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SmartandSustainableCars:RacingintotheFutureCars are getting smarter, is an understatement. Cars are getting bersmart, is thetruth.Allaspectsofthemoderncar,fromthepowertraintoinfotainment,areweddedtoelectronics, communications technology and a good deal of IT too, in the journeytowards making drivingeven on Indian roadsa really safe, pleasurable andsustainableexperience.Here,inthisarticle,welookatsomeofthemultifacetedrolesamoderncarplays

JananiGopalakrishnanVikram

Mycar,myguideOne look at amodern cars dashboard is enough to show the amount of vehiclemanagement and driving assistancefeaturesarethereinit!Advanceddriverassistancesystems(ADAS)arebeginningtofeatureinmanynewgencars.Ablanket term that covers everything from GPSbased navigation aids and traffic updates to adaptive cruise control(ACC), lane departure warning, blind spot detection, collision avoidance, speed adaptation and night vision, ADASbasicallycoversagrowingnumberoftoolsthatimprovesituationalawarenessandunderstandthedriverstemperamentandautomateroutinetaskstomakedrivingmoreconvenientandsafe.

MahindraRevasolarcharging

Automakers are trying hard tomatch consumer experience in cars towhat they get using smartphones and tablets.This has resulted in highend infotainment technologies getting integrated into todays cars. The focus on driver andpassengersafetyisdrivingdevelopmentsinADAS,basedonradarandvision,superdatafusiontechnologiestonamea

few, says Sanjay Gupta, directorAutomotive MCU Group, India Design Centre, Freescale Semiconductors India PvtLtd. He cites some interesting examples, such as Volvos City Safety, a lowspeed crash avoidance system availablewith itsXC60 crossoverSUV. Thedetection systemuses LIDAR, a cross between laser and radar, to prevent fenderbendersbelow14.5kmph.

ACC isalsoemergingstrong.Toyota,Ford,MercedesandJaguaralreadyoffer this facilityonsomevehicles. It tracksthecarahead,slowingdownandspeedingupautomaticallytomaintainasafedistanceinvariablehighwaytraffic.

Our77GHzradarsystemssupportACC,precrashprotectionandcollisionwarningsystemswithandwithoutautomaticsteering and braking intervention. In a collision warning system, the radar chipset can detect and track objects,automaticallyadjustingthevehiclesspeedanddistanceinresponsetothetrafficaheadandtriggeringadriverwarningofanimminentcollisionandinitiateemergencybrakingintervention,explainsGupta.

Theconnectedcar(Courtesy:Broadcom)

Althoughstillexpensive,todaywealsohavetechnologiesthatsensewhenthedriveristootiredtodriveorhashadtoomuch to drink. Volvo, for instance, uses available lane departure sensing technology to detect when sleepy driversmake jerky, telltale steeringwheel corrections. The system then audibly suggests that the driver pull over and takerest.Ford has an interesting emergency assist feature that connects vehicle occupants with emergency services in themisfortuneofanaccident,providingvehicle locationandanopen line for communication. Ford India is the firstautomanufacturer and EcoSport is the only vehicle in its segment to offer a potentially lifesaving emergency assistancesystem. This is a vehiclebased, nocost, nonsubscription callforhelp system that is already available inmore thanfivemillionFordvehiclesglobally.Theservice isprovidedfreeofchargefortheownershipcycleofthevehicle,saysVinayPiparsania,executivedirector,Marketing,SalesandService,FordIndia.

Theability todetermineanavailableparkingspacealonga roadway,andback inautomatically,withnomoreeffortfromthedriverthanthepushofabuttonisbeingdemonstratedbyOEMstoday,saysTimLau,associateproduct linedirector,Automotive,Broadcom.Mahindra Revas new cars feature another interesting aspect called Feedback Orientation. Since the car is not anisolatedobjectbutapartofasystem,weareabletogetfeedbackonitsperformance.Thecarisabletotellthedriverhowheisdriving,andcomparetheperformancesoveraperiodoftime,sothatthedrivercantweakhisdrivingstyleforefficiency,saysChetanMaini,chiefexecutiveofficer,MahindraRevaElectricVehiclesPvtLtd.

