When the automobile first became popular, it was very affordable and accessible to many people. However, over time cars have become much more sophisticated and expensive.
Now, people are used to connecting their boarding passes or hotel reservation to their iPhones for easy access, so they expect the same convenience in cars. This makes it much easier for car manufacturers to keep up with consumer demands.
Today there is a great deal of high-tech features in modern vehicles. It’s making them safer and easier to drive.
Here are seven ways that the way cars are made is changing because of advances in technology:
1. Cars Are Getting Complex Computer Chips Inside Them
Complex computer chips in cars help regulate speed, control airbags, and other safety equipment, and store incredible data for different systems inside the car.
These chips make diagnosing problems easier. This means that less time is spent working on the car, and more time is spent on newer technology.
This trend has increased over time as computers get even more powerful and small enough to fit in a vehicle. Many modern vehicles now have dozens to hundreds of microprocessors inside them!
2. Cars Can Drive Themselves
Lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic parking are just a few of the features that exist in self-driving cars today.
These features are all computer-operated, meaning that there are no manual controls to drive. Instead, a central computer system takes care of the driving.
Even though they aren’t on the market yet for regular people to buy, several companies have built prototype vehicles that use these features. And many more automakers are planning to release their own models in coming years.
3. Car Bodies Are Made Out of Lightweight Materials
Car bodies are made out of materials like aluminum alloys, titanium, high-strength steels, and carbon fiber composites, making them lighter than cars made many decades ago with steel bodies or even more recently with primarily plastic parts inside them (including body panels).
Not only do they weigh less, but these materials are also more substantial than what was used in older cars.
4. Cars Have More Sensors Inside Them to Monitor Their Systems
Cars have lots of sensors inside them that monitor many systems. These sensors can detect air pressure in high-quality air compressor filters, so they don’t need to be checked as often.
Other types of vehicle diagnostic sensors measure numerous aspects of the car’s performance and safety procedures like tire air pressure or suspension system activity.
Not only do these help drivers maintain reasonable control over their vehicles, but having more sensors makes repairs easier when something goes wrong because technicians know exactly where to look for problems.
5. Car Bodies Are Made Out of Newer Materials That Don’t Need Constant Repairs
Some new materials used in car bodies don’t need to be repaired as frequently because they are designed to last much longer. This is especially the case with air conditioning condensers that have been made out of aluminum alloy since air conditioner systems became standard on vehicles in the 1970s.
In fact, many air conditioner condenser parts can go several years before needing replacement compared to more common rubber air conditioner condenser parts which usually need replacing every six months or less on older cars.
6. Cars Have More Sensors That Can Detect Problems Faster
Many modern cars not only have dozens of sensors where each sensor has a specific function for different areas in the vehicle ranging from engine performance to safety systems.
These sensors are also designed to work together in various ways that can help detect problems faster.
For instance, the car’s interior with all its different sensors is called “the black box” because it can be used to reconstruct data after an accident. Hence, investigators know what happened leading up to the collision.
7. Cars Are Controlled by Electronic Control Units Instead of Mechanical Systems
Today, many cars use high-tech electronics for their fuel injection, ignition timing, and transmission control systems instead of mechanical means like older cars had.
This helps with fuel efficiency and power delivery, making engines run better and more smoothly while reducing emissions. Besides engine performance, there are dozens if not hundreds of other electronic components inside a modern car’s control unit.
Every day, cars are becoming more high-tech, with features like self-parking and lane-keeping assistance. And many advancements in technology such as lightweight materials that don’t need constant repairs, sensors that can detect problems faster, or control units controlled by electronic systems instead of mechanical ones help give drivers more information about their car’s performance in real-time, too.
