Power to the car

Silicon Valley majors are vying to bring out high tech cars that are smart, safe and a delight for users

February 24, 2015 04:32 pm | Updated 04:35 pm IST

It’s no secret that Silicon Valley is in a quest to make our planet smart, but only smartphones and apps receive most of the fanfare. Meanwhile, the Valley’s tech-titans are also pondering over ways to put their signatures onto another of mankind’s greatest inventions: the Automobile.

Silicon Valley: The New Detroit?

Lately, Google taught a couple of cars to drive by themselves. Google’s Self Driving Car Project lead Anthony Levandowski, and his team are driven by asking themselves “What would the car be like today if the computer was invented before the car?” The autonomous car uses specialist radars to capture traffic patterns, analyze via software, and manoeuvre it-self. Ironically, auto-piloting cars is more complex than airplanes, so the final product is still a while away. Many car makers also use infotainment systems running heavily customised versions of Android OS, such as Renault’s R-Link and Honda’s Connect. Google also formed the Open Automotive Alliance with members such as Audi, General Motors, and even graphics powerhouse Nvidia, in a mission to build an effective Android-in-the-car experience. Other such groups include the Automotive Grade Linux Work Group and Intel's In-Vehicle Infotainment Group.

Similarly, Apple’s CarPlay technology, offered on a variety of brands from Hyundai to Jaguar and Ferrari, seamlessly integrates iPhone functionalities into the infotainment system. CarPlay isn’t much of a hit, and certainly isn’t enough to justify the most valuable company in the world. Apple rumour-mills now point to a thousand plus engineers including former Mercedes-Benz R&D Head Johann Jungwirth, working on a top secret Apple Car project.

Amongst the oldest in the game, Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Automotive project, from which Ford Sync was derived, has been providing automotive software framework for about ten years albeit with faint success. However, with Nadella having taken over the reins, his “Cloud first, Device first” strategy could spill over to the car, such as being able to access your home media and content from the dashboard. Microsoft is also working on technologies such as advanced heads-up displays, which could make driving safer.

The automotive industry is often critiqued for lacking agility compared to the technology industry. Most car companies are now realising that convergence between the two industries seems more obvious and critical than ever. In a LinkedIn Influencer post, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn addressed the need to focus on safety, environment and affordability “to transform the car for a new era”. To this, Nissan’s Leaf is amongst a handful of successful zero-emission pure-electric cars that are practical for the daily run. BMW’s Project I is a line of electric/hybrid cars built on extensive levels of software base. Additionally, Nissan, Ford, Mercedes and Volkswagen have set up crucial R&D facilities in Silicon Valley.

The pioneer of the pack though would be Tesla Motors. This Valley based electric carmaker swapped the entire instrument cluster for a giant touch screen system on its Model S. The system runs on Nvidia Tegra 3D modules with eight processors, multi-core CPUs and GPUs, and dedicated image, video and audio processors. The occupants get high tech control of the car, thus slapping an all-new definition to being “state-of-the-art”.

Technology companies are indisputable champs in changing the world, and high technology cars are indeed on their radar. The glamour and might of the automotive industry would only captivate them further. However, in a fiercely complex and trying industry dominated by established car behemoths, tech companies might find the ride quite bumpy if they go it alone. While hi-tech cars will be a delight to customers and enthusiasts, let’s hope Mother Nature gets her share of love too!

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