New Car Technology that Will Soon Become Standard

January 27th, 2016 by Eli P

From front and rear cameras to onboard WIFI, auto technology has come a long way in the past five to 10 years. Currently, most new automobile technologies are available only on the high-end models. But as the technology improves and the prices come down, you can expect to see the following technological advancements as standard equipment on most makes and models of cars.

 

• Onboard Cameras. Already available on many models, front and rearview cameras will be on most cars by 2020. These provide a 180-degree view from the front or back of your vehicle when parking, and also show when other cars are approaching as you back up out of a driveway or some other blind spot.

• Adaptive Cruise Control. This advanced form of cruise control uses radar to maintain a safe distance from the car directly in front of you when cruising at highway speeds. It eliminates the need to frequently hit the brakes and reset your cruising speed, and as the technology improves it will evolve to work at low speeds in order to avoid collisions in heavy traffic.

• Pedestrian Detection Systems. This life-saving technology automatically brings the car to a full stop if it detects a pedestrian crossing in your path, but only if you’re travelling 22 mph or slower. Any faster and it won’t be able to stop the car in time. A similar feature works the same way when the car in front of you unexpectedly comes to a fast stop.

• Anti-Collision Radar Warnings. A wide variety of radar-driven driver warning features will make driving much safer in the upcoming years. For example, radar systems will provide visual or auditory warnings when you get too close to another vehicle, and will automatically tighten your seat belts and apply the brakes if a collision seems imminent. Radar can also warn if your car starts to veer out of your lane.

• Night Vision. Night-vision systems amplify the available light to help drivers spot pedestrians who are out of headlight range but have wandered into the path of the vehicle.

• Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications. Cars talking to each other? This will be here sooner than you think, as automakers are already working on a system that uses wifi to transmit your vehicle’s precise location while recognizing the location of vehicles around you. This system will warn of oncoming cars when attempting to pass on two-lane roads, identify other cars about to run red lights, and more.

• Fuel Efficiency Systems. As government-mandated fuel efficiency requirements continue to get stricter, automakers are developing new ways to use less fuel. Regenerative brakes that recharge the battery when drivers step on the brake pedal will soon come standard in gas and hybrid vehicles. Also, a stop/start feature will automatically turn off your car’s engine when stopped at a traffic light and restart it when you take your foot off the brake.

 

When these technological advancements become standard, driving will become safer and more enjoyable for all of us. And as automakers continue to innovate new and exciting features, who knows what our cars will be able to do in another 10 or 20 years?