AsADASgetsmoreadvancedandreliable, ithasstartedto inducesomeamountofautonomyincars.Whilst it isstillnotpossibletoputacaronautodrivemodeandsitback,nextgencarswillsurelyletthedriverrelaxandchatwhiledriving.Automateddrivingtechnology,beingdemonstratednow,willbeavailableasanoptiononactualmodelswithinafewyears.Ittakescontrolofcarsforbriefperiods.The technology, which uses a series of camera, radar, laser and ultrasonic sensors to become aware of itssurroundings, will relieve drivers of certain taskssuch as keeping a car in lane while rolling down a highway at asteadyspeed.Ultimately, thetechnologycouldtakeover for thedriver instopandgotraffic includingtotalcontrolofsteering, braking and accelerating. Industry analysts have forecast that 75 per cent of cars on the road will beautonomousby2035,explainsLau.

Moreupdates.

Audis new Traffic Light Assist system combines the cars GPS navigation system with a citys traffic lightinformationsystem to let thedriverknow inadvancesimplyhowmuch timehehas to zippastanapproachingsignalonhisroutebeforeitturnsred.Thecarmakeristestingthesystemincertaindevelopednations.BMW aims to bring autonomous driving assistance into production by end of the decade. In January, theydemonstrated a car with advanced computing and GPS technology used in guided missile systems, which iscapable of freeing thedriver byoperating theaccelerator, steeringandbrakes. Its intelligence, supportedbyanew ultrasonic radar and 360degree stereo camera technology, enables the car to change lanes to overtakeslowervehiclesandthenpullbackinwithoutanyassistancefromthedriver.

Mycar,myconnectedworldNow everyone wants to add connectivity to the car to be able to support features such as a WiFi hotspot, greater

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amountsofinfotainmentendpoints,infotainmentdata,moresensorsandcameras,scalableinvehiclenetworks,cartocarcommunicationsandothertypesofapplications,butwhatisthebesttechnologytoachievethiswithbestbandwidthandleastcost?

SomeoftheoptionsareCANandLINwithathroughputintherangeof2kbpsFlexRay,whichdoesabout10MbpsandMOST, which offers 150 megabits of shared network bandwidth. But companies like Broadcom bet big on Ethernet.Ethernetsolvesarealproblemhere inthatwecanaddressveryhighbandwidthnetworkapplications inaverycosteffectiveway,overasinglepairunshieldedtwistedcable.ItallowstheautomotiveOEMsandTier1stoimplementveryhighendfeaturesbutataverycompetitivepricepoint,addsLau.

Ethernet also offers benefits like ease of integration and availability from a standard, open and widelydeployedtechnology. Standardisation is essential as a major enabler for new and innovative invehicle applications, allowingautomotivemanufacturerstomeetcustomerexpectationsandkeepthebottomlineincheck.Standardsbasedsolutionsnotonlyreducetimetomarket,theyalsoensureavailability,lifecycle,upgradabilityandinteroperability.

Ethernetisubiquitousintheconsumer,enterpriseandserviceproviderspacesandyetithasneverreallybeenusedinanautomotiveenvironment,exceptforoneverynicheapplication,whichisonboarddiagnostics(OBD).Thereasonforthat was, primarily because of the very strict EMC immunity and emission requirements for automotive invehiclenetworking, he says. To overcome this, Broadcom has developed a technology called BroadRReach, which isessentiallytheabilitytosendandreceivedatasimultaneouslyoverasinglepairofunshieldedtwistedpaircables,andtostillbeabletomeetalloftheautomotiveEMCqualityandreliabilitystandards.Wireless connectivity, includingWiFi andBluetooth technology, isbeing rapidlyadopted forautomotiveapplications.Industryanalystshaveforecastthat100percentofvehicleswillbeconnectedby2025andtherewillbea41percentincrease in automotive wireless demand from 2012 to 2018. Wireless solutions will enable Miracast (a peertopeerwireless screencasting standard) bandwidth for multiple incar displays, smart remote and V2X connectivity andcommunicationwithbiometricsensorsandwearabletechnology,saysLau.Inrecentyears,wehaveseentheadditionof2D/3Dnavigationsystems,3G/LTEwirelessaccess,USBandBluetoothconnectivity.Thesesystemsareconstantlyconnectedtothecar,toexternaldevicesandtotheInternet,saysGuptaofFreescale.At this years CES, automotive electronics was a key focus andmany OEMs and car manufacturers launched variedtechnologiesthatwillchangethewayweseeautomotivetoday.OnesuchtechnologywasVisteonsOASISconceptanacronym for optimised, adaptable, secure, intelligent and seamless connectivitythat protects the vehiclecommunicationnetworkbyprovidingasecuremethodtoconnectthevehicletotheuserandcloudcomputing.

