Car Technologies You Should be Aware Of

Car technology tends to move incredibly quickly. There are so many companies pushing the boundaries of vehicle tech. In the age of sat navs and even autopilot on cars, the latest technology continues to make life safer and more convenient for drivers.

Some of the latest car technologies might have even passed you by. In this guide, we’re exploring many of the newest and best technology as well as how tech has changed driving forever. We’ve come a long way since early vehicles.

The advances that cars have experienced through history have had their pros and cons.

The pros:

• Cars are getting safer than ever before.
• Car history can be tracked with technology such as license plate lookup and VIN numbers.
• You can now use electric cars that are better for the environment.
• It’s easier than ever not to get lost with sat nav technologies.

The cons include:

• The environmental impact, which is less of a problem than it has been in the past but still needs to be considered.
• Cars can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and as they have become quicker they have some extra risks attached.
• Cars with all the “new tricks and toys” are more expensive than their regular models which might drive consumers to seek for financial support and auto loans when purchasing one.

10 Latest Car Technologies

10 of the latest car technologies to be aware of can be found below. Of course, the tech will vary depending on the car company and many of the manufacturers have their own versions of the new technology.

1. Fast Charging for Electric Vehicles

Nobody can deny what a brilliant thing electric vehicles have been for the industry, and indeed for the whole of mankind. It’s estimated that there are over a billion cars in the world, and this has an incredible impact on the environment.

Some electric vehicles can take up to 12 hours to charge, but modern fast charging technology means that many electric cars charge up to 100 miles of range in 30-40 minutes, this means that you can stop while you are on the road and charge the car to extend the range. It’s incredibly easy to charge and get back on the road.

2. Teen Driver Technology

Teen drivers can cost a lot of money to get insurance. They are seen as a big risk, and you want to make sure they are safe on the road while they are driving.

There are a lot of new different technologies that can help teenagers to become better drivers and to see them as less of a risk to the insurers.

Teen driver technologies can allow you to track your teenagers driving your car and get reports on how they have been driving. They can also send alerts to the driver to help them to learn how to become better drivers.

3. Smart Mobile Integration

Most of us have a smartphone. Being able to integrate your phone with the media system on your vehicle can make life much easier and more convenient.

You can access music and media, and other useful apps such as maps. On top of that, you can use the mobile integration to make phone calls so you can chat to anyone in the car without it taking your attention and using your hands. Smart mobile integration is becoming the norm for even some relatively budget cars.

4. Advanced Driver Assist

Driver assist systems help to make you a much better driver. Parking sensors to assist you to reverse park, camera systems to see more of the road, and even sensors can be part of the driver assistance features on offer.

Cars are getting smarter. The more features that are added to vehicle systems, the less chance there is that human error is going to play a part and cause accidents or even fatalities on the road. Advanced driver assist systems are commonly found in high-end cars, but as they have been around for a few years, you will be able to find driver assist systems in the second-hand car market too.

5. Cyclist/Pedestrian Protection Systems

Cyclists and pedestrians can be at great risk if they are involved in collisions with vehicles, so it is easy to see why car manufacturers make such an effort to put these systems in place to try and prevent accidents.

Things like pedestrians walking out in front of cars can cause fatalities, and nobody wants that. Insurers and car companies have put a lot of money into technologies that can help.

Cyclist and pedestrian protection systems often use sensors and cameras to see if there is a potential hazard, and some can either warn you or automatically brake on your behalf. This greatly reduces the chances of someone getting hurt.

6. Advanced Key Access

Many advanced key technologies let you get into your car without even touching your keys, so it can just be in your bag, for instance. Or even your pocket.

Advanced key access can be very cool, but it also has some downsides. If you lose your key the replacement can be even more expensive than a standard vehicle.

7. Environment Protection Cleansing

Car brands are doing more than they ever have in order to improve the environmental impact of their vehicles. This is difficult, but things like electric cars have helped, and they mean that fewer fumes and less fossil fuels can be used. Cars are generally becoming a lot less harmful to the environment.

8. Lane Assist

Lane assist helps drivers to know if they are straying out of a lane, which can cause huge hazards on the roads. Lane assist senses if you are veering to the left or right, and the technology may also have features to help with monitoring the blind spots in your vehicle.

This is the sort of technology you hope you will never need, but it is definitely something that you want to have just in case. Like a lot of the other tech in cars, it is based around sensors and camera systems. Some of them just give warning, but some others actually help to steer your car back into the appropriate lane.

9. Emergency Braking

Emergency braking can save lives. This is yet another tech feature that is designed to take human error out of the equation and prevent people from getting hurt. If you don’t see a hazard, or you’re going too fast on a motorway and the car in front brakes, an emergency braking system can kick in and do the job for you.

Emergency braking can be really helpful in a variety of different scenarios. In urban driving scenarios it can prevent pets and wildlife being put in jeopardy, but it also protects cars from both life-threatening high-speed crashes, and from lower-speed collisions that can damage your vehicle.

10. Driver Attention Monitoring

Driver error can come from either tiredness or distraction. If you’ve been driving for a long time, it is possible that you will start to make some mistakes, and these can put you and others at risk.

Driver attention monitoring systems may use cameras that check things like the driver’s eyeline and if they are paying attention to what is going on on the road.

Similar driver attention systems are in place for cars with autopilot. Because at any time, the driver could need to take over, the attention monitoring systems can prompt the driver to touch the steering wheel, for instance. This shows that they are ready and alert.

Conclusion

Technology is moving at an incredible rate, whether in the world of driving, computing, or just about anything else.

We may not have the ‘flying cars’ that science fiction films predicted 20 or 30 years ago, but we do have some technology that we could have only dreamed of once upon a time. That technology can now be at the palm of your hand while you drive through urban settings or on those long motorway road trips.