Electronics In Cars
Besides
music systems and LCD screens, is there any significant role that
electronics plays when it comes to cars? That was a question asked by a
reader—here we attempt to answer it
Necessity is the mother of invention. If you peep into the
history, you would realise that cars were originally made of only
mechanical parts, but today electronics constitute a major part. Be it
the engine, the dashboard or any other part, the use of electronics can
be found. But, why was electronics used in cars? Definitely, to make
them more efficient, simple and perform better.
 Bosch technology for the future of mobility. Protecting the environment and preventing accidents are the main issues |
The overall trend
Automotive is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. There is a constantly growing requirement for environment protection. Also, the end users are demanding greater fuel efficiency, security and safety. This has greatly contributed to the rapid development of the technology that can be employed in the automobiles. Cars, which used to be only mechanical, now contain more than 1000 electronic components—most of which happen to be sensors and microcontrollers.
What all is going digital?
That’s the question we started off with. Of course, we began with the basic stuff like the music system and the digital clock before we started working in-depth on this story. But, then as the information started pouring in, we were left wondering whether there was anything left (in a car) where electronics is not playing a significant role.
The engine. The engine is the heart of a car. The circuit that automates how much fuel should enter the engine is governed by the electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU consists of sensors and microcontrollers, which govern the flow of fuel into the engine. It decides the amount of fuel to be injected inside the engine with the help of the pressure sensor, throttle position sensor, oxygen sensor, fuel injector and many other components. The main aim of using the ECU is to increase the fuel efficiency of a car.
The transmission. Typically, there are two types of transmission used in cars—manual and automatic, also referred to as manual gearing or automatic gearing. Electronics plays a more significant role in automatic-transmission cars. Herein, the automatic transmission of a car is controlled by the transmission control unit (TCU). The TCU collects information from the sensors attached to the vehicle. It further uses the data to do gear shifting at the right time, which helps to increase the car’s performance and efficiency.
Multiple sensors are involved in this setup. The common ones include:
1. Vehicle speed sensor. It sends different frequencies to the TCU to determine the rotational speed of the engine. This input from the sensor lets the TCU decide when the gear change should take place.
2. Throttle position sensor. This sensor is connected to the gear shaft, and informs the TCU about the current gear that’s been engaged by the driver (or automatically).
3. Turbine speed sensor. It provides real-time information on how the air intake system is functioning at a given time.
4. Transmission fluid temperature sensor. It measures the temperature of oil, fuel, water or engine coolant and provides a signal to the powertrain control module.
The brakes. Anti-lock brake systems (ABS) are becoming increasingly popular in cars. These have two main advantages: they let you stop faster and they let you steer even while you have applied the brakes. The ABS has four major parts, namely, speed sensors, controllers, valves and pump. The first two are assisted by electronics.
The ABS keeps itself updated by taking inputs from the speed sensor located at the wheel, such that it knows when the wheels are about to lock up. The valves are placed in the brake line of each wire. Whenever they open, the pressure from the cylinder is passed through the brake. Since it is capable of releasing pressure from the valve, a pump is also included in the module to fill the pressure back. The controller keeps itself updated with information of the sensors and the valve.
The dashboard. Dashboard is the portion with which the driver of a car interacts the most. So what are the features available and what can be added to the dashboard to make it interactive?
The dashboard basically contains panels that show the readings of the different sensors that are used throughout the body of the car. The good-old dashboard has a steering wheel through which the analogue meter could be viewed. It gives indication of the fuel level, the speed at which the car is running, the tachometer and the information regarding the oil level, neutral state of car, etc. With electronics invading into the mechanical arena, we find most of the analogue meter turning digital.
The dashboard of a car can also have the GPS, audio systems, air-conditioner controls, etc. The GPS system can be used by the driver to keep track of his way on the highway. On the dashboard, touch screen can be embedded with an Internet connection. Using it the drivers can keep themselves updated on-the-go. But, with the increasing number of interactive devices, it could be dangerous for the driver to lose sight of the road.
Parking sensors
These are among the latest features being included in Indian cars, especially the high-end ones. You can also buy them off-the-shelf from markets like Palika Bazaar (New Delhi) or Lamington Road (Mumbai) and get them installed.
Basically, a combination of a sensor and a display unit, these indicators warn the driver through beeps and visual representation about how close is an obstruction from the bumper. And, they are not limited to bumpers on the hind side only. Many cars come with sensors on the front bumper too, to assist you in parking your car.