Moreupdates.

After 3G, it is going to be 4G in cars. GM announced it would be building a 4G/LTE connection into ten of itsmodels.AudialsohassimilarplansforitsA3model,withAT&Tasthedataprovider.Ford demonstrated its innovative vehicletovehicle (V2V) communication technology at CES 2014. It uses802.11p, a flavour of WiFi specific to the auto industry, to broadcast information such as the cars position,directionandspeedtonearbycars,tentimespersecond.This informationhelpsavoidcollisions,amongstotherbenefits.

Mycar,mygiantpersonalcomputerWhatisconnectivitywithoutapps!Carmakersareenablinguserstomakethemostofthecarsconnectivitythroughadeep integration with mobile phones, as well as by offering dozens of smart apps through their own infotainmentplatforms.Goingonestepahead,carmakersarealsolinkingwearabletechnologyandautofeatures!SupplierssuchasDelphi,Harman,QNXandGarminarealsodemonstratinghighendinfotainmentsystemsforcarswithappintegration.AccordingtotrendssightedatCES2014,HTML5istheprogramminglanguageofchoicefortheseplatforms,asHTML5makes it easier for thirdparty developers to create interesting new apps for cars. Likewise, a recent report by IHSAutomotiveshows thatLinux isgrowing tobe thepreferredautomotive infotainmentplatform.ModelsofBuick,GMC,Chevrolet andOpel use orwill soon be using Linux. The report states that other carmakers such as BMW, PSA andJaguar/LandRoverarealsocommittedtousingaversionofLinuxthatiscompatiblewiththeGENIVIplatform.

Moreupdates.

BMWsiRemoteAppallowsuserstoaccessvehicleinformationandcontrolfeaturesfromtheirmobiledeviceandsmartwatch.MercedesBenz also recently showed how owners can use a smart watch to remotely unlock doors, check fuellevels,planthecarstriporblowthehorn.GMdemonstrated itsAppShopatCES2014, providing themeans forChevrolet owners to downloadand installGMapprovedappsrightintotheircarsdashboards.

AudisnextgencarswillfeatureaninbuiltAndroidtablet,the26cm(10.2inch)AudiSmartDisplay.PoweredbyanNVIDIA Tegra 4 chip, the tab is extremely ruggedwith notably high resistance to temperature and physicaldamage.ItusestheincarWiFitoprovideWebaccessforentertainment,navigationandremotevehiclecontrol.Mahindra e2o, the new electric car in India, has remote heating, ventilation, airconditioning system (HVAC)activationviasmartphone,a first in India. Italso features telematicsbased remotediagnostics,a first in India,andoneofonly fourcars in theworldandabestinclass touchscreenbased infotainmentunitwithnavigation,CANbusintegration,iPodintegration,BluetoothandEVstatusinformation.

Mycar,mysiliconUnderstandably, a smart car is packedwithamyriadof electronics that implement everything fromdrive safetyandenginemanagementtocarsecurityandinfotainment.Thismeansbigopportunityforthesemiconductorindustry.Semiconductor growth in the automotive market will be very significant. We are seeing a lot of growth, not justinfotainment and ADAS, but also in powertrain, body control and safety electronics. All of those markets will seesignificant growth. There are a lot of different sectors that will be able to take a leading role in this market.Semiconductorproviderswhooffermicrocontrollers, communications technologyandsensor technologiesallof thosewilltakealeadingrole.Atthesametime,webelievethattheTier1s,theresellers,developers,partners,allofthemwilltakealeadingrolebecausetheconnectedcarecosystemisgoingtorequirealotmoresupportintermsofsoftwaredevelopment, application development, hardware engineering, wiring suppliers, cabling suppliers, who will take aleadershiproletohelptakethattechnologyforward,saysLau.

Theautoindustryconsumesmicrocontrollers,microprocessors,analogueICs,discreteelectronics,logiccircuits,sensorsandmemory for electronic control systems. The current trend is to use fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) andsystemonchip (SoC) or systemonmodule (SoM) solutions that combine several components into one small formfactor.Freescale, NXP Semiconductors, Bosch, Infineon, ST Microelectronics and Renesas are amongst some of the keysupplierstotheautoindustry,offeringahordeofsolutionsforsensing,invehiclenetworking,automotivelighting,carradio and audio to automotive power and telematics onboard units to access and immobilisation. Most of thesecompaniesalsoofferassociateddesigntools.Moreupdates.

