Times are changing and we need this technology

    Not long ago, cars were just a means of transportation. However, as the saying goes, keep warm and think about food. With the changes of the times, the advancement of technology, and the improvement of people's living standards, our requirements for cars are no longer limited to transportation. People hope that cars can be more comfortable, have richer entertainment systems, and be more energy-efficient.

    Just like mobile phones evolved into smartphones, perhaps cars can also evolve into smart cars in a similar way. In fact, some car companies have already taken brave steps. Adhering to the geeky thinking, this article lists 9 technologies that people most want to see and use in cars.

1. Enhanced gesture control

   Based on the existing buttons, knobs and voice control technology in the car's center console, Audi launched the MMI touch system in 2011, which further optimized the operation design based on the Audi MMI system.

    Audi gave up the touch design on the central control display screen. To make up for this shortcoming, Audi set up an MMI Touch touchpad on the left side of the MMI system control area. The driver can slide his finger on the touch screen to input text or numbers to achieve navigation, make calls, select songs, etc. In addition to English, the MMI touch system can also support multiple languages, including Chinese.

2. Augmented reality head-up display

    Through augmented reality HUD, drivers do not need to lower their heads, they can get various information about the car, such as speed, navigation route, caller ID, etc. on the windshield just by looking forward.

    Through an app called HUDWAY, you can fix your iPhone on the dashboard of your car, and the navigation information in the phone will be reflected on the windshield. However, its functionality is limited in certain environments, such as when the surrounding environment is too bright and the driver cannot see the reflected information on the windshield.

    Obviously, the popularity of head-up displays is beyond doubt, and it will truly help drivers see the center console information without taking their eyes off the road.

3. Application & Firmware Upgrade

    All drivers who have used in-car information systems will find that the experience of using in-car apps is not comparable to that of smartphones. In the beginning, the functions of in-car apps were limited to providing local points of interest information, such as the location of restaurants, stores, and movie theaters, for users in their respective areas.

    Toyota has a concept car called Fun Vii. "Vii" is the abbreviation of "Vehicle, Interactive, Internet". The configuration of this car allows the driver to stay connected with all friends in the address book and other vehicles in real time. The Fun Vii concept car adopts a three-seat layout, and the display screen runs through the center console and the floor of the car, which has a strong sense of technology. In addition, the navigation system of the car has an administrator assistance function. In addition to monitoring the driving status of the vehicle, it can also monitor the occurrence of dangerous situations.

    Before the Fun Vii concept car turned into a mass-produced version, another high-tech car that can achieve firmware updates was born, and that was the Tesla Model S. To put it simply, firmware upgrades can make the functions and systems in the car more complete and less buggy, such as radio, tire pressure monitoring system, Wifi connection function, battery management, etc.

4. Body panel battery

    In order to ensure that electric vehicles have sufficient range, car companies can only equip them with heavy and bulky batteries. To solve this problem, Volvo has launched body battery technology. Volvo has jointly developed a new material with nine European companies and research institutions that can store electrical energy. This material can be used in the frame structure of the car body and parts, so it can help cars get rid of bulky on-board batteries. This energy storage material is composed of multiple layers of carbon fiber and glass fiber, and contains nanostructured batteries and supercapacitors. This material is cast into different shapes to replace the original body structure or parts, so that the internal and external structural components of the car body can store electricity.

    Using this material to replace the current metal body and traditional electric vehicle batteries can reduce the weight of the vehicle body by more than 15%. For example, the entry-level S80 weighs 1,585 kg, which can be reduced to about 1,350 kg using the new material.

    At the same time, the material has a very good power storage capacity. Just replacing the doors, roof and hood with new materials can achieve a range of 80 kilometers. Although it doesn't look like a battery, this battery material is the same as that of ordinary electric vehicles and can be charged through the brake energy regeneration system and ordinary plug-in methods.

    Even though some people question its safety, it is still a technology worth looking forward to.

5. Connected Cars/V2V

    Car connectivity does not mean that you call the driver of the vehicle in front of you to ask him to give way, but to achieve smoother traffic through information transmission between cars. Through V2V, the driver can also obtain information about approaching vehicles in the blind spot area behind, thereby avoiding collision accidents.

6. Intelligent fuel saving tips

    In addition to safety, smart cars can also provide drivers with fuel-saving solutions. For example, the navigation system can provide drivers with the cheapest gas station along the route, so even if you still have half of the fuel in your tank, the system will still recommend you to go to the cheaper gas station on the way to refuel first, so as to avoid "missing this village and missing this store".

7. Seamless integration with smartphones

    The smartphone integration mentioned here does not mean connecting the phone to the car computer via USB to play music on the phone, but refers to controlling various software on the smartphone through voice control or buttons on the steering wheel.

    Honda has taken the lead. In the future, all of Honda's new cars will integrate Apple's Siri Eyes Free function, allowing drivers to use the iOS system through instrument buttons to easily and safely make calls, listen to music, send and receive messages, navigate, etc.

    The rival Android system is not as good as iOS in this regard. Although Android smartphones can now be fixed to the windshield for use, they are still slightly inferior to systems integrated into the instrument panel.

8. 4G LTE network

    Although we know that traditional in-car GPS navigation does not require access to the Internet, it relies on satellite signals to work. It would be great if it could be combined with a high-speed network to obtain the latest real-time data information on surrounding road conditions based on navigation. To achieve this, it must rely on the latest 4G LTE network.

    Some car companies have announced that they will equip their latest models with 4G LTE networks, such as Audi A3, and GM's Chevrolet, Buick and other brands. 4G LTE networks make the quality of in-car network broadcasting higher, and rely on 4G networks to create wireless hotspots in the car, allowing more passengers in the car to access the Internet through tablets and laptops.

9. Self-repairing car body paint

    Self-healing paint is not new, but for some reason it has never been used on consumer cars. In 2007, Nissan developed a technology called "scratch protection" coating for the Infiniti EX and FX. The new coating has self-healing capabilities. The coating material maintains a certain degree of fluidity, and can gradually fill in scratches under sunlight conditions and eventually repair itself. In fact, these scratches can still be seen under close observation, but from a distance, the surface of the car body is no different from new.

    Nissan also recently released self-cleaning paint technology, which uses Ultra-Ever Dry® technology to form a defensive air protection layer between the coating and the environment, effectively isolating the surface of the vehicle body from rain, splashing water and raised dust, and can cope with severe weather such as rain, snow, fog, hail, and wading road conditions.

    The pace of development of automobile technology has exceeded many people's expectations. However, at present, high-end configurations are still a bit far away from ordinary people. We hope that with the continuous advancement of technology, more people can experience the convenience brought by the latest technology.