Is your car an "automatic"?

[John Galt]

Seems like a good idea. Then maybe we'll be able to do away with speed limits...

[Tommycat]

Not to point out how far behind the times GM is, but BMW's already got a car that can not only drive itself, but can learn its way around a race track. Click the link to see a BMW go around Top Gear's track, all on its own.

 

Clicky

 

It is not a production car, and had to be shown the track since Top Gear's test track is not in any Sat Nav directory, but it still races itself around a track.

 

Of course, Lexus has a car that can parallel park itself, and has been on the market for a couple years, the LS 460L.

 

 

GM and the major American car companies are really not technical leaders in the industry.

 

Enjoy!

And BMW is releasing it to the public when? It's one thing to put something on a race car, or on a track. It is quite another thing to put it on a production car released to the public.

 

Believe it or not, GM tends to lead the way in automotive tech released to the public before its time. Generally about 10 years later it becomes standard equipment. Air bags, Anti-lock brakes, AC, and a bunch more were first released on GM cars, Now they are on almost every car.

[Ray Jones]

Redhawke, you forgot about one thing.

 

Viruses.

 

Those can pretty much give a computer all of those.

Basically, viruses/worms/malwares are a Microsoft only problem.

 

I think when they simply avoid using a MS based OS (which is more then sure the case) the only real problem lies within software bugs or hardware failure, which is, on the other hand nothing new. Cars are already full of whatever electronics and computers directly connected to its basic functions and tasks.

[Bimmerman]

And BMW is releasing it to the public when? It's one thing to put something on a race car, or on a track. It is quite another thing to put it on a production car released to the public.

 

Believe it or not, GM tends to lead the way in automotive tech released to the public before its time. Generally about 10 years later it becomes standard equipment. Air bags, Anti-lock brakes, AC, and a bunch more were first released on GM cars, Now they are on almost every car.

 

Just because it can go around a race track does not make it a race car. I take my daily driven cars to race tracks-- does that mean they are race cars? I think not. All production cars are track tested before they get tested on public roads. As it is now, it is a production 330i model that has been fitted with the technology.

 

I'd imagine that it would function just as well on city streets if the system was road legal and understood lanes. There are too many safety issues at the moment to let it loose on the street. BMW would probably release it once more testing has occurred, the safety issues have been solved, and when there is real demand for it. For now, it is a fancy gimmick.

 

GM is not a technical leader or innovator in the automotive industry. Take ABS brakes for example:

 

The 1966 Jensen FF from England was the first production car in the world to have ABS.

 

BMW put a 4-channel, 4 wheel disc brake ABS system on its 3.0CSL race cars in1974, offered ABS on some models until 1986 when it became optional on all and standard on most US-spec models.

 

Chrysler had an optional four wheel ABS system called Sure Brake on the 1971 Imperial, but that was a four channel front disc rear drum system. Ford had a similar system in 1971 on the Lincoln Continental.

 

Mercedes-Benz pioneered electronic traction control systems in the 60-70s, eventually introducing a four wheel electronic system in 1985, and production 4 channel 4 disc ABS on a production model in 1978. How many US cars simply had 4 wheel disc brakes in 1978?

 

The big three may have been among the first to introduce some safety systems to the world(air bags come to mind), but they really are not industry leaders in engine, drivetrain, suspension, braking, chassis, etc.

[RedHawke]

The big three may have been among the first to introduce some safety systems to the world(air bags come to mind), but they really are not industry leaders in engine, drivetrain, suspension, braking, chassis, etc.

The 1.2 million dollar prototype Ford Focus HFC vehicle parked in my driveway would tend to contradict this statement.

 

The car rocks!

 

(Note: Roads are quite noisy with no engine sounds to soften them, but that is what CD players are for.)

[Bimmerman]

The 1.2 million dollar prototype Ford Focus HFC vehicle parked in my driveway would tend to contradict this statement.

 

The car rocks!

 

(Note: Roads are quite noisy with no engine sounds to soften them, but that is what CD players are for.)

 

Nice car! How's the performance? It's the fuel cell one developed with Daimler/Mercedes, isn't it?

 

It is interesting to me that Ford/Honda/M-B are investing in fuel cells while BMW's pretty invested in non-fuel cells hydrogen internal combustion. BMW's got a non-concept hydrogen car (Hydrogen 7, check it out!) while the others have fuel cell concepts on the roads. BMW's take is a performance car that's economic and environmental, from what I can tell about the others they focus more on the economy than the performance. I haven't heard enough about the rest.

[tk102]

The 1.2 million dollar prototype Ford Focus HFC vehicle parked in my driveway would tend to contradict this statement.

 

The car rocks!

 

I think I speak for everyone here when I say:

 

Pics, or it didn't happen.

 

[JediMaster12]

Cars that drive themselves? Another way that humans can be lazy as I believe someone already posed. While the benefits are that the computer driving the vehicle wouldn't get drunk, stupid, etc, it seems that technology is taking away our capabilities.

[Cygnus Q'ol]

What is happening to us? Even George Jetson flew his own car.

 

I can't really see them creating and implementing all of this cutting edge technology just to give a few alcoholics a safe ride home.

 

How lazy have we really become?