NvidiaannouncedtheTegraK1processoratCES2014.With192cores,itclaimstobethehardwarethatcanfullyenablethefutureautonomouscar.AudiwillbeusingtheK1chipinproductioncarsinthenearfuture.BoschofferssinglechipairbagsystemICsthatcombinepowersupply,sensorinterfaces,I/Ofunctions,firingloopdriversandsafingengineononesinglechip.ThesemiconductorindustryoffersseveralSoCs,suchasangularratesensorsforvehicledynamicscontrol(VDC),andcombinedinertialsensorsforVDCandactivesuspension.TheintensivedevelopmentsinADASandinfotainmenthaveledtofargreatersemiconductorrequirements,whichthe semiconductor world is quickly gearing up tomeet. Freescale, for example, offers the i.MX6 family, whichprovides up to four highperformance ARM CortexA9 cores, advanced graphics and video accelerators forprocessingofuptofive1megapixelvideostreamsat30fpsforsurroundviewpartassistsystem.

Mycar,mypalMostpeople lovetheircar like it is their familymember.So,wouldtheynot liketocommunicatewiththeircarusingmore natural communication techniques such as speech or gestures? This is nice, not only from a personalisationaspect,butalsofromtheperspectiveofsafety.SYNC,anincarvoiceinteractivetechnologyfeaturedbyFordhelpsdriverstopayattentiontotheroadwithouthavingtousetheirhandsformakingphonecalls,browsephonecontacts,readtextsandbrowsemusic.Ithelpskeepthingssimpleandsafe,whileonthemove,saysPiparsania.FordalsorecentlyannouncedanothertechnologyattheMobileDeveloperSummit2013inBangaloretheSYNCAppLink,atechnologythatallowsgreatercommunicationbetweensmartphoneappsandAppLinkequippedvehiclesthroughvoicecommands. It will be launched in India in 2014. This technology will allow greater integration with a range ofsmartphone apps. AppLink is a Fordcreated software technology and the industrys only system that can controlsmartphoneappsviavoicecontrol.Theplatform isplanned tobe introduced in IndiawithESPNcricinfo,MapmyIndia,burrp!, Glympse and TuneIn Radio while encouraging app developers to come up and add new applications, saysPiparsania.

Enhanced gesture control is a strongly emerging trend, says Gupta of Freescale. Audi recently introduced the MMIoperating system that enables drivers to control various incar functions using theMMI interface, touchpad to voice.With this tech, one can easily change and use various controls in the car just by a gesture. Imagine how easy it isgoing to be to change your radio station or turn on the AC, all by just a gesture, says Gupta. He also speaks ofVisteonsHMeyecockpitconcept,presentedforthefirsttimeatCES,whichfeaturesauniqueuser interfacecontrolledbyeyegazeandheaddirectiondata,coupledwithimageattributetracking.Moreupdates.

In the last quarter of 2013,Google applied for a patent for a technology that helps control your carwith handmotions.Thesystemusesaceilingmounteddepthcameraandalaserscannertounderstandtheusersgesturesandhandmovementsandinitiateactionsaccordingly.Forexample,youcouldswipenearthewindowtorolldowntheglass,orwaveyourhanduptoraisethevolumeontheradio.

Mycar,mysafehaven

Whilenavigation,driverassistanceandentertainmentareallwonderful,itisthesafetyandsecurityaspectsoftodayscarsthataremostintense.Actuallyspeaking,thetelematicssystemslikecartocarconnectivityandmostnewfeaturesdo have a positive impact on safety, except, perhaps the onboard entertainment and features such as handsfreetexting,whichcoulddistractdrivers.

Features introduced by GM in its cars, in association with OnStar, have gained quite some repute in this segment.Advanced telematics has been used to implement a comprehensive automatic crash notification and security systemwithfeatures likeremotevehiclediagnostics, turnbyturnnavigation,theabilitytoslowdownstolenvehiclesandtheabilitytocallahelplinewhenindanger.Moreupdates.

BMWhasaninterestingfeaturecalledrunflattires,whichhelpsyougettothenearestservicecentrewhenyourtire isabout togo flat.Sensorshelppredict suchasituation,an indicatorglows in thedashboardand the tiresspecialstructureallowsyoutodrivearound80kmat80km/hrtogethelpbeforetheboom!

