In a world where technologies come and go at the drop of a hat, automakers are pressed to keep pace. To ensure that the growing array of electronics — controlling anything from navigation systems to sophisticated anti-lock brakes — do not become obsolete before the car’s first oil change, engineers are working to vehicles that can adapt to new technologies and are flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen future developments.
This idea is much different than the aftermarket modifications that most teens want to do to their cars; this is about a radical shift to designing cars from the ground up to be upgradeable. Upgradeable; meaning being able to cull diagnostic information from a vehicle through, say, a satellite link, or having the ability to reprogram a transmission controller or recalibrate the braking system while the car is parked in your driveway. It even includes the ability to change dashboard functions
Not only can its appearance be personalized, like the background of a computer or smart phone, but it can be upgraded with new functions, from a g-force meter to local weather warnings. Its design will accommodate systems that could issue vehicle-to-vehicle collision warnings or alert drivers about dangerous intersections ahead.
There are two main forces driving this strategy. First, even though vehicle design cycles are as short as two or three years, they cannot keep pace with changes in software and communications technology, which can experience extreme metamorphoses in a matter of months. Second, vehicles have to use computer technology not only for user personalization, but for sophisticated programming that can support the more complex technologies that regulate performance and fuel efficiency. The more complex these things get, the more difficult it is to keep up with technological advances.
Making vehicles upgradeable might be a solution to keeping these vehicles at peak efficiencies as battery chemistries evolve and charging systems for plug-in models get faster and more powerful. Software updates are already used to fine-tune operations but a further degree of development could help owners stay current with information now important to them.
“The car is becoming the most sophisticated piece of computer equipment you own,” said Dave Evans, Cisco’s chief futurist. And as we see time and time again, this statement is no truer than the sky is blue.