Auto-sensing wipers
If your car has the auto-sensing wiper system, its wipers will turn on the moment they detect rain. In fact, the speed of your wiper blades increases with the intensity of rain!
A typical setup consists of sensors and infrared light. An infrared beam is reflected off the outside surface of the windshield to the infrared sensor array. When moisture strikes the windshield, the system experiences an interruption to its infrared beam. Advanced analogue and digital signal processing determines the intensity of rain. The sensor, on the basis of the moisture on the screen, determines the speed of the wiper movement.
Auto-sensing lights
If wipers can start off automatically when it rains, why not your headlights when it gets dark? Now they do. Many high-end cars in India come with auto-sensing lighting features too. Here, the headlamps of the car glow automatically when it starts getting dark. The fundamental behind it is the light-dependent resistor (LDR) or optical sensors used in the circuit of the headlamp. So as the light intensity decreases to reach a certain value, the circuit triggers the headlights to turn on.
Safety and security systems
Today, cars are packed with many security and safety features. There are several layers of security that such systems would provide, such as:
1. Security against theft. By means of anti-theft devices, user-recognition electronics and immobilisers
2. Security against car misbehaviour. By means of tyre pressure monitors, temperature sensors, and anti-skid and anti-lock devices
3. Personnel safety in case of collisions. By means of crash sensors, airbag actuators and warning systems
4. Security against accidents and mishaps. By means of collision-avoidance systems (under evolution)
Desmond Tan, senior marketing manager at Fujitsu Microelectronics, explains, “Embedded electronics enhances the security of the car in areas of vehicle tracking. GPS, for instance, when used in the simplest form, provides the user with the ability to navigate from point to point. Building on such simple applications, consider the use of digital GPS technology in fleet management, where each vehicle can be tracked easily. This provides the authorities an added means to track the location of the vehicle.”
Tan
adds, “Electronics can also help to reduce the ever increasing problem
of vehicular theft. Consider the implementation of such GPS units as
part of the insurance coverage plan. In the first instance of car loss
or an accident, the insurance company will be able to pinpoint the exact
location of the vehicle and thus enlist the authorities for help.”
Anti-theft systems. Car alarms are the most popular way of preventing theft. There are different locations where car alarms can be installed. Different forms of sensors allow the possibility of theft to be detected from different points in the car. Some of the popularly used sensors include car-alarm door sensor, car-alarm shock sensor, car-alarm windows and pressure sensor, and car-alarm motion and tilt sensor. The car alarm, in its simplest form, is nothing but one or more sensors connected to some sort of alarm.
Today’s car alarms are much more sophisticated as these contain an array of sensors including the pressure sensor and the motion sensor. A siren of distinct sound could be used to identify a car. An auxiliary battery is used so that the alarm operates even when the main battery is off.
Car misbehaviour management systems. Do cars misbehave?—you may ask. Well, that’s the simplest name engineers could attach to problems that arise when the tyres of your car get punctured or your car skids on a slippery surface.
In order to control the misbehaviour of the car, real-time sensing must be done. This is done with various electronic components, placed at the right locations inside the car, which could monitor the various parts of the car. The areas that are typically monitored include the tyres, engines and brakes. In order to monitor the tyres, pressure sensors are placed on them. These sense the pressure and make the data available on the display screen of the dashboard.
Another ‘misbehaviour’ could be heating-up of the engine. This is monitored by having temperature sensors placed onto the engine, which output signals to the computer unit and the dashboard displays the temperature of the engine.
Personal safety systems. As indicated by the name, here the goal is to use technology for personal safety of the passengers. Primarily, these are warning systems, and sometimes they go to the extent of restraining the car from moving. The most common example is the seat-belt warning system, which is now available in most Indian cars too. Herein, a sensor placed in the seat belt’s clip alerts the driver if the seat belt is not worn. Another example is door sensors, which alert the driver if any of the doors is open.
More sophisticated electronics comes into play in airbag systems. Airbags provide additional safety along with seat belts. An airbag consists of the airbag central unit (ACU), which monitors a number of sensors like accelerometer, impact sensor, door sensor and wheel sensor. Whenever the threshold is reached, the ACU triggers the ignition of the gas generator to rapidly inflate the nylon airbag. As the vehicle occupant collides with the bag, it squeezes the bag and the air escapes through the vent holes.
