightest yet strongest materials available which allows tons of aircraft to fly along with the tons of cargo and fuel.