I suppose that's the same question asked when the horse was finally traded in for this ugly, noisy, infernal machine.

 

Does this mean we don't need licenses anymore?

[Gargoyle King]

Fully automatic, wow kinda makes a driving licence pointless in some ways, which doesn't really bother me as i don't have one anyway!

[Bimmerman]

I think I speak for everyone here when I say:

 

Pics, or it didn't happen.

 

Agreed!

[Tommycat]

So Hydraulic brakes aren't considered braking? Auto transmissions aren't drivetrain? OHV V8's aren't Engine? Automatic Chokes weren't engine? Electronic ignition? Syncroed transmissions? Torque converters? Coil spring suspension isn't suspension? air bag suspension? Man I have to redo my dictionary of automotive terms.

 

By the by the first ABS on a production car was on a lincoln, First electronic ABS was on Lincolns, and the Vette.

 

There are more, if you just use American companies rather than just GM. And I didn't even name them all.

 

You may be right about this one, but don't discount what American manufacturers did for the industry.

[RedHawke]

Nice car! How's the performance?

It performs just like a normal car should... without all that pollution that is.

 

It's the fuel cell one developed with Daimler/Mercedes, isn't it?

Yes, and while they are in a partnership with them each company is developing the vehicles on their own but sharing info. The fuel cell was actually developed by Ballard.

 

It is interesting to me that Ford/Honda/M-B are investing in fuel cells while BMW's pretty invested in non-fuel cells hydrogen internal combustion. BMW's got a non-concept hydrogen car (Hydrogen 7, check it out!) while the others have fuel cell concepts on the roads. BMW's take is a performance car that's economic and environmental, from what I can tell about the others they focus more on the economy than the performance. I haven't heard enough about the rest.

The vehicles performance is quite good... no transmission and the power of an electric motor and you can burn some serious rubber.

 

The fuel-cell vehicle can be made into whatever type of vehicle you would need, from SUV, Minivan, Sedan, and Muscle Car. I can easily see the Fuel Cell/Electrics outperforming their internal combustion counterparts. Add to that the after-market additions that would be possible it makes them the same... only cleaner.

 

I think I speak for everyone here when I say:

 

Pics, or it didn't happen.

Ok...

 

 

If you want to ask about the electrical cord, it is for a heating blanket to keep the Fuel Cell stack warm at night. That's why they call them prototypes.

[tk102]

Nice RH! Thanks for the pic!

 

You mentioned cleaner a couple times there... but gathering hydrogen requires some energy source. In a hydrogen-powered society, we're just centralizing the pollution at the power plants rather than creating it directly with our cars' combustion. I'd like to hear your take on that.

[mur'phon]

In a hydrogen-powered society, we're just centralizing the pollution at the power plants rather than creating it directly with our cars' combustion

 

This is asuming said hydrogen-powered society isn't using clean energy sources to create hydrogen.

[Ray Jones]

Centralising pollution has at least it's advantages for the non central areas, tk.

[tk102]

This is asuming said hydrogen-powered society isn't using clean energy sources to create hydrogen.

 

Take a peek at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/eh/total.html

Namely Figure 9, to get a ballpark of how much BTU is used for transportation in the United States... about 30 quadrillion BTU.

 

Now look back at Figure 2 to see the United States energy production:

 

So yes, I am assuming non-clean energy sources would be required to get the hydrogen since the little bars on the right side are about one order of magnitude too small.

 

Even if we assume that a car gets 20% fuel efficiency* and that a hydrogen fuel cell gets 50% efficiency*.

30 * (.20) / (.50) = 12 quadrillion BTU or nearly 4 times the total green energy produced in 2000.

 

Help me be optimistic!

[Stream]

Has anyone seen the new Volvo V70 or whatever it's called, it's got some kind of sensor that if you get too close to another vehicle it will automatically hurl the anchor out of the window and slow you down - I think that's a great idea.

 

When I was speaking to the guys at work about it the other day one of them said that's no good, if you try overtake it will stop you which would be the whole point, most accidents over here in the UK are head-ons when people are overtaking which a lot of them do on a corner so how can that be a bad thing?

Now if one of the younger guys said that I could understand but this guy is 59 and a lorry driver he should know better.

 

Having said that I still think that common sense is the best safety device but not many people seem to have that anymore. There's a local council here who have had to put up a sign telling HGV drivers not to listen to their sat-navs and keep going rather than take the next turning as it is as small as it looks and no there is no way in hell they're going to turn around and get out again.

 

First off what's wrong with a good old A-Z, I'm a driver and that's all I have, luckily my car and truck didn't come with sat-navs built in or I would've ripped them out but also if you were driving a great long artic lorry and trailer would you turn down a road that's barely big enough for a car? What has happened to common sense?

 

Anyway that's my thought, sorry about it being a bit off topic.

 

--Stream

[RedHawke]

Well tk, I have been told that there are indeed clean ways to make hydrogen and it has been planned for. But I'm far from an expert on that. And yes I used the word "clean" a couple times cause the vehicles are.

[mur'phon]

Help me be optimistic!

 

Look to Iceland my friend (Yes, I'm terminally optimistic)

[Sven_Q45]

I have an 5 speed manual transmission.

Automatic is for lazy people. No only a joke.