Accident-avoidance systems. The basic ones alert the driver of possible threats like sharp bends or steep inclines. Advanced systems being worked upon include auto-pilot systems, where the cars would be automatically driven, and with the help of sensors and central GPS mapping systems, chances of collisions or crashing into road dividers would be avoided. Vehicle dynamics integrated management (VDIM) is an attempt in this direction.
As indicated by its name, VDIM is a system that integrates steering, braking, vehicle stability and traction control. It acquires data from the sensors placed throughout the car. The information picked up includes wheel rotation, brake pressure and movement of the car body.
Previously, braking, steering and vehicle stability, all worked independently. But in VDIM, all of it is integrated. On slippery roads, the car takes over and automatically controls steering torques to prevent a spinout. Similarly, if the driver over-steers while cornering, causing the tyre to slip laterally, VDIM takes necessary corrective measures.
In-vehicle communication systems
In-vehicle communication systems (IVCS) are just like networks in the world of computers. The key difference is that in the case of IVCS, the communication is typically restricted within a vehicle, and is between different components of the vehicle; for example, the sensors within a fuel tank communicating with the digital display on the dashboard.
For in-vehicle communications, many different protocols have been developed, popular ones being the controller area network (CAN) and the Flexray.
Controller area network. Due to its speed of 1 Mbps, the controller area network is often used as the conduit to transmit critical information to the main controller in the automobiles. It is used in cars for enabling robust serial communication, in order to make them more reliable, safe and fuel-efficient while decreasing the wiring complexity. It is just like any other networking protocol which follows a layered approach to system implementation. The layered approach allows interoperability between products from different manufacturers.
R. Natarajan, vice president-automotive and aerospace practice, Tata Elxsi, explains, “Besides CAN interface, the other technologies used in the automotive industry are LIN, FlexRay, Class2, Kline, MOST, SAE J1850, J1939 and Keyword2000, to name a few. Tata Elxsi is an associate member of the FlexRay Consortium.”
Flexray. An alternative to the CAN, Flexray operates at ten times faster speeds. It uses two channels for communication with an embedded redundancy mechanism. It is also time-deterministic, which means that it ensures information will be sent accurately and quickly.
Desmond
says, “In the control LAN environment, Fujitsu has been an associate
member of the FlexRay Consortium started in 2000 and is instrumental in
the development of this technology. Flexray is poised to replace CAN as
the technology of choice. Recently, Flexray technology has been
implemented in BMW’s X5 series.”
Others. Besides Flexray, there are other products developed based on IDB1394 standards. Desmond comments, “IDB1394 is suitable for transmission of digital audio-video in the automobile environment as it supports 400Mbps transmission speed, which is enough to allow multiple high-definition video and audio streams to be transported and shared between the passengers in the car.”
He adds, “IDB1394 will help to shed a hefty load of copper harness (about 20+ kg) off the car. This load saving will translate into higher mileage for the same amount of gasoline used and contribute to lowering of CO2 emission and environment protection.”
The future
In the future, we will see introduction of many other new features in cars. Cars are becoming better and better every year.
Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer at REVA Electric Car Company, says, “All the trends in the automotive industry point to a convergence of the automotive and electronics industries that is literally transforming the automobiles. Soon cars will be able to receive signals from other vehicles and then use computerised controls to take actions such as slowing to avoid collisions. As many experts in the industry feel, new cars already contain more electronics than steel.”
Maini adds, “GPS, satellite navigation, wireless communications, spatial detection devices and parking sensors are being integrated into cars. There are also technologies being integrated into cars that automatically summon help in the event of crashes and pinpoint the locations of stolen vehicles.” Another category of car that has made its way in the market is the hybrid car.
Automotive is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. There is a constantly growing requirement for environment protection. Also, the end users are demanding greater fuel efficiency, security and safety. This has greatly contributed to the rapid development of the technology that can be employed in the automobiles. Cars, which used to be only mechanical, now contain more than 1000 electronic components—most of which happen to be sensors and microcontrollers.
What all is going digital?
That’s the question we started off with. Of course, we began with the basic stuff like the music system and the digital clock before we started working in-depth on this story. But, then as the information started pouring in, we were left wondering whether there was anything left (in a car) where electronics is not playing a significant role.
