The first thing worth mentioning is the fact that the automotive industry trends to be one of the most innovative fields. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry with a highly competitive market. This means that the R&D in all major companies has to work extra hard in order to stay ahead of the curve. Also, once the customer base gets accustomed to a certain feature, it becomes an industry standard overnight. Here are the top seven tech trends that are expected to be big in the 2021 automotive industry.
On-board internet services
The on-board internet in the automotive industry is necessary in order to fully exploit the concept of IoT. By connecting the vehicle to the global grid, manufacturers will create a pathway for so many incredible options. A self-driving car, automatic anti-collision patterns and more are just some of these features. With more connected vehicles on the road, there will be more reporting and manufacturers will get a better insight into the way these vehicles are used once they leave the assembly line.
With the help of the on-board internet services, vehicles of the future will become one of the greatest additions to the hyper-connected world of the IoT.
Remote vehicle diagnostics
Monitoring the health of your vehicle is something that will look much different in the future. Traditionally, the only way to assess the health of your vehicle would be to take it to a mechanic or pop the hood yourself. With remote vehicle diagnostics, you will be able to track the specifics remotely. This is great for individual owners as well as fleet managers. For the latter, it will be a huge improvement in terms of cost-efficiency and safety of the entire fleet. This is something that might revolutionize the car repair industry, as well.
Remote vehicle diagnostics will raise the overall on-road safety and increase the cost-effectiveness of managing a large vehicle fleet.
Biometric vehicle access
Accessing vehicles in the traditional way – with the use of a key – is a great system but it has numerous flaws. First of all, a key can get lost. A key can also get misplaced, stolen or broken. This puts you in a position where your car’s security is at risk and you can’t really access the vehicle. With biometric vehicle access, one’s biometrics (or biometrics of several people – family members/co-workers) can be added to the matrix. This way, all of the above-listed problems can be averted and the car will become available to all who are entitled to this privilege, at all times.
Security of cars will reach a whole new level, once the biometric vehicle access technology becomes widespread enough.
Superior materials and manufacturing techniques
Another crucial thing to take into consideration is the importance of manufacturing techniques for various car parts. A quality exhaust muffler can completely alter the driving experience. The way in which the muffler is manufactured determines its physical features. It relies on a complex valve mechanism that controls the flow of air and allows for a combination of great sound and maximum power. Achieving this is far from easy and it is the job of car designers and manufacturers to keep finding new solutions to this persistent problem.
With the help of superior materials and manufacturing techniques, the quality and reliability of future vehicles will reach a new pinnacle.
Automotive night vision
Night vision has always been a talked-about feature in the automotive industry. Vision on the roads at night is one of the biggest traffic hazards. This means that the implementation of this technology could drastically improve on-road safety. One method that could allow this is the use of a thermographic camera. Such a feature could boost a driver’s perception and increase their seeing distance in the darkness. Augmented reality with an interactive windscreen could emphasize crucial points of interest and allow the driver to focus on what really matters.
Night vision technology is hardly something new or innovative, however, its applications have a potential to save countless lives in 2021.
3D printing in the automotive industry
3D is a cutting-edge technology that can allow for precise, custom parts manufacturing like never before. It is, therefore, no surprise how it affects the automotive industry as a whole. There are four major fields in which this will make the biggest difference. The first one is the design and concept of communication. The second one is prototyping validation. Then, there’s the preproduction sampling and tooling, which is a huge issue in this field. Lastly, there’s the matter of customized parts that can make a massive push forward in areas like tuning and styling. Overall, it’s a huge leap forward.
With the help of 3D printing technology, there are countless new options in the automotive manufacturing industry.
7.Global vehicle intelligence
The last thing worth mentioning here is the matter of global vehicle intelligence. This concept is the system that is comprised of electromagnetic, electronic and electromechanical devices. These concepts come together in order to create a completely safe and reliable vehicle. Features made possible by this are an anti-lock braking system, blind-spot monitoring, electronic stability program and more. The safety of passengers is a primary concern and point of interest here. In 2021, it is finally expected for this concept to reach a necessary critical mass.
This means that vehicle intelligence will become a global phenomenon and not just a cutting-edge trend.
The thing is that the automotive industry advances with the advancement of technology, in general. Major areas in which it’s progressing are passenger/driver safety, convenience and quality of life. With the above-listed seven improvements, all of these factors can be achieved quite effortlessly. The thing is that the majority of these technologies aren’t exactly new. They’ve either been around for quite a while or existed in the prototype stage. The thing is that it’s premature to talk about them as trends until they reach a certain critical mass. For the above-listed seven trends, next year may be the year.
