6 Connected Vehicles Steal The Show At MWC
Car innovations are coming fast and furious at this year's Mobile World Congress.
Mobile World Congress 2015 is getting really mobile with an emphasis on connected cars and other vehicles (including an electric bicycle). Announcements from major automakers at the event this week, including Ford, Renault-Nissan, and Volvo indicate that car companies are taking the connected vehicle seriously. Software and communications companies are getting into the act as well.
Like it or not, the driverless car is getting closer to reality than ever, with several major announcements of steps toward semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. If all that's not enough, companies are scrambling to make your car more useful and integrated into your lifestyle.
Despite the company's constant denials, the specter of an Apple car looms over the car announcements, with many CEOs being forced to address how they'd feel if Apple joined the car game. Whether it is Apple, Google, or another firm, it is clear that automakers are being forced to give up a piece of their pie to software companies. Center consoles in cars increasingly resemble tablets or even full PCs, and much of a car's operation is now driven by software. Companies are scrambling to make your car more useful and integrated into your lifestyle.
Other areas of mobile are beginning to intersect with vehicles as well, including mobile payments, the Internet of Things, and even fitness. Competition for the center console is fierce enough that the best offerings might mean a boost in auto sales, so automakers aren't going to fool around.
On the following pages we highlight some of the best innovations in transportation at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Once you've had a look through the offerings, tell us what you think about them in the comments section below.
Renault Nissan also believes its cars will be able to change lanes without your help by 2018. This is an extension of existing blind-spot warning systems. Instead of merely warning you that something is in your blind spot, the car could actually wait for the right moment and steer itself into the next lane. Again, this should cut down accidents and improve traffic (see brake-tapping from the previous page). But it will take some of that feeling of being a NASCAR driver away from your daily commute.
Volvo is testing cars that warn each other of trouble up ahead, such as black ice or objects in the road. If a Volvo experiences black ice (and presumably doesn't crash because of existing safety systems) it sends a signal out to all of the other cars in the area. An icon appears on the dashboard warning the driver. As the driver approaches the hazard, the icon gets larger. The icons can also be linked to other cars' hazard lights or other safety equipment. Here's a video of how it works. No word yet on when it will warn you of potholes or lousy drivers.
Car technology isn't all about safety. Driving a car should be fun and freeing, right? That's why Visa and Pizza Hut are teaming on an app that will allow you to order pizza hands-free from your car. And when you arrive to pick it up, Bluetooth technology alerts the pizza shop, so that someone can bring it right out to your car. You can order, pay, and get directions to nearest Pizza Hut -- all hands-free. Visa also wants to help you pay for things like gas with your car. Certainly buying gas makes sense, but what I really want Pizza Hut to do is drive up next to me on the highway and pass the pizza through my car window.
AT&T is banking on the idea that you think your car is an extension of your home. The company is connecting its Drive and Digital Home offerings so that you can control your whole house from your car (through AT&T technology, of course). This ability to operate things includes your security options, thermostats, lights, and garage doors. The use-cases for this have been tested in mobile phones. Extending them to the car is natural. What I want to know is when I'll be able to control my car from my home. If my child is out on a date, when will I be able to check on him or her via a dashboard camera? Can I turn up the air conditioning in winter just to prank the family?
Granted, this last one isn't about a car, but it is about transportation. Ford's new electric bikes will connect to the iPhone 6. The iPhone can give the rider instructions by vibrating a handlebar when it's time to turn in order to reach a destination. The coolest part is that it will pedal harder or slower for you based on your current and target heart rates. The bike has lights that flash automatically to warn drivers of your presence. If a vehicle is too close to you, it will vibrate both handle bars as a warning. Of course, the idea of vibrating handlebars as your last feeling on earth doesn't seem that comforting. But I guess that's better than getting hit by a truck with no warning at all. No, seriously, the bikes fold up, and they are available in personal and commercial versions. This is part of Ford's broader transportation strategy, and it will fit nicely into large urban centers.
The next couple of years look really exciting for vehicles. There seems to be a nice road map to driverless cars, with many companies, including Google and Renaut-Nissan, saying we are less than a decade away from seeing these on our roads. The safety improvements we'll gain along the way seem well worth it. And it is nice to see some folks starting to do something more than connecting their cars to my Pandora playlists. Is the picture above soon going to be legal again? What excites you the most about the latest automotive technologies? What do you hate? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.
(Source: Intel Free Press via Wikimedia Commons)
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