The increasing amount of electronics within all cars, not just those found on the racing circuit is scary. The complexity continues to grow day by day, even in a low-end car. In most cases, it's a good thing, but could these cars be over-desgined?
Nah! The more electroincs the better. Actually, leaving entertainment and other such aside, there are many safety and engine management tasks that are handled by electronics today. Replacing and repairing these systems is easier as well. I started out with 1960s British sports cars. They were simplicity itself. On the other hand they were not particularly effecient or safe.
There is something to be said for simplicity. I had a 1970s Dodge Dart. I could fix anything on that car, and I could practically stand inside the engine compartment. I couldn't fix anything on the last two cars I've owned.
I think plenty of people would argue that repairing software and electronics gitches is probably far more complex than any kind of mechanical fix. Obviously embedded software brings a lot to the table in terms of safety and functionality, but it's not for the faint of heart or for anyone that doesn't have the right diagnostic machinery and software expertise.
I don't know if they're overdesigned, but safety and infotainment features for production cars have gone beyond anything we dreamed of 20 years ago. Driver assistance systems now include blind spot detection, rear obstacle detection, drowsy driver detection, park assist, adaptive cruise control, lanekeeping and collision avoidance, in addition to the ten or so airbags, even in entry-level cars. Infotainment includes GPS, CD players, DVD players, and USBs for cell phones and iPods. Given the fact that none of us could have imagined these features 20 years ago, then what's it mean for the next 20 years?
I think in many cases, it's the kitchen sink syndrome. Some of the stuff appeals to the gadget folks who like a lot of bells and whistles, but many of us just want the basics, albeit, the basics to be delivered in a state-of-the-art way. The problem is, the car companies' car packages bundle things together so you often have to opt for the whole electronics she-bang even if you're just looking for a killer stereo system and don't care about GPS or voice control or even a passenger infotainment system.
In Aviation It is expensive to certify software. so we use old school logic and analog circuits to this day to make cheaper products. In the Automotive industry to certify software is a simple matter. Still expensive however the volume that automotive has makes the expense managable. The reason for the high tech gadgets is cost reduction. A lot of the circuits in your vehicle can be reduced to single chip or single board circuits due to microcontrollers. Dont forget that most microcontrollers are only 1-10USD a piece. so why not show these gadgets to consumers to increase the hype of new tech and force you to sell your used car for a new one? also keep in mind that new features could mean that the automotive industrie is compensating for some known saftey issue. when you reduce the weight of your vehicle you add more airbags or better bumper to compensate due to a harder deceleration of the vehicle during testing. Simple logic really. When a car dealer tells you that the engine is designed to drop in the event of a catastrophic accident this means that their firewall is much thinner then before and the support for your engine just lost a few pounds too. No safety added really just fuel efficiency and more expensive accidents.
Exactly right, Beth. With all the features that are available today, there would be far too many permutations if they let you pick whicever ones you want, so they bundle them. Then you end up getting a lot of features you don't want.
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