World Telecommunication Day 1999 |
The Opel Omega V8.com displayed by General Motors in September at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt was an indication of how the car of the future will become a high-speed, computerized office and living room. What was once a steel box with a few electronic components is being turned into a powerful computer on wheels.
A couple of decades ago, a family sedan contained perhaps $300 worth of electronic equipment, most of that within the sound system. Today, electronics account for about a fifth of a car's production costs, or over $2,000. The computer wizardry fitted to the Opel concept car indicates that that proportion will be even higher over the next few years.
Opel is not alone. All automakers are moving in a similar direction, if only because they have component suppliers such as Delphi, Visteon, Bosch and VDO in common.
Competitive advantages do not last long in the auto business. Much of the pioneering work was done by GM, whose OnStar system is now being offered across the range in North America. Clarion, in conjunction with Microsoft's Windows CE, has introduced Auto PC as well. Citroën will be among the first in the world to use the Clarion/Windows system when a limited number of Windows CE versions of the Xsara sedan is released for sale in France at the end of this year.
Electronics initially made an impact on cars when they were used to control the way in which the engine, transmission, brakes and suspension operate. In other words, they were used mainly to oversee functions within the car itself. Global Positioning System satellite navigation systems began to appear in the late 1980s, initially as options on expensive models, but they are now available on many modestly priced cars.
The links between the car and the outside world are now becoming much more sophisticated. The latest systems have created a branch of technology that is new to the automotive industry - telematics. They amount to a quantum leap in car comfort, safety and security.
Says Hasse Johansson, commercial director of Delphi Automotive System's Multi Media Business Group: ''We are convinced the car is not just a means of transport. It's also for information and entertainment.''
Integrated communication and entertainment systems bring together the superior sound of digital radio, CD or DVD player, video telephone, real-time traffic information, turn-by-turn navigation and in-car computer with wireless keyboards. Most of the functions can be voice-activated by the driver. In addition, there are individual computers, TVs and video monitors for passengers.
One passenger could send or receive pager and e-mail messages, for example, undertake Internet research and check stock prices. At the same time, another passenger could watch a high-quality, flat-screen TV mounted in the back of the front seat and listen to the sound through speakers in the headrest.
There is a crucial safety element to voice-recognition controls. They allow drivers to do what they are supposed to do - drive. Says Craig Muhlhauser, president of Visteon Automotive Systems: ''Drivers can keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road while using their voice to control virtually anything in the interior of the car.'' The current systems have the ability to recognize different voices, though only in staccato word form. A second generation in five years' time should be able to respond to ordinary speech patterns.
The spread of telematics will depend on automakers' installing equipment that is capable of regular upgrades. That is because development times and life cycles of cars are much longer than those in telecommunications and electronics. A car requires around three years to develop, is in production for at least four years and has a working life in customers' hands of more than 10 years. During that time, telephone and computer equipment may have gone through several generations.
Motorola, with more than 65 years of experience in developing electronic products for the automotive environment and as an industry pioneer in wireless communications, has developed telematics integrating European GSM or American AMPS cellular phone technology with GPS, so drivers can relay their location and information requests to a central response center.
With advanced auto communications technology, the driver could use the hands-free, voice-activated telephone to make a hotel reservation or inquire about the location of the nearest gas station. At the same time, the built-in navigation system calls out (and displays) the route. It can give advance warning of any hazards on the road and plot an alternative route if it detects a traffic hold-up ahead.
The computer-controlled car of the future will feature infrared night vision, which projects a head-up display onto the windshield, as in an aircraft. It will have active cruise control, which prevents vehicles' coming too close. Headlight beams will curve round corners, and there will be rear-mounted miniature cameras to aid parking.
If the car is stolen, it will be tracked by satellite. If the driver is locked out, the car can be unlocked by remote from a central control point. In case of accident, the on-board computer will detect an air-bag deployment and immediately notify emergency services of the car's location.
When will these options be available? Says Mr. Johansson: ''We know it's coming. The challenge is to understand the time frame. It must be affordable to the customer.''
Ian Robertson, editor of a recent Economist Intelligence Unit report on telematics, observes: ''Telematics is now in its infancy, but over the next few years, the information and services available will expand rapidly. Once the systems are in place and the equipment available in the cars, there is virtually no limit to the amount of data and services that can be sent to the car.''
Richard Feast