Have you ever thought about Kit (the talking car in the eighties series Knight Rider) becoming real? Will the next batch of cars communicate directly with the traffic lights? Will diesel engined vehicles become the main types of cars again in a few months?
The answers to these questions may be given this year. Below are a few of the car technology trends in 2017:
- Diesel engine cars will gain new life. Mazda and Chevrolet are going to release their new SUVs and diesel engine cars this year. Volkswagen became involved in an emissions cheating scandal and that is why diesel sales dropped before. Mazda CX-5 family crossover SUV and Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan could show if diesel power technology has a future in the United States this year.
- Cars that communicate with each other. 2017 an innovative year for the makers of Cadillac CTS sport sedans. These cars can exchange information about details such as speed, sudden brakes, accidents and even weather. This is called V2V or vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This technology is like Wi-Fi. In just a few years, this may be the standard for every brand new car. The V2V technology allows platooning wherein packs of different vehicles drive at high speed, close to each other without accidents or slowdowns.
- Autonomous vehicles. As part of the latest Google vehicle development project, Fiat Chrysler will maunfacture about a hundred autonomous Chrysler pacific hybrid plug-in minivans in its plant in Windsor, Canada. Selling these self-driving minivans is not going to happen yet. Instead, Google will be testing the autonomous technology’s safety and readiness as a family vehicle.
- Electrifying axles. As you know, there is a high demand for rising standards in fuel economy and SUVs. Because of this, suppliers are falling in line to sell automobile makers axles powered by electricity. These e-axles are now found in the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, the Volvo XC90, and BMW i8. Soon, new vehicles, including the Mitsubishi Outlander, will have these e-axles. The e-axles provide improved foul weather ability, performance, and handling without breaking the bank.
- Electric cars. There will be high demand for electric cars this year. Chevrolet Bolt makes it practical and affordable for consumers to acquire this technology. In just a single charge, the Bolt can reach 238 miles (its EPA-rated range). Its base price is 30,000 USD. This makes it a worthy competition for eco cars and regular cars (Ford Escape, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata). Last year in Los Angeles, the Bolt won the 2016 Green Car of the Year Award, California. It clearly outperformed the Toyota Prius Prime, the BMW 330e iPerformance, the Chrysler Pacifica, and the Kia Optima. Electric car manufacturers owe their improved products to batteries that are more energy-dense.
- 48 Volts. Automobile makers are adopting 48-volt electric car systems. Most regular vehicles use 12-volt systems. Because of 48 volts, units can have more features that bring about better performance and more comfort. The 48 volts of power has less risk (than 300 volt systems) and costs less.
Automobile buyers are given more features and engineering benefits because of the fusion of the latest technologies. You should consider being one of them this year.