I recall that GM had a concept car quite similar to this one, nearly ten years ago. A hydrogen fuel cell electric car with interchangable cabins and controlled through a device similar to a gamers control pad.
I would like to see developement of a fuel cell car, especially since Bloom Energy has stated that two of their fuel cells, that can easily be carried in your hand, can supply all the energy needs of an American household. And the use of in-wheel electric motors, as used in that eight wheeled car build by Japanese engineering students, that could supply about 74 hp per wheel. It appears that putting these technologies together in one vehicle, could make a good long range car.
As far as the Siemens vehicle goes, I will be looking forward to when they an actual demonstration model and not just a CG drawing, along with actual performance data.
Germany’s Siemens AG announced recently that it is designing what it calls the “car of the future.” At first glance this is just another in an impressive litany of industry steps towards modernizing automobiles with computer intelligence.
But what stands out here is the nature of the company behind the announcement. Siemens is an energy, railway and IT/automation company - not a car company, right?
Exactly. This announcement says a lot about the transporcation (that sounds obscene) or transmunication (that’s better) trend that is shaping the next big step in transportation.
Cars are morphing into computers. They’re turning into smartphones on wheels. They sing, they dance, they navigate, they drive themselves, they perform their own engine diagnostics. They tweet and send emails. They intelligently conserve energy, processing information that tells them when to use gasoline versus electric. They even practice cloud computing to find out whether a local utility is currently generating solar electricity, and charge up accordingly.
So it’s time to build a car from the ground up with all the IT as an integrated forethought, not a bolt-on. That’s what Siemens is doing, developing “new information and communications technology (ICT) for future electric cars,” it says in a press release
“In vehicles built with this new technology, the driver assistance, safety, and infotainment features will mostly be installed as software instead of being managed in control units,” Siemens states. “This will reduce the current complexity of the ICT architecture and at the same time increase its power.”
Siemens is working with partners including TRW Automotive, AVL Software and Functions, Institut ILS at the University of Stuttgart, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the Research Institution for Applied and Integrated Security, RWTH Aachen, and three divisions of the Technical University of Munich, including one called fortiss GmbH. The 3-year project is funded by the German government.
It’s notable to see an IT initiative lead the way in an automobile project. I’ve predicted before, and I’ll say it again: Put in your advance order now for Apple’s iCar. Or if you prefer, for Google’s SearchMobile. And get ready to buy them as a service: Free car for a 2-year onboard Internet and electricity package, anyone?
Image: Siemens
More “transmunication” on SmartPlanet:
- iPad dashboard? Government says no
- Vehicles to have internet access as standard?
- Qualcomm enters cable-free electric car charging fray
- Electric car to solar panel: You available?
- How to get a free car, Chapter 2
- How to get an electric car for free
- GM, LG partner on electric vehicle development
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