Vehicles now seem more comfortable and easy to deal with, just like our mobile phones and their applications. I’ve always felt that cars do not have to look like a plumbing project with intake manifold, coolant hoses, fuel lines and exhaust pipes. From what I’ve seen at Auto Expo ’14, things are finally starting to improve with the robust growth of smart and electric vehicles (EVs), with their drive-by-wire systems, electric motors, generators, batteries and fuel cells.
In fact, the continued merging of functions of various electronic systems in a car have led to the current scenario where a car is more of a connected platform than one element in an internet of things.
Major Technology Trends
Technology has strengthened its base to help automotive sector evolve both its electrical and convention vehicles, marking Auto Expo 2014 as the witness.
Advanced Connectivity
One of the most popular aspects has been in connectivity, starting from Vehicle-to-Vehicle interaction and Human-Vehicle interaction to Vehicle-to-Road interaction. Even Vehicle-to-Fuel interaction seems to be making a remarkable change with the size of the batteries changing along with its composition.
Mr. Praveen Ganapathy, Director, Business Development, Texas Instruments (India) says, “The Global Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) technology has seen popularity with industrial automation, however it is also entering the automobile industry. Some of the advanced HMI deployments include, advanced human-machine interface (HMI) for vehicle interior products, like 3D graphics in vehicles for infotainment systems.”
We are also seeing the advent of haptics, touch, gestures and voice commands in HMI apart from technologies like HUD (Heads Up Display) and curved infotainment display panels based on DLP technology.
Camera-based Manoeuvring
A technological enhancement to the vehicle to sensor interaction that provides three different types of parking and manoeuvring systems like basic park pilot (PP) system that comprises of a special PP ECU and Ultrasonic sensors (USS), Rear View Camera (RVC) and Combined System viz RVC with USS. The RVC and the USS takes care of the suitable space and intimates the driver within fraction of seconds. The parking assistant then calculates the optimum path into the space, the necessary steering movements and the number of manoeuvres needed. Hyundai’s 2014 Fluidic Verna that was showcased at Auto Expo ’14 is an example of the camera based manoeuvring, with a combination of RVC with a display on ECM and a Rear Parking Sensor.
Smartphone integration through apps
It is a clever and perfect device vehicle link with the use of an app. It ensures safe and reliable in-car use. It bridges the link with the customers enabling car manufacturers to link to customer smartphones, thus opening up a whole new avenue of direct marketing channels to selectively address their customers. The manufacturers of this solution ensure the availability of a wide variety of popular apps like the most frequently used media player, maps, calendar, emergency calling facility, etc. This is future concept for Ford Fiesta 2014 that would be available as “SYNC”.
How much investments we need to start a unit of this? Can you give the assistance for this venture?