Cars Of Tomorrow: 3 Technological Advances That Will Change Driving

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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The cost of gasoline has steadily risen since the economic crash of 2008, and car manufacturers have responded by making more fuel efficient vehicles. Toyota and BMW formally agreed to collaborate on perfecting hydrogen fuel technology in 2013, while Ford, Nissan, and Daimler said they would team up to completely revolutionize fuel cells in their vehicles by 2017, according to the Economist. 

New car technology is usually dictated by economic conditions or public demand. The 1973 oil embargo by several OPEC member nations caused long lines at the pump, while a barrel of oil quadrupled in price within a 12 month period. The following year GM, Ford and Chrysler all made cruise control a mainstream option for their vehicles to help drivers save gas, while lawmakers pushed conservation and domestic energy efforts, including the enactment of the national 55 mph speed limit in 1973. 

The technology of tomorrow will continue to make cars more efficient and safe, and will bring more comfort and convenience to the driver. These three features are the next big advances that will soon be just as common as rear-view mirrors in most U.S.-made vehicles:

Forward Collision Avoidance Systems

Most DMV practice tests online will advise drivers to keep a safe following distance of about 3 seconds between your car and the one ahead of you. But new technology will soon remove human judgment from the driving equation altogether.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates forward-collision avoidance systems reduce crashes by up to 7 percent, and up to 14 percent if they include auto-braking features. An alarm will sound when the system senses the speed and trajectory of a vehicle is likely to lead to some type of collision. The IIHS rates all manufacturer system, from basic to superior, based on its capabilities.

A basic rating, for instance, is given to vehicles that meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's criteria on at least 5 of 7 test runs. There are 74 vehicles with forward-collision avoidance systems, including the 2014 models of the Cadillac ATS, Mercedes C-Class Sedan and Subaru Legacy, that have earned the organization's advanced rating. The 2014 Acura MDX SUV and 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Cherokee are among the models with superior ratings.

David Zuby, the chief research officer for IIHS, said auto-braking features will help inattentive and older drivers avoid fender benders, and ultimately lower insurance costs.

Camless Engines

A typical four-stroke piston engine utilizes camshafts to run the followers and open the valves that regulate gasoline flow. But if Christian von Koenigsegg of Sweden's Koenigsegg Automotive has his way, camshafts will be a thing of the past by 2020. He told Jalopnik at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show that his company has been working on a camless engine for several years and believes it will be the rule rather than the exception for automobiles in the near future.

All the valves in a camless engine will function independently, translating to better fuel efficiency and horse power. Several manufacturers, including BMW, GM, and Ford have been tinkering with the idea, but it appears the technology may still be a few years away from being available to the masses.

Cargines and LaunchPoint Technologies are currently the leaders in camless engines. Brian Paden, the lead designer for the LaunchPoint, told Car-Engineer.com that this type of valve timing technology will increase fuel efficiency by 20 percent, reduce emissions by 10 percent, and improve torque by up to 13 percent.

Hands-Free Driving

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers predicts 60 percent of cars will be connected to the Internet by 2025. This first step is essential to the organization's other major prediction: that 75 percent of vehicles will be self-driving by 2040.

Autonomous cars not only have to be able to communicate with one another, but also with the satellites that safely route them. These vehicles will enable blind individuals, along with the handicapped and elderly, to drive to the grocery store and even take cross-country road trips. Google announced in April that its driverless technology completed over 700,000 miles of driving without an accident.

The National Highway and Safety Administration estimates car accidents cost the country nearly $900 billion a year. The International Organsation for Road Accident Prevention estimates more than 90 percent of accidents are caused by human error. Driverless technology can eliminate most accidents, the need for traffic lights, and lower insurance premiums for all drivers.

Driverless vehicles are currently only being tested in the states of California, Nevada, Michigan, and Florida.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Best Cars of 2014 Under $60K

Be sure to leave your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback on this kind of research!

*by andreascy*

Research for Making Engine Sounds Pleasant

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

In research to create comfortable sound, DigInfoTV presented Sound Design Lab LLC and the Takeshi Toi Laboratory at Chuo University that are advancing with a project to make engine sound more comfortable. Until now, engine sound was perceived as noise, but this research team has discovered that engine sound actually resembles the tonal characteristics of stringed instruments. 

"Electric and hybrid vehicles are gaining popularity, but these types of cars don't generate any engine sound. There are concerns that they may be dangerous to others who can't hear them coming. The best solution would be if a person could hear the sound of the engine and immediately recognize about how fast the car is traveling and from which direction. The only way to create comfortable engine sound is to examine all of those sounds and determine what types actually sound like an engine but are comfortable." 

In tests, the research team used several instuments to represent good sound and analyzed vehicle engine sounds, acoustic pressures, and frequencies. Next, test participants listened to 5 types of vehicle engine sounds and the tones of instruments, and subjective and objective assessments were conducted to analyze sound quality. 

The subjective assessment looked at psychological effects, while the objective assessment considered indicators such as changes in heart rate, changes in saliva amylase, and changes in the blood flow in the brain. As a result, the researchers found that engine sound and the tonal characteristics of stringed instruments are similar. They also learned that the tonal sound of imported luxury sports cars is particularly close to that of a violin. 

