Customer Service Lines Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm
Closed Saturday & Sunday & Bank Holidays
It seems that just as you are getting used to one technological idea then another creeps out of the woodwork and you are back to square one. Years ago the mobile was the main aspect of technology, though by 2010 peoples attentions seemed to focus on the all new tablet computers. Now it appears that all over the world, the car is becoming the forefront of technology.
Using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving has been illegal since 2003 in the UK. Though now, a decade later car manufacturers are hoping that the regular technology from everybodys smartphones could actually change the way people are using their motors.
Technology is apparently improving road safety, with apps helping motorists by sensing nearby vehicles. There is hope for the app to be a regular part of the driving experience, infiltrating the dashboard of our vehicles, from apps that find parking spaces, to ways of finding coupons for the restaurants in the surrounding areas and even directions that can pop onto the windscreen.
All of these features of course rely on the car being web connected and allowing all of the information to be connected without the use of pushing buttons and more about voice commands, so that they can be used safely. The connected car is said to be the third fastest growing device in the technological world, behind phones and tablets. Ford have even explained that this is selling more cars for the company. They said that more than 50% of customers would be persuaded when buying a car by the internet capable device. The phrase that is being used to describe all of these connected materials is infotainment.
At the moment, there is a large focus on social media and internet radio and of course the clever use of the voice commands, though the internet could definitely be used for a lot more practical and simple things. There are already apps that can show petrol stations and the prices at them, which allows drivers to carry on a little bit further if there is a petrol station with cheaper prices per litre. The parking space app has become most useful in major cities, with even an aerial view of local streets so you can decide exactly where you want to drive. Though the most interesting ones seem to be to be the things that people didn't tend to realise you could discover. When a car becomes stopped at lights, trials have actually shown a system that can produce a timer showing exactly how long drivers will be waiting at the lights before it changes.
Billions already have said to have been spent developing some of these services. £380 billion of connected vehicle value will be attributed to connected life by 2020. £64 Million will be invested by Intel within the next five year into companies that will quicken the adoption and normality of the connected car. It is said that by the end of next year, for the bigger manufacturers, every vehicle produced should offer some form of connectivity.
Of course critics have showed concerns for road safety for the connected vehicles, explaining that the whole of drivers attentions should be focused on doing just that, driving. It has been explained that almost a quarter of traffic incidents in the US have been caused by some sort of mobile use. People say that if the information becomes simpler for drivers to use, then naturally there is a far greater likelihood of distraction, resulting in road accidents. John Ellis who is the global technologist at ford explained that yes drivers could easily forget they are driving due to being caught up in their experience, so better faster and cheaper although what customers want, must be addressed with safety in mind.
It has been suspected that rather than car manufacturers having the biggest influence over car connectivity Apple of Facebook will have the most success. Apple at the moment have an automotive team researching into how Apple products can be successfully used within a car. Many companies are expecting this industry to grow rather rapidly over the next few years.