As gas prices increase rapidly, the demand for vehicles by consumers is steadily decreasing. Yet, will there still be a low demand if consumers had the ability to control the actions of their vehicle by a simple press of a bottom on their mobile device? Well the professionals of Nokia along with many other well-known vehicle manufacturers agree that the connection between mobile devices and vehicles will be highly demanded. All the companies strongly believe in the new innovative idea of electronically powering vehicles.Recently, Nokia and a countless number of car and electronic firms collaborated to form the Car Connectivity Consortium—an international effort to harmonize the electronic magic that will power your future vehicle (Eaton). Some well-known firms including Nokia, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Alpine, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung are involved in bringing the future idea into reality. The Consortium is not a secret or closed off association instead they highly encourage the involvement of other companies from various industries especially powerhouses such as Google. Through collaboration and the interchange of ideas the firms anticipate on producing a highly clever, super equipped vehicle that provides an unimaginable car experience. Thilo Kieslowski, Vice President Automotive at Gartner, stated “Integrating smartphones in vehicles gives drivers a seamless connected lifestyle experience (Pressnokia.com).”
Specifically, the features of the car will include the ability to control the mobile device through your car, in-car computer and wireless broadband, and digit display-screens. More surprisingly, the new vehicles will have wireless charging for mobile devices (Eaton). All the features included in the vehicle will be an advantage for all drivers. The ability to control the mobile device via car will increase safety on the roads. Drivers will no longer have to be concerned with impairment and lack attentiveness due to handling a mobile device. According to the National Safety Council, every year about 1.4 million traffic crashes are caused by the use of cell phones (Halsey). Nonetheless, there should be a decrease in traffic accidents due to the use of a mobile device because of the newly produced vehicles.
Not only will the futuristic vehicles benefit the consumers but increase the profit for many of the firms participating in the production of these vehicles. However, there is always a disadvantage to every advantage. With the high use of technology featured in each vehicle, the total cost of each car may increase to an unaffordable level for the average American. Thus, if only 10% the population is able to purchase the vehicles then safety of the roads will remain unchanged. In addition, the technical innovations to each vehicle may increase the probability of battery exhaustion within the engine. Nevertheless, operating issues of the vehicles may cause skepticism by many consumers. Without a doubt, vehicle owners will choose a long-lasting, reliable vehicle over a highly technical vehicle. Even if there are operating defects, there will be immediate solutions given by the Car Connectivity Consortium. More than likely the vehicles of the near future will be affordable and run with efficiency as the creative, intelligent minds of all professionals a part of each firm join forces. Unsurprisingly, our future is looking bright.
Eaton, Kiton. "Nokia Leads Ride Pimping Initiative With Apps, Smartphones, NFC, Wireless Charging Fast Company." FastCompany.com - Where Ideas and People Meet Fast Company. 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Iii, Ashley Halsey. "28 Percent of Accidents Involve Talking, Texting on Cellphones." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
"New Car Connectivity Consortium Aims to Put In-vehicle Infotainment into High Gear « Nokia – Press." Nokia – Press. 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
This article gives me mixed feelings about integrating mobile devices and vehicles. One the one hand, the idealized technological cars of the future are getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. Cars with these advances in technology seem like they can do everything. On the other hand, I can't help but think if cars that can do everything are a good thing. The National Safety Council attributes 1.4 million traffic accidents to the use of cell phones, so how will that change if the cell phone is just integrated into the car? We already have hands-free phones and while this may have slightly decreased the amount of accidents, it has not eliminated the distractions that these devices cause. It seems to me that the more technology that is put into cars, the more distracting that they become, and thus, nothing is solved. While I am not against technilogical advance, I am skeptical of the technologies put into a car claiming it to be "safer".
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I'm skeptical to find the true benefits of a car like this. Sure we've all seen movies like The 6th Day, where they're so far advanced that you don't even have to have an actual human driving the car. While we're not quite there yet, we do have things like what Lexus has come out with, where the car parallel parks itself. I agree with Keith that I don't believe these technologies regarding mobile phones will make a car safer. If anything, they will make the whole driving experience more dangerous. Other than the wireless charging, these add-on features to a car add nothing but distraction to a driver. Perhaps if they were only available in the back of the car (the in-computer and digital display screen), they wouldn't pose a distraction to the driver. But even them it seems illogical. Also, these features will definitely drive the cost of a car way up, just as Toni said, and I doubt will make a dent in the "1.4 million traffic accidents." Sure its an innovative use of technology but it seems to aim at a targeted market of wealthy elite most likely business men and women, who more often than not travel by other modes of transportation (airplane and train). I think the profit these manufacturing companies receive will be short lived due to this slim market, and they should work on making more realistic and practical features for cars for the average American, not just those who can afford seemingly unnecessary features and gadgets like these.
ReplyDeleteOn paper, this innovation seems like a good idea. You would be able to eliminate the use of cell phones while in the car, while giving the car the capabilities of a smart phone. I am interested to know what these capabilities are to create this "unimaginable car experience." Most cars today already have Bluetooth devices, while others have built in GPS and music storage, so what would this do differently? Also, I agree with what Alexa and Keith mentioned about this. If there will be so many different resources as a part of this one digital system, there must be a certain amount of maneuvering to get to the application that you want to use. This could distract you even more because, unless the system is voice activated, you would need to away from the road to use it. However, in essence, it seems like a good idea. I think that the innovators need to do what is best for safety, and for the general public. With only the top 10% of the population being able to afford this, it is essentially only prestige pricing. If they found a way to lower the prices and make it more standard in cars, I think that they will be more useful overall. Also, as Toni stated, people would want to buy a more reliable car, rather than one that the battery can be drained by this device. Eventually, if this product succeeds, I think they are going to have to combine reliability, affordability, and high technology in order for it to make a difference in the sales of cars.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this post, I thought that it would be a great idea to have a phone seamlessly connect with a car. The wide range of phones and cars would also eliminate the need for adapters, chargers, and other expensive accessories. However one detail that concerns me is the display screen. Why is it necessary to have a display screen in the car? If anything a screen would be distracting and everything should be verbal. Cell phones are a major cause of car accidents, however is it looking at a phone, or being distracted by a conversation on the phone that causes the accident? Cars that automatically stop, such as some Volvo models, or cars with enhanced safety technologies would seem to be a better investment. Personally if I had to choose between a car that could easily enhance my technological experience and a car that had safety features to prevent accidents, I would choose the second. Unless this feature is free with every car and people become used to it, I cannot see this technology catching on. This is mostly because I cannot see how this technology would add value to car purchasers.
ReplyDeleteI probably read this post three or four times before I decided to write on it, because I wasn't sure how to express my opinions in the best way. Putting it simply, however, I don't think these cars will have a positive impact for anyone (consumers, manufacturers, or the environment). In terms of consumers, the price of these vehicles will be too high to counteract the decrease in demand due to increases in gas prices. This will in turn cause the manufacturers to lose money, because there sales will not get to the point where they can make a major profit. Finally, these cars will not have a good effect on the environment, despite the many "environmentally friendly" features they will probably include. Whether or not the car itself is environmentally harmful, the production of the many electronic equipment in factories around the world most certainly will. My vote is for these companies to focus on projects that definitely help the environment, not those that COULD help.
ReplyDelete