Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Getting from one place to another with the help of an autopi-lot—when taking the plane, we are used to having technology take over for a large part of the flight. On the street, however, autonomous driving is still a distant dream. Automotive compa-nies and suppliers are intensively working on autonomous dri-ving and expect that this technology will prevail on the market in the foreseeable future. The driver will have a lot of additi-onal time then. A completely new designed interior of the car offers many ways to make optimal use of the gain in time. A novel concept car shows all of these possibilities. Evonik is en-gaged with its highly developed PLEXIGLAS.
Enjoying a wellness oasis instead of endu-ring commuting stress
Product Story No. 66, December 18, 2014
Evonik Industries AG Rellinghauser Straße 1–11 45128 Essen GermanyContact Corporate Press Ruben Thiel Phone +49 201 177-4299 Fax +49 201 177-3030 [email protected] Press Michael H. Hoffmann Phone +49 6181 59-13583 Fax +49 201 6181 59-713583 [email protected]
Human error is the root cause for most traffic accidents. Is the driver distracted for just a fraction of a second a crash can be the result. This will not happen to a computer, because it can-not be distracted and its reaction time is much shorter. However, accident prevention is just one of the reasons for implementing autonomous driving. It can also help to prevent traffic jams, save time and money and reduce pollution. There would also be new prospects for car sharing: The driver would not need to get to the next car sharing station but the car would come to him.
Large automobile manufacturers are intensively working on ma-king autonomous driving a reality. Highly developed technical elements such as emergency brake assist, warning and parking assist systems are already standard in high-class limousines. “The technology has advanced a lot. Manufacturers and suppliers expect implementation within the next four to six years,” says Frank M. Rinderknecht, owner of the company Rinspeed. The Swiss develo-per not only presented a vehicle in running order at the 2014 Ge-neva Motor Show, but also showed that the new technology will change the interior of a car completely: Its concept car XchangE opens up new worlds in this respect.
Time to work and relaxAutonomous driving creates unforeseen opportunities for the dri-ver. He does not even have to look at the road any more, he just puts the steering wheel aside. He is given a lot of free time—two weeks per year on average concluded the consultancy firm A.T. Kearney. That is more than 20,000 minutes he can use to relax, for entertainment or to work. Car manufacturers want to create a nice atmosphere for this extra time. Evonik Industries takes part in this with its special plastic PLEXIGLAS. The acrylic glass offers designers huge creative scope in terms of forming, and makes it possible to integrate a number of different functions.
PLEXIGLAS LED for edge lighting can be found in the car head-liner as well as cross car beam of the XchangE. Here the light-dif-fusing, transparent special product of Evonik creates an attractive interplay of colors. The passengers can choose what colors they want depending on their mood. Thus, the way back home from an exhausting business meeting can already be part of an early,
Product Story No. 66, Page 2, December 18, 2014
relaxing evening. Enjoying sunny yellow light while listening to Caribbean music or azure blue light while listenting to the sounds of the sea—there are no limits set to the imagination or individual taste. You can also have a relaxing start into the working day: In-stead of having your toast at home in a hurry you can have break-fast in the car in an relaxing atmosphere surrounded by pastel co-lors. If you want you can watch the morning news or a recorded film from the previous night.
A project that sets standardsPLEXIGLAS has already proven itself on the automotive market. Its advantages are its weather and aging resistance and it can be colored as desired making painting and laminating redundant—and this is good for the environment. In addition, the light weight of the material saves fuel. Therefore, it can also be found in other parts of the XchangE: amongst others in the high-gloss covers, the cover of the center column, the rear spoilers, the rear lamps covers as well as the in headlamp lenses.
Rinspeed chief Rinderknecht, who presents a new concept car every year, is very satisfied with the cooperation with Evonik: “It’s very important to us to have competent partners from all specialist fields. The materials of Evonik form an important part of the inno-vative vehicle development,” he says.
Product Story No. 66, Page 3, December 18, 2014
Autonomous driving in a pleasant setting:Rudolf Blass (left) from Evonik and-Frank M. Rinderknecht also have the Feel-good factor when driving in mind.
The Automotive Industry Team (AIT) of Evonik sets new impulses for the future mobility again and again. “Specialists from different business units jointly develop innovative solutions for car manufac-turing in the fields of light-weight design, lower fuel consumption, light and surface technolgoy,” explains Rudolf Blass from AIT.
According to experts, driving will be no less fun with a self-steering car. You will still be able to drive manually, for example, when traffic is low. “It’s about an assist function that the driver can activate and deactivate,” explains Rinderknecht. “When driving from Frankfurt to Mannheim its a benefit to use it. But when dri-ving through an Alp pass I would prefer to drive myself.
Evonik Industries is a worldwide manufacturer of PMMA products sold under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents and under the ACRYLITE® trade-mark in the Americas.
Product Story No. 66, Page 4, December 18, 2014
