A quick review of the new technology and innovation we will find in our vehicles
While the new year has just begun, the automotive industry is already presenting new car models integrating the best that telematics and digital technology have to offer in the relentless run-up to a world of fully automatic, independent and self-driving vehicles.
Electric and hybrid cars that significantly reduce pollution and allow significant savings on petrol and taxes have already become popular. In 2017, the promise of these vehicles pivots on greater mileage autonomy per charge, quicker charging times and even faster acceleration for electric cars mimicking the allure of sports cars.
Another technology that is already widespread and holds great new opportunities is that of cameras and video-recording. Following the nearly universal introduction of rear-view cameras for backing up, cars are now starting to come equipped with cameras that are capable of filming everything that happens around the vehicle, a great bonus both for added safety and insurance purposes. Moreover, some producers are also offering the opportunity to connect with the cameras of nearby cars: a “see through” option that can come in very handy if drivers can’t see what is happening in front of the car preceding them.
New braking systems aided by sensors now provide automatic braking features that can be used in heavy stop-and-go traffic, a welcome addition to many of the consolidated and newer driving automation aides.
And, of course, artificial intelligence, in general, is advancing by leaps and bounds. As we move closer and closer to a future world of self-driving cars, our vehicles are being transformed into supercomputers on four wheels that provide us with a vast range of autopilot choices, assisted driving options and alerts to improve our safety and that of road security in general.
Last, but not least, our vehicles have become active nodes in the greater network of connected devices – the Internet of Things – sharing information and real-time data. In fact, to date, Octo has collected 136 billion miles of driving data and analysed over 358,000 car accidents. Octo currently records, processes and stores 320,000 data points every minute for a total insight base composed of over 242 billion data points – or 108 terabytes of information – not only to profile risk for insurance companies, but also actively providing precious information that drives the development of state-of-the-art telematics insurance products and services.
Our cars receive and provide data on traffic, weather, road conditions, as well as parking and a wide range of other precious information, which makes our car journeys increasingly more comfortable and enjoyable.
For further information:
- Technology Forecast 2017
- Four-wheeled Super Computers
- The New Dawn of Transport