ual way to tow another
car this week: the vehicles were not physically attached. The second car
drove itself, following instructions beamed over by the first in a feat
of technology that indicates a new stage in automation is happening
faster than many expected.
Systems that enable vehicles to
communicate with each other have been developed in recent years in
parallel with features that enable cars to drive themselves.
Manufacturers and suppliers now are putting the two together in novel
ways, with broad implications for vehicle safety and convenience.
General Motors, Honda Motor, which owns Acura, and other automakers are
working with traditional suppliers and startup firms. Tech giants
Google, with its pioneering work on driverless cars, and Apple, which is
working with automakers to embed greater connectivity in their cars,
are accelerating the change.
"It is the mix of big companies -
Apple, Google, the automakers and the data aggregators - that starts to
create momentum. Two years ago, it was different. It was a promise.
Today, it's reality," said Laurens Eckelboom, executive vice president
of business development at Parkmobile, a smart-parking startup whose
investors include BMW AG and Ford Motor Chairman Bill Ford's venture
capital firm Fontinalis Partners.
A "truck platooning"
application by Peloton Technology, a startup based in California's
Silicon Valley, is intended to save fuel and reduce collisions.
As with virtual towing, a "platoon" of two heavy trucks use wireless
communication and computer-controlled braking and acceleration to keep
in close formation on the highway, according to a description by the
company, which expects to start selling the technology late next year at
$2,000 per truck plus a share of the projected operating savings.
The total price tag for widespread adaption of such features could be
steep. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates
automakers will need to spend billions of dollars to install safety
systems that automatically assist drivers and could be mandated by 2020,
when the industry expects the first self-driving cars to start easing
onto roads.
Who is liable?
There are other risks and issues including reliability, cybersecurity and legal liability.
"What happens if a self-driving car gets into an accident? Who is
liable for the damages? Will the human 'copilot' be at fault or will the
car's manufacturer?," the Center for Insurance Policy and Research
wrote last month, citing "a long list of safety and legal issues to iron
out before self-driving cars hit the road."
All the
razzle-dazzle technology promised by automakers and regulators
"shouldn't take our eyes off the prize -- cars that don't crash," Jon
Lauckner, GM's chief technology officer, said at the Intelligent
Transport Systems World Congress in Detroit this week.
Citi
analyst Itay Michaeli said the convergence of connected and automated
technologies also has the potential to reduce vehicle emissions and fuel
usage, and bring down vehicle operating and insurance costs.
Active safety, including hands-free driver assistance and accident
avoidance, was a common thread of many technical discussions and
technology advances on display at the ITS show, which attracted 10,000
engineers, scientists and researchers, ending on Thursday.
Automakers are starting to put more of the new technologies on the road
"to get some experience and see how the market reacts in advance of the
government requiring it," said Jeff Owens, Delphi Automotive chief
technology officer.
Price is still a big question. Some
advanced systems could cost two to three times more to develop than
early adopters are likely to pay, several industry insiders estimated in
conversations at the show.
Even with just a few semi-automated
systems installed, the price tag remains stiff, although recent studies
have shown car buyers are willing to pay about $3,000 to have
hands-free driving capability.
The Chrysler Group, a unit of
Italy's Fiat SpA, is charging nearly $3,500 for a technology bundle on
its new 2015 Chrysler 200C sedan that includes adaptive cruise control,
which automatically applies brakes and throttle to keep a vehicle a safe
distance behind the one ahead; lane departure warning with lane keep
assist, which automatically redirects a vehicle that is drifting out of
its traffic lane; blind spot and cross path detection, which helps the
driver monitor the presence of vehicles, and automatic park assist.
GM's Cadillac brand hasn't said how much its new Smart Cruise system
will cost when it debuts in about two years. The system is designed to
enable hands-free driving on the freeway with automatic steering,
braking and throttle, as well as using GM's OnStar system to provide
location, weather and traffic information to the automated systems
But drivers should not expect to take a snooze. "We are talking about
'automated' driving features, not autonomous driving," with Smart
Cruise, warned spokesman Jim Cain. "We will have strategies in place to
keep the driver alert and engaged."
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