Mycar,mymechanicFrom the tires and door to the powertrain,most parts of the car are fittedwith sensors and electronic control units(ECUs)today.

Apartfrombettercontrolandmanagementofthevehicle,theelectronicsalsohelpinonlinediagnostics.Weconnecttotheheartbeatofthecareverydaytocheckhowitisdoingandwiththatwearenotonlytalkingaboutdiagnosticsbutalso prognostics, or knowing the problem even before it happens. This creates a paradigm shift in the relationshipbetweenthecustomerandthemanufacturer,creatinganewecosystemofconvenienceforthecustomers,saysMaini.GMs OnStar and Hyundais BlueLink are much appreciated remote diagnostic tools. Toolmakers such as Delphi andLandAirSeaSystemsprovideplugin remotediagnostic solutions,whichconnect toyourcarand toacloud (throughawirelessnetwork)toprovideahostofonlinediagnosticsolutionstoanycarproducedpost1996.Moreupdates.

ThenumberofECUs inacaralsomeansthat thesemodernvehiclesareatrisk fromhackers! Inorder toallaythe fears of car users, Harman International Industries is busy developing a software security system thatwillprotect at least the vital ECUs, such as the enginemanagement system, from hackers, if not the infotainmentaspects.Thesolutionisexpectedtobeincarsinthe201617timeframe.Bosch recently demonstrated advanced MEMS sensors for applications such as skid detection, adaptive cruisecontrol(ACC)andsoftergearchangingofautomaticgearboxes.AccordingtoapresentationatCES,amoderncarhasat least50suchMEMSsensors,whichinturnaresupplyingdatatotheautomotivecloudthatsupportsdriveassistancesystemsandtelediagnostics.

Myvehicle,myconscienceThe number of vehicles in theworld is growing far too fast, leading not just to a depletion of oil reserves but scarylevels of pollution as well. Car makers, with a due share of ecoresponsibility, are introducing several energymanagementtechnologies inallnewcars,aswellas launchingelectricorhybridmodelsforacleanerandsustainablefuture.

Inthelastfewyears,therehasbeenasignificantfocustowardsadvancedenginecontrolsystemstoofferhigherfuelefficiency(includinghybrid technology)andnearzeroemissions.Thestartstop technology,which isstill inanascentstage, is one step in this direction, says Gupta. Another interesting thing that needs to be done to ensure we getgreater mileage and lower emissions than we are capable of today, is to make the cars lighter in weight. Expertssuggestthatonesolutionistomakebodycomponentsoflightermaterialssuchascarbonfibrereinforcedplastic(CFRP)orpolymer.CFRPworksmuchlikefibreglassthecarbonfibreisspunintolongstrandsandthenarrangedinaclothlikeweaveforstrength.TheZ06versionoftheChevroletCorvettealreadymakeslimiteduseofcarbonfibrerightfromthefactory.Electricandhybridvehiclesarebecomingquitepopular,withFord,Honda,Nissan,Toyota,MahindraRevaandRenaultbeing significant players in the market here. Availability of higher capacity, 48volt batteries, adoption of fuel cellvehiclesandnaturalgascuttingintotheelectrictruckmarketaresomenotabletrendsinthisspace,saysGupta.Maini ofMahindraRevapointsout thatapart from the lightweightingeffortsexplainedbyGuptaearlier, anotherkeydevelopmentintheelectriccarspaceisrelatedtobatterytechnology.Asuitablewayofstoringenergywiththespaceconstraints inmindwasthebiggestchallenge.Iftheweightofthebatteryisreallyhigh,mostofthepowergeneratedwillbeusedtocarrythecarsbatteryalone,henceconsiderablyaffectingthecarsperformance.However,thegrowthin the smartphone industryhas causedbattery technology tohit its peakon the learning curve.A lithiumionbatterypackcanstoreenergyformovingthecarandatthesametimebecarriedaroundonthecar,tippingthebalanceatonly830kgfortheentirecar(Mahindrae2o)nowthisisafeatachieved,heexplainsdelightfully.

Apart fromongoingresearchonbatterychemistriesandbatterymanagementsystems,MahindraReva isalsoworkingwithCECRI, Karaikudi (aCSIR lab) to research on lithiumion batteries thatwill helpmaximise battery life, optimisebatterysystemsdesign,predictfailures,etc.

Gupta, however, feels that despite EVs emerging as amajor trend in the smart vehicles space, these are yet to bewidelyacceptedduetodependenceoninfrastructureandpoliciesaroundthesame.