The engine. The engine is the heart of a car. The circuit that automates how much fuel should enter the engine is governed by the electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU consists of sensors and microcontrollers, which govern the flow of fuel into the engine. It decides the amount of fuel to be injected inside the engine with the help of the pressure sensor, throttle position sensor, oxygen sensor, fuel injector and many other components. The main aim of using the ECU is to increase the fuel efficiency of a car.
The transmission. Typically, there are two types of transmission used in cars—manual and automatic, also referred to as manual gearing or automatic gearing. Electronics plays a more significant role in automatic-transmission cars. Herein, the automatic transmission of a car is controlled by the transmission control unit (TCU). The TCU collects information from the sensors attached to the vehicle. It further uses the data to do gear shifting at the right time, which helps to increase the car’s performance and efficiency.
Multiple sensors are involved in this setup. The common ones include:
1. Vehicle speed sensor. It sends different frequencies to the TCU to determine the rotational speed of the engine. This input from the sensor lets the TCU decide when the gear change should take place.
2. Throttle position sensor. This sensor is connected to the gear shaft, and informs the TCU about the current gear that’s been engaged by the driver (or automatically).
3. Turbine speed sensor. It provides real-time information on how the air intake system is functioning at a given time.
4. Transmission fluid temperature sensor. It measures the temperature of oil, fuel, water or engine coolant and provides a signal to the powertrain control module.
The brakes. Anti-lock brake systems (ABS) are becoming increasingly popular in cars. These have two main advantages: they let you stop faster and they let you steer even while you have applied the brakes. The ABS has four major parts, namely, speed sensors, controllers, valves and pump. The first two are assisted by electronics.
The ABS keeps itself updated by taking inputs from the speed sensor located at the wheel, such that it knows when the wheels are about to lock up. The valves are placed in the brake line of each wire. Whenever they open, the pressure from the cylinder is passed through the brake. Since it is capable of releasing pressure from the valve, a pump is also included in the module to fill the pressure back. The controller keeps itself updated with information of the sensors and the valve.
The dashboard. Dashboard is the portion with which the driver of a car interacts the most. So what are the features available and what can be added to the dashboard to make it interactive?
The dashboard basically contains panels that show the readings of the different sensors that are used throughout the body of the car. The good-old dashboard has a steering wheel through which the analogue meter could be viewed. It gives indication of the fuel level, the speed at which the car is running, the tachometer and the information regarding the oil level, neutral state of car, etc. With electronics invading into the mechanical arena, we find most of the analogue meter turning digital.
The dashboard of a car can also have the GPS, audio systems, air-conditioner controls, etc. The GPS system can be used by the driver to keep track of his way on the highway. On the dashboard, touch screen can be embedded with an Internet connection. Using it the drivers can keep themselves updated on-the-go. But, with the increasing number of interactive devices, it could be dangerous for the driver to lose sight of the road.
Parking sensors
These are among the latest features being included in Indian cars, especially the high-end ones. You can also buy them off-the-shelf from markets like Palika Bazaar (New Delhi) or Lamington Road (Mumbai) and get them installed.
Basically, a combination of a sensor and a display unit, these indicators warn the driver through beeps and visual representation about how close is an obstruction from the bumper. And, they are not limited to bumpers on the hind side only. Many cars come with sensors on the front bumper too, to assist you in parking your car.
Auto-sensing wipers
If your car has the auto-sensing wiper system, its wipers will turn on the moment they detect rain. In fact, the speed of your wiper blades increases with the intensity of rain!
A typical setup consists of sensors and infrared light. An infrared beam is reflected off the outside surface of the windshield to the infrared sensor array. When moisture strikes the windshield, the system experiences an interruption to its infrared beam. Advanced analogue and digital signal processing determines the intensity of rain. The sensor, on the basis of the moisture on the screen, determines the speed of the wiper movement.
Auto-sensing lights
If wipers can start off automatically when it rains, why not your headlights when it gets dark? Now they do. Many high-end cars in India come with auto-sensing lighting features too. Here, the headlamps of the car glow automatically when it starts getting dark. The fundamental behind it is the light-dependent resistor (LDR) or optical sensors used in the circuit of the headlamp. So as the light intensity decreases to reach a certain value, the circuit triggers the headlights to turn on.
