Connect Me: The Digital Transformation Of The Road

This article is written in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia

When it comes to advances in consumer technology, the automotive sector is often overlooked in favour of personal devices like tablets and smartphones and the manufacturers that make them. Carmakers, like the aerospace industry, are often the first movers and prime developers of the innovations and advances that eventually become commonplace in our daily lives.

Bluetooth may now be ubiquitous, connecting us to everything from headphones to lightbulbs, but for years it languished, its potential under-utilized. By integrating Bluetooth into ICE (In Car Entertainment) and communications systems and helping to develop and push its underlying standards and capabilities, the industry helped to demonstrate its potential to a skeptical public.

We talk about a world where chips and sensors are embedded in every device - from toasters to office cubicles - yet forget that our carszare advanced electronic systems or that semiconductor chips account for up to 40% of their production cost. From the ECU, the electronic brain of the car, to sensors monitoring how much power to apply to each wheel, our cars now have nearly as much in common with supercomputers as the Benz Patent Motor Car that started it all.

While most technologies concern themselves with today, cars have always looked to the future. 3D computer aided design (CAD) software and aerodynamics algorithms are just some of the advances that are helping to shorten the design time of the cars of tomorrow. With those development intervals taking anywhere from two to five years, car designers have always had to imagine the world of tomorrow in order to make a shape for them fit into a world that is yet to exist. It’s no coincidence that science fiction film directors turn to carmakers to help them create the cinematic worlds of the future. Or that design elements from those futuristic concept pieces are swiftly incorporated into production cars.

Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to offer wireless entry to its vehicles, a technology that has yet to make it into most of our homes. The industry was one of the first to adopt LED technologies for use in its headlamps and warning lights, and many companies are now developing next generation ‘bulbs’ using lasers. Radar and LIDAR technologies have made our cars safer, providing advance impact warnings, automatic parallel parking and emergency pedestrian braking systems. Onboard GPS brought us reliable navigation and the security that comes with knowing where you are and where you’re going. And 360-degree cameras allow us to reverse and park more safely, as well as determining if there are any human threats In the vicinity of the car.

Those are just advances that are mirrored in consumer technology. The development of all-electric and hybrid-electric powertrains is allowing us to look realistically at a world beyond hydrocarbons. Industry specific breakthroughs like anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) have helped to make cars safer on the roads. Impact protection systems and airbags make us safer in the event of an accident. Puncture resistant and run-flat tyres have helped to reduce dangerous highway-side stops. In robotics and automation, the industry is also a leader. From the machines that make our cars to the artificial intelligence and data processing systems that have put the first-generation of autonomous and self-driving vehicles on our roads.

Mercedes-Benz is just one of the carmakers that believe that the future is electric. It recently announced plans to bring F1 performance technologies to its AMG line of electric vehicles (EV), and its G-Class electric drive off-roaders are setting new benchmarks for luxury and performance in the segment. The company is estimating that more than 50% of the models it offers will be hybrid or fully electric powered by 2030.

Imagining an electric-powered world requires foresight and unprecedented commitment in developing the infrastructure required to create a sustainable and emissions-free future built around businesses that are carbon neutral. Commitment to the partnerships and R&D necessary to bring the cost of electric cells below €100 per kilowatt hour (kWh). To produce an uncompromising electric first EV architecture that is adaptable and flexible. Maximising range and efficiency without compromising on refinement, safety or ride.

As important as the question of what we drive is how we drive. Electronic Intelligence – EQ – by Mercedes-Benz is a concept built around the understanding that without a network of convenient, rapid-charging stations, electric cars will never cement themselves in the popular imagination as a credible and reliable alternative to petrol-powered vehicles. Some countries have responded proactively, developing widespread, accessible public EV charging stations.

The cars of today are already a complex mixture of converging hardware and software. Those lines look set to blur further as innovators seek to redefine the role of vehicles and roads in our world. Advanced sharing systems are in the works that would allow owners to rent out their vehicles by the hour while they sit in their office. Concept vehicles are reimagining interiors, with camera-linked screens replacing windows, allowing them to double as entertainment and work surfaces. Designers and imagineers are looking at solutions that could turn empty roads into mobile hotels at night. Others are developing modular chassis designs with hot-swappable pods that would allow the same vehicle to operate as a bus, delivery vehicle or mobile sales office; depending on the demands of the day.

Whatever the future holds, some things are unlikely to change: consumers will search for the best customer experience and the carmakers, like Mercedes-Benz, with the vision and innovation to provide it.

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