Infrastructurehasalwaysbeenachickenandeggproblemforus.But,asweprogressedalongthelearningcurve,wehavebeenabletosolvethecomplicatedequationbycomingupwithourownchargingpointsatstrategiclocations.Wearenowatapointthatweareworkingonanetworkoffastchargingstationssoyoucanchargeoveracupofcoffeeandmoveon,answersMaini.Healsoexplains thatEVsare forpeoplewith fixedandpredictable travelpatterns, sotheycancomfortablychargeathomeorofficeandsailthroughtheirneeds.To reduce theanxiety in theEVusers,wearealreadypartneringwithmallsand retailers tobuildEVchargingportsintotheirparkinglots,butgovernmentsupport is importanttobuildacriticalmassofusersandsuppliersandsmoothoutcurrentregulatoryroadblocksinthisspace,headds.Forinstance,wealreadyhaveover300chargeportsalloverthe country and are planning to extend it to other cities. We are hopeful that the new National Mission for ElectricMobilitywillhelpdrivethis.Wecanenvisionanotsodistantfuture(italreadyexistsinotherpartsoftheworld)whereyou can take your EV to a fastcharging station, get an 80 per cent charge in 15minutes, and be off to your nextdestination.

Moreupdates.

Astartstopsystemisonethatcanautomaticallyshutdownandrestarttheinternalcombustionenginetoreduceengine idling timeand thereby fuel consumption too.Whilst thiswas initiallypopularonly in carswithahybrid

3electricpowertrain,nowitisbeingadoptedinnonelectriccarstoo.Recently, Toyota launched its FCV hydrogen electric vehicle, expected to come to market next year. In thisinnovativecar,hydrogenandoxygencombinetocreateelectricityandwatersothatazeroemissiontargetcanbeachieved.FordandGeorgiaTechhavetogetherdevelopedtheFordCMAXEnergiSolar,ahybridvehiclethatcanchargeitsbatteryusingasolarpanelfittedonitsroof.Thecarincludesautonomousfeatures(suchasthatusedforparking)tofollowthesunsmovementsandadjustthepaneldirectionthroughouttheday.FordclaimedatthedemothatadaysworthofsunlightwillprovidethesameamountofpowerandperformanceasthepluginvariantofCMAXEnergi,abletoreturnafuelefficiencyof2.4litresper100kmandarangeofalmost1000km.Honda,thefirsttoputafuelcellvehicle(FCXClarity)inthehandsofconsumers,recentlyunveileditsnewHondaFCEVConcept sketch, a futuristic and aerodynamic design of its nextgeneration fuelcell EV launching in 2015.Thiswillbeasteptowardsazeroemissionfuture.HondasalternateenergyrangeincludesAccordHybrid,AccordPlugInSedan,HondaFitEVandtheCivicNaturalGas.Another rather offbeat step towards environmentfriendly technology is Honda Motors agreement with TDKCorporationandJapanMetals&Chemicalstoworktowardsthereuseofarareearthmetalextractedfromnickelmetal hydride batteries in hybrid vehicles for magnets of new hybrid vehicle motors. This will reduce theenvironmentalfootprintofmobility.

Mycar,myfutureTechnologies abound, for easier, safer andmore sustainablemobility.However, everything is not good. As scientistsalwaysbelieve,a technology is tobeevaluatedmoreby its impactonsociety thanthetechnologicalmerits.Carsareeasier todrive,goodnews!But, I livenextdoor toaschoolandamstartledby the increase in thenumberofmomsdroppingindividualkidsincars,becausetheyareeasiertodriveandparkthantwowheelers!Wherearethedayswhenmostkidsused to travelbybusorcycle toschool?Howarewegoing tomanage fuelavailabilityandpollution in thenear future?By the timehybrid and electric cars hit amassmarket pricing and arewidely adopted,will not greaterharmbedonethangood?

Handsfree messaging, complete integration of wearable tech and smartphone apps with car dashboards and incarmediacentresareallverysnazzy,butarecentScientificAmericanarticleshowsthathandsfreetextingisstillnotsafeas it distracts the driver. Will driver assistance features be powerful enough to avoid accidents caused due todistraction?Techisagoodthing,butforittobesustainable,usersneedtoexercisetheirprudencetoo,thanbeingcarriedawaybyallthatseemsgood!

Theauthorisatechnicallyqualifiedfreelancewriter,editorandhandsonmombasedinChennai

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