Volkswagen recently did what most automakers do not: It lifted the veil and let us inside German test facilities for a hands-on look at its tech development process front-row seats at technical seminars, prototype test drives and more. From navigation systems for the kids to cruise control for drowsy driving to cleaner fuel conversions, here's what' on the horizon.
1. Electronic Sun Visor
Sun visors never quite hit the mark if you travel east in the morning and west in the evening. A corporate research project at Volkswagen is developing an electronic anti-glare system using an electronic matrix within the glass controlled by a computer to block the rays. A sun status sensor and a sensor that determines the eye position of the driver both feed signals to the computer, which calculates the point of sunlight entry within the viewing angle of the driver's eyes. The computer then produces a dark "spot" in the glass electronic matrix to block sunlight at that location (similar to the automatic darkening of rear-view mirrors). The spot moves across the windshield as the car changes direction. Right now, the technology doesn't allow for use on all glass, but it would be a huge improvement over the archaic sun visor if and when it's implemented.
2. Family Tech
"Are we there yet?" It's a question every parent hears at least 600 times every hour on a family road trip. In the past, dad would roll his eyes and say, "Not yet, sweetie." Soon, the kids may be able to answer their own question. VW's child navigation system is essentially a rear DVD screen with a simplified representation of the route, plus special descriptions of scenes along the route. A "time worm" on the screen "eats" away at the length of the route, so the children can see it decreasing. A cartoon character on screen plays games and asks the children to do in-seat exercises and even goes to sleep when the kiddies are napping.
3. Traffic Decongestion
The freeway you drive everyday suddenly slims down one lane because of an accident--how frustrating. The cars in that blocked lane have to move over. So they inevitably cause a slowdown in traffic in all the other lanes. But is that slowdown really inevitable? The German government is sponsoring an auto industry initiative called "ACTIV," intended to spur use of technology for traffic management and lead eventually to automatic guidance. It's basically what you've always wished drivers would do: speed up and let the other drivers in. Here's how it would work: Instead of letting all cars slow down in the traffic flow, a car in the lane adjacent to the closed lane would be instructed to speed up just before reaching the snarl. That would create a space behind it for a car in the blocked lane--without coming to a near stop and trying to edge in at the last minute.
4. Hands-off Doze Control
Drowsy driving is a major cause of accidents around the world. Soon, sophisticated camera systems will be able to read highway markings and sound a gentle warning to alert the driver if the vehicle is drifting. Volkswagen showed us a car that was able to correct its own path in such a scenario. Here's how: Thanks to electric power steering, a computer can control the steering gear motor signaled by a camera system and another computer judging the situation. If the camera and sensors detect drifting outside normal driving parameters, it takes control. Although the VW system is aggressive, it can be overridden. For example, activating a turn signal or dialing in extra steering effort will disable the system. Cars that take complete control away from the driver better be flawless. One of the most pressing issues is how to determine when the driver is losing attention or intentionally trying to switch lanes.
5. Cleaner Fuel
VW and the rest of the German auto industry are taking a hard look at synthetic fuel, made by solid-to-liquid or gas-to-liquid processes. Most of these methods, including improved versions of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis invented in the 1920s, use catalysts (usually iron or cobalt) to convert solids like coal and agricultural waste or natural gas into liquid fuel. Also under development is ethanol produced from cellulose (straw, wood and various waste materials), rather than from corn or beets, which affect food supply. Biomass fuels, called "SunFuels" because of their renewable origin, are made by the same basic processes as other synthetic fuels.
6. Future Power plants
The near-term steps are to use fossil fuels more efficiently in piston engines such as Volkswagen's BlueMotion TDI and 1.4-liter turbo spark ignition engine. All vehicle manufacturers are developing Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines that use spark ignition for heavy load operation but in light load can ignite a lean mixture throughout a cylinder without a spark. The "homogenous charge" is a uniform mix of air, fuel and up to 70 percent of the already-burned exhaust gas. Compression stroke brings the mixture to a controlled self-ignition state -- no need for a spark. Because of the uniform mix in the cylinder, there's no hot flame front, and the mixture burns almost instantaneously and completely throughout the cylinder. So there aren't any "hot spots" to produce engine knocking. The engine requires spark plugs for starting and heavy loads, but in HCCI mode, it improves fuel economy about 10 to15 percent--close to a diesel. It does require a "designer" gasoline, perhaps a synthetic gasoline.
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