Safety and security systems
Today, cars are packed with many security and safety features. There are several layers of security that such systems would provide, such as:
1. Security against theft. By means of anti-theft devices, user-recognition electronics and immobilisers
2. Security against car misbehaviour. By means of tyre pressure monitors, temperature sensors, and anti-skid and anti-lock devices
3. Personnel safety in case of collisions. By means of crash sensors, airbag actuators and warning systems
4. Security against accidents and mishaps. By means of collision-avoidance systems (under evolution)
Desmond Tan, senior marketing manager at Fujitsu Microelectronics, explains, “Embedded electronics enhances the security of the car in areas of vehicle tracking. GPS, for instance, when used in the simplest form, provides the user with the ability to navigate from point to point. Building on such simple applications, consider the use of digital GPS technology in fleet management, where each vehicle can be tracked easily. This provides the authorities an added means to track the location of the vehicle.”
| Growing use of microcontrollers |
| Microcontrollers
were primarily used in automobiles for the fuel injection system. But,
later these found application in many other areas. Ramesh M., senior engineer-field service, Lucas TVS, explains, “For optimal combustion of fuel in the engine, fuel quantity and timing of injection are determined with the help of various sensors for throttle position, camshaft/crankshaft position, airflow, engine RPM, rail pressure, fuel pressure, load value, air temperature, engine temperature, oxygen, vehicle speed and AC system refrigerant.” He adds, “To process these parameters, microcontrollers are incorporated as part of the fuel injection system in the terminology ECU (electronic control unit) by Bosch and ECM (engine control module) by Delphi.” Microcontrollers also find use in vehicle control modules like electronic power steering systems, adaptive cruise control systems, airbag control systems, electronic stability control systems and anti-lock braking systems. Then, there is body control unit. Its main role is to take care of the seating control unit, wiper control, power windows, central locking and door controls in cars. |
Anti-theft systems. Car alarms are the most popular way of preventing theft. There are different locations where car alarms can be installed. Different forms of sensors allow the possibility of theft to be detected from different points in the car. Some of the popularly used sensors include car-alarm door sensor, car-alarm shock sensor, car-alarm windows and pressure sensor, and car-alarm motion and tilt sensor. The car alarm, in its simplest form, is nothing but one or more sensors connected to some sort of alarm.
Today’s car alarms are much more sophisticated as these contain an array of sensors including the pressure sensor and the motion sensor. A siren of distinct sound could be used to identify a car. An auxiliary battery is used so that the alarm operates even when the main battery is off.
Car misbehaviour management systems. Do cars misbehave?—you may ask. Well, that’s the simplest name engineers could attach to problems that arise when the tyres of your car get punctured or your car skids on a slippery surface.
In order to control the misbehaviour of the car, real-time sensing must be done. This is done with various electronic components, placed at the right locations inside the car, which could monitor the various parts of the car. The areas that are typically monitored include the tyres, engines and brakes. In order to monitor the tyres, pressure sensors are placed on them. These sense the pressure and make the data available on the display screen of the dashboard.
Another ‘misbehaviour’ could be heating-up of the engine. This is monitored by having temperature sensors placed onto the engine, which output signals to the computer unit and the dashboard displays the temperature of the engine.
Personal safety systems. As indicated by the name, here the goal is to use technology for personal safety of the passengers. Primarily, these are warning systems, and sometimes they go to the extent of restraining the car from moving. The most common example is the seat-belt warning system, which is now available in most Indian cars too. Herein, a sensor placed in the seat belt’s clip alerts the driver if the seat belt is not worn. Another example is door sensors, which alert the driver if any of the doors is open.
More sophisticated electronics comes into play in airbag systems. Airbags provide additional safety along with seat belts. An airbag consists of the airbag central unit (ACU), which monitors a number of sensors like accelerometer, impact sensor, door sensor and wheel sensor. Whenever the threshold is reached, the ACU triggers the ignition of the gas generator to rapidly inflate the nylon airbag. As the vehicle occupant collides with the bag, it squeezes the bag and the air escapes through the vent holes.
Accident-avoidance systems. The basic ones alert the driver of possible threats like sharp bends or steep inclines. Advanced systems being worked upon include auto-pilot systems, where the cars would be automatically driven, and with the help of sensors and central GPS mapping systems, chances of collisions or crashing into road dividers would be avoided. Vehicle dynamics integrated management (VDIM) is an attempt in this direction.
