WHAT DRIVES MOBILITY?

ELECTRIC MOBILITY IS NOT a thing of the future anymore. It is the present, and it’s here to stay. It is also growing at an unprecedented pace, gaining momentum with every passing year. Battery technology is advancing faster than anticipated and all major global manufacturers are rapidly expanding their electric vehicle line-up, with several of them committing to go all-electric by 2025. The focus is now shifting to other currently nascent trends that are on the brink of exploding into the mainstream in the next year or two.

Autonomous Driving

This is by far the most important mobility trend that has the potential to revolutionise the way humans travel. While tech-driven autonomy promises to do away with the dangers of human negligence and errors, legislation roadblocks have so far slowed the industry’s effective progress towards level-five autonomous vehicles. But 2023 has begun with the hope that the real-life implementation of these technologies will be expedited in the coming months. In January, Mercedes-Benz announced that it has become the world’s first automotive company to certify the SAE Level 3 system for the US market, with Nevada being the first state to confirm the system’s compliance with state regulations. The German automaker has stated that the system, known as Drive Pilot, will be available in the US market as an option for the model year 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS Sedan, with the first units delivered to customers in the second half of 2023. This paves the way for such systems from other manufacturers to be given the green light by government bodies around the world.

Connected Mobility

Connected mobility enables different modes of transport, such as cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles, to communicate seamlessly and exchange real-time traffic data. This technology will make transport safer, more convenient and more efficient. An example is Connected Horizon from Bosch which provides vehicle electronic control units with updated map data and up-to-the-minute cloud information for the route ahead. This kind of predictive information helps electric vehicles optimise their energy management and reduce accident risk, thanks to real-time information about possible road hazards and upcoming traffic jams.

Among carmakers, Audi recently demonstrated its Connected Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology in Oceanside, California. The German carmaker showcased C-V2X’s potential to reduce the chances of collisions between cars and cyclists and believes C-V2X-connected mobility will go a long way in making roads safer for all road users. In Sweden, Volvo Cars has teamed up with the city of Gothenburg to create new urban zones that will be used as testbeds for future sustainable technologies, such as connected infrastructure. Volvo believes using a real city as a testing ground will accelerate the development of technologies and services like connected mobility.

3d Printing

From fast-tracking the process of prototyping with printed models and printing spare parts to creating composite materials that produce lighter and more robust automotive parts, 3D printing has the potential to be one of the most important technologies of the near future. Bugatti was among the first to 3D print functional metal automotive parts when it printed a water pump console for the Chiron. In 2018 it also used the world’s largest 3D-printed titanium component, a titanium brake calliper. Bugatti’s parent brand, Volkswagen, has invested millions of euros over the past few years to use additive manufacturing to support digital transformation in vehicle production. By 2025, VW aims to produce up to 100,000 components each year by 3D printing in Wolfsburg. Meanwhile, the BMW Group have been additively manufacturing metal and polymer parts for its Rolls-Royce-branded luxury cars since 2020 and has even established an Additive Manufacturing Campus outside Munich for prototype component production.

Biometric Vehicle Access

The global market for biometric vehicle access systems is estimated to grow to $2.5 billion by 2027. Of the various types of biometric access systems, Fingerprint Scan is projected to be the clear favourite in the auto industry. Biometric access to vehicles isn’t something new, with Hyundai claiming to have used it for the first time in a vehicle when it introduced fingerprint technology in the 2019 Santa Fe SUV. The technology allowed drivers to unlock and start their vehicles without using physical keys – just a finger on the door handle sensor was required. The ignition button in the car was also equipped with a fingerprintscanning sensor, allowing the driver to start the vehicle by simply touching the button. Such biometric technology can also provide a customised driving environment by matching driver preference with their fingerprint data to adjust seating positions, connected car features and even side-view mirror angles to pre-set points. In 2022, Japanese premium marque Lexus introduced a fingerprint recognition system in its latest LX 600 flagship SUV, ensuring only registered users can drive it. Meanwhile, Korean luxury brand Genesis has gone a step further, launching its Face Connect feature that uses a face recognition sensor with a deep-learning image processing controller to lock and unlock the car. ■

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WORDS MALU LAMBERT