The auto sector is experiencing the largest disruption ever. Pascal Brier, Altran Group Executive Vice-President, sheds some light on the four main developments for the automobile in the near future. Autonomous, electrically connected, connected, and with a totally new design.
A technology tsunami has thrown a wrench into the auto industry in the past decade. Traditions have been breaking apart as the digital revolution has led to a complete redesign of the software and hardware architecture for automobiles. In a couple of years, cars will look completely different than it does now.
“This development will be in stages: we start without feet and then do without hands and eventually without eyes.”
Pascal Brier, Altran Group Executive Vice-President
In the view of Pascal Brier, Altran Group Executive Vice-President and responsible for innovation, it’s a disruptive technology. The vehicle of the future is in the works! Here are its most important features.
Electric car
Electric was the first technology to revolutionize cars. When it first came out in the early 1990s, experts predicted a specific application – for public transportation, as an example. Contrary to expectations, Electric cars are slowly becoming the norm across all market segments.
It has a myriad of technological benefits, and its claimed shortcomings from the past, like autonomy (600 kilometers for the most recent Tesla, for instance) as well as road speed, do not apply anymore.
This trend has been amplified by the environmental obligation to limit carbon dioxide emissions. In the coming years, the ever-more robust engine combinations and electric motors will replace the conventional internal combustion engine.
Autonomous car
It’s the most dramatic revolution. In the near future, cars will be able to do without drivers. ” This development will be in stages: we start without feet and then do without hands and eventually without eyes,” Pascal Brier says. Pascal Brier.
The first two phases have been completed. Control of the cruise has been in operation for many years. Drivers can choose a cruising speed and take their pedals. Certain cars have aids to drivers that permit drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel during certain situations, such as traffic jams, parking, and so on.
What’s next? 100% autonomy. Engineers are attempting to replace human eyes with a myriad of sensors, cameras, and lasers that can recreate the surroundings in 3D and enable the vehicle to make navigational decisions independently. The technology is a hit thanks to Google as well as its famous Google automobile. The majority of manufacturers are now looking into autonomy and are currently working on important tests on roads.
“cars are becoming a separate place for service consumption,”
Pascal Brier, Altran Group Executive Vice-President
Connected car
The future car will be completely connected to other objects… also even humans!
In order to be autonomous and make the right choices, vehicles have to be able to share various information with the world outside weather, traffic, vehicle conditions, service stations, accidents, and so on. In the future, with different sensors, they will be able to communicate not only with other vehicles as well as infrastructure (roads and buildings.). Furthermore, many online services will be accessible to passengers, such as Wi-Fi cloud entertainment, media, and more.
According to Pascal Brier, this is a complete paradigm shift: ” cars are becoming a separate place for service consumption,” he states. Imagine that a three-hour drive will be an opportunity to check your emails, go to the latest movie released in the cinemas, or even Skype an acquaintance from the other side of the world.
A brand new method of manufacturing
The most significant change involves the business itself. The factories of the future will not be as they are now. The entire car’s hardware and software design is currently changing.
On the other hand, the body itself is gradually changing to incorporate modern technologies, such as light composite materials and 3D printing. On the other hand, in order to make sure the connectivity and range of the automobile, a variety of intelligent devices will need to be linked and integrated with computers, cameras, and infotainment centers.
This requires a complete overhaul of the electronic structure of a car. Pascal Brier thinks, ” We are transitioning from an “wired” car, to a completely separate network architecture that is in the shape of a vehicle.”
To sum up, the car that is to be constructed follows a new design that is electrically powered, autonomous, and connected. It will bring a variety of advantages to our society, including less pollution, better security, more time and access to services. And the best part of the day? A paradigm shift in the way automobiles may offer less pleasure on the road, but they will also provide transportation, security, and connectivity.
There are many challenges ahead, of course – industrial, technological, and legislative, but the change is already underway, and it will only get more rapid in the upcoming years. Numerous players are taking part in this adventure, including equipment makers, manufacturers, telecom operators, service providers, Web giants, etc. It’s a major problem for the auto industry. Pascal Brier enthuses: ” the car of the future opens amazing doors to technological innovation; we have before us the opportunity to rethink transport.”