As indicated by its name, VDIM is a system that integrates steering, braking, vehicle stability and traction control. It acquires data from the sensors placed throughout the car. The information picked up includes wheel rotation, brake pressure and movement of the car body.
Previously, braking, steering and vehicle stability, all worked independently. But in VDIM, all of it is integrated. On slippery roads, the car takes over and automatically controls steering torques to prevent a spinout. Similarly, if the driver over-steers while cornering, causing the tyre to slip laterally, VDIM takes necessary corrective measures.
In-vehicle communication systems
In-vehicle communication systems (IVCS) are just like networks in the world of computers. The key difference is that in the case of IVCS, the communication is typically restricted within a vehicle, and is between different components of the vehicle; for example, the sensors within a fuel tank communicating with the digital display on the dashboard.
For in-vehicle communications, many different protocols have been developed, popular ones being the controller area network (CAN) and the Flexray.
Controller area network. Due to its speed of 1 Mbps, the controller area network is often used as the conduit to transmit critical information to the main controller in the automobiles. It is used in cars for enabling robust serial communication, in order to make them more reliable, safe and fuel-efficient while decreasing the wiring complexity. It is just like any other networking protocol which follows a layered approach to system implementation. The layered approach allows interoperability between products from different manufacturers.
R. Natarajan, vice president-automotive and aerospace practice, Tata Elxsi, explains, “Besides CAN interface, the other technologies used in the automotive industry are LIN, FlexRay, Class2, Kline, MOST, SAE J1850, J1939 and Keyword2000, to name a few. Tata Elxsi is an associate member of the FlexRay Consortium.”
Flexray. An alternative to the CAN, Flexray operates at ten times faster speeds. It uses two channels for communication with an embedded redundancy mechanism. It is also time-deterministic, which means that it ensures information will be sent accurately and quickly.
| Future Technologies |
• Blind-detection spot alerts
New models from General Motors, Mazda and Lexus have built-in blind-detection spot alerts. • Vehicle slowdown system GM’s vehicle slowdown system puts your car to an idle speed and switches on the emergency flashers to enable vehicle recovery. If you want to find a restaurant, tell its navigation system “restaurant; 4 star; Thai food” and it will not only locate your dinner but route you there. • Traffic and weather alert navigation In the future, drivers will be more informed about weather and traffic conditions with real-time information superimposed on GPS-based navigation systems. The weather or traffic information is scaled and customised for the driver’s location and route. The service provides alerts about severe traffic and weather conditions that can help drivers avoid a massive traffic jam or a storm brewing on the road ahead. • Adaptive headlamps A vehicle’s headlamps can now follow wherever the driver turns the steering wheel, to illuminate where the driver is looking instead of the car’s front end only. The adaptive headlamps system involves processing of information about the location of the steering wheel and the speed of the vehicle, which then signals electric motors behind the headlamps to turn left or right accordingly. • Collision avoidance system The collision avoidance system monitors the distance between the cars or if any obstacle is ahead of the car. In the case of obstacle, or if the car comes very close to another, the system alerts the driver with flashing light, vibrating seat, tugging seat belt and more. In some cases when the vehicle is very close to another car, the system itself applies the brakes. |
Others. Besides Flexray, there are other products developed based on IDB1394 standards. Desmond comments, “IDB1394 is suitable for transmission of digital audio-video in the automobile environment as it supports 400Mbps transmission speed, which is enough to allow multiple high-definition video and audio streams to be transported and shared between the passengers in the car.”
He adds, “IDB1394 will help to shed a hefty load of copper harness (about 20+ kg) off the car. This load saving will translate into higher mileage for the same amount of gasoline used and contribute to lowering of CO2 emission and environment protection.”
The future
In the future, we will see introduction of many other new features in cars. Cars are becoming better and better every year.
Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer at REVA Electric Car Company, says, “All the trends in the automotive industry point to a convergence of the automotive and electronics industries that is literally transforming the automobiles. Soon cars will be able to receive signals from other vehicles and then use computerised controls to take actions such as slowing to avoid collisions. As many experts in the industry feel, new cars already contain more electronics than steel.”
Maini adds, “GPS, satellite navigation, wireless communications, spatial detection devices and parking sensors are being integrated into cars. There are also technologies being integrated into cars that automatically summon help in the event of crashes and pinpoint the locations of stolen vehicles.” Another category of car that has made its way in the market is the hybrid car.
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