How Connectivity is driving the Future of Automotive Technology?

The electric vehicles industry is strengthening the position of connected cars across the globe with the leading companies inclining their steps in the electric cars market. For instance, Tesla’s new electric models were priced quite high last quarter in an effort to break into the mass market. On the other hand, Volvo has initiated to make all its new models of electric and hybrid early this year. Also, in the Europe region, France, and the UK, the governments are taking initiatives to announce a policy to remove diesel-powered vehicles from the roads by 2040.

Several automotive players are experimenting with technology that allows autonomous cars and traffic lights to communicate and work together, leading to a world without traffic lights and speeding tickets. If scientists are to be believed, the technology will also ease congestion, improve safety, and cut emissions. The cars are going to be connected with each other real soon.

As per the researchers from the University of Delaware in the U.S., innovations would enable this technology to rule across the globe in the coming years as these cars are expected to consume 19%–22% less fuel. Additionally, self-driving cars with connected features could adjust to driving by communicating with other vehicles on the road to make driving efficient safe.

Andreas Malikopoulos, a researcher from the University of Delaware, uses control theory to develop algorithms and prove the future of driverless cars. He said, “Our technologies will enable people to travel more quickly and safely and will explore the future of energy-efficient mobility systems.”

Last Year, Malikopoulos, and collaborators from Boston University in the U.S. found a solution to lessen the energy consumption in connected and automated vehicles. The research was published in the journal Automatica. They used software to find results and concluded that the framework allowed automated vehicles to preserve momentum and fuel as well as reduced travel time to some extent. This is also supported by a study published in IEEE journal; the study found that automated cars would reach their desired destinations by 26%–30% faster than human-driven vehicles. How would it be like when your car is running at the speed of 65–45 mph and automatically slows down? The research paper detailed a solution that would automatically slow down the accelerator to reduce the speed, avoiding rear-end crashes.

Looking at the current trends, Ford is leading the automated vehicle market. The company has developed a technology earlier this month that allows connected cars to communicate with each other when passing through a crossroads. Moreover, it will also direct drivers to avoid collisions providing visual and audio alerts to the driver.

Despite the present status, there are immense opportunities for connected cars to broaden the scope such as exploring niche areas or regions. Additionally, the increasing prevalence of electric and driverless cars will influence leading players to explore the connected cars market.