"We think that the sounds of a musical instrument and an engine are vastly different. But a physical analysis of those sounds shows that the waveform created by a musical instrument contains sound components that are higher than the harmonic sounds. Such characteristics make the engine and the musical instrument sound similar. Our latest test showed that when someone hears these sounds and perceives these types of characteristics, they recognize that the sounds are very similar." 

Sound Design Lab and the Toi Lab will examine the impact that engine sounds have on the human body and will advance with research and development to make the sounds of industrial products more comfortable. 

*by andreascy*

World's Smallest V12 Engine - Built From Scratch - Power To The Handy People!

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Wednesday, back at work, back into the swing of things. Morning all! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feeds. Thanks for visiting!

German engineering outshines every other automobile making nation simply because they are so good at it. But an enthusiastic German automotive part maker, Ralf Drendel, obsessed with V12 engines has upped the ante on the miniature scale, so to speak.

 Made perfectly to emulate the real thing (V12 engine) the miniature V12 is designed to function perfectly with any high-end RC (Remote Controlled) vehicle; be it a RC plane, boat or car.

Having 12 cylinders housed inside a four stroke engine runs on a mixture of high performance synthetic lubricant (10%), Methanol and Nitro methane (5-10%) and produces power of 6 to 8 horsepower with a displacement of 87-cubic centimeters.

This functional model has twin camshaft and overhead valves and doesn’t require any radiator, to add to that the crankshaft has been made from multiple pieces.

Frame of the engine has been made from stainless steel, bronze and aluminum and the finished engine runs on compressed air to cool down and ward off any heat produced.

According to Ralf, the maker of this engine, kits will be available anytime soon so that you can attach this German beast to your choice of miniature vehicle with minimum hassle. So hose, just sit back, hit the play button on the video given below and enjoy the thumping sound of the mini V12 in action.

For those who are interested in watching the whole making of miniature V12 engine watch the video given below, you’ll surely be awe-inspired by it if you are an automotive junkie. :)

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*by andreascy*

Laser spark plugs

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Revisiting the concept of leaner fuel mixtures to run Internal Combustion Engines is a favorite topic here. Latest news has lasers as the solution to the problem of igniting leaner ratios ex. gasoline to water. The claims are that the new advance in laser technology enables smaller lasers to fit inside the space that is normally reserved for spark plugs. Whether they will be drop in replacements or not is yet to be released. 

Without saying what the comparison is the researchers discount plasma spark plugs saying the problem with plasma (or as they refer to them – “high energy”) spark plugs is wear on the tips due to the metal being worn away after a relatively short period of usage. We have documented such issues with plasma plugs built using conventional spark plugs tips but the Firestorm plugs claim to have solved that issue by using a non conventional metal for the tip.

However the really interesting aspect of using lasers for ignition (apart from the obvious reference to Stanley Meyers Water Vehicle) is in the following quote :

"Lasers inject their energy within nanoseconds, compared with milliseconds for spark plugs.

Timing – quick combustion – is very important. The more precise the timing, the more efficient the combustion and the better the fuel economy”

With nanosecond control that would provide much greater efficiency for energy usage. The lasers will most likely need to be powered with battery technology so every possible energy saving that can be achieved will contribute to the mileage of the vehicle. Being able to run an engine at leaned out ratios of 80:1 or even greater would certainly make a big dent in the short term issue of global energy supply. 

It might even allow us the possibility of being able to grow or manufacture enough combustible fuel to replace oil and gas when it runs out. However the increase in efficiency will only result in another 3 – 4 times more mileage for the amount of fuel consumed. That definitely gives us all some more time but only if every vehicle was converted to use this new laser technology today. Unfortunately that is not going to happen. 

Due to the way the current system structured and run it will be at least 10 years before every car in the world could be retrofitted with this technology and that is simply too little too late. At best the laser spark plug technology will provide a couple of years extension in the global fuel supply but as the only people who could afford to buy fuel anyway will be the ultra rich or governments and corporations that won’t mean anything to the average person. 

However if for some amazing reason the technology turns out to be relatively easy to replicate and people are able to build and install their own components then we will see a very positive step for global transportation issues. Of course that doesn’t solve the issue of what to use for fertiliser on the mega farms that feed the world but at least the people who survive the coming period of mass starvation will be able to drive their cars literally on the smell of an oily rag. 

Reference : 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/laser-igniters-to-replace-spark-plugs/150122-11.html

*by andreascy*

Fuel-Less Gravity Powered Airplane

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The Gravity plane is a very efficient use of the energy available from buoyancy, thrust, acceleration and wind. It won’t be as fast as a petroleum powered engine but it will still get from A to B. Assuming they can make enough high strength composite material to withstand the force of acceleration on the hull and wings this “amazing flying machine” would be a useful transportation option for non urgent transportation requirements. It would be nice if they actually manage to make enough of them to form a fleet and make a difference before the energy to build them runs out.

*by andreascy*

Introducing Nissan Juke R V6 3,8 lt (530 HP)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

It seems there in Nissan they love doing unexpected things. Whats more innovative and exciting than a combination of the Nissan Juke and the Nissan GTR. 

This what the Juke - R is all about : the ultimate compact crossover. 

Discover the first exclusives videos of this amazing car and don't forget to subscribe also to the Official Facebook profile for direct updates.

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*by andreascy*